Paksiw na Pata (Pork Leg with Banana Flowers)

Paksiw na pata is a unique recipe found in the Philippines with banana flowers.

Ingredients:

1 kg Pork leg, cut into serving sizes

1 cup Banana flowers (soaked in tap water, discard the water which might taste acrid)

1 tbsp. Sugar

4 tbsp. Premium dark soy sauce

½ tsp. Black pepper powder

¼ tsp. Iodized salt

1 cup Water

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 pc. Onion, large, quartered

5 pcs. Bay leaves, dried

Cooking Instruction:

In a pressure cooker, place the banana flower and the other ingredients. Add the bay leaves on top of these banana flowers and on top of it the meat. Add the water and pressure cook for about twenty minutes. After the cooking time, remove from the flame and allow normal cooling. Do not vent the steam to hasten cooling as the additional cooking time is used to tenderize the meat further. After cooling, open and skim off any excess oil to lessen the fat content of the dish. Serve immediately hot with plain steamed rice or bread.

Tortang Corned Beef (Corned Beef Frittata)

Corned beef, an ordinary canned product you can find in almost any store. What can we do to make it interesting? Well I thought maybe ‘Tortang Corned Beef’ or Corned Beef Frittata. Torta are local terms for dishes that are versions of the Italian frittata.

Ingredients:

5 pcs. Eggs, beaten

1 cup Corned beef

1 ½ cup Potato, cut into thinly into strips.

1 cup Cooking oil for frying the potato shoestrings

¼ cup Grated cheddar cheese

½ tsp. Black pepper powder

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 pc. Onion, medium thinly sliced

1 tbsp. Cornstarch

1 ½ tbsp. Cooking oil (for cooking the frittata)

1 tsp. Cooking oil (for cooking the corned beef)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cooking Instruction:

Heat the 1 cup of cooking oil in a Teflon pan and fry the shoestring potato until it starts to become golden brown. Fish out the cooked potatoes and set aside on top of paper towels to remove excess oil.

In a bowl, beat the eggs and into it, add the black pepper powder and cornstarch. In a saucepan, heat about a teaspoon of oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the garlic is golden brown and the onion starts to caramelize. Add the corned beef and mix well. Add Worcestershire sauce and cook until the liquid is evaporated to dryness. Toss in this cooked mixture into the beaten eggs and toss in the cooked potatoes too.

Heat 1 ½ tbsp. of the oil in a Teflon frying pan and cook the torta under low flame until the bottom is sufficiently set and the top is not so runny. Flip over the torta or if you are not skilled in flipping frittata, you may get a large sauce and flip on the saucer the torta and slide it back into the hot frying pan to cook the other side. Serve immediately and enjoy with bread. Goes well with your favorite beer or white wine.

Buttered Green Peas with Meat and Herbs

Sometimes you want something quick to prepare while still having some unique taste. This one is easily prepared.

Ingredients:

2 cup Green peas

½ cup Plain Bacons cut into squares

½ cup Cheesedogs, cut into thin bite sized pieces

½ cup Large prawns, cut to bite sized pieces

1 tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. Iodized salt

2 tbsp. Premium butter

½ tsp. Dried, minced oregano

1 tsp. Dried, minced basil

¼ cup White wine

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 pc. Onion, large, thinly sliced

½ tsp. Black pepper powder

Cooking Instruction:

In a Teflon saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the garlic is browned and the onion starts to caramelize. Add the prawns and stir until it changes color to orange and then add the cheesedogs. Continue to stir occasionally until the cheesedog is cooked. Add the bacon and toss. When the bacon fat becomes translucent, add the Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, oregano, basil, and white wine. Evaporate the alcohol of the wine and then add the water. Cover and lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for about twenty minutes or until the liquid is evaporated to dryness. Add the peas and mix. Add the butter and stir well and cook for an additional time of about two minutes. Serve immediately.

Chinese Roast Pork

Roast pork recipes abound. Almost all cultures have one. This one is my Chinese version of the roast pork.

Ingredients:

2 kg Pork belly

1 tsp. Iodized salt

1 tsp. Black pepper powder

½ tsp. Five spice powder

2 tbsp. Sesame oil

½ tsp. Garlic powder

1 tsp. Onion powder

Cooking Instruction:

Drain the meat well for about an hour. After the said time. Place the meat in a dish and rub all of the ingredients well on the meat. Cover with shrink plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight to allow the mixture to permeate the meat.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade. Skewer the meat for cooking in a rotisserie. Place the meat and allow cooking on the rotisserie for about five minutes. After the said time again open the oven and brush 1 tbsp of sesame oil on the meat and again continue cooking for about 55 minutes more. Chop to bite site pieces and serve with plain steamed rice or with plain steamed buns. You may use black vinegar with a little soy sauce and Guillin chilli sauce as dipping sauce. Goes well also with other cold cuts you may want it with.

Sinigang na Bangus sa Sampaloc (Milkfish in Tamarind Sour broth)

Sinigang is a uniquely Filipino recipe. The sourness, saltiness and the taste of the meat with vegetables uniquely blend together to impart that unique taste. Why not try out for yourselves and experience the simple staples enjoyed by Filipinos frequently? There is an old procedure for extracting the sourness from young tamarind fruits but for this particular recipe I have used the instant version normally found in the local stores. In other countries, there might be some Filipino specialty stores where you can ask for this mix. Just ask for ‘Sinigang sa Sampaloc Mix’.

Ingredients:

2 kg Milkfish, cleaned and cut into serving size

½ kg Swamp cabbage, cleaned very well and cut into serving sizes

6 cloves Garlic, fresh, peeled and crushed

1 pc. Onion, medium, quartered

4 cups Water

1 pack Sinigang sa sampaloc instant mix

½ tsp. Iodized salt

¼ cup Patis (local fish sauce)

1 tbsp. Ginger, fresh, thinly sliced

Cooking Instructions:

Place all the ingredients except the vegetable and the Sinigang sa Sampaloc mix in a large saucepan. Cover and when it starts to boil lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the vegetable and again cover. Continue to maintain the gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. After this time, add the Sinigang mix and stir well. Serve hot with plain steamed rice or enjoy as a hot soup.