Binagoongang Baboy w/ Zucchini

Binagoongang Baboy is of Philippine origin.  The main ingredient of the dish is pork flavored by bagoong or shrimp paste which is pungent for some people but heaven for Filipinos.  We don't usually cook this dish at home for the fear of having the blood pressure shoot up.  Most of the time we would only use bagoong for just a bit of flavoring for pakbet or just sauteed tiny bits of pieces of pork to use as dip for green mangoes or as an added yummy taste to vinegar dip for fried fish.

We would usually add eggplants and coconut milk when cooking this dish but this time I wanted to try if zucchini would work well with the pork and bagoong.  The result was really delicious...I guess all my taste buds worked --- sweet, spicy, sour, salty...sooo yummy!

Ingredients
4 pcs pork chops, cubed
4 zucchini
1 tbsp garlic, minced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and squashed
2 tsp peppercorns
1 onion, minced
2-3 tbsp Barrio Fiesta bagoong
1 green chili, chopped
2 pcs bay leaf
1/2 c white vinegar

Procedure
Boil pork cubes, bay leaf, garlic cloves, vinegar and peppercorns in water (just enough to cover meat).
Heat a pan with oil.
Sautee minced garlic and onions. 
Scoop out the meat and the other ingredients from the pot and add these things to the pan.
Add the zucchini
Stir in the bagoong.
Simmer.

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Nanay's Lumpiang Shanghai

Lumpiang Shanghai or spring rolls are of Chinese origin.  They became popular in the Philippines during the Asian Trade era when the Chinese traders started settling in the Philippines.  The term lumpia, is of Hokien origin -- lunpia.  It is interesting to note that this spring roll dish is very popular too in other Southeast Asian countries and each has its own version. 

The one that we have in the Philippines is more on the meat side than the other ingredients.  Usually the size is around 4 - 6 inches long and deep fried.  Although those commercial ones are quite smaller and had more meat extender for profit sake.  Most restaurants serve this dish and now even those small stalls are making big profits from this wonderful dish.

It is also a celebratory dish since it is present at most important celebrations like birthdays and Christamas or New Year.  My family loves lumpiang shanghai...and even my husband's family fell in love with it.  It is always one of the list of requests of my hubby for lunch and dinner.

I am not sure if you the other Filipinos cook it the way our family does.  This recipe is the one I grew up with and it has been around for ages in our family.

Ingredients
1 k beef minced
3 large onions, minced
2 tbsp garlic, minced
6 medium carrots, minced
1/2 c spring onions, minced
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp maggie savour
fish sauce to taste
Spring roll wraps (about 40 pcs)

Procedure
Heat up a pan and pour a bit of oil on it.
Cook the meat over medium fire.
When the meat is cooked, move it to one side of the pan.
Sautee garlic and onions and mix in with the meat when the onions become transparent.
Add in the carrots, spring onions and parsley.
Pour in the maggie savour and fish sauce.  Stir.
Cook just until the sauce has evaporated a bit.
Remove from fire.
Place 2 tbsp of the meat mixture on the one corner of the spring roll wrap.  Fold that corner, covering the meat mixture.  Fold the two sides corner towards the center covering the first flap.  Then roll towards the remaining corner.
Deep fry until golden brown.
Serve with your favorite dip.

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Thai Noodle Pinoy Pancit

No birthday would be birthdays if there would be noodles on the table.  I cannot remember a time when there was no pancit on the family table when someone was celebrating his/her birthday in our family.  It is supposed to bring good health and long life to the celebrator according to my parents and other oldies in the family.  I guess this is also true in most Filipino families.  This is just one of the many obvious influences of the Chinese in the Philippine cuisine. 

Normally, I would use bihon or sotanghon noodles in cooking pancit but since I am in another country and we are a bit far from the Asian store I had to use whatever noodles we can get from IGA which is just a short walking distance from our house.  I would also usually use fresh veggies and slice or cut them patiently but since this is my daughter's birthday and I am the only one who would cook for her party, I really need to do a shortcut so I preferred to use the frozen mixed veggies. 

Even if I did a little bit of change with the ingredients the pancit still taste the same.  I guess that usually happens when you're so used to cooking the same dish for a loooooonng looooooongg time.

Ingredients
600 g flat noodles (pad thai noodles)
1/2 k pork, cubed
200 g mixed veggies (frozen mixed veggies ---carrots, beans, brocolli, cauliflowers)
100 g cabbage, shredded
1 large onion, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/4 c spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp parsley
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp maggi savour
1 chicken broth cube dissolved in 1/4 c warm water (or shrimp flavor)
1 magic sarap
1 c water (add more if you want to dillute the salty taste)
pepper to taste

Procedure
Fry the pork until just cooked.
Add in the onions and garlic and stir.  Cook until onions are transparent.
Add in the veggies.
Put in the sauces, and the rest of the ingredients except noodles.
Remove the veggies when already cooked (make sure that they are not overcooked)
Set aside.
Put in the noodles onto the pan.  If there's not enough sauce, add a bit of water and do a taste - test and add a bit of the sauces if it becomes too bland for your taste.
Place the noodles in a big serving dish and put the veggies on top.
Serve with lemon or calamansi.

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Balut and Penoy

photo courtesy of Egg on a Stick

Balut
Lyrics

I
Halos araw-araw sa tapat ng aming bahay
Mayrong isang babaeng lagi nang nagdaraan
Sulong ay bilao kung lumakad ay paimbay
At ang wika ay ganito sa gitna ng daan

Chorus A:
Balut, penoy, balot
Bili na kayo ng itlog na balot
Sapagkat itong balot
ay mainam na gamot
sa mga taong laging nanlalambot.

Chorus B:
Balut, penoy, balot
Bili na kayo ng itlog na balot
Sapagkat itong balot
ay pampalipas ng pagod
at mabisang pampalakas ng tuhod.

Bili na kayo ng aming balot

II
Ale, aleng tindera magkakano po isa
Tatlong piso po lamang
Kung gayon ay pakibigyan kahit ilan.

Balut, penoy, balot
Bili na kayo ng itlog na balot
Sapagkat itong balot
ay pampalipas ng pagod
at mabisang pampalakas ng tuhod.

Interlude

Repeat I
Corus A
Chorus B

Penoy, balot
Penoy, balot
Penoy, balot (Fading)

A song that was popularized by Ms. Katy dela Cruz many years ago and loved by  a lot of Filipinos.  The song is about balut and penoy, a Filipino delicacy known everywhere you go.  Some foreigners would probably choose to eat penoy than balut though.  Both are hardboiled eggs but they're not the ordinary hardboiled egg that you usually do at home.  Penoy is a bit similar to the ordinary hardboiled eggs but the texture of the egg yolks and the taste is a bit different.  Penoy has more flavor and might have soupy yolks or softer.  Duck eggs that are already fertilized and then hardboiled are the baluts.  Usually it's a one day old duckling that the balut makers use.  They have chicks which might have different sizes.  The ideal balut though is 17 days old from hatching which is called balut sa puti.  The best ones are those coming from Pateros. It is still well known for its production even to the present.  Known for being good aphrodisiac, males would usually be the one consuming these delicacy more than females.  However, baluts are not for those faint of heart and blood pressure problem as it is found to increase the blood presure especially when combined with beer or chicharon (peddled by balut vendors during the night).

In our family, it was just my father and my brother who would usually eat balut.  I love eating the yolks though.  Whenever we bought baluts before, I would usually let my father or brother to eat the chick first before I eat the balut.  I just love the taste of the egg yolks!  My brother tried to get my hubby eat a balut years back...teaching him the proper way of eating etc etc....and guess what?  It didn't work with my husband!  He did not like balut at all that even up to now if someone would ask him if he is able to eat  a balut in the Philippines, he would always say, he would never ever eat baluts...heheheh.

While we were watching Luke Nguyen's Vietnam, a foodtravel cooking show hosted by a Vietnamese - Aussie, Luke Nguyen, we saw him eating balut in Vietnam.  That's where we found out that is also a local delicacy in that country and it is usually eaten with beer.  Vietnamese calls balut, trung vit lon.  Cambodians know it as pong tia koon.

sources:  pateros.gov.ph; Luke Nguyen's Vietnam TV show
photo: courtesy of Egg on a Stick
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My No Fuss Easy to Make Embutido Recipe

Embutido is actually a meat roll dish or meatloaf which is an influence of the Spaniards in the Philippine cuisine.  The word itself is of Spanish origin which means sausage.  Through time this dish has evolved and adapted by many Filipinos.  It is considered to be a special dish that it is usually served on special occasion like Christmas, New Year, Birthdays etc.  A favorite dish that one really loves, no doubt.

Our Aussie friends fell in love with embutido when I made some a few months back and 3 of them got introduced to the dish on my daughter's birthday party last saturday.  My hubby was the one who would usually explain to them what an embutido is and what are the ingredients of this dish.  I guess by this time my hubby knows embutido by heart that he can cook them himself. 

Ingredients
1 k beef minced
1 c fresh milk
7 pcs white bread (cubed and edges removed)
2 large onions, minced
1 big red capcicum, minced
1/2 k hotdogs, minced
1/4 k hotdogs, sliced into strips (6 strips/hotdog)
1/3 c gerkins, minced (pickles)
3/4 c sultanas
4 large carrots, minced
2 eggs, beaten
8 eggs, hardboiled, each egg divided into 6 pieces
1 1/2  tbsp salt (depend on your taste)

Procedure
Dissolve bread into the milk.  Mix into the beef.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the hardboiled eggs and hotdog strips.  Mix well.
Place 3/4 c of the mixture onto a foil.  Flatten.
Place hardboiled egg slices and hotdog strips alternately in the middle of the meat mixture. 
Roll the meat making sure that the eggs and hotdogs are still in the middle  of the mixture.
Fold both ends of the foil.
Place the embutido rolls into a steamer.
Steam for 30 minutes (from the time the water boils).
Serve with ketchup or gravy.

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Pinoy Pizza Rolls

I was introduced to roll pizzas when I was still working at Miriam College.  Every School Fair, there would be food stalls selling different kinds of things.  One of these was pizza rolls.  I loved them instantly.  There were pesto, cheese and bbq flavors that you could choose from.  The price was not that expensive.

This is my first time to make pizza rolls.  They are quite yummy...different from the real pizza that we eat.

Ingredients:

1 white bread (edges removed)
1/2 c tomato sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp italian herbs
1/2 ketchup
1 tsp sugar
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium capcicum, minced
1 c grated cheese or sliced ones
100 g ham, strips
1 egg, beaten
1 c breadcrumbs

Procedure
Mix sauce, paste, ketchup, herbs, sugar, onions and capcicum
Flatten the bread using a rolling pin.
Spread the pizza mixture onto the bread.  Top with cheese and ham. 
Roll the bread.
Dip into the egg.
Roll onto the breadcrumbs and deep fry until golden.

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Mini Apple Apricot Turnovers w/ Creamcheese Pastry

I was reading an article about doughs and one thing caught my eye - using creamcheese in your dough!  I quickly checked if I still have creamcheese in the fridge which I usually use for frosting carrot cake and I still got some!

So I have used the last of my creamcheese and the last of my butter for this recipe but hey it's all worth it!  The dough was really great that I've almost ate the unbaked dough hehehe! 

I was not wrong when thinking that this would be a fantastic version of turnovers.  I decided to add the tin apricots too (I really do not want tins to stay long in the pantry and use them just before the expiration dates come).  The taste of each mini turnover is really wow!  I'm pretty sure that my hubby would say the same.  It just melts in your mouth and you can really taste the creamcheese in the pastry.  The filling is quite yummy as well.  Hmm maybe next time I would add jackfruit and banana?  Can't wait!

Ingredients
Creamcheese Pastry
225 g creamcheese
200 butter, softened
2 c plain flour
2 tbsp, cold water
1 egg yolk

Filling
6 c thinly sliced apples
1 tin apricot
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c caster sugar

Procedure
Creamcheese Pastry
Beat the creamcheese until it is smooth and pluffy.  To make this easy try using the Kraft spreadable creamcheese. 
Add in the softened butter and continue beating.
Mix in the egg yolk.
Add in the flour little by little.
Add in the cold water.
Mix well.
Form a ball of dough and cover with clingwrap and refrigerate for 1 - 1 1/2 hour. 

Filling
Peel, decore and slice the apples thinly.  If you do not have a multi - slicer, just use the peeler to slice the apples thinly.
Slice the apricots thinly.
Put apricots and apples in a saucepan.
Mix in the sugar and cinnamon.
Pour 1/4 of the apricot juice onto the mixture.
Cook the fruits until tender and the juice has evaporated a bit.

Assembly
You can either follow the empanada dough style of wrapping or the simple way I did with this recipe.
Roll out the dough in a lightly floured surface or baking paper.  Make a 4 inch circle ( You should be able to make 16 - 18 pieces).
Place the filling (about 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp) in the center of the circle.  Wet the edges with water and fold making a half a circle shape.
Pinch the edges together from one corner to the other end and seal.
Bake for 15 minutes in a 180C preheated oven.

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