'Asian cooking' archive

Vietnamese spring rolls

We never go to a Vietnamese restaurant without ordering spring rolls. Between Pho Hoa and Pho Bac, I prefer the latter’s spring rolls. Apart from that though, my vote goes to Pho Hoa all the way. It’s always been my dream to make Vietnamese spring rolls at home but it wasn’t easy getting hold of rice spring roll wrappers. Quite recently, they started making an appearance in bigger supermarkets. I suppose that signals how popular Vietnamese cooking has become in the Philippines.

Cabbage rolls soup

There are two cabbage rolls recipes in the archive. One has chicken filling, served with white sauce and topped with grated cheese. The other is the more traditional version, stuffed with ground pork and simmered in tomato sauce. Little did I know that stuffed cabbage, or cabbage rolls, are served as a soup in Vietnam.

Lasang Pinoy 24: Coconut custard

My most memorable leche flan experience was at a fiesta. The custard was made with duck eggs and coconut milk, according to the father of my husband’s officemate. It was something I always dreamed of doing at home but the few times that we were able to buy fresh duck eggs, my coconut leche flan did not turn out too well. I probably wouldn’t have made the attempt again anytime soon had not Kai e-mailed me about Lasang Pinoy 24: Loco over coco.

Japchae (jabchae, chapchae or chapchee), a Korean noodle dish

From the various recipes of japchae that I have read, spinach appears to be a traditional ingredient. But my first japchae experience not only included spinach but some yellow beans and string beans as well. Ergo, I figured it wouldn’t really hurt to play a little with the combination of vegetables. My version of japchae does not include spinach but mung beans and spring onions.

Vietnamese chicken satay with nuoc cham

Chicken satay without peanuts. I couldn’t believe it myself having associated satay with peanut butter. But this recipe from Vietnamese Cooking Made Easy (recipes by Nongkran Daks, Alexandra Greeley and Wendy Hutton; published by Periplus) is peanut-free. It is light and succulent, delicate with just the right hints of complementing flavors. Served with nuoc cham, the Vietnamese sweet and sour dipping sauce, it satisfies the craving for barbecue without the grease and the fat.

Nasi goreng (fried rice)

Back in college, there was a restaurant in the Diliman area called Rasa Singapura. That was where I had my first taste of nasi goreng. It is tempting to categorize this entry under “Singaporean recipes” but nasi goreng more properly belongs to Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines. It is fried rice cooked in much the same way as any Chinese-style fried rice except that the most popular versions of this dish include a little bit of shrimp paste — belacan (sometimes, belachan) to Malaysians; bagoong to us Filipinos.

Pork and asparagus egg drop soup

Based on the view count, the chicken in caramel sauce appears to be quite popular. Easy and tasty is always attractive. To the newbie cook, it means less chances of messing up. To the busy mom, it means less time sweating it out in the kitchen. To the seasoned cook, it’s a rest from those laborious works of art. To the diner, good food is good food.

I should tell you though that I served the chicken in caramel sauce with a soup.

Chicken in caramel sauce

…while the Japanese teriyaki and the Vietnamese chicken in caramel sauce may appear similar, and even taste somewhat similar to the untrained diner, two dishes cannot be more unlike. While both have that sweet-salty flavor, Japanese teriyaki is sweetened with sake and mirin and salted with soy sauce, the Vietnamese chicken caramel is sweetened with sugar and salted with fish sauce. The only thing they have in common is the ginger.

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House On A Hill

Fish & seafood

• Baked fish and spinach
• Fish fillets in white wine
• Chili garlic shrimps with coriander paste and Kecap Manis
• Tilapia with shredded corn and coconut cream
• Baked tahong (mussels)
• Fish fillets in white wine and cream-and-cheese sauce
• Budget cooking part 2 (fish and vegetables frittata)
• Braised tilapia
• Lemon-butter-garlic prawns
• Pasta with clams in red wine sauce

Healthy veggies

• Baked eggplants with bacon and cheese
• Smoked salmon, lettuce and kesong puti (white cheese) salad
• A side dish: buttered corn and carrots
• Pork, okra, squash and eggplants in sour cream
• Fried chicken and vegetable salad
• Mashed potatoes and kalabasa (squash)
• Cheese-topped buttered vegetables
• Oven-fried potato chips
• Fish fillet and vegetables in sour cream
• Salmon salad with mango-lemon dressing