Month: September 2012

BEEF AMPALAYA (BITTER MELON) WITH YAKITORI SAUCE

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Tonight’s dinner with fried TILAPIA!
Was only a try for this yakitori sauce if it is good to mix with bitter melon (ampalaya) and beef meat.

Just for a variation among Japanese sauces which I’m using. This is so funny because actually it refers to grilled chicken, is commonly a Japanese type of skewered chicken. The term “yakitori” can also refer to skewered food in general. But I’m refering to the sauce which was used here and tried to used it as a sauce in combination of amplaya ang beef meat as stir-fried dish. In one word another DOLLY’S EXPERIMENT!
So the term “YAKITORI” is used interchangeably in Japanese society.

YOU NEED…….

* 1 Large ampalaya (bittermelon/gourd)
* 1 smallonion, halved and sliced
* 2 tbsps. of ginger, julienned
* 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
* 1/4 cup of water
* some vegetable oil

FRO YAKITORI SAUCE

* 2 cups mirin
* 2 cups soy sauce
* 1 cup dry sake
* 2 tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
* 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
* 16 large scallions, cut into 1″ lengths
* 5 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 2″ piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

HOW TO…….FOR YAKITORI SAUCE

** Transfer bones to a 4-qt. saucepan and add mirin, soy sauce, sake, sugar, pepper, green parts of scallions, garlic, ginger, and 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 1½ hours. Pour through a fine strainer into a bowl.

HOW TO…….

** First, trim the ampalaya by cutting off both ends. Cut in half lengthwise. With a sturdy spoon, scape off the seeds and membranes. Cut into 1/4 inch slices, or thinner if you can manage it.

** Place the sliced ampalaya in a bowl and sprinkle generously with salt and cold water. Next smother it with plenty of salt and add water just above the ampalaya and let it soak for 20 minutes. After soaking, rinse it thoroughly and make sure all the salt has been rinsed off.

** In a wok or pan, heat some vegetable oil and saute onion, ginger, garlic and ampalaya until half cook, set aside.

** Same wok or pan, brown beef until done. Add yakitori sauce. Cover 6 minutes simmer on low heat until done. Then add back the ampalaya mix all together and that’s it.

I served it with fried Tilapia and rice.

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BUTTERED PORK WITH POTATOE WEDGES

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This is our lunch with side dish buttered vegetables. More vegetables it sounds strange but some strange combinations sometimes result in some pretty wonderful dishes :pump-:)

YOU NEED…….

* about 4 cups of Vegetable oil
* 1 pack of Potatoe Wedges
* 500 g Pork Tenderloin
* Salt and Pepper
* 1 cup of Yoghurt
* 3 cloves Garlic
* 1 tsp. Tomatoe Sauce or Paste, I used Sauce
* 1 Onion
* 1 tsp. mamita powder or pork broth cube

HOW TO…….

PORK a la CALDERETA!

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Just to give an idea on how to get rid of left over!
CALDERETA- is a comforting beef stew popular in the Philippines. Every family has its own version. Experiment with the ingredients and try different vegetables. Here I used left over pork going to waste, I made good use of it!

YOU NEED…….

* some left over Pork meat
* 1 pack of Mama Sita’s Caldereta Mix
* 2 pcs. Potatoes
* 1 pc. Green Bell Pepper
* 1 pc. Carrot
* some Vegetable oil
* some water or broth

HOW TO…….

MY KARE-KARE

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MY PATA KARE-KARE

Craving for KARE-KARE for the last few weeks!
That’s why I decided to cook this “Pata Kare-Kare” with Kangkong Leaves (Water Spinach) instead of Pechay. And without Puso ng Saging. Of course served with sauteed shrimp paste and rice.

YOU NEED…….
* 1 kg Pata
* 2 pcs. medium-sized Eggplant
* 1 bunch of String bean ( sitaw)
* 1 bunch of Water Spinach (Kangkong) instead of Pechay
* 1 pack Mamasita’s Kare-kare base mix
* 1 cup of peanut butter ( I used Panda Kaas brand)
* Bagoong alamang guisado ( sauteed shrimps paste)

HOW TO…….

** 1.) Wash Pata well. Place in a large pot or casserole and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, removing scum as it rises. Cover and simmer until tender. When the meat is done set aside. In broth add some salt and cook the vegetables, so you have the taste from meat. Then set aside.

** 2.) Using the same broth mix the Mamasita’s base stew karee-kare mix and a cup of peanut butter.
Return all the meat in casserole, then add the mixture of peanut butter, simmer until the mixture are well blend together and the sauce is thick. Serve hot with bagoong guisado (sauteed shrimp paste).

OX TAIL STEW WITH OX LEG OR TRIPE (KARE-KARE)

A rich stew of ox tail, leg or tripe and a variety of vegetables in a sauce flavored and thickened with roasted ground peanuts (peanut butter is just as good!) and toasted rice flour. Another way to prepare kare-kare is to cook the vegetables separately in a small amount of water. I cook mine in the soup stock where I boiled the ox tripe!

Traditionally, kare-kare was cooked with freshly ground roasted peanuts and rice. Well, there’s nothing like cooking it that way, but I find the procedure too much for today’s busy lifestyle.

The easiest option is, of course, to get one of those ready mixes that are abundant in supermarkets. The mix determined the final thickness, flavor and color of the dish. If you’re as particular as I am, well, you look for another option. Here in abbroad, it’s really hard to find the perfect peanut butter for my kare-kare. So, one time I bought “peanut butter” from the wet market. This “peanut butter” is coarser than the bottled variety and unsweetened.

Guess what? I finally found the perfect peanut butter for my kare-kare. The slightly sweet flavor of the sauce was reaallllyyy great!…….and I even realize that they are salling it too in my favorite SUPERMARKET called MERKUR! The brand called; “PANDA KAAS erdnuss paste”. I used to mix it with Mamasita’s base (kare-kare) stew mix. My family, specially my hubby loves it.

Finally, about bagoong alamang. What is it? Bagoong alamang is a paste of salted and fermented shrimp fingerlings. I used the ready ones DAGUPAN brand.

YOU NEED…….

* 1 kg ox tail
* 200 g ox tripe
* 2 pcs. medium-sized eggplant
* 1 bunch of string bean ( sitaw)
* 1 bunch of pechay
* 1/4 head of cabbage, alternative for banana heart (puso ng saging)
* 1 pack Mamasita’s Kare-kare base mix
* 1 cup of peanut butter ( I used Panda Kaas brand)
* Bagoong alamang guisado ( sauteed shrimps paste)

HOW TO…….

1.) Wash ox tripe, tail and well. Place in a large pot or casserole and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, removing scum as it rises. Cover and simmer until tender. When the meat is done set aside. In broth add some salt and cook the vegetables, so you have the taste from meat. Then set aside.

2.) Using the same broth mix the Mamasita’s base stew karee-kare mix and a cup of peanut butter.
Return all the meat in casserole, then add the mixture of peanut butter, simmer until the mixture are well blend together and the sauce is thick. Serve hot with bagoong guisado (sauteed shrimp paste).

VIENNESE SCHNITZEL

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My hubby and I, our bonding moment in the kitchen……LOL. ..2 people in the kitchen are too much!
You can use beef or pork also instead of veal. Serve with salad and rice. But our son use to have it only with salad.

YOU NEED…….

* 4 pcs. Veal escalopes
* 3 pcs. beaten Eggs
* 1 tbsp. Milk
* some Flour
* Bread Crumbs
* Lemon zest
* about 4 cups of Vegetables Oil
* Salt and Pepper

HOW TO…….

SUSHI

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I just want to share to all, my own VERSION of making SUSHI 🙂
This article is about Japanese cuisine.
In Japanese cuisine, sushi is vinegar rice, usually topped with other ingredients, such as fish. Sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi, as distinct from sushi. Combined with hand-formed clumps of rice, it is called nigirizushi. Sushi served rolled inside or around nori (dried and pressed layer sheets of seaweed or algae) is makizushi. Toppings stuffed into a small pouch of fried tofu is inarizushi. Toppings served scattered over a bowl of sushi rice is called chirashi-zushi.

YOU NEED…….

* 4 to 5 cups of cooked Japanese rice (cooled to room tenperature)
* 1 ripe Mango cut into strips
* few stalks of Cilantro or Coriander
* 2 tbsps. Vinegar
* about 6 Nori Sheets
* 1 kg Shrimps
* 1 Cucumber
* 250 g smoked Salmon, cut into strips
* wasabi powder
* some pickled sushi ginger
* light soy sauce for sushi
* maybe you need also bamboo mat for rolling!

HOW TO…….

* Season 4 to 5 cups of cooked and cooled Japanese rice with 2 tbsps. of rice vinegar stir to blend well.
Mango cut into strips, smoked salmon as well. Chopped the cilantro or coriander. Cooked the shrimps and peeled, peeled and cut the cucumber lengthwise. Mix the wasabi powder with a little ammount of cold water to make it paste.

* Lay a sheet of nori on a plate (or on a bamboo mat if you have one) and spread the seasoned rice over it. Towards one edge, lay the filling you want, smoked salmon and mango strips, with cilantro or without, cucumber, shrimps or pickled ginger. Roll the nori, jelly roll style, as firmly and as tightly as you can.

* Cut each “log” into 3/4 inch slices with a wet knife. Serve with light (Japanese) soy sauce and wasabi paste.

@NASCHMARKT

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NASCHMARKT— The Naschmarkt is Vienna’s most popular market. Located at the Wienzeile over the Wien River it is about 1,5 kilometers long.
On Saturday, the permanent stalls are complemented by farm stands. Where I always buy fresh “saluyot” (Jute leaves), eggplants, string beans, squash flowers (Bulaklak ng kalabasa), etc, etc…

Just like picture above. Hubby cooked it just like dinengdeng for our lunch with fried Bonito and seasoned with anchovy sauce. I love it for at least once aweek or only on weekend to have this meal.

The Naschmarkt is located between left and right Vienna row between cereals market and chain bridge on the superstructures Vienna River. The market is about 2.3 hectares and comprises approximately 170 stalls and shops, as well as some local. On Saturday, the permanent stalls are complemented by farm stands.

At the Naschmarkt, the different foods are offered:
Native fruits and exotic fruits, vegetables, baked goods like bread, fish and meat.

Through the new organisation of the market in 2006, it is permitted to keep open to midnight the catering operations at the Naschmarkt. Especially in the summer months there is here at night even a brisk business.

While most farmers markets in Vienna in the last 10 years harsh declines – often suffered in favor of the supermarkets the Naschmarkt retained his position.

There are more and more catering-local in the Naschmarkt. These are usually quite small. Some you can set before the hang-out in the Sun. Here you will find local Turkish, Greek, Asian, Italian, Moroccan and Austrian. There are still refreshment rooms, cheese-local and the pancakes corner.

HISTORY…….

The Naschmarkt has existed since the 16th century when mainly milk bottles were sold, as Milk Bottles were made out of “Ash” wood from an Ash-Tree, “Asch” english for “Ash” led to the name “Aschenmarkt”. From 1793 onwards, all fruits and vegetables brought to Vienna with carts had to be sold here, while goods arriving on the Danube were sold elsewhere. Nowadays, you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables from around the world, exotic herbs, cheese, baked goods such as bread, kaiser rolls, and cakes, meats, and seafood. There are also a lot of small restaurants which offers such as: sushi, kebap, fish, seafood, traditional viennese food such as Kaiserschmarrn or Palatschinken (compares to rolled up crepes) and stalls which offer clothes and accessories. Since 1977, the market extends further along the Wienzeile to an adjacent area every Saturday, when a flea market takes place there.

The unique atmosphere of the Naschmarkt is famous far beyond the borders of Vienna, and large numbers of tourists visit the market every year.

WHY FRUITS

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Eat more fruits! These ideas might stimulate your fruit consumption! Why should we have five to nine fresh pieces a day, organically grown if possible? The largest part fruit consists of water just like the human body does. Fruit is 100% bad-cholesterol free. Fruit stimulates the memory. The idea that fruit is an expensive nutrition, the miraculous healing effects of fruit, fibers, fruit makes you feel better, ethical reasons to eat fruit, fruit is the most natural food, the human diet, and fruit juices – squeeze those fruits!
I got these two different kind of pears from my MS Family sister Olive. She brought it from outside Vienna fresh from the tree the other day.

Too much bad-cholesterol is not good for our bodies. Fruit is the ultimate brain fuel. Take a good look at how much money you spend on other food. It could be worth something to replace some of those expenses with fruit. We think that fruit is the healthiest food on earth and therefore it is well worth spending our money on.
We still don’t know that much about fruit and its contents. We do know now that a diet with plenty of fibers helps against corpulence, high blood pressure, and other factors that increase the chance for a heart disease. The consumed amount of fibers maybe even a more important factor than the amount of fat that is consumed by people!

According to study, eating much fruit can have a mysterious healing effect on human beings. Even better is to drink a lot of freshly squeezed fruit drinks on a regular basis. It will take approximately 30 days until you start to notice the effects. Don’t forget to drink these smoothies 20 minutes before the consumption of other meals. This way the fruit will not ferment in the stomach and the nutritious elements can be absorbed by the blood effectively. A human diet. A healthy diet should consist for a great deal of freshly squeezed fruit juices, raw fruits and vegetables.

SALTED DRIED SHRIMPS OMELET

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Dried shrimp are shrimp that have been sun dried and shrunk to a thumbnail size. They are used in many Asian cuisines, imparting a unique umami taste. A handful of shrimp are generally used for dishes. When cooked, the flavor is released as an ingredient.
This recipe can be serve for breakfast with fried rice or for in between (Brunch).

YOU NEED…….

Makes 4 Servings

* about 80 g dried salted Shrimps
* 6 beaten Eggs
* 1 tbsp. Butter
* 1 tsp. Garlic powder
* some white Pepper powder
* 1 tbsp. Vegetable oil

HOW TO…….

MERKURMARKT GASTRONOMY

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MERKUR RESTAURANT; this is not as an advertisement but we have experienced it and I just want to share it to all my dearest followers and readers. The family are so satisfied that I have to right entry about this not because it is only a few steps from home but also really good in every aspect we need!

Good morning in your MERKUR restaurant!

Start with a balanced breakfast enjoyable in the day

Fresh, fragrant coffee and warm pastries are simply a good breakfast. Yet to fine organic butter, fruity jam or a hearty serving of sausage and cheese. In your MERKUR restaurant you will receive selected breakfast products in certified organic quality, ensures that natural and gentle are produced. Artificial flavors or thickening agents have no place. Restaurant, enjoy morning breakfast in the MERKUR. (available until 10: 30)

No matter what the purpose is in the morning, MERKUR restaurant offers everything for a good start to the day: delicious hot drinks, fresh fruit juices, baked goods fresh from the bakery shop and much more. Also different offers waiting for you, starting from €3.50. There are also fresh fruit, Yes for people who are nutritionally conscious! Natural yoghurt and cereal ready.