Tortang Talong

I had the privilege to write a blog post for my friend Danielle's blog Same Thread. Every week they have a Meatless Monday recipe to share with their followers. They also discuss various ways of conscious living and crafting a stylish and ethical lifestyle in everything from fashion to travel. Stay tuned for my post this Monday! Yayyy!

I decided to make Tortang Talong and replaced giniling (ground beef) with vegetables. I had fun making this and my friend Vicky was amazing to help me take these amazing photos used for this post. You can check out more of her photography and writing here.

Here's my version of this delicious dish.

You’ll need (serves 2):

4 Japanese eggplants

3 eggs, beaten

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium sized onion, minced

1 medium sized tomato, minced

½ bell pepper (whatever color you prefer), minced

1 jalapeno, minced (optional)

4 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.      Broil, grill or boil eggplant until tender not mushy.

2.      Let the eggplant cool off then peel off the skin.

3.      On a flat surface, flatten the eggplant using a fork keeping everything including the stem intact.

4.      Whisk eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

5.      Heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet.

6.      Sauté garlic and onions. Once the onion is translucent, add tomatoes, bell pepper and jalapenos. Set aside.

7.      Dip the flattened eggplant into the egg mixture.

8.      Heat up pan and pour the oil.

9.      Place an eggplant (that was dipped into the egg) into the skillet, add some of the sautéed veggies on top (make sure to spread them out a so that the eggplant remains flat) and add a little egg mixture on top of it.

10.  Make sure both sides are cooked. Frying time will take you about 4-5 minutes per side on medium heat.

Serve hot with rice and enjoy!

After Church Fun!

Growing up in the Philippines it was a 'normal' thing to go to church every Sunday. Our whole family would always go to the second mass at the San Roque Parish that was located in the town of Catarman in Camiguin Island. After the mass, we would all go to the market to pick up produce and meat to cook for the week. Usually when we would get home and my mom would make my favorite pot of Sinigang na Baka (Beef Tamaind base soup) for late lunch. We got home usually at 1pm.

Today, I got inspired and woke up missing home. So, I got up this morning, changed into my Sundays best outfit and went to church. On my way out I was thinking about a dish to make for a my 'late lunch'. I was thinking about Sinigang but I literally make it at least once a week. As I am walking to the nearest grocery store I thought of something that would take me back to the good old days. I am going to make Nilagang Baka (Beef Stew -- Filipino Style). And I was also just trying to make an excuse to go the grocery store since it's my favorite thing to do. :)

Here's how I made my Nilagang Baka today. Take note, I am cooking for only myself so you might want to double this recipe if you are cooking for more.

Beef short ribs
1 medium size onion
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 corn on the cob cut into four pieces
1 Jalapeno, cut in half length wise
2 medium Potatoes, cut into quarters
Bok choy, trimmed and rinsed
Green onions, trimmed  and rinsed
2 Tbsp. Patis (Fish Sauce)
Salt and Pepper to taste

• Bring a pot to boil and put in beef. Make sure there is enough water covering the beef bones. Add the whole onion and garlic. I usually take out the onion and garlic once the meat is cook so its up to you if you want slice it and keep it in there. Cover and let it simmer for about an hour.
• Skim off scum on top as much as possible while simmering and dispose.
• Add patis, salt and pepper to taste.
• Add jalapeno, corn and potatoes. Let it cook for 8-12 minutes or until cooked. Turn up stove to medium-high.
• Add Bok choy and green onions.
• Let it boil for about a minute. Cover and turn stove off. Let it sit for about 2 minutes.

Ta-da! There you go! Now eat it over rice and you are good to go.

Hope you are enjoying this yummy soup as much as I am. Let me know if you have any questions about my Nilagang Baka! :)

Champorado! Let's have breakfast for dinner, Filipino Style.

My all time favorite breakfast when I used to live in the Philippines was Champorado. We would buy fresh chocolate (Tableya) at the market on Sundays and either make Hot Coco or this delicious dish on Monday mornings. I woke up again this morning and thought about food. Who doesn't?! I remembered my friend Vicky gave me a box of drinking chocolate. So, I thought I'd give it a try.

Here ya go!

1 cup of Sticky Rice 
4 cups of water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons of Drinking Chocolate Power
Condense milk (optional)

How to make it:

• Bring water to boil. Add rice, put heat on low and stir continuously.
• After 15 minutes or when  rice is cooked add chocolate power and sugar.
• Stir until its all mixed it.
• Remove from heat and into serving bowl. Add condense milk if wanted.

And there you go! Noms.

Ginisang Munggo

I'm back! It's been a while since I have posted yummy recipes on here. I honestly don't have a reason except for just being flat out lazy about it. But it also doesn't mean that I haven't been continuing my journey in cooking delicious food for scratch.

I woke up today thinking about a Filipino dish I have't had in years. My first thought in mind was Ginisa nga Munggos (Ginisang Munggo/ Mung Bean Stew). I remember eating over at a neighbors house in the Philippines when I was little and I was amazed how delicious it was even though it kind of looked gross through a childs' eyes. I was debating whether to make it with coconut milk or not but then decided on making the original vision for all of you wonderful people and for my significant other to grub on (it's going to be his first time trying this dish).

The neighbors made their version without any meat and they had malunggay leaves and would also eat it over rice with dried fish. My version is going to be a tad different. I could get malunggay leaves and dried fish at the Asian market but that's a little to far for me. How I wish there was a closer one around here. Anyway, I am making mine with Pork and Shrimp and instead of malunggay leaves, I have spinach. I am also only for two people so you might have to double this recipe if you are cooking for more.

Okay now, lets get to the recipe...

2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 medium  onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 fresno pepper (atsal), chopped
1 cup of thinly sliced pork
1/2 cup shrimp meat
1 1/2 cups of mung beans soaked for 4 hours
a bunch of spinach
2 tbs olive oil

1/2 cube of chicken bouillon, for flavor
2 tbs. patis (fish sauce)
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Procedure:

• Saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add in the tomatoes and fresno peppers once the onions are a tad cooked or looking translucent. Add in the half of a chicken bouillon cube, stir and cover for about a minute or two.
• Add pork, stir and cover for five minutes or until pork is brown.
• Add mung beans and add water. I like this dish kind of soupy so I think I added about 7-9 cups of water.
•  Have it simmer 40-50 minutes. Stir and season to your taste.
• Add shrimp. Cook for about 2 minutes.
• Add spinach. Have it cook for less than a minute to just be able to welt and turn off stove. 

And there ya go, noms!

Skillet Night

I have been trying to spend more time with my family lately. I usually go once or twice every month now that I'm actually dating somebody and I gotta give him some time as well. I used to be at my sisters house literally every weekend or be there for weeks to live off of their food sometimes. I went over to "their" house (which consists of my sister. my nephew, her boyfriend, boyfriend's cousin and boyfriend's cousins son) last night because I've been wanting to have skillet in a long time. This is only the second time of me having it, and I was so stoked because the first time I had it, it was so delicious.

Its really easier to prepare. You just need to have a breakfast skillet and all meat and veggies you would want to mix in your noodles. You could experiment with different things to add to it and even add more or less of some, its up to you. This time we used:

a stick of butter
a bunch of spinach
a bunch of Chinese broccoli
a bunch of Napa cabbage chopped up to about 2" thick
10 stalks of Green onion chopped up to about 3" thick
a bowl full of mushrooms
10 Meatballs cut in half so its easier for the kids to eat
1 pound of Squid cleaned and cut into rings
1 pound Tripe cut in
1 pound of Thin beef slices (marinate it how ever you like)
1 pack of Miki noodles
4 eggs


Once everything was prepped, place all the ingredients around the breakfast skillet and turn the skillet on to 400 Fahrenheit. Add about an 1/8 of the stick of butter at a time and just keep on adding when you notice the skillet is getting dry. Add the items that take longer to cook, typically the noodles, tripe and meat. Add everything else you would like to add to your plate. At the end we had over-easy eggs, it was a nice finishing touch to our dinner. Have fun while doing this. It could get kind of chaotic when trying to get stuff of the skillet all at once. All in all it was, noms.

Have any questions? Feel free to ask.

Adobong Pusit (Adobong Squid)

So last Friday was no meat day again, so I decided on making a meal I haven't had in a while. This meal brings back lots of memories when I grew up in Camiguin (island located in the Philippines). I used to hang around with friends at night and when 2am struck, we would go by the shore to buy fresh squid before it even hit the market. After that, we would go by a friends house to either cook it as Adobo or Tinuwa (squid soup) and also stop by a couple other friends houses to gather around all the leftover rice we could find to eat with it. Its way more delicious when made with fresh caught squid but since I'm not living on a lovely island anymore I just have to deal with it the squid you can get at the grocery stores that have been iced for days. It still turned out good. And instead of eating it with rice, I ate it with steamed yams and brined anchovies (ginamos). I dipped the yams in the brined anchovies that had thai chilies and lime juice mixed into it, I know it sounds really weird but its actually really delicious.

Usually I don't clean out the squid before cooking it but since I had my nephew try it for the first time I didn't want him to see all the gross goo in it while trying to eat it plus, its just way more easier to eat when you clean it beforehand. So, if you do not know how to clean a lovely squid, click on this link ---->>> . How to clean and prepare squid. Wiki-how explains it way more better than what I would of said. =)

Anyway, now the prepping part is over, lets get to the cooking. Here is the recipe for Adobong Pusit:

1 pound of Squid, cleaned and prepped

1 medium Onion

6 cloves of Garlic (the more garlic the better!)

2 Bay leaves

1 Jalapeno, sliced

1/4 cup of Soy Sauce

1/4 cup White Vinegar

1/4 cup Water

1 teaspoon of Black Pepper 

a dash of MSG (I know its bad for you, totally your choice to add it in or not.)




Saute the garlic until nice and light brown, add the onion and let in cook for about a minute or two or until its a little transparent. Add the squid, stir it around and cover again for about one minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for about five minutes. Don't leave it in for to long or it will get all rubbery. And there you go, noms

Taters and Meatballs

So, it has been a while since I have posted anything. I have been a bit busy with other stuff and really didn’t get the chance to cook something yummy as much as I would want to and had just been munching on little things here and there to help me survive.

Anyways, I made Mash Potatoes and Meatballs!! It was so delicious. You can freeze them as well and use them in spaghetti and other recipes.

Meatball Recipe:

1 ½ pounds of ground beef

½ of a red bell pepper diced (you can use the whole thing if you want)

1 medium size onion diced

4 cloves of garlic diced

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

2 eggs beaten

½ cup of milk

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon seasoning salt (I used Johnny’s)

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (Silver Swan)

Put all ingredients in one big mixing bowl, mix and knead with your hand. Spray Pam on cooking tray. Make mixture into 1 inch size balls. Put them on the cooking tray, one inch apart from each other. Set oven to broil and cook it for about 15-20 minutes or until brown.

And waa-laa, you got meatballs!  I had to make two batches of them since I was using a medium sized cooking tray. It made up to about 40 lovely meatballs.

I would give you the recipe for the Mash Potatoes, since they were delicious as well, but I really wasn’t measuring quite much when making it and I don’t wanna give y’all the wrong measurements for the ingredients. So, tune in for the that one soon.

Have questions? Just let me know.