I've always thought that being Filipino American was something to be proud about. My parents shared their rich culture and traditions with me throughout my childhood and I've never lost touch with my roots. My favorite memories were the many family gathering and parties where we shared traditional dishes that really couldn't be found at any restaurants at the time.
This month’s theme for the Kulinarya Cooking Club is “Only in the Philippines”. Pretty challenging for me to come up with a unique dish only because here in the SF Bay Area, we have so many authentic dishes that many of our restaurants and chefs share with us already. Although there is a dish that I rarely see on anyone's menu...with the exception of my fellow KCC member's posts.
I decided combine two of my favorite dishes into one unique party snack. My goal was to infuse the unique flavor of chicken inasal and make some empanaditas.
Ingredients
1 lb of ground chicken
1 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 tablespoons garlic, minced
1/2 cup lemongrass, chopped
1/2 cup coconut vinegar
1/4 cup lemon or calamansi juice
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp of achuete oil
egg wash - to help seal your wrappers
Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. In a wok or a large heat 2 tbsp of achuete oil and completely cook your ingredients. Once you are done, transfer your cooked filling into a bowl and set aside to rest for 15 minutes.
For my wrapper, I used simple dumpling wrappers that are easily found at most Asian groceries. You can make authentic empanda dough like this from panlasangpinoy.com. If you have kids, make sure to let then fill the wrappers because it's pretty fun and definitely makes for a great family activity.
Use about a large spoonful of filling and place it on one side of the wrapper. Now using your egg wash dab your finger and lightly rub the outer edges of your wrapper. Next, fold your wrapper over to for a half circle. With small fork, crimp your edges to create a seal like the image above. Once you finish they are ready to fry. I used my trusty deep fryer for these because using my large frying pan would mean more clean up for me. Remember when frying anything, make sure that you reach temperature before starting to cook your food. Since the filling is already cooked, you only need to flash fry these for about 2 minutes using a deep fryer. I recommend taking the basket out and flipping the empanaditas after a minute of frying.
This recipe should yield over 40 empanaditas but I really lost track because the kids kept eating them once each batch was finished. Pick up two packages of wrapper just in case. You can also freeze your batch and save them for a later date.
Crispy empanaditas fresh from the deep fryer
I know that chicken inasal is normally a grilled dish, but once you bite into these crispy bite sized treats, the flavors will explode in your mouth and you won't be disappointed. You don't need any sauce for the empanaditas but you can play around with aiolis. I played around with a Sriracha Aioli which actually worked well with the sweetness of the empanaditas.
Like most Filipino food it's meant to be shared and you'll definitely have enough to go around. For more delicious recipes, please visit my other Kulinarya Cooking Club member's blogs:
Talking about your first love is something that could pose as a challenge for most folks. It could be embarrassing, bring back bad memories, or even spark up some much needed romance for some people. For me, my first true love was the art of filmmaking and video. I got inspired to make videos when I was in elementary school when I saw my tito Rey making wedding and cotillion videos from VHS tapes. Pretty high tech back in the 80's. So my dad bought me my first 8mm camera and I never looked back. I enrolled at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, which was like going away for college, since it was all the way on the other side of the Bay. Riordan was the only school in the San Francisco Bay Area and one of the first in California to offer television and film production as a fine art elective. It was the perfect place for me.
Fast forward a couple of years later and I was accepted to San Francisco State's Radio and Television program. Hundred's of television projects, short films and documentary projects would keep me busy for the next couple of years. My late late nights and early mornings as an art student kept me awake and away from home. We did have Mr. Pizza Man, who nicely enough, delivered to us on campus even after hours. I can't even remember how much pizza we consumed on a weekly basis, but it was a lot! College students probably make up most of the business for most pizzerias and I'm sure we kept Mr. Pizza Man busy during our college years.
For March, the Kulinarya Cooking Club came up with a theme inspired by "your fist love". This month's hosts, Abigail of Nappy Tales and Marni of Kensington Kitchen, couldn't have came up with a better challenge. I had a few ideas of how to connect a dish to a relationship but I didn't want to write up a Telenovela (even though it's starting to read like one). Later, I'll connect the dots and explain how filmmaking and pizza actually brought me to my true true love!
So since pizza was a big part of my filmmaking career, I thought it was fitting to share an original pizza recipe with you. Of course since my blog is focused on Filipino food and healthier alternatives, I had to throw in a twist the classic college campus staple. My version combines longganisa and the ever so popular pandesal. But, I'm not slicing up pandesal and throwing some sauce and meat and calling it a day. My version uses a simple whole wheat pandesal recipe for the pizza dough. Don't be intimidated by making your own dough because it's easy. If I can make it, you can too.
Plan your steps accordingly. You can start with your pizza sauce, get your dough ready, then cook your longganisa. Total time is about 2 hours and 30 minutes. If you have your pizza sauce prepped already, you'll cut your time in half.
Pizza sauce ingredients
1 1/2 cans tomato paste (about 9 ounces)
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tbsp of cane vinegar
Mix together the tomato paste, water, and olive oil. Mix well. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste, oregano, basil, and rosemary. Mix well and let stand for 2 hours to let flavors blend. No cooking necessary, just spread on dough.
Pandesal ingredients (you can subtract the sugar for a more authentic pandesal)
2 cups all purpose whole wheat flour (use regular flour if desired)
1/4 cup white sugar (I used Splenda instead)
2 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp baking powder
5/8 cup fresh milk, warm
1 1/8 tsp rapid rise yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 piece raw egg
1 tbsp cooking oil
Combine the yeast, 1 tbsp sugar from your 1/4 cup, and warm milk and stir until the yeast and sugar are fully dissolved. Let it stand for 10 minutes. You should notice that the yeast is active if it doubles in size. Combine the flour then the sugar, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl and mix until you achieve a consistent texture. Now add the egg, melted butter, cooking oil, and yeast-sugar-milk mixture in the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients then mix again until a dough is formed.
On a flat dusted surface, knead the dough for 8 minutes to achieve a smooth elastic dough. Mold the dough into a round shape and place in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 1 hour.
Toppings
1 package of longganisa
2 cups of fresh mozzarella shredded
1 large portabella mushroom sliced
Longannisa Prep
I won't go into the proper way to cook your longganisa because there are so many variations to choose from. Go to your Asian grocery or even some Lucky's and Whole Foods I believe, try a brand and follow the directions. I used Orientex Sweet Longganisa for this recipe. The entire package was used for our carnivore pizza but you can save a few links for breakfast.
Once you are finished cooking your longganisa, let it rest for a few minutes and then cut them into thin slices and set aside.
pile on your toppings for a carnivore pizza
Final assembly (Preheat your oven at 425)
After an hour, your dough will be ready and should have more than doubled in size. Now you can roll out your dough and try to achieve something that resembles the shape of a pizza. I'm sure some of you have some skills at pizza dough tossing so please send me your tips. Roll or toss your dough until its round and about 1/2" thickness all around. Next, place your dough on a lightly greased pizza or cookie sheet. Place the dough in the bottom rack of your oven for about 5 minutes to ensure even cooking.
If you have planned accordingly, your sauce is ready to pour onto your dough. With a spoon, pour enough sauce in the middle of your dough and spread it evenly. Next, add your cheese, then your mushrooms, and last but definitely not least...your longganisa. Now, put your pizza in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.
Longganisa pandesal pizza
It was really hard to take photos of this pizza when I took it out from the oven. My family wanted me to skip the photo shoot and dive right in. After a few dozen photos, the carnage began. This pizza was definitely a meat lovers pizza, but very different. The distinct aroma of the pandesal crust is quite different from normal everyday pizza crust. Combine that with the savory sauce, flavorful mushrooms, cheesy mozzarella and of course your sweet longganisa...you'll be sure to have someone falling in love with you.
Too pretty to eat
So I said that I would connect the dots between filmmaking, pizza and my true true love which happen to be my wife. It was in early 2000 and my documentary "Tagumpay" was screening at the 2000 San Francisco Asian American Film Festival. I need a date for opening night and I was happily single at the time. I ran into Tina, who I knew from school, at aTuesday night hip-hop spot called Storyville.(which later became the famous Polenge Lounge previously graced by Chef Tim Luym) One thing led to another, and I had a date for opening night. So the evening went well and we decided to head to North Beach and have a bite to eat at Calzone's Italian Restaurant. We shared a bottle of wine, a margherita pizza and a romantic evening. 11 years later, were are still together. Who would have thought that pizza and my love for filmmaking, would somehow align the stars and bring us together?
I hope you enjoy my recipe and my love story. I know it was a bit long but it's a story I don't mind sharing. #truelove #fate
Nochebuena, (literally "Good Night"), is a Spanish word referring to the night of Christmas Eve. In Spain, Cuba, Latin America, and the Philippines, the evening consists of a traditional dinner with family. In the traditional Filipino household, this dinner is enjoyed right after the late evening Christmas Eve mass. Growing up, I always looked forward to celebrating Christmas. It meant seeing all my cousins, opening gifts and watching all the adults do their gift exchange. You could call it a mini family reunion. Crackly Christmas music would be playing on the turntable, which I would always seem to scratch...DJ in the making right! But, what I looked forward to the most was all the food waiting to be devoured on the dining table. The ham, lumpia, pancit, empandas, hot chocolate, and every dessert imaginable. What I also remembered was my uncles and aunts drinking their hot chocolate and coffee with fresh from the oven pandesal (pan de sal). The toasted buttery smell was very intoxicating and somehow made for a scent that would always remind me of the holidays.
I recently joined the Kulinarya Cooking Club which was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine. Each month they showcase a new dish along with their family recipes.This months theme and challenge, was to share a Noche Beuna dish. This was going to be somewhat of a challenge for me. How could I make just one dish and not feel bad about leaving the other delicious recipes behind? So, I went back and forth with my wife and brother in-law trying to figure out what we were actually serving for Noche Buena on the 24th. We really haven't narrowed the menu down as of yet, so the challenge was getting more and more challenging. This was my first post, so I wanted to have a good time with this one.
So I decided to combine two dishes into one, making a perfect snack for both young and old. If pandesal and pork adobo decided to make a food truck, this is what they would serve...naturally. So my offering for the Noche Buena challenge is pulled pork adobo on homemade pandesal, or pandesal sliders for short. I haven't attempted to make pandesal before but Jun Belen of Jun-blog, Vanjo Merano of Panlasang Pinoy, and Malou of Skip to Malou, provide enough inspiration to help guide any novice baker. Click on the links for their complete pandesal recipes. I decided to make my version with Splenda, to accommodate for the no-sugar dieters in my family. I was actually told by Amy Besa, co-author of Memories of Philippine Kitchens, that pandesal, from the Spanish pan de sal, means bread of salt and "should not be sweet. It is an aberration when people put a ton of sugar in it." Thanks Amy for the info. Now I feel better about making my version without sugar. But, I guess if you insist on the sweetness but can't have the sugar...my recipe is ok.
Directions (adapted from Panlasang Pinoy and Jun-Blog)
Combine the yeast, 1 tbsp sugar from your half cup, and warm milk and stir until the yeast and sugar are fully dissolved. Let it stand for 10 minutes. You should notice that the yeast is active if it doubles in size. Combine the flour then the sugar, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl and mix until you achieve a consistent texture. Now add the egg, melted butter, cooking oil, and yeast-sugar-milk mixture in the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients then mix again until a dough is formed.
On a flat dusted surface, knead the dough for 8 minutes to achieve a smooth elastic dough. Mold the dough into a round shape and place in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 1 hour. This gives you a chance to prep and start your pulled pork abobo. (continue to recipe below)
Put the dough back to the flat surface and knead it once more. Next divide into 2 equal parts and roll into rectangular sheets and then roll the sheet into a log, about 20 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Now slice the dough into 1 inch thick pieces, place onto a cookie sheet cut side up, and sprinkle your bread crumbs onto your pieces. Make sure to leave enough space for the your your pandesal to expand.
Let the dough sit and rise for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Pre heat the oven at 375 degrees fahrenheit for 10 minutes. After, bake your dough for 15 minutes. Pretty simple and definitely not a hard as I thought.
For the pulled pork adobo, I use a pressure cooker to make sure my meat is tender and separates nicely. My pressure cooker is electric and gets the job done very fast, so please adjust your times accordingly.
Ingredients
4 lbs of pork shoulder cut into large cubes
1 cup of low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup of cane vinegar
1 tbsp ground pepper
1/3 cup of freshly cut garlic
4 bay leaves
1 tsp of powdered cumin
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
Directions (modify if you are using a traditional pressure cooker or pot)
Heat your oil for a few minutes then saute your garlic. Next, add your pork and brown for a few minutes. Now season your meat with the pepper and cumin and add your bay leaves. Last, add your liquids and cover your pressure cooker. After 40 minutes, your pork will be nice and tender.
Separate your pork from your liquids and pull your pork apart with your hands or by using two forks. Continue to separate until completely shredded. Keep your sauce on the side and add it to your pulled pork depending on how juicy you want your sliders.
Now if your timing is perfect, your pulled pork is finished, and your pandesal is ready. So slice into that freshly baked bread and generously add the adobo pulled pork to complete the ultimate Noche Buena Street food snack.
But Noche Buena would be complete without a few other dishes. Here are some of the other dishes that we will be having for Noche Buena:
Whatever you decide to share with your family and friends for Noche Buena, make sure to have fun in the kitchen as well. I think it's great to share the experience of cooking with the next generation of Filipino foodies and chefs.
I am so honored to be a part of the Kulinarya Cooking Club and can't wait to see what challenges 2012 will bring. Please make sure to visit the rest of the members blogs to see whats cooking in their kitchen. God Bless and have a happy New Year.
Sometimes, good things come to those who wait. In my case, I finally convinced my mom to pass down her famous bibingka recipe. In my culture, it's rare to share our recipes with each other, especially those special dishes that people rave about. But, I think that plays a big part of why Filipino food hasn't gone mainstream or better yet...recognized by the masses. If it was up to me, Filipino chefs, cooks and foodies around the world would collaborate to make one UNIVERSAL cookbook. One book to rule them all! OK maybe not rule, but instead be a base for all recipes. It's probably an impossible task but it's my goal to push for it.
With that being said, I do believe my mom's bibingka recipe is my favorite. I'm sure there are great recipes out there but I would definitely lobby for parts of it to be included in "The Universal Guide to Philippine Cuisine" There, I named it...I said it first, and hopefully it goes viral someday.
I knew when my mom was cooking bibingka when I was younger. The aroma of the banana leaves filled the house and the I could just taste the buttery, cheesy and savory goodness that was in my near future. She only made bibingka during Christmas time and it made the experience even more special.
So why wait till Christmas to enjoy this ever so popular savor pastry? Bibingka is perfect anytime of the day. Great with your morning coffee, afternoon snack, and pairs well with vanilla ice cream.
Now everyone loves, cupcakes, so I thought it would be cool to make a bibingka version. Easy right? Cut up some banana leaves, place them in cupcake pans, pour in the batter and viola...bite sized heaven. Well it wasn't that easy especially since I am no baker. It's a science, and I really didn't do that well in chemistry. Even the cutting of banana leaves took a delicate hand. But after some trial and mostly error, I think my attempt at baking went well.
Mama Honey's Bibingka
Ingredients for 2 dozen cupcakes
1 cup of bisquick mix
1/2 cup of rice flour (not Mochiko Sweet rice flour. I used Bob's Red Mill unsweetened stone ground)
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup of milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup of grated cheese
1/2 bar of unsalted butter
tsp cream cheese per cupcake
2 salted eggs chopped
Directions
Mix bisquick, rice flour, baking powder and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth and consistent texture. Now mix in eggs 1 at a time. Add your melted butter followed by your grated cheese. Continue to mix until smooth.
Next, scoop into individual banana leaf cups. Before baking put your salted egg, if desired and cream cheese on top. Bake in your preheated oven at 375 degrees and bake for 20 minutes.
These bake faster than normal due to their size and my mom's original recipe calls for mini pie pans for 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes then take the cupcakes and place on a cooling rack.
You can serve these guys as is or finish them with cream cheese frosting. If you do, cut back on the powdered sugar to reduce the sweetness.
You never get it right on your first try, and I'll have to refine my banana leaf cutting skills. Try it with Mochiko if you prefer. Remember, it's all about sharing, and making things better. I hope we can all get on board this notion of a The Universal Guide to Philippine Cuisine. I believe that it will only make our food better and more consistent, and also build a community of great Filipino food lovers. I just wanted to say thank you to my mom for sharing her recipe with me. Also, thanks to all of you who take your time to follow my Filipino food adventures. Salamat.
My daughter is the biggest foodie in our family and she is constantly hungry. I can't blame her because I take her to every food event and her palette has grown over the years. She really won't settle for just any snack, especially on her days off from school. McDonalds and fast food isn't really her thing and she'd rather go to a food truck. But today was a great day...according to her. "Daddy, can you make me something!" OK, so what can I make for this little foodie that wouldn't take forever. I had some chicken breast thawing in the refrigerator and some brussels sprouts that I just picked up from the market. Luckily for me, our family isn't big on rice so it was perfect. But, she's all about flavors so I had to add a bit of kick to the chicken and do something with the brussels sprouts.
So the plan was simple...make a nice pre-workout lunch for the both of us, take some photos, and presto...blog post! It wasn't really my intention to make a blog post out of our lunch together but why not. So off she went to play Wii and back to the kitchen for me.
The ingredients were simple, and I was limited since I didn't do my grocery shopping yet.
2 skinless chicken breasts (serves 2)
1 lb of brussels sprouts...ok...a couple of handfuls to be exact!
dried basil leaves
garlic powder
fresh parmesan
extra virgin olive oil
fresh calamansi
salt
pepper
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
Directions
First I tenderize the chicken. All chicken whether whole or pieces should be put into a large bowl or a clean sink with cold water and a 1/2 a cup of salt. Leave for 20 minutes to half an hour and then rinse the chicken or chicken pieces well. This not only kills any bacteria on the chicken, but also tenderizes it. Drain your liquids and coat your breasts with olive oil. Next season with salt, pepper and dried basil leaves. Lastly, squeeze your fresh calamansi over your chicken. Save some calamansi for later...you might want a bit more zing. Make sure you preheat your oven to 350. Now in a oven safe skillet, brown both sides of your breasts in a tbsp of olive oil at medium heat for about 5 min per side. After browning, finish your chicken in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Make sure your internal temp is at 160 degrees.
Now for the brussels sprouts. Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a few pinches of grated parmesan. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet on medium. Place the brussels sprouts flat side down for 5 minutes or until your edges have a slight browning. Next toss them in the skillet to get a little browning on the round side. I like them a bit bitter, and the more you cook them, the less bitter they become. Finally, take them off the heat and plate immediately.
I'm sure there are more ways to cook the brussels sprouts but this was pretty simple and my dining partner definitely loved what she was eating. She took a few of breaks in between her Wii tennis match to sneak in a couple of bites. After taking a few bites myself, I started to offload pictures from my digital camera. I wasn't paying attention to my daughter but I knew that she wasn't playing her game. She couldn't be napping. I walked over to the table and she was munching away at our lunch. Was I mad, of course not. According to her, it was the best lunch she had ever had!
I love sisig?
Ok, so the name of my blog probably throws visitors off a bit. So I guess it's time to explain the name and logo behind all the magic. Sisig to me, represents the ultimate pulutan food...or finger foods eaten with alcohol and more specifically beer. It's crunchy, fatty, salty, sour, spicy, sweet and even a bit bitter. Almost representing every single thing I like about Filipino cuisine. And I love everything about Filipino food and what it represents...so that's where the heart in my logo comes from. Now the spoon in the fork symbolizes the big ass spoon and forks that are on every, ok maybe not every, Filipino households wall. Mine does at least! So there you have it. The story behind the name.
The Challenge
I do live in Bay Area and we all know that we do things a bit different out here. So different and unique that the first ever vegan Filipino restaurant, No Worries, was opened in Oakland to much success. It was the first time, I have ever experience Filipino food without having to eat real meat or seafood. This entire year, Twitter has really introduced me to great groups of people, especially food bloggers and foodies. Actually, because of social media, the first annual AstigVegan Challenge was born. The challenge for the competitors was to create a dish that was Filipino inspired but totally vegan. Ok, no problem right? Right? I'll just get some soy protein, simmer it in soy sauce vinegar with some garlic, bay leaves and pepper corn and presto...adobo! But that's the obvious type of $#!% you would expect. I wanted to come out and represent the foodie in me and also my brand! Yup....according to one of my Foodbuzz Festival blogger sessions, my blog is my brand. So vegan sisig it was. (OK, i wanted to get fancy, so I also came up with vegan binagoognan with vegan bagaoong conjured up by my good friend, Chef Dom Ainza of Mercury Lounge - recipe to follow later...I promise!)
Next Food Network Star meets Dinner impossible meets possible disaster
In order to have the texture and crunch that was needed for my recipe, I knew that the sisig had to be finished and plated at the event. Did, I mention that the potluck was outdoor at a park, with no outlets? No problem, they do it all the time on TV. So off we go, well after having deep fryer issues and packing up tables, catering trays and a whole bunch of necessary items. Did I mention that I forgot to pack some important utensils! Luckily RG had some to lend.
Didn't realize it was going to be a demo! yikes
So after an hour and a half of traffic, we arrived a few hours late and just in time to do a cooking demo. Wasn't planned but since I was the last person there and all of the other dishes already eaten, my first official cooking demo was scheduled! Luckily my bro-in law John was on hand to lend his culinary expertise and food prep skills during the demo.
Coming up with the recipe was easier than I thought. The night before, we tried a couple of different techniques like batter and panko, but we decided to keep it simple.
Ingredients:
2 packages of Extra Firm tofu - use more if you have a large party
1 onion diced
1 bundle of cilantro (chopped)
2 medium sized jalapenos (julienned)
1/2 cup of Sukang Maasim (cane vinegar)
1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce
Philippine sea salt (I had some so I used it)
1 tbsp of vegetable oil
Fresh Calamansi - the more the better.
Directions
Drain the liquid out of the tofu packages and slice into 1/2 inch patties. Using a deep fryer set to 375 without the basket, place your tofu patties into your oil until crispy and golden. (We deep fried our tofu before we left of course) Feel free to pan fry your tofu if a deep fryer isn't an option. Now set aside to dry and make sure to salt to taste. Now mix all your ingredients together, minus the onions, in a large bowl and marinate for a few minutes. In a large pan, saute your onions for approximately 5 minutes.(You can saute for less if you want a bitter taste) Finally, mix in the rest of the ingredients and heat for about 2 minutes. Presto you are ready to serve! Depending on your taste, you can add calamansi to your marinade as well. You can never go wrong with calamansi and sisig.
30 seconds remaining!
Finishing with the calamansi
So in less than a hour, we set up, cooked, plated and served. I must admit, there was a ton of pressure especially with people over your shoulder and in your face. We were too late for the judging but definitely in time to share and satisfy peoples bellies. And that's what I love about sisig. It's meant to be shared and enjoy with family, friends and even a few strangers.
Plated!
First time vegan and filipino food diners
Time to eat
The event was awesome and it was great to meet RG of AstigVegan and share food with all the attendees. I can't wait till our next event, who knows...maybe I'll try to do a vegan lechon kawali. Check back soon for my vegan binagoongan recipe. BTW, I will definitely not be trying out for The Next Food Network Star. It wouldn't be fair :)
For a year, my weekday breakfasts have consisted of non-fat cottage cheese and blue berries. Not very exciting at all especially considering I look at myself as a foodie. I have definitely grown to accept my healthy breakfast and sometimes I even imagine it being a bowl full of sisig. But who cares, just as long as it gets me closer to my high school body. Do I crave anything else for breakfast? Of course I do, but I won't risk increased blood sugar and pre-diabetes to satisfy my appetite. Filipino food is my passion, and yes, sometimes the dishes call for ingredients that are not that great for diabetics or people trying to go for a low carb high protein diet. But that shouldn't stop you from adapting the recipes to suit your needs or stay within your dietary guidelines.
Steel Cut Oat Champorado
One of my favorite breakfasts growing up was champorado. Champorado is a sweet chocolate rice porridge in Philippine cuisine. It is traditionally made by boiling sticky rice with cocoa powder, giving it a distinctly brown color and usually with milk and sugar to make it taste sweeter. In our household, we don't really eat white rice. I know, send in the Pinoy police! Restaurants give me crazy looks every time we skip the rice. Anyway, I still wanted to enjoy champorado, but come up with a simple alternative that was sugar free, low carb and had some protein value. The solution was actually an accident. My wife was baking gluten free, sugar-free, vegan chocolate chip cookies. So I stole some of the chips and threw them into my pot of steel cut oats! Bam...I'm a friggen genius. Ok maybe not but pretty close right?
Steel-cut oats are inherently full of nutritional value and are high in B-vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber while low in salt and unsaturated fat. Don't use regular instant or rolled oats because they have been processed and aren't as nutty and chewy than steel cut.
Ingredients:
1 cup of steel cut oats
1/2 cup of sugar free dark chocolate chips - use whatever chocolate you like...sugar conscious foodies should stick with the sugar free chocolate.
tsp of salt
3 cups of water
Directions
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil then add 1 tsp of salt. Mix in your oats and reduce to a simmer. Continually stir your oats for about 20-25 minutes. Turn your heat off and mix in your chocolate until you get a uniform consistency. Now your ready to serve. You can add condensed milk or non-fat milk to your champorado and even garnish with some dried fish depending on your sodium restrictions.
I know, I know, this isn't traditional champorado, but who cares! You'll be able to enjoy my healthier version and your body and your diet will thank me later.
Hello all. I've been pretty busy lately, working on a few projects with my foodie friends, and I have been meaning to finish around 10 blog post drafts dating back to June. Anyway, I decided to share a recipe with you, but more of a memory from my childhood. Growing up, both my parents worked full-time jobs and my grandparents took care of me during the day. Food wise, grandma always gave me pandesal with a little ham and cheese or champorado and tuyo for breakfast. Sometimes, I even had garlic fried rice, spam fried egg...I was down with spamsilog 30 years ago! Grandma always cooked delicious Filipino food and I could tell that she loved what she was doing. The smells and aromas coming from the kitchen around 3:30 everyday made me float like I was in heaven. I couldn't help but peak at what was going on in her lair. My grandpa, lovingly, would be helping open and shave coconuts or peeling slicing mangoes, while grandma was chopping vegetables and getting all her ingredients together. What had to be my favorite sound, would be the hissing coming from the pressure cooker. I knew what was going down for dinner that night when I heard that whistling. "Grandma, are we having kuree kuree? YAY!". I couldn't wait for dinner to come. The tender fall off the bone oxtail meat, peanut sauce, veggies brought together by fermented shrimp paste (bagaoong), would have me back for seconds and definitely straight to bed afterwards. Ever since I was a kid, grandmas kare - kare was the best anywhere. I really never tried the dish at a restaurant until recently.
So my goal was to try to recreate that magic that came from my grandmas kitchen so I could share it with my family.
OX Tail
The supporting cast
Ingredients for Kare Kare ni Fred
1 lb beef sirloin cut into cubes (add the sirloin for more servings...oxtail is expensive)
2 lbs oxtail, cut 2 inch long (1 package pre-cut is fine)
3 cups of peanut butter
1 large onion, diced
2 heads of garlic, minced
1 tsp achiote powder
1/2 lb eggplant, sliced 1 inch thick
1 bundle (Bok choy)
1 bundle of sitaw (string beans) cut these to your liking
1/4 cup oil
8 cups of water
Salt to taste
1/2 cup cooked bagoong
Directions
I will be using my electric pressure cooker that I picked up from HSN. This nifty appliance is great for great home cooked meals that usually take hours to prepare.
Place your meats in your pressure cooker and add 2 cups of water with 1 beef bullion cube, dissolved of course. Put the cover on and seal. My WGP (Wolfgang Puck) pressure cooker takes about 30 minutes for the oxtail. If you don't have a pressure cooker, use a large enough pot, bring to a boil and simmer for about 2 hours.
Next remove your beef from your broth and set aside. If you are using a traditional stove top pressure cooker, you can continue to cook your kare-kare in the same pot.If you are using an electric one, transfer the broth to a large pot.
Now in a pan, saute your garlic and onions in the peanut oil. I actually brown my oxtails a bit at this point.
Transfer your oxtail, onions and garlic to you large pot. Add your peanut butter and achiote powder and simmer for 5 minutes. Throw in your veggies and simmer for an additional 7 minutes while you continue to mix your pot of gold while you wait.
Not quite ready
Ready to enjoy.
You'll know when its done. I wait for the sauce to gain a thicker consistency before I take it off the heat.
So that's my Kare Kare! Not exactly my grandmas recipe and probably not like your recipe either. All I know is that when my little 5 year old hears the pressure cooker going and smells the food simmering together on the stove she screams...."Dad, are we having kuree kuree?YAY!" just like her daddy used to say. Enjoy
For a Low Carb option, try using brown rice or Quinoa.
