Pepper Rice

There is this new restaurant at our local mall called Pepper Lunch. It has been a long time that the four of us siblings went out together. 

This wonderful event happened when my sister asked our brother to fetch her at a party. One of her kids is left at our house. We decided then to all go together to fetch her since she wants to go out for coffee as well.

The coffee thing turned out to be a late dinner for us. She didn't get to eat much at the party and our younger sister wants to eat a full meal. 

So we decided to try this new restaurant. The food really is great even if it is quite pricey. It has a unique type of serving their dish -- in a sizzling plate with all the component of the dish on it. 

This is what my brother and I ordered. Since I am quite full already, we just shared this meal together.

It's funny how time flies and how this night did us all a little good. To have some time together, just us four siblings and our niece and nephew along with us. No husband or boyfriends....

It brought back happy memories to me. I realized that it's been almost 2 years that me and my younger sister are at war with each other. We try to be civil nowadays but it is just so hard to be back to the way things were.....

They say that good food brings people together. It is so true... For a few hours, it seems that things are back to normal....

Gizzard BBQ

Gizzard is an organ found in the digestive tract.

In the Philippines, gizzard is a common street food. Usually cooked in barbeque type. However, gizzards that are sold along the street are hard to chew.

I made my own gizzard barbeque and not only is it chewable but tasty as well, if I may say so myself.

Gizzard in Tagalog is known as baticolon.

Pancit Canton

I always love eating pancit canton. Especially those karenderia type that is salty and the taste of sweet pepper is strong.

I have finally mastered cooking pancit canton. Karenderia type style. LoL!!!

Gulami

I have tried gulami before at a local restaurant. Since tasting that dish, it has been a quite addictive dish for me for some time.

Gulami is a beef broth soup with noodles. What makes this exceptionally good is its distinct taste of tangy and spiciness incorporated in the soup. Noodles and beef are added to this dish.

Gulami is originally a Chinese dish that is usually served during cold rainy days. Because it is a "hot" soup, it always warms the body and soul when eating this dish.

Nowadays, gulami is served at local restaurants. Some partake this as a snack while others partake this as part of their meal. Gulami is paired either with rice or bread.

My attempt to make gulami and I finally did get the right taste and texture on my second attempt.

Jellyfish

Jellyfish appetizer dish was first introduced to me by my uncle who came from China. His business is repacking frozen goods such as sea cucumber, jellyfish, shark's fin, pork tendons, beef tendons, and supplying them to the supermarket.

It was during one of our potlucks that he contributed this dish. I was hesitant to try this at first because the jellyfish as we know is a stinger. But it was not and it actually tastes good that it got me craving this dish from time to time.

So I decided to learn it. However, with family friction, I was not able to ask for this recipe. With the help of the internet, I searched for recipes online. I choose a recipe that has the ingredients closest to the dish my uncle made.

Sesame oil, sesame seed, chili oi, and salt to taste.

Luckily, I got it right! I can now have jellyfish appetizer anytime I want to.

Mashed Potato

I like eating mashed potato but I do not like the process of making them.

You boil the potatoes till tender then mash them to super fine texture. Season them with salt, butter and pepper. After these are done, my arms are aching already and I feel too tired to eat.

However, I discovered from the grocery, mashed potatoes the easy way. Nowadays, with technology, comes laziness...hahaha.... Mashed potatoes are now processed. They come in a box. Very easy to prepare as well and it definitely tastes just as good as natural potatoes.

By just adding hot water, salt and pepper, I can have mashed potatoes in just 5 minutes.

Imbao

Imbao is the term for the Filipino dish clam soup.

Imbao is a shell type sea delicacy that is very rampant in the Philippines. It has its own distinctive sweet taste that even without any seasoning, it sure tastes yummy. The imbao meat may taste a little bit gooey especially if the imbao is a little bit large. This is very rich in iodine.

To cook imbao, submerge the shells in hot water. This will allow the shells to emit sands. In a wok, sauteed ginger, onions, tomatoes in hot oil. Add the imbao. Stirring occasionally until imbao opens up. Add water for its soup. Let simmer.

Optional addition can be the morning glory vegetable or raddish. If sourness is preferred for this soup, sinigang mix is added.

Imbao is usually served in barbeque restaurants. This is always a dish paired with grilled pork or fish, kinilaw, and seaweed salad.

Cold Taho

Tahooooooo........tahoooooooo...... I used to hear the vendor - magtataho - announcing his presence along our street whenI was a child. I was very curious as to what he is selling. I stopped him once as he walks past our house and asked him what taho is. 

He opened 2 big tin cans that he carry along his shoulder with a bamboo stick. Inside the first can I saw brown liquids. This is the syrup he says. The other can contains white milky like gelatin. That is the taho he said. 

Taho is made from soybeans. The milk extracted from the soybean is then made into taho. Sugar is then caramelized and made into syrup. 

I was hesistant to try the vendor's taho. I did not find the taho that appetizing after all. 

My mom then decided to learn how to make taho. Since then, I have been eating taho and I found out that it taste really really good. 

My mom's variation of taho is cold taho. The traditional one is hot taho. Sago pearls are added as part of its topping or variation. Other toppings include, mango, jackfruit, monggo, strawbeery, macapuno, and beans. 

I prefer sago pearls. It is during the summer weathers that I crave for my mom's cold taho. It sure cools not only the taste buds but the hot weather.

Boiled Cardava with Guinamos

My latest food craze.... the boiled cardava with preserved fish. 

Cardava or saba is a banana variety that is rich in nutrients - potassium especially. They help the body’s circulatory system deliver oxygen to the brain. This also helps maintain a regular heartbeat and a proper balance of water in the body. Potassium is also helpful for reducing strokes and regulating blood pressure because of the way it promotes circulatory health. 

The cardava is cooked broiled. I prefer my cardava to be ripe. Not overly ripe, just ripe. 

Cardava is very abundant at the province and I really enjoyed having cardava as my snack or even as my main meal, especially dipping it into the salted preserved fish sauce. I prefer adding chili in my sauce. An inexpensive meal but surely satisfies a great deal!

Tofu

Tofu originated in ancient China. Tofu is a vegetarian food made from soybeans. 

Vegetarians use this as a substitute for meat in their diet. Tofu is rich in protein, low calorie count and high in iron. Tofu, in our local dialect is known as tokwa - derived from the Chinese word, tou-kan. 

Tofu is also known as bean curd - curdled product made from coagulating soymilk and pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. 

Different varieties of cooking tofu includes frying, broiling, steamed and simmered. My favorite variety of having tofu is deep fried and the variety - tokwa't baboy. 

With deep fried, tofu is fried and soysauce is used as dipping sauce. Other variation of dipping sauce may include wasabi. 

Tokwa't baboy - a very famous Filipino dish. This can be used as an appetizer or as a side dish. Deep fry the tofu. Prepare broiled pork meat. Best to include the mask (mascara) with the pork meat. Slice thinly the tofu and the mask. Incorporate in a plate. For the sauce, calamansi and soy sauce is best.

Sate Mi

Sate mi is a spicy noodle Chinese dish. 

Cooking sate mi is like cooking ordinary sauteed noodles, only we add sate sauce to the base of the noodle dish. 

I learned to cook sate mi from my dad. 

To cook sate mi, you need to cook the spices first -- onions, garlic, pepper. Add the meat -- choice of chicken, pork, or beef. Optional of squids, fishballs, shrimps and clams can be addded as well. Then add in a spoonful of sate sauce. The amount of sauce varies. If you like it spicier, you can add more sauce. Soup stock or water is then added. Once the soup boils, the noodles is then added. Simmering until the noodles are fully coated with the sauce. Vegetables are then added to the mixture. Mixing all the ingredients well, it is ready to be served. 

It is best to use big noodles to cook sate mi rather than the small thin ones. 

I was able to serve this dish in the province. Since there are no available big noodles in the market at the province, I bought big noodles from the market in the city. The guests and staff of Tito Joseph were surprised by the size of the noodles. They never have seen such size of the noodles. They are only used to the thin ones available in the province. 

Despite their surprise of the size, they were also amazed by the taste of sate mi. A first for them as well.

Grilled Pork

Liempo... The usual and easiest food to prepare and bring during potlucks. 

Liempo is grilled pork belly, cooked over charcoal to the right wellness. 

My liempo is very simple. Before grilling, I marinate them with salt, pepper and whiskey. For the sauce, soysauce, vinegar and lots of chili. 

This dish always is a favorite of mine. Never gets tired of eating this dish.

Bulgogi

Bulgogi is a Korean dish. It consist of beef, lettuce, kimchi and chili bean paste. Chicken is also a variation for thus. But beef is the popular choice. 

The beef is marinated in soysauce and spices. It is best to marinade for at least an hour to enhance flavor. After marinating, grill the beef and set aside. Kimchi, chili bean paste, and lettuce can be bought at the grocery. 

To serve, all the components -- beef, kimchi, lettuce and chili bean paste, are set on the table. 

To eat bulgogi, you use the lettuce as wrapper. Spread on lettuce leaf the chili bean paste, add on beef and kimchi. Then roll the lettuce leaf over. Bon apetit! 

 I learned to prepare bulgogi via television. Big and I were watching cooking show and bulgogi came up. We got interested and I tried it out. It was a hit.

Pata Tim

Pata tim, also known as pork leg, is a special dish served at most restaurants. 

A whole pork leg is cooked to the right tenderness in rich soy sauce. 

To prepare this dish, first you gotta clean the pork leg. Remove hairs and dirt. After this is done, boil the sauce. The sauce consists of soysauce and spices. When the sauce boils, submerge the pork leg and let it cook to the right tenderness. 

Pata tim is a Filipino dish which is usually served during festivals and special occasions. 

I get to cook pata tim by myself when I was in the province. A pig was slaughtered to be roasted. As the legs are not needed for roasting, I took them to cook as pata tim. 

 Different variations are available to add to the pata tim. You can have the option of having pata tim with eggs, pata tim with vegetables, or pata tim with mushrooms. Any variations taste good. I like pata tim with egg the best. 

When the pork leg has reached my desired tenderness, I added boiled eggs to the sauce. Coating the eggs so the eggs become brown in color. 

I served this dish to Big and he was impressed. He literally devoured the whole leg. Never ate this kind of dish home cooked, he claimed. Hahahaha