FOOD FIND: Rosy's Pancit Malabon

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.

Seafood merienda Overload at Panciteria San Jacinto

Panciteria San Jacinto, one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in Manila is located  along the always- congested C-5 National Highway. Was lucky enough for a quick merienda stopover  and sample its Cantonese cuisine.

Since it was a cloud cast day, Hototay was the first order for the merienda. The egg was already mixed in the soup unlike the practice in many Chinese resturants where the staff would crack the egg after opening the steaming silver soup pot. The soup stock, richly flavoured with pork and poultry lent it taste to the vegetables and seafood which you know were added in at the last part of the cooking process because of its bright colors and plumpness.

We just had to try the San Jacinto Seafood Chow Mein. The noodles were tasty and firm despite the starchy, light brown sauce.  The dish did not disappoint as it was loaded with vegetables and seafood.

To go with the soup and noodles were the hakaw or steamed shrimp dumplings served in warm bamboo baskets and dipped in soy sauce with chili oil.

Boys! Boys! or How to Make a Meal Out of Martian Brains

Halloween was never an occassion celebrated by my family as I was growing up.

My first and only Halloween Trick or Treat experience was around ten years back when my then ten-year old baby bro' Angelo and his friend Bernard decided they would try their hand at amassing sweet treats from Bernard's neighbors in a gated community in Marikina. 

   Angelo and Bernard then...

Bernard's dad, Chito, and myself played costume master and mistress, borrowing Roman soldier costumes ---complete with toga, helmets and sandals--- from another friend,. When the boys went out in their costumes, Chito and I realized that we had just dressed two boys in flimsy white skirts, something that they'd probably never forgive us for when the pictures resurface via Facebook.

A few hours later, the boys returned with a bagful of candies, plastic toys and unhappy faces. Apparently, they realized that the homes they visited towards the end of their Hallow's Eve jaunt were already having supper.  And when they were handed their treats, they were disappointed  because the tired and hungry boys wanted to be gifted with rice and adobo instead of sweets!

They are now both in the cusp of adulthood and are on the brink of facing the truths of life that turn boys into men. But Angelo and Bernard will probably always be those pre-pubescent boys in my eyes.

   ...Angelo and Bernard today.

Here's a Halloween recipe for the boys...

Martian Brain Noodles

Ingredients:

1.5 kg Malunggay pansit

1 cup pork,  sliced into thin 1 inch lengths

1 cup Pork or chicken liver, cut into ¼ inch cubes

1 cup Chinese sausage, cut into ¼ inch circles

1 cup Shrimp, shelled, deveined and halved

1 cup tenga ng daga, softened and cut into 1 inch long strips

1 ½  cups Squash, cut into 1 inch high triangles

250 grams tofu

500 grams wombok

4 ½  cups water

3 tbsps soy sauce

1 tbsp Kutchai, minced

1 tbsp garlic, finely minced

1 cup onion, finely minced

1/4 cup cooking oil

1 shrimp bouillon cube

Salt and pepper to taste

Place pork in ½ cup water and add a dash of salt. Allow water to boil and the pork to become tender. When about 1 tbsp of water is left, add the Chinese sausage. Turn fire to low. Allow the remaining water to cook the sausage and bring out the oil of the pork to brown the meats.  Add cooking oil, garlic and onion. Then add the liver and tofu. Sautee until brown.

Dissolve the shrimp bouillon cube in 4 cups of water and add to the mixture when the liver is almost cooked. Add in the tenga ng daga, and squash. When the squash is slightly tender, add the shrimp and soy sauce to taste.

When the shrimp changes color, add the malunggay noodles and mix gently. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix gently for five minutes, making sure to evenly distribute the ingredients and keep the noodles moist.

To serve,put a helping of the noodles in a bowl and mold. turn over to a plate and garnish with vegetables.

ha