Lumpiang Sariwa

Lumpiang Sariwa or Fresh Spring Rolls is a light, healthy, and summery dish that you can prepare. It involves a savoury ensemble of sautéed vegetables in a spring roll wrapper and then smothered with a thick and creamy peanut-based sauce. For pizzaz, some people like it topped with a bit of crushed garlic and vinegar, but we skipped that for this recipe. Hope you will like it.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo pork, cut into small pieces

1 large turnip, cut into strips

1 large sweet potato, cut into strips

2 pcs medium size carrots, cut into strips

1 bunch green beans, cut into strips

2 pcs tofu, cut into small cubes

1 garlic, minced

1 large onion, minced

2 tbsp oyster sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cooking oil for sautéing

For the sauce:

1/3 cup roasted peanuts, crushed

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

Procedure:

1. In a wok with about a cup of water, let the pork simmer for a few minutes until it’s tender. Save the broth and set the cooked meat aside.

2. In the same wok, sauté garlic and onions in oil. Add in the tofu, followed by the pork. Pour in the broth. Season with salt and pepper and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

3. Add in the vegetables. Season with oyster sauce. Simmer until vegetables (especially the sweet potatoes) are cooked.

4. Remove from heat and drain the broth.

5. Wrap about 2 to 3 tablespoonfuls in spring roll wrappers.

For the sauce:  In a small saucepan, simply mixed the water, flour and soy sauce and sugar over medium heat. Add the peanuts and bring to a boil.

Share and enjoy!

Cheers,

Jane

Baked Leche Flan

Leche Flan (Spanish) which literally translates to milk pudding is a classic, well-loved dessert from the Philippines. It is usually steamed but this recipe is oven-baked. Still, the result is that soft, creamy, melts-in-your mouth texture. The success lies in the perfect timing of removing it from the oven and allowing the remaining heat to cook the flan. It is the perfect thing to cook after the Pavlova because of the unused egg yolks of the meringue-based dessert.

Ingredients for the custard:

10 egg yolks

1 can condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh milk

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

3/4 cups brown sugar

For the toppings: (Optional)

Kiwi

Cherry

Or any citrus fruit

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

2. In a small saucepan over low heat, dissolve the sugar until it is caramelized into a golden brown syrup. Carefully transfer into your baking pan covering its entire bottom.

3. In a mixing bowl, cream together the egg yolks and both the condensed and fresh milk. Add the lemon zest.

4. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking pan with the caramelized sugar and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for at least 45 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and let it cool.

6. Transfer to a serving platter by flipping the baking pan upside down. Top with you fruit of choice.

Regards,

Jane

Pavlova

The first time I made a Pavlova, Eds blogged about it his blog, Me&MyGirls. Below is an excerpt from his post:

Dating back from the 1920's, and named after the great Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, this dessert has been loved by millions with its lightness, subtle sweetness, and the simplicity of the recipe. It's a meringue-based dessert with cream and fruit topping. A successful pavlova has a meringue that is crisp on the outside and a soft, chewy, marshmallowy center. Both Australia and New Zealand claim ownership of the first dish creation but latest research shows it might probably be from the latter. But who cares, this dessert, beyond any shadow of a doubt, tastes just as heavenly as it sounds.

Many chefs fail in making the meringue beautiful, avoiding cracks. But as this dish has a cream frosting and fruit topping, it hides the flaws while making it look like a cake. So it's okay if the meringue cracks, as long as you make sure it tastes good.

After that, we had many pavlovas on different occasions. And this would probably my fourth. It’s easy-to-do, it’s fruity, and most of all, Ashrie love it when I make pavlova because she can eat the crunchy meringue flakes on top.

<Remaining post content deleted>

Banana Upside Down Cake

They say the original recipe comes from Brazil, and this cake is a very common find in Brazilian bakeries. But there is something in that caramelized banana topping that is reminiscent of the sweetened banana dessert from the Philippines, the one we use for our Banana con Yelo. Try this recipe to see and taste for yourself!

Ingredients for the topping:

1 cup brown sugar

5 ripe bananas

Ingredients for the cake batter:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs, separated

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

Procedure for the topping:

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, pour in the brown sugar, stirring continuously. Once it caramelized, distribute evenly all over the bottom of a non-stick pan. Set aside and let it cool.

2.  Cut the bananas lengthwise and arrange them with minimum gaps (cut side down) over the dry caramel. Set aside.

Procedure for the cake batter:

1. Preheat the oven 180°C.

2. In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients- flour, cornstarch and baking powder. Set aside.

3. In another bowl or on your electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and egg yolks.

4. To this, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, mixing constantly on low speed.

5. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. With a spatula, fold the beaten egg whites to the batter.

6. Pour the cake batter carefully over the prepared baking pan with the caramel and banana layer.

7. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Make sure you’re inserting on the cake batter only and not on the bananas underneath.

8. Remove from oven. Let it cool a bit.

Flip the cake upside down on a serving dish while it is still a bit warm. Serve with a dash of whipped cream.

Cheers,

Jane

Sweet and Sour Pork

Here’s another sweet and sour recipe. This time around, it’s Sweet and Sour Pork. That’s all the goodness of crispy bite-size chunks of breaded pork with a tasty sweet and sour sauce!

Ingredients:

1 kilo pork loin, cut into small pieces

1 cup flour

1 fresh egg, beaten

1 red and green capsicums, cubed

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

1 large carrot, sliced diagonally

Salt to taste

For the sweet and sour sauce:

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoon cornstarch, diluted in 5 teaspoons of water

Procedure:

1. Season the pork loin with salt. Roll it over the beaten eggs then dredge it in flour before frying.

2. Deep fry the pork pieces until the coat turns golden brown. Set aside.

3. Whisk together the sugar, ketchup, vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl.

4. In a wok over medium heat, pour this sauce mixture and bring to a boil.

4. Add the cornstarch, stirring constantly until the sauce becomes thick.

5. Add in the red and green bell peppers, carrots and the onions. Let it simmer until the veggies are ready.

6. Put in the deep-fried pork, and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Cheers!

Jane

Apple-Cinnamon Cake

In places where there are four seasons, especially in the US, this recipe is best served in autumn or for Thanksgiving Day perhaps. And for us which only have two seasons, but still have an abundance of imported apples, every time is a good time to serve apple recipes. To add that apples are not as expensive as other fruits especially berries. Today, I will be sharing Apple-Cinnamon Cake, a moist, cinnamon-scented cake with juicy caramelized apples inside and out.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 green apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small cubes

2 green apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges for the topping (optional)

4 large eggs

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (frosting)

Procedure:

1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

3. In another bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and eggs. To this, gradually pour in the dry mixture.

4. Fold in the apples. To avoid the “browning” of the apples drenched it in fresh lemon juice right after it is peeled and sliced.

5. Pour cake batter onto a baking pan. Arrange the apple wedges on top of the batter. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely before transferring to a plate.

For the frosting, simply sift confectioners’ sugar over the cake. Serve and enjoy!

Cheers,

Jane

Spanish Bread

Spanish bread is a bakeshop staple in the Philippines. It is best with coffee or your favorite soda and is a common Pinoy breakfast or merienda. Who would not love its creamy margarine and sugar filling and the soft crumby roll. This recipe is very similar to cinnamon rolls except for the filling and the style of rolling it. Also, instead of margarine I used butter. Here it goes…

Dough Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 pack active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm milk

1/4 cup warm water

1 fresh egg, lightly beaten

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Ingredients for the filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup bread crumbs and 2 tbsp brown sugar (for dredging)

 Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

2. In a small bowl or cup of warm water, add the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar. Give it a stir. Set aside in a warm place for at least 5 minutes until foamy.

3. In a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients- flour, sugar and salt.

4. Add the warm milk, butter, egg, and yeast mixture. Mix until it can be formed into a dough.

5. Place the dough on a on a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes or until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball.

6. Put the dough on a grease bowl. Turn the dough once to cover all sides with grease. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for at least 1 hour until it doubled in size.

While waiting for the dough to rise, you can start preparing the filling:

On a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup sugar until creamy. On another bowl, mix the bread crumbs and brown sugar. Set both bowls aside.

7. After an hour, knead the dough for at least 2 minutes then divide into four 16 equal parts. Flatten the doughs into a rectangular shape about 3 x 5 inches in size.

8. Brush the dough with the prepared filling leaving about a centimeter from the edge. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Roll the dough from corner to corner.

9. Dredge the rolls into a bowl containing the breadcrumbs and sugar mixture. Place them (seam side down) on a greased or non-stick baking tray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set aside for another 30 minutes.

10. Bake the rolls in the oven for least 20 minutes.

This recipe makes 16 yummy breads.

Cheers!

Jane

German Apple Cake

Apfelkuchen literally translates to apple cake in German. It’s a buttery, moist cake topped with delicious, caramelized apple wedges with a hint of cinnamon. The citrus taste of the green apple blends perfectly with the sweetness of the creamy cake batter. Here’s an easy-to-do recipe for German Apple Cake.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Granny Smith (green) apple, cubed and 3 Granny Smith apples, sliced into thin wedges in 2 separate bowls (both drenched with about 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to avoid the “browning” of apples during preparation time)

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, mix the butter and 1 cup sugar. Then, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.
4. To this, add in the flour mixture and beat well until fully blended. Fold in the cubed apples.
5. Pour this mixture into a baking pan.
6. In your bowl of sliced apple wedges, add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and ground cinnamon. Toss the apples making sure that every slice is coated with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Carefully arrange the apple wedges on top of the batter in overlapping rows, covering the entire pan.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until a successful toothpick test.

Serve warm with whipped cream.

Stay sweet,
Jane

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Big, juicy, tender and tasty meatballs in a rich sweet and sour sauce, this is what this dish is all about. I used the same recipe for the Lumpiang Shanghai. You can get the recipe here. But instead of wrapping the pork mixture, I made meatballs. Fried it until golden brown and set it aside. The second part is making the sweet and sour sauce. And here’s what you will need.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoon cornstarch, diluted in 5 teaspoons of water

1 red bell pepper, cut into squares

1 green bell pepper, cut into squares

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

1 large carrot, sliced diagonally

Procedure:

1. Whisk together the sugar, ketchup, vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, pour this sauce mixture and bring to a boil.

3. Pour in the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly until the sauce becomes thick.

4. Add the sliced carrots. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes.

5. Add in the red and green bell peppers and the onions. Let it simmer until the all veggies are ready.

6. Put in the fried meatballs, and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Enjoy!

Jane

Fish Sarciado

In the Philippines, the fishes commonly used for Fish Sarciado are Dalagang Bukid, Tilapia, or Galunggong. There are two ways to prepare this, either you pour the sauce on the fried fish (this will give you a crispier fish), or put the fried fish on the sauce while it is being cooked (the fish will absorb more flavor from the sauce). It’s just a matter of preference.

For this recipe, I used Tilapia and the second procedure.

Ingredients:
2 large tilapia; gutted, descaled and rubbed with salt
5 large tomatoes, diced
3 fresh eggs, beaten
1 onion, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
cooking oil for frying

Procedure:
1. Fry the tilapia in cooking oil until golden brown. Once done, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
2. In the same skillet, reduced the cooking oil and then sauté the garlic and onions.
3. Put in the sliced tomatoes, then add the oyster sauce.
4. Pour in the beaten eggs. Stir constantly to avoid lumps.
5. Put the fried tilapia on the sauce mixture and simmer for about 2 minutes.

Serve it hot with steamed rice!

Cheers,
Jane