Ginisang Pechay

Pechay, is that aromatic cabbage found abundant in the Philippines and in other asian countries. In the Philippines, it is enjoyed in numerous recipes but of the simplest way by which you may savour the simple taste of the vegetable is by sautéing the vegetable with a minimal variety of ingredients. Here I have sautéed pechay with large prawn meat...

Ingredients:

½ kg Pechay, washed and cut into pieces

¼ cup Large prawn meat, cut into pieces

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 pc. Onion, medium, thinly sliced

1 tbsp. Safflower oil

¼ cup Patis (native fish sauce)

¼ tsp. Black pepper powder

Cooking Instruction:

In a suitable saucepan, heat the oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the garlic turns golden brown and the onion starts to caramelize. Add the prawn and stir fry. Add the vegetable and the rest of the ingredients. Toss lightly and cook until the vegetable is done and very little of the broth remains. Enjoy with garlic rice or some other forms of fried rice.

Special Meatball Soup

I was thinking of what else to do with meatballs and I created this recipe. Not so perfect yet but tasted nice.

Ingredients:

For meatballs -

½ kg Pork, ground coarsely

¼ kg Carrots, grated

1 tbsp. Oyster Sauce

½ tsp. Iodized salt

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 pc. Onion, medium, thinly sliced

½ tsp. Black pepper powder

¼ cup large prawn meat cut into small cubes

4 pcs. Eggs, beaten

2 tbsp. Cornstarch

½ tsp. Oyster sauce

1 pc. Wongbok greens save the white hard stalks (about half of the vegetable) and slice thinly for the broth.

For soup –

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 pc. Onion, medium, thinly sliced

4 cups Water

1 tsp. Iodized salt

1 tbsp. Sugar

1 tbsp. Safflower oil

Cooking Instruction:

In a bowl, mix all ingredients for the meatballs except the wongbok. Set aside until ready to cook.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the garlic and onion until the garlic is golden brown and the onion starts to caramelize. Add water and boil. Once boiling fiercely, add the salt, sugar, and black pepper powder. Spoon a large ball of the meatball mixture and wrap in the green wongbok. Fold and drop carefully on the boiling broth. Do this for all of the green part of the wongbok. Once completed, drop the shredded white parts of the wongbok and lower flame and cover. Cook until vegetable is done and serve hot. Enjoy with plain steamed buns.

Ginataang Tilapia (Tilapia Fish in Coconut Cream Sauce)

Coconut recipes abound in the Bicol region. A province situated east of Manila. It is the location of the major plantations for coconut in the country. It is very interesting place where the majestic Mount Mayon is situated. This recipe which I now share is a variant of the ‘Pesang Tilapia’ recipe which I have shared earlier. Nevertheless, it really tastes different and the origin of the recipe is from entirely different province in the Philippines.

Ingredient:

1 kg Tilapia, scales removed, cleaned

1/4 kg Native pechay

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 pc. Onion, medium, thinly sliced

¼ tsp. Black pepper powder

1 pc. Ginger, fresh, crushed (about a teaspoonful)

¼ cup Coconut vinegar

2 pcs. Long green pepper

1 ½ cup Water for extracting coconut milk

1 pc. Old coconut (Niyog), grated to prepare for extraction of coconut milk (gata)

½ tsp. Iodized salt

Cooking Instruction:

Place the grated coconut in a bowl and add 1 cup of water. Knead and squeeze coconut cream (kakang gata) through a cheese cloth. Set aside and return the residue to the bowl and add the remaining ½ cup of water and again knead. Repeat the extraction procedure using the cheese cloth and set this less rich coconut milk in a separate container.

In a suitable saucepan, add the ginger, garlic, onion, black pepper, fish, salt, the coconut milk that was obtained from the second extraction and the vinegar. Heat until it starts to boil and cover for about five minutes. After five minutes remove cover and let the broth evaporate to a final volume of about ¼ cup. Remove the fish from the pan and set aside. Place the long peppers first followed by the native pechay on the sauce pan, the tougher parts (stalks) of the pechay first followed by the greens on top. Place the fish atop the vegetables and add the coconut cream. When it starts to boil, cover for about five minutes. After five minutes, remove cover and continue heating strongly to reduce the volume of the sauce to about ½ cup. Serve with steamed rice.

Pesang Tilapia (Tilapia & Native Pechay Soup)

Pesa is a traditional fish soup recipe in the Philippines which typically is cooked with Dalag (Mudfish). However, I have found out the substituting the more commonly available tilapia will do as well.

Ingredients:

1 kg Tilapia (scales removed, cleaned)

¼ kg Bok Choy

1 cup Safflower oil (for frying the tilapia)

2 tbsp. Safflower oil (for sautéing)

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 pc. Onion (medium, thinly sliced)

3 slices Ginger, fresh, sliced thinly, about 1 tbsp.

½ tsp. Black pepper powder

¼ cup Patis (native fish sauce)

1 level tbsp. Sugar

3 cups Water

Salt to taste

Cooking Instruction:

Heat 1 cup of oil in a frying pan and fry the fish to brown both sides. Set aside the fried fish on paper towels to remove excess fat.

In another large saucepan, heat oil and sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger until he garlic turns golden brown and the onion starts to caramelize. Add water and place the bok choy. Place on top of the pechay the fish and add all the other ingredients.

Cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until the bok choy is ready. Adjust salt to taste. Serve with bread or with plain steamed rice.