Fresh water Cavalla (Maliputo) is found in the waters of Taal Lake but hard to find in wet markets. You may use the salt water version, Talakitok in Filipino, and taste and texture is similar to Pompano (you may use this fish as well). The recipe I used is a combination of Chinese and Filipino using ingredients easily found in markets except for the wansoy (Chinese cilantro).
Ingredients:
1/3 kg. Cavalla, cleaned
4 tblspns soy
1 slice of lemon
1 small tomato, sliced
1 tspn sugar
2-3 drops of sesame oil
2 tblspns vegetable oil
3 sprigs of wansoy or cilantro, chopped
2 pcs chile peppers, chopped
1 slice of ginger, julienne cuts
pinch of black pepper
Recipe:
Mix all the ingredients in a cup. Massage fish with lemon juice and black pepper. Place fish on aluminum foil and pour the mixed ingredients on the fish and cover aluminum foil. Let the mixture marinade for about an hour and cook on a steamer for about 30 minutes and serve.
Pearl Fish is the salt water version of the fresh water Tilapia (commonly called St. Peter fish), and its meat is more flavorful as the fresh water version. Pearl Fish can be bought in most oriental food stores in the frozen section or can be bought live in stores with aquariums. It is a more affordable alternative to the Grouper (lapu Lapu) and more or less an even texture and flavor.
Ingredients:
1 whole Pearl Fish (1/2+ kilo)
2-3 scallion stalks, julienne sliced
1 slice of ginger, julienne sliced
1/4 cup soy
pinch of salt
1 red chile pepper chopped (optional)
1 tspn. sesame oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
A sprig of Chinese parsley (cilantro/wan soy)
Recipe:
Clean and scale the fish and place on a platter. Massage the fish with salt and ginger and place it in a steamer. Steam for 15-20 minutes.
In a sauce pan heat the vegetable oil mixed with soy, and sesame oil and chopped chiles and set aside. After the fish is cooked, boil the sauce and pour on top of the fish. Lay the scallions and parsley on top and serve hot.
Located on the fourth floor of Rustan's new wing at the corner of EDSA and Shaw Blvd. in Mandaluyong, Corazon combines traditional Spanish dishes with Filipino favorites. They serve 3 different types of paellas... Marisco, Valenciana and meat paella.
The favorite signature tapas are grilled calamares with olive oil and gambas. On the Filipino side, they have 6 different types of soups from the Tinola to the Sinigang. They also have the Filipino favorites which are the crispy pata and fried lapulapu. The restaurant is decorated with paintings similar to the style of Chagall and Picasso.
The restaurant also has an outside seating so patrons can people watch while they have dessert, and by the way, they have dirty "ice cream."
Commonly called "Laing" this spicy dish originated in the province of Bicol in the Philippines and is consistent with the traditional use of green chili peppers. Considered a poor man's dish, it compliments well with any meat dish.
Ingredients:
1 lb. dried taro leaves
1 can coconut milk
1 onion
2 slices of ginger
3-4 cloves of garlic, diced
8 green chili peppers, sliced
1 slice pork belly, chopped 1/2 inch cubes
6-8 medium sized shrimps
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Recipe:
Pour oil into wok and heat. Saute onions, garlic, chilies and pork for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix shrimp paste and shrimps for about 2-3 minutes and add a can of coconut milk. When liquid starts to boil, mix the taro leaves and stir for another 2 minutes then put a lid on for the leaves to cook... then serve.
Bok Choy, commonly known to Filipinos as Tagalog Pechay can be easily found in many oriental stores in the U.S. and Europe. Simple and with few ingredients needed, this healthy dish will only take a few minutes to cook!
Ingredients:
1 boneless chicken breast, sliced to 1 inch length
Bok Choy greens sliced 1-1/2 inch length
1 onion sliced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1 tblspn. flour
3-4 tblspns. oyster sauce
1 tspn. sesame oil
2 tblspns. white wine
Recipe:
In a bowl, mix the chicken, garlic, white wine and flour. Heat a large saute pan or a wok and pour 3 tblspns. of oil and sesame oil. Saute the chicken mixture along with the carrots, onions and oyster sauce for about 2 minutes. Add a cup of water and continue stirring until sauce thickens then add the sliced bok choy. Stir for a minute and cover the pan for a minute until the greens are cooked then serve on a bowl.
Typical soup of the Gallician region northwest of Spain, this flavorful dish constitutes a meal in itself. You can modify this and use any meat or combination of meats and vegetables you desire and still maintain that Gallician flavor.
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast (with bones)
1 Spanish chorizo (cubed into 1/4" sizes)
1 ham bone
5 cloves garlic (diced)
1 carrot (cubed into 1/4" sizes)
1 large potato (cubed into 1/4" sizes)
2 celery stalks chopped
1 small cabbage (sliced)
1 cup hot pepper leaves (sili leaves)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 mid sized tomatoes (cubed into 1/4" sizes)
1 madium sized Spanish onion chopped
1 tblsn. pimenton (red pepper powder)
1 tspn. salt.
dash of black pepper
Recipe:
In a soup pan, heat olive oil, pimenton, tomatoes, celery, onions, garlic, ham bone and chorizo. Once the garlic turns brown add carrots and 4-5 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the chicken breast. Turn heat on low to simmer for 45 minutes. Take the chicken breast out while adding the rest of the vegetables and cook for another 15 minutes. Debone the chicken, dice it and put it back on the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve while hot!
I discovered an easy economical 30 minute Vietnamese dish using a P60 package of Filipino beef tapa. First you have to purchase 2 strands of Tagalog Pechay costing P15 pesos and a P60 package of Pho rice noodles at your favorite Oriental store. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 lb. of beef tapa sliced
1/4 k or 1/2 package of Pho noodles
2 tblspns. flour
2 trands of bok choy (Tagalog pechay), sliced 1 inch long
2-3 tblspns. oyster sauce
1 tblspn. sesame oil
2 tblespns. crushed dried hot peppers
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/3 cup white wine
dash of black pepper
Instructions:
Boil noodles for 3 to 4 minutes and set aside in a bowl. Mix the sliced beef with flour, hot peppers, garlic. Heat pan and pour 1/4 cup cooking oil and sesame oil and saute the beef for 2 minutes adding the oyster sauce. Add the white wine and stir until sauce thickens, then add the bok choy. Continue stirring for about 2 minutes then add the black pepper. Pour the mixture over the noodles and serve while hot. Enjoy!
Picnics are a thrill especially in the days of my youth, and
dining on banana leaves brings me back to those memories. On the second floor of the Podium is a Thai/Singaporean/
Malaysian restaurant called Banana Leaf... and you literally dine on the leaf.
As you enter and sit on your table, you are given a free Roti bread with a dip to entice your palate. Our first order was the Tom Yum soup, similar to the Filipino version of Tamarind soup but instead, they use lemongrass for sourness. Next was their signature Garlic Crab dish where they pour mounds of sauteed garlic on the crab. I particularly loved the Grilled Pompano being an avid amateur fisherman myself. We also had their Curry Chicken, Pad Thai Noodles, Egg Rolls, Fried Calamares.
Average cost per entree is between 250 to 350 pesos except for the crab dish which was around 120 pesos per gram. A great place especially for a family dinner or just for two!
Across from my house is a small Chinese grocery store that sells cooking ingredients and some prepared food items. I bought some siomai dumplings and saw packages of Lomi noodles inside the cooler so I decided to try making this brand of noodle soup fro a change.
Ingredients:
1/2 kilo Lomi noodles (soaked in water for 30 mins)
1 breast of chicken
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1/2 cup of chopped carrots
1/2 cup of chopped onions
6 siomai dumplings
1 tspn salt
1 tspn chicken powder
3 tblspns soy
1 egg beaten
2 tblsns corn starch
1 tblsn white pepper
1 lemon or calamansi
Directions:
In a pot, boil the chicken breast with 3 to 4 cups of water. Add salt and chicken powder, carrots, onions, and celery and turn the heat to medium. After 40 minutes, remove chicken breast and dice and put back in the pot. Add the Lomi noodles, siomai. After about 10 minutes, in a cup, add cornstarch and mix with half a cup of water and pour into the soup until it thickens. Add the egg while stirring. Add the soy and the lemon to taste.
Coming back from a trip to Tagaytay, I chanced upon a roadside fruit stand where I bought some pineapples and the vendor offered to sell me some yellow ginger while explaining the health benefits of this root crop. I began to experiment by using the root plus the pineapple I purchased and came up with chicken adobo. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 kilo chicken (chopped)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy
1 slice pineapple (chopped)
3 cloves garlic
1 tspn black pepper
1 tspn salt
1 yellow ginger sliced thin
2 cups water
Directions:
In a pot, mix all the ingredients and heat to a boil. After boiling for 10 minutes, put the heat on medium for 40 to 45 minutes until liquid is reduced and oil is formed from the chicken fat. Turn off heat and chicken is ready to serve.
Tucked away in the back
of the Cliffhouse across
Yellow Cab in Tagaytay is
Fire Lake Grill, owned and operated by Chef Huang. I ignored the restaurant specialties which were grilled steaks so I opted for
the Lamb shank braised in mirepoix on a bed of risotto (P1200). To compliment the meat, I ordered the grilled Chilean seabass on a bed of sauteed greens (P900). Their dessert was to die for which was a mixture of the senses, a home made coconut ice cream laid on top of a sugar crusted cone placed on a bed of seared pineapple (P250). Fire Lake Grill was chosen as one of the top 10 restaurants in Tagaytay...it was quite a heavenly experience!
Located at the back of the Mall on Boracay Station 2 is the wet and dry market where tourists on a budget, can find fresh meat and seafood. Around the market are "Dampa" restaurants where you can have them cook for you whichever way you want your food done. The average price is around P150 per kilo. The best way to maximize your budget is for you to ask them to utilize every means, like for example using the crab broth to make crab and corn w/cabbage soup by requesting them to charge you a minimal fee for that purpose.
Situated along the stretch on Hi-way 3, across the "white house" of Sen. Mar Roxas, is People's Park, where a covered area are rows of stalls called "Dampa" that sell fresh seafood items and cook them as you order, to locals and visiting tourists alike. Each menu item sells an average price of P150, enough for 2 persons and ordering 3 menu items would be a feast.
A kilometer away from People's Park is Hotel Anto-nio where across the front desk is a small Thai restau-rant that serves great Thai delicacies such as Tom Yong soup, Seafood Curry and Shrimp Pad Thai. The chef is a Thai national who is married to a Filipino.Menu prices are very reasonable and ranges to around P150 to P200 per dish.
Calderon, in San Juan is a small but quaint tapas bar situated in an off beaten path ion Calderon Street at the corner of Abad Santos. It is one of the many small restaurants operated by Angela Melo (daughter-in-law of the former justice), interestingly enough, I enjoyed the authentic tapas. They also import, re-package and sell chorizos which you can find in most of their meals. Above is their famous Sopa de Gallo consisting of Fava beans, beef stew and vegetables. Below is the tripe menudo and Gambas. Along
with a basket of garlic bread and a jug of Sangria, these alone will fill your pallate!
For holidays and special occasions, this recipe is a hit that goes well with any meat dish like ham, turkey, roast beef, roast pig or any seafood. Some people like it with red beets but I prefer it without.
Ingredients:
1 kilo russet potatoes
2 large red delicious apples
1 can of pineapple chunks
1 large carrot
1/4 kilo boneless chicken breast
sweet pickle relish
1 large Spanish onion
Mayonnaise
Salt & pepper to taste
Recipe:
Peel and boil potatoes ala aldente and the chicken until cooked and set aside to cool. Slice the carrot into thin pieces and blanch for a minute and dip in cold water. Peel the apples and with the cooked potatoes, cut into cubes the size of pineapple chunks and put in a large mixing bowl along with the pineapple chunks. Dice the carrots and onion and mix place in the mixing bowl along with the others. Add about four tablespoons of pickle relish, and about 6 to 8 tablespoons of mayonnaise and gently mix altogether. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
