Skinless longganisa
Longganisa is native sausage. The seasonings vary depending on the regional origin. Lucban and Vigan longganisa are garlicky, for instance. Then there is the sweet longganisa called hamonado. Longganisa comes in various sizes as well. Some are made with beef or chicken instead of pork. Sweet or spicy, small or large, longganisa is a popular [...]
Continue reading 'Skinless longganisa' »
Maja Maiz
This is maja cooked the easy way. Not the traditional maja blanca where the corn is grated, the mixture steamed, then served with oil made from fresh coconut cream. I’m just not into those too-difficult-things-to-make that the cook feels too tired when the dish is finally ready to serve. Perhaps, if I had half a [...]
Continue reading 'Maja Maiz' »
Culinary quips
Philippine television is full ofÉ ah, whatever.
Host: What makes your restaurant special? What does it offer that others do not?
Guest: Our menu is full of melt-watering dishes.
Host: What is the secret ingredient of this delicious dish youÕre demonstrating for us this afternoon? Please share it with our viewers.
Guest: Well, ok, since you insist. ItÕs [...]
Continue reading 'Culinary quips' »
Beef, mushrooms and bean curd soup
from the bean curd wrapper that we bought last Sunday, we also bought a pack of dried bean curd sticks. These are the yellow sheets that one usually finds in Chinese soups. I have seen them in supermarkets but was afraid to buy them since there are no English instructions on the packages on how [...]
Continue reading 'Beef, mushrooms and bean curd soup' »
Kikiam (Que-kiam)
Que-kiam is another popular Chinese dish adopted into Filipino cuisine. Locally known as kikiam, it is made with ground pork and vegetables wrapped in bean curd sheets then deep-fried until golden. I’ve wanted to cook this dish for some time now but finding the bean curd wrapper, or tawpe, had been quite a problem. Until [...]
Continue reading 'Kikiam (Que-kiam)' »
Baby back ribs
Preparation and cooking time was one hour–and I cooked the baby back ribs twice. That’s how tender the meat was. This was last night’s dinner. Baby back ribs–braised then broiled and served with a gravy (made from the braising sauce) and mashed potatoes. These are pork ribs. While the term baby back ribs is more [...]
Continue reading 'Baby back ribs' »
Corned beef pan de sal
Pan de sal–the Filipino breakfast, mid-morning, mid-afternoon and dinner rolls. Sweet rolls crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. Just like cell phones (hey, we’re SMS country, aren’t we?), pan de sal is a social equalizer of sorts. Rich or poor, pan de sal is a staple in most Filipino homes. It is eaten [...]
Continue reading 'Corned beef pan de sal' »
Lechon kawali stew
Next to lechon (roasted whole pig), lechon kawali is probably the most popular–and sinful–way to cook pork in the Philippines. Pork belly boiled in water with spices and plenty of salt, drained then deep fried until crisp and golden and the rind puffed like cracklings. A wonderful dish, really. But lechon kawali is only good [...]
Continue reading 'Lechon kawali stew' »
