Kinunot na Page (Stingray)

Ciempre, si nepot again!

Love ni nepot ang kinunot na page (stingray). At dahil minsan lang available ang page sa wet market, yon ang laging cravings nya dito-kinunot! Minsan, may mga restaurants na nagse-serve ng kinunot na page, pero hindi kami masyadong  ma-satisfy kase malabnaw (thin and not creamy) ang gata (coconut milk). Kaya mas gusto pa rin namin na home cooked na lang para magawa namin ang masarap na kinunot para sa min. 


At ang pinakamasarap na kinunot para sa min ay yong malapot (thick and creamy) ang gata na halos humahalo na ang laman ng page sa gata na parang dips ng chips. At eto ang recipe namin para sa kinunot na page.

Kinunot pa page.
Creamy and Delicious! 

Ingredients: 
1 kilo karne ng page (mabibili na sa palengke ng naka-cubes na o tinadtad na) 
1 tasa ng kakang gata (first extract) 
1 tasa ng gata (second extract) 
5-6 buti ng bawang, tinadtad 
1 maliit na piraso ng luya, kinatas 
3-4 piraso ng luyang dilaw, pinitpit (pwede din ang powder) 
4 pirasong siling haba 
4 siling labuyo (or chili powder) 
1 tangkay ng tanglad, pinitpit (pressed) 
2 kutsarang patis (fish sauce) 
asin at paminta 
mantika


Procedure:
Pakuluan ang page ng may konting asin hanggang sa lumambot. Kailangang malambot na malambot para makagawa ng masarap na kinunot. Palamigin at himayin. Alisin ang balat.  Masahin ang karne ng page gamit ang dough masher o tinidor kung walang masher.
Samantala, ihanda ang gata. Kung gamit mo ay kinayod na niyog, gumamit ng isang tasang maligamgam na tubig para sa kakang gata at isa pang tasang tubig para sa ikalawang gata. Kung gagamit naman ng readily available na gata, sundin lang ang instructions sa packaging para makagawa ng dalawang tasang gata.   

Lutuin natin...

Igisa ang bawang sa mainit na mantika. Ingatang wag masunog ang bawang. Ihalo ang sibuyas at ang luya. Igisa dito ang ang karne ng page. Haluing maige. Ibuhos ang ikalawang gata. Wag haluin at takpan. Hayaang kumulo. Hinaan ang apoy hanggang sa bahagyang makati ang sabaw. Idagdag ang luyang dilaw at ang tanglad, ang siling haba at siling labuyo. Timplahan din ng patis. Ibuhos ang unang gata. Hayaang kumulo hanggang makati ang sabaw pero hindi tuyo. Timplahan ng asin at paminta ayon sa panlasa. Maaaring lagyan ng hinimay na malunggay para sa dagdag na sustansya.  Sarap! Bagay sa mainit na kanin o pandesal! Kain ta!



Trivia:
Kinunot ang tawag sa hinimay ng pino or shredded sa Ingles at niluto sa gata. Sa mas pino  pang paghihimay at saka mamasahin ng tinidor, makakagawa ng masarap na palaman mula sa karne ng page o tinatawag na pâté sa Ingles.  Ang recipe na ito ay maaari ring mabasa sa wikang Ingles sa isa kong page or site. Maari po lamang na basahin ang ibang links. 

  

Tokwa't Baboy (Pork and Tofu)

Crispy fried face mask with ears and tongue

Look at the fine and milky texture of fresh tofu 

Pig's mask with ears  are the best parts to be used for this recipe. Nepot would salivate a lot everytime he sees me preparing this. In fact, he helps because this is just one of the best dishes he can prepare himself.  I would go to Manong Magtataho to get the freshly made tofu. They are best early morning. The ones sold in the wet market that are soaked in water become fermented making the tofu smells a bit sour. They can still be used for cooking, but you need to have an acquired taste for it.  Fresh ones are so milky and delicious and don't have the sour smell that spoils the freshness of the fried pork mask. 

The sauce for this is actually my nepot's recipe. He eats what he cooks and he indulges much!  Really much! And he eats them all day.

 

Ingredients:

Pig's mask (maskara) with the ears

Pig's tongue (white part removed)

(Ask your butcher to get these parts for you)

Freshly made tofu

Salt and pepper

Oil for frying

Water

Boil the pig's mask and tongue with salt and pepper until fork tender.  Drain until it's dry.   Heat oil in a deep pan. Fry the meat and drain again.  Slice according to your want. But bite sized are preferred.

Fry the tofu in big squares then slice also the same size with your meat.

Tokwa't Baboy, yum yum!

Now, prepare the sauce:

Soysauce

Vinegar

Chili

Onion

Garlic

Sugar

Pepper

Mix according to desired taste.

Voila!!! Let's dip and eat! Sarap, promise!

   

Bulanglang, Diningding! Whatever

This isn't really on my top list of vegetable dishes, but Nepot would crave for this once in a while. I'd rather have pinakbet or pakbet instead of this bulanglang or diningding thing. But I learned one thing from my mom on cooking this. It has to be used with rice wash (hugas bigas).  And it should be the last wash.  Bulanglang ang tawag dito sa timog katagalugan (Southern Luzon), at Diningding naman sa parteng Hilaga ng Luzon (Northern Luzon) where it is more common.  Bagoong or anchovy paste or sauce is used in this. It is considered as the main flavoring for diningding.  But it is still best eaten when served really hot!

Ingredients and Procedure:

4 cups rice wash

Okra

Squash

String beans

Upo

Eggplant

Ampalaya

Ginger (pressed)

Onion (peeled and quartered)

Bagoong (anchovy paste or sauce), according to taste

A handful of dried anchovies (dilis)

Bring the rice wash into a boil with ginger, onion and the dried anchovies.  Slowly add in the vegetables from the hardest to softest. That means squash should be first and okra will be the last. When all vegetables are tender, but not soft, add in the bagoong (according to taste). Serve hot!    

We love Kimchi!!!

I and my nepot are both kimchi fanatics.  My korean friends would give me bulk of it which we would consume at home for a week. But by the time she went back to Korea, I needed to make on my own because I found that commercially sold kimchi in supermarkets are quite expensive, and would be much more expensive  thinking that nepot and I eat kimchi anytime we want.  And the bad thing is, we want it everytime! I already shared the recipe on my other blog at hubpages. Just look for lois sunday at hubpages.  There are three kinds of kimchi I love best: cabbage kimchi, cucumber kimchi and radish kimchi.
  

Mix of Cabbage and Radish Kimchi

What I want to share with you is how we actually consume kimchi at home. No matter what kind of kimchi you have or you choose, it is so good in any way. A korean mom said, sweet breads and cakes should be eaten with kimchi for better digestion. Haha! I  had a good laugh when I heard that! Ever saw a coffeeshop serving cakes with kimchi on the side? :D   :D  :D  But then, when I once tried it, I realized they're exactly a perfect match!  A Dunkin Donuts  Store in Korea is even serving Kimchi donut! :D 'Guess, that one is good too!

                                                                                      Oi Sobagi or Cucumber Kimchi

Noodles! Yes, instant noodles get better when cooked with kimchi!  Just boil the noodles with water. Add the other spices then put in some kimchi. Voila!!! You may also add onion leeks for more flavor and crack an egg then stir. That's the simplest you can do. But when you have all the time to prepare, better grab some egg noodles, cook it as usual. Before removing from fire, add the kimchi. Great one!

                                                     Look at that! Dried noodles (pancit canton) with kimchi 

There are plenty of tales about kimchi as there are much dishes you can do with kimchi. Yet, the best about kimchi is that, you can just eat it alone and still enjoy its aroma and benefit.  I will be sharing recipes for kimchichigae (kimchi soup) and Kimchibokumbap (kimchi rice) on my other posts in this blog.  Have fun! Enjoy.

Trivia: Kimchi is a good source of vitamin C and many other nutrients.  

Liver steak

One of my favorite breakfasts! And nepot's too! When I was young I used to have liver steak at least twice a week for breakfast. My dad used to tell us: that is good for you because it contains plenty of iron. Brain food!  So, now that I have my own kids, I do serve my family with it more often. I love beef or cow's liver than pig's liver, but my kids prefer the latter.  Sometimes, I have the liver ground to make delicious gravy. So that's extra nutrients for my family.       

If you can't slice liver thinly, ask your butcher  do it for you.  The thinner the better because you have to cook it fast.

Ingredients:

Half pound Liver , sliced into thin servings

1 Big onion, slice into rings

4 cloves Garlic, crushed and minced

3 Tbsp. Soy sauce

1 tsp. Pepper

3 pcs. Calamansi (extract only)

Oil for sautéing

1/4 cup Water

How to do it:

Saute garlic in oil.  Add the liver and mix. When the liver is done, which means there no more blood coming out when you prick it with a fork, pour water and soy sauce. Sprinkle with pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the onion rings and the calamansi extract.  Simmer for a while but don't overcook the onions. Adjust taste if desired. Serve with rice. 

Trivia: The longer you cook liver, the harder it gets. So make sure you just cook it right.  Opt for chicken liver if you want it to remain tender.

In place of calamansi, lime can be used. 

Squash cake (Okoy na kalabasa)

When it comes to vegies, innovations should be done. I don't know but my husband and kids don’t want the same recipe for vegetables over and over again.  No repetitions, but modifications and revisions can fool them.  So, instead of making soups, stews and sautes with my squash, I grated it and make into squash cakes! Nice idea and a good job!  Everybody loves it. Yumyum!

Getting ready for cooking , okoy na kalabasa (squash cake)

Grate 1 medium-sized squash in a cheese grater.

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 pieces ripe finger chili or 1 bell pepper

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 whole egg

2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

Oil for frying

Mix the ingredients together.  Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Scoop some of the mixture and put on hot oil. Flatten with the bottom of a turner. Cook each side for 3 minutes at medium fire.  Drain on paper towel to remove excess oil. 

Serve hot!  Super good and nutritious!

Dip: Vinegar with garlic or just plain tomato catsup

The Best Palabok, Promise!

Ever heard of someone whose favorite food is palabok? Before I thought it's weird. But when I heard Enchong Dee (a Filipino Actor from ABS-CBN channel) said that his favorite food is palabok, I thought: Oh my, how much more if he would be able to taste my palabok!  Palabok is a tagalog term for glass noodles with yellowish sauce and topped with garnishes,  smoked-fish giving the dominant flavor. 

My palabok in a bilao

Before, Nepot was not really into Palabok. If we would eat out in Filipino Restaurants,  palabok was never a choice. I asked him one time why not try palabok even for once, but he said, he already did and will never try again. He didn't like the fishy aftertaste of palabok that made him feel like puking. 

But one time, I was craving for palabok, and I thought maybe I could try it on my own. I'm also not a fan but I wanted to try if I could make better palabok that my hubby and family would love.  The kind that we will always crave for.

And yes, I am so proud that I was able to do it! And the best part is that, it's not only my family who craves for it often, but also my friends and my friends' friends who have tasted it. 

Here's how:

The glass noodles should be blanched until al dente. Yes, al dente and not soft. Drain and drizzle with oil. Set aside.

my plate of palabok

My sauce is made of annatto  oil, where I saute my minced garlic, shallots and the rest of the ingredients. I mix it with salt while sauteing. The flavors have to blend well  altogether before  adding the flour  to make it like "roux". Then pour with water.  Mix continuously until it boils. 

I use the following for toppings/garnish:

Fried and shredded smoked fish 

Crushed chicharon (homemade chicharons are the best)  

Hard-boiled  eggs

Chopped green onions

Drizzle with calamansi.

Perfect palabok!

You may use seafoods for your toppings like mussels and shrimp.  Both should be cooked well before adding. But as for me, my palabok is so simple, no seafoods but tastes a lot better!