Palabok

I always cook two big pyrex of palabok for my family.  One and it would be gone very quickly, so in order for us to enjoy multiple servings, gotta have two.

I brought this once to a potluck party and it was a huge success, it was all gone, two pyrex-full, in no time at all.  Now this is a requested food for potluck.

Ingredients:

500 gms rice noodles (bihon), boiled al dente, goes straight to 2 pyrex from boilling water

2 lbs. ground pork

1 lb. shrimp, deveined, boiled in little salt, remove shells and head

6 large eggs, hard boiled, remove shell, slice nicely, if possible use an egg slicer

1 bunch green onion, washed and chopped small

1 pack pork skin crackers (sitsaron), pounded to bits

3 pack Mama Sita palabok mix

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 garlic head, minced

2-3 tbsp corn oil

salt and pepper

Cooking and assembling instructions:

1.  In a large, heavy bottom cooking pan, put oil and saute garlic until golden brown and onion until translucent

2.  Add ground pork, season with salt and pepper, saute until water has evaporated and pork is slightly frying

3.  Follow Mama Sita instruction in mixing with water, add mixture to large pan, bring to boil while stirring the sauce to ensure Mama Sita is diluted in water and is mixed with ground pork.

4.  Simmer in very low heat for 45 mins to 1 hr.

5.  Check seasoning and adjust salt and pepper.

6.  Using a soup ladle, transfer sauce to boiled noodles in pyrex, drenched all white noodles with sauce

7.  Arrange egg slices on top, alternately arrange shrimps on top, top with green onions

8.  Just before eating, top with sitsaron and some more green onions if you like.

TAPSILOG - Beef Tapa Paired with Fried Rice and Eggs

This dish is a Filipino all-time favorite comfort food.  In the Philippines, we eat this trio rain or shine, for breakfast, lunch or dinner and whether one is rich or poor.  One can eat this combination in cheap eateries and high end restaurants.  I specially liked tapsilog in Max's Restaurant - huge serving thus very filling and extremely satisfying.  With one egg, one cup of rice and a few pieces of meat cost about Pesos50 (US$1).  At Max's Restaurant, I think it was about Pesos200 (US$4) served with two eggs and plenty of meatm a huge bowl of fried rice and a little achara (picked unripe papaya).

My friends Letty and Tony's business is called Tapsi Plus.  They have, as of last count, 7 branches of Tapsi Plus located at SM Malls, Festival Mall and BF Homes Paranaque.

I like their tapsi but I did not dare ask them their recipe - it's their trade secret.  I made my own.  I hope you try it and like it.

Beef Tapa

Ingredients:
1 kg. thinly sliced beef, paper towel dried
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2-4 tbsp minced garlic
2-4 tbsp corn oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Cooking Instructions:
1.  In a large bowl, put all the ingredients together except beef and oil.  Mix well.
2.  Add beef slices and make sure to coat all meat slices.
3.  Marinate in room temperature for 1 hour or longer in the refrigerator.
4.  In a large cooking pan or a wok, arrange meat slices making sure to spread it flat (uncurl).  Put it all together, layering after layer of meat slices, all in together including the marinade sauce.
5.  Cook in high heat till it starts to boil.  Cook covered for 1 hour in low heat.
6.  Check every 15 minutes and reverse and rotate position of the layers of meat.
7.  After one hour, cook uncovered in medium heat till there are no more sauce left.
8.  Add oil to the pan and fry in medium heat, all meat still all together, turning every so often so that all meat are lightly fried.
9.  Serve hot with rice and vinegar or soy vinegar with minced garlic dipping sauce.

 

WHAT TO DO WITH LEFT-OVER BOILED PASTA

I have this one bowl of boiled pasta left-over from the other day.  Throwing it away is definitely not an option.

Here's one recipe:

Garlic and  Fresh Tomatoes Pasta Recipe
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
parmesan cheese
parsley
optional: 1 can of tuna, remove oil or water or 2 slices of bacon, fried and chopped to bits or cooked smoked bacon about 50-100 grams.

Cooking Instructions:
1.  in a cooking pan, in medium heat, saute garlic in evoo till golden brown,
2.  add bacon or tuna, optional
3.  add chopped tomatoes, cook for two minutes,
4.  add left-over pasta, mix well.
5.  transfer to a serving platter
6.  top with parmesan cheese and parsley and drizzle with additional evoo if desired

Laing - Gabi leaves in Coconut Milk

I cooked this for a friend for her birthday last week

Here's the recipe:

Laing
1 pack 114 grams dried gabi leaves
4 cans coconut milk
1/4 kg. side pork or liempo sliced to 1/2 inch
1 head garlic crushed, remove skin
2 tbsp. shrimp paste (optional)
salt
pepper
green hot pepper (not bell pepper)
1/4 cup water

Cooking Instructions:
1.  in a big pan or a wok, put water and pork slices together, add some salt and cover.  Cook for 15 minutes covered in low heat.
2.  uncover and let the pork fry a little bit.
3.  add shrimp paste, garlic and two cans of coconut milk.  Stir and mix well.
4.  add one pack of dried gabi leaves and let the dried leaves rehydrate and absorb the coconut milk, in medium heat, while stirring the leaves to balance everything in the pan.
5.  after liquid has been absorbed, bring down heat to low and let the the pan dry and sizzle about 5 minutes.  coconut milk will provide the oily constitution in the pan.
6.  add two more cans of coconut milk, stir so that leaves absorb milk evenly, salt and pepper to taste, bring to a boil, simmer in medium heat about 3 more minutes.
7.  best eaten with hot steamed rice.

Old Country Buffet

I like eating here because it is cheap - US$8.50 per person including tax.  Also because the food is very acceptable, not bad at all.  Nothing fancy, just plain, good comfort food.

Fried chicken is crispy but not dry at all, mashed potatoes and gravy is yummy and hot, fish in butter sauce is fresh.  

There's soup and salad bar, there's fried chicken, buttered fish, fish and chips, pizza, calzone, meat loaf, grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, some vegies, mexican food, fruits, cakes, cookies, etc...

Unlike most buffets, drinks here is included.  One can have coffee, tea, milk, chocolate milk and all kinds of pop.