Toasted Garlic

“Shallots are for babies; Onions are for men; garlic is for heroes.”>>>unknown

Don’t you just love garlic?? Toasted garlic is a condiment that is used on everything from the Filipino dish Pancit, to the wonderful and addicting bread dipping oil at Johnny Carino’s. It’s flavorful, mild and can literally be used atop of almost any dish.

Make this easy condiment, let cool, place in an air tight container, and use it anytime you want to add great flavor!

Ingredients

8 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

Peel and mince the garlic. In a medium pan, warm the olive oil on medium-low heat. Once heated, add the garlic. Cook on med-low heat, stirring frequently until it reaches a golden color. Do not put the heat any higher, and make sure you stir it frequently,as the garlic can burn very easily. Once the garlic reaches the color you desire, remove and drain on a paper towel.
Use this to top anything from salad, pasta, asian dishes to your favorite take out pizza.
Place any extra in an air tight contanier and keep in the fridge.

Binagoongang Baboy (Pork in Salted Shrimp Paste)

I’ve long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime ‘associates,’ food, for me, has always been an adventure” ~~ Anthony Bourdain

 

 

Those of you who frequent my blog know that I lurves me some Filipino food.

This is yet another wonderful dish from the Philippines.  It’s so good, full of flavor, and sure to please anyone’s palate.  One thing you have to be prepared for is the smell (while it’s cooking).  It’s strong, and some people don’t like it too much.  I mean…you’re cooking with raw fermented ground shrimp.

If you like more exotic food and flavors, then this shouldn’t phase you, as I’m sure you’ve used unusual ingredients before.

If you like to stay inside a certain culinary box…then you might just want to stick with ordering this the next time you’re dining out.

Ingredients

4 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into 2 inch cubes

3/4 cup vinegar

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 bay leaf

5 peppercorns, crack

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp bagoong (shrimp paste)

black pepper

Directions

Place the pork in a heavy bottomed pot and cover with water.  Add the vinegar, 5 cloves crushed garlic, bay leaf and peppercorns and bring to a gentle boil for about a half hour.  Check back periodically to remove any scum that’s on top.  Once tender, remove the pork from the water and set aside.  Strain the water and discard solids.  Set water aside.

In a large sauté pan, add the oil, onion and garlic and cook on medium low heat until the onion is translucent.  Add the pork and shrimp paste and combine well.  At this time you can add a bit of the reserved water if you’d like a bit of sauce (I like to add just a couple tbsp at the most, but wet or dry are both traditional).  Cover and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Serve over steamed rice.

Humba (Filipino Braised Pork Belly)

**sigh**

I love pork belly, and all things that have to do with pig.  Humba is kind of the Philippine answer to Adobo.  Kind of. With the combination of soy sauce, brown sugar, salted black beans, and garlic.  Really?  Paired with Pork Belly.  C’mon!! If you’re a pork belly fan, then you should give this a try.

Humba is one of the comfort foods of every Filipino household. It’s a popular filipino indigenous to the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

This dish is best served over rice.

***note***  This recipe calls for Salted Black Beans.  This is not the black beans used in many south american dishes!!  You can buy them in specialty food markets.  If you have trouble finding them, you can substitute with black bean paste, which is much easier to find.  You can find more info here…and here.

This is a variation of a recipe I found a couple years ago.  The way I’ve tweaked it, it tastes more like the Humba I’ve enjoyed while living in the Philippines.

Ingredients

3 lbs pork belly (trimmed of thick layers of fat)

5 cups chicken broth, or just enough to cover the pork belly

6 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp salted black beans

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup roasted peanuts, skin removed

2 bay leaves

1 star anise

Directions

Place the pork belly and chicken stock in a large stock pot.  Bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat, and let cool.  Once cooled, place the pork in the freezer to quickly set up for slicing.  Place the reserved broth in the refrigerator for later use.

To make the marinade/braising liquid, combine the next 7 ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix thoroughly until all the sugar is dissolved.  Gently fold in the bay leaves and star anise.  Set aside.

When the pork belly has hardened a bit and able to slice, remove from the freezer and slice into 3 in x 1 in squares.  Add the pork slices to the marinade place in the refrigerator over night, or at least 8 hours.

About an hour before cooking, remove the marinating pork and the reserved broth from the refrigerator.  Scrape the fat layer that has hardened on top of the broth.

In a heavy pot, add the pork, marinade, and broth, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  When you can easily pierce the pork belly (kinda like a hot knife through buttah…), the pork is ready.

Once the pork is tender, remove from the braising liquid.  Remove the bay leaves, and increase the heat.  Reduce to a glossy, thick consistency.

Serve over white rice.

Shrimp Toast

The first time I had Shrimp Toast, it was from a very well known Chinese Restaurant in the Denver metro area.  I ordered delivery with some co-workers, and one of them ordered this fabulous appetizer.  When our food arrived she offered me one, and I graciously declined.

I love shrimp.  I love toast.  But both of them together….??  I don’t think so, thank you very much.

Well, as she sat there, enjoying her Shrimp Toast, dipping it in her sweet & sour sauce, I have to say that I was very intrigued.  It smelled good.  It crunched good.  And really, is there anything that’s not tasty when dipped in Sweet & Sour?  I think not!!

So I gave them a try.  Wow.  The sweetness of the shrimp, along with another level of toasted bread.  Along with the sauce??  It was nothing I had had before, and I loved it.  Totally awesome!!  And that is when I asked the restaurant for the recipe.  And they gave it to me.

Imagine that!!  Anyway, I hope you give them a try the next time you have a dim sum party.  Or any other kind of party for that matter.

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp, cleaned

4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 small shallot, coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp ginger, coarsely chopped

2 1/2 tbsp water

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

25 pieces bread

2 cups oil

sweet & sour sauce, or asian chili sauce for dipping

Directions

Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees f.

Place the first 8 ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Evenly spread the mixture on the bread; it should adhere nicely. Cut the bread slices in quarters.

Place the quarters in the oil, shrimp side down.  Only fry 5 or 6 at a time.  Flip over when the shrimp side is golden, and brown the other side.  Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on a paper towel lined platter.

Serve with the sweet & sour sauce or the chili sauce.

Turon Saba

This is another great dessert item that is prevalent in the Philippines.  (Yes…I’m trying to get YOU to give Filipino food a try.  Can you tell?)

Saba is rolled in brown sugar, wrapped in a lumpia wrapper and fried till crisp.  Saba is a type of banana found in the Philippines. If you can’t find Saba, you can substitute ripe Plantain or Banana.

Ingredients

  

4 saba bananas

1 pkg lumpia wrapper

1 cup light brown sugar

tbsp flour and enough water to mix together to form a paste.

vegetable oil for frying

 

Directions

Heat a frying pan to medium-high heat, filled with about 2 inches of oil.

Peel the saba and cut in half-length wise, then cut halves into 3 pieces.    

Roll the saba in the brown sugar, then roll the saba in the lumpia wrapper like you were making a lumpia or egg roll. Dab your finger in the flour/water paste and rub on the end of the lumpia wrapper and seal to close.

Place the turon in the oil, seal side down first, and turn to brown all sides. 

Once browned, remove using tongs, and hold vertically over the oil for about 5 seconds to let all the oil drain from the inside of the turon.

Set on paper towel to drain completely.

Maruya

This is one of those recipes that immediately takes me back to my childhood.  When living in the Philippines, our housekeeper would make these for my sister and I, or when we went ‘off base’, we would always stop and buy some from one of the many vendors in Angeles City.  I was lucky enough to receive this recipe from a friend of mine.

As you can see, this recipe calls for Saba.  Saba is basically a Philippine banana. They generally grow to be only about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick.  Unlike the bananas we’re used to, when Saba is green, it’s ripe.  If you don’t have a Filipino market in your area, you could go with ripe plantain or banana.

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour 

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

3 ripe saba, peeled and sliced lengthwise

2 cups vegetable oil

1/2 cup flour 

 sugar

Directions

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add milk and egg, and combine thoroughly.

Heat oil in saute pan over medium-high heat 

Roll banana slices in flour and shake off excess. Dip in batter and let excess drain off. Fry in the oil until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels for a few seconds, then roll in sugar.

Filipino Garlic Rice

Growing up with a southern mom, we ate rice every night.  Except of course if we had lasagna or something like that.  When we moved to the Philippines, we had a housekeeper named Ming, and she quickly took over the duties of cooking all our family meals.  And when she found out that one of our staples was rice with practically every meal, that very night she made us Garlic Rice as our side.  It was awesome! 

When we moved back to the states, we quickly went back to the normal white rice that we were previously used to.  And we learned to love it again. 

But when I became friends with a very nice elderly Filipino woman a few years ago…I quickly asked her if she knew how to make Garlic Rice.  Well, after she looked at me like I had 3 heads, she said “Of course I do!” 

Yes.  I felt stupid. 

Anyway, there are 2 things that you need to make sure of when making this dish. 

1. Don’t let the garlic burn.  Watch it very closely.  Please.  If by chance it does burn, you should obviously discard the garlic, but also go the extra step and wash out your pan.  Don’t just wipe it out, because the burned garlic taste will probably still be there.

2 .Use left over, day old rice.  Or at least make it a day ahead.  This lets the rice become completely dry.  If you try to make the rice at the time you make the meal, it will turn out mushy.

This is another meal that Filipinos eat any time of the day.  It’s very popular for breakfast, using the leftover rice from last night’s meal.  It’s often served with one of the many Filipino sausages on the side, dried fish, beef, pork, pickled veggies….it goes on and on.

This is a great change from your basic side of white rice, mashed potatoes, or whatever starch you include with your meals.

Ingredients

 1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp chopped garlic

4 cups cooked white rice

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and  cook and stir until the garlic turns golden.

Add the cooked rice, salt and pepper. Stir until the rice is heated through.

print this recipe here

Pancit

During my time in the Philipines, I grew to LOVE Pancit.  Or Pansit…it depends who you ask. 

Anyway, basically Pancit is a filipino noodle dish.  It can be made with a wide range of ingredients…basically whatever the cooks preference is.  In the Philipines, Pancit is eaten at any time of day or night.  It’s not unusual to have Pancit for breakfast, as some people add a beaten egg towards the end of cooking.  I haven’t tried it that way, but maybe someday I will. 

I’ve also been told that in the Philippines, it’s always served at birthday parties for good luck!  I can’t guarantee the luck…but I can guarantee a tasty meal!

Don’t forget to squeeze a little lemon juice on your pancit before you dig in!!

Anyway, I hope you try this amazing filipino dish.

 

Ingredients

 

vegetable oil for sauteing/browning

3 boneless pork ribs, sliced into thin strips

1 boneless top loin steak, sliced into thin strips

2 carrots, minced

2 celery stalks, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

pepper to taste

1 lb small shrimp, cleaned

1 16 oz pkg cole slaw mix (not the purple mix please)

1/2 can chicken broth

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 8 oz pkg rice noodles (bijon noodles)

5 green onions, sliced

lemon wedges

Directions

Heat oil in a large wok or skillet to medium-high heat.  Add the meats and stir until browned.   Remove the meat from the skillet and set aside. 

To the same skillet, add the carrots, celery and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, add a bit more oil if needed. Season with pepper if desired. Add the shrimp and sautee just until they turn pink.  Add the slaw mix, stir to incorporate, lower the heat to medium-low and cover pan for 5 minutes.

Remove the cover, increase the heat to medium, and stir in the chicken broth and soy sauce.  Add the meats back into the pan, then add the noodles (they are slightly stiff and might have to be kind of pushed down on top of all the other ingredients).  Once all the noodles have been added, mix them into the other ingredients, getting all the noodles wet (you might want to use tongs). Cover for about 10 minutes.

Uncover and using two large forks, large spoons, or tongs, turn everything in the skillet and incorporate.  If too dry add a bit more chicken broth, though this dish should not be soupy. Taste.  Add more soy sauce and pepper if needed.  Garnish with green onion and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

print this recipe here

Pancit Molo

Pancit Mojo is basically won ton soup with a Filipino spin.  I like it alot more than the usual won ton soup we’ve all grown to love.  It’s a staple in Philippine cuisine, and here is a version that I received years ago from a Filipina friend of mine. 

1 lb ground pork

1 lb ground beef

1 stalk celery, minced

1/2 carrot, minced (mince the whole carrot, half for the dumplings,the other half will be used in the broth)

1 tbsp patis (fish sauce)

salt and pepper to taste

25-30 wonton wrappers

Soup Base

vegetable oil, for sauteing

1 onion, sliced thinly

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp pork and 2 tbsp beef (reserved from above)

1 stalk celery, sliced

the other half of the minced carrot

8 cups chicken broth

Soy Sauce

4 green onions, cut on the bias, 1 inch pieces

Directions

Filling

Before combining the ingredients, remove 2 tbsp of ground pork and 2 tbsp of ground beef and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining meats and the rest of the dumpling ingredients, salt and pepper to taste.

Put approx. 1 tbsp of the meat mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper and fold one flap to the middle.  On the flap on the opposite side of the one folded up, moisten with a little egg mixture.  (dip finger in egg mixture and moisten the flap) Fold that flap over on top of the other flap.  Fold over the 3rd flap and moisten the 4th flap with the egg mixture and fold over.  Once completed, the dumpling should resemble a little package…square shaped.  There is not traditional way of folding these dumplings (or won tons), if you have a way that fits for you, then use that version.  Just as long as they don’t open once placed in the broth.

Make sure you keep your dumplings covered as you make them.

Broth 

Heat the oil in a pot on medium heat.  Brown the onion and garlic until lightly golden.  Add the reserved ground pork and beef and brown.  Once the meat has browned (if the meat has rendered alot of fat, remove with a spoon before continuing), season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the celery and carrots and cook for another 5 minutes.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a soft boil.  Add the soy sauce to taste and green onion. Gently add the dumplings to the broth one at a time. 

Let cook for 15 minutes. Re-season with pepper to taste if needed.

Thai Coconut Soup

This is restaurant quality soup people!!  The base of this recipe is something I found on the internetz a few years ago and have tweeked it and added to it to make it my own.  If you’ve ever ordered this at a Thai restaurant, then you know this soup is sweet with curry, and spicy.  Adjust the seasoning to suit your taste.  More curry, more spicy!!  Serve over Jasmine Rice.

If you have problems finding lemon grass, it’s easier to find lemon grass paste/gel.  Also, if the texture of the lemon grass disagrees with you, feel free to remove it before serving…but I like the cruch it adds!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, quartered

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1 stalk lemon grass (white part only, whack it with the side of a butchers knife to release the flavor)  or if you can’t find lemon grass, use 2 tsp lemon grass paste

3 tsp red curry paste

4 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

3(13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk 

1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

3 green onions (scallions), green part, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 pound medium shrimp – peeled and deveined

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

chopped fresh cilantro

1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes (you don’t want the onion to get too soft).  Add the ginger, lemongrass, and curry paste and cook for about 1 minute. Add the fish sauce and brown sugar and stir.  Add the chicken broth to the mixture; stir to incorporate.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk , mushrooms and green onion; stir until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp; cook until they turn pink. Stir in the lime juice and serve.  To serve, garnish each bowl with cilantro and a wedge of lime on the side.

print this recipe here