May 2013
1 post
5 tags
Pinoy-style Tri-Tip
One thing about living in Uzbekistan - you can get decent cuts of beef. The cuts don’t exactly look like the conventional American cut I’m accustomed to, but I’ve learned that uttering the magic words “Bon Filet/Бон филе” at the butcher counter will result in almost 2 kg of beautiful skirt/sirloin. That’s 4 lbs. of beef for the equivalent of $20. Now I...
October 2012
1 post
3 tags
Pennete and mushrooms in a tomato cream sauce
My school has just opened it’s new and improved canteen last week. I have taken advantage of the faculty discount and enjoyed the daily lunches. This has made it a bit easier for me to prepare my home meals. Moreover, I am not easily bored now by what I cook because I only eat it for dinner versus twice a day. Living on my own has taught me quite a bit about managing weekly menus. It was...
September 2012
1 post
4 tags
July 2012
10 posts
5 tags
General Santos City: Buko Halo Halo
On our way to Lake Sebu, we stopped to try the famed Apareja Buko Halo Halo. It is a perfect blend of corn, nata, kaong, banana, sweet potato, tapioca, buko juice, leche flan and of course, ube ice cream. They serve the juice of the coconut instead of water - great palate cleanser between bites.
Currently in the Philippines...
I’ll be posting more tasty eats soon. In the meantime, have a look at the three cookbooks I just purchased yesterday. Memories of Philippine Kitchens by Romy Dorotan and Amy Besa, Kulinarya by Glenda Rosales , and Linamnam by Claude Tayag and Mary Ann Quioc.
Why these 3 books? They are arguably the best in terms of describing Filipino cuisine - its history and diversity -as described...
May 2012
1 post
4 tags
Coconut leche flan
These days, aside from red velvet or a dense chocolate cake, I am not a huge cake fan. I do love my custards and pies. I started making my own leche flan aka crème caramel a few Thanksgivings ago for the annual dinners at my cousin’s place or to take to a friend’s potluck. I wasn’t too sure of how my family made it, so I just tried one on the internet. It came out just...
April 2012
1 post
4 tags
Adobo - The National Dish
For all extents and purposes, adobo, is the national dish in the Philippines. You will see this on every menu in a Filipino restaurant and made in different ways, using various proteins. Certain regions like it very tart or stew it in vinegar/soy sauce, while others prefer it with hardly any tang at all. The key to this dish is the base - garlic, vinegar, and cracked pepper. This is used in...
March 2012
2 posts
3 tags
Bistek: A Tashkent Dinner Party Hit!
Two very good friends of mine - George and Amanda - invited me and a bunch of other pals to their new house for dinner this past Saturday. Amanda, a former caterer in Australia prior to her life in the classroom, informed me that she was prepping the following menu: roast chickens, roasted beet root, mashed potatoes, roast feta (this was DIVINE), and salad. Knowing that this was not enough for...
5 tags
A simple beginning...
FINALLY.
Atsara. A simple pickled relish for barbecue and other savory dishes (adobo, asado, etc.) that never truly goes bad. The perfect metaphor for my family’s recipes - timeless and sure to sweeten the palette for generations. For the past 2 years, I’ve been mulling over how I could possibly pay a proper homage to my grandmother’s cooking. I’ve read countless...
