Quick Bytes..

my dream machine ;-)

I’m addicted to popcorn, cotton candy, fish balls, scramble and all those “banned” childhood street food. I have happy memories of eating them despite being branded by my parents as “dirty” and “bawal”. Who cares, I’m a child with no vision of what it could really do! Hehe! Anyhoo, I stumbled on this site that sells these cool popcorn machines! So cute to look at! I’d buy this in a flash but its high price prevents me. It sells for a freakin’ $680!! Definitely could not afford it!! LOL! o_O Anyway, this popcorn machine has a 6oz. E-Z Kleen stainless steel kettle, a heating deck, tempered glass windows and a removable kettle for easy cleaning. Pretty good stuff, even yummy - just expensive =) LOL

was able to join Davao Food Trip #8!

Read all about it HERE and HERE! =)

hmmm, wines!

Last Christmas, we receive a lot of wine gifts from family friends and co-workers of my father. Not that I’m complaining coz our family loves wines! For most part of the month, you’d see wine in our fridge or pantry rather than softdrinks. As if I’d drink the latter, ughh! Anyhoo, our love for wine got me thinking of joining wine of the month clubs. These clubs send you a monthly wine pack for a fee. Usually the wines sent are hard-to-find and produced in small wineries. Hmm, maybe I’ll gift my parents with this come Christmas.. =)

FRUITCAKES!!!

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Yum yum! :-) While most people dislike eating fruitcake, I adore it! Why? Coz my mother makes the most scrumptious fruitcakes ever!Ü Her secret? She doesn't scrimp on the ingredients -- she uses imported glazed fruits, molasses and liquor for that hard to beat delish fruitcake taste! And per tradition, my mother bakes lots of this for giveaways to relatives and friends. Want one?Ü

AHFAT!

Finally I get to taste Ahfat's super yummy Chinese cuisine again! It's been a long while since our family ate here, more than 3 months I think.Ü As usual we ordered the family favorites of eight treasure soup, fried spicy spare ribs and sea cucumber with pork tendons :-) If you're a foodie who's been to Davao and never ate in Ahfat, shame on you! Hehe!

Happy Thanksgiving! =)

Happy Thanksgiving! Estimates vary, but an average, traditional Thanksgiving meal is around 3,000 calories!  To put it into perspective, the recommended daily calorie intake for an average-sized adult should be between 1,600 and 2,400.  And in order to burn off 3,000 calories, one would have to walk 30 miles or swim for five hours or run for about four hours. WHEW! So guys, eat in moderation okay?? Live healthy!

Did You Know... On average Americans gain 7 lbs during the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas!

dinnertime!

And its fish and chips! To be precise, its french fries and sutchi fish fillet with blue cheese dip. Sounds yummy huh? IT IS! Hehe! :-) Was feeling a bit bored cooking with meat so I turned my attention to fish, sutchi in this case. Anyway, I better eat now before my bro devours everything! Hehe!Ü

rise and shine guys!

The past few days have been cold and dreary here in Davao, thus I had difficulty waking up early and cooking breakfast. But today, the sun is back! And so is my cooking mojo, yeah!:-) Presenting our breakfast today- BACON & EGGS, mmm good! Come, let's eat and be merry! Hehe!Ü

snagged a COOKING tag from Yen!

1. How often do you cook at home?
> Since my hiatus from the medical life, I've been cooking every single day. And that's breakfast, lunch and dinner! Hehe =)
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2. How did you learn to cook?
> My parents taught me the basics (frying, cooking rice) then I learned all the other cooking techniques by watching my relatives cook, viewing cooking shows, reading cookbooks and cooking blogs & websites
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3. What is a meal that has special meaning to you?
> The one with pork sinigang coz Labsie adores that dish..
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4. What was the last meal you cooked?
> Our lunch today-- grilled porkchops. Later for dinner, I'm cooking fish & chips =)
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5. What is your favorite thing to cook? Least favorite?
> Fave thing to cook? Mmm, I love cooking so anything goes with me =)

pasalubong ng bayan!

It's not Dunkin' Donuts anymore boys and girls, nor Gonuts Donuts. It's Krispy Kreme! A brand imported all the way from the US of A :-) People say the owners of Gonuts Donuts got Krispy Kreme's secret recipe thus the two brands' same yummy taste and dough goodness. I ate KK's original glazed donut a few days back and true enough, it tastes just like GD's glazed donut but less sweet.Ü If ever you're in Manila, don't forget to drop by these 2 donut shops. Their donuts are really a "must-eat"! Lol! =)

De Boerderij

That’s Dutch for the farm. I’ve been wanting to blog about our farm in Kidapawan but I never had the energy to post all the farm photos. You see, uploading a photo in a Friendster blog post is very time consuming. Not to mention I can’t even customize the photos! I’m now planning to put the lengthy farm blog post in my food blog. After all, the products of our farm are fruits; and fruits are food right? Lol! Anyway, here are some teaser photos from our prime durian “real estate” in the hinterlands of Kidawapan. If you love durian (the king of fruits!) then you’d surely drool over these photos! Mmm, I can almost smell the durians, hehe!
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Introducing – GAC fruit!

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Yeah I know, the fruit’s name is kinda weird. Sort of an acronym but it really doesn’t mean anything, it’s just GAC. Hehe! Gac is a Southeast Asian fruit, a relative of the bitter gourd or ampalaya. It’s scientific name is Momordia Cochinchinemis Spreng. Gac is also known as Baby Jackfruit, Spiny Bitter Gourd, Sweet Gourd, or Cochinchin Gourd. So why I am interested with Gac? Coz I just recently knew that it is high in lycopene content – contains up to 70 times the lycopene found in tomatoes! Can you beat that?? It has also been found to contain up to 10 times the beta-carotene in carrots or sweet potatoes. I’m loving this exotic fruit more and more.. But that’s not all! The carotenoids present in Gac are bound to long-chain fatty acids so the carotenoids are said to be in a more bioavailable form. Meaning, our body can easily use it. Other potential benefit of Gac is that contains a protein that may inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. That would be cool if proven by research!
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Thus, it came to no one’s surprise that GAC would be used as a nutritional supplement. There are Gac nutrient juices and capsules out in the market already, but the product I love most from Gac is the R.G. Skin Revitalizer. Given that Gac is high in carotenoids and other antioxidants, it would make a great skin protector and assist in the skin’s cellular rejuvenation process. The result? A younger-looking, healthy skin! Who wouldn't want that?? Certainly not I! =)

Bubur Asyura

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This food post is dedicated to my friend Rehana who’s gonna be leaving for Saudi Arabia this Friday. She’s a Muslim, and in case you don’t know, their holy season of Ramadan has just begun. To all my Muslim friends and classmates out there, check this recipe out! Guaranteed to keep you going the whole day while you fast =) To all the others, Bubur Asyura (a savoury congee rich in carbohydrates and protein) will make a great breakfast meal coz it will fill you right up. No need to eat fattening snacks before lunch! Ain’t that a great way to stay trim?? Here are the ingredients:
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2 cups of jasmine rice, washed and drained
2 large onions, sliced
10 shallots
3 pcs garlic, chopped and minced
2 cm of fresh ginger, thinly shredded
2 cm cinnamon stick
6 cloves, 4 star anise, 4 cardamon
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup yellow dhal
300 gms of freshly peeled prawns
½ cup cup of fried dried shrimps, pounded coarsely
10 cups of coconut milk, extracted from one coconut
½ cup of fried dessicated coconut, pounded
1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves
4 stalks of spring onions, thinly sliced
pandan leaves, lemongrass
fresh black peppercorn, pounded
salt to taste
sufficient water for the congee
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Whew! That was quite a long list of ingredients, hehe! And it’s mostly herbs you can just forego if you don’t like spices that much. You can just season the food to your taste, much like the way we eat our “lugaw” or congee. Some cook it like our light-colored arroz caldo (see it here), while others cook it dark (it's here). By the way, I got this recipe from the Asian Food Channel so I get they modified it already. And now, to cook our Bubur Asyura:
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1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot, and fry the onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, spices, pandan leaves and lemongrass until golden brown.
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2. Add the rice and dhal, and slowly fry for three minutes before adding sufficient water to boil the rice. This will take about 20 minutes, or until the entire mixture starts to thicken in consistency.
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3. Add the coconut milk, prawns, dried shrimps and the rest of the ingredients, and simmer the congee gently over slow heat. Remember to stir the congee from time to time to avoid burning it. And we’re finished! =) Serve the savoury porridge while still hot ok? Bon appetit!

BWFE post#1: Pinoy Salo-Salo!

What’s BWFE? That’s Birthday Week Food Extravaganza! Remember my post about my fantastic birthday week ages ago? I said that I would blog about the 5 foodie fests I’ve been to that week. Unfortunately, PayPerPost and ReviewMe snookered me into commercial blogging in my other blog. Really sorry guys! But if I tell you I made $140 from PayPerPost and $40 from ReviewMe, would you be happy for me? I hope so! LOL! =) So if you have a blog more than 90 days old, I suggest you start earning from them. ReviewMe is the easiest to get into, almost instantaneous approval of your blog if you meet the requirements. And after my shameless plugging, here’s BWFE part1!

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The first foodfest I’ve been to during my birthday week was my deceased paternal grandfather’s birthday celebration. His birthday was July 13 and we went home to Kidapawan, our hometown, on July 14. He’s already dead for 3-4 years now yet my paternal Lola always remember to have a little salo-salo on his birthday. This year my Lola was having second thoughts to celebrate Lolo’s birthday. However, a few days before July 13, Lolo appeared in her dreams. Lola shared that she thought Lolo appeared to remind her of his birthday salo-salo. Hehe! And thus, Labsie and I found ourselves going to Kidapawan with my parents on July 14. Here we are hamming it up at the backseat. Papa was driving and Mama was in the front passenger seat.

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It was an uneventful trip until we were about five minutes from our “ancestral” home. For the first time in more than a decade, our vehicle died in the middle of a one-lane road! And it was just before lunch so traffic was heavy. Boy, were the cars behind us pissed! LOL! So we all got out of the vehicle and pushed it towards the sidewalk. Mind you, it was nearly noon so it was very hot! Mama and me were under the umbrella most of the time while Papa and Labsie sweated it out. Here are my parents (Mama with umbrella of course, hehe) trying to figure out what went wrong with the engine, lol!

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After nearly 30 minutes under the sizzling sun without progress in resolving the engine trouble, I asked permission to go ahead to Lola’s house. I hate the noontime sun and I couldn’t take the heat any longer! So Mama and I rode a tricycle to Lola’s house. Papa and Labsie were left behind to fix the vehicle. After 15 minutes of arriving at Lola’s, the two men arrived, the vehicle apparently fixed. And so Lolo’s birthday salo-salo was on! Here’s the centerpiece, I admit it’s meager than our usual handaan fare. There is no lechon (roasted pig) which is the norm; according to Lola, she’s saving the pig for Christmas. Yesss!!! =)
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In lieu of the roasted pig, we have the roasted chicken or litson manok at the foreground (above pic). We had about 6 viands all in all, and they were all cooked by Lola and my aunts in their appetizing Ilocano way. Mmmm, my saliva’s starting to drool just thinking of the salo-salo food! =) Below are the pics of the freshly grilled milkfish or sinugbang bangus (left) and the super yummy kilayin (right). I don’t know what’s the English for kilayin but it’s like a savory stew consisting of pork slices, green peas, pork liver cuts and some pork entrails. Delicioso! Below the two pics is the photo of the beef spareribs cooked the Solito way, hehe! Another certified lip-smacking goody coz Labsie finished nearly 10 pieces of it. Glutton! Joke lang labs, I understand coz the ribs were really scrumptious. Thus its very prominent photo, lol! The ribs were very soft and tasty inside, crunchy and still tasty outside.. Mmmm, I can almost taste it! =)

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Not seen in the pictures are the roasted goat meat and papait, an Ilocano delicacy consisting of goat entrails and bile. The word “pait” means bitter and it is the bile that gives it the bitter taste. This dish might sound yucky but the way my Lola cooks it, you wouldn’t even know you’re eating entrails. Sigh.. Lola is such a very good cook! If only I can live with her and learn the secrets of the Ilocano’s art of cooking, heaven! The following photos are pictures of people having their fill of Lola’s gustatory delights, hehe =)


Lola, Papa (both facing the camera) and an uncle ready to dig in the feast!
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Papa, Labsie and an aunt; the feast has begun! =)
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More aunts (they’re the ones who cooked!) and the uncle from photo #1
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My cousins and Labsie eating in the living room. There’s no photos of me coz I’m the unofficial photographer. Sigh.. Here ends my rather longish first post for the BWFE series. I hope you enjoyed the Filipino food pics guys! I adore Filipino food and I will always promote it =) If you’re not into Filipino food, stay tuned for BWFE post#2, it’s all about European delights. YUM!

i'm going on a diet! lol

My lifestyle recently underwent a very drastic change. For the past two years, I have been going on 24-hour hospital duties that are sometimes so hectic and busy. Often, I’m unable to eat on time and I lack sleep. Coupled with a very active lifestyle, my weight just hovers the below normal range. I may look thin to some but my body mass index or bmi is still within normal limits. If you wanna check your own bmi, here’s a free bmi calculator for you.
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Anyway, last June I decided to go on hiatus from the medical field. So now, for the past two months, I’ve been a bum at home. No more 24-hour duties, no more running around the hospital hallways, no more missed meals and sleep deprivation. My life has become sedentary, save for gardening activities and doing household chores. I just bet my basal metabolic rate or bmr has decreased, which is the starting point in gaining weight. Wahh, that’d be nightmare!!! If you’re as health conscious as me, you can check your bmr with this free bmr calculator. Hope your bmr is way better than mine, hehe! :p
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Aside from my life going sedentary, yummy food is available to me 24/7! Goodness! My low bmr and increased food intake will definitely equal to weight gain, huhu! =( I don’t wanna gain weight coz it won’t match my petite figure. Thus, starting today, I promise to watch what I eat and count the calories. And of course, I promise to be active again. No more sitting in front the pc for hours. Gotta move baby! =) The pics above show my lunch for today -- spiced ham sandwich with lettuce. HEALTHY!!!

Snackaroos 4: Jolleepies!!

Nope, the title is NOT a wrong spelling of a popular fastfood chain’s yummy Jolly Pies (I adore their pizza and tuna flavors which is often not in stock, why oh why??). Jolleepies by Goby is a Davao homegrown pastry product which we discovered just last week. Labsie and I were going out NCCC Mall’s main entrance when we caught a whiff of pizza. Our noses led us to an ongoing food expo in the mall’s atrium. And there it was, a free sampling of delicious looking savory mini-pies! I tasted one piece and whoa!! I fell in love immediately with the flavor – pizza underneath, creamy cheese and a hint of beef on top. 

Labsie felt the same and decided on the spot to buy 1 box. He loves the pies, no doubt about it! I eagerly asked the salesgirl how much is 1 box and she said it was P42 for beef and chicken pies. It contains 6 pieces and I calculated, P6 for 1 mini-pie?? A pie that was just 1.5-2inches in diameter with about 1cm of delicious filling? Hmm.. Undecided, I popped another free piece and that sealed my decision. We bought 1 box of beef savory pies, still warm and smelling oh-so yummy! There it is, 6 pieces of mini-heaven in a bite!

The pies don’t look much but trust me when I say they are worth the price. With 2 pieces, you’d feel full but still wanting more. The crust is good but lacking the buttery taste that I have come to associate with excellent soft piecrusts. Yesterday, Labsie and I introduced Mama to the Jolleepies. She bought 2 boxes. What can I say? She loved it! My brother also loved the pies and demolished 1 box that Mama bought but, like me, he also balked at the P6 apiece tag. Let’s just say being a cheapskate runs in our blood. We’re Chinese after all, hehe!

As you can see, the pie boxes can also serve as gift boxes if you wish to give it to someone. The box has a To & From tag and is colored red, perfect for any occasions! In our country, red is a lucky color and we often wear red clothes during our birthdays and other important occasions. Anyway, Jolleepies also come in other flavors. For those who have sweet tooth, they have durian, buko, buko pandan, crema de fruta, choco cream, ube, ube macapuno and mango pies. Labsie and I didn’t try any of it, we don’t crave sweets unlike most Pinoys. Other savory flavors (aside from beef and chicken) include tuna, sisig, garden fresh beef (with vegetables), and garden fresh chicken pies. Yum!! Can’t wait to try all the savory flavors! =)

One last peek of the super-delicious Jolleepies! Mmm good! Buy now and spread the word guys! It’s still available in the NCCC Mall atrium but I don’t know for how long. You can also get it in the following places:
>Main: #11 Circumferential Road, Marfori Heights, Davao City (082-3031332, 0910-3858441)
>Matina Highway Branch (082-2971289)
>San Pedro College Branch
>San Pedro St. Branch (besides Lachmi)

Birthday Week Food Extravaganza!

Last July 18 I celebrated my 26th (wahhh) birthday but the celebration did not start and end on that day. In fact, the birthday foodfest started last July 14 in Kidapawan and ended last July 22 still in Kidapawan. But, there were foodfests in Davao in-between those days too, yeah! =) Of course these foodfests are NOT solely because of my birthday. The one in July 14 was my paternal grandfather’s birthday (July 13) celebration albeit he’s already dead for 3-4 years now. Yeah, weird huh? Just watch out for my full post on this and you’ll understand why my paternal Lola decided to have a typical Pinoy handaan for him. Here's Lola with my father beside her and the small feast. No lechon for the first time! LOL

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The one in July 21 and 22 was my maternal grandmother’s 75th birthday celebration. Her birthday was July 19, just next to mine, and we typically combine our celebrations to save money on my parents’ part. But, often, my relatives forget it’s my birthday too, hehe! It’s ok though, my maternal Lola totally deserve all the adulation she receives during these times as she single-handedly raised her 10 children (!!!) when my maternal grandfather died. My Lola is a strong woman but you wouldn’t know it if you see her coz she’s very small, frail and looks meek as a mouse =) There she is (in red) with her sisters: 

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In between the Kidapawan foodfests were my and Labsie’s 93rd Monthsary celebration in a new European café called The Farm (July 17), my mini-birthday dinner at home (only two viands that’s why it’s called mini! hehe) on July 18, and my dinner-out birthday celebration in Zakoya Japanese Buffet (July 19). That’s three straight days of pigging out!!! But, hell, it’s my birthday! Time to let go of my strict diet. Hahaha! ;p Here are sneak peeks of my gastronomic adventures last week –-

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Watch out next week for my 5-part Birthday Week posts. All of the things I mentioned above will have their own FULL posts with lots of pictures and some videos =) I’m really excited to do this coz it’s the first time I truly enjoyed my birthday without any worries that I’ll be late for school the next day, that I have to study for exams (coz often, its prelims week on my birthday, sigh), that I have to treat my classmates and friends, etc, etc. I’m very glad that I made the decision to NOT take the medical board exam this August. Coz if I will take it, I’m sure I would be buried in books during my birthday. I would worry endlessly of time “wasted” while pigging out and will not enjoy my birthday week at all. I would have missed Lola’s 75th birthday and hanging out with my not-so-little cousins. Most of them were in college already! Migod, time flew so fast! While I was busy in medical school and 24-hour duties, the kids I loved were growing up. I’m just so happy that I was able to reconnect with them. Thank you Lord! And thank you also for giving me parents who understood my need to rest and regroup before taking the medical board exam. Hehe! HAPPY ME! =)

TINOMOK ba kamo??

What the heck is tinomok?? Well, I also asked that question to our waiter in Gerry’s Grill (in Gaisano Mall) and he said it is one of their special dishes. In fact, in their menu it was proudly written that tinomok was reviewed by a prestigious food magazine and was given a thumbs-up sign. To quote the menu: "A bit like laing, only better.This is good. it was featured in a magazine." Nice! =)

Above (at left) is an UNappetizing picture of tinomok which does not do justice to its deliciousness! Looks like a mishmash of something green eh? Gakk! I’m really sorry but that’s what I get for forgetting the 5mp digicam and just using labsie’s fonecam. To top it off, the interiors in Gerry’s Grill are dim, very nice for dates but not good in taking pics, tsk! But as u can see at right, there's a GREAT photo of tinomok with the white gata sauce and silis clearly shown , yum! *drooling saliva*
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It was our second time in Gerry’s Grill. The first time was with my family and we ordered most of the house specialties (grilled sizzling squid, crispy pata, beef casserole [beef, cheese, mashed potato & garlic, yum!] and sizzling sisig) pictured at left and they didn’t disappoint! All were heavenly and were gone in less than 30min, no thanks to the 4 guys with me and mama! =) Anyhow, labsie and I decided to order something different this time, something adventurous. Thus, we ordered tinomok which in their menu looked like green gabi leaves rolled into “balls” and drizzled with ginataan sauce. Mmm, I love gata! I thought it may be laing just served exotically. However the waiter refuted this and said that the gabi leaves were actually a covering for the meatball mixture inside. Ooh meat! (see the first pics above) That decided labsie to order it though I was still a bit apprehensive, what if we won’t like it?? There goes P150 down the drain, tsk! To be sure we still had viands if we won’t like tinomok, we ordered chopsuey (vegetables, yum!) and chicken kebabs. We also told the waiter to make our tinomok not so spicy coz I hate hot stuff. After 15-30min (we actually finished reading a local daily!) the food arrived. Here's the chopsuey (my dim pix at left and great pix at right, notice how similar they look!) --

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I egged on labsie to take the first bite of tinomok and his face contorted! My heart sank, it’s not good but labsie suddenly laughed and spoonfed me a bite. Mmmmmm good! It was truly gabi + meat + unknown veggies with gata, kinda like laing but not hot. The tinomok was demolished in 15min! And even up to now, we still have dreams of going back to Gerry’s Grill and ordering it. The chopsuey was also delicious, the vegetables crispy and there were lots of seafood and meat mixed in. It was at par with Ahfat’s chopsuey =) The chicken kebabs, however, were just so-so.  The chicken cubes were tender and succulent but for the price, it was not worth it. I could probably make a more savoury one at a cheaper price, tsk! It was interspersed with chunky onions, bell peppers and some button mushrooms. After the eye-opening dinner (or should I say stomach-opening-to-tinomok dinner?), labsie and I were all big smiles. We were satiated and very happy to discover a new pinoy foodie find. Welcome to our hearts tinomok! =)

gaga over frittata - round 2!

I made frittata again today, this time with different stuff. I used mixed vegetables (corn, carrots & peas) and beef steak with the usual mozzarella. This post is mostly for foodporn purposes, i.e. watch out for loads of unedited pictures!! Teehee!

Ready to start cookin'! Can u see all the colorful stuff I've added??
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A closer view.. Looks like a very creamy soup eh? Mmmm!
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. after 10min -->
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It became fluffy! Looks so yummy! I think it's the melted mozzarella rising.
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A closer view.. Parang puto cheese ni mama! Only with veggies instead of cheese.
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. after another 10min -->
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It's all done! Perfectly baked and browned! This is my bro's portion and --
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-- this is mine! My lovely breakfast for today with cup frittatas =)
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A closer view.. Is it blurry? Sorry, I'm just using our Jurassic 1.2mp digicam eh!
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. and the last, but not the least -->
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The UBE HALAYA! Or ube jam, if that's what you prefer. It's from the Good Sheperd nuns in Baguio City. It's absolutely heavenly that it'll have it's own post soon. Watch for it! =)

healthy FOODbits

 
I am an avid reader of everything! From classic obscure stuff (mimsy were the borgroves!) to popular fiction (Harry Potter!!!), from medical books to cookbooks and architecture manuals, from sexy Cosmolitan and FHM to mainstream Reader’s Digest and Time Magazine. Comics, food labels, graphic novels-- name it and I most likely have read it; barring perhaps old poems that are not about love, hehe! Seriously, since the start of the year, I have read across a lot of stuff which have influenced my life for the past 6 months. Medical updates and healthy living tidbits are the most common ones I applied on my life. Others are about love and how to deal effectively with other people. In this, the 10-year anniv mag of Cosmo is a must-have!!! I have learned so much from their thickest issue ever! =) Anyway since this is a food blog, what I’d share is of course related to food. Most of these were new to me so I’d guess they might be new to you too. Read on and be enlightened!

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We have been taught from the beginning that canned goods are bad for us due to a lot of preservatives. But did you know that canned stuff can be good for you? According to the British Nutrition Foundation, the following canned goods can boost your diet with essential nutrients--

1. Canned apricots and gooseberries provide more      vitamin C than their fresh counterparts.
2. Tinned and canned tomatoes are composed of tomatoes that have been cooked in small amounts of oil and fat, and our body absorbs the lycopene better this way. Lycopene is an antioxidant found in tomatoes.
3. Canned chickpeas in water – just 5 tablespoons of this will provide 6 grams of your recommended daily fibre intake of 18 grams. That’s already 1/3! Nice! However I haven’t found this in the supermarkets here in Davao. Tsk! The pix at right shows canned chickpeas. Make sure you wash the peas thoroughly before eating or cooking.

 

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Filipinos are fond of eating rice and it is rare to see bread in the dining table except during breakfast (which is incomplete without pandesal!). But more and more Filipinos are shifting to bread thinking it is healthier. But not all bread is created equal. If you are seeking for a healthy loaf, check the label of the bread for:

1. The word “whole” before the first mention of grain of flour in the ingredient list. Our family usually buys the “whole wheat” variety which adds a lot of fiber to our diet and texture for cooking purposes. Click the pix for more info.
2. Two grams of fiber per slice – fiber is      the magic word if you wanna go healthy.
3. Added seeds and nuts – even though the fat and calorie content will increase, seeds and nuts provide phytochemicals (and proteins to keep you fuller!) which help fight disease.

Source: British Dietetic Association

 

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Our grandmothers are known to use “vetsin” in most of their dishes. They swear it makes the food tastier, and this is backed by a Japansese claim that the vetsin taste is the 5th basic one and is called “umame”. But then it is the Japanese company Ajinomoto that made vetsin use ubiquitious so I can’t really trust the Japanese on the umame claim, can I? Hehe! Vetsin is more popularly known as MSG (monosodium glutamate) to the younger generations who grew up influenced by media that MSG = cancer. They seem loathe to use vetsin in cooking but you see them happily munching on junkfoods which is full of MSG and other preservatives. Others proudly claim they only buy food labeled “no MSG”. Unfortunately for them, foods stating “no MSG” may contain another flavour enhancer known as the “new MSG” – disodium 5’-ribonucleotides 635. When I first read about this, I was shocked as I’m one of the people who avoid MSG as much as I can. I’m not eating the old-MSG but was I was pigging out on the new-MSG?? Oh God, the thought of it! Ignorance is truly a bliss! Now I’m wondering what could this new-MSG cause in the long-term. Cancer?? Spare me! As a consequence, I’m reading food labels a lot more closely than ever before. No MSG? Still not safe! READ MORE CLOSELY. And google stuff you find suspicious. Let the new era of food-enhancer paranoia begin!

gaga over frittata!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I never, ever skip it if possible and I usually eat large amounts during this meal. Early morning is also the time I'm most inspired to cook and invent yummy meals. So if you want a taste of my cooking, better visit me during breakfast time for you will be surprised with my delish creations =)
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For the past few days, I've been surfing food blogs and I came upon Lunch in a Box's entry about mini-frittata (yellow stuff in cupcake tin) and I was enamored with it! I longed to cook it and I finally did today, yum! Now, you ask, what's a frittata? Here is a definition from one of Labsie's fave sites, WIKIPEDIA: "It  is a type of Italian omelette that frequently features fillings such as meats, cheeses, and vegetables. Like a normal omelette, a frittata is prepared in a skillet. However, whereas a normal omelette is cooked on a stovetop and served folded, a frittata is first partially cooked on a stovetop but then finished under the grill and served open-faced." Hmmm, I really think it's the pinoy version of the ubiquitous scrambled egg with lots of fillings but NOT fried. Right on!
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I won't blog on how to make a frittata, just click the link I provided above as it has excellent instructions. I made 3 frittatas, each with different fillings. The pix on the left shows the browning frittatas inside our tough-as-nails turbo boiler oven. The one on top has a heart-shaped pork tocino piece (this is breakfast after all!) which is not seen, the one on left has cheesedog bits and the one on right has beefsteak strips. All 3 had delicious mozzarella cheese, yum! =) Notice they look like cupcakes or macaroons. At one time, they were even bubbling like crazy! Must be the milk and cheese that I included. After cooking (in pan & oven, about 20mins) and cooling, I ate the one with tocino. Super super super yummy! I wanted to eat the other 2 but since my youngest bro had classes today (thus he needs protein), I left it for him and he promptly demolished it. I think he loved it too, hehe =) Here is my finished *first attempt* frittatas. I would certainly make this again! Next time with other fillings and in bigger servings. One cupcake-size is definitely NOT enough!

OKONOMIYAKI

Who loves takoyaki guys? I do! My labsie does, my brothers, my parents, everybody in my world does! =) Now, what does takoyaki have to do with okonomiyaki? If you love the taste of the former, triple it in size + more flavors = okonomiyaki! According to the resto where we first had this dish, it's the japanese version of a pizza. However, I later learned that it's more of a pancake, i.e. what you cook is batter (pancake) and not dough (pizza). If you want more info about this yummy food and how to cook it, check the following sites:
http://markun.cs.shinshu-u.ac.jp/hobby/okonomi/index-e.html
http://visualrecipes.com/recipe-details/recipe_id/120/Okonomiyaki-aka-Japanese-Pizza/
http://greggman.com/japan/okonomiyaki/okonomiyaki.htm

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Okonomiyaki means "whatever you like/favorites, grilled in Japanese". After making the basic batter, you put all your favorite foods on top and cook it. Me, I imagine squid rings, shrimps, some fish flakes and japanese mayo. Simply superb! =) We first encountered this delish food last November 2006 in Gaisano Mall. But owing to my super-busy medical life, it is only now that I am able to blog about it, teehee!

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Labsie and I were looking for a new place to eat and there it was -- Effort Junko's Japanese Curry with baduy heart-shaped pink and blue neon lights inviting curious us to view their menu. There was, of course, the japanese curry and the typical katsudon and gyudon meals. And by the corner, we see something round named okonomiyaki. We asked the waiter what it was and he said it is japanese pizza, and we would certainly like it. So we ordered it plus our usual rice meals. When it finally came, we were like "Is this it??" coz it's really not much to look at (as you can see in the pix below with 1/4 already eaten, lol). Plus it took sooo long for the order to arrive! We were nearly halfway our rice meals before it came. BUT, when we took our first bite of the okonomiyaki -- heaven!! It was definitely worth the wait =) The different flavors just meshed and the "crust", oohhh, very flavorful! And the price? About P75 which is good for two so very cheap for snacking! So if you're in GMall and is in a patient mood, look for this crazy-named store in the food section of Gmall's 3rd floor (I think.. haven't been to Gmall or any malls for that matter recently, hehe). By the way, Effort Junko also sells 2nd-hand laptops from Japan so check that out too. All in all, the resto is a good place to eat if you're not in a hoity-toity sosyalera mood. Good food, good price and with good company = good time! =)

~italian carinderia~

Yes, the title is correct. If you’re not familiar about “carinderia” or “karinderya”, it is a Filipino term for an eatery. So yes, this post is about an italian eatery which is very common in Italy, found in many of its sidewalks. But no, I didn’t go to Italy just to eat in their yummy eateries (how I wish!), rather this special eatery is found in Dumaguete City.
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As you can see this eatery is sorely lacking in ambiance. Monstrous ugly signages welcome you to an open-air eatery which is right in front of Dumaguete’s main street. Thus, all you’ll hear are traffic sounds (mostly of tricycles and motorbikes) plus the chatter of the personnel and the whirring of an electric fan. The store is decorated mostly of Italian knickknacks and airplanes. The lady owner (a Filipino married to a former Italian pilot) was there when I ate and she said that they have a hotel in the nearby province where the centerpiece is an airplane! Meaning, they have a nonfunctioning airplane in the resort which was converted into a restaurant with nautical details. Cool huh?? There were some pictures of the hotel in the eatery’s walls but I was unable to take pics of those. Anyway, despite the lack of ambiance, the eatery was still a haven because of its yummy comforting smells from the baking oven. However the oven was steel, not the brick type (think of Picobello’s oven) which is requisite for true-blue Italian cooking. The oven is at the left side of the picture below:

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So, the eatery is also a bakery! And almost every 3-4hours, they have fresh Italian buns. Mmm, they were good! And cheap! Its for only P6 apiece and very filling at that. Most of the customers I saw were there to buy the buns and gelato (Italian ice cream) and thus the buns were rapidly gone (no one ate pizzas like me, tsk!). To continue, the eatery’s interior was divided into 2 parts: the left (if you’re facing the entrance) consists of the bakery, cooking area, cashier, etc while the right portion has plastic tables and chairs for eating. Very basic and coupled with a view like this--

--you know you’re definitely not paying for the ambiance, LOL! I forgot the pizza type I ordered but it was definitely worth the price I paid for it =) The pizzas were pricey (just a bit cheaper than Picobello which has great ambiance!) for a place like this but the taste is truly authentic Italian. Fresh tomato paste (with tomato flesh!), lots of cheese and olive oil, chewy thin crust, all baked to perfection. Delicioso!!! Despite my huge appetite, I still wasn’t able to finish the 8 slices so I took home the leftovers which I ate the next morning. Surprisingly, the crust was not soggy and the pizza still tasted great. Here's a closer view of the pizza:

Doesn’t look great huh? And served on a paper plate pa, my goodness! Hehe! But as I said earlier, it lacked the finer points of an Italian resto-- it is, after all, just a sidewalk eatery! But one that is worth coming back to =)

my papa, the cook =)

This post is dedicated to my father who is celebrating his 47th birthday today. Happy birthday Pa!

      
My father is the “founder” cook in our little family. The truth is he was the one who taught my mother how to cook when they were newly married. Funny huh? My mother grew up in a household with maids and servant boys so she never learned how to do household chores until she was in college. And right after she finished college, she got married. Domestic goddess she definitely was not (at the start, but NOW is a different story). Anyway, Papa taught her Ilocano dishes that his mother (my paternal grandma) taught him. Most were vegetable viands like pinakbet and law-oy. Stuff that I never ate, ever! Google its ingredients and you’ll know why I won’t eat it, hehe! Like me, papa never measures his ingredients. We just throw it all in the pot or pan, let it cook, and it would come out savory and tasty. That’s talent, my father would always say, and that I was the one who got it in our family. Hurray for me! =)
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One of Papa’s favorite fish dish is panga cooked adobo-style. That’s stewed fish head in the simplest English terms I could find, hehe! This is very healthy as there’s no oil coz no sautéing is needed. Perfect for Papa who is a borderline hypertensive. Tsk! Anyway, here are the ingredients:

Salt and pepper to taste
Soy sauce and vinegar to taste
FRESH tuna heads, cleaned (see pics below; my, what BIG eyes they have!)

   
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1. Mix all ingredients in a large pot and add to water to cover--

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2. Boil for 5min then simmer until cooked--

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3. Served piping hot with rice and enjoy! =)

tempura-han

Yes, this is the tempura-han. It's basically a sidewalk in the end of Rizal Boulevard near the pier that comes alive after 4pm. Rizal Boulevard is Dumaguete City's premier street fronting the sea and turns into a nightspot at night. It is lined with hotels and restaurants at one side, and by the sea in the other. During the afternoon, tempura vendors setup their "stores" at their staked spots as seen above. They put plastic chairs (the ones without back serve as tables), cooking paraphernalia and voila! They are now ready to vend the P1 per piece tempura, and sometimes they have softdrinks and beer to accompany it.

The "table" and the tempura. I forgot to take pictures until I nearly finished it, lol! As you can see the tempura is pretty big, unlike the ones sold in malls. But the best part of the Dumaguete tradition is the view. I already said this place is seaside.. and guess what?? It is also the side where the sun sets! I smell wonderful seaspray, I hear waves lapping, I watch the turmoil of the seas and ships and Siquijor Island.. and the most wonderful of all, I get to see the spectacular sunset! =)

Siquijor Island, a ship, and the sunset. The perfect end to a day of hard work in SUMC's Surgery Department.. At the cost of only P20! =)

PERSIAN PALATE

When I see "Persian" in any signboard, I automatically associate it with kababs. It's one of my comfort food in times of stress and kababs taste sooo good esp when it's from Majid's! So I was really excited to see this restaurant (tucked into the side of a prominent hotel here in Dumaguete) in one of my afternoon strolls in Silliman. Of course, I had my dinner there.. I ordered Budget Chicken Curry (budget coz the usual order is HUGE) and I was astonished to be served with a RED curry! I mean, I grew up eating yellow or orangey-colored curry, and now this. I tasted it.. Man, it was FRESH! The sauce was pureed fresh tomato (thus the color) with the usual curry flavor. But with the tangy tomato paste, the chicken curry's taste was a whole new world for my tongue to savor. It was a bit sour, a bit sweet, a bit magic.. Hehe! The over-all flavor was perfectly blended! Yummy! Still, I wasn't able to finish the meal coz, even if it was budget size, the serving was still big for me. I have a huge appetite but with a small stomach, I just simply cannot eat beyond its capacity. LOL!

As for the food prices, it's a bit high than in Davao. Cheapest meals (with rice & viand) start at P70. But considering the huge servings (almost good enough for 2!), the prices are just right. The resto also serves desserts and drinks, the usual kababs and shawarmas (only P25!). The ambiance is great! When you're inside the resto, you'd feel like you're transported in a cafe somewhere in Europe. There's just enough space, pretty homey decors, amazing Indian murals! I really wanted to take pictures of everything but the place was packed with foreigners. I was the only Pinoy there (I was alone) among Koreans, Americans and Indians. So, you see, I had a great "international" dinner! ;p Maybe I'll do the photos next time.. Coz I will surely come back there!

pata & soba

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Last March 16, our beloved progressive city of Davao celebrated its 69th anniversary. Unfortunately, it rained that day which turned off some people in going out. But not my family! They all went out, leaving me behind and in-charge of our house. I was also tasked to cook for dinner and this is what my entry is all about -- a step-by-step guide of the delish dinner I prepared! Yes, boys and girls, I can cook! And quite well, too. Must be the Ilocano and Chinese blood in my veins. And the delish dinner I served? Crispy Pata and our all-time fave side dish, Yakisoba!
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First we start with Yakisoba which is very easy to prepare in this instant-loving world. Just buy Nissin's Yakisoba noodle pack and follow the cooking directions at the back of the package (boil noodles, drain, add sauces). It is available in 4 flavors: Savory Beef, Spicy Chicken, Seafood, Soyomansi. Spicy Chicken is our fave coz of the zing it provides, HOT! As for the Crispy Pata, buy the appropriate pork meat part (go ask your mom coz I'm ignorant on this! my mom does the market stuff) and make sure the meat is fresh, devoid of hair and cysts.
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1. In a large pot, put the meat with enough water to cover it.

2. Place the pot on high flame until boiling then simmer for 15min.

3. Pour off the boiled oily water. Add enough tap water, salt and pepper to taste. Pierce the meat several times in different places. This will help make the meat flavorful especially if it's thick.

4. Place the pot on high flame again until boiling then simmer until meat is tender (usually about 45min). Remove the meat and place on a Turbo Broiler. Below is the resultant broth. Note how oily it is! Ughh!

<-- oily broth! think of the fats that we missed to eat :p

turbo broiler -->

5. Place the Turbo Broiler on GRILL setting for 30min. Make sure that the meat's skin is facing up. You will hear popping sounds as the skin is becoming crispy. Yum!

6. After grilling, turn the meat over (skin facing down). Place on BROIL setting for another 30min. There will still be popping sounds and more oil will drip down. Bye-bye cholesterol!

7. After broiling, turn the meat over again (skin facing up). Place in BROIL setting for 15-30min, depending on how crunchy and how brown (more brown = nearly burnt!) the skin looks. Hehe! As I always say, being a great cook is a talent. You cook by gut instincts, not by following directions to the letter. So have fun and experiment!

8. Chop the yummy crispy pata into bite-size pieces (don't eat too much while chopping! your hands will be oily & u might accidentally chop your hands!) and serve with yakisoba on the side. Voila! A delish dinner with so much less cholesterol!

See how CRISPY and super duper YUMMY it looks! And it's definitely healthier than the usual crispy pata that is cooked by frying. Instead of removing the oil, they're adding more! It's a heart attack waiting to happen, gakkk!
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CRAZY JACK!

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Ever had a very busy day that you have no time to seat down and eat a proper meal? Or you've been wanting to watch this certain movie and you're so OC that you need to watch it from the start yet you're very hungry and need mucho nourishment pronto or else a titanic headache will set in? Well, mon cheri, THIS BLOG IS FOR YOU!
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CRAZY JACK SANDWICHES
Location: area fronting SM Foodcourt, near Bayo
Why am I impressed: Their bread are healthy, flavorful, soft and the textures go so well with the fillings! They are using hoagie bread (gourmet version of the hotdog bread) and whole wheat bread. Healthy, as I said. The menu is varied and the sandwiches come in beef, fish, chicken, ham, crabmeat orders! Some are shown in the pix, looks absolutely yummy noh?? Wabsie and I already tried Beef Pastrami (more beef pls! hmmp!), Crazy Tuna (if u hate fish smell, don't try this. absolutely fishy! hehe!), Mr. Jack (wabsie's fave, i think. he's sooo into beef), Hickory Chicken (very flavorful!) and Red Crab (not in pix. my fave! perfect bleding of crab flavor, mangoes & other stuff). I think they offer about 8-10 sandwiches and you have the choice to add wasabi to your order for that extra zing. For some people, the prices are quite high (P45-80 for a sandwich??) but let me tell you, it will satisfy your hungry pangs. And given its large-ish size, there's enough carbo, pro