Strawberry Taho, Sundot Kulangot, Baguio City Food Trip

Baguio City is known as the summer capital of the Philippines and the best time to visit the City of course is on the month of February. The Panagbenga Festival is held yearly during this month. Panagbenga is known as the Baguio City Flower Festival, the City of Pines is famous for its beautiful flowers.




This is a food blog and I would not talk about the magnificent scenery and cool weather of the City. Instead I will write about some of the unique foods that the City is famous.

Strawberry Taho. They are peddled on the street in the same taho metal containers balanced on bamboo poles on vendor’s shoulder. The taho is the same warm white bean curd with soft sago (tapioca balls) but flavored with fresh strawberry syrup instead of the usual arnibal (caramel). There is nothing more comforting than a sip of warm taho with the taste and aroma of Baguio while enjoying the cold weather strolling Burham Park or seeing the magnificent view at Mines View Park.




Sundot Kulangot, this is another Baguio famous delicacy. The name might be a turn off in Pinoy language but the sweet delicacy is a must try when you’re in Baguio. Sundot kulangot is a miniature version of the calamay. The regular calamay is off course packed in a coconut shell but sundot kulangot uses small shells that looks like miniature coconut shells instead. Inside is the same sweet calamay that is made up glutinous rice. The shells are so small that you need to use the finger to dig out the calamay thus the name sundot kulangot (poke booger or snot).






The Baguio City Food Trip is a part of the family’s Ilocos Adventure, Christmas holiday travel.


See the Second Stop of our Ilocos Adventure
Royal Bibingka, Empanada and Longganisa. Second Stop Vigan City

See the Final Leg of our Ilocos Advanture:
Final destination Northern Ilocos un-spoilt beaches.

Pesa, Pesang Ulo ng Isda

Pesa, Pesang Ulo ng Isda. Usually dalag or mudfish is usually used for pesang isda. Pesa is a ginger flavored fish soup with vegetables usually pechay, serve with miso dip. The miso dip is made up of ground fermented soya beans sautéed in garlic, onion and tomato. The Pinoy miso is available in three colors white, brown and yellow. The colors suppose to defend on type of bean used. Pesa is very popular in Laguna or Tagalog region in general. Pesa is different from the popular sinigang sa miso. As I said pesa is ginger flavored and sinigang sa miso means soup soured with miso. Here is how I cooked my pesang isda.



Ingredients:



1 1/2 medium size fish head, lapu lapu or maya maya
1 small bundle spring onion or leeks, chopped
2 thumb size ginger, sliced
1 medium size onion, chopped
1 small head cabbage, quartered
1 bundle pechay, trimmed
1 tblsp. peppercorn
6-8 cup rice water
cooking oil
salt

Miso dip:

1 tblsp. garlic, crushed
1/4 cup, yellow miso
1 small size tomato,chopped
1 small size onion, chopped
cooking oil

Cooking procedure:



Ask the fish monger to cut fish head into serving pieces. Wash thoroughly fish head, drain and keep aside. In a large pot, sauté ginger and onion, add in fish and stir cook for 3-5 minutes. Now pour in rice water and add in peppercorns. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until fish head is just cooked. Season with salt to taste. Add in vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are just cooked. Add spring onion or leeks and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Serve hot with the miso dip.

How to cook the miso dip:



In a small pan sauté garlic, onions, tomato, and miso. Add 1/2 cup water and cook for about 3-5 minutes.

Grilled Eggplant and Salted Egg Salad

Inihaw na Talong at Itlog na Maalat Salad. Salted egg is one of the favorite quick ulam for most Pinoy. They are known as side dish of Pinoy banana leaf-packed meals. In our household salted egg is serve with chopped tomatoes and is usually served during breakfast.

Grilled Eggplant and Salted Egg Salad is also serve as a side dish for grilled fish or meat. Please note that the ingredients should only be mixed when ready to serve, this is to avoid the fishy egg taste and of course, the vegetables are crunchier when freshly cut. Enjoy.

Ingredients:



3 pcs. itlog na maalat, salted egg, shelled, diced
6 medium size eggplant
2 medium size tomato, diced
1 medium size onion, thinly chopped

Cooking procedure:

Grill each eggplant until skin is charred, let cool. Remove skin of each eggplant and cut/chop at about 1/2” crosswise, set aside. When ready to serve, in a big bowl toss eggplant, salted egg, onion and tomato. Serve immediately.



See other reletated grilled eggplant recipe:
Poqui poqui
Sautéed Broiled Eggplant

Ukoy na Dilis

Ukoy na Dilis, at times you would most likely think twice when you see a dilis at the fish market especially when it is being offered at a bargain. How would you cook the fish beside paksiw na dilis or kinilaw should you find them fresh? Certainly dilis are delectable fish and it is one my favorites, I do love kinilaw na dilis. One of the alternative way of cooking the fish is fritter or crispy ukoy. The recipe is nothing new I have used the same batter mixture from my shrimp ukoy. Ukoy should be crispy from the outside, succulent and soft in the inside. To get the best result use generous amount of oil in frying. Who could resist a freshly fried ukoy deep in spicy hot vinegar? Here is how I cooked it.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo dilis, anchovy
2-3 stalks spring onion, chopped
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 piece medium size egg, beaten
salt and pepper
cooking oil

Cooking procedure:



In a bowl mix flour and cornstarch, dash of salt and pepper. Blend in the beaten egg and 1 1/2 cups of water until a smooth batter is produced. Add in fish and spring onion mix thoroughly. Heat about 2-3 cups of oil in a wok. Using a soup ladle scoop about 1/3 cup of the fish batter mixture and pour into the heated oil.



Fry one scoop at a time flip once the bottom turns to golden brown. Fry until crispy and golden brown. Remove from wok and drain on a paper towel. Serve with vinegar, crushed garlic, salt and pepper dipping sauce.



See other related ukoy recipe.
Ukoy, Shrimp Fritter

Fish Sisig, Tilapia Sisig

Fish Sisig, Tilapia Sisig. Here is a healthy alternative to the cholesterol laden pork sisig. For this version of sisig I have used tilapia but you can also use bangus of any other fish. When stir frying the fish sisig I would suggest that it is to be stir fried as quickly as possible and careful stirring to avoid disintegration of the fish flakes. It can be serve as is or serve in a sizzling plate toped with egg. On this post I will share a technique in serving sisig sizzling style with out using hot plates. This can be done with the use of a microwave oven. Place a serving of the sisig in a microwave safe plate, break a whole egg on top then cook in microwave at medium to high heat until the egg is just cook or until the egg white turn to opaque white in color. Just watch out that you will not overcook the egg, it should be just cook that the sisig can still be stir mix when serving. Here is how I did it, enjoy!

Ingredients:



2 kilo tilapia
1 small can liver spread
3 gloves garlic, chopped
4 medium size onion, chopped
3-5 pcs. green sili, chopped
1 pc. beef bouillon cube
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tbsp. liquid seasoning
3 pcs. bay leaf
salt and pepper
cooking oil
egg
kalamansi

Cooking procedure:




Remove gills and innards of tilapia and wash fish thoroughly, drain. Fry fish in a large frying pan until golden brown and skin is crispy, Drain on paper towels. Flake fried fish and discard bones. I a big wok stir-fry garlic until fragrant, add in flaked fish, liver spread onion, beef bullion diluted in 1/4 cup of water, vinegar, soy sauce, liquid seasoning and green sili, stir cook for 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir cook for another minute. Now turn off the stove. When ready to serve place one serving on a platter and top one whole egg. Cook in a microwave oven at medium to high heat until egg white turn to opaque white. Serve with kalamansi.



See other sisig recipe:
Chicken Sisig
Pork Sisig

Pork Kaldereta, Kalderetang Baboy

Pork Kaldereta, Kalderetang Baboy. On several parties that I have attended I often see pork kaldereta on the table. I personally never cooked pork kaldereta because I always thought kaldereta are best cooked with goat, beef ect. This is my first attempt to use pork for my caldereta. I have chosen the tail part I thought the bones and tails of the hog would do best for my version of pork kaldereta. To give a little sweetsour taste we Pinoy have come to love I added a can of pineapple juice. The resultant dish was great and was really enjoyed by the family. Here is the recipe

Ingredients:

1 kilo pork with bones and skin, cut into serving pieces
2 medium size red/green bell pepper, cut into wedges
2 medium size potato, cut into wedges
1 small can liver spread
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. peppercorns, crushed
2 medium size onion, chopped
1/2 head garlic, chopped
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp hot sauce
2- 3 pcs. siling labuyo
3 bay leaf
cooking oil
salt

Cooking procedure:



In a large saucepan put pork add enough water to cover meat, boil quickly for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and discard liquid, rinse pork with running water to remove all scum, drain and keep aside. Using same saucepan, sauté garlic and onion, add meat and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add tomato sauce, hot sauce and stir cook for 3-5 minutes. Add in pineapple juice, 6-8 cups of water, ground peppercorns and bay leaf bring to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until pork are tender, add more water as necessary Add potatoes and continue to simmer for 3-5 minutes or potatoes are cook and just enough sauce remains. Add liver spread, cheddar cheese and siling labuyo, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add bell pepper and season with salt to taste, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add cornstarch diluted in 1/2 cup of water and stir cook until sauce thicken. Serve hot.



See other kaldereta recipe:
Special Beef Caldereta
Kalderetang Manok, Chicken Caldereta
Kalderetang Baka
Kalderetang Kambing

Pansit Palabok, Pansit Luglog

Pansit Palabok, Pansit Luglog is another popular Pinoy noodle dish. It made up of rice noodles blanch in boiling water and topped with shrimp sauce called palabok, made up of shrimp sauce that is flavoured with annatto which also give a bright orange tint. It is then topped with the paalat, a sautéed mixture of garlic, ground pork and diced firm tofu. For added flavour and visual appeal it is garnished with smoked fish flakes, crushed pork cracklings, shrimps, boiled egg wedges, fried garlic and chopped spring onions. And served with kalamansi.



On this post I used thick rice noodles, but if it is not available at your location the ordinary rice noodles or bihon is also suitable. I would recommend that the paalat and palabok should be mixed only when it is ready to serve because the pansit dish tend to dry up if not eaten immediately as the noodles will absorb the moisture of sauce. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 kilo thick bihon noodles, cooked



Red sauce
1/2 kilo ground pork
4 cake firm tofu, diced
2 cup shrimp broth
1/2 cup chopped kinchay
1/2 head garlic, chopped
1/2 cup annatto water
salt and pepper
cooking oil



Palabok
6-8 cup shrimp broth
1/2 cup annatto water
3/4 cup cornstarch
salt



Garnishing
2 cup medium size shrimp, shelled
1 bundle spring onion, chopped
4 pieces boiled egg, cut into wedges
1 cup crushed pork crackling
1 head garlic, chopped, fried
1 cup fried tinapa flakes
kalamansi



Cooking procedure:

For the red sauce: In a saucepan, sauté garlic. Add ground pork and stir cook for 3-5 minutes or until meat turns to golden brown, add tofu, kinchay and annatto water, stir cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add shrimp juice and let boil, simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan and keep aside.

For the palabok: I a sauce pan put shrimp broth and annatto water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Thicken sauce with cornstarch diluted in 1/2 cup of water, keep warm and set aside. Season with salt to taste.

Serving: When ready to serve put cooked bihon noodles in a platter. Top with the garnishing ingredients and serve with kalamansi.


See other related pansit Malabon post:
Pancit Malabon
Pansit ng Taga Malabon


See all pansit recipe:

Kinilaw na Dilis

Kinilaw na Dilis. This is my version of kinilaw na dilis, it is not the usual kinilaw na dilis that was squeezed into unrecognizable white mass and overcooked with vinegar. Most likely, it tastes so sour that the natural sweetness of the fish is already lost. Okey, for my kinilaw na dilis I use vinegar only to wash and briefly marinate the fish and subsequently discarded or drain off. The anchovy fillets are then tossed with chopped ginger, onion and chili. Now just drizzle with kalamasi juice. The sweetness and crunchiness of the fish is retained. Try it, there is no doubt you will enjoy it if you love kinilaw.

Ingredients:



1/2 kilo dilis, anchovy
1 thumb size ginger, finely chopped
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup kalamansi juice
1-2 pcs. siling labuyo, chopped
vinegar
salt

Method:



To prepare, wash and drain anchovies, remove and discard bones, head and innards by curving out flesh on both side of the fish into fillet. Rinse fillets in running water and drain thoroughly. To make the kinilaw, wash anchovy fillets in a bath of vinegar and drain. Repeat this step this time let it marinate for 5-8 minutes and drain thoroughly, do not squeeze just lightly press to drain off excess vinegar. Place the anchovy fillet in a bowl, add all the other ingredients and toss mix. Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator before serving.



See other related fish kinilaw:
Kinilaw na Tanguige na may Kamatis
Kinilaw na Tanguige

Amore: A Food Lover’s 2009 Planner

SYSU International Inc. and Belle De Jour Enterprises, the producer of Belle De Jour Power Planner, has come up with a 2009 planner for those people who love food and cooking.

Amore: A Food Lover’s 2009 Planner



The planner includes food quotes, cooking tips, recipes, restaurant directory, discount coupons and other informative food articles. It also featured the best food blogs that share the same passion for food and Overseas Pinoy Cooking is included in the list.



It is really a great planner specifically tailored for foodies like myself. Grab one for yourself or as a gift for a special someone.



For more information, email them at sysumktg@sysuinc.com.ph, call them at 920-52-91 loc. 304, or visit their blog site The Gourmet.

Sinanglay na Tilapia

Sinanglay na Tilapia. Fresh tilapias are always available on most fish market in Metro Manila, means fresh and alive. At times, you run out of ideas how to cook them. Today I would like to share an alternate way of cooking the fish. Sinanglay is a Bikol way of cooking tilapia in coconut milk. The fish is stuffed with chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger, libas leaves, tanglad or lemongrass and wrapped in banana or pechay leaves. Libas or hog plum is a kind of tree, the leaves are use for souring in cooking Bicol dishes like laing and fish. On my version for sinanglay na tilapia for the benefit of Pinoy overseas I use ingredients that are most likely available in most Asian store overseas. I also included in the stuffing bagoong alamang or fermented salted krill but this is an option. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 pieces medium size tilapia
2-3 bundles pechay
2 medium size tomato, chopped
1 medium size onion, chopped
1 thumb size ginger, finely chopped
1 stalk lemon grass, crushed, spilt in halves
1/2 cup bagoong alamang
1 tsp. sampalok sinigang mix
3 cups coconut milk powder
1/2 vinegar
2-3 pieces chili
salt

Cooking procedure:



Ask the fishmonger to remove scales; remove gills and innards of tilapia by making a slit at the back of the fish. Cut also fins and tails. Wash tilapia thoroughly and drain. Rub each tilapia with salt and place in a container with lid. Add in vinegar and keep in the refrigerator to marinate for 15 to 30 minutes. Remove fish form the marinade and drain excess marinade keep aside. In a big bowl mix, chopped tomato, onion, ginger, bagoong alamang, and sampalok sinigang mix. Divide into to portion, stuff each fish with the mixture and tuck in lemongrass. Carefully wrap each fish with pechay leaves and arrange in a pan. Dissolve coconut powder in 2 cups of water and pour over the fish, place chillies on top. Let boil and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until the sauce is reduced to half. Season with salt to taste if required. Serve hot with a lot of rice.