Batchoy

Batchoy – ah! An all-time favorite Ilonggo “pamahaw”. So mouth-watering! Almost all restos and eateries in Iloilo and Negros serve batchoy. Almost all of them claim to serve the original Lapaz batchoy. Anyone who comes to Iloilo cannot leave without savoring Ted’s Original Lapaz batchoy or Deco’s Original Lapaz batchoy. I have my own recipe for batchoy. Original or not, my family just love my version of batchoy – they crave for it.

To Boboy P., my husband's long-time-no-see friend who lost himself in the wilderness of Mindanao but later found himself with a pot of golden fruits in Davao, here’s how I cook batchoy….

You will need:

½ kilo pork (with some bones)

¼ kilo pork/beef liver

some quail’s eggs

1 head garlic (minced)

spring onions (minced)

cooking oil

2 pork cubes (I prefer knorr)

some fresh eggs (for special batchoy. But this is optional)

2 kilos fresh noodles (available in public markets. You may use miswa or sothanghon)

cooked ginamos (shrimp paste, this is optional if you have allergy),

salt

ground black pepper.

ground pork chicharon

 Fry garlic in little oil under low fire until brown. Be sure to turn the garlic continuously to avoid scorching. Set aside.

In a big “caldero”, boil pork and liver for about 15 minutes. Remove from fire and separate the pork and liver, Cut pork and liver into thin strips. While doing this, boil again the pork stock with the bones. You may add more water. Season with pork cubes, salt, cooked shrimp paste and pepper.

In a bowl, put some fresh noodles. On it, place some strips of pork, liver and some quail’s eggs. Pour some boiling hot pork stock. Top with lots of fried garlic, spring onion and chicharon. You may add fresh egg (minus its shell, of course) to give the soup that creamy look and taste.

Serve with puto sg Manapla or pan de leche.

Happy eating!..:)

photo from pinoyrecipe.com

Squash Lumpia

During squash season in the Philippines, farmers find it difficult what to do with their extra squash. If they dump their extra squash in the market, it would terribly lower the price. Many farmers would just leave the squash to rot in the gardens. Well, here's one recipe idea to try in your kichen, squash lumpia:

Ingredients:
2 cups squash, grated
2 tbsp kinchay, chopped
lumpia wrapper
salt to taste
msg (optional)
cornstarch paste

Lemon sauce:
3 tbsp calamansi juice
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1 piece siling labuyo, crushed
1 drop yellow food color (or atchuete extract)

Mix together squash, kinchay in a bowl, season with salt, msg and mix well. Put a tablespoon of mixture in lumpia wrapper and roll. Seal edges with cornstarch paste. Fry until golden brown. Serve with lemon sauce or catsup.

To prepare the lemon sauce: Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until thick

Meal planning

Pointers to ensure meal-planning success

1. Avoid preparing foods of the same food group in one meal, such as starches - pancit, spaghetti and rice; or proteins - beans, pork, beef, chicken.

2. Have a good balance between soft and solid foods. A meal of arroz caldo, ginataang camote, and macaroni soup is far too soft. Likewise a meal of fried fish, pancit bihon and cuchinta is intolerably dry.

3. Avoid preparing highly seasoned foods at one meal. Seasonings should be used sparingly.

4. Serve only a few varieties of food at one meal. Two or three kinds is enough.

5. Consider the cost of the food. Food not in season is always more expensive. There is enough variety among the inexpensive ones.

6. Observe food color harmony as much as possible.

7. Plan for a substantial breakfast. A good diet for the day begins with a good breakfast. The body is in greater need of food then than at any other time. If one is not hungry at breakfast, the cause should be sought out and corrected.

8. Supper should consist of the simplest meal of the day. If a hearty meal is planned, it should be served as early as possible.

Lapú or Laswa

Lapú (with stress at the last syllable), or linapwahan or laswa is vegetable stew.  There are numerous versions of linapwahan, depending on your preference. Here’s the basic recipe:

Boil 1 cup of water with sliced onions (bombay) and some dilis (dried anchovies). Add sliced squash, cover and simmer for a minute. Then add string beans (cut to 2 inches long) and crushed garlic, cover and simmer for another minute. Then add tagabang  [read more...]