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


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.

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.

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 bringing the whole bunch of books and magazines. In case I'd try them at home I'll be updating it by posting the pictures of each recipe. =D