Pinakbet

The basic ingredients of this dish are local vegetables and shrimp paste, so even when one veggie is missing or you either use meat or seafood, you will still have that “pinakbet” vibe. It is very Filipino, from the manner of cooking to the ingredients employed. Usually it involves squash, eggplant, lady fingers (okra), and bitter gourd to say the least. But even having only half of the vegetables required, I decided to prepare Pinakbet the other day. And here is the result.

Ingredients:
1/4 kilo pork, sliced into small bite size pieces
4 to 6 pieces prawn
1 large egg plant, sliced
6 to 8 pieces okra
1 piece onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp shrimp paste
1 cup water
cooking oil for frying

Procedure:
1. In a skillet, fry the pork until golden brown. In the same pan, sauté the garlic and onion.
2. Add the shrimp paste and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in water and bring to a boil.
3. Check pork if tender then add the vegetables and prawns. Let it simmer.

Serve hot with rice.

Cheers,
Jane

Lumpiang Shanghai

As the name implies, it is the Filipino version of Chinese Spring Rolls. A popular dish which is commonly included in a typical Filipino buffet, may it be weddings, birthdays or a fiesta. It can be a cocktail, a side dish, or when paired with rice, pasta or noodles, the main course itself!

No wonder it's one of our all-time favorites. Even my daughter Ashrie fell in love with this simple dish because of its crisp outer shell and chewy, juicy core.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground pork
1 whole egg
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup onions, minced
1/2 cup carrots grated
1/2 cup prawns, minced (optional)
1/2 cup Chinese celery (flat leaf parsley) finely chopped
2-3 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
spring roll wrappers
cooking oil (for frying)

Procedure:
1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl (except for the cooking oil and wrappers). Season with a little bit of salt and pepper and mix well. You can do a sampling at this point by taking about a teaspoon of the mixture, forming it into a small patty and frying it in oil. Just to test if it needs adjustment in seasoning.
2. Lay a wrapper on a plate and wrap about a teaspoon of the filling. Brush the end of your wrapper with a little bit of water to seal the roll.
3. Deep fry your spring rolls for about 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Short of spring roll wrappers and you still have the filling mixture? You can pan fry the filling as burger patties or as meatballs. And remember to fry only what you can consume in one serving as it is best served while hot and the wrappers are still crispy.

Cheers,
Jane

Cinnamon Rolls

There is a certain joy when we prepare our own bread. Although this recipe is a bit challenging, especially when you’re doing it for the first time, it is really rewarding not to buy ready-made ones. Not to mention the lovely scent of cinnamon from the kitchen. Baking can also be good bonding time with kids. It’ll be as interesting as a science experiment as they watch the dough double in size right before their very eyes!

This is my third time to bake cinnamon rolls and so far, this recipe has delivered the tastiest and softest bread.

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Filipino-Style Chicken Curry

Almost every country in Asia has a version of the famous curry chicken. Typical of Indian cooking, the Filipino version has less pungent taste, absolutely less spicy but nevertheless competitive when it comes to creaminess and richness in texture to its Asian counterparts. The dish can be adapted with minor variations to cook meats like beef, fish or prawn. And while others like to eat it with bread or prata, Pinoys would definitely serve this with rice.

Ingredients:

1 kilo chicken, cut into serving pieces

2 large potatoes, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

5 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces

Red and green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small ginger, cut into strips

1 cup coconut milk

2 tbsp curry powder

1 cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Separately pan-fry the potato and chicken. Set aside.

In the same pan, sauté the garlic, onion and ginger.

Add the pan-fried chicken and mixed in the curry powder.

Add water and simmer until the chicken is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Put-in the remaining vegetables then simmer for 5 minutes.

Finally, add the coconut milk and mix well. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Cheers,

Jane

This recipe was adapted from panlasangpinoy.com.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

With origins dating back from the 1920s, Pineapple Upside Down Cake has been an all-time favorite. It is usually served during Thanksgiving or Christmas because of its lovely, lantern-like top. The combination of the light buttery cake and the sweet, citrusy caramelized pineapple topping is perfect not only for the holidays but anytime of the year. And what festivity it brought to our home when I prepared it this July!

The most common arrangement for the topping is placing down the pineapple slices and then putting a cherry on the center of each, but for this recipe, I lay down the fruit slices from the pan’s edge going to the center creating a rosette arrangement and then closing with one ring on the center accentuated with bright red cherries.

Ingredients for the Topping:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 can pineapple slices (cut into quarters)

Maraschino cherries (cut into halves)

Procedure for the Topping:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar and butter until the mixture is dissolved. Let it simmer for a while without stirring. Remove from heat when you begin to see bubbles forming around the edges. Then, while the mixture is still hot, pour into the baking pan making sure the bottom is fully coated. Let it cool.

2. Arrange the pineapple slices over the butter and sugar mixture in whatever design you want.

This is how my baking pan looks after the fruit slices have been placed.



Ready for the cake batter! 

Ingredients for the Cake Batter:

1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup white caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, yolks and whites separated

1/2 cup full cream fresh milk

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Procedure for the Cake Batter:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

3. Using your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar. Add vanilla extract. In portions, add the egg yolks, flour mixture, and milk, beating well after every addition. Set aside.

4. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in another mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Then fold this egg white mixture into the flour mixture.

5. Pour the batter carefully into the baking pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.

6. Once cooked, remove the pan from oven let it cool.

7. Invert the pan on a serving plate or cake stand and serve hot with whipped cream.

Serve warm with a cup of tea! Makes 8 servings.

Until then,

Jane

This is based from joyofbaking.com’s original recipe.

Baked Minced Meat Omelette

For my first recipe, I am sharing a classy take on the famous Filipino dish Tortang Giniling. Usually pan-fried and sometimes fried between banana leaves for easy flipping. However, my version does not include the dreaded flipping because it is baked like a pie.

Here are the ingredients:

500 grams minced meat

1 large carrot, diced

1 large potato, diced

1 medium-sized onion, minced

Quarter of medium-sized cabbage

3 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil for sautéing

4 eggs, beaten

Cheese for topping (optional)

Parsley flakes for garnish (optional)

  

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. In a skillet, sauté garlic and onion.

3. Add in the carrots and potatoes.

4. When the potatoes are already half-cooked, add the meat. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Add the cabbage.

6. Set this aside and let it cool.

7. In a mixing bowl of beaten eggs, pour in this cooled mixture. Stir until all the ingredients are incorporated.

8. Transfer the mixture into a pie baking dish. Top with cheese and bake it for about 30 minutes or after a successful toothpick test.

9. Garnish with parsley flakes.

Serve hot with rice with your favorite condiment. Alternatively, you can eat it as a cheesy meat and vegetable pie.

This can serve 6 to 8 persons.

Cheers!

Jane

Greetings from the Kitchen

Welcome to my blog!

Share the joy of cooking with me as I post well-loved classic recipes, Filipino dishes, and some original creations along the way. Most of these dishes are prepared for my family or sometimes for a few guests on special dinners or luncheons. All are home-cooked from my humble kitchen.

Join me as I embark on this culinary journey while I juggle my work as a wife, mom, and a homemaker.

Stay tuned!

Jane