Ginataang Ampalaya

I made this recipe for a diabetic friend, because bitter melon or ampalaya is good for diabetes. This dish taste good and we can eat this anytime we want, either you are a diabetic or not :) Try this!

Ingredients:
2 bitter melon ( ampalaya)
2 cups ampalaya leaves
1 cup pure coconut milk ( unang piga)
2 cups thin coconut milk ( ikalawang piga)
thumb size ginger
some dried fish
salt to taste

ampalaya fruits and leaves

Procedure:
1. In a pot put the thin coconut milk, ginger, and dried fish then bring to a boil.

2. Once boiling add the bitter melon (ampalaya) and simmer until tender, add salt to taste.

3. Add the ampalaya leaves, pure coconut milk then simmer and turn off the heat.
4. Serve hot.

Pancit with Oyster Sauce

Try this simple and quick way of cooking pancit with less ingredients, but you can add carrots and bell pepper to this recipe, it's just happen that when I am cooking this only these things are available.  Try this

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo Pancit ( egg noodles)
1/4 kilo shrimps ( cleaned and shells removed)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1/4 kilo cabbage
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Boil the pancit until cooked then drain and set aside.
2. Saute the garlic and onion, add the shrimps and simmer for a minute.
3. Add water and bring to a boil, once boiling increase the heat then add the cabbage, stir very well until soften.
4. Add the oyster sauce, simmer and stir then add the pre-cooked pancit, mix evenly.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste then serve hot.
 
While you are boiling the pancit (egg noodle), you can start sauteing the ingredients, to make the cooking process quicker.

Talbos ng Sayote with Hipon

I visited some friends and they have sayote planted in their garden, the moment I saw it, my eyes were sparkling because it's been a long time that I wanted to cook the sayote tops ( talbos ng sayote) and I was not expecting that I will find it at their backyard. I asked permission if I can get the leaves and cook it for them, of course they allowed me. This is one of the vegetable dishes that I love so much, green and delicious :-)

Ingredients:
Talbos ng sayote
shrimps
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Sayote fruit and sayote tops

Procedure:
1. Clean the sayote tops by cutting it to your desired length then remove the matured skin, then wash and set aside.

2. Saute the garlic until brownish, then add the shrimps and simmer for a minute, then add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Increase the heat to high before adding in the sayote tops to avoid it from turning to grey, stir fry the leaves until cooked then turn off the heat.

4. Serve it hot.

Banana Cake

Super delicious banana cake.

 Ingredients: 
3 bananas ( cut lengthwise and thinly)
2 cups  all purpose flour
1 cup  cornstarch
1 cup milk
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
4 large eggs, divided
4 tbsp  unsalted butter

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees celcius
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and corn starch then set aside.
3.Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, and combine the egg yolks with the butter and sugar then add the sifted dry ingredients and milk and combine well to make a firm batter.
5. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and gently fold the egg whites into the batter with a spatula.
6. Pour half of the batter mixture into the baking pan then put the sliced banana and pour the rest of the batter mixture then bake for 45 minutes or until done.
7. Allow to cool before serving.

Shredded Chicken Omelette

A simple chicken dish that suits your budget and taste. It doesn't take a long time to prepare and cook this, try and enjoy your cooking.

Ingredients:
1/4 kilo chicken breast ( boiled and shredded)
1 onion ( minced)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3 eggs ( beaten)
3/4 cup flour

Procedure:
1. Combine everything and mix well.

2. Spoon a portion then deep fry until golden brown.

3. Serve it hot.

Ginataang Gulay

One of the Filipino vegetable dish that I love so much. Simple but nutritious and delicious. Ginataang gulay or vegetables stewed in coconut milk, varied in different places and depends on the person cooking it, you can put different vegetables of your choice.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo squash
2 eggplants
5 okra pods
1 cup malunggay
fried fish
salt to taste
2 cups light coconut milk ( ikalawang piga na may halong tubig)
2 cups thick coconut milk ( kakang gata or yong unang piga na walang tubig)

Procedure:
1. In a pot put the light coconut milk, ginger, onion, fried fish and squash then bring to a boil.
2. Once boiling simmer for 3 minutes then add the eggplant and okra and simmer until tender then increase the heat to high.
3. Add the thick coconut milk and malunggay then simmer for a minute and turn off the heat.
4.Serve hot.

Fish Chicharon

I visited one city today and salmon skin is abundant because they removed it when they do salmon fillet, then sell the skin in a very affordable price so I thought of making it into fish crackling or chicharon. Here is my recipe for it.

Ingredients

Fish skin  ( Salmon skin)
Salt and Pepper to taste
oil for deep frying

Procedure:
1. Wash the Fish skin very well and drain the water.
2. After draining the fish skin put salt and pepper to taste then dry under the heat of the sun for an hour or two.

3. Deep fry until golden brown and crispy.

4. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

If you dont want to dry it under the sun, just put some flour and deep fry in a very hot oil.

Paksiw na Isda

Fish Paksiw or stewed fish in vinegar is one of the popular dishes in Philippines, the taste is uniquely delicious becuase all the ingredients blended well producing a taste that you will surely love. One of my favorite fish dishes.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo fish ( any fish of your choice)
3/4 cup vinegar
4 cloves garlic ( crushed)
thumb size ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. In a pot put all the ingredients and let it boil.
2. If the taste of the vinegar is so strong, you can add a little water.
3. Simmer for few  minutes until it is cooked.
4. Serve it with rice.

Macaroni Pastel

I made this macaroni dish for some hungry friends :-) Only elbow macaroni and ground beef in the refrigerator  and some cooking stuffs in the kitchen rack, I start to imagine dishes which I can get an idea from and make something yummy with my ingredients. I came up with this kind of macaroni soup which I called macaroni pastel. It taste delicious in a light tomato sauce. Try it.

Ingredients:
1 cup elbow macaroni
1/2 cup ground beef
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
4 cups water
salt to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the ground beef and simmer until pinkish color is gone.
2. Add salt, pepper and tomato sauce then simmer for 3 minutes over medium heat stirring every now and then.
3. Add the water then bring to a boil then add the macaroni and simmer until cooked stirring occasionally.
4. Serve hot.

Kutsinta Without Lye Water

It's been a long time since I am longing to make kutsinta but the thing that is preventing me from making this is the lye water, because it is not available in my place. Today, I am very happy that there is an option for lye water and that is the REDUCED BAKING SODA, to learn how to make it click the link below:
http://melyskitchen.blogspot.com.br/2013/04/how-to-make-reduced-baking-soda.html

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup  sugar
1 tsp annatto powder ( atsuete)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp reduced baking soda  ( make sure it is REDUCED baking soda ) do not put too much or it will have an after taste effect- bitter.


Procedure:
1. Sift all the dry ingredients then combine everything and pour into molders and steam for 30 minutes or until done.

2. Remove from steamer then allow few minutes to cool before removing from the molders then serve with or without grated coconut.

To save time, prepare the steamer while you are preparing the kutsinta mixture, so that the water is already boiling after the preparation and you can steam right away.

You might also like:
Kutsinta Original recipe
Kutsinta another option