PANCIT PALABOK

When one speaks with flowery words, beating around the bush rather than zeroing in on the point of conversation, one is said to speak with too much "palabok". This Filipino term is also the name of a dish with so many accoutrements: the pancit palabok. The dish, unlike the saying, is outright delicious at the first mouthful.

EGGS BENEDICT

The egg is the perfect food. It is the ordinary everyday food, the eat-all-day food, the food to eat when there's nothing else, the food that makes everything special. Why is that? It is the taste of the egg. It has a rich yet simple taste that improves any food that it joins. Eggs makes everything taste and look good.

PHILLY MAC AND CHEESESTEAK

One dish meals are lifesavers on busy days. Quick and easy is the way to go. There is one rule that I try not to break: Never sacrifice taste.

CAJUN JAMBALAYA

 

As a Filipino, I thoroughly connect to the taste of Jambalaya. Apart from the herbs and spices, it could have been a Filipino dish. We like all-in-one rice dishes like this because all the ingredients contribute to making the rice very flavourful.

QUINOA CON POLLO

Quinoa is a relatively new grain but is in everyone's shopping trolley and store cupboard. What's the deal in quinoa? 

The food and Agricultural Organization of the UN has declared 2013 as The International Year of the Quinoa. It is actually a seed rather than a grain, is low in carbs, high in protein, has neither fat nor cholesterol content and is gluten free. These tiny, tiny seeds are touted as the new superfood. The list is long and very scientific and I get muddled by that sort of thing so I'll just say that it is really good for you.

THAI STYLE PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

It is time to prepare for the Chinese New Year and I want to use up the leftovers from the Christmas past. Frozen peas, frozen corn, frozen ham, frozen prawns spell fried rice. I would have made yang chow fried rice but we happened to have a pineapple so I decided to make pineapple fried rice for a change.

COTTAGE PIE

We have been extremely lucky to have mild weather since the start of the winter. 11° C on Christmas is nothing short of a miracle. Alas, as we all now know, good things don't last. The cold snap has descended and I'm feeling the cold right to my bones.

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

We are all still shaken by the aftermath of hurricane Sandy. Even though we are oceans away, we are shocked and saddened by the tragic event. We hope and pray that recovery will be smooth and swift.

ARROZ ALA CUBANA

Rice is so important to the Asian culture so much so that the Chinese greeting "Chifanle meiyou?" directly translates as "Have you eaten (rice) yet?". The concept of food revolves around rice and what can be eaten with it. In the Philippines, it is not uncommon to ask or be asked "Ano ang ulam ninyo?" which means "What  is your viand?" or "What are you eating with rice?". It is not a poking question but, since it is one of the most important daily concerns, people tend to talk about it, much like talking about the weather.

KUNG PAO CHICKEN ON GLASS NOODLES

I love Kung Pao chicken and the exciting buzz it gives when eating it. Kung pao chicken is a classic Szechuan dish of chicken and peanuts in a fiery hot sauce spiked with Szechuan peppercorns and dried chillies. It is that double hit of peppers that make this dish so exciting. The Szechuan peppercorns has a citrusy flavour and a numbing effect in the mouth. The dried chillies has a hint of smokiness and distinct chilli flavour and heat. Although good with rice, I thought adding glass noodles would be a great one dish meal. 

ASIAN BARBECUE BEEF BRISKET

Some people plan their meals before heading to the shops. I, on the other hand, belong to the other group of "some people" who usually plan my meals according to what I have. My freezer is usually full of an assortment of meat cuts and joints among other things. Faced with a beef brisket joint, there are a lot of ideas that come to mind. Being of Asian origin, my inclinations tend to veer towards that direction. 

ASIAN SALMON BURGERS AND SWEET POTATO FRIES

I am an avid fan of fish and seafood and serve it as often as I can. In themselves they are packed with so much flavour that there is not much needed to be done to them. Once in a while though, we hanker for something new, some shift to our usual menu. 

FISH STRIPS AND BAKED POTATO CHIPS

Growing up in a predominantly Catholic country, the Philippines, I have always been aware of the practice of abstaining from meat during the Fridays of Lent. Back home, there are a lot of meat free dishes that are customarily lined up for Lent. Sometimes there is so much food made "in lieu" of meat that we end up feasting instead of fasting.

PHO BO

To us Asians, there is no greater comfort food than a steaming bowl of noodle soup. Noodle shops abound providing instant satisfaction to those craving their regular fix. It is habit forming, which is good because, not only is it delicious, it is very nutritious, too.  

ARROZ VALENCIANA

The Christmas celebration in the Philippines is long and elaborate . Being predominantly Catholic, the festivities revolve around the religious significance of the occasion. Family and friends all join in to celebrate together. What better way is there to celebrate than with food.

SEAFOOD PAELLA

Paella has a wow factor in its presentation.  All the seafood arranged nicely on top of the rice never fails to impress and evoke anticipation of the tastes soon to be savoured. A well cooked paella never disappoints. Both the richly flavoured rice and the assortment of seafood provides well over the expected gustatory delights.

This is an easy and fool proof recipe that will give you a perfect paella each time. All the ingredients contribute to the success of the dish, so choose them well. You can vary the assortment and quantity of the toppings depending on what you like or what you have on hand. It is like a pizza with rice as the base. 

You can throw in anything you like. The only thing you have to measure exactly is the rice and the liquid. The ratio is 1 cup of rice to  1 1/4 cup of stock. This will result to a perfectly cooked rice. A good quality stock is vital to this dish as it provides the flavour for the rice. 

I used a good homemade fish stock using fish bones and all the trimmings from the squid plus bouquet garni, onions and carrots. You can also add prawn shells, if you have any. I always save the shells from my prawns when I peel them and stash them in the freezer. I used long grain rice instead of paella rice because I find that it absorbs all the flavours better and cooks more evenly. I pre-cooked the dish on the stove top and finished it in the oven. 

This recipe will happily serve 6-8 people. 

Ingredients:


olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, cubed
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. uncooked long grain rice
2 1/2 c. rich fish stock
1 pinch of saffron or 1 tsp. kasubha (wild saffron)
1/2 sweet red pepper, cut into squares
12-20 whole shell on prawns
5 whole squids cut into 1" wide pieces
20 mussels
1/2 c. frozen green peas, blanched


Method:


Pre-heat the oven to 350º F/ 180º C. 

Boil some of the stock and use to parboil the mussels just until it opens. Drain. Add the mussel liquid back to the stock. This is the exact amount (2 1/2 c.) you'll need to cook the rice. 

Wash the rice and drain. 

In a clean paella pan or ordinary pan, fry the prawns in 3 tbsps. of olive oil on medium high heat until the shells become a bright orange colour. Transfer to a dish and set aside. 

Fry the squid in the same pan briefly just until it turns opaque. Transfer to a dish. 

In the same pan, saute the garlic for 2 minutes. Add the rice, tomato paste and the saffron and stir well until the grains are coated with oil. 

Add the sweet pepper and the 2 1/2 c. of stock. Stir, then bring to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings. The liquid should be a little over salted as it will be absorbed by the rice. Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. 

After 15 minutes, uncover, add the green peas, stir and fluff up the rice. Arrange the prawns, squid and mussels decoratively on top. If there are juices from the seafood, drizzle them over the rice. Cover with the foil again and bake for another 5 minutes. 

Take out of the oven, keeping the cover on, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges.

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MIXED MEAT STIR FRY ON FUJIAN NOODLES AND LONDON'S CHINA TOWN

It is supposed to be the summer season but the weather seems to ignore the fact. All we had was one or two weeks of sunshine in the spring. It is either raining or overcast. Luckily, a little bit of sunshine has been forecasted for the next few days. It is not hot, just nice, mild with a dose of sunshine. These days are just so precious and few that we really have to take advantage of them. Of course the first thing that comes to mind are the leisurely activities that we have been dreaming of doing all the winter months. We went out to China Town in the weekend and it was so nice to stroll around without a heavy coat and a cold nose.

SHELL-ON CRAB AND CORN CHOWDER

 

We can't seem to have enough of crabs. While it's in season, we eat a lot of it. Today, I made a crab and corn chowder. I've left the meat in the shells. The shells makes the soup taste so rich, briny and really crabby (!). Also, this is supposed to be a quick and easy to cook dish. I don't want to slave all day picking the flesh off the crab shell. Flaked crab meat tends to fall apart when cooked leaving you just mush to chew on rather than the big tasty morsels that you coax off the shell.

SPAGHETTI WITH PRAWNS IN SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

Pasta can make a hearty and delicious meal in no time. When I'm busy and pressed for time, pasta is my reprieve. I'm sure it is for a lot of people, too. 

ADOBO RICE

Adobo is the legendary Filipino dish that is as much Filipino as the people themselves. We Filipinos eat it at least once a week. As time wears on, the popularity doesn't waver but does quite the opposite. On bread, wraps, salads, they are equally good. There will be more new ways to eat adobo in the future, I'm sure.