Special Turon (Ripe Banana Wrapped in Egg Roll Wraps)

I had some very ripe plantains at home today. I didn't know what to do with it. It is such a waste if I will throw it again, since a plantain is .75 cents per piece. I had three pieces left, so that would be $2.25. In this economy, we should try our best to save in any way we can.

So that made my brain worked, hehe. I looked in the freezer and found some egg roll wrappers. It made me think of turon. "Turon" is a favorite Filipino snack in the Philippines. It looks like egg rolls but instead of the meat or veggies inside, it has sweet banana and other sweet ingredients. It is more like a dessert type of food and also good by itself for snacks. Anyway, going back to this morning, I took out the wrappers to thaw and checked in the pantry for some jackfruit in a can and found one. Seems like I'm lucky today. I had a leftover purple sweet potato that I boiled in the morning for my breakfast, so I thought why not make use of it,too. Instead if using purple yam or ube, I used my sweet purple potato. It has the same color and texture.

So I got all my ingredients ready after my egg roll wrapper thawed. I had the wrappers, julienned jackfruit, mashed sweet potato with sugar, and the sliced plantains.

I just put all the ingredients together in the middle of the egg roll wrapper and then wrapped it burrito style but sealing it at the end with water.

Preheat a deep pan and some oil on it, enough to deep fry the turon. Fry it until the turon is golden brown. My kids enjoyed it!:)

Crispy Binagoongang Baboy

Craving Siomai Today

I was watching TFC (The Filipino Channel) the other day and the show I was watching was showing different kinds of Chinese foods. One of my favorite foods when I was still in the Philippines was shown, the siomai. I haven't cooked siomai in a while now. Just couldn't find the time and I am getting lazy these days especially with two kids, lol! But after the show I started craving siomai. I remember way back in the Philippines that I could eat siomai nonstop (though I need to stop because it's expensive, lol, I can't afford to buy more). I'm just so glad that being away from the Philippines made me independent that I was able to try to make siomai by myself here in the US. With research and cooking channels to watch, I was able to experiment on making it and found a way to make my own recipe.

Anyway, after watching that show, I kept dreaming about siomai, but I couldn't make it because I don't have ground pork at home and our shopping day will still be on Tuesday. I was relieved that yesterday my hubby had to pass by Walmart to get some items that I was able to let him get some ground pork, too. Thank goodness! So today, I was able to make siomai and satisfy my cravings. I'll be good for a few months now. I made like 36 pieces today. My hubby likes siomai, too, so I bet we will eat these all up tonight.

If you guys are craving siomai, too, check my other post for the SIOMAI recipe .

Dinuldog or Ginataang Halu-halo Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk or about 2 cups(divide into two portions:the other half will be mixed with water)
1/2 cup sweet rice
Sliced,ripe bananas
Sliced, sweet potatoes or camote
Bilo-bilo or sweet rice balls
Shreds of langka or jackfruit
2 cups Water
About a cup or more of Brown Sugar

PROCEDURE:

Boil 2 cups of water and half of the coconut milk.

Add the sweet rice into the boiling water and stir to avoid forming lumps. Continue boiling for about 5 minutes until the rice is almost soft but not completely cooked.

Add the sugar, dissolve completely (add as much sugar you want). Then add the shreds of langka.If you are using the jackfruit in a can,you can add the syrup in it,too.

Next, put the sweet potatoes or camote, stir and simmer for at least 3 minutes.

Then, add the ripe bananas and then the bilo-bilo. stir again and let it simmer until the rice,bananas,camote, and bilo-bilo are cooked.You will know that the bilo-bilo's are cooked when it floats to the surface.Stir it from time to time to avoid scorching.

Lastly add the remaining coconut milk. Stir and let it boil.(If the consistency is too thick,add a bit of water)

Add a little salt to balance the sweetness.Just a pinch.

Serve.

Pancit Canton with Shrimp and Fish Balls

I am cooking some pansit today! What is pansit? Pansit is a Filipino stir-fried noodle. I had some fish balls that I bought from last week's grocery shopping and some frozen shrimps which will go well with the noodles.I  will add some veggies like green peppers, carrots, and mongo sprouts. Green onions would have been great with it but I don't have it. So let us stick with what we have. And finally, here is the photo of my homemade Pansit with lemon wedges on the side.

SIOMAI OR STEAMED PORK DUMPLINGS

Siomai is a steamed dumpling filled with either ground pork, ground beef, or shrimp and wrapped in wonton wrapper. In the Philippines, it usually dipped in soy sauce with calamansi or calamondin with oily garlicky or ginger flavor.

I love siomai. It is one of my favorite appetizers. I never get tired of eating it. When I came here in the US, this is one of the foods that I missed from the Philippines. So I researched on some recipes and get some ideas how it was made. I vary the ingredients according to my taste.

Most recipes use sesame oil to be mix in the filling, but since I'm not such a fan for sesame oil, I omitted it. But if you like it, you can add it to the ingredients.

Sotanghon Soup Recipe

The other day, I had my mother in-law and my husband's grandparents over for dinner. I made some sotanghon soup and some lumpia and Biko for dessert. I wanted them to have a taste of some Filipino foods. The most popular is our egg roll or lumpia so I decided to make some. At first I wanted to make pansit bihon but then I thought, lumpia and bihon are both dry. So I looked around in my pantry and I found some bean thread noodles, so I decided to make Sotanghon soup.



I remember my mom's sotanghon soup in the Philippines but I haven't tried making it yet. So I'm hoping against hope that I will make the soup good since it will be my first time to make it. I've seen my Mom do it before and I can still remember the taste of it. I know it's just chicken soup and then added with some sotanghon or bean thread noodles.

The secret of this recipe, that makes it smell and taste good is the ginger and the tanglad or lemon grass stalk. The lemon grass gives that subtle lemony taste and also the aroma. In the Philippines, we usually use this when we cook soups like chicken, beef soup or nilagang baka, in curry chicken, or when cooking chicken with coconut milk. It just taste different when cooking these dishes without the lemongrass. With it, it makes the dish more aromatic.

Anyway, here in the US, you can buy this at Asian stores. They are usually found at the fresh produce section. Just be sure to buy fresh ones, not old ones. When I say fresh, the stalk should be firm, and not pliable when you bend it. the bottom part should be off white in color or light yellow and the top part green. Don't buy those withered ones already or turning brown as these doesn't give off any aroma anymore. You can also order it on Amazon.com. When you don't use it, you can just freeze it, to prolong the freshness. Just wrap it in a plastic cover or aluminum foil. Then take it out before cooking.

Anyway, going back to the dinner, I was so glad they liked the Sotanghon Soup and also the lumpia and biko. Since they liked it, I am sharing this recipe with you. My mother in-law wants it, too and also my husband's grandma, so what better way than to write it here in my foodblog and share it with everybody in just one click rather than writing it one by one in an email, LOL!

SOTANGHON SOUP

Ingredients:

for the broth:
4 pcs. Chicken breasts, with skin and bones on
10 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk of lemon grass, pounded on the base
A small slice of ginger, pounded
2-3 tbsps. Chicken bouillon

Additional ingredients:
2 tbsps. Cooking oil
Vermicelli bean thread noodles
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
One whole carrot, julienned
2 tbsps. Soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Green onions, chopped (for garnish)

PROCEDURE:

Make the chicken broth.
-Boil the 10 cups of water.
-Then put the onions, ginger, and the lemon grass. Simmer for 2 minutes.
-Next, add the chicken breast.
-Season with the chicken bouillon, a little salt and pepper.
-Simmer and cooked until the chiken gets tender or the meat separates from the bones. At least an hour.,
-Once the chicekn is cooked, take out the meat and put it on a plate to cool down a little. When the meat is cool, take out the skin and the bones. And then cut the chicken meat into strips.
-Reserve the broth, it will be used in making the soup. set aside the chicken meat, too.

Cooking the Sotanghon Soup:
-Heat oil in a deep cooking pot.
-Put the garlic and saute it until it becomes golden brown, add the onions and the carrots and saute.
-Then add the chicken strips. Mix well with the veggies.
-Season it with the soy sauce. Mix well and then simmer for a minute.
-Add all the chicken broth that you made.
-Let it boil. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
-Add the dry sotanghon or bean thread noodles. Let the broth soak it in. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the noodle is cooked.
-Serve right away because if it takes long for you to serve it, the noodle will soak up all the broth. Garnish with chopped fresh green onions on top.

TIP:
You can put the noodles when it's almost serving time, so it wouldn't soak up all the broth. You can make the broth ahead and then just heat it up again when it's almost eating time, and then you can add the noodles. The noodles will just cook right away, anyway. Have fun eating! This soupmis especially good during colder months:-)

If you have questions or suggestions, please write it in the comment area, thanks!:-)

Egg Sandwhich

CHICKEN CURRY

Philippines has some Indian cuisine influence, this is visible in some of the Filipino dishes which include a curry seasoning. Curry is sometimes used in dishes with chicken, beef, pork and vegetables cooked like a stew. Here is a chicken recipe with curry seasoning and added with coconut milk to make it creamy.

ATSARANG PAPAYA

INGREDIENTS:
3-4 cups grated papaya
1/4 cup salt
Vinegar
Water
Brown sugar
Red or green bell pepper, julienne
Carrots, cut into flowers or julienne
Onion, julienne
Garlic, julienne
Ginger, julienne
Salt to taste

PROCEDURE:

Put salt on the grated papaya and toss it. Let it stand for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Afterward, rinse the papaya with water and drain.
Put the washed papaya on a cheesecloth and squeeze all the liquid from it.

Meanwhile, on a big pot, put the vinegar and water.
Let it boil and then put the sugar and salt. Dissolve the sugar well. Continue boiling for at least 5 minutes.

Then put the onions, garlic, ginger, bell pepper, and carrots. Simmer for two minutes.

Lastly, add the grated papaya. Mix it well with the other ingredients. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Turn off the stove and let it cool down before putting it in a container.

TERM:

julienne- cutting the vegetables (ex: bell pepper) into thin, long strips

You can use a grater for the papaya or if you have a food processor it will be faster.

       

COCONUT MACAROONS

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg. 14 oz. unsweetened coconut flakes or approx. 5 1/3 cups
3 eggs
1 can condensed milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
Mix it very well.
Put into greased paper cups(small) and bake it for at about 15 minutes or until it turns golden brown.


                

Pinsec Frito or Fried Wonton

I remember when I was in high school in the Philippines, that whenever I don't have a class, I stayed at my cousin's boarding house. And sometimes my cousin, Ramel, will treat me and some of his friends to eat pinsec and pizza. The first time I had the pinsec, I already loved the taste especially when you dip it into a sweet and sour sauce. It almost has the same taste as lumpia or egg rolls (if you make the same filling and just wrap it like a lumpia), although the way you wrap the filling is different. Pinsec is wrapped in a small square sized wrapper and will look like a triangle shape after it's done.

So when I came here in the US, I missed eating pinsec, so I tried to look around for some recipes and then vary the ingredients according to my taste. Here is my recipe for pinsec:

SWEET BABY BACK RIBS

I always like to munch meat from a bone.It's so much fun to eat while holding the bone in your hand and just bite the meat off it,ha ha. Call me a cowgirl. Anyway,because of that ribs is one of my favorite food to eat. I tried to browse for some good recipes for ribs and was drawn to this one since I've seen this on TFC,on "Life Pinoy Style" by Ron Bilaro. So I went to there website and I saw the recipe , tried it and I loved how the ribs turned out. My hubby and son loves it because the meat just falls from the bones. My mother in-law tried it,too and she asked for the recipe for it.So thanks to Life Pinoy Style for sharing this recipe. It is now one of our favorite family recipe. You can eat it with sides, like mashed potato, macaroni salad, or for Filipinos like me, with rice. Here is the link to the Sweet Baby Back Ribs. Enjoy!

EMBUTIDO RECIPE

Embutido, is a Filipino-style steamed meatloaf, which is filled with slices of boiled egg and sausages on the inside. This is a very good comfort food and is usually eaten with rice and dip in a sweet and sour sauce or soy sauce with calamansi. Here is a recipe I made according to my taste.

CASSAVA CAKE RECIPE

Way back in my high school days, I used to buy Cassava Pudding for recess at the Night Class canteen in NOHS. It is one of my favorites. Living here in the US made me miss eating my favorite foods at home. So I have to find ways to be able to make it. So I tried to experiment and later came up with a recipe that tickles my taste buds, I mean that I like. Cassava Cake is mainly made of grated cassava, milk, sugar, and coconut milk. So here it is:





Ingredients:
2 LBS. grated cassava
1 can coconut milk (minus 6 tbsp. for the topping)
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk (minus 6 tbsp for the topping)
1 tsp vanilla

FOR TOPPING:

6 tbsp coconut milk
6 tbsp condensed milk
2 egg yolks

PROCEDURE:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all the ingredients (except the topping ingredients) in a bowl.
3. After it is mixed well,put it in a greased baking pan.
4. Bake it in the oven for about 35-45 minutes or until the mixtures dries.
5. On the other hand, mix all the topping ingredients,well. After the cassava is done in the oven, pour the topping and bake it for another 25 minutes or until the topping turns golden brown.
6. Take it out from the oven,let it cool down a little and ready to serve. Eat, eat, eat!!!:)

 For those who are in the US and do not have fresh coconut milk, you can buy coconut milk in cans.