HOTOTAY SOUP (the more technological cooking approach).

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HOTOTAY SOUP
(The More Technological Cooking Approach)
HOTOTAY Soup is typically of Chinese kitchen origin fully accepted by Pinoys to be part of their own.
Modifications are introduced into it converting the “new version” as that of modifying-region’s native recipe.
I grew up knowing and hearing my old folks talked about HOTOTAY as an
“energy boosting meal”.
Being full of healthy ingredients, it was (or still is) served to women who had newly given birth,
or to people who just came from sick-bed and wished to recuperate faster
or to any one wishing to partake healthy meal.
I believe (IMHO) it was the inspiration behind the concoction of “Iloilo’s Batchoy”,
the “Lomi” of Batangas and the now very popular…
”TANTANMEN Noodle”.
Allow me to deal on these at the end.
The recipe herein detailed spells the different stages of its prep
creating a dish full of extracted flavor and taste rounded-ness
without the “bara-bara” dousing of millions of ingredients.
(wanton and blindfolded addition of un-needed materials)
I did not add fresh egg at the last-for I have a different idea how to offer it.
Other raw mats like: mushrooms, garlic, green onion leaves, oyster sauce etc.
are optional and dependent unto your call.
Let’s start this real health-focused complete dish.
Good for 2 servings.
INGREDIENTS:
Pork:
¼ kilo all-lean. Boil to tenderness in 500 ml. tap water added with
2 grams fine salt &
2 grams ground black pepper
Once done, remove from broth cut to cubes.
Broth will be used as the main soup later.
Chicken:
1 small breast, de-boned and cubed.
Shrimp:
6 pieces,  head & tail cut, de-shelled, de-veined.
Pork Liver:
100 grams, sliced.

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Egg:
1 piece, scrambled, fried, sliced thinly.
Veggies:
100 grams sliced cabbage
50 grams cubed “sayote”
50 grams sliced carrots
1 medium white onion sliced roundedly
2 bunches cleaned “baby bok choy” or Chinese Pechay, end joint-stalk cut

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Other Ingredients:
10 ml. “patis” (fish sauce)
15 ml. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
2 grams fine salt
2 grams ground black pepper
3 ml. sesame oil
PROCEDURES:
(for truer flavor rounded-ness, please follow the sequence closely)
1. In suitable pan, fry chicken cubes in heated EVOO. Toss & tumble until brown-about 5-8 minutes or to desired done-ness. (this process fries & cooks the chicken to palatability).
2. Add in boiled lean pork, carrots, “sayote”, sprinkle salt & pepper on top. Continue tossing for 5 minutes. (this cooks the otherwise tough carrots & “sayote” while disseminating to the whole batch the flavor of seasoned-boiled taste of pork while, also, all tossed ingredients absorb salt & pepper)
3. Add in white onion, shrimp and liver. Tumble for 2 minutes. (almost last stage of sautéing as onion, shrimp & liver are softer & cook easily)
4. Add ½ of “patis”. Continue mixing well. (salt renders saltiness in full while “patis” shares off little saltiness & full seafood-or fish- flavor).
5. Set aside.

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6. Summon the pork broth and bring to boil.
7. Once boiling, pour in cabbage and “baby bok choy”.
8. Add in remaining ½ of “patis” and cook veggies in boiling broth for 15 seconds. (over boiling green veggies will render “un-palatable sight” to dishes.
9. Pour unto desired serving bowl, arrange veggies and meat to be “desirably sumptuous to the eyes”.
10. Scatter sliced scrambled egg…pour in sesame oil.
11. Enjoy the bliss of healthy offering.
NOTES:
1. I did not add mushroom pieces. It’s your choice.
Should you wish, you can add such together with the batch of onion, shrimp etc.
2. I did not add garlic and green onion leaves as doing so
will make the HOTOTAY tastes like “MAMI”. But again, your choice.
3. Oyster sauce (IMHO) will render the dish a “stew” like profile and NOT  “soup”.
VARIATIONS POSSIBLE:
1. Add in boiled noodles, “chicharon crumbs”, fried garlic & sliced green onion leaves on top will make it…like…
LA PAZ BATCHOY.
2. Change pork into fried ground beef (with little of its oil), add noodles of your choice
and top with green onion leaves’ slices for…the now very famous…
TANTANMEN NOODLE SOUP.

Minutes to prepare ultra quick to cook. Lightly Souped Pomfret (Pinangat in Filipino)

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I wanted to innovate Pinoy (Filipino) fish recipes and refrain from utilizing
Bangus (milk fish) & Tilapia.
WHY?
Frequently, 7 in every 10, they’re “lasang lumot” (taste like moss)
And why Pomfret (Pampano)?
Primordial reason is-its somewhat “buttery” or “creamy” flavor vividly satisfies your palate
more so if the part taken comes from the area of the belly.
Believe you me, tastier than “Bangus”
& way way far up than “Tilapia”.
Secondly, highly manageable to prep as they’re not as boney as milk fish.
Finally, should you have L.O. (left over), in tightly sealed food container,
(to prevent odor cross contamination)
cast unto fridge or chiller or freezer
then withdraw few days after, adding little water if need be,
re-heat via boiling (PLEASE REFRAIN FROM MICROWAVING).
There you go. Notwithstanding overdone veggies, truly fresh taste as in original-day cooked.
“Panginoon ko” (Oh my God!),
farmers & traders of milkfish & Tilapia might give me a run for my life.
INGREDIENTS:
1 medium size thoroughly cleaned Pomfret
4 pieces medium tomatoes-each cut into 4 pieces
2 pieces large white onion roundedly-sliced (not chopped)
3 pieces banana pepper (or chili finger or “sili pansigang”)
2 grams ground black pepper
8 pieces cleaned mustard leaves
10 ml. cooking oil
5 ml. “patis” (fish sauce)
200 ml. tap water (tubig lang sa gripo nyahaha) or fish stock
PROCEDURES:
1. Heat pan pour oil.
2. Saute 1/2 of sliced tomatoes until overdone (“labug na labug na mga kamatis”)
3. Pour in 1/2 of sliced onion, saute also to overdone state
4. Add in “patis” & black pepper. Toss a bit.
5. Pour in water (or stock) and bring to boil.
6. Upon boiling, slowly toss in Pomfret and let cook for 3 minutes each side.
7. When done, turn off or remove pan from fire.
8. Pour in mustard leaves & banana peppers…COVER.
9. Un-cover after 2 minutes, pour in unto serving tray
& garnish with the other half of tomatoes & onions.
10. Enjoy the aroma, taste and vibrance of this Pinoy comfort recipe.

P.S. (Pahabol)
Some may opt to add a packet or sachet of your fave “sinigang mix”
in the sauteing stage.
This gives your recipe a tasty marriage of “Pinangat” & “Sinigang”.

…and NOW the finished product.
Oh heck, never mind the “plating” “plating” thing…
“gutom na’ko” (am starving)

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READY. GET SET. GOOoooooooo.
I need more “patis” and “sili labuyo” (bird’s eye chili pepper) for “sawsawan” (dipping sauce).
Another rice please?
Burp. Burp.

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SEE?
Who cares about high blood glucose content.
2 cups of rice solved.
Oh BTW, don’t mind the calculator in that office table of mine.
Focus on the reddish drink in the glass full of ice.
That is:
HONEYED WATERMELON JUICE
This is easy to prepare:
1/2 watermelon de-seeded, de-rinded, sliced into smaller pieces
15 ml. honey
1 cup full of ice cubes.
Unto blender, pour in watermelon pieces, honey and 1/2 of ice cubes.
Mix well until no sight of ice cubes is evident.
Pour unto glass. Add 4-6 pieces ice.
Yipidoooooo.

Give it a try.
Easy. Quick. Healthy.

A lovely “usual daily grinding” day…and my breakfast.

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With the morning sun, my coffee.
High glucose content drives me to create my own:
* A tablespoonful of instant Robusta granules (or any instant one you have)
* 1 & 1/2  sachets of Splenda
(I refrain from Aspartame & Acesulfame-K)
Blend well first above 2 ingredients.
This way, a bit of coffee’s burnt taste will be lessen.
(un-achievable if you’ll mix coffee & milk first)
Then, add in:
* 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of kids’ instant full cream milk powder
* 1/2 teaspoon of Milo instant choco powder
Blend well.
Mixing ingredients first into a uni-mass
will yield the best results for variety of food products.
Pour in your boiling water.
Stir. Sniff the rich aroma of Robusta.
Taste the difference of your own blend.
My carbo.
Raisin bread from The French Baker,
an approximation of the famous-widely patronized-original version
of Baguio Country Club.
Ooppss…I just remebered. Way back 1995, as guest, after a round of golf
at this club’s par 61
(hey, this ain’t easy course-tight fairways and rolling hills all the way)
I wanted to bring home to Manila loaves of their famous raisin bread.
Lined up and waited for my turn to buy.
Approaching the desk, this voice shuttered me down
…”sir what’s your membership card number” asked the saleslady.
“What? Why? Is this for members only?”
“Yes sir”.
OMG, my face turned pale.
“Kahiya to death” (shy to death)
Anyway, no hurt feelings. My bad.
And so each time fam is in Baguio-I ask a member to buy for me.
I still like and love that of Baguio’s version.
It’s not packed with lots of raisins but the cinnamon-like (or allspice) taste is dominant.
Raisin variety may have been best.
An ingredient or two could be absent in the French baker’s style.
Although other bakery products of French’s are our usual take home.
I will rate Baguio’s as #10 and French’s #9.
Should you happen to be here, then below are their location details:
BAGUIO COUNTRY CLUB
THE FRENCH BAKERNow, my side…
or my main…I miss this which we used to produce every Christmas season only.
Honey-Cured Hickory Smoked Porkloin Ham

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Just 3 slices and off to work table.
I may be issuing recipe for this type of ham soon.
Let me go through my formulation which includes spice-blends & Oleoresins
(oils of different spices, herbs, condiments and USFDA approved food chemicals)
that I have to convert into grammage-powder so it could be produced on per kilo basis.

Sweltering afternoon in this “reactive” (never proactive) & most of the times vindictive environment. Juice or beer?

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This refreshing melon juice that Pangs just blendered and poured in 2 teaspoons of honey plus a cup of ice.

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Or, this favorite friend of mine who is with me in all facets of my life: happy, sad, joyous, bliss, tense, harassed, problematic, winning or losing competitions or just plain relaxing…my best buddy.

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Am many years over half century.
Since I became aware of surrounding, way about 3-5 years old then,
I always hear my parents & relatives talk about how warm, humid and hot it is during summer
(Philippines’ summer starts mid March or early April & ends mid May to about June thereabouts)
…while floods turn every street of the metropolis into an open sea on rainy season
(June to about October).
With it goes the “never ending questions of”:
why do dams dry up in summer breaking necks of government officials to call AN ALL OUT
water consumption austerity to prevent shortages…
and dams over-spilling in rainy season, again breaking necks of those officials,
calling for residents of the dams’ water ways to evacuate and jump to higher grounds
as they RELEASE water from the said over-spilling reservoir.
WHEW!
No solutions done?
Since I was 3 years old to now?
This makes our country unique from the rest.
Other nations are pro-active.
We are reactive.
In fact, a lot of times vindictive of the last admin.
Always reactionary no-brainer-simple-minded solutions. Never lasting.
Oh hell.
While this besets me every now and then…
to be more productive than whine by the corner, might as well tinker and decide
under this sweltering 35degrees Celsius reading this pm,
what will I share with Pangs tonight as we attack dinner at home:
Time to head home.
I’ll tell you in next post what happened. Meanwhile…

Tired of the usual egg prep? Try this.

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Fed up with your usual and normal routine of preparing eggs for fam & guests?
Want something new to go in between:
sunny side up (or some call it red-up),
plain salted-scrambled,
omelettes,
over easy or poached?
Worry no more.
Get down and do this original simple innovation of mine…pickled eggs.
Kids will love its sweet bite-full aspect.
Once done ref them for months in its own pickling solution and withdraw as needed.
Great to be wedged into your sandwiches (almost all types maybe)
Going well, too, as Dad’s “pica-pica” for his spirited drinks.
TARADYAAAAANNNNNNN
INGREDIENTS:
1 dozen hard boiled eggs de-shelled. Set aside.
500 ml. tap water (NEVER USE PREPARED STOCK. Don’t let flavor of stock mess up with your eggs)
200 ml. cane vinegar
80 ml. ginger juice
150 grams refined white sugar
80 grams refined salt
8 grams garlic powder
8 grams onion powder
3 grams ground black pepper
OPTIONAL:

4 grams ground Spanish paprika (this gives extra exotic taste & light red color to end products)
10 ml. anisado wine (readily available at your nearest oriental store)
PROCEDURES:
1. in a suited glass jar, combine all ingredients and mix-tumble well until no lumps are visible. Adjust taste to your preference.
Add in sugar or vinegar or salt. Salty-sweet-sour taste must be evident.
2. add in eggs. Stir a bit.
3. shelve unto ref (DO NOT FREEZE)
4. ready to be enjoyed after 3 days. The longer eggs are pickled in ref the tastier they become.
In that misty jar to the left,
I love digging my spoon into it, get 1 or 2, slice and enjoy with my beer.
Simple.
Only the needed ingredients used thereby.
Ohh, but then tons of bliss giveth thou.