Litratong Pinoy #6 – Ayaw Ko August 28, 2008

Sa lahat ng ayaw ko yung pinagliliban yung pagbuo ng mga furniture na binili namin sa Ikea. Alam nyo naman ang Ikea products puro do-it-yourself. Kung ayaw gawin agad ng asawa, eh di ako ang gumagawa. Okay lang kasi mahilig naman ako magbuo.

Among all the things that I hate is delaying to build the furnitures we buy from Ikea. Well, Ikea is well known for its do-it-yourself products. If my spouse refused to do it right away, I do it myself. I’m alright with it because I love to build things.

Scrumptious Sunday #8 – Appetizers August 24, 2008

Lettuce Wrap

Ingredients:
16 lettuce leaves
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
chili pepper sauce (optional)
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons (dark) sesame oil

Directions:

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chili pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

Litratong Pinoy #5 – Mithi August 21, 2008

Isa sa mga minimithi ko ay ang makapagbakasyon. Sa wakas natuloy din. Dito kami pumunta.

One of my wishes is to go on a vacation. Finally, it came true. This is where we went.

Scrumptious Sunday #7 – Fish August 10, 2008

Rellenong Bangus (Stuffed Milkfish)

Ingredients:

1 big bangus (milkfish)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 onion chopped

2 tomatoes, diced

1 egg

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 small carrot, finely chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 tablespoons of cooking oil

ham, finely chopped

raisins

cooked peas

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Scale and remove the intestines of the bangus.
2. With a very sharp knife, slowly remove the meat of the fish from the skin through the opening cavity below the head. Remove the spine by snapping off the bone at the base of the tail and head. Use a long spoon to scrape all the meat from the skin.
3. Marinate the head and skin in lemon juice, soy sauce and pepper.
4. Boil in 1/2 cup of water the bangus meat with some salt for 5 minutes.
5. Sauté the garlic and onions until slightly brown then add the tomatoes and carrots until tender.
6. Add the chopped ham, cooked peas, raisins and the bangus meat to the mixture. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Add a beaten egg to the sauté and mix well.
8. Stuff the mixture inside the bangus skin and head. Sew the cavity if needed.
9. Fry in oil until golden brown.
10. slice slightly diagonal (1 1/2 inch thick) and serve.