Sweet Corn and Ampalaya leaves

Sweet Corn and Ampalaya leaves

Ingredients:
2 cups sweet corn, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 cup pork meat, cooked until tender
1 cup ampalaya/bitter gourd leaves
 2 cups pork stock
salt and pepper to taste

     






     To remove corn from the cob, slice corn thinly.  Lightly scrape the cob using the back of your knife to get the rest of the corn.

     I put in the recipe a cup of bitter gourd leaves.  The leaves are really bitter, most of you might not like too much of it so just put in few leaves if you want.

    You will notice in the picture that I put in about 4 cups of leaves, I love the combination of corn and bitter gourd so I always put a lot of it. 




















 How to Cook: 
1.  Saute garlic until light brown, add in onions and cook until soft.  Saute in pork for a few minutes.

2.  Add in stock and let it boil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Add in corn and cook for another 15 minutes.

4.  Add in ampalaya or bitter gourd leaves.

 

 5.  Cook for 5 minutes more or until the leaves are tender.  Serve hot.

Pansit Bihon

Pansit Bihon
(noodles in filipino cuisine)

     Noodles from chinese recipes have been adapted to Philippine local cuisine.  If you love international food, you will love this recipe. Every time I cook pancit, I always cook pork and chicken in already seasoned boiling water(with soy sauce, ground black pepper and salt).

 Ingredients:
 250 grams liempo/pork belly, cooked until tender 
          and cut into strips
 250 grams chicken breast, flaked

 250 grams chicken liver
 5 cloves galic, minced
 1 large onion
2 medium sized carrots, cut into julienne strips
200 grams baguio beans
1/8 cup minced kinchay/celery
1/2 kilo pansit bihon, soaked in water for 10 min and
2-3 liters of stock
1 medium sized cabbage cut into strips


Procedure:
1.  Soak pansit bihon in water for 10 minutes, drain and set aside.

2.  In a pan, put a little oil and saute garlic.

3.  Add in onion and saute until soft.

4.  Add in chicken liver and saute until lightly cooked.

5.  Add in carrots and baguio beans and saute for another 3 minutes. 

6.  Add in pork and chicken.  Season with a little salt and pepper

7.  Add cabbage and kinchay/parsley cook for another 3 minutes and remove from heat.  Set aside.

8.  In a large pan, put stock of pork and chicken until it boils (2 liters in every 1/2 kilo of pancit bihon). The stock is already seasoned with soy sauce, a little salt and pepper. Add in pancit bihon and cook until tender.  (If bihon is still not tender, add more).  Mix in meat and vegetable.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Cake

 Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium sized eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Ganache Recipe:

3/4 cup cream

dark chocolate (227 grams)

2 tbsp. butter 

How to Prepare:
1.  Sift first six ingredients in a bowl.

 2.  Add milk.

3.  Add eggs and vegetable oil.

4.  Add vanilla.

 5.  Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350F or 180C.

6.  Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).

7.  Pour into baking pans (lined with wax paper).  Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

8.  Put chopped dark chocolates in a heat proof bowl.  Put cream and butter in a small pan.  Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand, without stirring, for a few minutes.  Stir gently (as you do not want to incorporate air into the ganache) with a spoon or whisk until smooth.
 
9.  Cover cake with this ganache recipe. I put cream at the top of the cake and swirl it with the ganache using a skewer a few times to create a marble effect.

Simple Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Moose
Ingredients:
1st mixture:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp water
dark chocolate (120 grams)



2nd mixture:
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp granulated sugar





3rd mixture:
1 cup whipped cream
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Procedure:
1.  Put butter, water and chocolate in a double boiler.  The consistency of the chocolate mixture should not be too thick but not too thin.  Set aside.

2.  Beat egg yolks until light and fluffy, add sugar a little at a time and beat for 3 minutes more.

3.  Put a little of the first mixture to 2nd mixture to temper the egg mixture.  Mix well. 

4.  Continue putting a little at a time of the 1st mixture to the 2nd mixture until both mixture is combined.  Mix well.

 5.  Whip cream until stiff peaks form, add sugar a little at a time and beat again for another 3 minutes.

6.  Fold half of the chocolate mixture to whipped cream mixture, then fold in the rest of the chocolate mixture. 

7.  Put in ramekins and chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours.  Top with shaved chocolate and whipped cream.

     Every time I make chocolate moose, I make Special Puto so I could use the egg whites left in making this recipe. It's good for breakfast with your coffee.

Special Puto

Special Puto

Ingredients:
1st mixture:
2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp.  baking powder
1 - 1-1/2 cup milk

2nd mixture:
2 egg whites
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar




Toppings:
salted duck egg
cheese

How to prepare:
1.  Combine 1st mixture well until free from lumps.  Batter should be not too thick.  Set aside.

2.  Beat egg whites until it forms soft peaks and put cream of tartar.  Gradually put granulated sugar a little at a time.

3.  Beat until stiff peaks forms.

6.  Fold 2nd mixture with the 1st mixture.

5.  Line muffin pan with cupcake cups or if you are going to use a round baking pan, line with wax paper.  Pour in mixture into your prepared pan up to 3/4 full and top with slices of salted duck egg and cheese.  Steam for 20-25 minutes.

     Best eaten with coffee in the morning.

Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry
April 13, 2003

1/2 kilo chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small ginger, cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 medium sized carrots, cut into cubes
3 pcs. potatoes, cut into cubes
1 cup water
2 tbsp. curry powder
1/3 cup evaporated milk or 1/3 cup coconut milk
green and red bellpepper
salt and pepper to taste


1.  Saute galic and onion in oil, saute in chicken pieces for 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken turns lightly brown.  Put water, cover and allow to boil.

2.   When it starts to boil, season with salt and pepper and add curry poweder.  Cover and boil for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Add in carrots and potatoes. 

3.   Boil until vegetables are almost done.

4.  Add in red and green bell pepper and cook for a few minutes.

5.  Add milk, stir and cook for another 2 minutes.

     This recipe is a family favorite.  We used to put a type of curry powder bought in the middle east called Mehran.  It's really a lot different from the curry powders bought in grocery stores here.  Use just a little amount of curry as sometimes other brands could be so strong it gives off a bitter taste.  But if you are going to use Mehran, you can put more, as spicy as you want your chicken curry to be as Mehran doesn't give a bitter after taste.

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies
April 13, 2011

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips





How to prepare:
1.  Beat softened butter using a hand mixer for 3 minutes.  Beat in granulated sugar and brown sugar into butter until creamy.

2.  Add egg, milk and vanilla.

3.  Beat well.

4.  Add flour, baking soda and salt to the butter mixture and mix using a spatula.

5.  Mix in oats.  Preheat oven at this time at 190C.

6.  Mix in chocolate chips.

7.  Drop the dough into a baking sheet  using a rounded spoon.  You can line baking sheet with wax paper.  Put some chocolate chips at the top of your cookie dough.

7.    Bake for 9 - 10 minutes for a chewy cookie.  Let it cool before serving.