Mongo Guisado

Mongo or Mung Beans is also known in different names. It is known as green beans, green gram or green soy. The term "Mung" is the English term for Mongo. It is derive from Hindi term Moong. In the Philippines it is known as Monggo or Munggo. Mung beans are commonly used in Chinese cuisine as well as in Japan, Korea, India, Thailand and Southeast Asia. In the Philippines Monggo beans is commonly sauteed with garlic, onions, and meat.


I'm always planning to cook Monggo Guisado or Ginisang Monggo. So when I got the chance last week I cook Ginisang Monggo for our dinner. According to an old ad age Monggo Recipe is a poor mans dish as to why, I don't know the reason. There are so many variations in cooking Ginisang Monggo and let me share my Monggo Guisado Recipe.

Ginisang Mongo Ingredients:

* 1 1/4 cups green monggo beans(mung beans)
* 2 tbsp oil
* 2 tomatoes, chopped
* 1/2 small onion, chopped
* 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1/2 cup diced pork
* 1 cup small prawns, peeled, heads discarded
* 4 cups shrimp broth
* salt to taste

Soak the (mongo)mung beans in about 2 cups water for 4 hours or you can just boil the mongo beans without soaking until soft or most of the water has been absorbed. Set aside. Heat oil in a casserole and saute onion, garlic and tomatoes until soft. Add diced pork and saute until golden brown. Add small prawns saute for 2 minutes. Stir in mongo beans and instead of adding water add shrimp broth and bring to a boil until pork is fully cooked. Put some salt according to your taste and here's the finished product.

Usually, I'm adding squash on my Ginisang Mongo to add the thickness but since squash is not available in my fridge I need to use only the available resources I have. Eggplants, okra and talbos ng kamote (tender leaves of the sweet-potato) are also added if it's available. For some people they are adding chicharon to add some taste.

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Bicol Express

"Bicol Express is the name given to Sinilihan, a popular dish which originated in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. It is a stew made from long chilies (siling labuyo, lada panjang in Malay/Indonesian), coconut milk, shrimp paste or stockfish, onion, pork, and garlic. It is said to have evolved from gulay na may lada, another Bicolano dish which is nowadays also presented as one of the many variants of Bicol Express." Source From Wikipedia

Basically the original Bicol Express is a lot different from what is being introduced here in Manila and some other places. According to some Bicolanos the original Bicol Express has less or no coconut milk at all. It's less saucy and much drier and has more "siling labuyo"(hot chili).

Anyway this is my Bicol Express Recipe.

Ingredients:

Cooking oil
1 tablespoon Chopped garlic
1 head Chopped onions
1 head Chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoon fresh tumeric (optional)
1/4 kg pork thinly sliced
1 1/2 tb Chopped hot chili(siling Labuyo)
2-3 teaspoon of Bagoong alamang
3 cups of thick Coconut milk
1 cup coconut cream
2 c Fresh long green chillies sliced lengthwise
salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Saute garlic in hot oil. Add onions and cook until translucent.
2. Add in fresh ginger, dilao, and the sliced cooked pork. Stir continually for 5 minutes.
3. Add bagoong alamang and chopped hot chilli(siling labuyo). Stir until the pork is completely covered by the mixture.
4. Pour in coconut milk and add the sliced hot long green chili( Add according to your desired spiciness)
5. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes.
6. Add the coconut cream and simmer until the sauce thickens. Add salt if necessary.

Indeed, there's a lot of version on how to cook Bicol Express as I've observe and I believe that it depends on the taste of the person cooking the dish. You only have two options and that is to stick to the old version of cooking or enhance it according to your style and taste.

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Sinigang na Baboy

One of my favorite lutong bahay recipe is the Sinigang. There are a lot of variations when it comes to cooking a "sinigang" recipe one of which is the "Sinigang na Baboy" or Pork Sinigang. Here, I'm going to share to you the ingredients and how to cook "sinigang na baboy". Our main ingredients in cooking sinigang is the "sampalok" or tamarind. You may use the powdered one or the real sampalok. In here, what I'm going to use is the real Tamarind, for me the "asim" is natural and I liked it better than the powdered one but if you want to use the processed "pampaasim" you may do so.

Pork Sinigang

Ingredients:

3/4 kilo Pork, cut into chunks
3 tomatoes, sliced
2 onions, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
100 grams Kangkong (river spinach)
100 grams String beans
2 pieces horse radishes, sliced
3 pieces gabi (taro), pealed
200 grams sampalok (tamarind)
3 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)
1 liter of rice wash or water

Cooking Procedure:

1. Boil sampalok in water until the shell shows cracks. Let cool then peal off the shells and with a strainer, pour sampalok (including water) into a bowl. Gently massage the sampalok meat off the seeds, strain again.

2. In a pot, saute garlic and onion then add the tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add pork and fish sauce then add the rice wash. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes then add the gabi. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the pork is tender.

4. Add the horse radish, simmer for 10 minutes then add the string beans and kangkong. Let boil for 2 minutes.

5. Serve hot.
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Banana and Mango Shake

I’ve been away for quite sometime reason why I haven’t updated this blog. Anyway, I have another recipe that you could try in your home. It’s very simple and I do know that you can do it without spending much of your time.

Today, I’ll share to you one refreshing recipe that your children would surely like. To be able for you to accomplish this type of recipe, the most important tool you need in your kitchen is a blender for smoothies that would help you produce the smoothest and delicious fruit shakes.

Blenders for smoothies varies in different types so one thing you should consider upon buying is the speed of the blender. You should get a high speed blender if you want a good quality for your smoothies. Now let's try our refreshing smoothie.

What you need are the following:

INGREDIENTS

2 ripe bananas
1 large ripe mango
½ cup evaporated milk
Sugar
Crushed ice
Water

Procedure:

In a blender, put a little water and blend the fruits together until the mixture is smooth. Add crushed ice, evaporated milk and sugar to taste, blend again for a couple of minutes or until the mixture is smooth.

Tips:

Here are some of the best blenders for smoothies that you may check. Remember that the best blenders for smoothies depends on the speed and durability. Well, that's my opinion.

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Filet steaks with Red Wine

Merlot is one variety of grapes that is fermented as red wine. It’s one of the most popular red wine varietals in Chile and United States. A wine is not just an alcoholic drink but can be used to give a recipe a unique blend of taste.

Want to have some taste of wine in your food? Here’s one that you can try in your kitchen.

Merlot Filet

Ingredients:

1 750-ml bottle Merlot (this can be replaced with any kind of red wine)

2 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth

1 14 1/2-ounce can beef broth

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

6-ounce filet mignon steaks (each about 1 inch thick)

Freshly cracked pepper

1/4 cup chopped shallots

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Procedures:

Boil wine, chicken broth and beef broth in heavy large saucepan over high heat until mixture is reduced to 2 cups, about 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead, Cover and refrigerate.)

Mix butter and flour in small bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and cracked pepper. Sauté steaks until medium-rare, about 4 minutes per side.

Transfer to plate. Add shallots, garlic and thyme to skillet; stir 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 cups reduced wine mixture to skillet (reserve remainder for another use). Bring mixture to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add butter mixture and whisk until smooth. Boil sauce until thick enough to coat spoon, about 2 minutes. Serve steaks with sauce.

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Cookies

Courtesy of San Francisco Cookies
Hi guys!! Christmas season is fast approaching. Others are done with their Christmas party and ours will still be on Sunday. Do you have your chrismas presents already? Have it wrapped? Well, if still looking for some simple holiday presents i'll give you some ideas like a Christmas Cookie, Chocolate gifts (I know this is so common) and gourmet cookies. With the cookies, just make sure that it's made from the most premium ingredients. A cookie that would give you beyond the ordinary taste. If you want this kind of cookie you can find it here. You can pick your own gift selection. They have available corporate gifts too with handsome gift presentation you would really appreciate.

Anyway, I know that you guys are searching for some recipe's to cook for this coming christmas. I'm still preparing for it so I'll post it next time.
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Corned Beef and Potato Cakes

Another Yummy-Licious recipe from San Miguel Corporation's Culinary News Letter. The Yummy-Licious Corned Beef and Potato Cakes. It's so easy to prepare and would not take much of your time. If you want something new, you may try this and here's what you will need;

Ingredients:

2 pc medium potato, peel and cut into cubes
2 can Purefoods corned beef jalapeñ0
1/2 cup Purefoods Baron All Purpose flour
3 pcs egg, slightly beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
Magnolia Nutri-oil, for deep frying

Barbecue Sauce:

2/3 cup tomato catsup
1/4 cup Cervesa Negra
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Purefoods Supremo Cane Vinegar

Procedure:

1. Place potatoes in saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Boil until tender. When potatoes are tender, mash it. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, mix together mashed potatoes, corned beef, salt and pepper. Shape into mini cakes. Coat mini cakes with all purpose flour, dip in beaten eggs and coat with breadcrumbs. Freeze.

3. Heat oil for deep-frying. Fry mini cakes and drain on paper towel. Serve with Barbecue Sauce.

4. In a saucepan, combine together ingredients of BBQ sauce. Let simmer for 10 minutes and set aside.

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Superb Creation Spiced Wings, Nuts and Popcorn.

Hello!!! It's been a long time that I wasn't able to update my recipe hotline. Well, It's just that I was busy with my personal blog but starting today, I'll see to it that I'll be posting more recipe's now since the holiday season is fast approaching.

I'll be posting recipe's from the San Miguel Pure Foods Culinary Center News Letter dated July-Sept 2007. One of their recipes that you can offer this Christmas Season or during New Year would be the Superb Creation Spiced Wings, Nuts and Popcorn. Here's what you need;

Ingredients:

Spice Mixture:
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp sugar

1/2 kilo Magnolia Chicken Station, Cut ups, wings
1/2 cup Purefoods Baron all Purpose Flour
1 cup cooked microwavable popcorn, plain
1/4 cup walnut
1/4 cup pecan
1/4 cup cashew
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 tsp Magnolia Gold Butter, clarified
1 tsp salt and
Magnolia Nutri-Oil, for deep frying

Procedure:

1. In a bowl, combine spiced mixture ingredients. Mix well, set aside.
2. Coat chicken wings with flour. Heat oil and deep fry chicken until golden brown. Drain and set aside.
3. Cook popcorn in microwave according to directions. Transfer to a bowl, mix together with nuts. In a saute pan, heat peanut oil and clarified butter over medium heat. Toss separately chicken wings and popcorn mixtures
4. Drizzle with spiced mixture before serving.

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