Pancit

It's New Year's Eve. Say goodbye to 2009 and say hello to 2010. In many places right now it's already the Jan 1st. Everyone please stay safe tonight.

Another famous Filipino dish. Pronounced like pansit. Most people who've tasted Philippine cuisine would be very familiar with this as well as the lumpia. This is a rice noodle dish with some celery, carrots, cabbage, chicken and Chinese sausage. You'd also find this in many gatherings and parties. It's almost like a must have as part of the menu.

One of the neat things I like to do is to stuff this into a pan de sal or dinner roll and eat it like a sandwich. It may sound weird to some, but totally fun to eat. 

Pancit

2 garlic cloves
8 oz rice noodles
onion
1 c cooked chicken - shredded
1 small head of cabbage - chopped
1/2 large carrot - julienned
1 celery stick chopped
1 1/2 to 2 c water or stock
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
pepper

Wash the rice noodles briefly in cold water and drain. Set aside.

In a large pan on medium to high heat, saute the garlic in the oil, The saute the onions and add chicken season with a little pepper. Add the soy sauce. Then the carrots and saute until slightly tender. Season with salt. Add the cabbage and broth. and mix together. Cover the pan and bring the light boil to cook the cabbage. When the broth is boiling, lower the heat and add the rice noodles. Mix thorughly until the noodles ave absorbed the broth and are darker in color.

Note: Do not cover completely after cooking or it will spoil.

Melon

You can't really see much from the first photo, but this is a simple classic Filipino drink that any one can make. A perfect summer drink with the most generic name you can think go. Hey, hey, it's simple and to the point. It consists of only three ingredients: cantaloupe, water, and sugar. I remember my little cousins drinking it all up. You would definitely find this on many street food vendors. You'd sometimes see this in many Filipino parties too.

The cantaloupe is shaved into spaghetti strips using a little do-dad thingy-ma-jig. I can't think of the name, but it's a double ended contraption that has a melon baller on one end and a five-ringed looking thing on the other. You just drag it from one end to the other and it will shave the melon in thin noodle strips. It's really cool. I think that the appeal of this drink. You can slurp up the melon. It's really refreshing especially now.




This is definitely a punch bowl type of drink. You can make this in big batches or a small glass. You can also make this drink with honeydew or any melon for that matter.

This recipe serve 3.



Melon

1/2 Cantaloupe (seeded & shredded)
12 oz Cold Water
1-2 Tbsp granulated sugar or brown sugar

Combine all three ingredients together. You may add more sugar if needed.

You can make this in advance and let it chill in the fridge or have it with lots of ice (cubes, crushed, shaved, etc)

Edited to add: (Thanks to Tangled Noodle and my mom) don't discard the smooshy part with the seeds! Instead, spoon it into a small mesh strainer, which is then placed over an empty pitcher. As you slowly pour the cold water over the pulp, use a spoon to mash it so that the juice is squeezed. This way, you get even more cantaloupe flavor!

Caramelized Plantains in Shaved Ice

When my mom told me about this snack she used to have as a child, I looked at her like she was crazy. My skepticism remained as she prepared this dessert/treat next to me, while I tinkered away at making another fruity smoothie. Yes, I've been in smoothie mode lately. It's summer. Anyway, it was kind of like the banana cue but with shaved ice and evaporated milk. It reminded me of a Filipino dessert called halo-halo (said like hallow). Don't worry I'll be making that very soon.

I'd glance over to her every once in a while as to how she was preparing it. No oil involved in this. The banana simmered in water and brown sugar until it was of a caramel color and the water has turned into a syrup-like consistency. She plates the bananas, while I shave the ice. I scoop a hefty serving over the bananas and drizzle some evaporated milk. I dig in.

POW!!!! Was this so good? You bet it was. The combination of the sweetness from the banana and the evaporated milk. The ice and milk are like a sauce for the banana. I devoured that very bowl you see in the picture. Well, the contents of it. It's great to enjoy the snacks and foods my mom grew up eating. Sort of makes me homesick for the Philippines. I actually want to make some more.

Oh, you can do this with sweet potatoes, too.



Caramelized Plantains in Shaved Ice

2 Large plantains (peeled and sliced)
2 c water
1 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
evaporated milk
shaved ice

Place the water, plantains and sugar in the wok or pan. On a medium, flame heat the contents until the water become a syrup-like consistency and the bananas have a caramel like color. Be sure to turn them every once in a while to avoid sticking to the pan. You may add more sugar, if you prefer it to be extra sweet.

Shave lots of ice.

Place the bananas in a bowl with a little drizzle of the syrup. Top with the shaved ice and pour over some of the evaorated milk. Again as to how much will be to your preference.

The heat of the banana will melt the ice.

Banana Cue

I'm still in my summer Filipino treats mode. You already saw my Sago at Gulaman concoction. If not, go check it out after you finish reading today's delicious dish. I had bought a couple of plantains from the grocery a couple days ago. They looked fresh and there was only a few left. I took the opportunity to take 'em. You want to get them just right before they turn ripe. It's the best kind when you fry these puppies. Banana cue is another common treat found from street vendors in the Philippines.

They are plantains that are fried with brown sugar giving it a firm caramel coat. Kind of like candied bananas or almost like a bananas foster in a way. In the Philippine language, a banana is called saging (sa-ging). It's close relative treat is the turon (to-ron), which is a plantain and a piece of jack fruit wrapped in an egg roll wrapper, fried and coated with brown sugar. The banana cue is similar but it's strictly just the banana and served on a skewer. Easy portability. I'll be making the turon soon.

You'd think that frying a banana would cook it inside and out. Yes and no. The key is to just brown the outer layer, then sealing it with a brown sugar coating until it caramelizes. The outside of it has a nice firm sugar crust. When you bite into it, it's got a little itty-bitty crunch then you get into the nice, yellow, soft and warm inside of the plantain. My mom once told me she used to eat these with her classmates during recess when she was a little child.

I didn't put any time measurements as you need to keep an eye out on them. You got to get a feeling for them while they cook. I think that's the secret to making delicious banana cues. Can you see that chunky piece of crystalized sugar?? Those are the best parts. It goes really well with ice cream.

I could eat these all day. Have a piece of fruit while satisfying the sweet tooth, what could be better than that, right?



Banana Cue

2 Large Plantain (nearly ripe)
4 Tbsp brown sugar
Skewers

Oil (canola, vegetable, peanut = You choice)

Remove the skins of the plantains, cut them in half.

In a frying pan, heat some oil. Just enough to go half way up the banana. When the oil is really hot, carfully drop in the plantains. You'd want the outside to have a slight browning. Turn, if needed.

When the bananas have browned slightly all around, sprinkle the brown sugar. You may add more. Keep an eye while they fry you want the sugar to melt and coat the plaintains. Roughly 5-10min. turn them ocassionaly to cook all around.

When the sugar has completely coated the plantains and looks firm, remove from then oil and insert a skewer lengthwise. Two will fit on one stick.

Serve warm.

Sago at Gulaman

I'm in a Filipino mood. Been somewhat craving summer treats from the motherland. Summer days equals air conditioning and ice cold refreshing drinks. I'm digging deep down into my roots and sharing with you a classic treat. This is a common drink served by street vendors with their homemade foods. Sold for less than P5 per cup. Pesos. That's like a few US cents. I'm horrible with exchange rates, but I know it's considerably really cheap. You'd also find this at any, if not most, Filipino gatherings.

Every time I visit The Peach Kitchen, a fantastic blog that is run by Peachkins, I'm always reminded of the foods I grew up on. I did grow up in Los Angeles, I'm fortunate that there's so many stores and restaurants and parties that serve and make foods from the Philippines. On one of her recent posts (here) I saw a picture of a large container of this delicious drink and took it upon myself to make some. Actually, it's been on my agenda of things to make, but I've just finally had to push myself to make it. Besides, this is a "hot weather" drink.

Sago at Gulaman, which in English is translated to tapioca pearls and agar jelly, is served in a simple syrup as a shaved ice dessert or as a refreshing drink.


Sago (sa-go) are practically the same stuff you'd find in boba. Cooking tapioca pearls is a bit of a process. Not hard. It just takes a bit of time. There are three ways you can to do them:

1. Boiling the pearls the day before waiting 12 hours, boiling them again and wait another three hours or more before serving.
2. Boiling the pearls for 2 hours straight (constantly stirring)
3. Buy the "ready made in syrup" kind.

Option 2 and 3 are for those who can't wait that long and don't have much time. But you can still do the first one even if you have a time limit. Knowing me, I'll take option 1 and 2. For some reason, I feel like I'm cheating if I use option #3. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just how I roll. I've got some time anyway. Besides, this drink isn't hard to make. You just want the tapioca pearls for be really soft ad slightly firm and tender at the center.

Gulaman (gu-la-man) is a type of firm jelly made from agar-agar, which is process seaweed. Many Asian countries use them as well. You can use jello, but the consistency won't be the same. Or you can omit it all together. It's up to you. You can find them in three varieties:

1. The canned version, which is the jelly already made and preserved in syrup. The other side had an the English name of it. It didn't occur to me to picture the other side until I threw the can away. I think it had "ai jar jelly" written on it. I spiked it with a couple drops of banana extract.


2. A dry seaweed block. Similar to the consistency of nori sheets, but in different colors.

3. The boxed version like jello.

I took option 1. It's what I'm used to using. It's also has to be unflavored. You can these two items in many Asian markets.

There's really no special way to serve this. Put the tapioca pearls and agar jelly in a cup. Mix it with some simple syrup (brown sugar and water) and have it as a shaved ice dessert or as a iced drink. Eat it the tapioca pearls with a spoon or if you can get your hands on one of those jumbo straws.

I have one of those manual hand crank ice shavers. That thing it probably close to 20-years-old and still works like a charm. *knock on wood* It's like a workout just getting a cup-worth of ice shavings, but I'm happy to put the effort into it. Burn a calorie or two and add it back on with a sweet drink. The ice melts when I drizzle the syrup over creating instant liquid.

You can make a large batch for a party, too. I guess you can call it the Filipino version of the punch bowl because it's usually served in large containers. I've put the instruction for those who are adventurous to try the making the tapioca pearls the old fashioned way.

Easy-peasy and minutes to make that will satisfy the sweet tooth. It's a refreshing drink that beats the heat any day.



Sago at Gulaman

Sago (Tapioca Pearls):
8oz tapioca pearls
2 1/2 liters water

Gulaman (Agar Jelly):
12 oz agar jelly or jello (unflavored)
a couple drops of Banana extract

Simple Syrup:
1 c Brown sugar
1 1/2 water


(Note: you can also speed up the process by boiling the tapioca balls for 2 hours straight or until all or most of the white starch has disappeared. Be sure to stir occasionally to keep them from sticking. Make sure to replenish the water to prevent them from burning. Put into a container filled with water to cool them before serving.)


Bring the 2 1/2 liters of water to a boil. Add in the tapioca pearls and let them cook for 15 min. Stir constantly to keep them from sticking.

It will look like this after the first cooking. Still small, but a bit plump.

Drain and remove from pot. Rinse them in cold water to cool them down, then put them in a container full of water and let it rest for at least 12 hours or over night.

Slightly plumper.

Then boil them again with another 2 1/2 liters of water for 10 min. Rinse them in cold water to cool and then put them in a container full of water and let it rest for 3 hours in the fridge or until all the white parts have disappeared.

Fully grown. Doubled in size.

Putting it all together:
Cut the jelly into square chunks. Size is your choice. Add a couple drops of banana extract and gently mix. Set aside.

Make the simple syrup by bringing the 1 1/2 c water to a boil. Add the brown sugar and stir occasionally. You want all the granules to dissolve. Let it cool completely before using.

Take a large cup or drinking glass and place some of the tapioca pearls and agar jelly. Top with some shaved ice or or regular ice and drizzle in some of the simple syrup. Add water, if needed

Note: If not using all the cooked tapioca pearls, keep them soaked in water in the fridge or they will harden and stick to each other.

Pinoy Style: Broiled Baby Back Ribs

Here's a Filipino way to so some ribs. It's actually a take on the dish bistek, which is stir-fried beef strips with sautéed onions. Instead, we used baby back ribs and broiled them for two hours.

It's really easy to make, it just takes time. It's a "set it and forget it" kind of dish. Leaving time to do other stuff like writing or playing a relaxing game of sudoku. Go run an errand or something by the time you get home you got some delicious ribs. Plus, the onions are really easy to put together and only takes minutes.

You can use a slow cooker as well. After marinating, place all the ingredients in the slow cooker before going to work. Set it on medium to low. 8-hours later you got some awesome ribs. Ready to eat. Simple.

The end result will come out tender and clean off the bone goodness. I had this with some steamed rice.




Pinoy Style: Broiled Baby Back Ribs

1 slab baby back ribs (cut into pieces)
1/2 c soy sauce
1/3 brown sugar
juice of half a lemon
1 onion (sliced)
olive oil


Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice. Stir until the brown sugar fully dissolves.
Spread the marinade over and let it rest for at least an hour. This may be done ahead of time, if not cooking on the same day,

Preheat your broiler.

Transfer the ribs into an oven safe dish, covered with foil and place in the broiler for 2 hours. Save the marinade.

Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onions until tender. Take the marinade and add it to the onions. Saute for 2 min.

When the ribs are done, pour over the onions and sauce onto the ribs.

Serve with some steamed rice.

Ginger Soup with Chayote

Today's the final day to enter the BSI challenge with this week's ingredient of choice Bell Pepper. (here) You've got until tonight. I'll be announcing the winner tomorrow as well as who will be the next host
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It's been a while since I've done some type of soup. The last one was my creamy tomato, a couple months back. The weather was rather on the dreary side here in SoCal, I figured it would be a perfect time to make myself some soup. I only had a few ingredients on hand. Half an onion, chicken stock, ginger, and chayote.

Cha-what?

Chayote (pronounced chah-yoh-teh). It is a part of the squash family. In tagalog, it's sayote. You can read the history of this vegetable here via wikipedia. It comes in two kinds. Smooth and prickly. A native plant of Mexico. But can also be found in various parts of the world. It has a mild flavor and is a good substitute to green papaya. This vegetable is probably near the top of my favorite vegetables list. I grew up eating it usually sauteéd with some onion or in tinolang manok (chicken ginger stew with vegetables). I realized when I had already started peeling the chayote, I had forgoten to take a picture of it for those who may not know what it looks like. Thank goodness for the interweb.

Picture from Gourmet Sleuth

It can be eaten raw or cooked. You have to be careful when you peel them because they have a slight sticky residue on them that can be annoying to remove from your hands. It's best to wear a glove or hold it in a towel or produce bag. After that, you can handle it however way you want. Be sure to remove the little pit inside also.

I used chicken stock because it reminded me of the stew dish I mention above. But you can use vegetable stock to make this a vegetarian soup. Really easy to make. No complicated ingredients or tricks to do. Takes minutes to cook. Plus ginger is good for the throat and voice. At least, that's what I've been told all these years.




Ginger Soup with Chayote

1 Tbsp sliced fresh ginger
1 sliced chayote (peeled, pitted, sliced) or your vegetable of choice
1 12oz can chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 medium sweet onion (sliced)
1 glove garlic (minced)
salt
pepper
3-4 Tbsp Extra Vigrin Olive Oil

Heat the olive oil in pot on a medium flame. When the oil is hot enough sauté the garlic for 30 seconds.

Add in the onions and toss for roughly 2-3 min. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in the ginger and chayote or your vegetable of choice. Toss again for 2-3 min. Add in the chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Add more salt, if needed.

Serve with a couple of crackers or bread.

Of course, I don't need to tell you my bread of choice.

Baked Spam Frittata

You've only got today and tomorrow to enter the BSI challenge with this week's ingredient of choice Bell Pepper. (here) There's some really awesome recipes listed. It's going to be a tough decision.

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Spam. Don't be frightened. You can substitute spam for whatever meat you prefer like bacon, beef, turkey or chicken. I happened to use spam because it was in the cupboard and well... growing up in a Filipino household, canned meats were very much a part of the "balanced" diet and easy to come by. It was spam lite, so that's got to count for something. Plus, this was the result when my brain decided to shutdown on me right before I had to decide what to cook for dinner. Optimal brain function had failed due to over-excessive use for two straight weeks of writing two drafts of a script. I've gotten loopy. Loopy, I tell you!!!! LOOOOOOOPY!!

Besides, spam ain't all that bad. I actually had the idea to use it as the BSI secret ingredient. haha... Just kidding. But seriously. *nodding head slightly with a grin* I was actually about to call these "spamtatas", but that just sounded way too funny. Have I mention that I was feeling loopy?

Frittatas are the Italian version of the American and French omelettes. It is generally made in a skillet, partially cooked on the stove and finished in the broiler. Since I don't really have a sizable skillet, I used a 9-inch pie tin. (I knew those Marie Callenders pie tins would come in handy one day.) Mixed it up with half an onion and some herbs. I skipped the whole stovetop portion of the process and decided to fully baked it instead. Topped it off with a couple of slices of provolone and served it with some banana ketchup and a pan de sal. I've turned this dish into a Filiplian hybrid.

Not bad for a slight loss of brain function, eh?



Baked Spam Frittatas

1/2 can of spam lite (diced)
1/2 medium sweet onion (sliced)
salt
pepper
dry or fresh oregano
dry or fresh thyme
dry or fresh basil
4 eggs (beaten)
3-4 slices provolone

Preheat oven to 350˚F

Lightly grease a 9-inch pie tin or skillet.

Mix together spam, onion, oregano, thyme, basil and egg. Season with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a skillet or pie tin.

Bake for 40 min. 5 min before taking it out, place the provolone slices on top. Enjoy.

Pan de Sal

I've had a couple people ask me, what is Pan de Sal or Pandesal? I've used it a couple of times on this blog like my Shroomwich and Garlic Bread recipes.

Pan de Sal is the Filipino version of the American dinner roll. You can read the history of this bread via Wikipedia: Pan de Sal. The literal translation means salt bread. When in fact, it's not even salty at all, but rather a little sweet. Not too sweet where it will taste like a cake. It's a really subtle sweetness. It has a nice tender crust with lots of chewy filling inside. It will be one of the softest bread you'll try. What also makes them a little distinctive is that they are dusted with breadcrumbs. I used panko crumbs because that's the only thing I had on hand, but any plain breadcrumbs would do or crumbs from the previous batch of pan de sal would be best.

Here in America, coffee and donuts go together. In the Philippines, coffee and pan de sal are the breakfast of choice when you're on the run. I used to eat these by themselves and did so until I started baking my own bread. Now I can go back to eating them again. Plus, the smell permeates through the entire house. It's a wonderful buttery scent. It's almost intoxicating. I adapted my french bread recipe to turn it into this Filipino treat. Most recipes I found turn out large batches, which would be too much for me, as much as I love my breads.

I made these around the size of a softball. Traditionally, they're smaller than a baseball. Toast them in the conventional oven or toaster-oven and they're great for sandwiches. You can also use a bread machine if you've got one. I, on the other hand, do the traditional way.

This will make 10 softball-sized rolls or 20 semi-baseball-sized rolls.




Pan de Sal

4 c All-Purpose Flour or bread flour
1 package of active dry yeast
6 Tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil
2 c lukewarm water (120˚F-130˚F)
6 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Olive oil
bread crumbs


Combine the yeast and water in a small bowl. Add a teaspoon of sugar and stir once. Let it sit for 5 min.

Combine the flour, remaining sugar, butter or olive oil and salt in a large bowl and add the yeast. Mix it all together until it form into a dough blob.

Remove from the bowl and on a well-floured flat surface, knead the dough for a good 8 min until it feels elastic.

Lightly oil another bowl, place the dough in it and cover with plastic wrap and a towel and place away from light. Roughly 1 1/2 to 2 hrs or until the dough doubles in size.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil or spray and sprinkle some breadcrumbs over them.

When the dough has doubled, punch down the dough to let the gases out and knead it again for a couple of minutes

Cut into 4 oz or 2 oz sized balls. (10 or 20)

Once all the dough balls are on the baking sheet, cover them again with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 1 hour or until double in size again.

Preheat oven to 375˚F

Remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the rolls.

Bake in the oven: 15 min for large rolls. 10min for small rolls.

Note: to make wheat pan de sal, use 3 cups wheat flour with 1 cup all-purpose or bread flour.

Oatmeal Mango Cookies

I love oatmeal raisin cookies as much as I love chocolate chip and snickerdoodles. One thing I've never seen are oatmeal cookies with mangoes. I don't know if there's a recipe already out there, if there is I guess you can add this to the list. It popped in my heard the other day. I know there's been oatmeal with cranberry, so why not mango? I thought of using some fresh mango, but I was afraid that it'll turn it into mush. The alternative was the dried kind.

One of my favorite snacks growing was dried mangoes. One of the advantages of where I live is that there are several Filipino markets selling goods from the homeland. So I never feel homesick for snacks, treats and ingredients that I grew up loving. Dried Mangoes are best for using in cookies. The ones I used is the Philippine brand. Made from the Island of Cebu in the Visayan region. It's one of their many specialties along side the best whole roasted pig you'll ever eat. Even Anthony Bourdain said it was the best pig he's eaten.

The Philippine brand dried Mangoes are lightly sweetened. It's a healthy afternoon snack and oh-so-good! Great for fiber, too. Thought I'd throw that in there. You don't necessarily have to use this brand. I know Whole Foods, Costco and, I think, Trader Joe's carry dried mangoes. So they're definitely out there. Just be sure to get the lightly sweetened kind because when you bake it, they will caramelize inside the cookie.

I cut the dried mango to the size of raisins for chewability. I also love it when it's loaded with oats. The mangoes are not overwelming, so it blends nicely with the cinnamon flavor.

These will make 12 cookies.



Oatmeal Mango Cookies

1 c dried mangoes (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
1 c rolled oats
1/2 c unsalted butter or margarine
1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c cake flour
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350˚F

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add in each egg, stirring after each one. The add vanilla.

Mix in oats and mango pieces. Divide the mixture into 12 equal pieces and place on a lightly greased baking sheet, parchment paper or silpat.

Bake for 8 to 10 min.

Pinoy Style BBQ

Each culture has their own way of doing the B-B-Q. Here's a Filipino way of doing it. Filipino barbecue are on skewers and generally use pork butt (fat and all). Kabob style. (I used chicken tenders. Another great way to use up that big bag from Costco.) It makes an easy eat and travel food. We also do ribs and what not, but if you want to make authentic Filipino barbecue it's got to be the skewer version with a slight sweet marinade/sauce.

If you've ever been to a Filipino gathering or party, there will always be the essential food found on the buffet table like lechon (suckling whole roast pig) or lechon kawali (deep-fried pork), pancit (noodle dish), lumpiang shanghai (egg rolls), steamed rice, sinigang and barbecue or adobo. There's also a couple optional items palabok, fried chicken, kare kare, leche flan and a few others. I'll be making some of those in the coming months except the whole roast pig. Don't have room for that. Two things Filipinos are known for are their hospitality and making sure everyone is well-fed, even when the budget is out of their means. You never leave empty handed either. Whether you like it or not, you'll be taking food home.

Here's a hint in pronouncing words in the Philippine language. In tagalog (ta-ga-log), all words are spoken in short vowels. Long vowels are nonexistent and it's a "say it like you see it" language. Take for instance, the word pinoy, it is pronounced pin-oy. Simple. Or kamusta = ka-moo-sta, meaning hello or how are you. Or salamat = sa-la-mat, meaning thank you. There's also spanish words and phrase used in the language as well as the Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards. Then you'll get people speaking taglish. Intermixing of tagalog and english. That's a whole other thing altogether. You'll never know when you'll be invited to a Filipino gathering, so it's good to know these things. Alright, enough of the language lesson. Where was I going with this? Oh, that's right...Pinoy Style BBQ.

Now I don't have an outdoor grill, I'd even be happy with a little hibachi, if I could. Blame it on the landlord. Grr! But then I realized that I had one of those George Foreman grills. Woohoo... Here I was complaining and feeling envious of those being able to grill steaks, fish and veggies when in fact I had a grill all along. LOL. Duh, Jenn! (*slaps forehead*) I only used the thing a few times when it was the "it" thing to have. Since then it's been sitting my my "clutter" closet. So I dusted it off, cleaned and disinfected it from any weird stuff that may have attached itself and prepared my barbecue.

I also grilled some skewered bell peppers and onions. I didn't have pineapple chunks, but they also go great with the bell peps. The Filipino version calls for calamansi juice and banana ketchup. I had seen the ketchup in some of the Asian aisles of supermarkets as well as Asian/Filipino markets. For those unable to find those two ingredients, you can use lemon or lime juice and regular tomato ketchup.


I had briefly written about the calamansi when I first started this blog back in march (Calamansi - Fruit of the Day). Info about this little fruit can be found here via Wikipedia: Calamansi info The banana ketchup is purely made from bananas. No tomato is found in it. It is banana mashed with sugar, vinegar and spices. The red comes a little red food coloring in the mixture. Here's a recipe from recipezaar, if you'd like to try making you own at home (here). I haven't tried it, so I can't tell you if it's the same thing or not. It is also used to make Filipino-style spaghetti. If using pork for the barbecue, add some 7-up to the marinade, completely optional. Yes, the soda. It will add flavor. (edited to add: 7-up also helps tenderize the meat)

This will serve 2-3 people. For larger quantities, adjust marinade/sauce accordingly. What makes this kind of barbecue stand out is definitely the marinade/sauce and the char from the grill. It's one that you'll never forget. Plus, the easy portability of it.



Pinoy Style BBQ

1 lb chicken tenders or 1 lb pork butt (cubes or stripes)
1 yellow bell pepper (cut into 1" squares)
1 red bell pepper (cut into 1" squares)
1 medium sweet onion (quartered and separated)
1 small can pineapple chunks

BBQ skewers

Marinade/Sauce:
1 c soy sauce
1 tsp ground pepper
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Lemon, Lime or Calamansi juice
1/2 can 7-up (optional, if using pork)
1/2 c Tomato Ketchup or Banana Ketchup

Combine the soy sauce, garlic, lemon or calamansi juice, pepper, brown sugar and the optional sprite. Pour over you meat of choice and marinate for at least 30min to an hour. It's even better if you marinate overnight.

Soak the skewers in water for at least 5 min before skewering the meat. This will keep the wood from burning while cooking. Skew the meat leaving at least 2 inches at the bottom for handling.

Then skewer the bell peppers, onion and pineapple in alternating order, also leaving room at the bottom of the stick.

Do not throw away the marinade from the meat. This will become the sauce for basting. Add in the ketchup and mix well. Set aside until you are ready to grill.

Prepare and heat your grill whether be stove-top or outdoor. Cook the "meat" skewers first for 3-5min then flip and baste really good. Cook for another 2-4 min. Flip and baste again. Get a good char on the meat. (Makes it crispy) Remove from heat and let rest for 2 min to let juices redistribute. Adjust the the timing to get a nice char on both side.

Then grill the bell pepper skewers in the same method as the "meat" skewers.

Note: The marinade/sauce can also be used as a dip.

To BBQ in the oven: Heat the oven 350˚F. For chicken, place on in a baking pan and bake for 20 min. Half way turn and baste. Then baste again before removing.
For pork, do the same as the chicken but for 30-40min. Or until you see a slightly charring of the meat.

Leche Flan

Flan. A classic dessert. In the Philippines it's usually called leche flan. It's the same name either way. Flan is flan is flan. I won't go into world history of it. Oyster Food & Culture would probably do a better job at giving you a descriptive history of this sweet dessert. I just eat them.

In the fridge were 4 egg yolks. I had tried making some meringue earlier in the week, only to have it end up being an epic fail. I was about to make an egg yolk scramble, but my mom had suggested leche flan. Ah, yes! One of my favorite desserts of all time. It was also something she had seen her ninang (pronounced nee-nahng, meaning godmother in Tagalog) cook many times before when she was a child.

The last time I had some was when I was in the Philippines exactly a year ago. My aunt makes then SUPER delicious. Getting a hold of those small tin can pans and diving in into the custard with all that syrupy goodness underneath. I was in heaven! This is how my mom remembered it and my interpretation in creating it. The result is one that brings back fond memories of her hometown.

The lemon adds a balance to the sweetness of the syrup. The key to making this is "low & slow".

This will make 3-4 small individual serving.



Leche Flan

Caramel syrup
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c water

In a sauce pan, melt the sugar over low flame until it's melted into a brown caramel liquid. make sure to stir occasionally to keep it from burning. There shouldn't be any lumps of sugar left. When it's fully liquefied, slowly add in the water. Not all at once. Then stir until the it forms into a syrup-like consistency.

Here's a good way to know when it is ready. Scrape a line down the center of the pan with a wooden spoon and if it takes a while for the syrup to cover the open gap your syrup is done. Don't ever cook it or at that point your making candy.

Then take 4 small tart containers or mini load pans and pour a nice layer of syrup in each. Make sure to coat the bottom evenly and let it harden. Set aside.


Custard
1 c evaporated milk
4 egg yolks (beaten)
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Combine all ingredients into a small sauce pan on a low flame and stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is slightly heated. Roughly 10-15min. Stirring constantly will help avoid the egg yolks turning into scramble yolks and combine all ingredients together. Then strain the custard mixture well into a bowl to remove any egg bits that may have cooked. Then ladle the mixture into the tart cups or mini loaf pans.

Cover the tart cups with wax paper or parchment paper and place in a steamer for 1 hour or until the custard is firm to the touch.

Note: You may use the water bath method if you don't have a steamer. Place the the tart cups in large deep roasting pan and put in an oven preheated to 325˚F. When the pan is in the oven, fill it with lukewarm water half way up the tart cup or mini loaf pan. This will prevent cross contamination of water and custard. The bake for 1 hour or until custard is nice and firm.


When finished, let it cool before placing on a plate. Serve with some ice cream or if you're going the Filipino-style serve with some Halo Halo. (I'll be doing that dessert soon.)