May 26th, 2008 § § permalink
My
Lola hated
squid. Unless if it’s
daing na pusit (dried squid). She was not allergic to squid or anything. She just didn’t like it. But we liked it so she still cooked
adobong pusit for us whenever there’s a chance. And here’s the recipe of how she does it:
INGREDIENTS:
- oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium-size onion, chopped
- 1/2 kilo pusit (squid), cleaned
TIP 11: How to tell if squid is fresh? the skin should be shiny and patters still intact (sometimes still moving), as well as the body parts. Before cooking, remove the cartilage inside (it’s a strand of thin transparent plastic-like like membrane that works like the backbone of squids) and the sharp teeth in their mouth right in the middle of their tentacles. Just push them out like a toothpaste and they’ll come out easily. Nasty.
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- patis (fish sauce) and pepper
PROCEDURE:
1. Heat oil on a skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion.
2. Add cleaned squids. Add patis and pepper to taste. Saute for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add water and vinegar. Do not stir. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until squid is done.
Note: Do not over cook the squids. The meat can get tough.
4. Serve with steamed rice.
May 19th, 2008 § § permalink
This, I must say, is heaven. Definitely one of my faves. I pity those people who are allergic to seafood. They’re definitely missing a lot. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s simple. It’s fantabulous! You can have it as appetizer or ulam. A little pricey, though. A kilo of prawns (sugpo) will cost you about 350 pesos. But still a lot cheaper if you compare it to restaurant prices. It’s really worth it. How do you make one? Follow this simple recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 kilo of prawns (sugpo)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 6 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper
- 1 lemon, cut in halves; one half cut into slices, the other juiced
PROCEDURE:
1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic.
2. Add the prawns. Add the lemon juice and lemon slices. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook prawns until they turn orange. Do not overcook the prawns. The meat can get tough.
Tip 10: Lemon enhances the flavor of seafood. Try it with your favorite fish and other seafood. No lemon? Use calamansi
3. Serve while hot.
Note: Add a little Tabasco or chili flakes if you prefer it spicy. Add more for your pulutan.
May 16th, 2008 § § permalink
Another popular adobo variation especially for those who loves vegetables. This is also one of my personal favorite. The good thing with this dish is that you can turn it to vegan by replacing pork with tofu or tokwa. Again, there are several versions of this meal. I hope you like this one. 
INGREDIENTS:
- about 3 bundles of sitaw (string beans), cut into 2″ lengths, discarding the ends
- 1/2 kilo pork, menudo cut
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tbsp vinegar
- 1 to 2 cube(s) of tokwa or tofu, cut into smaller cubes, deep-fried until light brown
- oil
- 1 medium size onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- about 3 tbsp toyo (soy sauce)
- salt and pepper
PROCEDURE:
1. Heat oil on a skillet over medium flame. Saute garlic and onions. Add pork. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook pork until almost brown.
2. Add water and bring to a boil. Lower down the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Add the toyo, vinegar, and sitaw. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Add the tofu or tokwa. Simmer until the liquid has almost dried up.
5. Serve with steamed rice.
May 16th, 2008 § § permalink
I grew up in Malabon (a small city at the northern part of Metropolitan Manila known for its fish sauce industry and perpetual floods), but unlike my Lola, I never liked fish when I was a kid. Unless if it’s bangus or tilapia.
Daing is one of the oldest and cheapest known method of food preservation. In the Philippines, the usual process is by drying the salted fish under the sun and the wind removing the moisture from the meat. But since we don’t have the luxury of time of sunbathing the bangus for a long period of time, we will make daing na bangus in a much quicker way.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 large bangus (milkfish), sliced along the spine to make a butterfly cut; you can also buy deboned (boneless) bangus in the supermarket
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- oil
PROCEDURE:
1. In a deep plate, place the bangus with the inside facing up.
2. In a small bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients except the oil.
3. Pour the mixture into the fish. Marinate the bangus overnight.
4. Heat oil on a large skillet on a medium flame. Fry the bangus skin down first until brown and crispy. Turn over and fry until the meat is golden brown.
5. Serve with white vinegar and patis with crushed garlic as condiments.
May 15th, 2008 § § permalink
Making gravies for your fried food is not as hard as it may seem. Remember the chicken stock and pork stock from our previous recipes? If you have kept those, you can make a very delicious gravy for your fried dishes. You can also use the gravy as a topping for your rice or mashed potatoes.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 slice of bacon (optional), finely chopped
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (or 1 1/2 tbsp of corn starch diluted with the stock)
- 1 cup chicken or pork stock
TIP 9: If you don’t have stocks available, you can instantly make one for yourself. Just dilute 1 chicken or pork cube in 1 cup of hot water.
PROCEDURE:
1. On a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Fry the bacon until most of the fat has melted. Add the flour (if this is what you’re using). Using a wire whisk, mix until well-blended to avoid lumps. If you’re using corn starch, mix it with the chicken or pork stock making sure there are no lumps formed.
2. Pour the stock in the saucepan and simmer while constantly whisking until it reaches desired thickness.
Note: The gravy usually thickens further as it cools after removal from heat.
3. Taste the sauce if it needs more salt or pepper before removing from heat.
4. Serve with your favorite fried chicken or pork.
