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Itlog na maalat, alamang, and tuyo!

February 26, 2013 | Author: Babs

What do these three food items have in common? They all stink, but they make a good meal! If the French have the smelly blue cheese, the Koreans have kimchi, the Filipinos have three smelly food items that may not sit well with foreigners.

Alamang (Shrimp paste)

The “alamang” or shrimp paste is used as a condiment/dipping sauce or “sawsawan” to enhance the flavor of the meal. It is made of small shrimps fermented for several days or months! You may find it hard to imagine how something that is made to rot can taste so good! Think of it as your salt and pepper except Filipinos dip into their sawsawan while the Americans dash their salt and pepper. The salty flavor of alamang can counteract the sweet peanut sauce of the kare kare, it can tame the sourness of the sinigang, and can serve as seasoning for tomato and onion enslada. It is the most popular partner of the green mango! The alamang has no visual appeal. To the innocent and ignorant, it probably looks as bad as it smells, which is a common characteristic of fermented products. The alamang is typically placed in large bins, sold by the glass (usually an emptied Nescafe container) in the wet market. These days, the alamang has become more commercialized and are sold in sealed and more sanitized bottles with labeled brands. The most popular brand is the The Barrio Fiesta, a Filipino restaurant that has ventured into the alamang business. Barrio Fiesta is probably responsible for glamorizing and branding the alamang. The glamorized and branded alamang is distinctly different from the traditional alamang sold in the wet markets in many ways: first, it does not stink as bad as the alamang because it is submerged in lots of fat; second, the color is dark brown that gives it more semblance to cooked food than the pinkish color of the alamang from the wet market; third, the bottled alamang is ready to eat, but can also be reheated prior to eating, while the alamang from the wet market has been fermented, it still needs to be cooked. Check out this link for home made alamang. This recipe includes the fermentation process.

Tuyo (dried fish) – Photo by Celine Castillo-Macy

Tuyo in tagalog means dry/dried or it can also refer to dried fish. The tuyo is cooked by frying in oil. The stench is most prominent during the frying process then diffuses after cooking. Either that or you just get used to the foul odor, which may be just as foul as the alamang but the tuyo is probably the best tasting source of calcium! This is because the tuyo is dried from small whole silvery fishes, most common are herring, sardines types, and small mackerel. Once it is well fried, the head, the bones, and the tail become crunchy, palatable and digestible. Unlike the alamang, the tuyo is consumed as a viand but goes well with Datu Puti vinegar as sawsawan. But like the alamang, the tuyo has evolved to a more “gourmet-nized” status among diners. The tuyo was or still is commonly known as a “poor man’s” food because it was a cheap source of protein and minerals. It’s salty flavor provides a tasty meal with rice when meats, poultry and vegetables are unaffordable. It is also commonly sold in wet markets usually in open basket containers. Today, the tuyo can be found in grocery stores as “gourmet tuyo” in oil. It is not as cheap as the tuyo from the wet market sold by the handful. However, the gourmet tuyo is more versatile in the kitchen than the traditional tuyo because it can be used as pasta sauce, noodle sauce, fried rice, or simply as a main dish.

Salted egg salad

Finally, there’s the salted egg or the “Itlog na Maalat”. Like the alamang, and the tuyo, the salted egg is SALTY and it is a cheap source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Usually made from boiled duck eggs, it is preserved in rock salt for several days. It may look and smell like rotten eggs but it’s just like any other boiled egg! It is perfect with sliced tomatoes and onion enslada, and when served with steaming boiled rice makes a well balanced meal.

Comparing Ca (mg) content of salted egg, alamang, and tuyo with cheddar cheese and whole milk:

Food	Serving Size (g)	Proteins (g)	Calcium (mg)	Vitamin A (RAE)
Salted Egg	83	13.6	120	242
Alamang	15	2.5	105	17
Tuyo	57	40.9	209	61
Cheddar Cheese	28	7.06	204	74
Whole Milk	244	7.69	276	112

Source: The Philippine Food Composition Table, 1997; and USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 25

The stew that broke my crockpot!

February 19, 2013 | Author: Babs

The stew actually didn’t have anything to do with the demise of my 3 yr old crockpot, it died because of user problem!

The Alba Cookbook, edited by Nancy Reyes-Lumen (2012)

This dish is based on Estofado de Vaca recipe by Señor Anastacio de Alba and Miguel de Alba. The original recipe is from the Alba Cookbook (2012). I hope Señor Alba won’t mind a few modifications to the recipe. I am sure it is prefect as it is but when I first tried to prepare the estofado, I didn’t have rum, I ran out of white wine vinegar and was forced to add the pork ribs because of a last minute addition to our dinner guest. Thus, the rum was replaced by dark beer, while the cider vinegar was substitute for white wine vinegar. After trying the recipe again with white wine vinegar, I recommend to retain this ingredient because the cider vinegar gives a very strong acid flavor, which overwhelms the other flavors of the stew. However, I prefer the cerveza negra over the rum. Also, the pork ribs seemed to work better than the beef because the pork fat and the bone makes it tastier, and it also absorbs the seasonings, beer, white wine, and vinegar better than the beef even if the stew is aged overnight.

The original recipe does not call for chorizo, but because I love chorizo, I added it for extra flavor and it works well with the liquor in the stew.

What makes this stew appealing is its mix of alcohol and how it blends well with the other ingredients, especially with the oregano. Instead of prolonged cooking time on a stove, it is better to do a slow cook in a CROCKPOT, if you know how to use it properly! But first, make sure to boil the meat and save the broth so you can use for main preparation.

Below is the modified version of Señor Alba’s estofado de vaca:

Beef and pork stew modified from The Alba Cookbook

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs Pork ribs
2 pcs Spanish chorizo, sliced
4 to 5 cups Meat stock
3/4 cup White wine
1/2 cup White wine vinegar
1/2 cup Dark beer
1/4 cup Olive oil
2 heads of Garlic
1 whole Onions, peeled and chopped
2 pcs Bay leaves
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Black pepper
2 tsp Paprika
2 cups Baby carrots
4 pcs Celery stalks, sliced (Optional)

Boil pork ribs and the chorizo until well done.

Transfer cooked meats in a crockpot together with the meat stock. Add all ingredients and blend well.

Set slow cooker to High and cook for 4 hours or until carrots are well done, and the pork meat breaks from the bones.

Note: Prepare stew the day before service (almost like serving it as left over!) to allow the meats to absorb the seasoning. Should your crockpot decide to breakdown on you, first cook the meats on a stove then add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer until carrots are well done and the pork meat breaks from the bones.

‘Tis the Season for Weight Loss!

January 31, 2013 | Author: Babs

After feasting during the Christmas Season, many of us have committed ourselves to, or at least trying to, losing some weight as part of our New Year’s resolution. I have given up on new year’s resolutions a long time ago because I end up doing the opposite of what I resolved to do. It is very likely that if I made weight loss as my 2013 resolution, I would most likely end up 20 lbs heavier by the end of the year. From my experience, I can easily achieve this in a span of just 6 months!

I never had weight problems before the 40s set in. I thought going into my 30s was the beginning of my weight problems, but lo and behold, more weight had yet to be gained during the next decade of my life. In my 20s gaining 3 to 5 lbs could easily be blamed to bloating due to pre-menstrual period, or being hormonal that led to binge eating. The weight easily shed off after that time of the month passed. Now that I am past the reproductive stage in life, I have no excuse! On the other hand, I can always blame the aging process.

That is probably not a valid excuse while many of my friends (my age, and those even older) who were once on the heavier side and had once envied my small frame are losing weight and are in better shape than I am! Hmmmph with a stump of the feet! And they actually look great and not gaunt and shriveled.

For a good 4 years I was able to maintain a weight of 105lbs to 110lbs simply by walking about 20 blocks to and from work everyday! Since I didn’t have the discipline to go to the gym, and didn’t want to pay for something I knew I couldn’t commit to, I decided to incorporate my workout into my daily routine. This worked out just fine until life became too convenient. I moved to an apartment building located right above the train station. With this move, my walking significantly decreased by half. Without realizing it, and thinking that my metabolism was the same as when I was in my 20s, my weight increased within a span of 6 months. During a doctor’s visit, the nurse took my weight and to my surprise, I had gained 25 lbs. I don’t even remember gaining in 3 to 5 lbs increments! It seemed my weight jumped straight from 105lbs to 130lbs! The first thing I did was blame the weighing scale, I thought “that couldn’t be right, maybe it was supposed to read 115lbs. ” I wish! It was during this time when my clothes size was swinging between size 6 and 8, a significant change from the time I was buying size 2 and petite sizes in the beginning of that spring!

I noticed that in my photos that my curves had changed to two layers, with the breast as the first layer, and the belly as the second layer. Unfortunately, the second layer extended out further than the first layer.

Being surrounded by people who were into fitness made me think about getting into better shape! Then I started experiencing shortness of breath just by walking, and to think I am (or was) a walker! A little incline made it very difficult to walk and breathe at the same time. This is when the alert went off! According to the American Heart Association, shortness of breath is one of the symptoms of a heart attack, and is the number one killer of women! It was scary and disappointing to feel out of shape because I used have the stamina for sports, but now walking was becoming difficult. I knew I had to do something about it, unless I want to end up developing all the chronic diseases associated with aging, which my family is so prone to. Heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, etc, you name it, it all runs in the family.

Although I was more than 20 lbs heavier than what I was used to, my body mass index (BMI) was still within normal range but I was in the upper range of 23 (>18 = underweight, 25 and above = overweight). If I didn’t control my weight now, I knew I could end up overweight in next few months.

I initiated my weight loss in the later half of 2012 with a baseline weight of 137lbs. My weight would bounce back and forth from 137 to 135 lbs depending whether I was having a good day with my bowel movement. It was only after I started exercising that I began to lose some lbs. To date, I have lost about 12 lbs, and it has been slow, and a not so triumphant battle but atleast my weight trend is more on weight loss than weight gain.

Although it has been a slow process, I not only shed off some unwanted belly fat, I was able to build up stamina. I do not aspire to be as skinny as Taylor Swift, but at least I feel good that my BMI indicates normal weight for my height, and it has decreased from 23 to 21.5. I will not make recommendations on what one should do to lose weight but I did come up with some lessons learned. Some are obvious and common sense but putting it to practice could be quite challenging. One thing for sure, the most successful weight loss program that will keep you in shape is always a combination of diet and exercise.

1. Listen to your body and know what it is telling you. Are you experiencing physical or physiological changes that were not there before? Could these be symptoms of something? Does it have anything to do with my weight? My shortness of breath (SOB) was the first alert from my body telling me that I was out of shape. Knowing that SOB could be a sign or symptom of heart disease, I knew I had to get in shape. If there is something that you feel is not normal, talk to your doctor or a health professional. The bottom line is, keep track of your weight and maintain good health. Weight is a good indicator of your health. However, being fat or thin does not mean you are healthy.

2. Choose a diet that is right for you. There are many diets out there and you are free to try them all until you get things right. Sharon Osbourne lost 23 lbs in six weeks with the Atkins diet, while Jennifer Hudson has a new body thanks to Weight Watchers. But be aware that what worked for Sharon and Jennifer may not work for you. Note also that drastic weight loss in a short span of time is not sustainable and will most likely lead to weight gain twice as much as you had lost. The ideal weight loss is 1 lbs per week, but if you are obese, then ideal weight loss is 2 lbs per week. Find or follow a diet that will not leave you hungry nor weak that it will compromise your health. Aiming to be thin doesn’t mean you starve yourself, starvation and food deprivation is a drag and it does not make a successful weight loss program. Also, you will not be able to exercise if you are starved and do not have enough stored energy.

3. Portion control is the key. If you are not extremely overweight or obese, and you have no health risks such hypertension, kidney disorder, or liver disorder that require you to be on a therapeutic diet, you can eat whatever you want with proper portion control. Learn about serving size and be conscious of nutrition labels. Serving size does not always equate to how a food is packaged. For example a 10 oz bag of Frito Lays, or a 1 lb bag of M&Ms, or a box of Chips Ahoy cookies are not serving sizes! A serving size is usually 13 to 16 pcs of potato chips (yeah, who counts the chips while eating!?), or a 2 pcs of cookies out of a pack of a dozen. Check the nutrition labels at the back of the package to help you count calories per serving size and know your required daily caloric requirement. The usual caloric requirement for adults is about 1800 to 2000 calories depending or sex and age, and physical activity. Let this be your guide to your daily intake, if you exceed 500 calories a day, do not have an active lifestyle, then you may be at risk to being over weight.

4. Not too many realize that fluid intake contributes to daily caloric intake, except for water and coffee. Although it is always good to drink plenty of fluids, whether in the from of coffee, tea, or fruit juice, be conscious of smoothies, lattes, and coffees with whip cream, and fruit juices, which are usually high in sugars and fats. Wine is known to have health benefits but it also provides calories, especially if you take in more than 6 fl oz. We enjoy good wine with a good meal, and when this combination is too good, we tend to eat and drink more.

5. Similar to your diet, choose a physical activity that you enjoy. Zumba is very popular, and everyone I know enjoyed losing weight by doing Zumba. Unfortunately, this was not for me because I was never well coordinated. I wouldn’t enjoy it if I wasn’t good at it. I have always admired people who run, and I like the rhythm of running, it is constant and it only requires one choreography! However, if Zumba, ball room dancing, or even weight lifting is something you are interested in, give it a try! Find a workout that is most suited for you.

6. Start slow on your exercise to build your stamina, especially if you have not exercised for a very long time or are not used to exercising at all. If you have a history of heart disease, consult your doctor before indulging in high intensity physical activities. When I decided to exercise, I knew I would not enjoy exercising if it constantly reminded me that I was out of shape, and would have probably quit. So I started with hula hoops for 20 min everyday (although the recommended time was for 15 min), then moved to stationary bike. After a few weeks with the stationary bike, I added walking on the trend mill. I gradually increased the speed of the trend mill until I started running. Because I was able to gradually rebuild my stamina, I now get more out of my exercising by running and doing the stationary bike.

7. Exercise does not have to be high intensity. According to the a study conducted by The University of North Carolina Gilling School of Global Public Health (June 2012), physical activity can reduce the risk of breast cancer in women by 30%. This number was observed among women who either did moderate or intense physical activity. The Center for Disease control recommends 150 minutes per week of physical activity, which can be broken into 10 minutes at a time (http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/measuring/index.html). Even general gardening is considered moderate activity. Health Watch on CBS reported that sitting while watching TV for an hour reduces life expectancy by 22 minutes, even if you exercise. The message is “move around”. Take the stairs, walk instead of driving, if possible, or park the car farther to allow you some walking time, and get up from your chair to get a cup of water instead of keeping a large water bottle on your desk.

8. Weight loss requires change in behavior. Be wary if a product, either a diet program or some form of pill that tells you can lose weight without changing your lifestyle. Especially if it offers a quick fix to your weight problem. No matter how you decide to proceed with your weight loss, some lifestyle changes are necessary. Initiating or incorporating physical activity is one change, eating the right portion size (from big to small portions) may require some will power and self-control.

9. Set your goals. One of my motivation to lose weight was to look good for a friend’s wedding where I would be one of the bridesmaids, alongside other girls who were in their 30s, but looked like they were in their skinny 20s. After the wedding, then what? Although physical appearance is always part of our goal to losing weight, the wedding was not a very meaningful goal, especially not sustainable, and not long term. In the short term, set your goals for your workout. If you are doing a 10 minute moderate workout a day, try increasing the work out to 20 minutes a day. Once you have built enough stamina, and are actually enjoying your workout, try to gradually shift from moderate to a more intense (but not necessarily) vigorous physical activity.

10. When working out, make sure to have a good pair of sneakers! And the right one too. Make sure your shoes provide good support and cushion to avoid injury. Injuries to your skeletal system and muscular system takes a long time to heal, and usually do not heal completely. This is will hamper your workout which makes up half of your weightloss program.

Chicken sausage cocktail

November 21, 2012 | Author: Babs

Chicken sausage cocktail

Here is a simple appetizer that is close to a well balanced diet. Boil the sausage instead of frying to boil out some of the fat. After boiling, you will see the fat particles on the surface of the water, which you can drain with the water.

If you are watching your sodium and cholesterol intake, use beef franks sausage, which has lower cholesterol (35 mg cholesterol per sausage) compared to the chicken sausage (65 mg per sausage). Beef franks also have lower sodium content per sausage at 340 mg per sausage compared to chicken sausage at 600 mg per sausage. However, calories from beef franks is higher (190 calories per sausage) than the chicken sausage (120 calories per sausage). Check the nutrition labels as calories and nutrients would differ depending on the brand.

I could never figure out if olives are classified as a vegetable or a fruit. I have always thought of it as a vegetable and usually add it to boring dishes that need some greens. Apparently, the olive is considered a fruit because it grows on trees. Choose pimiento filled olives instead of the cheese filling, to avoid the fat. The pimientos also add color to the cocktail!

Health benefits of the olive focuses more on its oils than the fruit itself, which contains all the anti-oxidant, anti-degenerative disease, cancer preventive properties. But both oils and the fruit it comes from contain the vitamins, mineral, fatty acids, and lipoproteins, and phytochemicals that may help prevent diseases. I will not go into the chemistry of the olive because I am not a chemist, all I can say it is olives are good for you!

The addition of the apple to the cocktail was made for obvious reasons. As the old saying goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Although this recipe makes use of only half an apply, there is no way the other half should go to waste or stored for another time because it will oxidize and brown. Eat one half of the apple as you prepare the cocktail! Try drinking white wine (e.g. Chenin Blanc or Sauvingon Blanc) with your apple to enhance the flavor of the wine.

Ingredients:

2 pcs Open Nature chicken sausage OR beef franks
14 pcs Green olives with pimiento
1/2 Apple

14 toothpicks (this is not an ingredient but it is essential!)

Cut each sausage into 7 pieces and boil in shallow pan with enough water to cover the sausage pieces.

While cooking the sausage, slice the apple in 1/2. Take 1/2 and apple and eat it! Slice the other half into wedges, then chop the wedges into 14 pieces. Place apple pieces in toothpick like skewer.

Take 14 pieces of olives and arrange in toothpicks with the apples. By the time you are done with this process, the sausage should be well cooked.

Drain the water from the boiled chicken sausage and take each toothpick with the olives and apple pieces to pick up the sausage pieces. leave enough space on the toothpick for handling.

Arrange the sausage cocktails on a serving dish and let cool until sausages are completely dry.

Lychee and Strawberry Salad

November 20, 2012 | Author: Babs

Lychee and strawberry salad

As the name of the recipe implies, that’s all it takes to make this dish! A very creative and imaginative name for a recipe with only two ingredients plus mint leaves to garnish. This makes a refreshing dessert or snack during the summer, but adding a shot or two of Bombay Sapphire Gin makes it a winter weather dessert or punch.

When we were growing up, my grandmother would bring home a couple of bundles of lychee fruit from Bangkok. It was such a treat for us because lychees were not available in the Philippines. This was before free trade, canned fruit, and strict quarantine at airports!

I do not find the lychee fruit (Litchi chinensis) very popular in the US and not everyone has a liking for its flavor. It is more popular in Asia but not cheap! In the US it is mostly sold in Asian stores, also not cheap, and resembles more the dying fruit! It is cheaper to buy it canned in syrup and more aesthetically acceptable. It is higher in vitamin C (71.5 mg) than an orange (53.2mg) based on a 100 g weight but without the sour flavor of a citrus fruit.

I am not sure what it is that makes this fruit unappealing to some since it has a very pleasant sweet flavor typical of a ripe fruit. I am guessing it is the texture of its flesh that is not as “crisp” as grapes, nor crunchy as the apple. Lychees are fibrous but not like the pineapple, soft but not like the ripe papaya or mango. It has a bit of crunch as you bite through the flesh towards the inner core where it was once attached to the seed. The color is not as attractive as the berries, and the oranges. The Lychee is usually mixed with black gelatin, which does not add to its appeal. If just for the flavor, it makes a good cocktail when blended with vodka, gin or tequilla.

It is definitely juicier and sweeter as a fresh fruit. Fresh is always better than the canned version. Unfortunately, good quality fresh lychee off the stem is hard to find so let’s settle with the canned version!

Ingredients:

1 can Lychees in syrup
8 pcs Fresh Strawberries
Mint leaves to garnish
2 shots of Gin (or preferred liquor, optional)

Pour canned lychee with syrup on a serving bowl. Cut strawberries in half and add to the lychees. Take a few mint leaves and add to the fruit mix, then add two shots of liquor. Cover and chill before serving.

Rice Crispies with Granola

October 18, 2012 | Author: Babs

Rice crispies with granola

Someone probably thought of this recipe especially in this era of fiber. Everybody seems to want fiber these days so why not turn a childhood treat to a high(er) fiber treat. By adding granola to the rice crispies treat, I estimate that the fiber content of this recipe increases from 4.8 grams to 13.1 grams per recipe. No way is this intended to transform the rice crispy treat to a super healthy snack, however, adding more fiber will hopefully facilitate the digestion of the sugars from the rice crispy cereal, the marshmallows, and the granola. By adding granola, the total sugars coming from the granola and the rice crispy cereal alone increases from 19.2 grams to 58 grams.

To make it more delectable, top with melted dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate morsels. For a thinner coat, use one pack (12 oz or approximately 2 cups) of chocolate morsels. For a thicker coat, use additional 1/2 cup chocolate morsels. This makes a very rich rice crispy granola bar, perfect with coffee!

To make, follow the original recipe for rice crispy treat on http://www.ricekrispies.com or see recipe below.

Replace two cups of rice crispies with two cups of Open Nature Dark Chocolate Hazlenut Heaven granola (or your choice of granola).

Ingredients:

3 Tbs Butter or Margarine
4 c Miniature Marshmallows
4 c Rice Crispies Cereals
2 c Granola
2 c Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels (optional)

Grease 9 x 9 inch square pan.

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and stir continuously until completely melted with sticky consistency. Add the rice crispies cereals and the granola.

Transfer the rice crispies and granola mixture into greased 9 x 9 inch square pan and pat evenly flat in pan.

Optional: Melt 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels over low heat. Once the morsels are completely melted, pour over the rice crispies and granola. Let the chocolate set in room temperature or in the refrigerator to hasten solidification of chocolate topping.

For a thicker coat, use additional 1/2 cup morsels.

Counting Poison

September 21, 2012 | Author: Babs

Arsenic (As) is a chemical element that is known to be carcinogenic and toxic. Inorganic As poses the most harmful effect on health causing cancers (lungs, bladder, skin), increasing risk of cardiovascular disease, and hampers brain development among children. Consumerreport.org recently reported that FDA study showed detectable amounts of As in rice and baby cereals. However, the levels detected in rice samples were below 10ppb, which is the standard limit for As from water. At present there is no standard limit for food but current findings is putting more pressure on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to finally set that standard.

The rice samples¹ collected in the initial study conducted by consumerreport.org comprised of rice products commonly available in the market, specifically in the metro area of New York, which include Whole Foods, Target, and Walmart. Surprisingly, the rice samples also include both organic and non-organic, brown and white rice and all had detectable amounts of As. Organic rice seemed to have lower amounts of inorganic As except for Texas best Organics brown rice (7.6 micrograms/serving). Since As is mostly contamination coming from insecticides and pesticides, organic products should not have As at all. However, the environment is so polluted that everything we consume these days has some form of contamination.

Last month another report from the study comparing organic and inorganic food showed no nutritional difference between the two, although there were slight differences in the traces of contaminants but this difference was not significant. It is premature to conclude that the As data on rice is consistent with the results from the organic vs inorganic study but looking at the preliminary data from consumerreport.org, the organic rice and the inorganic rice do not show much difference in As levels.

Another interesting trend in the As content of rice is the decreasing amount of As with processed rice. The uncooked rice, especially the brown rice showed higher levels of As. Processing may help eliminate some of the As through milling, but milling also takes away much of the micronutrients such as iron (Fe and B vitamins) which are concentrated in the aleurone layer (bran) of the rice. It would be interesting to see the As levels in whole grain since this is the part of the grain that is exposed to the environment (soil and water are sources of contaminants), and if insecticide is applied, residues would be captured in the hull. This could be the starting point of the As levels in the grain, which could be compared with levels in brown, milled and cooked rice.

The thought of having As in food even at low levels may be alarming to consumers, especially if there is no known limit for food. For now, experts are relying on the standard limits for water (10ppb). Once the FDA comes up with a number for food, will this be enough? And in the long term, what will be the effects on animal and human health? Pretty soon, we will not only be counting calories, we might have to count the amount of contaminants in our food to keep track of how much poison we take in. Instead of a daily requirement, food labels will include dietary limits for As, lead (PB), mercury (Hg) to name a few.

Check this out!

¹http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm#recommendations

Garlic Noodles with Dried Auricularia

September 19, 2012 | Author: Babs

Noodle dishes or Pancit (‘pan-sit’) in Filipino symbolizes long life, thus, it is a “must serve” dish during birthday celebrations. Ironically, we also served pancit during my grandmother’s first death anniversary!

The Pancit is one of the culinary influences of China on the Philippines, and probably throughout Asia. It can either be made from rice, eggs, or mungbean; and comes in many different forms: ramen, udon, soba, or vermicelli. The handbook on Philippine cuisine “Linamnam” describes the origin of pancit according to medical anthropologist Michael L. Tan: pancit originated from the Hokkien word “pien”, as coined by Chinese immigrants from Fujjian, meaning ready made food or cooked food. Linamnam lists 15 different kinds of pancit preparations. Like the adobo, it may be prepared in many different ways. It is served as a main dish or as a snack. Read more about different noodles and its history from links below.

Garlic noodles with dried aricularia

Anyone can claim their own personal pancit recipe as original. Below is my own version which can be modified into vegetarian or vegan dish. On the other hand, this is true for most noodle dishes by using vegetable oil, and vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, use rice noodles or mungbean noodles instead of egg noodles, and replace the chicken pieces with dried mushrooms or dried auricularia. In the Philippines, dried auricularia is referred to as “tenga ng daga” meaning “rats ears” because of its resemblance (sounds appetizing, right?). To be more precise, auricularia “is a genus of the jelly fungus family Auriculariaceae” according to Wikipedia. Yes, it is a fungus! Like all mushrooms! One can either look at it as “rats ears” or dried fungus, either way it is edible.

Most pancit dishes are usually prepared with minced chicken meat or pork. For this recipe, chicken liver or gizzards make a very exotic pancit, but one should have the stomach for this. Some people are very sensitive to the taste of liver than the taste of gizzards. Not to imply that you might be able to get away with using the gizzards without your diners knowing about it.

It is important to start with a substantial amount of vegetable oil or olive oil to cook the garlic. Also, the oil will help coat the noodles so that that it does not turn too soggy with the chicken or vegetable broth.

Ingredients:

¼ cup garlic, crushed or finely chopped¹
¼ cup canola oil or olive oil ²
2 pcs chicken breasts or ½ lb chicken gizzard or chicken liver, diced (optional)
½ cup dried mushrooms, preferably aricularia, soaked in warm water³, chopped
1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth to make it a vegetarian dish
Salt and pepper to taste
250g vermicelli noodles, soaked in warm water
Cilantro leaves to garnish

Heat oil in a large wok. Add the finely chopped garlic until golden brown. Add the meat pieces until half cooked. Mix well the garlic and meats until meats are well coated with oil, then add the broth (vegetable or chicken). Simmer until meats are well cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain the noodles then add to the chicken mixture. Mix well. Liquid should be absorbed by the noodles but if noodles need further cooking, add more broth or water to moisten the dish.

Top with cilantro leaves then serve warm.

¹ You may also use fried garlic for a quick and easy prep. This is sold in Asian grocery stores

² Using garlic oil will enhance the garlic flavor. This is sold in Asian grocery stores

³ Dried aricularia will expand in size once it is rehydrated.

Check this out!

http://www.hakubaku.com/content/view/30/47/
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/types-of-chinese-noodles.html
Claude Tayag and Mary An Quioc (2012). Linamnam: eating ones way to the Philippines. Anvil Publishing, Manila p 240.

Chili Garlic Squid (or mini Octopus) and Cucumber Salad

September 18, 2012 | Author: Babs

This recipe is from “The Little Ensalada Book” by Gene Gonzalez. Chef Gonzalez is a well-known Filipino chef promoting Philippine cuisine alongside other popular restauranteur and chefs in Manila¹. Although this recipe calls for squid, the mini octopus from the Vietnamese market is a good substitute or maybe added to the squid. The recipe does not require cooking, therefore it is very important to use fresh squid. If using frozen squid and octopus, cover it with boiling water just enough to cook (5 min or less) the seafood without making it too soft. Marinate the boiled seafood with ingredients below.

The Little Ensalada Book by Gene Gonzalez

Ingredients:

2 pcs Cucumber, peeled with seeds removed and julienned
2 pcs Large Squid, cleaned, skinned and thinly sliced (reserve the head for other food preparation)
1 ½ T Chili-Garlic paste (preferably bottled and made in Hong Kong or China)
1 ½ T Honey
2 T Lemon Juice
2 T Sesame Oil
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper
1 T Sesame Seeds

Marinate squid rings in chili-garlic paste, honey, juice, oil , salt and pepper for at least 30 minutes in the chiller.

To assemble, place the julienned cucumber on a plate and top with marinated squid. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and garnish with a sprig of parsley or fanned cucumber. Serve chilled (serves 4).

¹ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19541960

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower ‘Wings’ – www.86lemons.com

September 17, 2012 | Author: Babs

The original recipe is in http://86lemons.com/vegan-buffalo-bites/. I tried the recipe and it was quite likeable. To prepare the cauliflower buffalo bites, the recipe calls for either water or soy milk. The soymilk is a better option because it allows the coating to brown during baking. Instead of the vegan margarine, use the olive oil otherwise this dish would be “too soy-based”, which is probably a good thing in improving the protein content of the dish. However, if you are a high risk gout victim, too much soy will surely increase your chances of suffering!

Photo from www.86lemons.com

Since I was conserving my all purpose flour and had no use for my self rising flour, which has been sitting lonely in the pantry forever, I used self-rising flour which actually gave a fluffy texture (but not thick coating).

The recipe requires a scary amount of hot sauce (1 cup!). I have never consumed that much hot sauce before and it was hard to imagine how palatable this dish would turn out. That’s where the olive oil comes in (again)! I presume that the spicy flavor of the cauliflower may be adjusted by either adding more or less olive oil to the hot sauce. The end product is exactly as shown in www.86lemons.com.

The bigger challenge was the “blue cheese dressing” because the flavor of the tofu was very overpowering and it was difficult to attain the correct blend of sourness between the apple cider vinegar and the lemon juice. The recipe does not include salt and pepper but I added both to taste and to mask some of the tofu flavor. Still unsatisfied, I decided to add chopped red onions and chopped fresh dill leaves, which added color and flavor. The dressing was very light and guilt-free and it went well with the cauliflower bites. The dressing/dip may be used with veggie chips or lentil chips!

FoodLeisure.com

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Chili Garlic Squid (or mini Octopus) and Cucumber Salad

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower ‘Wings’ – www.86lemons.com

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