SEASONING-RUBBED FRIED TILAPIA. Simple, austere and  healthy center-dish Pinoys love to pair with steamed rice…bare hands.

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SEASONING-RUBBED FRIED TILAPIA
Enjoy this wet season by NOT serving the family, always, with all those pork, beef, lamb, or poultry.
Inject a healthy meal in between.
Readily available. Quick and simple to prepare. Nutritious. Economical.
No need for culinaristic approach here.
Just get your Tilapia.
Nile, Blue, Mozambique or Batangas/Cabanatuan (Philippines) specie, whatever.
Thoroughly cleaned, enough salt & black pepper. Fry to desired crispness.
1 or 2 salted egg cut in half to garnish. Should there be no salted eggs, hard boiled ones will do.
In a boiling water in pan, pour in 10ml (about 1 teaspoon) sesame, palm or soya oil.
Using a strainer blanch quickly your:
…cut “ampalaya” (bitter melon),
3-4 pieces “okra” (lady fingers/gumbo),
2-3 pieces eggplant,
1 big tomato and “kangkong” (water spinach).
Summon tomatoes and quarter them. Garnish as above.
For veggie dip:
Mix thoroughly 50 grams of cooked shrimp paste (“bagoong) which is available in all Asian store
near you and 15ml. vinegar.
You may wish to add or substitute veggies of your choice like:
string beans, add sliced cucumber or white onion. Serve with steamed rice or as is.
Endless variations…
BUT SUPER HEALTHY.

Sinigang Na Pata 

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SINIGANG NA “PATA”
(Front Hock In Tamarind Soup Base)
16th July 2014. typhoon Glenda is hovering its wrath in the entire metro.
No power. No work. Dashing out is a no-no as torn tree branches,
roofing iron sheets and  all sort of debris dance and fly with the strong wind.
All network sites are down. No internet. Mobile phones get low connectivity.
What else is there to accomplish?
Oh yah…let me raid the ref and check  what could be concocted.
Found them.
A piece leftover front hock of the Pata Tim (recipe here)
created few days back, veggies and all.
The use for just right, proper ingredients,
the technologically-chronological way of adding each and every bit of the same
and the flavorist instinct in me surfaced once more…and so…behold.
A different approach to “Sinigang”.
INGREDIENTS:
MEAT:
1 piece fully cleaned, hooves removed, butcher pre-chopped “Pata”
(pig’s front hock)
ANTI-FOUL SMELL BOILING SOLUTION:
Enough tap water to cover hock pieces in a casserole.
20 ml. any red wine
3 grams salt
PRESSURE COOKER BLEND:
Enough tap water to cover pre-boiled hock.
3 grams salt
6 cloves crushed garlic
1 small chopped onion (white or red)
SAUTEING & FLAVOR ABSORPTION MIX:
30 ml. palm oil (or soya oil)
5 cloves crushed garlic
1 small onion chopped
2 tomatoes quartered
2 grams salt
2 grams ground black pepper
1 sachet “Sinigang Mix” (tamarind soup base powder)
GARNISH VEGGIES:
1 bunch “mustasa” (mustard leaves)
4 pieces “sili pansigang” (banana pepper or chili finger)
4 strands cut “sitaw” (string beans)
4 pieces halved “okra”
1 piece sliced “talong” (eggplant
1 piece quartered raw tomato for finished product garnish
PROCEDURES:
1.    Boil for 15 minutes (commence timing when boiling starts)
the chopped hock with ingredients of the anti foul smell boiling solution.
When done scoop & set aside hock pieces into container and discard broth.
2.    Pour hock and ALL ingredients of the pressure cooker blend unto pressure cooker and cook for 20 minutes.
Timing starts when nozzle begins to whistle.
3.    Scoop & drain the now tender hock pieces setting aside pressure cooker
and the broth in it.
4.    Heat oil and start sautéing garlic until a bit brown, add in onion-toss for few seconds then pour in
tomatoes and heat-while-tumbling well for about a minute.
5.    Carefully tossing constantly (to avoid dis-integration), add in hock pieces, salt, black pepper
and “Sinigang Mix” and fry until golden brown.
Ensure mentioned flavor enhancers are well dispersed
and absorbed by the meat thoroughly. Set aside whole pan and all in it.
6.    Summon pressure cooker with the broth and bring to boil.
7.    Upon boiling add in “sitaw” and “okra”. Cook for 3 minutes.
8.    Pour in “talong” and boil for 1 minute.
9.    Turn off heat. Add in “sili pansigang”, “mustasa” and raw tomato.
10.Pour everything in this pressure cooker unto sautéing pan with hock pieces. Just heat a bit.
Add additional salt, black pepper or even “patis” (fish sauce) to desired taste.
11. In these rainy days, nothing beats a hot soup meal. Serve

Señor Dante’s “COCIDO” (The evolution of Filipino meat stew)

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SEÑOR DANTE’S “COCIDO”
(CUBED U.S. SHORT PLATE CRUNCHILY FRIED THEN STEWED)
Portuguese Cozido or Spanish Cocido,
it all boils down to traditional stewed meats
(pork, beef, lamb, goat or sheep) with vegetables.
Variations through ages and generations defined uses for sausages,
raisins, olives, bay leaves, oregano, vinegar, wine, sugar and
tomato paste/sauce/puree.
In the Philippines, pass-through versions of this dish
(pork, beef, goat, fish or poultry) resulted to:
1.   MECHADO:
From the Spanish word “mecha” or “wick”, then low-cost recipe,
calls for wedging/inserting strips of pork back fat unto lean meat
to render desired juiciness and bite-friendliness to it.
Meat is stewed-veggies added. No tomatoes.
Until early 40’s when “Pinays” started pouring in tomato sauce/puree
to give the dish a tinge of class…a “royalty”.
2.   AFRITADA:
Twist your recipe a bit by adding either or in combination:
bay leaves, oregano, vinegar, sugar and sausages
you end up with Afritada.
3.   KALDERETA:
From Spanish “caldereta” “cauldron or cooking pot”,
the original recipe strictly called for goat’s meat, stewed with veggies.
Scarcity of goat’s meat plus the need for more flesh rather than boney bite,
Filipinos’ ingenuity surfaced once again.
In our setting, “Kaldereta” is stewed goat or beef or pork
(I created a fish version), with chicken or pork liver further
modified to add either: olives, pickled carrots or cucumber or whatever…
sauced with “tomato sauce/catsup/puree”.
4.   MENUDO:
Originally a Mexican soup dish of “tuwalya” (pork tripe)
in a very piquant soup-added with lots of red chili peppers,
the recipe underwent “surgery” from the hands of “Pinoys”.
Why “SURGERY”?
Slice your “MECHADO” meat into smaller cubes,
add in equally cubed pork liver, tomatoes and carrots-then
sauce it up with “tomato puree/catsup/sauce”,
finally, enhance flavor by infusing your raisins or pickles
or pineapple slices or olives or dates or whatever…
your “Mechado” is now…”Menudo”.
In my days, we used to incorporate “chickpeas” (“garbanzos”)
to our “Menudo”.
Back to the original…Cocido.
Utilizing the very sanitary, highly reliable, moderately marbled
cubed U.S. short plate, will tweak procedures and ingredients a bit
to render extra burnt aroma and toasted flavor to whole recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
MEAT:
½ kilo boneless short plate, sliced across the grain
about 1sq. inch thick and 2-3 inches long, rinse fully.
PRESSURE COOKER MIX:
Enough tap water to cover top of meat.
2 grams salt
4 cloves crushed garlic
20 ml. any red or white wine
SAUTEING MIX:
50 ml. palm oil (or palm olein or any un-used oil you desire)
1 large white onion, finely chopped
8 cloves crushed garlic, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, sliced
2 grams salt
2 grams ground black pepper
FINAL SAUCE MIX:
200 ml. of the left over PRESSURE COOKER MIX.
2 grams salt
2 grams ground black pepper
25 grams brown sugar
3 grams chili powder (NOT chili pepper powder).
(Chili powder contains 5 or more spice-herb combination plus salt
while Chili Pepper Powder is just the powder presentation of that particular chili pepper).
400 grams/ml tomato sauce
10 grams corn starch dissolved well in 30 ml. water (“slurry”)
GARNISH VEGGIES:
2 large bell peppers (get 1 red & 1 green for eye appeal), de-seeded, sliced horizontally
1 large carrot, skin-on, scrape/brush skin well under running water, sliced roundly
12-15 pieces baby potatoes, skin-on, scrape/brush skin well under running water
PROCEDURES:
1.    Pour in sliced meat unto pressure cooker,
add all ingredients of the Pressure Cooker Mix. Mix well
and, nozzle attached, start cooking at medium heat.
2.    When whistling starts, pressure cook for 30 minutes.
When done subject pressure cooker to running tap water,
and when whistling stops slowly remove nozzle-open cooker.
Remove meat, drain and set aside including the leftover Pressure Cooker Mix.
3.    In suitable pan, heat palm oil, pour in onion and tumble until translucent.
Add in crushed garlic and toss until they turn light brown.
Add tomatoes and continue tossing for just 1 minute.
4.    Pour in your pressure-cooked meat. Fry. Tumble & toast well.
Adding (by scattering) salt and black pepper in between,
make sure meat are really brown (about 8-10 minutes)
(this portion cooks meat further while absorbing fragrant aroma
of fried onion, garlic and tomatoes). When done, set aside. (pan and all in it)
5.Except for the “slurry”, in a pot, pour ALL ingredients of the Final Sauce Mix.
Add the baby potatoes. Mix well and boil.
6. Upon boiling, pour in “slurry”. Sauce will thicken in a bit.
Continue boiling, while tossing sauce, until potatoes are to desired done-ness.
7. Add additional salt or pepper or brown sugar if so desired.
8. When done, pour in the sauce unto fried meat.
Add carrots and bell peppers. Simmer for 2 minutes.
9. DONE.
10. Show off to the world your own…“SEÑOR DANTE’S COCIDO”.

Ultra healthy “Dulong” topped Ampalaya Salad.

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Healthy “DULONG” Topped…AMPALAYA SALAD
(SILVER FISH TOPPED BITTER GOURD SALAD
…kids will enjoy munching)
Diabetic or not,
side to your fried favorite,
or as pre-main course taste neutralizer,
this mega healthy salad will fit in to your desired preference.
My “comfort” always ready “pica-pica”
each time I yearn to commence the night with red wine.
Be ready. With this “innovated” prep sequence,
even your kids will love to munch this to no end.
INGREDIENTS:
1 piece extra large ”ampalaya” (bitter gourd),
de-seeded and sliced sideways.
1 large cucumber, de-seeded and cut to small pieces
1 green mango de-skinned, de-seeded cut to small pieces
(the more “asim” (sour) your mango the better)
2 fresh red tomatoes each sliced to 4
30 grams “fried Dulong” (fried silver fish)
BITTER-REDUCER SOLUTION:
Enough tap water in bowl to cover “ampalaya” slices
15 grams salt dissolved well in above mentioned “ampalaya” water
15 ml. “patis” (fish sauce)
(In this solution, salt reduces bitterness of “ampalaya” by 30-50%
while “patis” imparts fish flavor to it)
VINAIGRETTE:
50 ml. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
30 ml. Apple Cider Vinegar
20 ml. honey
3 grams yellow mustard
2 grams salt
2 grams ground black pepper
PROCEDURES:
1.   After giving a little tossing & mixing to your bowl of
“ampalaya” slices in bitter-reducer solution,
refrigerate for 2 hours.
2.   Combine all ingredients of your vinaigrette
and whisk thoroughly, Set aside.
3.   In a mixing bowl, summon from ref your
“de-bitterized ampalaya”
add in cucumber, mango, tomatoes and “fried dulong”.
4.Mixing thoroughly, pour in your “vinaigrette”.
5. Give a little tossing…garnish…serve.

Create your own SISIG. Enjoy it 6 ways: as is, with rice, make into Roll, Crepe, Empanada or wrap in lettuce. 

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“SISIG”
“Sisig” (see’ seeg) is an original Filipino recipe started by folks
from the country’s northern part, Pampanga.
Often served as appetizer, on as is plain meat in sizzling plate,
as food to go along with beer, wine or liquor.
Modifications introduced by different regions rendered the delicacy
the status creating it a main course to go with rice meal.
To date, none that I know of, this preparation is somewhat similar or present in other countries.
Reason: the original recipe calls for the use of “char-grilled boneless pork mask” which,
I believe, is not at all sold out there.If yes, then great let’s proceed.My innovations: the use of other pork cut for lesser fat content
but still juicier & more tender to bite, the use of ingredients’ blend
other than those used in the original formula and
the technological sequence of preparation,
all contributing to a well rounded taste complemented by a different type of presentation
…in rolls, crepe or “empanada”.

Simple procedure attaining excellent taste and thereabout optimized
due to chronological production sequence.

So flattered am I when this innovation was actually approximated
(trying very hard) by no less than 5 restaurants in the Metro.

Smokey, vinegar-y & lemon-ly acidic, piquant with hints of onion, red cayenne and
cracked black pepper while crackling sound of seared pork skin fills your mouth
every tablespoonful encounter.
Highly recommended as “antipasto” for your cold ones.

And, again, I use the grammage system of prep by weight
not the volumetric cups & teaspoons.
Pound the weighing scale to your tabletop once more.

Servings: 20-25 X 50gram serving
Prep time: 45 minutes
Grilling time:  30 minutes
Total time:  1 hour 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
MEAT:
1 kilo skin-on pork mask if available
OR
1 kilo skin-on picnic shoulder (“kasim”)
¼ kilo lightly boiled chicken liver (semi cooked). Mash to a paste state. Set aside.
FLAVOR ENHANCERS:
Cane vinegar     70 ml.
Fine salt          5 grams
Cracked black pepper      2 grams
1 bulb large white onion finely chopped. Set aside ½.
1 clove garlic crushed. Set aside.
2 pcs “labuyo” (bird’s eye chilies) finely chopped.
soy sauce  50 ml.
palm oil        15 ml.
GRILLING & SERVING MEDIA:
griller
charcoal
Your OWN ROLL, CREPE SKINS or EMPANADA WRAPPERS

ROLL, CREPE & EMPANADA RECIPES:
Check out this PIZZA CRUST RECIPE by MELY MARAVILLA here:
http://melyskitchen.blogspot.com.br/2014/02/how-to-make-pizza-crust.html
and will make our OWN ROLL, CREPE & EMPANADA WRAPPERS:

1.    Using Mely’s recipe, just remove the YEAST and make your dough THINNER
…this will be your ROLL.
2.    Much much thinner, YEAST REMOVED and with 600 ml. evaporated milk,
60 grams butter and 8 pieces beaten eggs added to Mely’s recipe
(this will be like the consistency of a pancake flour blend-a viscous fluid):
and this will be for your crepe (or KREP).
Unto flat frying pan, pour 30 ml. of mix and flatten in a round-circular motion by a small rolling pin.
Brown a bit and there you have a crepe.
3.     Of Mely’s PIZZA CRUST RECIPE, get 100 grams dough,
dusting with little flour every now and then, flatten well to make it round.
This will be your Empanada wrapper.

PROCEDURES:
1.    De-hair and clean well meat.
Boil to “bite-friendly” tenderness but not to the point of disintegration.
2.    In fiery red charcoal, while tossing and tumbling boiled meat as needed,
grill enough to sear or turn skin dark brown.
3.    Slice and cut into 4 pieces per square inch. Set aside.
4.     In a suitable frying pan, heat palm oil.
Add in crushed garlic, toss until brown, dump the ½ chopped onion-mix and tumble until translucent.
Remove or strain cooked solids. Set aside this “flavored oil”.
5.    In a bowl, in this sequence and while tossing constantly,
mix cut meat with chicken liver paste, toss well then pour in vinegar,
soy sauce, salt, black and “labuyo”. Mix well.
6.    In the same frying pan with “flavored oil” pour in meat mixture
and lightly heat tumbling well to avoid sticking to bottom of pan.
7.    Remove pan from heat and lastly, add in the other ½ chopped onion. Tumble.
8.    In still live charcoal or at direct fire from gas stove,
heat very lightly YOUR ROLL until little brown spots appear.
Lay flat unto plate and pour in 50 grams “Sisig”.
Add any combination veggies (cabbage & carrots etc.) you wish as ADD-ONs.
Roll as shown in picture. Cut into 2-3 pieces if desired.
Garnish. Serve.

OR, while heating YOUR CREPE in flat cooking ware, add in your “Sisig” 
and add-on veggies, roll as in picture. Serve.

OR, lay flat YOUR ROUND EMPANADA WRAPPER, fill in with 30-50 grams “Sisig”,
FOLD and cut to HALF-MOON effect…FRY…PRESTO!
You will be happy to serve your EMPANADA SISIG.