THE HANGOVER and BULALO with RED CORN

"Study hard, party harder" was a cliche I used to live by in my college years.

I had, after alcohol binging at a bonfire with friends at the UP Sunken Garden, gone home with just one shoe, the other having been swallowed by a muddy creek. How and why that happened, I have no idea. At all. Once, after a party where I downed about 10 vodka cocktails, I had gone to a restaurant to meet up with a friend. He found me dozing in a corner holding on to a cold cup of coffee. 

But, hey, don't judge me. I'm not particularly proud of those moments but they did happen and now seem comical to me.

In those days, one of the best ways to get the booze out of my system was to have some hot and filling bulalo before heading home. Doing so steered me clear of a hangover the next day.  It turns out, alcohol dehydrates your body and re-hydrating it before going to sleep makes your brain less anxious when you wake up after a night of drowning yourself in alcohol. So, hooray for bulalo!

It's not just a great soup to avoid hangovers but also a great dish to share with the family on cold, windy nights.

Below is a recipe I developed using red corn.

Red corn  is a type of sweet corn that has a sweet and nutty flavor. The ruby brick red kernels are colored by anthocyanin, an antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory properties. These are not widely produced so you have to get some to try if you do come across them. I found these at the Salcedo Weekend Market.

Anthocyanin, the pigment that creates the red color in this corn, are antioxidant flavonoids that protect many body systems - See more at: http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Red_Corn_2852.php#sthash.vh3v3HxK.dpuf

Anthocyanin, the pigment that creates the red color in this corn, are antioxidant flavonoids that protect many body systems - See more at: http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Red_Corn_2852.php#sthash.vh3v3HxK.dpuf

BULALO WITH RED CORN

Ingredients:

• Half a kilo of beef chunks (I usually get the pochero cut)
• One kilo of bone marrow
• 1 cabbage, quartered
• 1/2 kilo of squash, cut into 2 1/2 inch squares (or trapezoids)
• 2 red onions
• 1 onion leek, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 3 pieces red corn, cut into 3 pieces
• 3 liters of water
• rock salt
• peppercorn

Use a big pot so the broth won't spill and all the meat is submerged in the water. Put all the meat in the pot. Add the salt, pepper corn and onions before pouring in the water. Let the water boil in high heat. Then turn the fire down to medium and boil for 2-3 hours or until the meat is tender. Taste the broth and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Once the meat is tender, lower the heat and add in the squash and the leeks. The squash should give your soup some sweetness.

Serve hot with a dipping sauce of patis (fish sauce) and calamansi (citrofortunella).

TASTED: AKIRA

With Christmas shopping comes the age-old question: where to eat?

Hubby and I found ourselves in the (not-so-new) east wing of Shangri-la Mall and decided to have Japanese at Akira. The restaurant looked spacious as it was well-over lunch time when we got there. There were some big tables with grill and exhaust combos for groups of  eight to ten people who would like to have their Teppanyaki, the restaurant's specialty, cooked before them.

Akira forntage and flatware details

We started off with a steaming bowl of miso soup while we waited for the  bento box and  mixed teppanyaki set. The dashi soup stock was flavorful ( I think they may have used clams)and the tofu cut into small bite-sized pieces, saves you from having to bite into a big piece only to find out it's burned your tongue.

Miso soup

The bento box was, literally, a big sumo-sized surprise.

Almost 2 feet across, it had maguro (tuna) and sake (salmon) sashimi, chahan (fried rice) topped with roasted black sesame, beef teppanyaki, shredded cabbage with wafu dressing (soy-based vinaigrette),  karaage  (bite-sized deep fried battered chicken), tin cups of pickled seaweeds and veggies, and orange and watermelon slices.

Beef bento box

The Teppanyaki platter had US tenderloin beef. The nice thing about ordering you beef at Akira is that they list the source and beef grade. You can Have A3 or A4 grade Wagyu or the pricier Kobe or Matsusaka beef at almost P5,000 a plate.

US Tenderloin Teppanyaki

All Teppanyaki platters are served with miso, gohan, vegetables, shrimp, chicken and beef cooked in a tepan (iron plate or griddle). These iron plates are flat and not to be confused with the hibachi grill often used for yakitori (grilled skewered chicken).

The wait staff will ask you how you like your beef done. I usually like my beef done medium-rare but this time I had my beef done medium. The usual problem with small bite sized pieces is that they tend to darken and dry out easier because the heat within the beef continues to cook it until the colder air in the room brings the beef temperature down. They do know how to serve their beef at Akira.  Upon serving, mine was still slightly pinkish and tender. 

The Teppanyaki platter can actually serve two (unless one of you is a sumo-wrestler who just finished a fight) and is served with a variation of dipping sauces.

To complete the meal, I had a cold Sapporo beer. I like this rice lager beer more than the other Japanese beers because it's light and leaves little aftertaste.  Other beer connoisseurs  may have a different opinion, but for me light beer lets me savor the meal without being too demanding on my taste buds.

If I have any beef against Akira it would be the chairs. Though they look great, they are rather uncomfortable.  Hard to enjoy good food when your arms keep hitting the armrests.

AKIRA

Address: 5th Floor, East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza, St Francis Street, Mandaluyong, 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines

Phone:+63 2 654 3920

Wagyu Beef Rocks!

A friend recently treated us to a nice dinner at the House of Wagyu Stonegrill in the New Eastwood Mall. It's one of the must-visit places if you like a good steak.

This particular piece of Striploin steak is served raw with a sprinkling of rock salt on a bed of volcanic rock brought in from Mount Vesuvius. The slab is heated up to as much as 700 degrees and allows you to grill your dinner to the level of doneness you prefer. 

I like my steak medium rare. So I have to make sure to finish the 220-gram steak before the center gets all browned up. This was an easy task to do since the high-grade beef was well marbled and therefore, soft to the bite. The steak comes with soup and  vegetable sidings.

You may end up smelling like grilled beef after a meal but it's well worth it.

CALDERETANG TISAY

A few years back, I caught a local TV show featuring caldereta (beef stewed in tomato sauce and liver sauce) and there was something about the steaming hot meat that called to my inner chef.

I had a long, tiring week at work then but that weekend, I made the dish with what was available in the kitchen. 

My first try, using packed caldereta sauce mix was a success with the hubby and our regular house guests.

Eventually, I developed this recipe using ready-made ingredients that are constantly available from the supermarkets I frequented. I also got inspired by Jamie Oliver’s English stews and my dad’s old school caldereta recipe.

My HK-based friend Rye christened the dish after I served it to him. He remarked that it was the first time he’s had caldereta with olives and chorizo. Mostly, what he’s had would only have green peas, potatoes and carrots in it. You have to understand that most of my friends (including me) are were brought up in lower middle class families where ingredients like olives and chorizos are luxuries. As Rye put it, “pagkain ng mayayamang mestizo.” From there, my caldereta dish gained a nickname and a following amongst friends.

So, here’s the recipe, from my home to yours.

Ingredients:

1 Kg   beef brisket sliced into 3 x 2 inch pieces

water  just enough to cover the meat

500    ml beef stock

4 pcs La Reina Chorizo de Bilbao sliced crosswise into ½ inch rings

4 cloves garlic, skinned

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 pieces onions, medium

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs soy sauce

¼ cup pitted green olives, sliced crosswise

¼ cup pitted black olives, sliced crosswise

800 grams whole peeled tomatoes, canned

400 grams diced tomatoes, canned

200 grams champignon (or button) canned mushrooms, slice in half

2 cans Reno liver spread (85 gms. per can)

15 pieces marble potatoes, cut in half

2 pieces carrots, diced

1 piece green bell pepper, diced

½ tsp ground oregano

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp dried basil

¼ tsp dried pepperoncini or chili flakes

Clean the beef and place in a pot. Pour water, making sure that it rises above the meat by at least 1 inch. Add 4 cloves of garlic. Cook in high heat. When the water turns to a rolling boil, set the heat to medium and continue boiling until the meat is tender. Separate the beef from the stock. Set aside.

☞It usually takes a minimum of 2 hours to make beef tender without using a pressure cooker. I usually cook mine for 3-4 hours so the beef becomes as soft as corned beef.

When the beef is tender, place a deep wide, frying pan over medium heat. Heat the olive oil and add the Chorizo de Bilbao. When the chorizo is cooked, add the garlic and onions.

☞The chorizo is cooked when it becomes firm and the oil has seeped out of the sausage, turning all ingredients reddish or brownish.

Add the beef and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. When the beef browns a little, add all the liver spread, tomatoes and mushrooms. Mix well. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Heat the last 2 cups (the parts with the bits of meat) of beef stock. When it boils add in the potatoes. After 5 minutes add the carrots and celery.

Pour the beef and tomato mixture to the beef stock with vegetables. Add the oregano, pepper, dried basil and soy sauce to taste. Mix well. Do not cover and let the liquid evaporate to make the sauce thicker. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add chili flakes. Mix and add the bell pepper and olives. Simmer for 3 minutes.

If the sauce has not reached the consistency you like, remove the meat and vegetables and let the sauce simmer in low heat until it reaches your desired consistency.

Serve hot for 5-7 of your friends.

Substitutes:

Beef cuts- I usually buy a 50/50 mix of the pochero and caldereta cuts from the supermarket but you can also try a short ribs and pochero combo.

Beef stock- 1 beef bouillon cube diluted in 500 ml of water.

Chorizo de Bilbao- I use the La Reina brand from Shopwise/Rustans because it’s saltier but you can use the ones that you can buy at any high-end deli (Terry’s or Santi’s) or use 1 can of Purefoods Chorizo Bilbao (using the lard that the sausage is preserved in as oil substitute is not for the faint of heart). The chorizo lends it saltiness and a different layer of pork fat to the dish.

Olives- you can just use green olives I black olives are not available. Capers can be used as substitute.

Celery- you can use more carrots if you can’t find any celery. This adds sweetness to the stock.

Marble potatoes- use regular potatoes. Leave the skin on. You can also opt to fry it separately and add it last. I prefer boiling it, though, as the starch helps thicken the sauce.

*Photo by Elmer Gatchalian