Puto Cheese

You will need:

For the batter:

1 ½ cup Cake Flour

½ cup fresh milk

½ cup any lime soda

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

For the meringue:

4 egg whites

½ cup sugar

½ tsp cream of tartar

For toppings:

Slices of cheese

Steps:

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients for the batter and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, whisk egg white with cream of tartar using an electric hand mixer. Gradually add the sugar to form a stiff pick.

Slowly fold in the meringue into the batter.

Grease or line your puto molder then scoop the puto mixture to your individual molder.

Steam for 5 minutes then add the cheese on top. Continue steaming it for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the puto is cooked well. 

Got the idea from  “myfresha-licious” and Juliana Soldevilla

Thanks a lot! Happy Cooking!

Polvoron

The Filipino POLVORON is different from the original Polvoron in Spain (baked shortbread). It is like a powdered candy with a combination of toasted flour, milk, butter and sugar. Other ingredients may be added for flavoring like pinipig, peanuts, chocolates and more. This recipe is just the plain Polvoron. You may need a Polvoron molder which comes in different shapes. After molding, wrap it with a Japanese paper or a colored plastic cellophane. I will include this in my Christmas Recipe list and use colorful wraps.

You will need:

4 cups flour

2 cups powdered milk

1 cup butter, softened

1½ cup granulated sugar

Steps:

Toast the flour on a cooking pan until the color turns light brown. 

Stir while toasting to prevent from getting burnt. 

Remove it and transfer to a mixing bowl. Let it cool.

Add powdered milk  to the flour and stir using a wire whisk.

Add sugar and continue whisking. Add the butter and mix well.

When its well-combined, Let it stand for 10 minutes before molding it.

Use a polvoron molder and place it on a pre-cut wrapper.

You can use Japanese paper or cellophone.

PUTO MAYA and SIKWATE

You will Need:

2 cups glutinous rice

1 thumb size ginger, peeled and sliced into strips

1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

mangoes, peeled and sliced

For the Sikwate:

4 cups water

4 pieces tablea

½ cup brown sugar

Steps:

In a bowl, place glutinous rice and add enough water to cover. 

Soak for about 1 hour and then drain. 

Under cold running water, rinse rice two to three times or until water runs clear. 

Drain well.

Line a steamer basket with banana leaves.

Place rice and ginger in steamer basket, spreading the rice across the surface.

Fill lower part of steamer with water and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Place steamer basket over steamer, cover, and steam rice for about 30 to 40 minutes, 

stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.

In a bowl, combine coconut milk, sugar and salt. 

Stir until well-blended and sugar and salt are dissolved. 

After 40 minutes or when rice is half done, gently add coconut milk mixture.

Stir until well combined.

Continue to steam for about 20 to 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, 

and rice is fully cooked and tender but not mushy. 

Remove from heat.

If cooking in a pot (or rice cooker), combine soaked rice, coconut milk, sugar and salt. 

Over medium heat, bring to a boil uncovered for about 1 to 2 minutes, 

stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved. Lower heat, cover, and continue to cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is fully cooked and tender but not mushy. 

Stir occasionally to prevent rice from sticking to bottom of pot. 

Remove from heat.

While still hot, spoon puto maya onto banana leaves, shape into a triangle 

and wrap with the leaves. 

Alternatively, pack rice into serving bowl to shape and invert on a plate. 

Serve with mangoes and sikwate.

For the Sikwate

In a sauce pot over medium heat, bring water into a boil. 

Add tablea and sugar. 

Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 to 5 minutes or until tablea and sugar are fully dissolved. 

Serve hot.

P.S. Steaming the rice can get a better result than just cooking it in the cooker.

Recipe from: Kawaling Pinoy

Garlic Bread

You will need:

Leftover  breads (I used my homemade pandesal)

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

5 cloves garlic minced finely (about 4 teaspoon)

¼ tsp salt

2 tablespoon minced parsley

Steps:

Combine the butter, olive oil and salt in a bowl.

Then add the minced parsley.

Cut the bread in half then spread the garlic mixture 

on the bread and toast it in an oven toaster or in a regular oven set to broil.

Banana Turon

TURON is a popular dessert in the Philippines. Mostly sold as a street food. They are foods that are ready to eat, sold by vendors usually on a carts along the streets or public places like markets and also near the schools. 

It uses lumpia wrapper and sugar as its main ingredients. There are a lot of choices on what to put inside the wrapper as your filling. In this recipe, we will be using banana with jackfruit. Adding ripe jackfruit gives the turon a strong sweet smell specially when cooked. Most Filipinos will choose this over other meryendas because of its affordability and it just taste delicious. All you need are LUMPIA WRAPPER (you can make your own lumpia wrapper, I will be posting the homemade lumpia soon), slices of BANANAS (You may use other types of bananas but I prefer to use the Saba/plantain), JACKFRUIT (is an optional ingredient but it will make your turon more flavorful), SUGAR ( preferably brown) and lastly cooking OIL for deep frying.

You can also make it more special by making latik/coconut caramel as its sauce.  It is a condiment derived when you reduce coconut and sugar.

Turon is one of our favorite Filipino snacks because my kids really loves Lumpia and turon is the sweet version of it. They like the crunchiness of the wrapper when fried. 

You will need:

6 bananas (sliced) preferably Saba/plantain 
1 cup ripe Jackfruit (strips)

2 cups brown sugar

2 pieces lumpia wrapper

2 cups cooking oil

Steps:

Peel banana and slice it in half.

Coat the banana with brown sugar
 by rolling it to a plate of sugar.
(coat it with good amount of sugar)

Place the sugar coated banana in the

 lumpia wrapper with strips of jackfruit.
(you can be more generous with the jackfruit) 
The more strips of jackfruit you put, 
the more flavorful it will be.

Roll and lock the wrapper and put

 water to the edge to seal it.

Time to cook: 

Heat the oil in a cooking pot. Once the oil is hot,

 place the wrapped banana slowly,

if you have a smaller cooking pot do it by batch.

Once the turon is half cook or wrapper turns

 into very light brown, add the sugar.

Wait for the wrapper to turn to golden brown,

by that time the sugar will stick to the wrapper.

Remove it and place it on a plate.

Enjoy!

Calamari

There are many variations of this dish but I chose this recipe. It only has a few ingredients and has an easy to follow steps. To have the best result, you must choose fresh squids over frozen ones. Clean inside-out of the squid and slice it equally. I would want my calamari to be crispy in the outside and still soft and chewy in the inside. Just follow these simple steps and you will get the same result. Happy cooking!

You will need:

¼ kilo squid, sliced into rings

½ cup flour

1 piece raw egg, beaten

½  cup breadcrumbs

2 cups cooking oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

Steps:

After cleaning and slicing the squid,

season it with salt and pepper.

Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

Heat the cooking pot and pour-in cooking oil.

Dredge squid in flour.

Then dip it in beaten egg.

Next, you roll it over with breadcrumbs.

Wait for the oil to be hot enough

before putting the squid to the cooking pot.

Deep-fry until coating turns brown

around 2 to 3 minutes in medium heat.

Do not overcook.

Drain the fried squid with a paper towel.

Serve with your favorite sauce.

I like to squeeze some lemon juice to my calamari.

Spicy Chicken Feet

You will need:

2 lbs. chicken feet
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 sliced onion
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. vinegar
3 cups water
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp peppercorns
2 pieces bay leaves

salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried chili powder
1 teaspoon sesame oil
chopped spring onion

Steps:

Clean the chicken feet by cutting off the claws

and scrubbing it with salt.

Rinse with water and drain it well.
Combine soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, onion,

ginger, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, sugar and

water in a cooking pot including the chicken feet.
Bring to boil.

Once boiling, turn to low heat

and simmer for 30 minutes or more until

chicken feet is tender.

Add water if necessary.
When it’s tender, add the oyster sauce

and chili powder then simmer for 5 minutes.
Add sesame oil then regulate seasoning according to taste.
Simmer until the sauce is almost gone.

Stir occasionally.
Sprinkle with spring onion before serving.

Happy cooking!

Chicken Adobo

You will need:

1 kilo cut chicken

4 pcs. dried bay leaves

4 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. vinegar

3 cloves crushed garlic

2 cups water

3 Tbsp. cooking oil

2 tsp. sugar

Salt and whole peppercorn

Steps:

Marinade the chicken with soy sauce and garlic for an hour.

Turn on the stove and heat the oil in a pan.

Drain the marinated chicken but set aside the marinade.

Put-in chicken when the oil is hot enough.

Cook both sides for 5 minutes.

Add the marinade then the water.

Bring to a boil.

Put the bay leaves and the peppercorn.

Simmer for half an hour or until the chicken is tender.

Add vinegar. Bring to boil before stirring.

Cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the sugar and salt.

Stir and turn off the heat.

Serve hot.

Happy cooking!

Pinakbet

You will need:

1/8 kilo pork cut into cubes 

1 sliced of eggplant 1 sliced ampalaya

1/8 kilo chopped squash

2 pieces sliced tomatoes 

2 pieces tomatoes

1piece chopped onion

1 1 Tbsp minced ginger

3 cloves crushed garlic

8 pcs. Okra

1bunch string beans, cut 2 inches length

5 tbsp shrimp paste

1 cup water

3 tbsp cooking oil

salt and pepper to taste 

Steps:

Add cooking oil, when it is hot sauté the garlic, onion, 
ginger and tomato. 
Add the pork and cook it until golden brown.
 Next add the shrimp paste, sugar, salt and pepper.
 Cook the shrimp paste for about 2- 3 minutes. 
Add water and bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. 
Add squash and cook it for about  5 minutes before adding 
the remaining vegetables. 
Once squash is soft you may add the eggplant ampalaya, 
okra, string beans and cook it for 5 minutes. 
Do not overcook the vegetables.
Serve.

CHOCO NUTTY BANANA MUFFIN RECIPE

You will need:

4 medium bananas

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup melted butter 

1 cup Chocolate chips

½ cup chopped peanuts

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combined all dry ingredients together and set aside.

Mash the bananas and add the egg, then the melted butter.

Add dry ingredients and mix in the nuts and the chocolate chips.

Pour into the greased muffin pan.

Bake for 18 - 20 minutes at 375.

 Top with peanuts and chocolate chips.

Happy cooking!

NGOHIONG RECIPE

Making the Ngohiong

You will need:

Lumpia wrapper

1 cup singkamas strips

½ kilo ubod strips
3 Tbsp. ngohiong powder
1 tsp garlic
1 minced onion
1 tbsp. 5-spice powder

5 stalks chopped green onions
1/2 kilo ground pork
2 Tbsp. oil

salt and pepper

soy sauce

Steps:

Heat pan on medium high heat.

Pour in 2 Tbsp. oil and sauté garlic and onions.
Add pork and cook it, you may add a little water.

Add salt and pepper to the meat.
Add the shredded ubod and singkamas

once the pork is cooked.

Season with ngohiong powder.

Once cooking, time to wrap it with

 the lumpia wrapper.

Dip roll in batter (recipe below).

Corn starch Batter:
2 cups cornstarch
3 tsp paprika
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 cup water

After dipping the roll to the batter,

you deep fry them.

Making the Sauce:

You will need:

1/4 tsp ngohiong powder
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
5 tbsp water
1/2 tsp corn flour
salt and pepper
1 egg white

Steps:

Mix all ingredients for the sauce in a small pan.
Bring boil, then simmer for 2 minutes.

Stir often until sauce turns smooth.
Add the egg white, stirring it gently.

VEGETABLE LUMPIA RECIPE

You will need:

 

4 cups togue (mung bean sprout)

1 cup shredded cabbage

2 medium carrots, grated

2 medium potato, grated

2 tsp minced garlic

1 small onion minced

1 tsp sesame oil

1½ Tbsp soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

spring roll wrappers

cooking oil.

 Steps:

Heat a pan and then place 2 tsp of cooking oil.

Saute the garlic and onion.

Add the potato, and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the togue, cabbage, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

Mix them well and cook for 2 minutes.

Transfer the cooked vegetables to a colander for the liquid to drain.

Allow it to cool down.

Place a piece of spring roll wrapper on a large plate. 

Scoop about 2 tablespoons of cooked vegetable.

Wrap it by folding the wrapper and forming it into a cylindrical.

Seal the edge with water in the end of the wrapper.

Repeat with the remaining vegetable mixture.

Arrange in a ziplock container and freeze.

To cook the Lumpia,  heat the cooking oil in a deep cooking pot.

Put-in the spring rolls gently one at a time, do not overcrowd.

Deep fry for 3 to 5 minutes or until the wrapper turns medium brown.

Remove the Lumpia from the pot.

Drain excess oil by placing it on a clean paper towels.

Serve with vinegar and spices.

Happy Cooking!