Cooking in Small Spaces

My 2011 Christmas Food Gifts List

2011-12-18T04:15:00.001-08:00

Here's a list of the Top 5 Christmas Food Gifts we received this 2011.

5. FARM FRESH PURE CACAO BALLS

These freshly made cacao balls fresh from a local cacao farm will soon be boiled and beaten into a silky Tsokolate Eh concoction this New Year. I will save one cacao ball for Binagoongang Baboy with Tsokolate (<-- Click for the recipe)

4. ANGRY BIRD CUPCAKE

Trendy. Yes. Yummy. Yes, too! This home-baked goodie was served up at a class Christmas party held after a series of talks where A. was a guest speaker. The chocolate cupcake underneath the fondant icing was soft, and moist.

3. CRUMBLY COOKIES FROM MOM & TINA'S

Here's a classic Christmas food gift that comes with its own Christmas ball-shaped cookie jar. The cookies are wrapped in plastic so that when you open it, they remain crumbly and tasty.

2. BACON AND CHEESE CHOCOLATE

This is from the Rustan;s chocolate shop, Alfie's. I've tried the milk chocolate withbacon. Now can't wait to try the dark chocolate with cheese!

1. GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS TREE

This is just so pretty! Too pretty to eat, in fact. We ate it Christmas eve and saved the fondant snowman, christmas tree and gift for the only kid who visits us during Christmas. He ate them like candy :D

Many thanks to all who gave us these memorable food gifts!

BALUT- DISGUSTING?

2011-11-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

A Philippine delicacy was listed as the number 2 most disgusting food by listverse.com. I recently discovered the article written in 2007.

I used to eat balut ONLY in the dark and with my eyes closed. This changed when I had a gustatorial epiphany one drunken night in college (alcohol, apparently, is a great tool for reaching life-changing realizations). I ate one under bright lights and with my eyes open. After sucking the succulent juices, I cracked the shell fully open. The feathery duck fetus lay there challenging me to show it how Pinoy I was by biting its head off. And I did so. the triumph of overcoming my fear and disgust of bizarre foods made me more adventurous. Thanks to the balut, I have become a more adventurous foodie.

Here's the entry on Balut from listverse.com.

2. Balut – Duck Fetus

          Balut is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in
          the shell. They are considered delicacies of Asia and especially the Philippines, Cambodia, and
         Vietnam. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack,
         balut are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available. They are
         often served with beer. Michael, from WeirdMeat, describes the experience thus:

After you choose what kind you want, the vendor grabs them piping hot from the basket and passes you a little stool, salt, and a vinegar-onion sauce. You hold the hot egg and flick carefully but forcefully at the top of it with your middle finger. It cracks a bit and you gently remove a small hole from the top, so you can sip the savory broth before removing the whole shell. I agree that the 18-day one is better than the younger ones. You might come across some small chunkies but it’s usually just eaten all the way through, in about 3 mouthful bites. You can see feathers, head, wings, and skeleton forming, but it’s basically an extra-chewy easter egg.

          Fertilized duck eggs are kept warm in the sun and stored in baskets to retain warmth. After nine
         days, the eggs are held to a light to reveal the embryo inside. Approximately eight days later the
         balut are ready to be cooked, sold, and eaten.

To read the full article, please click on HERE.

Documenting a Food Documentary, "Piging Para Kay Pepe" -Part 2

2011-11-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

The recipes shared in this blog were cooked during the filming of "Piging Para Kay Pepe", a food documentary produced by GMA Network, hosted by Cesar Montano and directed by Rico Gutierrez.

Since the documentary did not provide the actual recipes, I have taken it upon myself to share them with the foodies interested in traditional Filipino recipes. Here are three more recipes that use only fresh ingredients.

***

GUINISANG MUNGGO

This very common dish was a favorite of Dr, Jose Rizal. In fact, he liked to cook the dish for the boys he "adopted" during his exile in Dapitan and often served it to relatives who visited him there. Being a doctor, he espoused the completeness of the dish and its health benefits. A similar recipe is mentioned in a rare cookbook written by Milagros Enriquez, a promoter of Traditional Tagalog cuisine. She writes that Rizal made his Guinisang Munggo with ampalaya leaves, mushrooms and a little panutsa (a hardened clam-shaped disc of unrefined cane sugar).

The recipe featured in the documentary is a simpler version passed on to Linda Roque of Laguna by her grandmother.

Ingredients:

4 cups of water

1 cup of munggo (mung beans)

1/4 kilo of pork (choose fatty parts), cubed

2 pcs. sibuyas (red onions), peeled and sliced
3 pcs. kamatis (native tomatoes), quartered
6 cloves bawang (garlic)

1 cup hibi (dried baby shrimps)

1 bunch dahon ng sili (chili leaves), separate the leaves from the stalk, use only the leaves

Boil and soften the munggo in 2 cups of water. Set aside.

Saute the pork cubes by boiling it in a little water and letting the fat of pork brown the meat. When the meat has browned, add the bawang, sibuyas and kamatis. When the onion has turned translucent and the tomatoes become tender, add in the munggo. cover the pot and let the thick broth boil. Upon boiling, add the dahon ng sili. Cover for about one minute and serve.

***

PANCIT MIKI/ PANCIT LANGLANG

Much confusion comes with the name of this pancit. The southern Tagalog references refer to it as Pancit Langlang, while in Rizal's novel, "El Filibusterismo", he refers to it as Pancit Miki. Apparently, Pancit Langlang is the name accorded to a type of pancit that uses Miki noodles but is cooked with a wider variety of ingredients and has a little bit more sauce.

In most biographies, the Pancit Miki was mentioned in two occasions: during his stay in Europe as a stident and also during his exile in Dapitan.

When Pepe was in Europe, he often asked his brother Paciano to mail him the noodles and he would cook and share the noodles with his roommate. Like any Filipino abroad, the taste of pancit brought Rizal memories of home.

In Dapitan, his Irish girlfriend, Josephine Bracken, would make Miki noodles from scratch when supplies from his family would run out.

Josephine Bracken

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsps. lard

2 pcs. sibuyas (onions) peeled and sliced

1 head bawang (garlic), peeled and finely chopped

4 pcs, Chinese sausage, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

250 g. giniling na baboy (ground pork), mix in 1 egg, right before cooking

250 g. tenga ng daga (cloud ear fungus), soaked in water and chopped

250 g. hibi (dried baby shrimp)1/4 cup carrots, julienned

1 cup chicken, boiled, debonedand shredded, set aside the chicken broth

250 g. Sitsaro (snow pea), de-veined

1 bunch Kinchay (coriander)

2 tbsps. sibuyas tagalog (green onion stalks), finely chopped

asin (salt) and/or patis (fish paste) to taste

durog na paminta (ground black pepper) to taste

Saute the bawang, sibuyas and chinese sausage in melted lard. When the sausage has changed color and become tender, add the ground pork. When the pork has browned, add in the hibi, tenga ng daga, and chicken. Add a little patis and pepper to taste. When the last three ingredients become tender, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil and let it the sauce thicken a little.

When the sauce has thickened, add the noodles. the starchiness of the noodles will help thicken the sauce further. Add the snow peas and the let the noodles cook until al dente (right to the bite). Mix in the kinchay and sibuyas last, just right before serving.

For Filipinos, the pancit also symbolizes long life, which is why it is always served during birthday parties. Ironically, the hero who liked pancit, Jose Rizal died at an early age of 35.

***

HUEVO MORCONITO (EGG'S NEST)

In accounts from the biography "Lolo Jose", written by Asuncion Lopez Bantug, a descendant of Rizal, it is stated that his last meal conssisted of three hard boiled eggs. the first two, he ate in silence and the third, he left in his prison cell so the rats have something to feast on.

Appropriately, the last dish featured in the documentary had egg as its main ingredient and is an heirloom recipe of the Rizal-Mercados.

The recipe, shared by Cecil Consunji-Navarro, one of Rizal's great granddaughters, is usually served during occasions commemorating the hero. The clan cannot remember, however, who started the tradition.

Ingredients:

3/4 kilo Pork fillet (each fillet should be wide enough to wrap and egg)

1/4 cup toyo (soy sauce)

3 pieces calamansi (local lemon)

6 pieces eggs, hard boiled and peeled

6 pieces cooked ham

4 cups water

1/2 cup Cooking oil

Potatoes, shredded thinly

Salt to taste

Marinate the pork fillet in soy sauce and calamansi for about an hour. Boil the eggs and peel.

Wrap the boiled egg in cooked ham and the marinated pork fillet. Secure the wrapping with a cotton twine. Boil the wrapped egg for about 45 minutes, or until the meat becomes tender.

Pan fry the wrapped egg in hot oil until it turns golden brown. Remove the twine and cut in half.

Shred the potatoes and fry until crispy. Sprinkle with a little salt before forming into a nest big enough to hold an egg.

***

ANG PIGING

While the cooking was done in Pasig, the actual piging (feast) was held at Ilustrado Restaurant in Intramuros, the Walled City that bore witness to most of Rizal's adult life and his heroic death.

That meant that a second batch of food was cooked, for the 13 guests invited to the celebration.In addition, the restaurant assisted the host in preparing the dessert, Halayang Bayabas at Kesong Puti (Sweetened mashed guava served with Carabao Cheese).

***

Documenting A Food Documentary, "Piging Para Kay Pepe" -Part 1

2011-11-01T05:34:00.000-07:00

There are moments when you get a project that comes once in a lifetime. A. and myself were tasked to write the first ever food documentary celebrating the 150th birthday of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

It made sense. A birthday party for the ultimate amongst Pinoy heroes and to be hosted by one fine actor who played the hero once, Cesar Montano. At the onset of production work, it was agreed upon by the show's producers and director to make Rizal more accessible, less of the mestizo ilustrado snob we grew up picturing him as. After all, a hero is supposed to inspire the common, the pedestrian, the masses. After dying and being deified, strip down a hero and you find a human being who also needs to sleep, eat and do the number two. Surely, Rizal was not an exception.

THE MENU
"Show me what you eat and I'll tell you who you are" goes a famous saying. Half a dozen books and countless transcripts of interviews with his living relatives and historians, the menu of Pepe Rizal's life turned out to be as Pinoy as Mang Pandoy's.

The list of dishes considered for the food documentary

If there is one thing that we Filipinos enjoy most it's eating together. Not just the food, but the act of sharing a meal. So the menu for the documentary consisted of everyday food, shared in common households as mentioned by Rizal in his books and as researched by biographers. Food historians Felice Prudente-Sta. Maria hand Mikaela Fenix helped put the menu together and shared insights on dining customs during Rizal's time.

The final menu included:
Tinolang Manok
Sinigang na Ayungin sa Kamias
Guinisang Munggo
Pancit Miki
Egg's nest or Huevo Morconito*

Whole Guava preserve with Kesong Puti

*A generically named Rizal family heirloom recipe, aptly renamed for the documentary.

THE KITCHEN AND THE COOKS

For me, there were two interesting aspects of making the food documentary-- finding the right kitchen to cook the turn-of-the century dishes and the people who knew how to make them.

We shot most of the cooking portions of the special in Pasig City, in a house called Bahay na Tisa.

The kitchen had an old-world feel to it, as if women in baro't saya would walk in carrying baskets of fresh produce. There were copper pots and pans, a firewood-fueled kalan (stove) and a banggerahan (a small extension, usually over the sink for storing or hanging some kitchen utensils).

Three former teachers from Calamba, Laguna, Rizal's hometown, prepared the kaluto ng bayan (heritage dishes) picked for the birthday celebration menu: Edith Agbulos (Tinolang Manok), Norma Castro (Sinigang na Ayungin sa Kamias) and Linda Roque (Guinisang Munggo).

Joining them in the kitchen were Kampampangan Chef Atching Lilian Borromeo (Pancit Miki) and Rizal's great granddaughter, Cecil Consunji- Navarro (Egg's Nest or Huevo Morconito).

***

TINOLANG MANOK
This dish was mentioned in one of the most controversial scenes in "Noli Me Tangere" where Dominican friars who were guests at the dinner in honor of the protagonist, Crisostomo Ibarra, were served the bony parts of chicken, an insult during Rizal's time. He made use of a simple dish to point out his disrespect towards the priests running the Church in his beloved country.

Another interesting story related to this dish was that Rizal, as a young boy, had witnessed the beheading of a chicken and was traumatized. Supposedly, he did not eat chicken for many years. Documents do show that he eventually got over the trauma. When he lived in Dapitan, he learned how to butcher poultry and pigs.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps. lard (can be purchased from wet markets or ask your local baker for some rations)
1 piece pulang sibuyas (red onion), sliced
6 cloves bawang (garlic), peeled and crushed
1 medium piece of luya (ginger), peeled, sliced and crushed
1 whole manok tagalog (native chicken), dressed and cut into single serve pieces
2 cups chicken broth (you can pre-boil the chicken for about 20 minutes in medium fire, drain)
patis (fish paste) to taste
1 piece siling haba (long green chili)
1 medium unripe papaya, peeled and cubed (sayote is an alternative)
1/4 kilo kalabasa (squash), peeled and cubed
1 bunch dahon ng sili (chili leaves)

Sautee the garlic, onions and ginger in the lard. When the flesh of the onion has turned translucent, add the chicken and brown lightly. Add the chicken broth and fish paste. Bring to a boil (or until the chicken becomes tender). Add the papaya and squash. When these become tender, add the siling haba and the dahon ng sili. Bring to a boil and serve piping hot.

This recipe was passed on to Edith Agbulos by her grandmother who lived in Calamba during Rizal's time.

***

SINIGANG NA AYUNGIN SA KAMIAS
His most famous novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, were filled with descriptions of Tagalog dishes of his time, One of the most curious was the Sinigang na Ayungin sa Kamias. Modern diners are familiar with sinigang sa sampalok (soup using a sour tamarind base) and it is rare to find someone who can point out an ayungin fish on sight for it is a vanishing species found only in Laguna de Bay.

Ingredients:
12-15 pcs. kamias (Cucumber tree fruit)

2 pcs. sibuyas (red onions), peeled and sliced
3 pcs. kamatis (native tomatoes), quartered
6 cloves bawang (garlic)
1 kilo ayungin, gutted and washed ( silver perch)
2 cups hugas bigas (water used for washing rice)

1 bunch kangkong (swamp cabbage), separate the leaves from the stalk, use the leaves only
1 piece siling haba (long green chili)
salt to taste

Boil the two cups of hugas bigas. Upon boiling, add a pinch of salt then add the kamias, kamatis, sibuyas and bawang. Before the advent of instant mixes, the hugas bigas was a common ingredient to give broths more body.

When the solid ingredients become tender, take out of the boiling water and mash. Return the mashed ingredients to the boiling broth before adding the fish and remaining ingredients. When the fish changes color and becomes tender, it's ready to serve.

***

End of Part 1

Butter, finally!

2011-10-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

I am now 11 days into a 36-day job contract in a secluded place. After two weeks of butter -deprived diet, I discovered that if I ordered pancakes in this resort, they serve it with salted butter.

I ate 4 packets of butter with this pancake and hoarded 2 more packets for days when I crave again. In the meantime, I just need to be content with the memory of my pancake and butter breakfast.

ON THE TABLE: PUTING PAKSIW NA PATA

2011-09-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

Dinner tonight was inspired by a friend from Naga, Bicol who graciously treated us to diner at his home. He served us paksiw na pata but it was a pale version because no soy sauce was used. Just Vinegar and salt.

This is the first time I cooked Puting Paksiw na Pata. So I don't have the recipe yet (I cook a dish at least 3 times before I post the recipe).

Paired it with Kalkag rice, given by another generous friend.

BURP!

Dinner- Blue Marlin

2011-09-08T04:52:00.000-07:00

Just want to share... tonight's dinner pan-grilled Blue Marlin ala Pobre (with Lemon Butter sauce and crispy garlic flakes).

Cheap Pizzas and the Stupid Things I Did In My Youth

2011-09-08T02:56:00.000-07:00

In my freshman year in college, whenever I felt a little lost and needed time for myself, I always watched a movie alone. Well not entirely alone as 8 slices of cheap Hawaiian Pizza would always accompany me along with a large drink of soda.

I would have some sort of tradition. I would sit myself in the middle aisle, wait for the lights to come down, open the box of pizza and eat the first slice by the time the first trailer comes up on the silver screen.

Every bite of the thick, chewy dough smothered with tomato sauce, processed ham, cheese and crushed pineapple tidbits was a reassurance that the food, the cinema and the movie, no matter how crappy, were all my choices. I was in that age when proclaiming my independence was top priority.

I used to do a lot of crappy shit in my youth like going home drunk and shoeless, skipping classes to watch Joey de Leon and Rene Requiestas movies and asking my dad for extra money for some non-existent school project. I would never call my mom if I was coming home late (no mobile phones back then); volunteer to sing in a karaoke bar while the hosts make fun of me and wear patched leather pigskin bustiers (heavily padded) to classes. My juvenile self back then thought that all the fun I chose to have were signs of independence.

Looking back now, they were merely follies of my youth. I was one of them artsy fartsy bohemians who thought she could change the world.

That was 20 years and twenty pounds ago.

The world has indeed changed. Kids can now SMS their moms to tell them they'd be coming home late and even send an MMS for some photographic proof of where they are and who they're with. Kids don't go to movies unless they're Hollywood blockbusters with some robot, superhero or blood-sucking vampires. And when they do, these calorie-counting kids can buy just a slice of pizza to take with them to the movie house.

Recently, I bought a whole Hawaiian pizza for myself at the supermarket. I never got to finish it though because as much as I wanted to relive my youthful days of independence, I realized I had to lose all the pounds I gained from years of eating pizzas by myself.

Japan! Japan! Okay Sa Tiyan!

2011-09-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel that as you grow old, your circle of friends grows smaller? You lose some to strange diseases, you lose some due to even stranger situations involving the loss of money and trust but most you lose due to distance. With internet technology so accessible these days, I find that it is the emotional distance, not the physical one, that can turn a friend into a stranger.

Then there are friends whom you don't really lose, they've just decided to seek greener pastures or run away from the hurts of a painful love affair gone wrong. One new found friend decided that the former is reason enough for him to chew verdant grass growing (probably more like clinging moss) in the concrete jungles of New York.

He is no stranger to working abroad though. Well, I guess no Filipino family is. With 1 out of 10 Filipinos working abroad, the OFW phenomena is not such a strange thing. It is a hard reality that many of us understand and bear.

But I digress. In his first few years in the work force, my friend worked in Japan, back in the days when its live entertainment scene was the arena of talented Pinoys and Pinays. There, he learned many new things like not getting lost in translation and that five-toed socks are for construction workers and not cool J-pop celebrities. When he returned home for good (or so he thought) one of the things he brought back here was his love for Japanese food.

Now that he's bound for a foreign land again, one of the things he promised me was a meal in a carinderia with a Japanese cook, right in the heart of Tondo. Some sort of unofficial send-off where we could make a new memory he could take with him to warm his heart amidst the cold steel and stone buildings of Manhattan.

Three rainy nights ago, along with A. (with whom my friend shares a peculiar interest for things supernatural), we grabbed a cab to Tondo. At the corner of Hermosa and Clemente Streets, right where an eskayola statue of Mama Mary seeks shelter from the rain in an MMDA-blue riprap grotto, we alighted.

Unlike most carinderias we are familiar with, this one does not have ready-made (or twice-cooked) food getting stale and cold in aluminum pots or trays. Instead there is a menu, three tables and a cooking area.

My friend introduced us to Mommy Edtitha and her husband Toshi, a cruise liner cook of twenty years who met Editha in Yamagata when she worked there as a cultural dancer (after a stint as a dancer for Pinyo TV shows like Eat Bulaga). They are also the parents of Suzuki, a past Survivor Philippines castaway.

Toshi

It has been two years since Toshi has hung his cruise ship cook's apron and decided to put up this carinderia with Mommy Edith. Joy for us, because we then get to taste authentic Japanese cooking without the frills of high-end restaurants. Here. you won't find the overly soy-sauced dishes of commercially franchised Japanese food chains.

To drive away the cold, we ordered Ebi Ramen.

The soup has a home-cooked appeal to it. Mind you, the scalding hot broth just smelled so good, we dove right into it, not minding if we would be burning our tongues.

We also ordered a tempura platter. This is not as big as you are used to in the more commercial establishments but you have to appreciate that it is cooked right before your eyes. Toshi will slice the vegetable pieces, crush the okra between his palm and the chopping board while Mommy Editha prepares the thin batter.

Mommy Editha also prepared Gyoza, the Japanese dumpling made of minced pork, cabbage and lots of garlic.

We still had some room for Ebi (shrimp) fry before the main event.

Being true-blue Pinoys that we are, the grand event for us were the rice meals.

Tonkatsu or deep-fried pork cutlet...

Katsudon... pork cutlet with Katsudon sauce

Butadon...Pork in simmered in slightly sweet sauce

We ordered mostly pork meals as Toshi said the quality of beef from the market was not very good. He also remarked that beef in the the wet market nearby does not have the same tenderness as Japanese beef.

All meals were served with freshly chopped vegetables.

The rice served was not the sticky long-grained Japanese kind but it doesn't matter. You get your fill and maybe even order a second plate. Traditionally, the rice meals are served in bowls (from the word "don" which means , you guessed it... "bowls"), here they are served in melamine plates and eaten with spoons and forks. Many people in the humble neighborhood eat there, too. They are not astounded by the fact that it's an authentic Japanese meal. Rather, they are just content to eat good food at an affordable price. Everything we ordered was just billed for P495.

This was truly a dining experience that affirms that you can cook great food even in small spaces, using only a two-burner stove like the one Toshi brought all the way from Japan.

So, were you surprised that there were no raw fish and sea creatures wrapped in nori (seaweed)? Toshi wants to use only fresh ingredients and these are served only if they are called in advance by good, loyal customers. They also accept orders for westernized Japanese dishes like Kangkong pasta, Japanese burgers and the egg pizza.

A note to the picky diner- they only have three wooden tables and you have to buy your softdrinks and ice from the neighboring sari-sari store. There's also no washroom so better pee before you go here. All the worries will be worth your while.

Adobo Connection at the New Eastwood Mall Food Junction

2011-08-20T02:01:00.000-07:00

I have always said that adobo will always be the hardest recipe to give any restaurateur success. Any adobo you make will always be compared to the home-cooked version every paying customer will associate with good memories at the family dining table. That's very hard to compete with.

So I was Amazed to find Adobo Connection at the Eastwood Mall's Food Junction.

This relatively new food court looked promising. A second floor walkway from New Eastwood Mall leads to the well-lit dining place. Going inside, one will find only a hand full of food stalls.

Adobo Connection looked like the most promising food court stall.

From more than a dozen adobo recipes, I picked the Mestizang Adobo,

which I discovered was just a starchy version of Lechon Paksiw.

A. picked the Modern Adobo...

which he described as vinegar-laced afritada.

The P100 peso meals were filling but you still end up missing your mom's home-cooked adobo.

Burnt Chicken Wings FAIL

2011-08-20T01:28:00.000-07:00

Proof that one should not blog and cook at the same time.

Food Find: RegRub Burger

2011-08-20T01:20:00.000-07:00

I thought, this Metrowalk burger stall...

was owned by this guy.

REG RUBIO of GREYHOUNDZ

Photo by Kevin Cayuca for Party Pilipinas

Until I realized hat the stall name was just 'burger' spelled backwards and that Reg Rubio of Greyhoundz, Greyhoundz, who gets 20,000 FB impressions when he says good night to his fans, is too cool to put up a burger joint. Silly me.

Just so I could ask the kuya who was in-charge of the joint if the rocker owned it, I bought a burger. (No need to tell me about my stalker fan habits). I got the Pesto Cream Cheese Burger.

The P95-peso burger was flame grilled

and topped with cold pesto cream cheese.

The burger was just hot and juicy enough and not heavily marinated, the cold pesto cream cheese a great add-on flavor.

It was a filling answer to my fan curiosity. Like Reg Rubio, this flame-grilled burger rocks!

Food Find: Connie's Kitchen

2011-08-20T00:14:00.000-07:00

This food find was discovered by accident when A. and I recently had to visit a friend at the Mount Carmel Church for her mom's wake. Though we are not highly superstitious people, we observe the Filipino practice of 'pagpag'. After a wake, one is supposed to stop by a public place, usually a coffee shop or a convenience store for us, where one shakes off the trail of death that may be following you.

Just a corner away from Mount Carmel, is Connie's Kitchen, the first deli stall of the brand known for their bottled seafood products. I have been using the brand's bottled tuyo and daing for my pastas and decided it might be worth a peek.

The small deli was packed with an assortment of refrigerated perishable meats and cheeses, a whole wall of their bottled products and imported pastas and legumes. I even saw a paellera at the bottom of a shelf.

They had an interesting choice of cheeses from Mambos and a few imported brands. I got the smoked Keson puti. For those who like really salty cheese, you might want to hold back on this one as it is not salty at all. The infused smokiness and the firmer texture makes it an interesting cheese, though.

I also saw packs of vietnamese coffee in a corner but decided to forego purchasing it as I still had half a lifetime's worth of coffee at home.

Aside from the fresh frozen suahe (shrimp), the best food finds there are the microwaveable Duck Sisig...

ad the surprisingly refreshing Mint Merengue which tastes like Colgate Lite on a bed of sugar (sinfully funny in my mind).

So if you find yourself in the area, you may want to pass by and find yourself a treat in this little deli by the corner.

Casa Bongga sa Sarap!

2011-08-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

To be fed by friends is always a treat. And to be fed by friends who know what a good meal is cause for celebration. Recently had to do an interview with two good friends, P. and A. They are not an item but are BFF's and recently chose to be housemates in a house they christened as Casa Bongga. Both are flamboyant drama queens who can make a pregnant pause give birth to a plethora of scenes fit for an Oscar moment.


The Casa Bongga drama queens at their housewarming party.

Photography: Frances Makil-Ignacio

When it comes to food, though, they are pretty straightforward. Tasty, filling meals are their specialty. On my first visit to their French Boudoir inspired house A. made laing, dried gabi (taro) leaves cooked in coconut cream while P. made dry-rub herbed Pork Chop.


LAING

The gabi leaves were mushed up to creamy perfection (not watery at all) and the coconut cream was infused with a lot of chili and the fat of the tender pork that was used to sautee and spices.

PORKCHOP

The chops were the size of a grown man's palm and covered with the herbs used for the dry rub. I only have three words: Crispy, salty, fat.

For the past year, I have lessened my intake of carbohydrates, rice in particular. My visit to Casa Bongga was a major back slide for me, having eaten at least 10 cups of rice, I think. But all the carbs I took in triggered a truckload of serotonin and made me so dizzy with happiness, everything else after the meal was a blur.

Since then, the memory of that hearty meal at Casa Bongga is one happy place I always go back to when confronted with a lonely styro-packed meal. Thank you P and A for one great food memory.

Warm Avocado and Potato Salad

2011-08-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

Got cookbook, will cook.

Are you the type to follow recipes from a cookbook? I am. This little bundle of Avocado recipes was given as a gift by N., a friend and colleague from way back. It's actually a ref magnet for our ref magnet collection.

Here's the actual recipe.

Just follow it using fresh avocados

Dice it along with the potatoes

Brown that bacon until it gets crispy

Toss everything and dig in!

FOOD FIND: MANANG INDAY'S BOSTON BBQ SHACK

2011-08-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

Living in a certain Cubao district for more than a decade gave me the luxury of discovering the different neighborhood treasures like this hole-in-the-wall barbecue shack run by Aling Inday and her family along Bostons St.

I first heard about her when colleagues from a nearby production house frequented the place for lunch. She had a regular menu of some soup recipes that goes well with grilled food: Munggo Guisado, Sinigang na Baboy and Nilagang Baka. But it was her barbecue that they raved about.

I bought my first stick from her more than a decade ago and have been a regular ever since. Her specialties include chicken wings, tenga ng baboy (pig's ears), and the de riguer pork barbecue.

Aling Inday would pour a fresh batch of charcoal, point a dusty plastic electric fan towards the makeshift yero grill, get a batch of barbecue sticks, dip them in the marinade and place them on the metal grill, the marinade dripping onto the coal, sizzling and creating short wisps of white aromatic smoke.

The secret marinade

After a few minutes brushes the marinade on the and turns over the barbecue sticks. More aromatic smoke. And after a few minutes, it's done. Hot. succulent, saucy meat on the plate.

O' Sonho- Wishing I Was Somewhere Else

2011-07-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

Once had dinner at the Portuguese restaurant, Osonho, in Eastwood.

I don't know much about Portugal, except that it's in the Iberian Peninsula and that Ferdinand Magellan, the explorer who stumbled upon the Philippines was originally from there but sailed the world to discover lands for Spain.

I had always wished to go to Spain for a culinary tour but it never crossed my mind to go to Portugal. As I don't have an idea of the cuisine of this country south of Spain, eating at O'Sonho would give me a preview of the culinary treats that await me, if my dreams do come true.

The restaurant promises Portuguese fusion cuisine. The word "fusion" should have been my cue to book a table at the next door "Kitchen Cookbook". Restaurants that brag about 'fusion' cuisine usually end up with experimental meals that leave the taste buds unfulfilled. But I am getting ahead of myself.

As a meat eater, I had expected, that due to its proximity to Spain, the meat dishes would not only be an excellent source of protein but also a source of gustatory joy.

For tira gosto (appetizer), I had the sizzling Chourico Sisig. the hot and crispy meat almost jumping out of the hot metal plate.

Part pork bits and part sausage (also made of pork bits), it was swimming in bubbling oil and had a good amount of chopped onions and red chili on top. It was disappointingly bland, though. Only the seasoning and the calamansi (native Calamondin) could be tasted aside from the heat of the chili.

Dinner was the enticingly described Todos Paella De Carne, an all-meat Paella with a "heavenly mix of bacon, beef, chicken, lamb and chourico-carefully spiced and specially cooked to satisfy the most demanding meat craving."

I was reminded that the wait for the Paella was 30 minutes. And wait I did, sipping the refreshing Peppermint Iced Tea.

I guess, the wait just heightened my expectation. After all the menu did say "Allow 30 minutes for paella perfection."

It looked perfect. The saffron colored rice topped with an assortment meats was plated in a paellera, a flat round pan with two handles. Traditionally, the Paella would be eaten straight from the pan. But since I was trying to look urbanized, I ate the dish on a plate. With a knife and fork.

The meat portions were generous but the spices were not. The lamb was a little tough and the bacon lacked the saltiness common in preserved meats.

I did not get to finish the Paella because the serving was good for three persons. The unfinished portion, I took home in a doggy bag, along with sad memories of dining in a restaurant that was full of promise. I guess, Portugal will have to wait, until another restaurant redeems it in my eyes and taste buds.

FOOD BOOK FIND: Candy Freak

2011-07-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

Found this book at Book Sale today. Looks interesting and the review at Amazon.cm sounds promising.

"Picture a magical, sugar-fueled road trip with Willy Wonka behind the wheel and David Sedaris riding shotgun, complete with chocolate-stained roadmaps and the colorful confetti of spent candy wrappers flying in your cocoa powder dust. If you can imagine such a manic journey--better yet, if you can imagine being a hungry hitchhiker who's swept through America's forgotten candy meccas: Philadelphia (Peanut Chews), Sioux City (Twin Bing), Nashville (Goo Goo Cluster), Boise (Idaho Spud) and beyond--then Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America, Steve Almond's impossible-to-put down portrait of regional candy makers and the author's own obsession with all-things sweet, would be your Fodor's guide to this gonzo tour."

I'll tell you if this is one happy sugar-fueled ride.

On the Table Tonight: Nilagang Baka

2011-07-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

Soup on rainy days is comforting. Tonight, I shared this Nilagang Baka with A. and another good friend, E. It is a whole meal in itself but is best served with rice and a dipping sauce of patis and calamansi.

INGREDIENTS:
1 kg. Beef shank with marrow
1 cup carrots, unevenly chopped into small bite-sized pieces
2 red onions, chopped
1 bunch celery, use only the leaves and the thinner stalks, finely chopped
1 stalk leek, chopped
6 pieces Japanese Sweet Corn, cut into half
1 head cabbage, quartered
1 beef cube
salt and pepper to taste

TO MAKE:

Put the beef, carrots, onion, celery and leeks into a deep pot. Immerse in water. Let it boil in high heat for about one hour. After the first hour, add the beef cube. Put the heat down to medium and let the soup simmer for at least 2 hours. Check on the beef if it is tender enough for you. Add water, salt and pepper as needed. When the beef is tender enough, add the corn and let it simmer until the corn cooks. When the corn is tender, turn off the heat and add the cabbage. Serve hot with rice.

The Kitchen is My Oasis and Chili Con Carne Salad With Three-Cheese Sauce

2011-07-07T02:13:00.000-07:00

Whenever I'm stressed, I find myself in the kitchen.

Some people get stressed with cooking. For me, it's the other way around. There's something zen about peeling garlic, chopping tomatoes and trying to stop tears from falling as the stench of the onion I am mincing slowly wafts up my nostrils and turning the my tear duct switch on.

I guess, having to force myself to focus on my fingers from being bloodied by the knife or stirring the soup so it doesn't boil over helps clear the mind and provide mental and emotional therapy from the stresses of daily life. My kitchen is small and as you can see has a lot of clutter. But it is amidst the clutter and chaos of cooking that I find myself when I need peace.

The kitchen is my oasis.

Having said that, here's my latest stress-busting recipe which I developed after sharing taco salad with some workmates after an exciting day at work.The following week, I made a batch and shared it with the mates.

CHILE CON CARNE SALAD WITH THREE CHEESE SAUCE

Ingredients:
For the salad-
1 head ice lettuce, washed, dried and shredded (use a ceramic knife if possible)
2 boxes of nacho chips
6 pc fresh ripe tomatoes, diced and soaked in mango juice for 30 mins, then drained
1 pc big onion, soaked in pineapple juice for 30 mins. then drained

For the Three-Cheese sauce-
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh milk
3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated Edam cheese (Queso de Bola)

For the Chili Con Carne-
1 pack red kidney beans (about 200 g), soaked overnight and drained
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 head garlic, finely minced
500 g ground round beef
1 can whole tomatoes (500 grams)
4 pieces bottled hot cherry or jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (add or decrease, based on your preference)
1 small pack tomato paste

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Spanish Paprika

1/2 tsp dried ground oregano

1/4 tsp All spice

1/4 tsp dried cloves

1 small bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

dash cayenne pepper, or to taste1 tablespoon chili powder

TO MAKE THE CHILI CON CARNE:

Soak the beans overnight in water. Rinse and drain right before cooking. Place in a large pan and add 2-3 cups of water. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour, or until tender. Drain.

In a large pan or wok, sautee the onion, garlic and beef in oil. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste peppers and spices. Cover and let it simmer for 1 hour. Uncover and add the beans and let it simmer until the sauce reaches a thick. Remember to stir so the bottom doesn't burn.

TO MAKE THE THREE-CHEESE SAUCE:

Melt the butter by placing it on a ceramic bowl placed on top of a hot water basin. Remove from heat. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add the milk and stir until until well mixed. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Slowly add the cheese and stir until smooth and well blended.

TO PREPARE THE SALAD:

Heat the nachos as instructed in the pack. Place on a platter.

Add a layer of the shredded lettuce.

Sprinkle with the tomatoes and onions.

Ladle in a hefty amount of the Chili Con Carne.

Pour Three-Cheese Sauce. Serve and enjoy.

Mochi with Fresh Strawberries

2011-07-07T01:15:00.000-07:00

Was lucky enough to taste this dark chocolate mochi ball with fresh strawberry filling made by hand at Dezato, a small cozy cafe near E. Rodriguezrun by sisters Ingrid and Maria.

My name is Mike and I am a Mochi addict.

Friendships and soups- the simpler, the better

2011-07-07T00:32:00.000-07:00

Was recently served this soup at a friend's house: fish stock and ready-to-cook shrimp, crab and squid balls. Uncomplicated, as many friendships should be, too.

The amazing 'Modernist Cuisine' of Nathan Myhrvold

2011-07-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

Here's another interesting TED Talk presentation by Nathan Mhyrvold who wrote "Modernist Cuisine". At first, I thought here's another take at fusion recipes that would end up as being "pautot" or pretty food that's pretty unpalatable. however, after seeing his Ted talk, this is obviously not the case. Rather, this is kitchen geekness at its finest.

Click on the picture to go to the book's Facebook page

What he did was the equivalent of poking through meat as it is being grilled and opening a bottle of pickles being pasteurized. He basically cut things in half, cooked through them to see what happens to food as it is being cooked.

The guy is a polymath who used to work with Microsoft and in 1999, put his energy into different interests like archeology, photogrpahy and world barbecue championships. It's not surprising then that the cookbook is a documented journey to the inner sanctums of gastronomy.

Watch out for the popcorn and the gelatin videos... and wish me luck in getting a copy of the 6th edition that has washable pages.

Click on the photo to watch the TED Talks video

Can't. Sleep. Will make Adobong Tahong and Tawilis Pasta.

2011-06-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

I've been working 'til 3 AM and I have to be on the road by 8:30 AM again. Life's not particularly sucky right now, just tightly scheduled. Last time I had a similar schedule, I slept through the morning and barely made it to my morning appointment. What to do so it doesn't happen again? Fight sleep with a little early morning kitchen action.

Here's a picture of the Adobong Tahong and Tawilis Pasta I finished a few minutes ago.

And now here's how to make it...

ADOBONG TAHONG AND TAWILIS PASTA

Ingredients:
1 can bottled Tawilis, drained and shredded
1 can bottled Tuyo, drained and shredded
500 grams of Adobong Tahong by Jaq's Kitchen (a small stall at the Salcedo Market)
400 grams of pasta (Linguini is preferred by Spaghetti will do)
1 can whole peeled tomatoes (about 500 gms)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup bacon (not the honey cured kind), chopped
1 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
1 big onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 pieces red cherry peppers, finely chopped
a dash of dried basil
a dash of dried sage
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta as directed in the packet. drain and save about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Boil the bacon in about 1/8 cup of water and brown it in its own fat. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil to the pan and saute the onions and garlic. Add in the adobong tahong. Once it boils, add in the whole peeled tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and the shredded tuyo. Let it boil and then add in the pasta water, and the herbs. Reduce the sauce to a thick consistency over low heat. Just before the sauce reaches the consistency you want, add in half of the Parmesan cheese and the cherry peppers.

Once the sauce has thickened, in a separate pan, heat the remaining olive oil and add in the sauce. Mix gently. Add the pasta slowly and mix gently just so you cover all the noodles with the sauce. Put aside at least 1/2 cup of the sauce. Once the noodles have been evenly coated, plate and top with the extra pasta sauce, shredded tawilis and parmesan cheese.

For a little punch, drizzle some truffle oil. Mine s courtesy of my good friend and kindred foodie, Daki Fernando.

You can also add in some arugula leaves or whole Tawilis pieces for a prettier plating.

FOOD FIND: Bangus Tocino (Sweet Cured Milk Fish)

2011-06-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

Saw this in the Supermarket... Century Tuna's Bangus Tocino.

Tried it today. it thawed easily enough and though the fish meat looks a little too brown for comform once it's thawed, it does cook well. Of course, just not as pretty as the fish cuts you see on the packaging.

The fish takes some time to redden (smaller amount of salt peter or salitre than the pork tocino variety, I suppose) and caramelize but it tastes just like tocino. It's not malansa (fishy) but you do get to taste the bangus (milk fish) after all the sugar has melted away in your mouth. For a tocino, it's not dispapointing.

And nope, this is not some paid blog.

Xcolat and cold mint chocolate drink

2011-06-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

I usually prefer hot coffee drinks over cold caffeinated drinks. The cold choco-mint drink of Xcolat over in Katipunan is a winner though. That's all I'm going to say.

Sumo Sam and Spam

2011-06-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

It has been months since I've had this quirky Waikiki Salad from Sumo Sam made of soft waffles cooked with spam, shredded lettuce, dried shredded pork and Japanese mayonnaise. Listed on the menu as a breakfast meal inspired by Hawaii and its surfing culture, the salad promised to be one hefty meal all in itself.

But it turned out to be one of those meals that you think you'd remember and in doing so, you kind of regret having a memory of a dismal dining experience. All this photo evokes is blandness and the lack of the tangy, processed meat (and other stuff not necessarily in the food category, I'm sure. But it's the kid of stuff that makes spam so much more addictive). It looked interesting on the menu but on my palate, it was just a big giant wave that fizzled out even before the surfer could mount his board.

It just made me miss the Spam Jam restaurant in Robinson's Galleria around 2004 or 2005.

A. had better luck, though with his Wagyu rice and fish tempura. The cream Dory was well-cooked and the batter just light and spiced moderately so that when you dip it the golden brown piece into the dipping sauce, the fish meat was coated with a right amount of flavors.

The Wagyu rice, had enough amounts of flavorful beef pieces. and the rice fluffy yet sticky enough to enjoy the meal on chopsticks.

It will definitely take some time before I go back again to Sumo Sam to sample their other dishes but I have definitely not crossed it out off my list.

FOOD FIND: Rosy's Pancit Malabon

2011-06-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

I lived in Malabon for around 4 years and I have eaten Pancit Malabon at every special occasion. Of the many "original" pansiterias that have been selling this rice noodle recipe is 'Rosy's Pancit Malabon' which has been open since 1940's.

Almost 15 years after leaving Malabon, I got the chance to finally set foot in this famed eatery.

We ordered a big bilao good for about 20 persons and cost us about P1,000. Which wasn't bad considering it was abundant with fresh shrimps, meat slices and eggs.

I was booted out of the kitchen even before I could take any more photos.

I had to wait for our bilao to be taken out of the kitchen before I could take any more photos.

TUNA LUMPIA AND DAILYSEX, ERR, DYSLEXIA.

2011-06-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO WATCH THE DYSLEXIA VIDEO

In my last episode for a parenting talk show I was writing for, the topic discussed was learning disabilities, focusing on dyslexia. this was a topic I had been pitching for a long time. Sad as I may be due to the axing of the show, I am just glad that I got the chance to do an episode on the topic.

Since fish is one of the more accessible brain food, I shared my recipe for Tuna lumpia in that episode. Here it is...

RECIPE:TUNA LUMPIA

Ingredients:

- 1 can of tuna chunks or solid in brine, water or oil

- 1 medium-sized potato

- 1 medium-sized carrot

- 1 bunch green onion leaves), finely sliced

- 1 tsp. of chili flakes

- 1 tsp. of salt or to taste

- 1/2 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper or to taste

- 1 egg, beaten

- 12 pieces of 6-inch spring roll wrappers, separated

- about 2 c. of vegetable cooking oil for frying

Instructions:

- Drain the liquid from the canned tuna.

- Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan. Cut the potato and carrot into 1/4-inch cubes. Fry the potato and carrot cubes until lightly crisp. Scoop out and drain on a stack of kitchen paper.

- In a bowl, put the drained tuna, potato, carrot, scallions, chili flakes, salt, pepper and half of the beaten egg. Mix.

- Place about a heaping tablespoonful of filling at the center of a wrapper and roll, sealing the edges with the remaining half of the beaten egg.

- Reheat the oil until you see fine wisps of smoke above the surface. Fry the spring rolls until golden, in batches if necessary so as not to overcrowd the pan and make the temperature drop which will make your spring rolls greasy and soggy.

- Serve the spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce

FOOD FIND: Cafe Kapitan's Pancit Canton

2011-06-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

Discovered Cafe Kapitan in Marikina City a month ago and still can't get over the Pancit Canton.

It's the Pancit Canton that other pancit cantons should strive to be--- light golden brown sauce sliding and drippin off the starchy noodles; deep-fried liempo bits (with crispy skin on) and tender shrimps mixed with crunchy vegetables --- all go together. It doesn't even need the dash of calamansi juice we Pinoys are so accustomed to. Although they say one serving can be shared by two people, I can definitely finish a plate by myself.

The specialty of the place is Paella but I didn't get to order it as the pancit was enough to fill up my carbo quota for the day.

Paellera lamp shade

I did get to taste some other dishes...

Lumpiang Shanghai

Crispy Chicken

Lapu-lapu in Sweet Sour Sauce

... but it's definitely the Pancit Canton that will keep me coming back for more.

I NEED SOME HEAT- MY VERSION OF THE SAMBAL SHRIMP

2011-06-03T22:51:00.000-07:00

I had been to Indonesia only once and that was to get treated to a nice day at the Banyan Tree at the Bintan Island. And that is as far as my affinity to Indonesia goes.

I tried my hand at making Sambal Shrimp, but realized quickly that I had to innovate given that my blender has stopped working for weeks now (making it impossible to make the Sambal paste). So here it is...

BLENDERLESS SAMBAL SHRIMP

Spice paste 1 tbsp ready-to-serve crispy red chilies
1 red onion, finely minced and pounded
2 tbsp bagoong

Sambal Sauce
3 tbsp cooking oil
250g shrimp (shelled and deveined)
1 cup water
1 tbsp tamarind paste (mixed with 1/2 cup water & strained)
2 dried kaffir lime leaves (crumbled)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar

Mix all spice paste ingredients.

Heat up the oil and stir-fry the spice paste for a minute or so.

Then, Add the shrimps and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes.

Once the fragrance of the sambal pastes fills the room, add in the water mixed with tamarind paste and bring to a quick boil.

Add in salt, brown sugar & kaffir lime leaves.

Serve hot.

Oops, I Did It Again... Binagoongang Baboy with Tsokolate Tablea

2011-06-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

There are things I had done once and will probably never do again...spelunking for five hours in Sagada, rappelling in the rain in Batangas and ramming an RV into a pyre of burning trash in Boracay ... unless it involves a nice early retirement package.

And there are things that I dream of doing at least once...skydive in Australia, fly the Zero-G plane in Florida and wash the windows of the 100th floor of the Empire State Building in New York.

I am not exactly an extreme sports kinda gal but I do like taking risks that make me feel like I am laughing in the face of death (even if it's just really lame stuff).

When it comes to gustatory delights, though, I believe in a no holds barred policy. I like to live my life dangerously, at least in the dining table.

This food freak wants to have tongue wrestling with a live baby octopus in Korea, make an oven out of yak carcass in Mongolia and, eat blowfish in Japan.

One thing that I don't understand, and it just irks me sometimes, is when people who have very low BMI or body mass index (also known as 'thin people') often ask me why I like eating fatty. I hate it when they make it sound like I'm committing suicide. asking me in an incredulous tone while they hungrily look at the dripping salty, oily mess I am biting into. I retort that I want to die happy. If you have a perfectly grilled piece of fatty meat in front of you, and an earthquake happens or you see an errant vehicle about to crash into you, you wouldn't want your last thoughts to be, "Oh fuck, I should've eaten that barbecue!", would you? Such silly last words will never be heard from me.

And on that note... Here's one of my favorite salty, fatty recipes, not for the faint of heart and those who want to achieve unbelievably low BMIs.

BINAGOONGANG BABOY NA MAY TSOKOLATE

Ingredients:
0.75 kg country style pork liempo, cut into 2-inch thick strips
1 cup Shrimp Bagoong from Malabon (salty baby shrimp paste with a hint of sugar and spice)
1/ 4 cup cooking oil
1 head garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 onion, sliced into rings
3 cups water
2-3 pieces grated Tsokolate Tablea
1 Long pepper (Siling-haba)

Using 1/2 cup of water, boil the pork.

When the water has evaporated, lower the fire and sweat the pork until it produces some fat, Add the cooking oil and sautee the garlic as you brown the pork.

Once the pork is browned, add the bagoong. Add the remaining water and let the concoction simmer. Mix every once in a while so the bottom of the pan does not burn. When the pork is tender,but the sauce still watery, add the siling haba and onion rings.

This will give the dish an undertone of heat. Once the dish reaches a sticky consistency, add the grated tsokolate tablea. The bitter sweetness of the tsokolate will temper the heat and bring out the saltiness of the bagoong. Mix and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Separately, you may choose to blanche vegetables like okra, kangkong (water spinach), sigarilyas (winged beans), sitaw (string beans) or talong (eggplant) to serve with the binagoongan.

Serve with piping hot rice.

FOOD INC.

2011-06-03T03:33:00.000-07:00

I just saw this documentary today, while thawing frozen burger patties and snacking on imported corn chips with bottled cheese dip. This documentary will either enrage you, frighten you or let you develop a conscience when it comes to buying and cooking food.

I know many will say that it's a food documentary that affects Americans, not us. But realizing that the WTO does not limit nor regulate what is imported here in the Philippines is all the more scary.

Recently, a number of sports drinks were recalled by the Philippine Department of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA, formerly BFAD) for containing DEHP, a plasticizer, a biochemical component commonly used in concretes and plastics to make them more fluid and pliable. In drinks, they are used to make the drink more "cloudy", even if the endocrine-destroying chemical is not of food grade level. One of the most common plasticizer is the epoxidized soybean oil (used to replace palm oil in most food ingredients). I woudn't be surprised if Monsanto, one of the establishments criticised in the documentary is the main global producer of this product. After all, they created the GMO soy bean.

This blog could easily be criticised as a gullible reaction to some paranoid, conspiracy theorists. Hysteric even. But all you just have to do is read the label of the food product right beside you. Unless you're an organic freak, most probably you'll read through a list of ingredients you can't even say out loud.

I say, since I've probably been eating genetically modified crap that will eventually kill me (not to mention my smoking), I want to spend my remaining days pain-free and happy with what I eat.

Food Find: Fried Siopao

2011-06-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

I have posting like crazy these past few hours, making up for lost blogging time during the busy monthy of May.

This is the last of my posts for at least the next 72 hours (and hopefully my next post will include a recipe).

I discovered this about a month ago while doing some shopping at 'Market! Market!' for work (yep, some of my work requires me to shop. Unfortunately, I don't get to shop for myself). I was hungry and wanted to eat near a smoking area so I didn't have to walk far. And I saw the DEC stall, thinking that I will just have a shake. But then in the estante (glass display case), I saw edible stuff that I am cosmically drawn to... fried food!

And sittng on one of the foiled melamine trays was a promising food experience- the fried siopao.

So I got myself some ad took home a couple for A. to snack on.

The bun had a crispy outer skin and the inner dough was a little chewy but I couldn't really complain, it was selling just for P15 a piece. Like many commercially made buns, the filling was not a hefty serving but the sweet and slightly salty, red shredded pork asado was tasty enough for me to finish a bun.

Like the steamed siopao variety, this is best enjoyed warm and not reheated.

MAY ASIM PA... ANG MANGGA NI MANG LITO!

2011-06-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Was in UP the other day.

Of the many places I visit every time I'm in the campus is the Shopping Center, if only to buy the green mangoes sold by Manong Lito.

I have been buying green mangoes from him for twenty or so years. But it was only three days ago that I asked his name. So as some sort of quasi-tribute to one of the silent witnesses of my youth, here's Manong Lito and his sour, green mangoes.

UPWARD MOBILITY AND ANGELO'S VERSION OF THE UPLAND DRESSING

2011-06-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

I was once told that, "It's just a job."

I heard this line after one TV show I was writing for had stopped airing. I am a newbie at TV writing and I left my corporate life so I could write...

...about food like kalabaw lugaw (porridge with water buffalo meat) sold from the lowly karinderia (street food stall) and the expensive Wagyu Beef cooked on volcanic rocks served in upscale restaurants.

I just want to write.

About kids with learning disabilities and how the world treats them like they will never be able to contribute to society.

I just want to write.

About all the crazy shit stuck inside my head, from the crazy tikbalang afraid to make friends to the two menopausing women conversing about abortion on their way to Quiapo to the sub-atomic sized letters that make up a world brought alive by the continued narrative told by these letters when they are linked.

I really, really just want to write.

My days of upward mobility are gone. Job titles don't appeal to me anymore. Doing a good job and contentment in what I do are what's important to me now. This is something I tried to share with my younger brother, Angelo, when we were discussing his career path in the culinary and hospitality industries. He couldn't quite picture what I meant when I said job titles shouldn't matter. But I guess that's him being a product of the era of labels, the time of technology.

Good thing that he has his own passions. Cooking being one of them, I tried to explain my new work philosophy to him using the cooking analogy.

One of the lowest positions in the modern kitchen is that of the garde manger or pantry chef who is in charge of the cold foods including the pates, cold appetizers and salads. But when a meal starts with the salad, it becomes the garde manger's job to make sure that the meal becomes a success right from the start. A badly dressed salad can make a meal the epic fail that you don't want it to be.

Whatever your station is in life or the kitchen line, it's always important to do the best work, one that you can be proud of.

So after sharing that analogy, we went on to make a dressing based on Cafe by the Ruins' upland dressing. My brother made some adjustments to suit his taste. So, here it is.

UPLAND DRESSING
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
2 tbsp honey (or brown sugar)
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tsps finely pressed garlic (or finely minced garlic)
1/2 cup corn oil (the aroma of any other kind of oil does not go well with this patis flavored dressing)

Toast the sesame seeds. Mix in the lemon juice, patis, honey and garlic. Incorporate corn oil by pouring it as you whisk the liquid briskly. (If you want to do it faster, pour all the liquids in an airtight bottle, and shake vigorously). Add the sesame seeds just before serving.

Serve with lettuce, arugula, halved seedless grapes, tomatoes and cucumber. I find that this goes well with salads that don't have any meat in it.

It's my Knife!

2011-06-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

I know... I know... paraphrasing the Bon Jovi song, "It's My Life" will surely date me but I don't care. I've got my Tramontina knives. I discovered them while looking for a good knife for my brother, Angelo, who is a culinary student.

The ones I got were from the Onix collection, made of stainless steel. It's supposedly heat-proof and non-stick but what I really like about it is it's light weight and perfect for my small female Asian hands.

Often, we think that just because a knife is heavy, it's top quality and the best for use in the kitchen.

While my knives may be perfect for me, they may be too small or lightweight for heavier built cooks. My rule of thumb when buying knives is "to each his own". It should fit into your hand comfortably and should weigh just enough so your hand muscles don't get strained after long hours of prep work.

If you haven't found the right knife yet, happy hunting!

Food find: Leche flan cake

2011-06-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the Kung Fu Panda movie screening to start at the New Eastwood Mall left me and my friends time to window shop. But instead of the usual shoes and shirts, we window shopped the products of the Weekend Gourmet Market. And I shouldn't even use the term 'window shop' is the wrong word as the booths are mainly made up of one-meter tables.

There was a lot to see and sample, including sugar-free Brazo de Mercedes and Russian Cookies, but I chose to buy a Leche Flan Cake.

Here's my midnight snack after seeing the Panda save China and achieve inner peace at the same time.

FOOD FIND: FRUITY BANGUS AT PUERTO DEL SOL, BOLINAO, PANGASINAN

2011-05-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of my current jobs is that I get to go places, meet interesting people and taste very creative dishes. In a recent trip to Puerto Del Sol in Bolinao, Pangasinan I tasted this refreshing and healthy concoction made by the resort Chef, Fruity Bangus. The boneless bangus belly is used as a wrap fro local fruits like mangoes and pineapple. To cook it, the wrap is simply steamed. The resulting flavor is similar to the Paksiw na Bangus (bangus slow-cooked in vinegar and spices) but you also taste the natural sweetness of the fruits used.

Rebound Fish Dishes- Diced Tilapia and Fried Asuhos Fillet

2011-04-23T04:19:00.000-07:00

After being disheartened by my ugly sole dish, I wanted redemption in the kitchen. So I turned to making the fried fish with the Asian Dipping Sauce.

You can use fish with white meat that would turn golden brown when fried. Here are two versions of the dish with Tilapia and Asuhos Fillet.

***

Diced Tilapia with Asian Dipping Sauce

2 pieces of Tilapia Fillet, diced into 1 inch cubes
salt and pepper to taste
flour, as needed
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/4 cup cooking oil

Drain the fish and season with salt and pepper. Place the diced tilapia onto the bowl of lightly beaten egg and then roll in a bowl of flour until the diced pieces are fully coated. Fry in hot oil. Once it turns lightly golden, take the fish out and drain excess oil by placing the diced fish in a paper towel- covered plate. Serve with the Asian Dipping sauce.

***
Fried Asuhos Fillet

12 pcs. asuhos fillet
salt and pepper to taste
flour, as needed
1 egg, beaten lightly

1/4 cup cooking oil

Drain the fish and season with salt and pepper. Dip each asuhos fillet in the bowl of lightly beaten egg and then roll in a bed of flour until the fillet pieces are fully coated. Fry in hot oil. Once it turns lightly golden, take the fish out and drain excess oil by placing the diced fish in a paper towel- covered plate. Serve with the Asian Dipping sauce.

***

Asian Dipping Sauce

1 Ginger, about2 fingers long, finely diced
1 bunch fresh coriander leaves, finely sliced
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 fresh lemon, optional

Heat the oil and when it starts to smoke, place the ginger and fry it until it darkens. Add in the soy sauce. It will froth a little. Add the sesame oil and stir to decrease the bubbling. Add the coriander and let its aroma and flavor mix into the dip by heating it for about 30 seconds. Take the pan out of the heat. Serve with fried fish and fresh lemon.

Confessions of an Ugly Sole

2011-04-23T03:39:00.000-07:00

He is, in our home, the master chef. He is the voice inside my head whenever I am in the kitchen. A perfectionist, he is particular about how vegetables are cleaned, chopped, sliced or diced. Come to think of it, he's particular about everything- from the cut of the meat or poultry, to the ripeness of vegetables and the freshness of the seafood which he buys in the wet market. He is a fan of slow-cooked food but likes fastfood burger (yes, McDonald got it right in their commercial, I guess, except Papa is old school and likes Tropical Hut better). Watching him cook is like watching celebrity chefs live in the studio. In a way, he's my first kitchen superstar.

Papa

A few nights ago, I tried my hand at making steamed sole based on the memory of the dinner Papa made once. I remeber him steaming the fish to perfection, the skin all buttery and the fish flesh succulent. He made a soy-based dipping sauce that was distinctly asian with ginger and coriander.

And so based on a memory, I made my own version. Sole or dapa is a tricky fish to cook as the it is flat and hard to clean without breaking any major bones. I was cooking it Asian style with the head on and nearly broke the jaw of the poor dead fish.

I had forgotten to ask the fish monger to scale the fish so I had to scale the fish by scraping the knife on its skin.

What I missed was cutting the spiky fins. And after steaming the fish... it had turned into one scared mother F.

The dipping sauce was great but no matter how I tried to plate it... A still refused to eat it because it looked like some Jurassic sea creature.

And so, I ate the fish on my own. And having overcooked it, the skin was rubbery and the flesh, though firm, was a bit dry. Eating my mistake is always a humbling lesson in kitchen.

I guess, I have to try again and probably ask papa how I can make this dish right.

Poaching Eggs and Puto Breakfast Stack

2011-04-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

The egg is one oft-abused poultry product when it comes to dirty Pinoy jokes and in the Pinoy kitchen, it is commonly cooked in the fried form- boiled, scrambled, sunny side up omelette- or as part of the all-time favorite dessert- the Leche flan.

The poached egg is a rarity and served only to sick or old family members. But if you mix it with ingredients you usually have with sunny side up eggs- it is the healthier dish. The Puto Breakfast Stack though leans more toward the tasty than the healthy.

***

PUTO BREAKFAST STACK
Ingredients:
- 1 White puto (steamed rice cake)
- 1 slice cheddar cheese
- 1 poached egg
- 1/2 tsp. salted butter

To make, simply stack the cheese, poached egg and salted butter on the puto. Slice into the egg as you serve.

***

Now that was relatively easy. Let's get on to the hard part- poaching an egg.

I did a bit of research and found several ways to do it- by using a saran wrap, by using a ladle and the the traditional way of simply dropping an egg into a boiling pot of water and mixing furiously. I tried all of these. I ended up poaching several dozens of eggs and found myself an easy way.

***

MIKE'S EASY POACHING METHOD

Crack an egg on a ladle

In a 6-inch frying pan, let water boil to a roll. once it boils, gently place the egg in the pan.

Swirl the water, as done traditionally. once the egg white hardens, lift the egg with a slotted spoon

Here's how the poached egg should look like

***

SARAN WRAP POACHING

In a bowl, place a square piece of saran wrap. Crack an egg into the wrap.

Tie the wrap up. In a pan, let water boil to a roll and place the saran-wrapped egg.

Once the egg white hardens, take it out of the water.

Cut the plastic off

And this is what the poached egg will look like.

***

LADLE POACHING

Crack an egg into a ladle

In a pan, let water boil. Before it comes to a rolling boil, put the ladled into the pan.

Once the egg white hardens, lift it out of the water and scrape it off the ladle.

This is how it should look like

***

Reminders:

1. If the eggs are not very fresh, you may mix 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon vinegar for every quart of water used. This is not to enahce the taste of the egg but rather to help the the egg whites coagulate better.

2. Simmering time- 3-5 minutes, Make sure the water is hot and bubbling slightly.

3. Always drain the water, before serving the egg.

***

Binungey- Rice meal-to-go Pangasinan style

2011-04-20T06:04:00.000-07:00

Aside from bangus (milkfish), I am not so familiar with Pangasinan cuisine. And I absolutely love it when I am introduced to traditional cooking. So in a recent work trip, when I was brought to the house of one old couple who was one of the few remaining people who knew how to cook Binungey, it was a moment I tried to record in my mind... in case I needed some winning cooking skills when I get trapped in an island (which nearly happened the next day, by the way-- see my entry entitled "The Kindness Of Strangers 2").

My inner culinary geek just took over as I started to record the cooking process. So here it is...


Saw off an 8-inch piece of bamboo with the node in the middle.

Wash the sticky rice, mix in some rock salt and fill the bamboo with it.

Make sure to leave some space for the coconut cream

Pour in coconut cream (kakang gata)

Cover with banana cut up banana leaf

Make sure to overlap the leaves


Place the bamboo pieces in an open oven

Make sure to be wearing your slipper when putting in the bamboo filled with rice

Heat up the oven with more firewood and the extra pieces of bamboo you're not using

Make sure the bamboo pieces remain standing


Tap down the leaves that are cracking up because of the bubbling coconut cream

When the bamboo turns brown that means it's ready for eating!

Take the Binungey out

Let it settle for a while

Scrape off the burnt bits off the bamboo

Wipe

Cut in half with a machete

And here is what you'll get

The Binungey is not a dessert as I had thought at first. It's more like rice-to-go but cooked inside a bamboo stalk. Eating it on its own is not such a joy but i am guessing it will go well with fried dried fish or steamed vegetables or pork- deep fried or grilled.

Food Find- Adobong Bangus sa Dilaw na Luya

2011-04-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

Bangus or milkfish is the most common fish in the Philippines. It's usually cooked fried (prito), in sour soup with a tamarind or guava base (sinigang) or grilled (inihaw). One way to cook it is to cook it in vinegar and spices (paksiw). I find that mostly people who grew up in the provinces or people in the 35 and above demographic are more familiar with this way of cooking.

Finding the Adobong Bangus sa Dilaw na Luya at the Bangus restaurant in Galleria was such a pleasant surprise for me. I am thinking that they called it adobo because it's also cooked in vinegar.

What is great about the dish is that the acidity of the vinegar is just on the outer layer of the fish. The meat retains the natural sweetness of the fish . The sauce, flavored by the pungent yellow ginger and the acidity of the vinegar, enhances the sweetness of the fish meat which remains intact and succulent, especially the fatty stomach (tiyan) part.

Uncle Cheffy's at Eastwood

2011-04-14T02:29:00.000-07:00

Had dinner with Augie at Uncle Cheffy's at the New Eastwood Mall.

The restaurant prides itself for its brick-oven and slow-cooked cuisine, Interiros were cozy and as in most restaurants at the second floor of the mall, it provided seating in the veranda area where you have a view of the mall park pedestrians below and the wide outdoor video screen. We decided to dine in the outdoor area and cool down with drinks.

Soda and Banana Shake

For starters, we had the Grilled Prawns and Pomelo Salad with Asian dressing..

It was a well-plated salad with well-cooked prawns, pinkish pomelos and crunchy fresh greens. The dressing used light soy and was subtle, allwing you to taste the freshness of the veggies. We ordered the small plate and it was good enough to share.

Grilled Prawn and Pomelo Salad

A. decided to get the Pork Ribs with Hawaiian rice which was good to be shared by 4 people! The meat was tender and slid right off the bone but most of the flavor was just on the outside. Thankfully, it came with a dip that saved the dish. I wonder though if the dip is made by the restaurant or just bought off supermarket shelves.

Barbecue Pork Ribs and Hawaiian Rice

I got the Garlic Studded Pork Belly Lechon which was served with liver sauce, tomato salsa and marble potatoes. The skin was crispy but the meat was just bland. if you dip it in either the sauce or the salsa, all you would get is the taste of the sauce and the salsa. I only had two bites and said goodbye to the dish.

Garlic Studded Pork Belly Lechon

We weren't very happy with dinner and decided to leave without having dessert. Maybe next time, if there is a next time, we'll just have their signature specialty- brick oven panizza.

Find of the day- SERYE'S MUSCOVADO COOKIES

2011-04-12T02:56:00.000-07:00

Bough this container of sweet cookies at the Salcedo Weekend Market.

It has the taste of raw muscovado, a bit sweeter, actually. But the crunchy cookie is a good find that goes well with black coffee or unsweetened tea.

Judy Ann's Crispy Pata

2011-04-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

Nope, this is no mean joke on the weight issues of the actress Judy Ann Santos (And spare her your nasty weight -related jokes, she just gave birth. Have a little more respect for women who gain weight so they can carry another being inside their bodies, have that very same being rupture some sensitive body parts and raise the very same ).

After a very long aside, let me tell you that this is about honest to goodness pork hocks, boiled tender and then deep fried until crispy.

For this one, you have to go all the way to General Luna street in Malabon City (Beside the iconic Mary Jay Restaurant) .

Though the city is known for its fishport, I think it should be hailed for this fantastic piece of crispy fat and succulent meat falling off the bone. The recipe too is unlike others where gobs of honey find itself in the bone and tendon crevices. As you take a bite, the journey of the palate with the slightly salty skin and the savory meat are is taken one leap forward by the surprising sweetness of honey. The experience is further taken forward of the pata is dipped in the spicy vinegar-based sauce and eaten with piping hot rice.

I is pretty affordable, too. One serving serves 3-4 people and you can order liter-sized sodas and your bill will not even reach the 4-figure mark. Having said that, when you go to Judy Ann's, do remember that you're going there for the food. Go there hungry, don't mind the spare plasticky interiors and the limited service staff. It is all worth it.

Kindness of Strangers 2

2011-04-04T00:57:00.000-07:00


Textures of Bolinao

Maybe the universe is teaching me to be humble. Maybe I am meant to realize that hunger is my worst enemy. This recent trip to Bolinao, Pangasinan gave me another lesson in the kindness of strangers.

We were set to produce one segment about the ecotourism in Bolinao, a quaint third class town in Pangasinan. this entailed having to travel by banca to Balingasay River, the Giant clam farm and seaweed sanctuary.

And so, the crew, in two boats, set out to sea by 6:30 AM. Four hours later, we were still at sea, under the sweltering sun, our lunch an hour away by boat. We had one small mineral bottle each and a small box of chocolates. The Giant Clams and the seaweed were nowhere near edible (nor were they available for harvest). We were hot, sticky and turning irrational.

Since were near Santiago Island, we decided to dock on its port to find some food. There was one store that sold softdrinks and less than 10 meters away was the only sari-sari store of the barangay. As we scouted the shelves for anything that was readily available, the store owner, Aileen, came out and asked us what we wanted from her store.

We asked her if she could possibly cook some instant noodles for us. She readily agreed to do so. We pushed our luck and asked if she could possibly cook some rice and sardines for us. She was surprised by the request but did not hesitate to agree. As we helped her cook lunch, her daughter Alexandra joined us as well as other members of her family.

We kept everyone in their household busy, showing us where the washroom was and in typical Pinoy fashion, apologizing for the spareness of the facility. They used their electric stove and and the dirty kitchen kalan using firewood. It was a classic show of Filipino hospitality and bayanihan.

photo courtesy of Irene Pacana-Liwanag

Aside from what we brought from her store, they offered us arorosep, the small grape like seaweed that goes well with fish. They had harvested some and had just cleaned some for selling.

The arorosep is washed in fresh water

The hairy bits and other sea debris are removed by hand and washed again

The seaweeds are again soaked in fresh water before it is brought to the market to be sold

Rice, noodles, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs corned beef and freshly washed seaweeds- the meal you see here is one of the best I've had because it was given out of kindness.

Vienna Sausage omelette

2011-04-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Quick lunch almost often means food delivery or omelette for me, if there are eggs available. It goes well with rice or hot pan de sal, topped with ketchup and mayonnaise.

Here's my version:

VIENNA SAUSAGE OMELETTE

Ingredients:
1 small can vienna sausage, sliced into 1/2 cm thick
4 eggs, beaten
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 small onion, finely minced
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the garlic and onions. When the onion has turned translucent, place the sausage and pour the beaten eggs into the pan. Turn over when one side is already golden brown.

Just a quick trivia about this favorite canned sausage: it is a kind of hotdog and is called a Würstl in Vienna, Austria. The Germans call it a Wiener, which translates to "Viennese".

Pata Tim with Cua Pao at Hap Chan

2011-04-03T00:51:00.000-07:00

During errand days, I make sure to give myself a treat. Last errand day was done with A. and lunch was something we hadn't eaten for a long time, Pata Tim!

We decided to eat at Hap Chan because it was the nearest source of braised pork leg.

We got the meal started with hot tea, of course.

And when I looked at the menu, I began to crave for some Salt and Pepper Pork Spareribs with Diced Chicken and Salted Fish Fried Rice, a winning combination I discovered in the late 90s. I also find that this combination goes so well with black vinegar.

And A. of course, ordered the Pata Tim with cuapao.

The braised pork in the sweet sauce can be sliced and used as filling for the steamed pao. Hap Chan's Pata Tim isn't as richly flavored as I expected. I was missing the sweetness of the Hoisin sauce and the appetizing aroma of sangke (Star Anise). The pork, though was very tender and slid right off the bone.

To remove the "umay" factor from the meal, I paired the double pork and rice combo with a Hong Kong style hot lemon soda.

My Peanut Bieber Fever @ the PB Co.

2011-04-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

I have never been a fan of Justin Bieber. I always thought he was lame. But I do understand why kids, girls, especially, like him. He's cute, charming and has got hair that can mesmerize (What is it with young girls and touching boys hairs, nowadays?). He can also dance and sing.

When the movie of his precocious young life, "Never Say Never" opened in cinemas, I invited my godchildren Y. and M. to watch it with me and their mommy. Even with all the special effects and the throngs of screaming young girls on the big screen, it was more mesmerizing to see the non-stop smile of 5-year old Y. as she tapped her hands on her knees to the tune of "Baby". As we filed out of the moviehouse, Y couldn't contain her joy and gushed, "I like the movie, Justin Bieber is just wonderful!"
Ahh, youth and all the giddiness it brings.

After watching the movie, I had a solitary moment to enjoy a cup of coffee and peanut butter sandwiches at the PB Company, a small shop that serves peanut butter sandwiches.

I was intrigued by the menu... they have Peanut butter mixed in with BLT as in Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato!

Didn't try that one though, as I was into fluff that day. Along with my self-serve coffee...

... I ordered half a Peanut Butter and Marshmallow sandwich and half a Black Forest Sandwich- that's peanut butter with dark chocolate and cherry.

They do have half orders at around P75. The marshmallow sandwich was, as I expected, a tad too sweet for my taste. But I suspect, this is like the killer sandwich parents need to be wary of, what with the sugar rush that comes with every bite.

The Black Forest sandwich is just as sweet but I like it better because it's got my favorite ingredient of all time- chocolate! I think, they used semi-sweetened dark chocolate.

The sweet treat I gave myself was the perfect, post-Bieber fever snack- light, fluffy and sweet.

Food Find- Bacon In Your Chocolate?

2011-04-02T04:27:00.000-07:00

Was walking outside the mall when I spied a poster, one that said "bacon" on a chocolate bar wrapping. Needless to say, I marched right in the beauty store and brought myself a bar of Machiavelli's Bacon Chocolate.

The P300 bar of 30 grams of chocolate sprinkled with bacon bits might be a bit too steep but I just had to taste it.

The milk chocolate bar looks like any other regular bar...

...but when you turn it on its flipside, you will see hints of the bacon bits.

The milk chocolate seems to have low cocoa content, no trace of bitterness (wish we could use the same description about some people) and the sweetness is not overwhelming. Nothing special. However, this helps the taste of the salty and crunchy bacon bits to come out.

After taking a bite, the slightly sweet chocolate melts on your tongue and the saltiness of the bacon bits says hello to your palate. It's an interesting combination, a new chocolate adventure.

I wonder now if you can have a salted bacon strip brushed with chocolate, served with toasted bread, scrambled eggs and fresh OJ for breakfast.

Tokwa, Mami and the Kindness of Strangers

2011-03-27T05:11:00.000-07:00

I have never eyeballed (EB) anyone this past decade that I have been a netizen (the term simply dates me, doesn't it?). But this afternoon, I made time to meet up with Glendz, a young woman from Tarlac who has been chatting me and A. up about a project we all would like to come into fruition. She would always be up in the wee hours- exchanging ideas, stories and good vibes.


Myself, Glendz and A.

She lives in Tarlac, a province a few hours away from bustling Manila. And when she had the chance to go to Manila, she asked to meet up with us if only to give us the mami and tokwa that she and her father make. Only because we were nice to her on line. It was the most thoughtful thing any one had ever done for me for the longest time. Her touching deed strengthened my belief that people are innately kind.

What do two bowls of hot noodle soup and a plateful of tofu have to do with kindness, you ask? Nothing and everything. She owed us nothing and we never expected anything from her. This simple act of kindness, just shows that you can find goodness in people, even online.

So, as I sip the tasty, hot broth while writing this short piece, I salute her. Her good thoughts warmed me more than the mami did (altough I have to say, it is really goooood). Thank you, Glendz, for this act of kindness.

Food TED TALKS- Dan Barber's Foie Gras parable

2011-03-24T04:07:00.000-07:00

Click on the photo to view the talk

Had my first foie gras when I was already an adult. Goes without saying that learned about gavage, or the act of force feeding a duck so its liver gets fattened 6 times the normal size. The thought of the cruelty puts some conscience on the table. But as Dan Barber said, "It's just freaking delicious!"

Some controversy has come out of his farming ethics but this geese farmer, Eduardo Sousa, is amazing in his conviction to raise the animals in a more 'natural' setting.

As I sit here, typing, dreaming of a culinary tour of Spain, I am adding a visit to his farm and tasting the foie gras that promises to bring the taste of sunshine to my humble palate.

Nilagang Baboy and the Joy of Eating Home Alone

2011-03-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

In the nineteen years we have been together, A. and I try to share as many meals as we can. Food, after all, is one passion we have in common (and yes, snarky readers, obvious naman, 'di ba?).

For me, eating alone in a public place is one of the saddest experiences. I'm not saying this because I have a partner. I like to eat with other people. I bring food during meetings, I like to discover new eating places with friends and most of all I enjoy eating at other people's homes.

But eating alone at home is a guilty pleasure I indulge in from time to time. As I write this I am having lunch, listening to the birds chirp and the clacking of my keyboard. It is a fascinating moment, finding time for myself.

One of the things I enjoy eating alone are the soupy recipes I learned from my mom and A.s' family. Here's one recipe from A.'s eldest sister. She used to make this when we stayed at his family home in Malabon.

NILAGANG BABOY

Ingredients:
1/2 kg. Pork Liempo cut into 2 inch slices
8 cups water
1/2 cabbage head, quartered
1/4 head squash (kalabasa), cut into 1 inch squares
4 pieces local plantain (saging na saba)
300 g. Baguio beans, stripped and cut in half
1 pc. onion, quartered
1 tsp. whole pepper corn (pamintang buo)
1 pork cube
salt or patis to taste

In a pan, place the pork liempo, at least 6 cups of water, onion, whole pepper corn and pork cube. Let it boil and then lower the heat. If you're not using the pork cube flavoring, let the broth boil for a few minutes more or use a pork cut with more bones like spare ribs. Add the kalabasa. When the squash is tender enough, add the Baguio beans and some water if you want to have more broth. Add salt or patis to taste. Add the cabbage last. When the cabbage gets tender, the soup is ready to serve. Serve with patis and calamansi.

Discovery of the day: UBE MOCHI

2011-03-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

Found this at the Unimart supermarket... Ube Mochi.

This one is manufactured in Taiwan where Mochi, a traditional Japanese rice cake usually served during the Japanese New Year, is available year round.

Like the rice ball, the filling also varies. My favortie ones are from Dezato in New Manila where they have chocolate mochi with dark chocolate filling, green tea filling or the ones covered in crushed walnuts. Enjoy this sweet dessert with hot tea.

Uhm, Excuse Me, There's Shit In My Coffee!

2011-03-19T04:23:00.000-07:00

One of the many things I can't do without is coffee. I need it to start my day and I gotta have it right after my last meal for the day.

I grew up knowing only one kind of coffee- instant. the kind that came from the bevelled Nescafe glass containers (that they marketed as "diamond glass") that my Lola Pacing would rinse and scrub to turn into drinking glasses. Actually, she also used it as a coffee mug even if the glass was too hot to hold when she pumps out the hot water from the thermos. And if any of the grandkids broke a glass, she wouldn't mind so much as the replacement was just one grocery day away.


click on the photo to see the TV Commercial

The coffee experience in the 80's was pretty much just black, with sugar or with cream. Then the Frappe was introduced. Cold coffee was my introduction to coffee drinking. It was summer and there was nothing to drink but cold water from the fridge or lukewarm water from the tap. As I had no baon, I had no money to buy softdrinks from the sari-sari store. More so, the chocolate drinks of fruit juices in tetrabrick packaging from Glo-ri grocery. I still remember how I made myself a frappe and cleaned up the mess I made in the kitchen, sat under an aratiles tree and drank my first glass of cold coffee.

Fast forward to 1997. The first Starbucks store opens in 6750. Now a working girl (not that kind, you green minded shithead) with some money to spend. I was astounded at the price of coffee. It cost more than my daily commute. But what the heck! Memories of my bootleg ice cold frappe came rushing back, steam rolling my feet all the way to Starbucks. After a few visits, Starbucks lost its appeal. Becoming more of a necessity for mornings when I needed a quick pick me up on busy, shitty Monday mornings. And when I got bored in the office I would schedule meetings at Figaro, Seattle's Best, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Gloria Jeans (I so do not recommend the coffee in this joint), Bo's Coffee, etcetera, etcetera. My coffee consumption increased and so did my productivity. Any correlation there? I hope not.

Coffee drinking had gone on to be complicated. Now you had to choose between sizes (large, venti, schmenti), caffeine content (Decaf? Are you pregnant?), sugar type (brown, white, and the carcinogeninc suspect sugar-free sweetener), cream or milk, with froth or no froth, with cream or none, etcetera, etcetera.

When I used to train people in marketing, I used the Starbucks analogy every time I had to explain the power of choice. Back in the day, when life was simpler and all you had to do was say, "Miss, pa order nga ng kape" all you got was that, a hot cuppa Joe. Now, because you gotta feel empowered, you gotta make choices- starting with how you like your coffee. And that is how people who have to have Starbucks in the morning start their day... the abundance of choices and decisions eating up their time, instead of having just a cuppa, so they can have some quiet time before they rejoin the rat race.

I have gone back to drinking my coffee the old school way. In mugs, black with just a little sugar. I now enjoy brews with blends I can distinguish. I'm no ubër coffee connoiseur but I do like an occasional espresso from the Amici and the filipino in me never abides by the Italian rule of no milk in you coffee after 10 AM (because milk will leave you with a smaller appetite for lunch or dinner).

I also like the ocassional exteme coffee adventure. So when I got the chance to have Kape Alamid or civet cat coffee at Ritual at The Collective, Makati's latest hubbub for the artsy fartsy, I swallowed my fears.

This benign dark amber is also known as Kopi Luwak in Indonesia, Kape Laku in East Timor, cà phê Chồn in Vietnam. And it doesn't smell or taste like shit at all.

That's because the coffee beans that the Asian Palm Civet has eaten and passed though its digestive system has been washed, sun-dried, roasted and brewed. For something that's passed through a body part where the sun don't shine, the aroma of the Kape Alamid has a mild sweetness that reminds me of Benguet coffee. The mildness doesn't seem to justify why its touted as the most expensive coffee.

The brew I was served was a bit on the watery side and arabica-based so I don't know if that's how it was supposed to taste. I guess, this coffee adventure will have a sequel. Until the next coffee adventure, then.

And I'm baaaack!

2011-03-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

It feels so damn good to be cooking again!

My last post was in January 28, 2011. I have been out of commission in the kitchen and in this blogpost for more than a month now. I don't know why but February was such a bitch. Got work, lost work. Met new people, lost touch with some friends.

I had felt so stressed the last few weeks, not just about my freelance work but also about my dad being in the hospital, my laptop casing falling apart and my schedule going crazier than Ate Vi in "Tagos Ng Dugo".

Friends had noticed that my Facebook posts were becoming more and more belligerent. A. had been complaining about my extreme grumpiness despite my usual cup of coffee in the morning. And the kitchen always smelled like soap. Clean. Unused. Lonely.

Maybe I should have taken the time to cook and write about food because doing this relaxes me. Maybe I should have remembered that I quit my corporate job so I can do what I want. Maybe I should have remembered that this life I have is about me.

***

Last week, I tried to write about my first experience drinking civet cat coffee. I sat in front of my computer, staring, not knowing what I should write about. I had nothing to share about wildcat shit and coffee. I had no words. Despite turning script after script after script just days earlier.

Then Thursday came. I was doing some errands, coasting the streets of Pasig in a rented cab when a truck behind us made some screeching noise and careened to the right of my cab, only a few inches away from my side, it rolled down the street, slamming straight into another cab crossing the intersection, then turned a bit and surged forward, crushing the iron gate of a townhouse.

The experience left me in a daze for a few seconds. When I realized that I was still breathing, I called A. to tell him that I love him and to thank the heavens that I am still alive to love him. Had my cab driver turned a few inches to his right (which he said he was planning to do to overtake the other cab crossing the intersection) this piece would have been posted from beyond the grave.

So that was my most recent dramatic epiphany. Filled with noise only Michael Bay's sound engineer could imagine (Hey, I did say it was dramatic) but , thankfully, none of Sam Raimi's special effects guys were involved.

***

It has taken me a week to get my affairs straightened and my psyche back to a place with sunshine and laughter.

Five hours ago, I started thawing the Rib Eye beef strips, the chicken and the Chorizo Bilbao and the chunky bacon bits. Yep, five hours ago, I knew that fat in different forms was going to be on the menu. The butter in the ref was quivering in anticipation.

On the menu: Rib Eye Salpicao, Roasted Honey Garlic Chicken and Quick Fried Prawns in Tomato Garlic Sauce.

I was going to make Chorizo Bilbao pasta but decided to make it in the morning to send to papa. Instead I made scrambled eggs with Japanese mayonnaise and fresh dill.

It felt so right, holding the knife, hearing the blade slice through garlic, onions and tomatoes. The sound of the egg cracking made me smile. The sound of my bamboo siyanse against the Tefal-coated pan made my heart skip a beat. And as the marinated beef hit the pan, the sizzle that came was like thunderous applause. My kitchen was welcoming me back.

***

Here's the recipe for the Rib Eye Beef Salpicao. Cook it. Enjoy it.

RIB-EYE BEEF SALPICAO

Ingredients:

350 grams beef sirloin (or tenderloin), cubed

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 cup butter, unsalted

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

TO MAKE:

1. Combine the beef, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix well and let it stand for 10 minutes.

2. Pour the olive oil and marinade for at least 30 minutes.

3. Put the stove in high heat. When the pan is hot enough,put in the marinated beef, sauce and garlic bits included.

4. Sear the beef until the color of the outer part turns brown. Try to toss the beef while searing so that all sides are uniformly cooked.

5. Mix in the oyster sauce and Worcestershire sauce and continue tossing until the liquid dries up.

6. Add the butter and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.

Serve hot.

Batanes- Part 2

2011-01-28T10:15:00.000-08:00

Before I forget the beauty of Batanes... here's a photo journal of our New Year vacation...

It was a windy day when our guide, Manong Jun, took us to the fishing village. And since it was off-season, there wasn't much to see but we had a great lunch at Monica's catering on a hillside terrace overlooking the sea. The meal was an interesting mix of cuttle fish stir-fried in ginger and oyster sauce (not as rubbery as I expected), the Luniz (adobo Ivatan style), the sweet and sour fish and the piping hot Inasuyan a Dipao. Dipao is a seasonal lentil that is available from December to March and sells for about P30 per cup in the market. It tastes like monggo and pop beans and the soup is flavored with pork and salt. The banana, which the locals call Navaya, has a reddish tinge and itastes like a mixture of lakatan (Cavendish) and saba (plantain).

The view from the terrace

Cuttlefish stir-fried in garlic and oyster sauce

Inasuyan a Dipao

Sweet and sour fish

Luniz

Navaya

On New Year's Eve, we got the chance to visit the wet market, which was contained in one 2-story building and extended to the street corner where the fishmongers had their communal stall.

The fishmonger's stall on the streetcorner

Inside the Basco wet market

Gabi, one of Basco's regular produce

Round chilies pickled in organic coconut vinegar

Plows, knives and machetes

Unlike well-developed tourist destinations, Basco inns did not have the requisite planned New Year's Eve dinners tourists find so convenient. So we decided to get ourselves some supplies for our own private party- rhum, coke and crisps. As it turned out, we didn't need so much since the chill and the exhaustion from touring took its toll on us as the relatively quiet town of Basco welcomed the year 2011.

On New Year's day, we found ourselves without any reservations for lunch. We thought that we'd still be drunk and passed out from our New Year's Eve revelries. We walked around and found this little cafeteria run by Domincan nuns. SDC. Don;t expect too much as the food is similar to your home-cooked carinderia fare.

The friendly servers of SDC

SDC lunch

One of the highlights of our trip was the visit to Sabtang, an inactive volcanic island which in the 50's ws ravaged by a tsunami, most of the famous stone houses were destroyed. Our initially scheduled trip was cancelled due to bad weather. three days after, Mang Jun drove us to the port of Ivana where we had a quick cup of coffee at the Honesty store and met a new friend.

Ivana port breakwater

Inside the Honesty Store

Our little friend whom I wanted to take home

We had to wait for the coastguard to sign-off the permit to travel before we piled into the 30-seater tugboat. The sea was relatively calm but the wide waves that the boat captain sliced through did not look very friendly to me and the handful of caucasian tourists on board.

The tugboat captain

After almost half an hour, the lightbhouse by the shores of Sabtang was in sight. We were ushered into one of the two jeepeneys in the island. It would serve as our transport for the whole day.

We had a quick visit to the tourism area for a quick registry and proceeded to a house of one of the locals to have breakfast.

Sabtang Lighthouse

By lunchtime we were at Nakabuang beach, where the same couple who served us breakfast were already preparing our meal.

Nakabuang beach

Lunch was seaweed soup (seaweed boiled with garlic, onions and ginger), Luniz, minced pork with string beans, cuttlefish and fish fillet and lobster in lemon butter sauce.

Seaweed soup

Luniz

Minced pork and string beans

Fish and cuttlefish fillet

Oohlalobsters!

After lunch, a few more hours was spent exploring the island. When it was time to go back to the port, our jeepney trip was stopped short by a throng of locals celebrating the feast of Sto. Niño.

As we were waiting for the coastguard to sign the permit to sail, we witnessed a young brave fisherman swimming in the Sabtang port breakwater, trying to catch some fish.

And on the boat, our guide and one of the younger assistants of the captain decided to do some line fishing and caught one grouper who spent its last remaining breath twisting and flipping at Mang Jun's feet.

On our last night at Sabtang, we decided to have dinner at Fundacion Pacita Batanes Nature Lodge.

The place itself is a dream. the two-story stone house is nestled on top of a hill with terraces overlooking the sea. Surprisingly, the food did not live up to the beauty of the place, it was just so-so.

But if you do get the chance to go to Batanes, visiting this lovely place is a must.

Today's discovery- Dark Mint Chocolate sticks

2011-01-16T01:03:00.000-08:00

Saw this box on the supermarket today.

And they're good! The dark chocolate is at 50% and it's a bit sweeter than After Eight british mints but I don't mind. I like.

Three-Cheese Linguini with Bacon Chunks

2011-01-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

Sounds sinful doesn't it?

Well, it is. A. says it's so rich, every bite is like a slice of cheese.

I haven't finalized the recipe yet as I may have to figure out what mushroom works best and if the olives and capers do belong in the recipe. Maybe it will work better with fettucini than the thinner strands of linguine.

The philippine Adobo as Featured in the New York Times (05 Jan 11)

2011-01-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

The Cheat: The Adobo Experiment

There are more than 7,100 islands in the Philippines, a nation slightly larger than the state of Arizona, and if you could devote your life to traveling through them asking questions about food, you would discover a different recipe for adobo on each one.

Food Stylist: Brian Preston-Campbell; Prop Stylist: Sarah Cave.

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE.

It is the national dish, many Filipinos say: protein braised in vinegar until pungent and rich, sweet and sour and salty at once, sometimes crisped at the edges in high heat, always served with the remaining sauce. Its excellence derives from the balance of its flavors, in the alchemy of the process. Cooking softens the acidity of the vinegar, which then combines with the flavor of the meat to enhance it. Whether consumed in Manila’s heat or on the edge of a New York winter, adobo holds the power to change moods and alter dining habits.

It is a difficult dish to cook just once. For the adobo neophyte, there are always adjustments to be made to increase a diner’s pleasure in one direction or another — a touch more salt or sour, sweet or fire.
Until there is not. Then the recipe — your recipe — becomes set in stone.

As a result, there is great fun to be had in asking Filipinos how to make adobo, particularly when they are in groups. Filipino cooking is an evolutionary masterpiece, a cuisine that includes Chinese, Spanish, American and indigenous island influences, all rolled into one. But where for one Filipino the most important aspect of the dish is Spanish, for another it is Chinese, or both, or neither. (The journalist and food historian Raymond Sokolov has made the point that the ingredients for adobo were present in the Philippines before Magellan — only the name, which comes from a Spanish word for sauce, came later. “Lexical imperialism,” he called this process.)

Husbands argue with wives about adobo. Friends shoot each other dirty looks about the necessity of including coconut milk or soy sauce in the recipe. There are disputations over the kind of vinegar to use, over the use of sugar, over the inclusion of garlic and how much of it. Some use chicken exclusively in the dish, others pork, some a combination of the two.

Some serve the dish as a stew. There are those who call for broiling the meat at the end, to caramelize it and provide a crisp texture alongside the sauce. Others advocate pan-frying. Some demand deep-frying. Or grilling.

“No two people in the same house will cook adobo the same way,” said Amy Besa, who runs, with her husband, Romy Dorotan, the excellent Purple Yam restaurant in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. At Purple Yam, she said, Dorotan makes chicken adobo with a sauce that combines vinegar and coconut milk with soy sauce, garlic and fiery little Thai chilies.

Left to her own devices, Besa added, she and other purists would not use the soy sauce. In Manila, she said, you would find people turning up their noses at the coconut milk. “You can make adobos in many, many ways,” she said. “But the dish must be based in vinegar. You cannot make adobo without it.”

Jose Antonio Vargas, a Filipino journalist who writes about technology and digital culture for The Huffington Post, said his adobo recipe combines chicken and pork, which he marinates overnight in a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce and garlic. “Sometimes I even add brown sugar,” he said, “depending on who I’m cooking it for.” (Not Besa: “I rail against sugar,” she said. “If it becomes too dominant, then the dish becomes a Chinese sweet and sour.”)

This week’s recipe is derived from the adobo served at Purple Yam. It is a dish Dorotan developed at Cendrillon, a restaurant he and Besa owned and ran together in SoHo until 2009. (A version of it appeared in their 2006 cookbook, “Memories of Philippine Kitchens.”) There is soy sauce in it, and the coconut milk that is common to the southern part of Luzon, the island from which Dorotan hails.

As the mixture cooks, the rice vinegar turns mellow, and the sauce thickens in the heat. There are notes of garlic and bay, of chicken fat and chili fire, coconut sweetness and the nutty saltiness of soy. The combination is ridiculous: a dark and creamy flavor that covers the chicken in silk.

Care should be taken in the assembly of the ingredients. If you can manage to secure Filipino coconut sap vinegar, that would be best, though good-quality rice vinegar from the supermarket will yield excellent results as well, and white wine or even cider vinegar will do in a pinch. (Coconut sap vinegar is available in specialty markets and, as always, online.) A fresh bottle of soy sauce on the lighter end of the taste spectrum would also not be in error, rather than something from that dusty bottle in the back of the larder.

Combine these with your chicken thighs (best-quality again, please), a ton of garlic and chilies, bay leaves and pepper. Allow the marinade to do its work. Then place the mixture in a heavy pot, bring to a simmer, and cook for around a half-hour, until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken and allow the sauce to reduce. (Really, that’s it.)

At Purple Yam, Dorotan finishes the process by tossing the chicken into a deep-fryer, to crisp and to caramelize it at once. Then he returns the pieces to a reduced version of the sauce and serves the dish in a small clay pot, where it bubbles and steams enticingly. For the home cook, however, some time under the broiler will achieve much the same effect.

Serve with white rice and some steamed or sautéed greens.

Now taste what you have. Next time you may wish to increase the amount of vinegar or soy sauce in the marinade, or reduce it a little or a lot. You may wish to add more chilies or even Vargas’s crazy brown sugar. You may wish to have less coconut milk, or none at all. You may wish to have more.
This is adobo. Every man an island.

A version of this article appeared in print on January 9, 2011, on page MM22 of the Sunday Magazine.

Batanes Food Trip- Part 1

2011-01-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

As per usual, A. and I didn't get any sleep prior to our New Year trip. As of 3 PM, I was still working on a sample script while A. was checking scripts. We had one hour to pack, get dressed and call a cab. All work duties submitted, all familial duties fulfilled, we rushed to the airport for a very quiet New Year in Batanes,

Our first meal in Batanes was technically the breakfast they served us upon check-in at the DDD Habitat, a relatively new and modest inn near in the periphery of idyllic Basco. But since we were served the standard "silog" breakfast platter, it doesn't count.

Before leaving for the afternoon tour, we had a simple meal of sinigang na baboy...

Pako (fern) salad...

and sizzling Dibang (flying fish)...

which looks like this before it hit the frying pan---

Starting the meal with the hot and sour sinigang soup was very welcome as the chill of Taiwan winter crept its way down to my bones. The Pako salad, which is very hard to come by in Manila, was refreshing because the meaty fern was soaked in organic sugarcane vinegar and topped with chopped native tomatoes and red onion. it was also a good match for the flying fish, which had a piquant hint of the sea hidden in its dense flesh.

This meal had us ready for the afternoon ahead- scaling hills and doing the rounds of all the pretty places you wish you grew up in.

By the end of the day we were pretty tired and ready for another Batanes meal. We were taken by our kindly guide, Manong Jun, to Pension Ivatan, one of the older inns which prides itself in being the "home of Ivatan cuisine." Meals had to be pre-ordered as it was the low season and the kitchen staff had to be advised to purchase the ingredients.

It was there that I tasted the yellow rice, colored and flavored with turmeric (and traditionally sprinkled with limestone to give the grains more luster)...

Upon the recommendation of the attending staff, we paired this with Uved balls, the fried variety. According to Mang Jun, home-cooked uved are not really made into balls, just sauteed. But some locals will make it into balls and steam it. I know some people might think they look like animal dung, but it's really made of banana ubod (banana tree palm), minced pork and pork blood (which gives it the earthy color).

We were also served an Ivatan salad platter, which was mainly a mix of uncooked and blanched fresh vegetables served with bagoong (shrimp paste).

We also had the Lunyis or Ivatan version of pork adobo. This is a dry kind of adobo where only salt is used and the meat pieces are fried in its own lard.

We were also served the Mixed Seafood, which was like a creamy version of pinakbet.

On our first day, it was obvious that the people of Batanes have a culture of self-sustenance and that its people take pride in that. I do hope that this doesn't change once more tourists discover the beauty of this volcanic group of islands.

A Reminder

2010-12-26T05:58:00.000-08:00

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