Chicken Afritada

Since Philippines was colonized by Spain many many years ago, some of our dishes were introduced by the Spaniards especially those tomato sauce based stews. All of them are similar in appearances the only difference is the meat used and how the sauce was thickened. And one of these so-called stews is the Afritada.


Pork can also be used for this dish but I like it best with Chicken. Next time I will show you varieties of tomato sauce based stews dishes like Mechado, Caldereta and Menudo. But for now here is my recipe for Afritada.


Ingredients:
whole chicken cut into small pieces
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 small onion chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 medium size red or green bell pepper cut into strips
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup bread crumbs - optional

Directions:
1] Pan fry chicken pices in hot oil until it changes color then set aside
2] In the same pan, saute garlic and onions.
3] Add tomato sauce and chicken stock. Simmer for a few minutes then add the chicken.
4] When the chicken are slightly tender add the potatoes.
5] Continue to cook until chicken and potatoes are tender.
6] Add the red bell pepper and simmer for an additional minute.
7] Salt and pepper to taste. Or you can use fish sauce instead of salt.
8] You can thicken the sauce with the bread crumbs.

Serve with hot jasmine rice. Enjoy your meal!

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Vietnamese Fresh Spring Roll (Goi Cuon)

Whenever my husband and I eat at a Vietnamese restaurant, we never failed to order a Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls. We liked it because it is different from the usual fried variety. We normally like to order it during summer months but it is good all year round as well.

Last night I tried making my very first Vietnamese Fresh Spring Roll. I checked my fridge and had all the ingredients I needed. The good thing about this dish is you can be creative and use any vegetables or meat you prefer. Vegetarians may omit the meat altogether.

This dish is served cold and not fried. It is very healthy as everything in it is fresh. It is very important that you only use fresh ingredients to bring out the fresh taste and flavor.

Ingredients:
6 sheets rice paper (you can get this from Oriental store)
2 large leaves of green lettuce, cut into small pieces
3 ounces rice vermicelli, cooked according to package
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
12 mint leaves
9 large shrimps, cooked, peeled, deveined and cut in half
imitation crab meat(optional) - you can any meat you prefer like pork, chicken etc.

Procedure:
1] Bring the water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.
2] One at a time dip the rice paper in a large bowl of water very quickly.
3] Place the rice paper on a flat area, then stack small amount of lettuce, rice noddles, cilantro, mint leaves, 3 half shrimps, and a slice of imitation crab meat
4] Roll the rice paper. Carefully start to roll up eggroll style, tucking in the sides, then continue to roll up-but not too tightly or the spring roll will split.
5] Combine a few spoonfuls of Hoisin sauce with some chopped peanuts to use as a dipping sauce (or serve with prepared spicy fish sauce dip called Nuoc Mam, available at Asian markets).

This dish has to be served immediately as you cannot keep them long in the fridge and will harden them so it's best to make just as many as you plan to serve. Or if you want just store any extra filling in the fridge and roll them later.

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Goto (Beef Tripe Congee)

Goto or Beef Tripe Congee is one of the favorite comfort foods or snacks in the Philippines. Actually it is one of my favorites. I still remember as a kid, my grandmother used to give us this snack during cold, rainy and gloomy days. And also whenever one of us grandchildren catches a cold, rest assured that there is one ready in the kitchen. :)

If you noticed, I added boiled egg into my Goto. That makes it more yummy.

Ingredients :
1 c. of rice (combination of regular long grain and glutinous)
beef trip (goto)
1 whole garlic
1 whole onion
5 peppercorns
salt or patis
kasubha (optional)
8-10 c. of meat broth (from the boiled tripe)
1/2 head of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsps regular cooking oil
1 chopped onion
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, julienned
finely chopped onion leaves for garnish

Directions:

1] Start by cooking the beef tripe. Place in a large saucepan or casserole and cover with water. Add the whole garlic, whole onion, peppercorns and bay leaf. Season with salt or patis. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, skimming off the the scum as it rises. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 4 hours or until fork tender. Alternatively, use a pressure cooker. Simmer for 2 hours counting from the time the valve starts to whistle.

2] Remove the tripe from the broth and cool. Strain the broth and measure 10 cups for cooking the congee.

3] Cut the beef tripe into strips. Set aside.

4] Heat a large saucepan or casserole. Add the cooking oil. Saute the ginger and chopped onion. Add the rice. Pour in the strained broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 40-45 minutes or until the rice grains are puffed. Add more salt or patis if necessary.

6] While the congee cooks, prepare the toasted garlic. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and cook the garlic over medium-low heat until well-browned. Do not set the heat to high because the garlic browns fast. Alternatively, you can buy a toasted garlic at any asian grocery store.

7] To serve the congee, ladle into individual soup bowls, top with the strips of beef tripe, toasted garlic and chopped onion leaves.

Sometimes, Goto is eaten together with tokwa't baboy. You can also add chicharon (pork rind) as garnish. Happy Eating!

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Mamon(Filipino Sponge Cake)

Few days ago, my husband and I was craving for a mamon cake after seeing a Goldilocks commercial on TV. Right away, I searched for a recipe and luckily found one on the internet. This goodie is perfect for an afternoon snacks especially with coffee or tea.


The recipe is easy to follow. The taste is not far from the mamon you get from Goldilocks or Red Ribbon. It is very tasty, fluffy, buttery and the sweetness is just about right. I am happy with the result especially that Red Ribbon is about 70 miles away, who wouldn't be happy, right?


Ingredients:
8 egg yolks
8 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 3/4 cups sifted Cake Flour
1/3 cup melted Butter
1/3 tsp Orange Extract
1/4 tsp Lemon Extract
1 tsp Cream of Tartar
3/4 cup sugar

Directions:
1. Beat in a mixer at high speed until thick: 8 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/3 cup water.
2. Then at low speed — add 1 tbsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1-3/4 cup sifted cake flour, 1/3 cup melted butter, 1/4 tsp. orange extract, and 1/4 tsp. lemon extract.
3. In a separate bowl, beat 8 eggwhites with 1 tsp. of cream of tartar at high speed. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff (about 4 minutes).
4. Fold in the yolk mixture into the whites.
5. Grease 14 big mamon molds or 20 small molds with softened or melted butter on all sides.
6. Pour the mamon mixture into the greased molds, 3/4’s full.
7. Bake mamon at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 15 minutes.
8. When done, brush the mamon with softened butter and roll in a plate of sugar.


I will make another batch using a different recipe next time to see the difference. What I would also like to do is add some grated cheese on top of it. Will post the update soon!

Goodies like this is is really hard to resist. I am on my third piece now and no this isn't part of my everyday diet... hehe..

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Sauteed Kang Kong (Watercress)

I must admit, I don't eat vegetables regularly. But if I do, I eat lots of it. One of my favorite vegetables is Kangkong or better known as Watercress or Water Spinach here in the US. There are lots of ways to cook it. It can be made as Adobong Kangkong - sauteed in cooking oil, garlic, onions, vinegar and soy sauce. Then there's an appetizer called Crispy Kangkong - coated in batter and fried until crisp and golden brown. It is also a common leaf vegetable in meat or fish soup like 'Sinigang'.

But my favorite one is the Ginisang Kangkong or Sauteed Watercress. As you are aware by now, I'm a sucker for easy cooking and this one I think is the easiest dish I have made thus far.

Just need garlic, cooking oil and bunch of watercress. Wash the vegetables and trim the large stems. Heat the pan with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Cook the garlic until golden brown then add the watercress and stir constantly until wilted for about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Be careful not to overcook the greens. Make sure it has a firm, crisp texture and good color because mushy and overcooked vegetables won't look appetizing.

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Pichi-Pichi rolled in grated coconut

Pichi-Pichi is another famous Philippine delicacy. It is made up of steamed grated cassava flavored with pandan and topped with grated coconut.



I always thought that this was a difficult sweet to make. Because for me, any dessert that involves cassava is difficult. But it was not. In fact, I was told that this can be done in the microwave as well instead of the steamer. I will try that next time and let you know of the outcome.



I like eating this when it is warm but this is good as well when served cold especially when it is covered with lots of grated coconut. Yum!

Ingeredients:
2 cups grated cassava
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups white sugar
grated coconut
pandan extract

Directions:
1] Mix all ingredients except for grated coconut. Stir well.
2] Add in the pandan extract and mix again.
3] Transfer in a container and steamed for 2 hours.
4] Remove from steamer and wait for it to cool down a bit.
5] Make small balls using two spoons or ice cream scooper and roll them in the grated coconut.



These Pichi-pichi has a hint of green color to it due to the pandan extract, another good idea is to make it in different colors especially Holidays is just around the corner, you can color your pichi-pichi with red and green to make it look more festive.

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Oxtail Kare-Kare

Kare-Kare is a Philippine stew made from peanut sauce and a variety of vegetables. This dish is not something you can mess up with.. :) Growing up, this was always a dish that is served on special occasions or as a weekend meal. Because back then there was no ready made mix that you can use. So you have to devote ample time in preparing this dish. My dad was the go-to guy when it comes to kare-kare. I remember my relatives and friends of the family always asked my dad to make this whenever there's a special occasion.

So last weekend, I tried making my own version of Kare-kare. I found a very easy to follow recipe on the net.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ox tail
2 medium sized eggplant cut in small pieces
1 bunch of baby bok choy
1 bunch of string beans
1 cup peanut butter
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced or chopped
1 big onion chopped
3 tablespoon cooking oil
annato seeds or powder
1/4 c. rice flour

Directions:
1] Wash the ox tail. Cut into serving pieces. Place in a heavy saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, remove the scums as it rises, cover, add more water if you need to. Kare kare is better if the meat is tender. Let simmer until the meat is tender this will take about 1-2 hours.
2] Transfer the meat into a plate or a bowl and let it cool, strain and set aside the stock.
3] Place rice flour in a skillet and toast over medium-high heat until golden. Set aside.
4] In a casserole, heat oil over medium heat. Add annato seeds or powder and “cook” until they render color and the oil is bright red. Remove annato seeds and discard. Increase heat to medium-high and saute onions and garlic for about 30 seconds. Add meat pieces and cook until they absorb the color or the oil. Pour in 4 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and add vegetables.
5] Meanwhile, mix peanut butter with 1/2 c. of stock. Mix roasted rice flour with 1/2 c. of stock. Pour in peanut butter and rice flour mixtures into the casserole. Stir to blend well. Season with salt. Cook for about a 2 minutes until sauce is thick.
6] Serve hot with shrimp paste and steamed rice.

In place of ox tail, beef and tripe can all be used. I also like to mention, try not to overcook the vegetables just because it doesn't look good to have soggy veggies floating around your stew.. :) This was my first time making this dish and definitely not the last as my husbnd was very pleased with the outcome. Also, to make it a lot easier, you can just use the Mama Sita's Kare-Kare mix that can be purchased at any Oriental store. I personally did not use it only because I wanted to try it from scratch. But I will try it next time to see the difference. :)

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