Ube Halaya or Halayang Ube

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." ~Thomas Merton

Isn't it crazy how we push ourselves to make food looks so darn good? Even I take 100 shots to finally say that "it's a good pic, I can use it on my blog". Heck! But why are some people just "naturally" good at things? It's like they don't exert effort but they do great. They pick up the skill as soon as they started trying. Hmmm, well, my hubby and his brothers are like that, they're so good in everything especially when it comes to art. See the pic above? Who would think that a simple ube halaya can be transformed to a minion creature. Wow, I'm amazed!

INGREDIENTS:
2 kg ube or purple yam, peeled, boiled and finely grated
2 3/4 cup coconut cream
2 1/2 cup brown sugar
300 ml + 1/2 cup condensed milk
2-4 Tbsp butter or margarine, room temperature
1/2 cup cheese, grated

PROCEDURE:
1. In a large pan, combine coconut cream and sugar. Cook it over medium-high heat (uncovered), stirring frequently. Once boiling, lower the heat into medium. Let it simmer (uncovered) for another 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently. 

2. Once the size of the bubbles becomes big, add in the grated ube. Mix well.

3. Add in the condensed milk and butter/margarine. 

4. Add in the cheese.

5. Cook and stir it until the mixture becomes thick and sticky (about 30-40 minutes). The mixture won't fall when you lifted the laddle.

6. Put it in a plate and let your creative side do the wonders. Mold it to whatever shape you like.

ube halaya with leche flan

piggy halaya with angry birds stuffed toys

QUICK NOTES:
1. Put the left-over in the refrigerator. It will last up to 5-7 days. 
2. If you don't have coconut cream, you may use evaporated or fresh milk. But the taste will differ.
3. There are varieties of ube which are lighter in shade, you may use violet food coloring to make it darker.



Happy day always,

Rhea

Bistek / Bistek Tagalog

"The most indispensable ingredient of all good home cooking : love for those you are cooking for." ~Sophia Loren

Bistek or Bistek Tagalog is an authentic Filipino dish made of thinly sliced beef or beef strips marinated in calamansi and soy sauce. Sirloin is the best when making Bistek, the right amount of fat in the sirloin makes it the best choice. It makes the dish more flavorful and its tender at the same time.

I made the bistek last Sunday, Father's day. Just so you know, my mother-in-law makes the best bistek so I'm a bit nervous when I cooked it (not sure if hubby will like my cooking). I just breathed a sigh of relief when my hubby and son praised me. My eldest told me that this is best "adobo" he ever tasted. Adobo!??? LOL! Anyhow, my heart was very happy because they loved it! 

INGREDIENTS:
600 grams good quality beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
1/2 cup soy sauce
juice of 10 calamansi
1 head garlic, minced and toasted
1 big onion, sliced into rings, reserve half for garnish
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar
salt and pepper to taste
4 Tbsp canola or any vegetable oil

PROCEDURE:
1. Combine the soy sauce, calamansi juice, sugar, and a dash of pepper in a large bowl. Whisk it until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add in the beef sirloin and marinate it for at least an hour.
2. Put the oil in a heavy bottomed skillet or pan. Cook half of the onion until translucent and slightly browned on the sides, remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan/skillet, pan-fry the sirloin over med-high heat, about 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Set aside.
3. In the same pan/skillet, add in the marinade and water. Once boiling, add the fried sirloin. Let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper if needed.
4. Before removing from heat, add the toasted garlic and the sauteed onions.
4. Serve it with fresh onion rings on top. Perfect with hot rice. Share and enjoy!

QUICK NOTES:
1. You may also use other cuts of beef like the tenderloin and round (top or bottom). 
2. If using "no fat" cuts of beef like tenderloin, make sure not to overcook the beef. Reduce the time of cooking.
3. You can also try using pork instead of beef. 
4. If calamansi is not available, use lime or lemon.

Happy day always, 

Rhea

Laguna Afritada

"Bill Gates is a very rich man today... and do you want to know why? The answer is one word: versions." ~Dave Barry

There are 2 versions of Filipino afritada, the white and the red. I'm more familiar with the red afritada which uses tomato sauce. Laguna afritada is a white version, it uses fresh tomatoes. I found the recipe from Food Magazine when I'm making my weekly menu list. I was so intrigued with the recipe because it uses leftover white adobo (adobo with no soy sauce). It's new to me, so I gave it a try. I must say, this recipe rocks! I'm so in love with it, the fresh tomatoes give the dish a mild wonderful flavor while the chicken is so savory. It has the right balance of flavors which is so hooking that you want to eat more. If you're on a diet, don't ever try this (just kidding). I will definitely cook this again. Give it a try too!

INGREDIENTS:
(adapted from Food Magazine)
1 whole chicken, at least 1.5 kg or use leftover white adobo*
1 Tbsp cooking oil
half a head of native garlic, crushed
2 medium tomatoes, cubed
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tsp patis (fish sauce)
peppercorns
2 potatoes, quartered or cut into small wedges and fried
1 carrot, quartered or cut into chunks
2 tsp evaporated milk
2 bell peppers (green/red), deseeded then cut into strips or quartered

PROCEDURE:
*1. If using fresh chicken, clean and cut the chicken into serving pieces and marinate overnight in 1/3 cup vinegar, 3 cloves of garlic (crushed), 2 dried bay leaves or laurel, and salt. Put it in a pot or pan then add 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat into low-medium and simmer for 30 minutes or until the meat is tender. 
2. Drain adobo, but reserve the liquid. Remove the bay leaves and garlic.
3. In a pot, heat oil then saute the garlic, tomatoes, and onion.
4. Add the chicken, carrot, patis, and peppercorns. Cover to seal flavors.
5. Pour in the reserved adobo liquid and let it boil.
6. Add the potatoes, then the milk.
7. Let it simmer then add the bell peppers.
8. Cook for about 2 minutes more.
9. Serve with rice. Share and enjoy!

Serving: Makes 4 (500 ml) container

QUICK NOTES:
1. You may also use pork instead of chicken.
2. Since the dish has milk, refrigerate if it will not be served immediately.
3.  You may omit the carrot if you don't like it. It's not included on the original recipe, I just want to have it on my afritada.
4. Add chilies for spicier version.

Happy day always,

Rhea

Nilupak

"A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe." ~Thomas Keller

It only takes four ingredients to make this wonderful dessert or snack. Nilupak can be made of cassava (kamoteng kahoy) or plantains (saging na saba) or sweet potato (kamote). All of them taste great but our all-time-favorite is cassava. 

Now, I'll be sharing with you my secret for creating the best nilupak using just your hand and fist... Yes, you're very own fist! Must do some punching techniques here. LOL! If you're not comfortable doing this, you may skip this step but make sure that you mix thoroughly the ingredients. But I suggest to try it, the milk from the grated coconut will slowly release once you punch the mixture and it will blend through the ingredients very well, resulting to moister nilupak.

So here it is, my version of cassava nilupak.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 kg fresh cassava, boiled and grated*
2 1/2 cup coconut (niyog na mura), grated
3/4 stick butter or margarine, salted and melted
1 1/2 white sugar

*Use fine cheese grater for the boiled cassava

PROCEDURE:

1. Mix the grated cassava, grated coconut, melted butter and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Using your hand (use disposable gloves), mix thoroughly the ingredients.

3. CAREFULLY punch the mixture. Since I'm not using mortar and pestle, I use the strength of my fist to blend the ingredients very well.
4.Arrange it on a plate or banana leaf.

5. Spread a little butter or margarine on top. Serve. Share and enjoy!

Nilupak in pandan casing

QUICK NOTES:
1. Put condensed milk instead of sugar for creamier texture. Start with 1/2 cup condensed milk, add more to your desired sweetness.
2. Store in the refrigerator. Consume within the day or up to the next day.
3. You can use boiled and mashed saba bananas or kamote to make another version of yummy nilupak.


 Happy day always,

Rhea 

Kare Kare

I love healthy stuff and junk an equal amount. Whatever I'm craving, I go for it. I'm never trying to lose weight - or gain it. I'm just being. ~Kelly Clarkson

If you're not on a diet and craving for traditional Pinoy food, try to cook Kare Kare. I used pata ng baka (ox legs) because it's so delicious. The broth of the ox legs tastes like milk (swear!), so creamy... fatty... beefy!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pata ng baka (ox leg), cut into pieces
1 bundle pechay tagalog or bok choy
1 bundle sitaw (string beans), cut into 2" long
4 pcs talong (eggplants), sliced
1 medium size banana bud (white part), sliced
1 pack mama sita kare kare mix, dissolved in 1 cup water
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup rice flour, toasted and dissolved in water or 1/8 cup cornstarch dissolved in water
2 Tbsp annatto or atsuete seeds
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium size onion, chopped
canola oil or any vegetable oil
water (enough to cover the ox leg pieces, about 1 inch above the ox legs)
salt and pepper to taste
bagoong alamang (shrimp paste)

PROCEDURE:
1. Rinse thoroughly the ox leg. Put in a large pot and fill with water. Make sure that the ox leg is completely covered with water. Add 1 Tbsp salt then bring to a boil and remove the scums as it rises. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 2.5 to 3 hours. I cooked mine for more than 3 hours, until the meat easily falls off the bones.

2. Add the peanut butter, kare kare mix, and the rice flour or cornstarch mixture. You'll notice that the sauce will begin to get thicker. I added rice flour/cornstarch because I want the sauce to be thick.

3. Heat a little oil in a pan or skillet. Add the annatto or atsuete seeds, stir for a couple of seconds until it releases its color. Remove the seeds from the pan. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for a few seconds. Add the vegetables (eggplant, string beans, banana bud) except for pechay. Cook for 5-7 minutes.

4. Transfer the cooked vegetables in the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add the pechay and cook for 3 minutes, covered. Turn off the heat.

5. Serve with rice and shrimp paste (bagoong alamang) on the side. Share and enjoy!

see the broth? look at the color then taste it! it tastes like milk with lots of fat! LOL! super love it!

QUICK NOTES:
1. If you don't like ox legs, you may use other parts like ox tail or ox tripe or beef slices. You can also use pork slices or pork legs or even chicken. Seafood kare kare is also great!
2. I used kare-kare mix for this recipe, but if it is not available, just add the quantity of peanut butter (about 1/4 cup) and also add 1/2 cup grounded peanuts. If you want the authentic one, don't use peanut butter, just use 1 cup grounded peanuts. 


Happy day always,

Rhea

Bibingkang Kamoteng Kahoy (Cassava Bibingka)

I am not a glutton - I am an explorer of food. ~Erma Bombeck

I'm not really sure if cassava cake is the same with cassava bibingka. They look and taste the same but not "exactly" the same. You get me? Sorry, I'm also confused! LOL! I tasted them both but for me, cassava bibingka is lighter than cassava cake... from the texture to the taste. Cassava bibingka is like suman balinghoy (plus coco milk in it) with custard. Cassava cake is like pudding with custard. Hmmm, maybe I should ask my mom tomorrow if they are really the same.

Here is my version of bibingkang kamoteng kahoy. I like it because it is not too sweet. You may add more sugar to bibingka if you prefer sweeter.

For the bibingka:
2 cups cassava, finely grated (fresh or frozen)
1 3/4 cup coconut milk (second extraction)
2 Tbsp salted butter, softened or melted*
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)

*If you are using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp salt

NOTE: Use 9x9 pan for this recipe. Since I don't have 9x9, I used 9x14 pan instead. The result is thinner bibingka.

For the custard:
1 1/4 cup coconut cream (first extraction)
2 tablespoon flour
1 1/4 can condensed milk
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/8 cup grated cheese

PROCEDURE:
For the bibingka:
1. Preheat the oven to 175 C or 350 F. Grease your baking pan, or you may also line it with banana leaves if you like. Set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well until all ingredients are combined.

3. Pour the batter in a greased pan and bake it for 25-30 minutes. 

While the bibingka is baking, make the topping.

For the custard:
1. Put the coconut cream, flour, condensed milk in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thick.

2. Lower the heat, then slowly add the egg yolks. Mix well. Lastly add the cheese. Cook for a couple of seconds then turn off the heat.

Assemble:
1. When the bibingka is done, remove it from the oven. Pour the custard on top of the bibingka. Use spatula to spread it evenly.

2. Put it back in the oven and set the oven to broil. Cook  until the custard is slightly brown in color.

3. Let the bibingka cool for a couple of hours before slicing. It is soft and sticky while hot.

4. Serve. Share and enjoy.

QUICK NOTES:
1. Put the bibingka in the refrigerator to make it chewy.
2. I personally like to eat it the next day. It seems all the flavors merry together. Try it!
3. Keep it refrigerated since it contains coconut cream.
4. You may add more cheese for the toppings. 
5. Store up to 3 days (refrigerated).

Happy day always,

Rhea

Lugaw with Chicken and Egg (Arroz Caldo with egg)

"Chickens don't praise their own soup" ~Martinican Proverb

You can eat it plain or with egg or chicken. Add some side dishes like lumpiang toge (bean sprouts spring roll), fried tokwa (tofu) or tokwa't baboy (tofu and pork) or kwek-kwek/tokneneng. Or even topped it with adobong atay and balunbalunan (chicken liver and gizzard adobo). Drooling! This Filipino comfort food is very versatile. Perfect for rainy days! Let's make and eat lugaw!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup glutinous rice / malagkit

300 grams chicken, cut into serving pieces

8-10 cups chicken broth or water

1 medium onion, sliced or chopped

2 thumb size ginger, julienned

1 head garlic, chopped

2 boiled eggs 

1/2 Tbsp garlic powder (optional)

1/8 cup patis or fish sauce

salt and pepper to taste 

spring onion, sliced (toppings)

vegetable oil

PROCEDURE:

1. Put a little oil in a pan, saute the garlic until golden brown. Put it in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Add the ginger and onion in the pan. Cook until the onion becomes translucent and the ginger releases its aroma.

3. Add the chicken pieces and cook it for 5 minutes.

4. Add the malagkit and fish sauce. Mix and cook for a few minutes. Then add the broth or water.

5. Let it boil and simmer for 35-45 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add more "hot" water if you find the lugaw too thick. Add the garlic powder and the toasted garlic (you may reserve some toasted garlic for garnishing). Stir until the garlic powder completely dissolved in the lugaw. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat. 

6. Serve hot with sliced hard boiled egg. Garnish with spring onion and garlic. Share and enjoy.

QUICK NOTES:

1. You may also use rice for this dish. Just reduce the amount of water. Start with 6 cups, add more (use hot water when adding water) until you reach your desired consistency.

2. If you want a little spicy, drizzle some chili oil in your lugaw. Hmmm, yummy!

3. If you like tangy, squeeze calamansi.

Happy rainy day,

Rhea

Sinigang na Buto Buto

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. Nature." 

~John Ruskin

Sinigang is a Filipino sour soup or stew made from meat or seafoods, vegetables, and tamarind. Traditionally, tamarind is used to make the soup sour, but we can also use other ingredients like ripe guava, calamansi, kamias, and green mango. I usually use buto-buto and liempo for my sinigang. 

Let's make some sinigang today. It's too comforting to sip a hot steaming soup in a cold rainy day. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
800 grams buto buto (pork neck bones), chopped
2 pcs labanos (raddish), sliced 
2 pcs medium eggplant, sliced
8 pcs okra, halved
10 pcs sitaw (string beans), cut in 2-3 in. length
5 pcs medium tomatoes, quartered
3 pcs medium gabi (taro) - I used the purple gabi, chopped (2 in thick)
1-2 pcs of siling panigang (finger chili)
1 medium red onion, quartered
8 cups water
1 pc kinapal or sweet tamarind paste ball (usually found in local wet markets)
3 cups kangkong leaves and tender stems or talbos ng kamote (kamote tops)
patis (fish sauce) and salt to taste
2 Tbsp oil

PROCEDURE:
1. Heat oil in a pot. Add onion and tomatoes.

2. Add the buto-buto and season with patis (about 1/8 cup). Stir. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.

3. Add water. Let it boil. Once boiling, remove scums (impurities) from the broth. Lower the heat (medium-low), simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.

4. Add gabi and siling panigang. Cook for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, put the kinapal (sweet tamarind ball) in a bowl, add a cup of water. Squish it by hands or mash it. Then strain to remove the seeds.

6. Mash (using a fork) 3-5 pcs gabi to make the soup thicker.

7. Put the vegetables (except kangkong or talbos ng kamote) and kinapal extract in the pot. Cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked. Season with salt or patis. 

7. Add the kangkong. Stir and cover the pot. Turn off the heat.

8. Serve hot. Share and enjoy.

QUICK NOTES:
1. You may substitute other cuts of meats like liempo or kasim or use seafoods, beef, or chicken. 
2. If kinapal is not available in your area, you may use green mango, fresh tamarind, kamias, or other souring agent. OR if you want to make it simple and easy, just use sinigang mix or bouillon. But personally, I still prefer the natural one.
3. Crush the chili or cut it to make the soup a little spicy.
4. Make some chili-patis dip. Chop some bird's eye chili or siling labuyo and add patis (fish sauce).

Yield: 6-8 servings

Happy rainy day,

Rhea