Pichi Pichi

Pichi Pichi is another popular Pinoy delicacy, specifically in Metro Manila and the Tagalog region. The traditional pichi pichi is made up of steamed grated cassava and flavored with pandan with grated coconut topping. At present other flavoring and colors of pichi pichi are now available. These are usually sold at kakainin stalls packed in assorted flavors and colors. There are even versions with cheese toppings.

The ingredients are simple all that is needed is a couple of cassava root, sugar and some flavoring. Traditionally lihiya or lye water is used to make the pichi pichi chewy but be warned that this is actually a chemical it also gives an awful taste, especially when used more than what is recommended. Lye water is sold at wet market condiments stalls but this can be omitted if not available at your location.

Some recipe requires that the grated cassava be squished out of its juice. There are cassava varieties that are poisonous when not prepared and cooked properly. Check here. If you think that the cassava root you are using belongs to that variety the best method is to soak the grated cassava overnight and squish out the juices. Make sure also that it is cooked properly before removing from the steamer.



I have also included a recipe for using cassava flour as substitute for grated cassava. For this version there would not be that fiber texture. Cassava flour pichi pichi would be similar to a firm gel in texture. Personally I still find the taste acceptable; of course it is not comparable to pichi pichi made of grated cassava. Here are the recipes of both versions good luck..



Pichi Pichi (Grated Cassava)

Ingredients:



4 cup cassava, grated
2 cup sugar
2 cup of pandan water, boil 8-10 pcs. pandan leaves
1/2 tsp. lihiya, lye water
1 coconut, grated
food essence/coloring, optional

Cooking procedure:



In a big bowl mix grated cassava, pandan water and sugar. Add lye water and blend well. Pour into puto moulds and arrange side by side in a steamer. Steam for 50 to 60 minutes or until all the grated cassava becomes translucent. Remove from steamer and let cool down. Scoop out pichi pichi off the puto mould and roll each piece in grated coconut. Alternately pandan water can be substituted or add more flavorings with food essence and colourings. Serve with your favourite beverages.



Pichi Pichi (Cassava Flour)



Ingredients:

2 cup cassava flour
1 cup sugar
2 cup of pandan water, boil 8-10 pcs. pandan leaves
1 coconut, grated
food essence/coloring, optional

Cooking procedure:



In a big bowl mix cassava, pandan water and sugar. Pour into puto moulds and arrange side by side in a steamer. Steam for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from steamer and let cool down. Scoop out pichi pichi off the puto mould and roll each piece in grated coconut. Alternately pandan water can be substituted or add more flavorings with food essence and colourings. Serve with your favourite beverages.

Pinoy Style Pad Thai

Pad Thai is the popular Thailand version of stir fried noodles. It is strongly flavored with “nam pla” (the Thailand name for patis or fish sauce), tamarind paste and hot chilies. It is also tinted to bright red orange by annatto extract. Pad Thai is one of the most popular Thailand dish. Many Pinoys have come to love this Thailand version of stir fried noodles including myself. I would like to share a simple way and Pinoy style of cooking the dish using substitute ingredients available on most Pinoy household. For the noodles, use any dried flat rice noodles that is also available on most Pinoy food store. Nam pla as previously mentioned is just patis. Tamarind paste can be extracted from fresh tamarind, but a good substitute is the sampalok sinigang mix in sachet or bottled paste. Atsuete is widely used in Pinoy cooking so with the other ingredients. Here is the recipe of my Pinoy style Pad Thai, good luck..

Ingredients:



1 kilo flat rice noodle
4 block tokwa, firm tofu, cut into rectangles
200 grams medium size shrimp, shelled
150 gram chicken, cut to pieces
150 gram pork, boiled, sliced
4 cup togue, mung bean sprouts
3-5 stalk spring onion, cut into 2″
3-5 stalk, kinchay, trimmed
1/2 cup roasted peanut, crushed
1 medium size onion, chopped
4 tbsp sampalok sinigang mix
1/2 head garlic chopped
1/2 cup annatto extract
1 cup sweet chilli sauce
1/2 patis, fish sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2-3 pcs. chilli, chopped
4 eggs, lightly beaten
cooking oil

Cooking procedure:



Soak flat rice noodle in water for 30 minutes or until soft. In a large wok, lightly fry tokwa on all side, set aside. On same wok stir fry shrimp until color change to bright orange, set aside. Using same wok sauté onion and garlic, add in pork and chicken, stir cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in fish sauce, annatto extract, sugar, sampalok sinigang mix and stir cook for another 2-3 minutes. Now add in drained rice noodles and stir cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in 1/2 liter of stock from boiling the meats and shrimp shells, continue to stir cook 2-3 minute, add more stock as necessary. Add in sweet chilli sauce, shrimp and tokwa, continue to stir cook for a minute. Push the noodles on one side and lightly stir cook eggs, stir back in the noodles. Add in bean sprout, half of kinchay and spring onion, stir cook for a minute. Correct saltines with fish sauce if required. Serve immediately, garnished with the rest of kinchay, spring onion, chilli and crushed peanuts.

Lomi Special

Lomi Special, some readers were requesting the recipe of lomi, in fact I do have already a recipe for lomi but that was cooked using instant lomi noodles. Click here to see that post. Today I would like to share my special version of lomi, beside the usual lomi ingredients I also used kikiam and squid balls and some hoisin sauce.

For the noodles I use those fresh yellow noodles that are sold at most Metro Manila supermarket, It is actually the same kind that are sold on most wet markets. To reduce the lye water after taste I recommend that fresh yellow noodles be parboiled for a minute or two first and rinse thoroughly. Lye is widely used to make “kunat” or springiness in noodles. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo fresh lomi noodles
12 pcs. squid balls cut in half
12 pcs. kikiam, cut into small wedges
2 cup small size shrimp, shelled
1 cup pork, boiled, cut into strips
1 cup chicken, boiled shredded
1 small size carrot, cut into strips
1 small bundle kinchay, chopped
1 napa cabbage, shredded
1/2 head garlic, chopped
1 small size onion, sliced thinly
1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
1/2 cup cornstarch
6 medium size egg, beat
1/2 cup patis
salt and pepper
cooking oil

Cooking procedure:



In a deep pan sauté garlic and onion, add in shrimp, squid ball and kikiam. Stir cook for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp turn to bright orange color, remove from pan and keep aside. Using same pan heat some more oil, add in pork, chicken and patis, stir cook for 2-3 minutes or until meat turn to light brown. Pour in about 2 1/2 liters of stock (from boiling the meat/shrimp head and shells) and bring to a boil, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add in rinsed fresh lomi noodles and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until lomi noodles are soft but firm. Add in hoisin sauce, stir cooked shrimp, squid ball, kikiam, vegetables and kinchay, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and thicken broth with cornstarch diluted in 1 cup of water. Pour in the beaten egg in a thin stream, stirring continuously. Cook for another minute. Serve hot.

Kamote-que

Kamote-que, is a popular street food that is cooked similar to banana-que, it is deep fried slices of sweet potatos with caramelized sugar coating in bamboo skewer. The cooking procedure is the similar to banana-que.



Kamote-que is peddled by street vendors near the premises of school campuses or along the streets where there is a lot of foot traffic. Kamote-q is very popular to school student as they are very filling and cheap.

Ingredients:

1 kilo big size kamote, sweet potato
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 liter cooking oil
bamboo skewer

Cooking procedure:

Using a small knife remove skin of each sweet potato and slice/cut crosswise about 3/4 inches thick. In a large wok at high flame heat cooking oil. Put the sliced sweet potato in the wok and deep fry for 8-10 minutes or until color change to light brown. Sprinkle brown sugar over the sweet potato and continue to fry and stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes or until sugar has melted and have infused to the sweet potato. Remove sweet potato from wok and drain excess oil. Using large bamboo skewer string 3 slices of sweet potato together.

Palitaw, Dila-Dila

Palitaw, Dila-Dila is a simple Pinoy merienda made up of boiled glutinous rice dough rolled in grated coconut and sugar. The original recipe uses galapong, galapong is derived from soaking the glutinous rice for several hours drain and ground in stone grinders. Not to worry glutinous rice flour is the ideal substitute and is readily available everywhere. The name palitaw is coined from the cooking process where the uncooked dough will sit at the bottom of boiling water and when cooked will float, dila-dila for the reason that they are shaped like the tounge.



Cooking is simple, the flour to water ratio is 2:1, for every two parts flour one cup of water is required to make the dough. For dipping/coating in addition to the grated coconut, I use the not so mature coconut. I substituted the regular sugar to muscuvado sugar of course regular sugar will do the job but I wanted it the way it was served back during my childhood, we used to live near a sugarcane fields where muscuvado sugar was always available. Muscuvado sugar is a raw unrefined sugar from sugarcane and still retains the natural taste of sugarcane. The use of linga or sesame seads toasted and lightly pounded will to bring out the fragrant aroma.

Ingredients:



2 cup glutinous rice flour
1 cup water
1 cup muscuvado sugar or
regular sugar (brown or white)
1/4 cup linga, sesame seeds
2 cup grated coconut

Cooking procedure:



In a big bowl mix the glutinous rice flour and water to form into dough. Chip off about the size of a golf ball and roll using the palm to form into balls, arrange in a platter and keep aside. In a frying pan stir toast sesame seeds for about 30 seconds or until color start to change, let cool down. Using pestle and mortar lightly pound the toasted sesame seeds, keep aside. Boil half filled water in a medium size casserole. Flatten the glutinous rice dough to form an oblong flat tongue like dough, repeat process with the rest of the dough balls. Drop flattened dough one by one in batches at the boiling water. Let boil for about a minute until they float to the surface, scoop out the palitaw and drain in a colander, let cool down until ready to serve. Roll each palitaw in a bed of grated coconut, sugar and sesame seeds. Serve with beverage or coffee.

Sotanghon Noodle Soup

Sotanghon Noodle Soup is another popular Pinoy noodle soup. It is usually served as merienda. Sotanghon noodle soup is popular at karinderias, at school and office canteens. I have always missed those orange colored noodle soup served at our office canteen when I was starting to work.

Sotanghon noodle soup is very easy to prepare. The secret of a delicious noodle soup is the broth. I used one whole chicken including the optional pork meat and boiled for at least 30 minutes for the broth. Just keep aside the extra chicken for future use. In addition use also generous amount of garlic and stir fried until fragrant. The orange tint of sotanghon soup is derived from the use of achuete it gives that distinct flavour beside the visual appeal. Here is the recipe enjoy.

Ingredients:



1/4 kilo sotanghon noodles, vermicelli noodles, rinsed
1 big size chicken breast, boiled, shredded
2 liter broth from pre-boiling chicken and pork
1 cup pork, boiled, cut into strips
1/2 head small cabbage, shredded
1 small size carrot, cut into strips
1/2 cup achuete (red coloring extract)
1/2 head garlic, chopped
1 medium size onion, chopped
1 small bundle spring onion, chopped
1/2 cup patis
cooking oil
salt and pepper

Cooking procedure:

In casserole sauté garlic, onion, add chicken and pork stir cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in patis and stir cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add in broth let boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add vermicelli noodles and achuete, simmer for 5-10 minutes or until soft and tender. Add in vegetables and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are just cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with spring onion. Serve immediately.





See other related noodle soup recipes;
La Paz Batchoy, Pansit Batchoy Mami
Pansit Lomi
Pansit Miki Soup
Patula Misua Soup
Vigan Miki

Tortang Alamang

Tortang Alamang is not the usual type of omelet to most. A packet of dried alamang have been lying in the cupboard for sometime now. I first thought I could use it as a topping for a vegetable dish but I could not find the right vegetables at this part of the world. Alamang is usually used as topping for boiled vegetable dish to most Pinoy household in the Countryside. Tortang alamang is no different from other type of omelet, dried alamang is first sautéed with onion and tomatoes to re-hydrates and partly cook the dried krill before blending it with beaten eggs. I wanted a thick omelet so I used the same cooking method from my other torta recipes. Of course, it could be cooked whatever omelet cooking method that is convenient or to your preference. Here is how I cooked it.

Ingredients:



1 1/2 cup alamang, dried krill
4 big size egg, beaten
1 small size onion, chopped
1 medium size tomato, chopped
salt and pepper
cooking oil

Cooking procedure:

In a pan, sauté onion and tomato. Add dried krill and stir cook for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Beat eggs in a large bowl, pour in cooked dried krill and mix thoroughly. Heat oil in frying pan, when it start to smoke lower heat to medium low heat and pour in omelette mixture, pan fry mixture for 3-5 minutes or until it solidifies, keep covered, then lower heat to low continue cooking covered for another 5-10 minutes for the inner portion of the omelet to be cooked. (Alternate way to cooked the inner portion with out burning is to transfer the semi solidified omelette in tempered glassware and continue cooking in the microwave for 2-3 minutes at medium to high or bake in oven.). Serve with ketchup or vinegar with crushed garlic dip.





See other related torta recipes;
Tortang Carne
Tortang Carne Norte
Tortang Talong

Ginisang Munggo with Talbos ng Sili

Ginisang Munggo is another comfort food that I always love. When in overseas mung beans are always available on most supermarket, how ever leafy vegetables that suppose to go with ginisang mungo most of the time will not always be there. Overseas Pinoys have come to adapt to whatever vegetable substitute that is available. Spinach is a popular substitute, but the fruit of ampalaya or eggplant will do should there are no other leafy vegetable available. Today I am lucky to find talbos ng sili at a neighborhood Pinoy store in our area. I usually used a couple ginger slivers whenever I cooked ginisang mungo, I like the gingery aroma like a tinola. Today I like to go further I wanted my ginisang mungo with generous amount of ginger with chili tendrils similar to a real tinola. There is no special procedure in cooking this dish, all I had done was used two thumb size ginger and a lot of talbos ng sili. I was even lucky that the chili tendrils that I both came with young green chilies that are still attached.

Ingredients:

2 cup munggo (mung beans)
200 g. pork, sliced
200 g. shrimp, shelled
1/2 head garlic, chopped
1 medium size onion, chopped
1 medium size tomato, chopped
2 thumb size ginger, cut into strips
3 pcs. small ampalaya, sliced
2 bundles talbos ng sili, chilli tendrils
2-3 pcs. chilli
1/2 cup patis
cooking oil
salt

Cooking procedure:



Wash mung beans, check and remove stones that might have mixed with the beans. Put in a medium size pot and add water to cover, bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes drain and discard first boiled liquid. Add fresh water up to half full and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30-45 minutes or until beans disintegrate, scoop out empty bean skins that rises, add more water as necessary. In another sauce pan sauté garlic, ginger onion and tomato. Add pork stir and cook until pork changes to light brown, add shrimp and stir cook for 2-3 minutes. Add patis and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add sautéed ingredients to the boiling pot of mung beans. Add in ampalaya and simmer for for 3-5 minutes or until ampalya are cooked. Season with salt if required. Add in chilli tendrils and chilli, continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Serve hot.



See other related ginisang mungo recipe.
Ginisang Munggo
Ginisang Munggo with Sotanghon
Ginisang Red Mung Beans