Chicken Shanghai

It is commonly known as spring rolls but since I was a kid, we call “shanghai” at home. I’ve been craving for spring roll for days now but I can’t find pure ground pork. Here in Holland, ground pork & beef are usually mixed and I’m not sure how a beef spring roll would taste like. And since I’m in a “eat healthy” mood, I, instead, opted to chicken.

Ingredients:

1cup skinless chicken breast, minced

1/2 cup carrots,minced

1 small onion, minced

1 pc egg

1 tsp flour

Salt & pepper to taste

Cooking oil for deep frying

Lumpia wrapper, 12 pcs

Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients and mixed throughly.
2. Arrange about a tbsp of meat mixture on top.of wrapper (diagonally).
3. Roll wrapper. Secure both ends of the roll making sure that meat will not.come out when frying. Seal the end of roll with water.
4. Preheat cooking oil in a deep pan. By the way, I used oilve oit for deep frying. You may use other cooking oil if you prefer.
5. Brown the roll. Remove from heat.
6. Serve with spring roll of your own choice.

Beef Brocolli

Ingredients:

• 500g beef, cut into 1″strip
• 1 head brocolli
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup beef broth
• 3 tsp olive oil
• Black pepper, ground
• Marinade: 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1/2 tbsp cornstarch,  ground black pepper

Procedure:

1. Combine the ingredients for marinade. Toss sliced beef on the marinade and leave for 30 minutes.
2. Boil water. Put in brocolli and leave for 1 minute. Remove from heat and drain hot water. Put brocolli in a strainer and run cold water into it. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a pan and brown the marinated beef.
4. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a wok and saute onion & garlic.
5. Add beef, soy sauce, oyster sauce, beef broth & dissolved cornstarch.
6. Simmer for 10 minutes or until beef is tender.
7. Season with black pepper.
8. Add blanched brocolli & mix.
9. Remove from heat and transfer on a serving platter.
10. Serve with steamed white rice.

Curlies in a Pack

Wherever I am, instant noodles have been my “comfort” & emergency food. It’s cheap & easy to prepare.

When I was a kid, chicken noodles was my favorite.  Add egg to that! And in college, Lucky Me instant pansit canton was added to my list. Then there was Korea days where I always craved for spicy noodles. Mild Jin Ramen was my favorite back then.

Luckily, I found these noodles from the asian store. And I’m just the happiest (my tummy said).

Arroz Caldo with Chicken Breast

Chicken arroz caldo is just perfect for rainy days! If you don’t wanna worry with the fat that you might get from chicken skin, why not replace chicken cuts with skinless chicken breast?

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
1 chicken breast, shredded
1 thumb-sized ginger, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Fish sauce
1 chicken buillion
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Oil
1 egg, beaten

Procedure:
1. Boil chicken breast with half of the minced onion and some salt. Let it cool and shred
2. Put cooking oil in a cooking pot. Saute ginger, onion and 3. Put in rice and chicken breast. Add water and chicken buillion. Bring to boil.
4. Constantly stir until porridge has thicken.
5. Season with fish sauce.
6. Stir in beaten egg.
7. Remove from heat & serve with lemon and chopped scallion if desired and/or add ground black pepper & chopped scallions.

Suman Bulag

Ooops! Sorry but I don’t know why it’s called suman bulag. This, however, is the simplest suman. Suman is usually made of glutinous rice or ube or cassava and wrapped with banana leaf. While others are to be mixed with milk or coco milk et al, suman bulag (bulag means blind) is so plain.

Ingredients:

1kg glutinous rice
3 tbsp vanilla
Banana leaf, 8×8 in
Thread
Sugar
Grated coconut meat

Procedure:

1. Soak glutinous rice with 1 liter water mixed with vanilla for at least an hour.
2. Drain water off.
3. Scoop 3 tbsp of rice and put on the banana leaf.
4. Roll the banana leaf and fold both sides.
5. Take two rolls and tie together leaving enough room for the rice to swell.
6. Put the the suman rolls into a big pot. Pour water enough to cover all suman. Bring to boil.
7. Add water whenever required making sure that water level is higher than suman.
8. After one hour, open one roll and check if rice is already cook. Bring back to the pot if needed. Remove from pot if already done.
9. Let the suman cool. Serve with white sugar and grated coconut meat.

Pancit Palabok

I have long posted the recipe of pancit palabok.

See this link: https://liacusina.wordpress.com/2008/10/29/pancit-palabok/

Just recently at my friend’s party, I was requested to prepare once again.

Chicken Empanada

The  weather was perfect for picnic. My friends and I went to Lake Park to have fun lunch with spaghetti, roasted chicken and chicken empanada 🙂

Ingredients:

Filling

3/4 kg boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 piece medium-sized onion, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 cup potato, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chicken powder
2 tbsp cooking oil

Crust

3 cups flour
4 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp water, cold
1 cup butter, cold
egg white w/ 1 tsp water
Procedure:

Filling

1. Heat oil and saute the garlic and onions
2. Add the chicken breast. Cook for about 5 minutes or until color turns light brown.
3. Add water and chicken powder then simmer for 10 minutes
4. Put-in carrots and potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes
5. Add the bell pepper, raisins, and sugar then simmer for another 5 minutes
6. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat, drain the excess liquid, and set aside.

Crust

7. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
8. Add cold butter.
3. Add water gradually and mix all the ingredients thoroughly until a dough is formed. You may mix using hand or pastry blender.
9. Divide the dough into individual pieces by grabbing a piece from the whole mixture and rolling it in your hand until a spherical shape is formed. Set aside in a fridge for at least 20 minutes
10. Flatten the spherical dough py pressing it with your palm against a flat surface. Use a rolling pin to flatten it fully while creating a round shape.

11. Place some filling at the middle of the flattened dough. Fold the dough so that opposite ends meet (you should have formed a half moon shaped dough)then press the edges and seal.
12. Arrange the filled doughs and glaze the crust by brushing the egg wash.

13.Pre-heat oven at 200 degrees Celcius for 10 minutes. Bake the the filled doughs for 25 minutes.

14. Remove from the oven & serve hot.

Binagoongang Baboy (Pork in Shrimp Paste)

I’ve been craving for this salty Filipino food for days!  I have added some sugar to balance the saltiness.

There are two types bagoong in my hometown which are bagoong isda (fish paste) and alamang (shrimp paste). In this recipe, I used the latter. Here it is!

Ingredients:

1/2 kg pork
3 pcs bay leaves
3 tbsp vinegar
1 cup water
1/ tsp garlic
1 pc small onion, sliced
1/ cup tomato
3 pcs green chilli
1/4 cup shrimp paste
salt
pepper
a pinch of sugar

Procedure:

1. Put pork, water, vinegar, salt and bay leaves in a pan. Cook over medium heat. Stir occassionally until the liquid completely evaporates. Brown pork.
2. Remove pork from the pan and pour a tbsp of cooking oil.
3. Saute onion and garlic. Add shrimp paste and mix.
4. Put tomato and and crash after a couple of minutes.
5. Add the pork and green chilli. Mix for about 5 minutes.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Pininyahang Manok

Ingredients

1kg chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 can pineapple chunks, reserve syrup
1 medium onion, sliced
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato, chopped
1 large carrot, wedged
1 large potato, cut into cubes
2 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup fresh milk (or 1/2 cup evap milk)
3 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cooking oil

Let’s get started!

1. Marinate chicken with pineapple syrup  for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat cooking oil in a pan. Fry potatoes and set aside.
3. Remove oil from pan and melt butter. Saute onion, garlic and tomatoes.
4. Put-in chicken and saute until juice comes out.
5. Add marinade and milk then simmer for about 15 minutes.
6. Add pineapple chunks and simmer for another 5 minutes or until chicken is tender.
7. Put-in carrots, bell pepper and fish sauce then simmer for another five.
8. Add potatoes . Add salt & pepper to taste and simmer for about 3 more minutes.
9. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve hot with steamed rice.

***You may adjust the amount of milk depending on your desired creaminess. Enjoy!

Bibingkang Nasi (Rice Cake)

“Nasi” in Kapampangan means rice.

Bibingkang Nasi (another version of rice cake) is actually my mom’s specialty. She cooks it the traditional way using a big urn over a fire and charcoal on top. In my case, I bake. Here’s how:

Ingredients:
3.5 cups glutinous rice (pre-soaked)
3 cups coco cream
1 cup water
2 cups brown sugar
 
Toppings
3/4 cup sugar (dissolved in)
3 cups coco cream

  
Procedure:
1. Combine coco cream & water. Half boil.
Add pre-soaked rice and mix until liquid is absorbed.
Add sugar and mix until completely dissolved. Remove from heat & set aside.
 
2. Preheat oven @ 175deg C. Make sure to turn the top and bottom rods on.
 
3. Coat the baking dish with small amount of coco cream
Spread the rice mixture on the baking dish and top with coco cream.
 
4. Place in the oven and set timer to 30 min.
Check if the toppings have already settled and turned light brown.
 
5. Pour another layer of topping
Set oven timer for another 30min.

6. Remove from oven and let it cool. Serve.