Substitutes

Source: Yummy Magazine July 2007 Issue

GOT NO...

Fresh Milk? Use evaporated milk plus water.

Cooking Oil? For rice, use butter or margarine for fried rice or sinangag. (Want less fat? Place leftover rice on a frying pan, heat and sprinkle water to soften rice.) For eggs, water-- poach it sunny side up!

Broth Cubes? Chicken bones- just boil unused or oven roasted, clean ones. Discard bones and use remaining liquid for soup, sauces, and sauteed vegetables.

Wheat Noodles with Pork Balls

Source: Periplus Mini-Cookbook
Home Style Filipino Cooking

Ingredients:

• 500g minced pork
• 1 med carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 med onion, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp flour
• sant and pepper
• 2 ltrs (8cups) water
• 2 chicken stock cubes
• 100g misua (wheat noodles)
• chopped spring onions, to garnish (optional)

1. Combine pork, carrot, onion, egg, and flour in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Shape into meatballs and set aside.
2. In a deep saucepan or casserole, bring water to the boil. Drop in pork balls and simmer over medium heat until balls are fully cooked, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in stock cubes. When cubes are dissolved, add the misua. Season with patis. Simmer 2-3 minutes (misua cooks very quickly), garnish with spring onions, if desired, and serve.

Kinds of Oils

Source: Yummy Magazine: July 2007 Issue

• Corn Oil- Use it for: Baked goods, salad dressings, making margarine,. With a high smoke point (that's the stage wherein cooking oil burns and give an unpleasant odor), it works for all kinds of frying. Use it because High in polyunsaturated fats, which is believed to lower LDL or bad cholesterol.
• Canola Oil- Use it for Cooking and baking. Handy for deep-frying too! Use it because Lower in saturated fat versus other cooking oils. It also contains omega-3 fat acids, which lowers LDL and contributes to brain development. (note that omega-3 is destroyed when oil is used for deep frying.)
• Olive Oil- Use it for Cooking (exceot for deep frying because it has a low smoke point) and salad dressings (it adds excellent flavor). Use it because Its high precentage of Monounsaturated fat5 helps reduce LDL.
• Palm Oil- Use it for Cooking and baking. Its popularly used in Brazilian and West African cooking. USe it because Its loaded with beta carotene. Relatively high in saturated fats, it has a longer shelf life.
• Sesame Oil- Use it for salad dressings and sauteing. Has a delicious nutty note and is ususally used as as flavor accent in Asian dishes. Use it because it is high in polyunsaturated fats.
• Soya Oil- Use it for Chinese cooking. This too has a high smoking point. USe it bacause Its high in both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats while low in saturated fats--very health-friendly!
  

Pork and Beans

Source: Yummy Magazine June 2007 Issue



Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 med sized onion, chopped
• 2-3 siling labuyo. chopped (reduce to 1/2 or 1 sili if serving to kids or adults who don't like it spicy)
• 200-grams ground lean pork
• 3 cups coconut milk
• 1 kilo Baguio/ French beans, washed, sliced into pieces barely 1/2 inch wide
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute garlic and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add siling labuyo and the ground lean pork, stirring as you lightly brown the meat.
2. Add the coconut milk. Bring the mixture to a steady simmer. Once you see the oil separating from the milk, turn the flame to medium low and add the beans.
3. Let simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until the beans are tender yt still firm. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

I actually have tried this one last year and has been cooking it once in a while before I even started a food blog. Though lately since I've been trying several other dishes, I have completely forgotten about this yummy dish. Will post pictures of this one soon.

Packing Up

I'm going back to Manila this Saturday. I'll be staying there for quite a while until the end of my pregnancy term so basically I'm leaving so much stuff here in Singapore. Just the thought of leaving behind my food magazines and cook books breaks my heart. I have so much recipes to try. But I just can't bring them all back home as they would occupy a lot of space in my luggage and just a few of them is heavy enough to cost me half my baggage limit. So I decided I'd just copy the recipes that I want to try when I get home and post it here in my food blog for future reference instead of me bringing the whole bunch of books and magazines. =)

So just to make myself clear, the following entries I'll be posting are for future reference only. In case I'd try them at home I'll be updating it by posting the pictures of each recipe. =D

Bun in the Oven

Last night we watched Julie and Julia via Darwin's movie downloads. And my fascination for cooking rushed back in.

I've been out of the blogging circulation since I got pregnant. Yes we have a bun in the oven. ;)
I though started a pregnancy blog to document my new journey-- no longer just a wife and a cook but also a mommy!

Since my first weeks of pregnancy was quite delicate, my Mom sent here my gay nephew to temporarily do the chores while I'm on bed rest. But now that I'm on my last week of the first trimester, I'm now again reunited with the kitchen!

I will (hopefully!) start blogging again by next week.

Pancit Canton (Canton-style Noodles)

Ok, so this may not be a good entry for a comeback, but hey Im not even in the mood yet. I just thought of sharing this one here because Darwin loved my version of this copied straight from my mini cookbook.

Darwin and I are huge fans of instant pancit cantons, known to most as Lucky Me. My dad loves it too but got concerned with my addiction with it that he forbid me from eating it ever again. He said it's unhealthy. So I always sneak in their room where he keeps all the Lucky Me pancit cantons and ask my Ate letty to cook for me and tell Dad it's for somebody else in case he asks. =) Well, that was before. With my UTI always in attack, I have sworn never to have a single pack of it again.

With that the case, I tried looking for recipes of home-made pancit canton just to satisfy the urge. Luckily I found one in my mini-cookbooks. On my first try, darwin became an instant fan. So no more instant pancit cantons from now on! =)

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 200g diced pork (I used chicken only)
• 250g chicken breast or thigh
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
• 100g snow peas
• 150g (2 cups) sliced cabbage
• 12 quail eggs (I used 24, im a quail egg addict.. LOL)
• 250g squid balls, fried until brown (I used fish balls)
• 375 ml (1-1/2 cups) water
• 2 chicken stock cubes
• 250g (8oz) fresh egg noodles
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp butter
• sliced boiled eggs to garnish

1 Heat oil in a wok and saute onion until transparent, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the diced pork and cook until brown. Add teh chicken breast and stir fry about 2 to 3 minutes.

2 Add carrot and after 5 minutes, the snow peas and cabbage, quail eggs and squid balls. Stir-fry, mixing well. Pour in water and add chicken stock cubes. Simmer over medium heat about 1 minute, then add noodles and soy sauce.

3. Simmer until almost all the liquid is absorbed and canton noodles are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in butter and mix to coat the noodles with butter.

4. Garnish noodles with sliced boiled eggs if desired.

Pasta Primavera and Garlic Bread

Source: Betty Crocker Cooking Basics

• 1/2 tsp salt (for cookign fettuccine), if desired
• 8oz uncooked fettuccine
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 small onion
• 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 container (10 oz) refrigirated Alfredo pasta sauce
• grated parmesan cheese, if desired

1. Fill a 4 qrt Dutch oven about half full water. Add 1/2 tsp salt if desired. Cover with lid; heat over high heat until the water is boiling rapidly. Add the fettuccine. Heat to boiling again. Boil uncovered 11 to 13 minutes, stirring frequently. While the water is heating and the fettuccine is cooking, continue with the recipe.
2. Peel the carrots, and cut crosswise into thin slices to measure about 1 cup. Peel and chop onion to measure about 1/4 cup.
3. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes. Add the carrots, onion, broccoli, cauliflower and frozen peas. Stir fry with a turner or large spoon for 6 to 8 minutes, lifting and stirring constantly, until vegetables are crisp-tender when pierced with a fork.
4. Stir the Alfredo sauce into the vegetable mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until hot.
5. To test if fettuccine is done, use a fork to lift one strand and press gently again inside of Dutch oven. Fettuccine should be tender but not mushy. Place strainer or colander in the sink. Pour the fettuccine in the strainer to drain.
6. Stir drained fettuccine into the vegetable mixture. Serve with cheese.

For the Garlic bread:

• 1 clove garlic or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
• 1 loaf (1lb) French bread

1. Heat the oven to 400 degree F (200 degree C). Peel and finely chop garlic. In a small bowl, mix the garlic and butter.
2. Cut the bread crosswise into 1-inch slices. Spread the butter mixture over one side of each bread slice. Reassemble the loaf and wrap securely in heavy-duty foil.
3. Place foil-wrapped loaf on an oven rack. Bake 15-20 minutes or until hot.

Tip: Other flat, long pasta, such as linguine or spaghetti can be used for the fettuccine. For my recipe, I used pasta linguine.

For the garlic bread, I used a Baguette since I can't find any French bread in supermarkets here and in bakeries.

Back from Hibernation

No entry for more than a week =(

Our oven is currently not working properly that's why the strawberry cupcakes and other recipes in line which needs oven cooking/ baking has to wait.

I've made Bistek Tagalog with baked potato wedges last night but was not in the mood to take pictures of it and blog. Last week I also made Calamari rings with garlic-mayo dip. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to cook them again some other time and make an entry about it.

For tonight, Im making Pasta Primavera and Garlic Bread. Italian mode! =)

Paella

Source: Periplus Mini Cookbooks: Filipino Favorites

Paella originated in Valencia, Spain, where it remains a popular dish. In the Philippines which was a Spanish colony for 300 years, this rice dish has evolved to suit local taste and preferences.

• 500 grams medium clams
• 250 grams small squid, ink, heads and tentacles removed
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
• 2 chorizo sausages, sliced diagonally into 1-in pieces
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 large tomato, grated
• 1 tsp paprika
• few saffron threads
• 1-1/2 liters (6 cups) warm chicken broth
• 600 gms (3cups) white, short grain rice
• 500 gms medium prawns
• 1 large green capsicum, sliced lengthwise about 1 cm across
• 1 large red capsicum, sliced lengthwise about 1 cm across
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
• 1-2 lemons, quartered

1 Clean clam shells very well. Steam clams until they open. Discard shells that remain close. Set aside steamed clams. Slice squid into 1-cm rings. Set aside.
2 In a skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Cook the chorizo sausages about 2 minutes on each side or until firm. Remove from skillet and set aside.
3 Heat remaining olive oil over medium heat in a large paellera or shallow casserole. Saute onion for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in grated tomato and cook for about 2 minutes. Lower heat and add paprika. Cook about 1 minute.Meanwhile dissolve saffron threads in warm broth. Immediately pour in warm broth so paprika does not burn. Bring to a simmer.
4 Stir in rice, making sure rice is evenly distributed throughout the pan. Simmer for a bout 10 minutes, stirring occassionally. Add prawns. When prawns are cooked, remove from pan and set aside. Continue simmering for another 5 minutes then add squid rings and capsicums. Remove squid rings as soon as they are cooked, about 1 minute. Set aside.
Allow rice to simmer until liquid has been absorbed and rice is slightly dry. Remove from heat. Top with clams, chorizo, prawns, squid and hard-boiled eggs, if desired. Serve in paellera or serving platter with lemon wedges.