Overseas Pinoy Cooking 2009 Year End Round Up

Overseas Pinoy Cooking is now about two years and six months and it’s now time we make the year end round up.

The site has grown steadily with regards to visitor and page views traffic. The site page rank has now reached PR4 in a short span of time. This has happened because of your continued support, thank you.

The placement of navigation dropdown tabs above the header and search by categories widgets at the sidebar has made the site lay out simpler and more users friendly with regards to ease of finding recipes from the archives, there are now about 350 recipe posts to date.

Almost all Pinoy foods have been featured including other alternate versions of some of the more popular dishes. For the year ahead you will continue to expect other versions of recipes that are already on the archives.

Now its time to thank once again all my readers and visitors, especially those who have left comments.

Happy New Year to one and all!

Pirurutong na Biko with Coco Jam, Suman na Pirurutong

Suman is traditionally cooked during the Christmas Season, there are countless versions and types from patupat of the Ilocanos to the sinukmane of Laguna. Local names are based of what type of rice, method of cooking or type of leaf wrapping used. I have to post my suman na pirurutong now before the end of the Holiday Season otherwise it would be irrelevant to post the delicacy after the New Year.



I have made two variants on my suman na pirurutong. The first one is cooked biko style topped with coco jam.



The other one is a typical suman wraped with banana leaf and re-boiled/steamed further with coconut milk.




Here are the recipes.


Biko na Pirurutong topped with Coco Jam

Ingredients:

1 cup pirurutong, violet glutinous rice, soaked, drained
1 cup white glutinous rice, soaked, drained
2 cups coconut milk from 2 pcs. coconut
2 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp. grated orange rind
1 tbsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 cup coco jam

Cooking procedure:

Wash glutinous rice, put in a rice cooker, add salt, grated ginger and add water as per rice cooker instructions. Cook until the cook switch has automatically switch off, remove rice cooker mains and keep aside. In a large wok put 1 cup of water, coconut milk, brown sugar and grated orange rind. Bring to a boil and simmer at medium heat for 15 minutes. Keep on stirring until the mixture is reduced to half. Stir in the half-cooked glutinous rice, mix and blend thoroughly, stir cook for another 15 minutes. When done remove from wok, place in a non-stick tray, flatten and keep aside. Top with coco jam, let cool down before serving.


Suman na Pirurutong

Ingredients:

1 cup pirurutong, violet glutinous rice, soaked, drained
1 cup white glutinous rice, soaked, drained
2 1/2 cups coconut milk from 2 pcs. coconut
2 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp. grated orange rind
1 tbsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. salt
banana leaves, flame heated, cut to sizes

Cooking procedure:

Wash glutinous rice, put in a rice cooker, add salt, grated ginger and add water as per rice cooker instructions. Cook until the cook switch has automatically switch off, remove rice cooker mains and keep aside. In a large wok put 1 cup of water, 2 cups coconut milk, brown sugar and grated orange rind. Bring to a boil and simmer at medium heat for 15 minutes. Keep on stirring until the mixture is reduced to half. Stir in the half-cooked glutinous rice, mix and blend thoroughly, stir cook for another 15 minutes. When done remove from wok and let cool down.

To wrap and cook the suman: Scoop out suman enough to make a small log the size of hotdog. Roll into logs and wrap with the banana leaf, fold ends to seal. Repeat the process to the rest of the suman. Arrange and secure folded ends of the wrapped suman in a pot line with the unused banana leaf stalk. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and 2 cups of water, bring to a boil. Set to low heat and simmer/steamed the suman until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from pot and let cool down. Serve with hot chocolate drink.


See other related rice delicacy recipe:
Biko na Pirurutong
Puto Bumbong

Seafood Bringhe Valenciana

Traditionally paella or valenciana is served at our Noche Buena every year. The blog is now about 2 1/2 years and I also made as a tradition to post those Noche Buena paella dish whether it’s arroz, valenciana or bringhe. Last year it was my own seafood paella and the year before it was the rice cooker version of seafood paella. For this year’s Noche Buena I made a seafood bringhe valenciana. It’s a medley of crabs, clams, mussels, squids and fish fillet. To make the dish I used one part glutinous rice and one part regular rice sautéed in garlic, ginger and onions. In addition to the usual chorizo I also used bacon, fried till crisp and added to the sautéed rice for added flavours. The rice is then boiled with the broth from pre-cooking the seafoods and pure coconut milk in a large pot. It is simmered until most of the liquid is absorbed by the rice before transpering in a large wok lined with banana leaves. It is then cooked to low heat until the coconut renders oil and the kitchen is filled with the sweet aroma of coconut oil and banana leaves. It is then served topped with boiled eggs.

At this point I want to take this opportunity to greet every one especially to my regular readers who keep coming back all these years to check for new post, new dish and new recipe or just simply want to browse the archives.

I WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Here is how I made my “Seafood Bringhe Valenciana”.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups malagkit, glutinous rice
1 1/2 cups regular rice
1 small size, cream dory fish fillet, cut into serving pieces
6 pcs. medium size pusit, squid, sliced or cut into serving pieces
2 pcs. alimasag, crab, trimmed, cut in half
2 cups medium size shrimp, trimmed
2 cups tahong, mussels
2 cups halaan, clams
1 pc. chorizo, sliced, reserved lard
1/2 cup bacon, cut into small squares
1/2 cup green peas
1/2 cup raisins
1 large size red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup pure coconut milk
2 thumb size ginger, cut into thin strips
1/2 head garlic, chopped
1 medium size onion, chopped
3-4 pcs. bay leaf
1 tbsp. turmeric powder
1/2 cup patis, fish sauce
salt
cooking oil
banana leaf
4 hardboiled eggs, quartered

Cooking procedure:



Wash clams and mussels, place in a container with lid, cover with water and replace lid, let sit for several hours (entire day) to allow the clams and mussels to expel sand and discard sea water, change water frequently and wash and drain. Put the clams and mussels in a large pan, add in 1 cup of water let boil and stirring occasionally until all the shells have open, remove from heat. Separate the clams and mussels from the broth, using a sieve strain broth of scum and sand if any, reserve the broth. Separate and discard the top empty shell and shells that did not open, keep aside. Boil crabs in 1 cup of water until color changes to red, reserve the broth, keep aside. Wash glutinous and regular rice, soak for at least an hour, and keep aside. In a pot heat oil and stir cook chorizo and bacon until crisp, add in garlic, ginger and onion, sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add in turmeric powder, bay leaf and fish sauce, stir cook for another minute. Add in the drained glutinous and regular rice, stir cook for 2-3 minutes or until the oil is infused to the rice. Add the 2 cups of broth from boiling the seafoods and the coconut milk bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally, add more water if required. Add in the grabs, shrimp, clams, mussels, bell pepper, raisins and green peas let simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Now transfer the half-cocked rice in a large wok lined with banana leaves. Flatten the rice into a mound add on top the squid and fish fillet, cover with banana leaf then with the lid. Set the stove heat to the lowest possible setting and steam cook for 30 to 45 minutes. When done serve in a platter garnish with quartered egg.


See other related paella recipe:
Bringhe
Arroz Negra, Black Paella
Pinoy Arroz Paella
Seafood Rice Cooker Paella Valencianna

Pili Nut Pesto Spaghetti with Chicken Barbecue

Pili Nut Pesto Spaghetti with Chicken Barbecue. Do you wish for a different spaghetti for your Noche Buena dinner? Although the classic Pinoy spaghetti is loved by most Pinoy specially the children, more and more Pinoys are beginning to love other types of spaghetti dishes. Spaghetti with pesto sauce is one of the usual choice, and the more popular one is the pesto spaghetti with grilled chicken. Spaghetti with grilled chicken is served at almost all of the popular spaghetti and pasta restaurants. For some reasons, probably health reason(?), most of the grilled chicken topping used by these restaurants are grilled chicken breast which most of the time grilled to almost dry and tasteless. Today I am offering my pesto spaghetti with grilled chicken version using a pesto sauce with pili nuts instead of the usual pine nuts which is not readily available, instead of the dry grilled chicken breast I used the Pinoy style chicken thighs barbecue. Of course chicken breast barbecue is also fine but I wanted to have more flavors on my chicken toppings. Here is how I made my “Pili Nut Pesto Spaghetti with Chicken Barbecue”.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo spaghetti



Pili nut pesto sauce:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, stems removed, chopped
1/2 cup roasted pili nuts, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2/3 to 1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt

Chicken barbecue toppings:
8 pcs. chicken tights or 2 pcs chicken breasts
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 head garlic, crushed
2 stalks tanglad, lemongrass, trimmed, crushed
4-6 large size kalamasi, juice extracted

Cooking procedure:

Pili nut pesto sauce: Place the basil leaves, roasted pili nuts, salt and half of the olive oil in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth leaving with some texture. Transfer the blended mixture in a bowl or in a container with lid. Add in the parmesan cheese, mix and blend until smooth, add the remaining olive oil to keep the mixture submerge in olive oil. Keep aside until ready to use.

Chicken barbecue toppings: Pan grill chicken at moderate heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until done but not overly cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes on the side with skin and the rest at the opposite side. Slice chicken into serving pieces, discard bones.

To make the pesto spaghetti: Boil spaghetti as per package instructions. Drain and immediately transfer the spaghetti in a large frying pan at moderate heat. Toss in the prepared pili nut pesto until the spaghetti is fully coated with the pesto sauce. Place the spaghetti in serving plates and top with the prepared chicken barbecue toppings. Serve with more parmesan cheese garnishing as desired.


See other related spaghetti recipe:
Pinoy Spaghetti
Pinoy Spaghetti Longganisa
Spaghetti Marinara
Spaghetti with Halaan
Spaghetti with Clam and Shrimp in White Sauce
Spaghetti with Fried Sardines in Hot and Spicy Sauce
Tuna Carbonara

Baby Potato Salad

Baby Potato Salad with Chicken and Bacon is my salad dish recommendation for this year’s holiday season. During this time of the year marble size baby potatoes are usually available at most supermarkets for reason that there is a greater demand. Significant numbers of Pinoy prefer to use baby potatoes for their potato salad instead of the regular sized potatoes for better presentation. Young potatoes are also nuttier compared to the regular potatoes. I did not remove the skins of the potatoes, young potatoes have a very thin skins beside it taste better with the skin on. The potatoes are boiled with generous amount of salt, this is the only time salt is used. I also used shredded chicken breast and crispy fried bacon for an added flavour to the salad. Diced carrots and celery stalk add the crunchiness. This salad is not overly sweet as most Pinoy salads are known to. Here’s how I made my version of baby potato salad, enjoy

Ingredients:



1 kilo baby potatoes
1 chicken breast, pre-cooked, shredded
1/2 cup fried bacon, cut into small squares
1/2 cup sweet pickled relish, drained
1 stalk celery, diced into small pieces (do not use the leaves)
1 small size onion, finely diced (optional)
1 large size carrot, finely diced
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 tbsp. salt (for cooking the potatoes)

Method:

Wash baby potato thoroughly, scrub crevices with brush to remove dirt. In a large pot put baby potatoes and pour enough water to about 1” over. Add in the salt, bring to a boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are just cooked. Drain in a colander and let cool down. Cut in half or quarters baby potatoes that are larger. In a big bowl toss potatoes and all the other remaining ingredients. Chill in a refrigerator until ready to serve.


See other related Pinoy salad recipe:
Chicken Macaroni Salad
Ham and Bacon Macaroni Salad
Buko Salad
Buko Fruit Salad
Buko Pandan Salad
Fresh Fruit Salad

Seafood Kare-kare

Seafood Kare-Kare is a popular alternative version of the usual beef tripe kare-kare , oxtail kare-kare or pork leg kare-kare. A cocktail of seafoods and the same vegetables are used for this seafood version of kare-kare. Similar to my other previous kare-kare recipe I used the same Mama Sita Kare-kare mix for convenience reasons. I wanted my kare-kare sauce creamier and thicker so added extra peanut butter and further thicken the sauce using cornstarch. In my opinion plus my love of seafoods, the seafood version of kare-kare is the ultimate version of kare-kare. Of course it would have been better if the kare-kare sauce is made from scratch using the traditional method but that would be troublesome in addition to the extra procedures of individually pre-cooking all the seafood and vegetable ingredients. The traditional way of cooking kare-kare could wait, I will post one in the near future. Kare-kare is one dish that is usually served at gatherings or party lunch/dinner, it is one of the most ordered food in Filipino Food restaurants. Kare-kare is sure part of most Noche Buena and Christmas lunch or dinner. Here is how I cooked my seafood version of kare-kare.

Ingredients:

1 small size, cream dory fish fillet, cut into serving pieces
6 pcs. medium size pusit, squid, sliced or cut into serving pieces
2 pcs. alimasag, crab, trimmed, cut in half
2 cups medium size shrimp, trimmed
2 cups tahong, mussel
2 cups halaan, clams
2 medium size eggplant, slice diagonally
2 packets young corn, cut into wedges
2 bundles sitaw, cut into 2" long
2 bundles pechay, trimmed
1/2 head garlic, chopped
1 medium size onion, chopped
2 packets Mama Sita Kare-kare mix
2 tbsp. unsweetened peanut butter
1/2 cup cornstarch
cooking oil
ginisang bagoong alamang

Cooking procedure:



Wash clams and mussels, place in a container with lid, cover with water and replace lid, let sit for several hours (entire day) to allow the clams and mussels to expel sand and discard sea water, change water frequently and wash and drain. Put the clams and mussels in a large pan, add in 1 cup of water let boil and stirring occasionally until all the shells have open, remove from heat. Separate the clams and mussels from the broth, using a sieve strain broth of scum and sand if any, reserve the broth. Separate and discard the top empty shell and shells that did not open, keep aside. In a same pan boil 3 cups of water and quickly blanch separately shrimp, fish and squid, reserve the broth, keep aside. Boil crabs in 3 cups of water until color changes to red, reserve the broth, keep aside. In same pan boil 3 cups of water and quickly blanch vegetables, reserve broth, keep aside. In a large wok, sauté garlic and onion. Then pour in all the reserved broth from boiling the seafoods and vegetables, about 10 cups total and peanut butter, bring to a boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add in the kare-kare mix diluted in 1 cup of water and simmer for 3-5 minutes, add in the cornstarch diluted in 1/2 cup of water to further thicken the sauce. Now add all the pre-cooked seafoods and vegetables and cook for another minute while carefully stirring to evenly coat with the sauce. Serve with ginisang bagoong alamang.


See other related kare-kare recipe:
Kare-Kare, Kare-Kareng Pata ng Baboy
Kare-Kare (Beef Tripe)
Kare-kare Buntot ng Baka

Special Beef Mechado

Special Beef Mechado, the traditional way of cooking mechado is done using whole beef round or kalitiran. Strips of pork fats are inserted through the length of the slab of beef at several locations. This procedure is called “mitchahan”, that’s how the dish name originated according to my research. The beef is then marinated with soy sauce and kalamansi juice mixture, overnight if using a large slab of beef. The marinated beef is then stewed/slow cooked with tomato sauce, a slice of dayap and other aromatic ingredients until tender. It is then serve in slices with the thick sauce. This cooking procedure is definitely considered special compared to the now common cooking of beef mechado (Click here to see how). Now impress you family members or your guests with this special beef mechado. Good luck.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo beef, whole round
pork fats, cut into 1” strips
1/2 head garlic, chopped
1 large size onion, chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
2 medium size potato, quartered
1 large size carrot, cut into wedges
1 slice dayap or lemon with rind
1/4 cup soy sauce
2-3 tbsp. juice from lemon or kalamansi
1 tsp. peppercorn
2-3 pcs. bay leaf
salt and pepper
cooking oil



Cooking procedure:

Cut beef into 2 slabs/logs about the size soft drink can. Using a long thin blade knife, cut and make a hole along and through the length of the beef slabs. Insert the pork fats strips into the hole. Marinate the beef with the mixture of soy sauce and kalamansi juice for at least 4 hours or overnight. Using a frying pan brown meat on all sides in cooking oil remove from pan and keep aside. Using a sauce pan sauté garlic and onion. Add in browned beef slabs, tomato sauce, lemon slice, peppercorn and bay leaf stir cook for 2-3 minutes. Add 4-6 cups of water bring to a boil and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until tender, add more water as necessary. Add in potatoes and carrots and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes or potatoes and carrots are tender and the liquid has turn into thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve slice meat and arrange on a platter, pour over the sauce.

See other related beef stew and braised recipe:
Beef Mechado
Beef Menudo
Kalderetang Baka
Special Beef Caldereta
Adobong Baka, Beef Adobo
Asado Bulalo, Beef Shank Asado
Braised Beef
Kare-Kare Beef Tripe
Kare-Kare Buntot ng Baka
Osso Buco, Ossobuco Bulalo

Chili Cheese and Ham Stick

Chili Cheese and Ham Stick is one unique pulutan or finger food that can be serve these coming holiday celebrations. This may not be ideal for small kids not unless you can find a less potent variety of green chili, but I am sure it will be a great conversation topic on the occasion. Chili cheese stick is a popular starter dish at Gerry’s Grill restaurant, although they had made it popular at a restaurant atmosphere chili cheese sticks are constantly one of the best seller on some of the more upscale drinking bars in the Metropolis. On my version of chili cheese stick I have in addition to the cheese added ham strips. To avoid burning the wrappers before the inside is fully cooked, I diped each roll in a mixture of cornstarch and water. The process also makes the wrapper crispier. Here’s how I made my chili cheese and ham stinks, enjoy.



Ingredients:

16 large size long green chili, siling haba, pangsigang
4 pcs. sweet ham slices, cut into strips
1/2 block 180g Eden cheese, cut into strips
lumpia wrapper
cooking oil

Dipping sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced

Wrapping batter:

1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water



Cooking procedure:

Filling: Slit along the length of each chili and scrape off and discard seeds. Rinse thoroughly with running water and drain. Keep aside.

To Assemble: On a plate place one piece of lumpia wrapper, place 1 chili at one end of the wrapper making sure when rolled the stem of the chili is exposed. Fill the chili cavity with cheese and ham strips, fold ends and roll wrapper. Wet the other end with water to seal. Repeat process with the rest.

Wrapping batter: Mix and blend well cornstarch and water together.

Dipping sauce: Mix and blend well mayonnaise and garlic together, keep aside.

Frying: Heat generous amount of oil in a wok. Now dip each roll in the wrapping batter and deep fry at medium to low heat in batches for 2-3 minutes or until the skins are crisp and turned to golden brown. Remove from wok and drain excess oil. Serve while the skins are still crisp with the prepared dipping sauce.


See other fried roll recipe:
Cheese Sticks
Chicken and Ham with Cheese Rolls, Chicken Cordon Bleu Rolls
Lumpiang Isda, Lumpiang Galungong
Ngohiong, Ngo Yong, Cebu’s Fried Lumpiang Ubod
Lumpiang Gulay, Lumpiang Togue
Lumpiang Shanghai
Turon Fried Banana Roll

Excelente Chinese Cooked Ham

Excelente Chinese Cooked Ham. For those who have not yet shopped for their Christmas ham and planning to shop soon, I would recommend Excelente hams. The famous Excelente Cooked Ham store is located along Carlos Palanca Street near the Quinta Market in Quiapo and opposite the Quiapo Church after Plaza Miranda. Their cooked ham is the old time favorite of a significant number of Pinoys who prefer their Christmas ham made with the age old method against the mass produced hams sold at supermarkets. These people take the time to go to Quiapo every Christmas deifying the traffic both with vehicles and peoples and the infamous things that Quiapo is known for just to get their traditional Christmas ham. Their ham is quite pricy, however they also offer sliced ham and ham scraps with the same quality for those who have limited budget. I would suggest to go there soon to avoid the usual rush of shoppers that is increasing daily.



See related ham recipe:
Pinoy Pineapple Ham
Ham and Bacon Macaroni Salad
Chicken and Ham with Cheese Rolls, Chicken Cordon Bleu Rolls

Savory Chicken, Roast Chicken

Savory Chicken of Classic Savory restaurant is a new (?) addition of chicken dishes to the fried and lechon chicken loving Pinoys. For several months now there is a chicken buzz going around about how great and not so great the Classic Savory chicken is. In the tradition of the famous savory chicken of the then original Savory Restaurant located at the old Escolta, Manila, Classic Savory Restaurant is opening branches all over Metro Manila Malls. They suppose to offer the same savory chicken with the famous dipping sauce in fastfood restaurant atmosphere. Intrigue by the mixed reactions from chicken loving Pinoys and the volume of people dining at their restaurants. I ordered a whole savory chicken take-out with the intention to taste-test myself and try to recreate or make my own version. Upon opening the box at home I get disappointed straight away. The chicken is just re-heated (by deep frying), probably originally roasted in open flames or electric roasters. The skins are lump and dilapidated see photo below. My taste-test reveals the chicken is not properly marinated (bland inner flesh) there is also a bad after taste of the oil used in re-frying the chicken. The dipping sauce was supposed to be great but way short with my expectations.



I am offering my own version of savory chicken just in time for the holiday season. I could not accurately identify the ingredients used on the Classic Savory Chicken so I have created my own savory marinade for the chicken and a dipping sauce recipe. This is not close enough but it is far better here is the recipe, enjoy.



Ingredients:

1 1/2 kilo whole chicken
1 bundle tanglad, lemon grass, crushed
sesame oil

Marinade:
1 bundle tanglad, lemon grass, crushed, chopped
1 head garlic, crushed
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. ground pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp ngohiong powder, Chinese five-spice powder

Dipping sauce:
2-3 tbsp. cooking oil
1/2 cup flour
2 cups rich chicken broth
2 tbsp. unsweetened peanut butter
1/8 tsp ngohiong powder, Chinese five-spice powder
chili oil (optional)
salt and pepper

Cooking procedure:

Marinating and roasting the chicken: Mix all marinade ingredients and put in a blender. Blitz marinade mixture until lemongrass and garlic are finely chopped. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes to let flavours and aroma to infuse. Using a sieve filter and discard solid particles of the marinade mixture. Place chicken with the marinade mixture in a plastic zip bag and marinate for overnight. Stuff chicken cavity with lemongrass, tuck in neck inside the cavity and roast in turbo broiler at 350 to 400°F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, Prepare basting sauce by mixing 2 tbsp. sesame oil to the marinade, occasionally baste. Roast until golden brown. Serve with the prepared dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce: Make the roux by mix cooking oil and 1/4 cup flour. Stir cook mixture in a small sauce pan over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until the color changes to brown. Dillute the remaining flour with the chicken broth and pour in to the roux. Add in ngohiong powder, peanut butter and few drops on chilli oil if using, bring the mixture to a boil and stir cook for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture thickens, add more broth as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Classic Savory Chicken Take-out

See other releted chicken recipe:
Max's Style Fried Chicken
Lechon Manok
Chicken Relleno
Inihaw na Manok
Chicken Inasal
Chicken Barbecue
Hainanese, Hainese Chicken Rice
Lemon Chicken
Kentucky Fried Chicken

Siopao Asado

Siopao is a steamed bun filled with either pork or chicken. The more popular filling of the Pinoy siopao are pork or chicken asado (with or without boiled egg) and bola-bola (meat balls). Before the coming of siopao in fasfoods restaurant and kiosk, siopao are peddled in the street. Those siopaos then are traditionally prepared or cooked. I could remember, back then besides removing the papers, the outer skin has to be peeled off the siopao. I was not sure why but this was probably for hygienic purposes. Today with the advent of new food cooking techniques and technology, siopao are easier to make, fluffier, whiter and have assorted fillings and flavors. And of course more hygienic. Making a homemade siopao is fairly easy, but requires several trials and of course errors, but once you have perfected it, surely it would be a conversation attraction when ever you served them at any gathering especially these holiday season. Siaopao Asado is part of my Celebration recipes for this Christmas Season. Siopao are sold along with the puto bumbong, bibingka and other kakanin peddlers during the Simbang Gabi or Midnight Mass. Here is my sipao asado version.



Ingredients:

Dough:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp. active dry yeast
3 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
16 pcs. 2” x 2” white paper
2-3 tbsp vinegar

Filling:
2 cups diced pork
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp. char siu sauce
1 tbsp. hoisin sauce
4 tbsp. soy sauce
4 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cornstarch dissolved
salt and pepper
cooking oil
6 large size egg, hard boiled, quartered

Dipping sauce
3 tbsp. hoisin sauce
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
salt and pepper

Cooking procedure:



To make the filling:
Marinate pork in char siu sauce for at least 2 hours. In a sauce pan stir fry garlic then add in marinated pork and stir cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown garlic. Add in soy sauce and hoisin sauce, stir cook for another minute. Add in sugar and 2 to 3 cups of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until most on the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Thicken sauce with cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup of water. Cook for another minute, remove from heat and let cool down.

To make the dipping sauce:
I a small sauce pan bring to a boil 2 cup of water. Add in sugar, stir and simmer until dissolved. Add in hoisin sauce and soy sauce cook for a minute. Thicken sauce with cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup of water. Cook for another minute. Remove from heat and let cool down.

To make the dough:
In small bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in lukewarm water, set aside. Shift all purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a big bowl. Pour the dissolved yeast mixture into the dry flour mixture, slowly incorporate mixture until it is solid enough to handle, Place the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth. Sprinkle small amounts of flour as you knead. Form into a big ball of dough. Grease the big bowl and place dough and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size. Knead the dough again on lightly floured board for 3 to 5 minutes. Roll dough into a log then divide into 16 equal pieces.



To assemble:
Roll each dough piece into a ball using the palms of your hands then flatten to about 3” to 4” in diameter. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking to the hands. Place 1 tbsp meat filling and quartered egg into the center of the flattened dough. Enclose the filling by gathering the sides of the dough, pinch and twist to seal. Place upside down, twisted side at the bottom on to the white paper squares. Repeat process for the rest of the dough and filling. Cover filled dough with damp cloth and allow to rise for another hour before steaming.

Steaming:
Pour enough water into the steamer, add 2-3 tbsp. vinegar. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a steady steam. Arrange siopao on a steamer tray giving enough space for the bun to rise. Place tray on to the steamer. Place muslin cloth in between steamers to avoid water drips. Steam siopao for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with the prepared dipping sauce.

See other kakanin recipe:
Puto Bumbong
Biko na Pirurutong
Palitaw, Dila-Dila
Pichi Pichi
Puto Pao
Puto Pandan
Puto Special
Puto Ube
Royal Bibingka

Baked Tahong, Baked Mussel

Baked Tahong, Baked Mussel, is a popular party dish. Baked tahong is a classic alternative cooking method for the ever abundant tahong beside the usual tinolang tahong. It is a simple dish except for the fairly troublesome cooking preparation. The tahong also needs to be cooked in an oven which is also a problem to some who may not have one. As an alternative an oven toaster can be used, I have used it my self in several occasions, otherwise just grill the tahong but you would not get the burnt mark on the cheese toppings. Here’s how I baked it.



Ingredients:

1 kilo large tahong, mussels
1/2 cup butter
1/2 head garlic, finely minced
quickmelt cheese, grated

Cooking procedure:

Wash mussels and place in a container with lid, cover with water and replace lid, let sit for several hours (entire day) to allow the mussels to expel sand and discard sea water, change water frequently and wash and drain. Put the mussels in a large pan, add in 1/2 cup of water, let boil and stirring occasionally until all the mussel shells are open, remove from heat. Separate the mussels from the liquid, discard the liquid and mussels that did not open. Separate and discard the top empty shell, keep aside. In a frying pan melt the butter, add in the garlic and quickly stir cook for a minute, turn off the heat and transfer in a bowl. Line mussels in a shallow baking pan, brush each mussel with butter-garlic mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake for 3-4 minutes at 350 deg.F.



See orther related clams and mussels recipes:
Tinolang Tahong
Tinolang Halaan
Guinataang Halaan
Spaghetti with Halaan

Pancit Molo

Pancit Molo is both a comfort food and special dish that is served on special celebrations in Iloilo. I have included pancit molo in my recommended celebration dish for the coming holiday for the reason that the dish is also served during Christmas on some Pinoy households. An authentic pancit molo has a simple filling that includes ground pork, crumbled taure (fermented soy beans curd), garlic, egg, soy sauce, salt and pepper. The molo heads or molo dumplings are folded in such a way that it resembles a nun’s hat. To make the dish, garlic, onions and shredded chicken are sautéed before adding the broth. The secret of the dish is from the quality of the broth. This is usually from boiled pork bones, chicken bones, and pounded shrimp heads. When adding the molo dumplings the heat should be set at moderately low setting, with just slight rolling of the simmering broth, this is to avoid the molo dumplings from disintegrating. When the molo dumplings float that would be the sign that they are cooked. Kutsay or garlic chive is onother must ingredient, however spring onion is a good subtitute. I don’t have taure so I have to settle for the usual pork and shrimp filling, here is the recipe of my pancit molo version.

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo ground pork
1 cup shrimp, finely chopped
1 cup medium size shrimp, shelled
1 chicken breast, boiled, shredded
1 small bundle kutsay, chives (or spring onion), chopped
2-3 stalks kinchay, finely chopped
2-3 stalks kinchay, coarsely chopped
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
1/2 head garlic, chopped
1/2 head garlic, chopped, fried
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 small size egg, beaten
salt and pepper
square molo wrappers
cornstarch

Cooking procedure:



In a large bowl mix together ground pork, shrimp, onion, half of chives, finely chopped kinchay, soy sauce and egg until well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Lay molo wrapper in a board with one corner positioned at the bottom. Put 1 teaspoon of filling in the bottom corner of the molo wrapper and wrap by rolling around the filling up to halfway to form a triangle with the rolled filling as the base. Moisten the corners of the folded edge with a dab of cornstarch solution, then fold the two side corners together, repeat with the rest of the molo wrappers and fillings. Cut extra molo wrappers into wide strips. Keep aside. In a big saucepan sauté garlic and onion until fragrant stir in the shredded chicken. Pour in 6-8 cups of stock (from boiled pork and/or chicken and shrimp shell/heads), bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate low and add in the shrimps, molo dumplings and wrapper strips simmer for 3-5 minutes until all the molo dumplings floats. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the rest of chopped chives and more fried garlic. Serve hot.

Puto Bumbong

Puto Bumbong is synonym to Christmas and Simbang Gabi in particular to most Pinoy. At the start of Simbang Gabi or Midnight Mass which begin on December 16 till the Christmas eve, streets that lead to the Church are lined with peddlers of kakanin or native delicacies. These are usually rice cakes that are taken for early breakfast by Church goers, puto bumbong is the clear favorite probably because of the uniqueness on how it is prepared and cooked. The traditional puto bumbong is cooked or steamed in a specialy made steamer. The puto bumbong steamer is made out of tin or stainless sheet metal, It usually has three vent or holes on top in which bamboo tubes are attached. These bamboo tubes are filled with the galapong mixture, steam will pass thru the tubes thereby steam cooking the galapong mixture into a finger like and violet colored rice cake.



I have several queries on how to cook puto bumbong at home from overseas Pinoys. Not unless you have managed to own a puto bumbong steamer, making a homemade puto bumbong seems to be impossible. Not anymore, with my easy to make alternative puto bumbong steamer using cardboard and the ordinary sieve you can now enjoy puto bumbong anytime even overseas. Below are easy to follow photos on how to make an alternative steamer.

You can use your favorite puto bumbong recipe or use the recipe of my puto bumbong version. Since the steamer uses a small sieve, the shapes of the rice cake will not be finger like instead it is similar to inverted cup cakes but I assure you there is no difference when it comes to the taste.



Ingredients:

1/2 cup pirurutong, violet glutinous rice
1 cup white glutinous rice
1 stalk pandan leaves
margarine
muscovado sugar
grated fresh coconut
banana leaves

Cooking procedure:



Mix the 2 types of rice together, wash and rinse. In a big bowl place rice and cover with water up to 1” above the rice level and soak for overnight. Pour the soaked rice together with the soaking water in a big blender, blend/ground until smooth, or until the ground rice texture is similar to a fine sand. Pour the mixture on a large piece of muslin, katcha or cheese cloth twist the cloth and securely tie ends. Place on a colander and place onother colander over the ground mixture pouch. Put something heavy over the top colander to weight down and drain the unwanted liquid for at least 4 hours or when all the liquid has drain down. Remove the damp galapong mixture from the cloth and transfer into a big bowl, crumble the semi dried galapong to a uniform consistency. Pour water to the steaming pan, add in the pandan leaves and bring to a boil. Now place the steaming board over pan. Brush sieve with margarine and loosely fill with the galapong mixture up to the sieve neck. Place the filled sieve in the steamer vent/hole. Cover with the pan lid and steam for 1-2 minutes. Using a spoon carefully scoop out the rice cake and serve on banana leaves, topped with margarine, grated coconut and muscovado sugar.


See other related kakanin recipe:
Biko na Pirurutong
Palitaw, Dila-Dila
Pichi Pichi
Puto Pao
Puto Pandan
Puto Special
Puto Ube
Royal Bibingka

Bottled Bangus or Tawilis in Oil, Spanish Sardines Style

Home Made Bottled Fish in Olive Oil or Corn Oil, Spanish Sardines Style are great alternative gift on this coming holiday season. There is no better way to express your love by sharing something that is prepared or cooked by your self and bottled foods are one of the popular gift items. The bottles can be elaborately decorated, wrapped or simply tied with a ribbon.



I would like to share my version of bottled fish in oil, Spanish sardines style. The recipe uses either bangus or tawilis.



Bangus are always available both locally and overseas, however the recommended size of bangus for bottled fish which is the smallest size that is available might not be available especially overseas. The small regular size bangus is fine but the size of the bottle is adjusted to fit the size of the fish. For large sized fish it is recommended that the scales shall be removed and the cooking time is also adjusted accordingly.



Tawilis being a type of sardine fish are great for this recipe. It is recommended to use biggest size that is available. There is no need to remove the scales if using tawilis, just cut off the head and tail of the fish to a length according to the bottle height. Although the dish can be served right after cooking, it is best to keep the bottled fish to cure for several days before serving. Enjoy…

Ingredients:

3/4 kilo small size bangus (about 12 pcs.), scaled
or 1 kilo large size tawilis
1 medium size red bell pepper. cut into strips
1 pc. pickled cucumber, sliced crosswise
1 small size carrot, sliced crosswise
bay leaf
peppercorns
siling labuyo (optional)
olive oil or corn oil
salt

6 pcs. 8 oz wide neck glass bottle for tawilis
4 pcs. 16 oz wide neck glass bottle for bangus

Cooking procedure:

Clean fish and cut head and tail off leaving the mid section, length according to bottle’s height. Remove fish innards and wash thoroughly, place in a colander and let drain until almost dry, wipe off all traces of blood. Roll fish in salt and let stand for 15-20 minutes. Now remove excess salt off the fish and put inside the bottle, insert at the side of each bottle 2-3 sliced carrots, 2-3 sliced pickled cucumber, 2-3 strips of bell pepper, 2 bay leaf, 5 peppercorns and siling labuyo (if using). Pour oil up to the neck of each bottle, put on the bottle cap and loosely close. Put a rack inside the pressure cooker and arrange the bottles. Pour water into the pressure cooker up to about an inch below the bottle neck. Cover and seal the pressure cooker and turn on the heat, when the pressure cooker starts to whistle lower the heat and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the heat and release the pressure before opening pressure cooker. Check the level of oil on each bottle, add more oil as necessary, let cool down to warm temperature and lock the bottles. Wash the bottled sardines. Keep the bottled sardine for 2-3 days to cure before serving.


See other related sardine recipe:
Fried Tawilis Sardines in Hot and Spicy Sauce

Meatloaf, Christmas Meatloaf

Christmas Meatloaf. Meatloaf is one of the more popular dish of the Americans, it is made up of ground meat or in combination of beef, pork baked in a loaf pan. It is usually serve with ketchup. In the Philippines meatloaf is a holiday dish and traditionally served during Christmas. Meatloaf might be a regular Christmas fare to the Pinoy well-off but the embotido, the Pinoy adaptation of the meatloaf is equally enjoyed by most Pinoy during the holidays. For my readers who are looking something especial for their Noche Buena I would like to share my version of Christmas meatloaf. I used the combination of ground beef and pork. The ingredients used are classic Pinoy somewhat similar to the Pinoy embotido. The quantities of the ingredient are enough to fill a regular loaf pan. Here is the recipe and I hope you try it.

Ingreadients:

1/4 kilo ground beef
1/4 kilo ground pork
1/2 cup sweet ham, finely chopped
1/2 cup Vienna sausage, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 pc. chorizo de bilbao, finely chopped
6 large size egg, beaten
1 medium size carrot, grated or finely chopped
1 large size onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup sweet pickled relish
1/4 cup raisins, chopped
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper
tomato ketchup

Cooking procedure:



Mix all the first thirteen ingredients, Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the mixture in a greased baking loaf pan and top with ketchup. Bake at 350 deg F for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool down. Carefully remove the meatloaf from the pan and place in a serving platter. Apply/top more ketchup as required, serve in slices.

Osso Buco, Osso Buco Bulalo

Osso Buco, Ossobuco Bulalo. Ossobuco is an Italian braised, slow cooked veal shanks. For my version I used saw cut beef shanks or bulalo. Saw cut beef shanks are available in most supermarkets. The beef shanks slices are coated with cornstarch and browned on both side to seal in the flavors, before stewing with the braising ingredients which include red wine, lemon and orange rind and thyme. The used of these ingredients especially thyme are not that common in Pinoy cooking, the flavor and aroma of the dish may be strange especially to those who have never use these ingredients before. Never the less the dish is great, very rich in flavors some what is similar to mechado.

Ossobuco Bulalo is the first of my Celebration’s Recipes recommendations for the coming holiday season. I have started the practice last year (Click here to see those recipes) and for this year I wanted to start it earlier this is to give the readers a change to trial cook the recommended dish those giving way for corrections or adjustments. This will also give the readers more choices on what to cook for the coming holiday.

Ingredients

1 kilo beef shank, saw cut into 2” thick sections
1/2 head garlic, chopped
3 medium size onions, chopped
6 medium size tomatoes, de-seeded, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium size carrots, chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup red wine
3-5 pcs. bay leaves
1 cube beef bouillon
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup corn starch
cooking oil
salt and pepper

Cooking procedure:



Dust beef shank with salt and pepper and dredge with cornstarch. In a big sauce pan heat 2-3 tbsp of cooking oil and butter, brown beef shank slices on both sides and keep aside. On same sauce pan sauté garlic, onion and tomato until translucent. Add in carrot, celery and 2-3 cups of water, bring to a boil. Add in browned beef shanks, beef bouillon, wine, orange juice, sugar, lemon rind, orange rind, dried thyme and bay leave. Cover and simmer at low heat and stirring occasionally for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until beef shanks are tender, meat starts to fall off from the bones and the broth has turned into chunky thick sauce. Correct seasoning if required. Serve hot.


See other related bulalo recipes:
Bulalo, Sinigang na Bulalo
Cebu Pochero, Bulalo
Asado Bulalo, Beef Shank Asado
Bulalo