Suman sa Lihiya

Suman sa Lihiya or we can call it Sweet Steamed Rice Cake is a very Pinoy merienda. It brought childhood nostalgia to guests when we served it during our YearEnder party for 2015 at home.

It looks difficult to do but was actually simple once you got the secret ingredient at hand which is the lihiya or Lye Water. Here in Singapore, we were able to purchase it from Sheng Siong Supermarket.

Here's the recipe divided into three parts. The Suman (rice cake), The Sweet Sauce and the Latik.

Ingredients for the Latik:
1 cup Coconut Milk (first pressing)

Procedure for the Latik:
In a skillet on medium heat, bring the coconut milk a boil and until all the liquid has evaporated. When it is starting to solidify and brown, stir for it to cook evenly. The latik should be golden brown or darker before draining all the coconut oil. This will make it crispy which is a good texture in contrast with the sweet sauce and the chewy rice cake.

Ingredients for the Suman:
2 1/2 cups glutinous rice
2 teaspoons Lye Water
3 cups Water
Pinch of Salt
Banana Leaf (for wrapping)

Procedure for the Suman:
1. Soak the glutinous rice in water for 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly and drain well.
2. Add the lye water and a pinch of salt.
3. In a saucepan, bring three cups of water to a boil, then add the glutinous rice mixture. Mix continually until the rice mixture is thick and chewy and the mixture is sticking to the pan.
4. Spoon about 2 tbsp of rice mixture onto a banana leaf. Wrap and secure with a string. You may use the coconut oil from the latik to prevent the suman from sticking to the leaf. I will add flavor too.
5. Steam for an hour.

Ingredients for the Sweet Sauce:
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Muscovado Sugar
1 cup Coconut Cream

Procedure for the Sweet Sauce:
In a saucepan on medium heat, mix all the ingredients. Bring to a boil until sauce is thick, creamy and all are incorporated evenly and without lumps.

Served unwrapped, drizzled with sweet sauce and smothered with latik. Makes 6-10 servings depending on the size of the suman.

Enjoy!
Jane

Ube Halaya

Ube halaya (or haleya, or heleya) is definitely one versatile Pinoy sweet classic. You can use it as a main ingredient for ice cream and for baking that flavorful cake or bread, or make it as a topping for a refreshing halo-halo. You can even eat it with vanilla ice cream or use it as a jam for your favorite plain bread. And of course, eat it as it is as a dessert. The options are endless!

It's an easy recipe and a good exercise to build arm muscles because stirring the liquid mixture to become jam-like is indeed challenging. But looking at the bright side, you will be rewarded with yummy and colorful dessert (with no artificial coloring whatsoever). Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2kg purple sweet potato (8 cups when grated)
4 packs (800ml) coconut milk
2 cans condensed milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup cheese (grated)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butter
1 tbsp margarine (for topping)

Procedure:
1. In a saucepan, boil the purple sweet potatoes until tender. (You can check if its cooked when you can easily stuck a fork in it.)
2. Grate the sweet potatoes.
3. In a wok over medium heat, combine coconut milk, condensed milk, butter and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. When the sugar is melted, stir in the grated sweet potatoes and the vanilla extract. When it thickens, add the grated cheese. Continue stirring the mixture over low heat until it thickens like a jam.
4. Remove from fire and transfer it to individually-greased containers.
5. You can cover the containers once it cools and you can store it in the refrigerator.

It is best matched with macapuno or even kaong. And best served when it's cold!

Cheers!
Jane

Pininyahang Manok

If you are craving for something savory, creamy and sweet, well this dish might be the one for you. Pineappled Chicken is an easy-to-do and definitely a yummy all-time favorite among Pinoys. You can either use evaporated milk, cooking cream or even coconut milk for the sauce. And add as much chilli as you want for that extra spice. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (chopped into serving parts)

1 can evaporated milk

1 small ginger, sliced

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 can pineapple chunks (reserved the syrup)

Fish sauce to taste

Black pepper to taste

Cooking oil for sautéing

Procedure:

1. In a skillet of hot cooking oil, sauté the ginger, garlic and onions. Add the fish sauce.

2. Add in the chicken and stir fry for about five minutes.

3.  Pour the pineapple syrup and let it simmer for about fifteen minutes or until chicken is tender. Add the pepper.

4. Pour in the evaporated milk and the red bell peppers and bring to a quick boil.

Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy with hot steamed white rice.

Cheers!

Jane

Chicken and Pork Vermicelli

Chicken and Pork Vermicelli is a healthy and hearty dish which is rich in nutrients and history. It originated from China and is adapted to suit the Filipino palate. It is believed to bring long life (noodles are not cut prior to cooking) and is served at birthdays and special occasions. Though not necessarily a believer of that, we love this dish very much.

Ingredients:
1/4 kg sotanghon (glass noodles)
1 onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
1/4 kg lean pork, diced
1/4 kg chicken breast, sliced
1 carrot, sliced thinly
100 g string beans, sliced diagonally
6 pcs shiitake mushroom, sliced
3 cups water
2 chicken stock cubes
2 tbsp soy sauce to taste
spring onions for garnish
fried shallots for garnish
vegetable oil for sautéing

Procedure:
1. In a bowl of hot water, soak the vermicelli for about 15 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a wok, sauté the onions and garlic in oil. Add the pork and chicken and cook until tender.
3. Add in the vegetables and stir-fry until half-cooked.
4. Pour water and drop in the stock cubes. Let it simmer. Drain the vegetables and meat from the soup mixture and set aside.
5. While the soup is simmering, drain the vermicelli from the water and transfer it onto the simmering mixture. Season with soy sauce.
6. Stir continuously over low heat until the liquid is almost absorbed by the noodles or until cooked. Add half of the drained vegetables and meat and mix well.
7. Serve in a platter, top with the remaining half of the vegetable-meat mix and garnish as desired.

Cheers,
Jane

Banana Rolls

Here's a sweet offering, an all-time favorite Pinoy snack or merienda which can be bought almost anywhere in the Philippines. It is best consumed right after it is fried to enjoy the wrapper's crispiness and while the filling is still warm. It is commonly known as "turon" and sometimes filled with sweetened green or red bean, or a thin slice of fresh jackfruit.

 

 

Ingredients:

Banana (saging na saba) cut into two, lengthwise

Light brown sugar
Spring roll wrappers
Cooking oil for frying

Procedure:
1. Roll the sliced bananas in sugar and wrapped the two halves in spring roll wrapper. Do this until you have wrapped all the bananas.
2. Roll the prepared rolls in sugar just before frying.
3. Fry the rolls until golden brown and drain the excess oil.

At this point, the banana rolls can be eaten as it is or can be served with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and topped with almond slices. Serve immediately.

Share the sweetness!
Jane

Super-Soft Ensaymada

I was searching for ways to make a soft bread dough and I came across Kusina ni Manang’s Soft Ensaymada recipe. On her blog she shared the secrets of a soft dough – the addition of mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes to the recipe to retain the dough’s moisture, no kneading, and the use of shortening instead of butter.

So we tried her recipe yesterday and if you are looking for the softest bread, it would really not dissapoint. Taste-wise, you can adjust the amount of butter or margarine that you will spread on the rolls and put as much cheese as you want. The downside however was that the (uncooked) dough was so soft it was difficult to work on. And the time spent just for the dough to rise (excluding all the other preparations) was 4 hours in total! So you must plan your time well if you want to serve this.

We have yet to try the other half of the dough batch, which we made into our favorite, Cinnamon Rolls. It’s still on the fridge, already rolled and cling-wrapped. All we need to do is to thaw it a bit, let it rise for the last time and bake it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes! Yum!

Who wants to come and visit?

Cheers,
Jane

Pork Nilaga

Nilaga literally translates to “boiled” in Tagalog. It’s a very simple stew of pork, and some vegetables, seasoned with salt and pepper. Nevertheless, it is packed with a savoury soup. To further enhance the flavor of this dish, we usually eat it with a condiment of fish sauce and calamansi. Folks, here is my recipe for a Filipino classic, Pork Nilaga.

Ingredients:

1 kg pork ribs

1 bunch green beans

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes

2 corn, cut in about 2” slices

1/2 cabbage, sliced into three

Whole pepper corns

1 medium onion, sliced thinly

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Boil the pork ribs in a saucepan of about five cups of water. Add a pinch of salt, and a few peppercorns, and the sliced onions. Let it simmer until pork is tender.

2. Add the sweet potatoes and corn.

3. Once the first batch of vegetables are cooked, add the green beans and cabbage. Let it simmer a bit and then turn off heat.

Serve hot with white rice.

Cheers,

Jane

Ginisang Mais

Here’s a recipe, actually one of my favorite dishes of all time. It’s healthy, packed with rich flavor, and most of all, delicious!

Ingredients:

4 pcs fresh corn, removed from cob

6 pcs string beans

1 cup pork, sliced into small pieces

1/4 slice medium sized pumpkin, cubed

1 onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp shrimp paste

1 tbsp oyster sauce

salt to taste

cooking oil for sautéing

Procedure:

1. Pour cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Fry the pork until golden brown. Set aside in the wok.

2. Sauté the onions and garlic. Add the shrimp paste.

3. Add the corn. Simmer until corn is almost ready.

4. Add in the pumpkin and string beans. Bring to a boil and reduced heat when the veggies are almost cooked.

5. Season with oyster sauce and salt to taste.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Cheers,

Jane

Baked Chicken Adobo

It was raining heavily the other day that the clothes I have washed needed to be hung inside at the laundry area, (which is adjacent my kitchen) to dry. I have already planned to cook Adobo but I’m afraid doing this would give me an Adobo-scented clothes. The solution, bake the Chicken Adobo in the oven instead of cooking it on the stove. The result was excellent! Perfectly tender chicken in a rich soy and vinegar sauce. Try it!

Ingredients:

1 kilo chicken thighs

1 onion, diced

1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water

2 bay leaves

3 to 4 hardboiled eggs (optional)

seaweed flakes (optional)

Procedure:

1. In an oven-safe saucepan, marinate all ingredients except for the eggs and seaweed for at least an hour.

2. Bake in the oven at 170 degrees Celsius for 1 hour, checking once in a while if the sauce is getting too dry. Add water when necessary.

3. After an hour, remove from oven, drop in the eggs and garnish with seaweed flakes.

Serve with steamed white rice.

Cheers,

Jane

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

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

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

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

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

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.