Speedy’s picadillo
Traditionally, picadillo was cooked with either beef AND chayote, or beef AND potatoes. My father (who was a really fantastic cook) used to make both versions, depending on which vegetable was available. So did I, until a few nights ago when I just felt that beef AND chayote was already too boring, while beef AND [...]
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Pancit miki bihon
Here is a recipe that originated from China. The Chinese introduced noodles, noodle-making and noodle cooking in the Philippines centuries ago. We have adopted and improvised Chinese noodle recipes, and integrated them into our own cuisine using locally-available ingredients.
Just like Italian pasta, oriental noodles come is a wide variety of shapes and sizes, fresh and [...]
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Chicken sinigang
“Sinigang” is a sour soup. A good “sinigang” results in the correct blend of saltiness and sourness of the soup. Its main ingredient can either be meat or seafood. Its soup base is either tamarind (usually when using meat) or guava (for fish or shrimp).
To make the base for sinigang during my grandmother’s time, [...]
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Arroz a la Alexandra
“Arroz” (rice) a la Valenciana and “Arroz” a la Paella are well-known traditional Spanish dishes. My grandmother used to make them when I was a child. I learned the basic techniques from her.
The first time I made Paella, I dispensed with the tomato paste, the olives and the capers. I also improvised by cooking [...]
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Savory mussel soup
The fastest way of ruining any seafood dish is by overcooking. Unlike meat, seafood turns dry and rubbery with overcooking. And they shrink like anything.
Most people make mussel soup by adding the mussels to the pan before pouring in the water. I don’t. I let the water boil first BEFORE adding the mussels. This way, [...]
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Bean sprout lumpia
Bean sprout lumpia, or lumpiang togue, as it is popularly known to the Filipinos, is so named because the bean sprout is the dominant ingredient. But that’s not really a strict rule. The proportion between the different vegetables can be changed. You can have more carrots and green beans. Or you can add more tofu [...]
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Myra’s chicken adobo
Here’s a way of making your chicken adobo go a long, long way… in style.
The idea of adding potatoes wasn’t mine. It was Myra’s, our househelp. Give credit where credit is due. So, this is her recipe, really. I just documented it. When we first interviewed Myra, she said she was only a so-so [...]
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