Maja blanca (ni Nang Fely)

Nang Fely was my office-mate known to many of us as the old little chancellor. A lovable lady who loves to entertain her visitors with her mouth-watering dessert - maja blanca. Nang Fely now retired, devotes her life as a church volunteer.

I never liked maja blanca until I got to taste Nang Fely's. Of course, Gen's maja blanca which I tasted only a few years back is also as delicious. Now, I do not eat maja blanca unless it uses Nang Fely's or Gen's recipes. For Gen's version, click here. Below, I am sharing Nang Fely's recipe just in case you wish to try it out and invite me in for a bite:


Ingredients:

1 cup corn starch
1 3/4 cup refined sugar
5 cups liquid (consisting of coconut milk, coconut water, evaporated milk. You may add some water to complete the 5-cup liquid requirement)
1 can sweet corn (cream style)
1/2 cup of shriveled meat of young coconut

Combine the first 3 ingredients. Cook over low fire, stirring constantly until thick. Then add sweet corn and coconut meat. Mold and cool.

For the coconut topping, see Gen's maja blanca.

Mmmmm...yum-yum-yum!

Yacon - sweet, tasty and healthy

Yacon both sweet and healthy, study shows
Florante A. Cruz, UPLB and Philippine Agricultural Journalist, Inc. - CALABARZON
Yacon tubers on sale at the market. Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/santos/68253396/sizes/o/in/photostream/ Have you ever tasted yacon, a crunchy tuber with a sweet apple and watermelon-like taste? Despite its sweetness, yacon is known for its low-calorie content. Yacon, however, is not just for weight-watchers. Research  by the group of Dr. Evelyn Rodriguez of UP Los Baños Institute of Chemistry shows that the tuber from yacon, a perennial crop closely related to the sunflower and grown in several areas in Northern Luzon and Mindanao, has more benefits than most people may know. [read more...]

Chicken nuggets

Meaty chicken nuggets are children's favorite. You serve them chicken nuggets for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner, they eat them all. Children don't seem to get bored with chicken nuggets.

from deliciouscusine01.blogspot.com

Oh, well so be it. Later on we can do some trick by adding some veggies. For now, here's the basic recipe for chicken nuggets...

For the nuggets:
1 whole chicken breast, sliced bite-size
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp kalamansi juice
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 eggs slightly beaten
some all purpose flour
some bread crumbs
cooking oil for frying

Marinate chicken in soy sauce, kalamansi juice and pepper for about 30 minutes. It is better to mix first all marinade ingredients before putting in the chicken. After marinating, coat each chicken piece with flour. Dip each piece in eggs then in bread crumbs. Make sure the coating is even but not too thick. Heat cooking oil in a frying pan. Deep fry chicken until golden brown. Serve with any favorite dipping sauce.

Now for that valued-added chicken nuggets...

Choose ground chicken meat. Add grated vegetables such as carrots or brocolli. Add a dash of salt, pepper and mix well. Form into small balls the size of pingpong balls. Roll in flour. Mix 1 slightly beaten egg, 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup pureed vegetables. Dip each flour-covered chicken balls in the egg mixture. Roll the nuggets in a mixture of bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese. Flatten the balls a little bit to form nuggets and arrange on a cookie rack. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes or golden brown. Now you have crispier and healthier chicken nuggets. Serve with your kids' favorite dip.

Happy eating

Ampaw or ampao (Puffed Rice)

With the price of flour and bread going up and away, we still have alternatives to fill that hungry stomach between meals. Rice is one answer.

Ampaw or ampao is a favorite Cebuano snack. That crunchy, sticky and deliciously sweet Ampao with peanuts made in Liloan, Cebu is so popular that it is even available in various Filipino stores in US, Hongkong and Singapore.

Ampaw or ampao is made from dried cooked rice, usually left-over rice. It is known as rice crispies to others.

The cooked rice grains are sun-dried and fried in hot oil to make them puffy and crunchy. This is a fun snack and can be made for small business venture. This is also a yummy dessert. Here's the recipe:

2 cups cooked rice, dried under the sun for about 4 hours
2-3 cups cooking oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup corn syrup (preferably dark brown)
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter

Heat cooking oil in a deep frying pan or wok. Carefully drop the sun-dried rice and cook until they are puffy. Drain on absorbent paper or paper towels. Set aside.

In a saucepan combine sugar, salt, corn syrup, and vinegar. Boil until it reaches the hard stage, that is about 300 deg F in the candy thermometer. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla extract. Let the butter melt without stirring.

Pour the syrup over puffed rice. Mix well using a wooden spoon until all puffed rice is well coated with syrup.

Pour puffed rice mixture to a greased pan. Allow to cool slightly enough to allow you to hold it with your bare hands. With greased hands, divide the mixture into desired sizes and shape into balls or bars. Wrap in wax paper. Dry the shaped rice puffs under the sun for 1-3 days.

Happy eating and happy selling!

photo from totallycebu.com

Squash Pastillas

Squash is loaded with vitamins, minerals and nutrients. It contains protein, carbohydrates, potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, B, and C. Squash contains high potassium, which reduces urinary calcium excretion; people who eat high amounts of dietary potassium appear to be at low risk of forming kidney stones.


The nutrients found in squash are useful for the prevention of other conditions as well. High intakes of fiber-rich foods help to keep cancer-causing toxins away from cells in the colon, while the folate, vitamin C, and beta-carotene help to protect these cells from the chemicals that can lead to colon cancer.

The squash’s antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene also have anti-inflammatory properties that make them helpful for conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, where inflammation plays a big role.

In addition to the fruit, other parts of the plant are edible. Squash seeds can be eaten directly, ground into paste, meal, “nut” butter, or even a fine flour. The flowers, leaves, and tendrils can be eaten as vegetables. Unknown to many Filipinos, squash flowers are found to contain lutein, a plant phytochemical that prevents cataracts.

SQUASH PASTILLAS

1 kilo squash
3 cups sugar
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp lemon rind

Procedure:
Cut squash into cubes and cook in boiling water until tender enough to mash into puree. Drain off water and cool. Scrape pulp from peel and press through sieve. Measure the squash pulp and add 1/2 cup sugar per cup of puree. Mix thoroughly. Cook over medium heat. Add butter. Stir constantly until thickened. Add lemon rind and continue stirring. Cooking is done if it forms a firm ball in cold water. Turn into a smooth board greased with butter. Level to 1/2 cm. thick. Allow to cool and into desired size. Roll in sugar and wrap with cellophane paper.

Meat loaf

Meat loaf is synonymous to embutido and hardinera in terms of ingredients and process. But there's a twist in this recipe. Try it and find out.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo ground pork
1 can sliced pineapple
1 onion, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 small singkamas (sweet yam), chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp powdered milk
4 slices loaf bread
1 egg, slightly beaten
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients except sliced pineapple. At the bottom of a 9"x5" pan, arrange pineapple slices. Pour meat mixture. Cover with wax paper or aluminum foil. Steam for 1 hour, then cool before serving with your favorite ketchup.

Mango jam

Wash ripe mangoes. Cut and scoop out pulp. To every cup of the pulp, add 1/4 cup sugar. Cook until thick enough to spread. Pack in dry sterile glass jar. Remove air bubbles and half seal container.

Sterilize for 25 minutes in boiling water. Seal completely.