PRECOBA

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

PRECOBA
(PREssure COoked “BAka”) 
Had the chance to savour this during one of my treks
around Singapore April 2018.
Served in a simple stall atop Tiong Bahru Market
by a, I presumed, Mediterranean guy.

It definitely hooked my attention and palate.
Thought of innovating,
desirous of coming out with tempting aroma
and penetrating taste
fitting of a REAL spice & herb-full
marinade-serving, too, as pressure cooking broth and end top-sauce.
Uhummm…total goodness to end bite.
Check it out.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes (come-up time 5 mins./pressure cooking 40 mins.)
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
Prep and Cooking media: suitable stainless powder and liquid ingredients whisking-marinating bowls, frying pan, pressure cooker

INGREDIENTS:
500 grams (1/2 kilo) beef (any of your desired part)-cubed
500 ml. pineapple juice
500 grams tap water
3 grams fine salt
2 grams sugar
5 grams freshly crushed black pepper
8 cloves garlic cubed
1 whole white onion bulb-sliced
5 grams oregano powder
5 grams powder cumin
4 grams red pepper powder
3 grams marjoram powder
4 grams coriander powder
OPTIONAL 2 grams fine MSG
150 ml olive oil

PROCEDURES:

    1. Except for olive oil, in pressure cooker, mix and blend all powder and liquid ingredients. Tumble well.
    2. Pour in beef and marinate in ref for 1 hour.
    3. Heat range and start pressure cooking. First minutes are the “come-up” period. Wait until cooker starts to
    “whistle”.
    4. Start of “whistling” is the start of time. Cook for 40 minutes.
    5. At end of 40 minutes, WITHOUT removing yet the “whistling NOZZLE”, place the entire cooker under running tap water.
    Check nozzle if there’s still pressure inside cooker by lifting it a BIT. Continue running water if there’s still
    pressure. NO WHISTLING MEANS PRESSURE IS GONE. OPEN cooker.
    6. Scoop up cooked beef. Set aside.
    7. The cooking broth is now your top-sauce. Add corn starch should you wish to have a thicker one.
    8. Heat pan, add oil, and toss cooked beef until they become shiny and bit seared.
    9. Garnish in suitable serving plate and drizzle with broth.

DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

PAN GRILLED RIB EYE

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

PAN GRILLED RIB EYE
(Fully Marinated Australian Rib Eye Pan Grilled To Satiety) 
Staying in a condo with quite small kitchen sometimes
presents asymmetrical ease more so when grill-time comes.
Expecting for friends’ visit, my daughter allowed me to do the main.
Dashed to Tiong Bahru Public Market (30 Seng Poh Road, Singapore),
my favorite spot when cooking special preps necessitates.
Got myself 2.5 kilos of Australian rib eye, sliced ¾ to an inch thick. Perfect.
Hustle comes to fore during pan grilling as smoke will surely fill the entirety
of the kitchen or the unit itself.
And having beef done at ground floor poolside-grill area was a no no.
It was drizzling.
In view, I need to marinate beef in spices-herbs combi with enzyme tenderizer
to minimize cook-time but ensuring thereby tenderness and juicier bite.
Okay. Let’s do it.

Prep time: 3.5 hours
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 4.5 hours
Serves: 8
Prep and Cooking media: serrated grill/roasting pan, oil brush, tongs

INGREDIENTS:
2.5 kilos rib eye sliced ¾” to 1 inch thick

MARINADE;
300 ml. red wine (any sweet or semi sweet red still you wish)
100 ml. pineapple juice
60 grams Papaya enzyme tenderizer (seasoned-meaning salt and other
ingredients are already added. McCormick sells this.)
1 bulb garlic, crushed, thinly minced
10 grams sea salt
5 grams ground black pepper
4 grams nutmeg powder
4 grams coriander powder
4 grams Spanish paprika powder
2 grams dried thyme leaves
OPTIONAL 3 grams MSG
BASTE BEFORE PAN GRILLING:
50 ml. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
½ bar butter (any)

PROCEDURES:

  1. In suitable stainless bowl, mix and tumble well all Marinade
  2. Ensuring beef is submerged even just half of its thickness, line up slices.
  3. In ref or chiller (NOT FREEZER) marinate for 1.5 hours. Afterwhich, turn to other side and again marinate for 1.5 hours.
  4. Remove from marinade and set aside.
  5. If you wish, scoop out all solids of the marinade and fry later to be your top coat before serving.
  6. In a bowl, combine butter and EVOO. Heat. Tossing constantly, melt
  7. Brush to all sides of beef slices.
  8. Heat pan. When smoking, lay beef slices in batches and grill for 3-4 minutes each side. Grill time depends on your preferences as to cook-state of beef.
  9. Fry marinade solids a bit and put as garnish to grilled beef.
  10. Serve

DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

“BRATWURST” KABOB

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

“BRATWURST” KABOB
(Fusion of German Meat Pan Grilled with Mediterranean Baste)
Simply appetizing.
Smell, alone, while grilling will tickle your palate.
Serve this Greek style kebab with a different focus on utilized meat.

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 8
Prep and Cooking media: 8 pieces bamboo skewers soaked in water, skewers, roasting pan, sauce bowl and oil brush

INGREDIENTS:
For Pan Grilling:
8 pieces bratwurst cut into 2
4 small tomatoes sliced into 2
2 small red onions quartered
8 slices of cucumber
4 slices of halloumi cheese (or any semi hard white cheese you wish)

For Basting Sauce
80 ml. olive oil
10 ml. lemon juice
30 grams yogurt (any or Greek one should you wish)
5 grams salt
3 grams ground oregano
2 grams ground black pepper
2 grams dried thyme leaves
2 grams ground garlic
2 grams ground coriander

PROCEDURES:
1. Boil bratwurst for 5 minutes. Set aside
2. In suitable bowl whisk well until fully dissolved all ingredients for basting.
Set aside.
3. Summon wet skewer and slip in tomato, bratwurst, cucumber, onion, bratwurst again then lastly cheese. Make batches in this order of skewing.
4. Heat pan. Before putting in enough number of skewers pan can hold, whisk again sauce, dip brush and baste all skewers thoroughly repeatedly. This will allow flavour to sip in. Baste constantly while grilling.
5. Pan grill to desired done-ness.
6. SERVE and witness your loved ones’ eyes go wide open saying…WOW!

DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

Taal Vista Lodge, Tagaytay City, Philippines

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , /by

Salad

Savor the best in center table offerings amidst shivery atmosphere,
crisp refreshing inhales of oxygen, atop views of world acclaimed Taal lake, greeneries
and hmmmmm re-invigorating breeze.
Join me as we delve into their “bragging rights”.
One sunday, was in my usual “alone again naturally” state,
my legs and driving acumen led me to, once more, dive into adventure and gear up to Tagaytay City,
the fave destination of many for food, sights and weather.
About 80-90 kms from Manila and 15-18 kms from my place.
Lunch time that was and found me seated by the buffet area.
Oh OK go for it…murmured to myself.

VERANDA

COFFEE SHOP & BAR

Create Your Own FIA Salad

Create Your Pinoy Salad

CEREALS & CAKES

HAM
Sisig Area

Dessert

First Batch

My second take post salad.

My 2nd batch

 …third

MY DESSERT

…dessert.
That’s about all. Am full. I am just the “tikim guy” anyway and shelled out Php1,300++ for such.
BTW, “tikim” means mainly savouring/taste test to find out whether outstanding
or should be delegated outside the mess hall for their ain’t appropriateness
…due to rancidity or blandness or toughness to wrong process utilization plus the other heck of criteria.
Seriously, for the food preps, I will rate Veranda 8 out of 10.
More so the overnight marination of grilled boneless chicken in honey, lots of honey,
soy sauce, brown sugar, ground black pepper, chili powder,
very subdued acidity of lemon (I think) or vinegar though gas grilled bit well done is a “must try”.
That prep caught my attention.
Did not show here the shot of roasted beef as some non-rare to mid-rare eater readers
might be horrified in sight of leaking off reddish-pink blood when sliced
…but they do welcome roasting further to medium-well to well-done.

Ham’s curved pork skin-brown seared to simulate “Hawaiian Style” was really tough.
Lean tasted sugar sweetened with hints of I don’t know. But “curing” is well attained.

The views worth staring at to re-charge:

BACK SIDE

BACK VIEW THRU THE GLASS SHOT OF LAKE

VIEW OF PENS

Rooms to stay-perfect site, function and event halls-ideal
and wide play ground awaits kids’ run and about.

Did not take shots of rooms and other facilities as I was not on pre-approved blog writing visit.
Anyway, here’s their link:
http://www.taalvistahotel.com/

Thumbs up.
Highly recommended to visit.

Soon…an austere new “burger” chomp-up is to be a catchword.

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Burgasm Slutty Burger

One of the 2 requests ( an infant burger joint at Kamias and a native resto at Novaliches both in QC)
to drop by and savour their magnum opus 
then issue comments, positive & constructively negative, for the better.
As always, wouldn’t agree to free tasting as I do not wish to be beholden
thereby spelling out ONLY positive sides.
Further, would like to gear-in at an “unexpected” day & hour to catch them off-guard
that authentic site movements are evident thus remarks will be truthful.
Above is from BURGASM.
135-A Kamias Street, Quezon City, Philippines.
New, un-assuming, austere place.
Home made patties are  “electric grilled/griddled”
 where serrated pan is used to simulate grill marks. 
No basting at all.
When I got in, approached the counter and asked for their best seller,
Marc, cashier/prep & grill guy, was astounded of the way I ordered their SLUTTY JOE (2 patties):
buns separate, patties left un-topped of whatever their toppings/garnishings are, no sauce, no spreads…
just plain patties-ALL others are on the side, and a knife + fork.
WHY?
This is the way we can really taste and deconstruct “the burger”.
How will you know the truthfulness of the patty if the toppings
(ham , bacon, lettuce, cheese(s), ek-ek, etc) are towering. 
This takes the attention of eater AWAY from the patty.
Given such, may I ask, what are you hiding in your patty?
Are they truly as you claim?
My head-mate (both bald nyahahaha) and shooting buddy, Shihan,
got an Orgy Cheese, a 3-cheese presentation.

ISSUANCES:
STEAMY CARBONARA is A-OK. Priced at ONLY Php60.00 per serving, this is a great buy. Creamy. Simple prep. For me, will drizzle a bit (very very little) of salt.

SLUTTY JOE ( a bit high priced at Php190.00)
PATTIES lack the “ango” of beef. Whether it is local or imported, when grilled it gives out this “ango” aroma and taste…more so if beef comes from USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. I do believe local or NONE at all was used. This is OK though but infusing a lot of extenders like flour, TVPs, chicken MDM and ground pork could have been abundantly utilized that end taste is mashed-up. Not starch. For if it was used-then patty won’t break when grilled/griddled. On breaking up-binders could have solve it. Can’t seem to bite on onion and celery that are endemic to burgers. Boost up a bit on salt and pepper that it may be good to go. Patties are hand formed that thin edges go up to thick middle part-then rounded. This maybe a pleasant sales appeal (being hand formed) but let’s flatten them a bit (this ensures even cooking). Very cheap patty formers are available at cook-stores in major malls. Lastly, but very vital, NO BASTING was utilized. Basting solutions, more so if oil is incorporated, aside from rendering good taste, protect patties from initial burst of heat & flame. Evident are the burnt outskirts. Suggesting for “char-grilled” item.Better aroma. Greater tasting. Will expound more on this Kendrick when  we meet.

SIDES…for me they’re all JUST sides, incidental to burger. Should you offer good tasting patty-no need for mountainous ek-ek.

Burgasm2

Burgasm3

Burgasm4

Above comments are meant to improve, in my honest opinion, the flight of BURGASM
in this world of technological food business endeavours.
No harm is intended unto this young, new, budding MAGNATE.
All  done in the spirit of:
YOU CAN DO IT…KENDRICK.
BURGASM’s FB page: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=burgasm%20avenue