Steamed pompano with ginger sauce
Most of my friends who cook think that commercial broth cubes are an essential ingredient of steamed whole fish. I beg to disagree. Using broth cubes takes the control out of the cook because you’re stuck with the flavors in the broth cubes. Worse, the MSG content of broth cubes kill the natural flavors of the fish and who the heck wants that? Might as well eat canned fish.
Continue reading 'Steamed pompano with ginger sauce' »
Herbed chicken soup with assorted beans
Cook the beans in simmering water for an hour and a half. Cook a whole chicken in lots of water, a whole garlic, an onion, ten tomatoes, a bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary, oregano and salt. Debone the chicken, peel and mash the garlic, onion and tomatoes. Return everything to the pot, add the cooked beans, simmer for a few minutes and you’ve got yourself a great soup.
Continue reading 'Herbed chicken soup with assorted beans' »
Minted pork ribs
The first time I grilled pork ribs seasoned with mint jelly and coriander paste, I wasn’t able to take photos. The second time, they got a bit burned because I was too busy blogging and forgot to check the time. Last night, they were perfect. But it’s more than just about the right temperature and cooking time. I read a tip recently about salting meat a day prior to grilling and the result is pretty amazing.
Continue reading 'Minted pork ribs' »
Chicken soup for a rainy day
Ham bones, especially those from Chinese ham, are wonderful for making soup. You just drop the bones in water, add onions and garlic and let everything simmer for an hour. The flavors from the bone will transfer to the water and you get a broth that is simply bursting with flavor.
But who has ham bones at this time of the year? Well, see, Majestic Ham sells bones by the kilo…
Continue reading 'Chicken soup for a rainy day' »
Lamb biryani
The first time I cooked lamb biryani was sometime during the last quarter of 2005 after viewing an episode of Globe Trekker… Long-time readers of Pinoy Cook will probably remember that in December of 2005, all my blogs suffered from a massive technical problem and I lost four months’ worth of entries, the lamb biryani recipe among them. I think it’s about time I post a new lamb biryani entry.
Continue reading 'Lamb biryani' »
Buttered pearl potatoes with fresh parsley
The first time I made buttered potatoes, my daughter Sam was about 10 months old and I was pregnant with Alex. Sam is now 15 and Alex will turn 14 in January. I got the recipe from a Good Housekeeping Entertainment cookbook, the first cookbook that my husband and I bought as a newly-married couple… That was a long time ago and I’ve learned a lot since then.
Continue reading 'Buttered pearl potatoes with fresh parsley' »
Grilled fish with two dipping sauces
You can serve your grilled fish with the usual soy sauce, kalamansi juice and chili peppers, or you can try a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, salt, finely minced garlic and onion leaves. Try to get a few pieces of onion leaves with every bite of fish, they make all the difference.
Continue reading 'Grilled fish with two dipping sauces' »
Fish head soup with coconut cream
When you hear the term “fish head soup”, the picture that forms in the mind is fish head in a clear broth with leafy green vegetables…But I’ve often dreamed of a fish head soup that was more filling, more robust and less ordinary. No clear broth with subtle hints of garlic and ginger but full-bodied and with a lot of bite in it. Chilis and coconut cream seemed like a great idea.
Continue reading 'Fish head soup with coconut cream' »
