TIPS, SUPPLIES & PREPARATION PANDAN ICED TEA

Pandan is one of the most versatile leaf to use in the kitchen. I add it to rice and even as pandan flavor to chiffon cake. The fragrant aroma is so refreshing that you can even use it for pandan iced tea. Here is a refreshing drink you can use for your party.

Ingredients:

1 gallon water

5 tea bags ( I usually use Lipton tea bags)

5 pieces pandan leaves

3 cups brown sugar

shaved or crushed ice

Procedure:

1. Boil water, tea bags and pandan leaves, brown sugar together.

You will know it is done when the aromatic flavors start to fill the kitchen.

2. Get a taste of the cool mixture through a spoon.

3. Adjust sweetness if needed.

4. Strain the liquid mixture. Cool.

5. Serve on glass with crushed ice. Add washed leaf on the rim of the glass for a touch of color .

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Bicol Laing – Gabi/Taro Leaves Cooked in Coconut Milk

I never got to appreciate laing until I came here to Manila and got exposed to all sorts of food from the various regions of the Philippines. Dishes cooked with coconut milk is my all time favorite dish. No wonder, laing then became one of my favorite dishes. I loved the hotness and the coconut milk mixture. I am sure you will too.

Ingredients

15-20 pieces wilted taro leaves (some markets already provide dried taro leaves)

2 coconuts, grated (Prepare Coconut milk)

1/4 kilo dried fish meat (bones removed)

1 large onion, diced

1 ginger, thumb sized

8 cloves garlic, minced

6 to 8 pieces cayenne peppers

1 Tablespoons Fermented shrimps ( Bagoong Alamang)

Salt to taste

tanglad or Lemon Grass

Directions

1. Tear leaves to pieces leaving about 6 large ones for wrapping. Set Aside.

2. Extract coconut cream from grated coconut with 1 cup water. Set Aside. (if you don’t have coconut, just use the ready made pack which is equivalent to 2 coconuts)

3. Get a second extraction with 2 cups water. Place half of the second extraction in a bowl and mix in the shredded leaves, dried fish meat, onion, ginger, garlic, peppers, fermented shrimps and seasoning.

Set aside the other cup of second extraction for step 5.

4. Wrap 3 tablespoons of the mixture (prepared in number 3) with the a spoonful thick cream (prepared in number 2) in each whole taro leaf. Pack tightly forming a square shape. Tie with a string or lemon grass. Do the same with the remaining mixture, the thick coconut cream and leaves. Set Aside

5. Pour second extraction (prepread in number 3) in a large pan and bring to a boil. Arrange wrapped mixture in a layer of boiling cream.

6. Simmer until liquid is reduced to one half. Pour in the remaining thick cream.

7. Cook until cream thickens and oil comes out.

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Laing w/ Shrimps

Laing is a Filipino dish native to Bicol. It is a spicy and creamy dish of taro leaves (which give the dish a rough feeling), pork or shrimps, and chili peppers cooked in coconut milk.

Ingredients and cooking procedure after the jump.

Ingredients:

* 3 cups shredded Gabi leaves (Taro), dried under the sun

* 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk

* 1 piece of onion

* 1/2 clove of garlick

* Piece of Ginger

* 1/4 kilo of Shrimps

* 2 tbsp. of Bagoong (Shrimp Paste)

Cooking procedure:

1. In a saucepan, cook the garlic, ginger, onion, bagoong, gabi leaves, and coconut milk together. Add Sili if desired.

2. Allow to boil if the coconut milk is almost drying out, and looks oily.

3. Lower the heat, and when the coconut milk is creamy on top of the vegetables, remove from the fire and serve.

Tips: With coconut milk, if fresh coconut is not available, you can buy the coconut powder or coconut milk in can. But, fresh is still the best.

Any comments and suggestions are welcome.

If you'd like a certain Filipino recipe, please drop a comment and I'll be glad to post it!

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Pork Ribs Sinabawan sa Kamatis

This is like a Nilaga but with a different twist. This recipe is so easy to make.

Ingredients and cooking procedure after the jump.

Ingredients: 

* 1 kilo of Pork Ribs 

* 2 big tomatoes 

* 2 Pechay (Bungkos) 

* 1 big white onion 

* 3 Green Chilli 

* Salt & Fish sauce to taste 

Cooking procedure: 

1. Put 1 liter of water in a caserole, pour pork ribs when water is boiling. 

2. When pork is almost tender, add sliced tomatoes and boil it until tomatoes almost mushy. 

3. Add the Pechay and the green chilli (optional) but don't over cook it. 

4. Add salt and fish sauce to taste. 

Isn't that easy? 

Any comments and suggestions are welcome. 

If you'd like a certain Filipino recipe, please drop a comment and I'll be glad to post it!

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Pork with Bamboo Shoots

Ingredients:

* 1 cup of dried mushrooms

* 1/4 kg pork fillet

* 1/4 kg of bamboo shoots

* 3 tbps of corn oil

* 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt

* 2 tbps Soy sauce

* 1 tbp Corn flour

Cooking Procedures:

1. Soak mushrooms in warm water for about 10 minutes, squeeze it till it dry. Then, slice the mushrooms into halves and keep it soaked in water.

2. Slice pork thinly and in a large bowl, mix soy sauce, corn flour and pork all together.

3. Cut bamboo shoots into thin slices.

4, Get a frying pan or a wok, put the corn oil and stir-fry the pork until color turn light brown (do not overcook the pork), remove the pork and set it aside.

5. Keep the remaining oil in a pan where you fried the pork to keep the taste. Fry the mushrooms and bamboo shoots, then add salt, pork, and then stir well. Cook for few minutes and stirr it constantly until it's done.

For presentation purposes, serve it with steam rice and put the cooked dish as toppings. Personally, I'll put cut onion leaves and sprinkle it on top.Voila!

Any comments and suggestions are welcome.

If you'd like a certain Filipino recipe, please drop a comment and I'll be glad to post it!

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Tortang Talong (Eggplant Omelette)

Ingredients:

* 5 medium size Egg Plant or Talong

* 2 eggs

* 1/2 tsp of salt

* 1/4 tsp of ground pepper

* corn oil

Cooking procedure:

1. Roast eggplant preferably in charcoal. For alternative, you can use your gas stove. Put a metal screen on top and roast it. Another alternative beside from roasting is boiling the eggplant.

2. Remove the skin and flatten it with fork. Then set it aside.

3. Scramble the eggs, add salt and pepper.

4. Dip the flattened eggplant into the scrambled egg and fry it.

That easy!

I know this recipe is messy to do but I assure you will love it, just eat it with Banana Catsup and steamed rice.

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Pinakbet

Pinakbet or pakbet is a popular Ilocano dish, from the northern regions of the Philippines, although it has become popular throughout the archipelago. The word is the contracted form of the Ilocano word "pinakebbet", meaning shrunk or shrivelled.

But I'm going to show you a Kapampangan's version of Pakbet.

Ingredients:

* 1/2 pound pork (liempo with skin & fat)

* 4 Cloves garlic

* 1 Onion medium size

* 1/4 cup Shrimp Paste (Bagoong Alamang)

* 4 Eggplants (Long or round)

* 1 handful of Okra

* 1/2 cup tomatoes

* 2 pieces ampalaya (Bitter Melon)

* Corn Oil

* 1 Pork Cube (Maggi or Knorr)

* Salt

Cooking Procedure:

1. Get a casserole or a wok saute' garlic, onion, pork sliced in strips, tomatoes and shrimp paste.

2. Add the diagonally sliced eggplants, bitter melon and Okra.

3. Add Pork cube and salt to taste.

4. Simmer it until the pork and vegies are cooked.

I prefer the veggies half cooked.

Tip: Some people pour water when they cook Pinakbet but this makes the dish watery unless you want it like a soup. Vegetables already have water in it and it comes out when you cook it.

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Ampalaya Leaves with Sardines

When I and my siblings were young, my Mom occasionally cooks this dish and we loved it. Few days ago she cooked this dish again and I want to share it with all the visitors here.

Ingredients and cooking procedure after the jump.

Ingredients: 

Ampalaya leaves

4 cloves of garlic

1 medium onion

1 small can sardines with tomato sauce

2 Tbps. of Patis (Fish sauce)

Vegetable oil

2 cups of water

Salt to taste

Cooking Procedure:

* Put vegetable oil in a casserole, sautÈ garlic, onion.

* Pour sardines and cook for few minutes.

* Add Ampalaya leaves, salt.

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Ginisang Bunga ng Malunggay

Moringa or better known in Philippines as Malunggay is famous for its leaves that is a characteristic ingredient in Tinola. Not only it has a distinct taste but have the calcium equivalent of 4 glasses of milk, the vitamin C content of 7 oranges, potassium of 3 bananas, 3 times the iron of spinach, 4 times the amount of vitamin A in carrot, and 2 times the protein in milk.

But this time, we are going to talk about Moringga Fruit or Bunga ng Malunggay. It is as simple as cooking Pinakbet, all you have to do is the following.

Ingredients:

2 handfull of Moringga Fruit

1 can of any sardines with tomatoe sauce

onions and garlic

tomatoes chopped

okra

eggplant

cabbage (optional)

fish sauce

salt and pepper to taste

water

Procedure:

- Saute' garlic and onions, then add chopped tomatoes and fish sauce.

- Add sardines and when about to boil add water.

- When boiling, add the Moringga fruit and Okra.

- After few minutes add eggplant.

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