'Vegetable recipes' archive

Guinataang paco

It seems redundant to call this dish guinataang paco fern considering that paco is the local name for the tender sprouts of vegetable fern. Yet, a lot of recipes on web refer to it that way — paco fern. It is vegetable fern, an edible fern to be more precise, and we call it paco in the Philippines. Ambulant vendors used to pass by the house and my father would buy bunches of paco from them.

Some people like to prepare paco as a salad; personally, I haven’t tried that. My father used to cook paco with pork and coconut cream and that was how I was introduced to this vegetable.

Spicy, herb-y adobong sitaw

The classic adobong sitaw gets more than a superficial facelift with the addition of chili garlic sauce (yes, yes, I am quite addicted to the stuff), egg strips, cilantro and toasted onion bits. Onion bits? Yes, onion bits. Garlic bits are too predictable already. Besides, there’s enough garlic in the adobo. Onion bits add a sweetish flavor to the dish and, combined with the cilantro, it is wonderful.

You can use the usual ground pork or get some bacon-cut pork belly. Not bacon but bacon-cut pork belly. What’s that?

Adobong kangkong

There is an older version of adobong kangkong (swamp / water spinach) in the archive but it was cooked with chicken gizzards. This version which went into the kids’ school lunchboxes, has strips of lean pork.

If the meat comes from a young animal and is cut correctly, the pork strips are tender after only about 15 minutes of cooking. You can buy pork cutlets from the supermarket (thin, wide slices of fatless pork) or you can buy the meat whole and do the slicing yourself…

Lumpiang ubod (heart of palm spring rolls)

The last time I made lumpiang ubod, my firstborn (now 15) was still a baby and we were living at my in-laws’. I had too many excuses for not making lumpiang ubod all these years — I had no non-stick pan to make those crepe-like wrappers, it was such a hassle going to the market so early in the morning for the ubod choice cuts, the weather’s too hot…

Lumpiang labong (bamboo shoots spring rolls)

I would have made lumpiang ubod (heart of palm spring rolls) but that entails going to the market very early in the morning when the ubod is fresh and I can still specify which portion I want. But after cooking the kids’ packed school lunch, by the time they have left for school, all I want is to crawl back into bed…

Ginataang puso ng saging (banana bud/blossom in coconut cream)

I was in high school when I first learned to cook guinataang puso ng saging. I remember my father advising that I choose the puso ng saging that was long, cream-colored and no more than three inches in diameter at the thickest part. Why that was preferable over the more common fat reddish and fat puso ng saging, I never asked, although I suspected it had something to do with the numerous varieties of banana available in the Philippines. One time years later, when I was obliged to use the non-preferred variety, I realized that the long cream-colored puso ng saging was more tender and required a shorter cooking time.

Adobong sitaw 2

I have an older recipe for adobong sitaw where I used small cubes of pork belly. This time, I used ground lean pork.

Is there much difference? Well, adobo is basically a fatty dish. It just doesn’t taste right unless there is some fat in the meat and the sauce. So, using ground lean pork does make a difference. I suppose it’s a matter of what is right for you…

Pinakbet without bagoong

The title of the entry sounds sacrilegious, I know. Pinakbet without bagoong. Well, tough. I am allergic to bagoong (shrimp paste) and even its fish version. In fact, there are certains brands of patis (fish sauce) that do not agree with me as well. Ironically, I love the Ilocano classic dish called pinakbet–not for the bagoong-flavored sauce but for the wonderful mixture of vegetables. And I always felt a little deprived when, growing up, everyone in the family could enjoy a hearty meal of pinakbet except me.

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House On A Hill

Asian cooking

• Pork spare ribs stir fry
• Cold soba noodles
• Soba with fish balls and quekiam
• Turkey tails stir fry
• Aromatic (and tastier!) spring roll wrappers
• Cabbage rolls soup
• Chicken satay
• Kikiam (Que-kiam)
• Maskara
• Steamed Eel (Palos) Topped With Leeks, Mushrooms and Carrots

How to cook

• Oven-roasted crispy pata
• Stuffing a duck with aromatics
• The pasta connection
• A few kitchen tips
• Cutting corn off the cob
• Reheating fried spring rolls
• Stir frying basics
• Meals in a flash, part 2
• Herb-infused olive oil
• Low fat, low sugar diet