Saucy Soft Tofu

Tofu is a good source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids and  iron. It is also low in fat and calories. It is a healthy alternative to meat. Since tofu does not have a strong flavor like meats do, the challenge is how to make it taste good. Firm tofu is delicious when it's deep-fried or added to stir-fried dishes. So what to do with soft tofu? I like adding them to stir-fried dishes like the firm tofu. They are also yummy on soups.

Saucy Soft Tofu (I just made-up the name) , sweet and savory, will hopefully delight your taste buds on tofu.

INGREDIENTS:

14oz soft tofu, cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs rice wine
2 tbs soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp water
1 stalk green onions plus additional for garnishing, sliced diagonally
1/2 inch ginger, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp sesame oil

1. In a bowl, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, chicken stock and sugar. Set aside.
2. Put soft tofu in a pan in one layer. Top with the ginger and green onions. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the pan.
3. Turn on the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Transfer the cooked soft tofu in a plate.
5. Add the cornstach dissolved in water to the sauce. Stir until it thickens. Turn off the heat. Drizzle the sesame oil into the sauce.
6. Pour the sauce into the cooked soft tofu. Garnish with green onion.
7. Serve and enjoy a healthy meal.

Banana Raspberry Cupcake

Besides cooking, I have always wanted to learn how to bake. I bought my first baking utensils and oven when I quit my job waiting for my US visa. I wanted a hobby to keep me preoccupied. My first attempt was baking a banana loaf. I found a recipe and thought that if I follow it down to the T, I will have a moist scrumptious banana bread. Oh yes, moist! The bread came out of the oven looking great. I sliced it and so excited to take a bite of it. In the middle of the bread was more than moist, it was very sloppy...down the trash it went. But that didn't stop me from baking again. Second attempt was brownies. This time, it'll be better I thought. Not! I baked a brownie that was inedible. It was hard as a brick. I didn't bake for a while.

I later realized what went wrong...I was ignorant of baking 101. With the TV, Internet and books as my teachers, I learned. I started baking boxed cake and brownie mixes at first until I got comfortable. I challenged myself that I can bake something from scratch. Banana bread was the first successful baked good I have made.

I got this recipe from a cookbook. I changed some of the ingredients, cut down the amount of sugar and changed it to cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS :
3/4 cup butter, softened (at room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
2 eggs at room temperature, well-beaten
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup chopped pecans
cupcake papers (about 24 pcs)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add mashed bananas, raspberry preserves and eggs. Mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, sift flour and baking soda. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Fold in pecans into the mixture.
6. Line muffin pans with cupcake paper. Scoop the batter into the paper-lined muffins, about 2/3 full. 
    Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes (note that every oven varies). You know they're
    done when you insert a toothpick in the cupcake and it comes out clean.
7. Cool the cupcakes in a rack.
8. Enjoy and satisfy your sweet tooth!

Beef Tacos

Tacos for dinner? Why not? It is a great way to bring fun in the dining table and deviate from the usual dinners.

This is so easy and fast to make. You only need to cook the beef which will take you less than 10 minutes. Serve the beef mixture and toppings in separate bowls and let everyone build their own tacos.

INGREDIENTS :
1 lb ground sirloin beef (I use 90%lean/10% fat)
12 jumbo taco shells (corn tortillas can also be used)
1 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
shredded lettuce (I recommend using the pre-shredded ones.It will save you the trouble of slicing, rinsing and drying it)
1- 8oz light sour cream
salsa
cheddar cheese, grated
canned refried beans as a side dish (optional)
avocados, diced (optional...sprinkle with lime or lemon immediately after cutting to prevent discoloration)

1. Heat oil in medium high heat. Saute onion until it becomes translucent. Add beef and cook until no longer pink.
2. Sprinkle with oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Stir.
3. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Cover plate with aluminum foil to keep it warm.
4. Warm taco shells or flour tortilla according to package direction.
5. Place the rest of the ingredients in separate bowls and lay them on the table.
6. Let everyone have fun in building their own tacos.
7. Serve with refried beans on the side, if desired.

Japchae

I was food shopping when I passed by the oriental aisle. I saw this interesting sauce called Japchae sauce(see photo below). It is a Korean product. Great! I love Korean food. I went ahead and bought it and figured out what to do with it later. Luckily, the label has a recipe in fine print.

I cooked this tonight and we ate it for dinner. It was good. The sauce is sweet and not spicy at all as I would expect for a Korean dish.

INGREDIENTS :
1 lb sirloin, sliced thin
8 oz rice stick (bihon)
9 oz spinach
2 stalks green onions
2 med carrots, sliced thin
1 small onion, sliced same size as carrots
4 large shitake (if using dried, soak in warm waterfor few hours until soft)
   or white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup Japchae sauce
olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Sesame seeds for garnishing

1. Boil water in a pot and blanch spinach for about a minute. Remove spinach and set aside. Reserve water and use to cook rice stick. Return water to a boil and add rice stick. Cook for 3-5 mins. Drain.
2. Heat oil in pan in medium high heat. Saute onions and carrots. Sprinkle with salt. Saute for about 5 mins. Remove from pan and transfer to a plate.
3. Saute beef for 3 minutes. Add green onions, mushrooms and japchae sauce. Saute for another 3 min. Add the onions-carrots mixture. Turn off the heat.
4. Mix spinach and rice sticks into the beef and vegetable mixture.
5. Transfer to a plate. Garnish with sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onions.

Pineapple Strawberry Smoothie

Nikoli, my 4 year old son, hates pineapple, papaya and kiwi fruit. Although he is not a picky-eater. I would mince a bitter melon and mix it in his rice and he will eat it. Not with these 3 fruits. However, he has an obsession with smoothies and tapioca pearls.

The other night, I was slicing a fresh pineapple. I asked him if he will eat few pieces. He said, "no mama!". I asked him again, "how about if make it into pineapple strawberry smoothie?". His eyes lit and happily said, "Ok mama!".

INGREDIENTS :
1 cup sliced fresh pineapples
1 6oz strawberry yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup crushed ice

Combine all ingredients and blend. This will serve 2.

Lumpiang Shanghai (Fried Pork Spring Roll)

fried is good but lumpiang shanghai is really good.

I rarely cook fried food. This one is an exception. It is my family's favorite. My husband is not a big eater but when I serve this dish, it's always a hit. He will devour it.

One key ingredient is the spring roll wrap. I use the "Spring Home" brand (see photo below) which is the best that I've used so far. Unfortunately, my local grocery does not sell it. So when we take a trip to Chinatown, I buy a couple or more and store in the freezer.

Of course, don't forget the dip...sweet and sour sauce. Making lumpia is quite a lot of work with all the chopping, wrapping and frying so I prefer using the bottled spring roll sauce. It is as good as the homemade version.

INGREDIENTS :
42 pcs spring roll wrappers
1 1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb shrimp, shelled, deveined and chopped
2 med carrots, minced
3 cloves garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten
5 tbs chopped onion
3 tbs soy sauce
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 stalks green onion, minced
vegetable oil for frying

1. Combine all ingredients except oil and spring roll wrapper.
2. Using a teaspoon, scoop a mixture and lay it on the wrapper in a cylindrical shape. Wrap and moisten the end of the wrapper with water.
3. Place 3 inches of oil in a pan and heat. Fry lumpia in medium heat for about 7-10 minutes.Do not crowd the pan.
4. Drain in a plate with paper towel to remove excess oil.
5. Serve hot with sweet and sour dip.

TIP: In case you have a leftover, lumpia loses it's crispiness after a day. Warm it in an oven for 10 mins at 300C and it'll be crispy again

Nilagang Baka (Beef and Vegetable Stew)

After eating restaurant food for 3 consecutive days, I started craving for a Filipino dish. This is the perfect dish that satisfied my craving. It is a comfort food.

It needs long hours to cook but it is so easy to prepare. Throw the ingredients in the pot, let the stove do its job, wait and be patient and voila...a meal that's worth the wait!

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs beef shank, cut into 1 1/2 cubes
1/2 lb green beans
4 med potatoes, quartered
1 bunch bokchoy
1 whole head garlic, peeled
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 tbs kosher salt
1 tsp peppercorn
1 tsp patis (fish sauce)
2 cubes (3.7 g) beef bouillon (I use wyler's)
8 cups of water

1. Combine beef, garlic, onion, peppercorn, salt and water in a big pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let it simmer for about 2 to 3 hours or until beef is tender. Skim the fat as it is simmering.
2. Return to a boil and add the patis and beef bouillon. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste.
3. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the green beans and bokchoy and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
4. Serve with hot rice.

Sauteed Green Beans

Simple is better.

I learned this dish from my mother-in-law. She would serve sauteed vegetable in almost every meal. It is a good side dish to accompany a meaty course.

The flavor is in the vegetable itself. This method of cooking enhances the sweetness of the green beans. My 4 year-old son loves this. He would munch it like he was eating french fries.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lb green beans, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tbs of olive oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped (optional)
1/4 cup of water

1. Heat olive oil in pan. Add shallots and saute until it turns translucent.
2. Add green beans and stir until they are well-coated with oil. Sprinkle with salt and stir.
3. Add water and cover.
4. Cook until green beans are tender.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Variations : Napa Cabbage, bokchoy, green mustard, cabbage, asparagus...just about any vegetable.

Pork Adobo

Adobo is a popular dish in Philippine cuisine. It is a stew that is slowly cooked with vinegar, soy sauce and garlic. Pork adobo, chicken adobo and combination of both are the most popular adobo. This is also a dish that can keep well without refrigeration (vinegar inhibits the growth of bacteria). Thus, it is a common dish served on feasts and packed for lunches and picnics.

Well, whenever I think of Adobo, I think of home. It is a comfort food for me and I'm sure for most Filipinos too. I don't know any Filipino who doesn't like adobo.

My favorite is pork adobo. My mom makes an amazing one. She always cooks by eyeballing the measurements of ingredients so I never got the exact recipe from her. After trial and error, I finally came up with my own concoction. I hope my mom will be proud of this.

INGREDIENTS :
 1 lb country-style pork ribs, bone-in (I prefer this because it has a little fat that makes it moist when  cooked), cut into 1 1/2" cubes
  *** substitute with a whole chicken, cut up
 5 peeled hard-boiled eggs
 4 med potatoes, quartered
 2 tbs vinegar
 1 small head of garlic, peeled and smashed
 5 Tbs soy sauce
 2 dried bay leaves
 1/2 tsp peppercorn
 1 Tbs brown sugar
1/4 C water


1. Combine all the ingredients except the hard-boiled eggs and potatoes.
2. Let it boil and turn down the heat. Let it simmer for an hour or until meat is tender. You can add water if sauce is starting to dry up. Don't forget to taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Add the potatoes and the hard-boiled eggs making sure they are soaked through in the sauce. Cook for until the potatoes are tender and turn off the heat.
4. Don't forget to serve it with hot rice. Happy cooking!