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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! =)

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! =)

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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