Korean Beef Stew (Yukkae Jang Kuk)

Here in Manila, we do not usually stew beef in soy sauce (adobo). Pork adobo, yes. Chicken adobo, yes. Beef adobo? Very rarely. We always cook our beef as steaks, or in soups, or smothered with tomato sauce or peanut sauce (as in Kare-kare). But then, my knowledge of Filipino food is limited to the Tagalog and the National Capital region :)

The Koreans have this mildly spicy and sweet soy sauce braised/stew beef dish. The sauce is so delicious and flavorful with rice. The kids love it. The good news is, this is so easy to prepare at home. Just dump all the ingredients in a pot and simmer away. :) Or you can add all the ingredients in a slow cooker in the morning before you go to work, (or when you do your errands) and when you come back, you will have melt-in-the mouth beef stew that goes very well with fragrant jasmine rice. :)


1 and 1/2 kilo beef ribs or beef shank, chopped (I used beef shank)
1 C soy sauce
1/2 C sugar (or more - up to 1 cup, if you prefer sweeter sauce)
1 whole garlic, peeled, chopped coarsely
1 onion, chopped
1 large knob of ginger (about 2 inches), sliced
3 -4 pcs green peppers (siling haba) or jalapeno peppers (more or less according to taste)

2 pcs radish, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
2 stalks spring onions, chopped
2 T sesame seeds
dash of sesame oil, optional


1. In a deep pot, add in the beef, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, onion, ginger, and green peppers. Add enough water (around 1 to 2 cups) to cover the beef pieces. Bring to boil and simmer for 1 to 1 and a half hours until beef is soft. Alternatively, you can use slow cooker and simmer for 4 hours or longer.

2. Add in the radish and cook radish in beef for 15 minutes more. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Ladle up in a serving dish. Add in a dash or two of sesame oil. Sprinkle sesame seeds and spring onions. Serve hot with rice.




Other Korean dishes I have made:

Korean Bulgogi
Korean Chap Chae (Noodles with Beef)
Kimchi Fried Rice


Sharing this melt-in-the mouth beef stew with Regional Recipes, a food event created by Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok. This edition's host is Wandering Chopsticks. Please check out her blog after June 15 for the round-up of delicious Korean recipes.

Stir-fry Beef with Orange

I specifically planned this dish for Wandering Chopstick's Weekend Wokking event. The secret ingredient for the month is orange! It would be easy to create a sweet dish or dessert from lovely and sweet oranges. But for a change, I was thinking of creating a savory dish instead. I checked the internet and so far, I have seen pork and chicken dishes with orange. But not with beef.

So, you can say that this dish is my original creation, inspired by the recipes I have encountered on the net, of course. But I have modified the marinating and the cooking sauces.

When Hubby tasted this, he declared it the best beef stir fry he had ever tasted!

The meat is tender and oh-so juicy (because of the marinade), there is the wonderful fragrance of sweet orange, but it did not turn out to be an overly sweet dish. It has the right amount of salty and sweet with the spicy kick.




In fact, it is so delicious, I decided to contribute this dish to the BloggerAid Cookbook. So, if you are interested in the recipe, you have to purchase the Cookbook in November. It is for a good cause, by the way. The proceeds from the sale of the Cookbook will go to the World Food Program of the United Nations. You can read about all the details in the BloggerAid site. Do you know that you can have your recipe published as well? Just submit your original recipe, (you do not have to be a member of BloggerAid,) and you will see your name in the book! And for a good cause, too!


Sharing this dish with the Weekend Wokking community, a world-wide food event, launched and headed by Wandering Chopsticks, to celebrate the many different ways we can cook one ingredient. The ingredient for this month is Orange! This month's hosts are the creative sisters of Eating Club Vancouver. To see the past round-ups of different ingredients, please click here.

Cheezy Beefy Twirls

Last week, I bought a bottle of cheese Ragu for the first time. I thought of making good ol' Mac and Cheese with the cheese Ragu. Daughter would love it for sure. I have not done Macaroni and Cheese for a long time. Before, I would use cottage cheese or cheddar cheese. This time, I just wanted to try this bottle. Ready made ragu is supposed to be easy to use. Simply pour over cooked macaroni and it is ready to eat. But then, I woould not blog about it if I made it that simple. :) Actually, I simply added beef for more protein, and bell peppers for colorand vitamins, and voila! it became a yummy dish!

I discovered these colorful veggie twirls in my pantry. This is how they looked after boiling. The colors did not fade away! Woohoo! I used these instead of macaroni.




1 package veggie pasta twirls, cooked according to package directions

1 (32 oz) bottle cheese ragu
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded, chopped
250 gms lean ground beef
ground pepper to taste

1. In a little oil, saute the onions until caramelized.

2. Add the beef and saute until cooked. Add the bell peppers and the cheese. Let boil. Add ground pepper to taste. (I did not add salt as the cheese was already flavorful.

3. Toss the pasta with the sauce. Serve immediately.


See? Easy peasy Macaroni and Cheese made more nutritious!




The above is how it looked with the sauce poured on top of the spirals.

The photo under is how it looks when the sauce is already tossed with the spirals. It may not look good, but it certainly is flavorful. Daughter even asked for the leftovers to be her lunch the next day!





Sharing this cheezy twirls with the Presto Pasta Nights community, headed by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. This week's host, the last edition for the year, is C of Foodie Tots. To see last week's delicious pasta dishes, please check out the round-up wonderfully done by Marye of Baking Delights.

Mediterranean Angus Beef Steak

Angus Beef has certainly been popular in steak houses around town. Accordingly, it is more tender than other breeds of cattle because of the marbling on its meat. Actually, nowadays, Kobe beef is slowly getting popular as well, but that's another story. Angus beef steak is quite pricey in restaurants. Unless you are well-heeled, you cannot really afford Angus beef steak, except of course, when you want to splurge on special occasions. :)

I was very happy to have stumbled upon angus beef tenderloin at a popular membership shopping store. It is, of course more expensive than other kinds of meat but when I roughly computed how much it would cost per serving, it sounded more attractive. It would cost me around only 25 percent of how much it would cost me if I order this dish in a restaurant!!!

Because we rarely eat steak, I want to make this extra special. I chose to add olives and olive oil.

Olives are little fruits popularly grown in the Mediterranean region. We do not grow olives here in the tropics. The Greeks once considered this fruit sacred, a symbol of goodness and nobility. I think even today, the branches of the olive tree are symbols of peace. We all know that this fruit is loaded with monosaturates which is good for our health. Olives also contain substances that are believed to help us ward off cancer.

Someone has told me that the fresh olive fruit is not palatable. I cannot really confirm this because what I have tasted are those that are bottled or in cans. :)

Olive oil is a delicious source of antioxidants. Because of its high level of monosaturated fats, it can help lower our bad cholesterol and is good for our overall heart health. This is the oil I love. Not just because of its healthy benefits, but I also love the scent. I always choose the extra-virgin dark colored ones. More pricey than regular oils, but I guess, it is worth to splurge on something healthy.


2 pcs angus beef tenderloin steak
salt and pepper
dash of olive oil

Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Add some olive oil to coat. Grill on high heat until desired doneness. Arrange on individual serving plates.


5 T minced garlic
1 onion, chopped
5 T capers, cut in half
10 pitted olives (in can), sliced
salt and pepper

1. Heat up a little olive oil. Add in the onions and garlic. Saute a little bit until fragrant but not burnt. Add in the capers and olives. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.

2. Add this mixture on top of the steak. Splash in some fresh olive oil on top.



Hubby loved this special treat, of course! :)


Sharing this olive-laden treat to the holiday edition of Weekend Herb Blogging, headed and specially hosted this time by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once. To see last week's delicious dishes, please check out the round-up done by Chriesi of Almond Corner.

Stir-Fry Mung Bean Vermicelli (Sotanghon) with Beef

This is vintage 1950's recipe.

That's what it says in the book "In My Basket: The Cookbook" where I got the recipe. The author Lydia Castillo has been a food section contributor in the local newspaper The Philippine Star, so I have been a regular follower of her column. Naturally, when her cookbook came out, I just have get myself a copy.

This recipe sounds very easy to prepare. We love mung bean vermicelli (sotanghon). Mung bean vermicelli is different from the regular Chinese egg noodles, and rice noodles. As the name suggests, this vermicelli is made from green mung bean starch. It is transparent, this why sometimes, it is also called cellophane noodles. It is more firm and chewy than the other kinds of noodles, which we prefer. My mother-in-law believes mung bean vermicelli is healthier because, well, it is made from beans!


Here is my take on the recipe:

200 gms lean ground beef, marinated in
a dash of pepper
2 T soy sauce
1 T cornstarch

100 gms vermicelli noodles (sotanghon)
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 T cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 T fish sauce (patis)
ground pepper, as desired
1 large bell pepper, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 stalk leeks, chopped
1/2 C water or broth


1. Soak vermicelli noodles (sotanghon) in water for 15 minutes. Cut to 2-inch length. Marinate the ground beef in pepper, soy sauce and cornstarch.

2. In a cooking pan or wok, saute the garlic, onion, tomato in the oil. Let the tomatoes cook for a while, then add the marinated meat. Season with fish sauce, and ground pepper. Cover to seal in the flavors. Simmer, stirring every few minutes.

3. When meat is cooked, add the noodles, bell peppers, celery and leeks. Add the water or broth. Stir and mix so that all the noodles will absorb the meat and the sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings. You may use salt, soy sauce or more fish sauce.

4. When cooked, transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately.



This is a different take on the usual Filipino vermicelli stir-fry (sotanghon guisado) dish. It uses a tomato based sauce that is made flavorful with fish sauce and beef. Even the combination of beef and fish sauce is quite unique. The result? Very flavorful noodles dish that will surely be a mainstay in my kitchen.

Hmmm... I should have added cilantro. :)



Sharing this dish with the Presto Pasta Nights people, headed by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. This week's host is Nilmandra of Soy and Pepper.

Sukiyaki-Inspired Beef Udon Soup

I say Sukiyaki-inspired because this is not an authentic sukiyaki dish. A true sukiyaki uses thinly sliced beef. Plus, it has tofu and other kinds of vegetables like the napa cabbage, fresh mushrooms. Here in this country, they often serve Sukiyaki bowls with mung bean vermicelli (sotanghon). Well, I did not have any of those ingredients on hand. So, I had to improvise. :)

Instead of vermicelli, I used the instant udon noodles pack I had in my pantry. Instead of sliced beef, I used roughly chopped up beef bits I found in my freezer. I did not have veggies, so I just chopped up the green onions I have.

But the sauce! This is the authentic sukiyaki sauce! Made of beef broth, good quality soy sauce, mirin and sugar. The sauce made all the difference!


1 pack instant udon noodles (flat noodles)
200 gms sliced beef, marinated in 1 T soy sauce, and 1 T cornstarch

1 C beef broth
2 T sugar
2 T mirin
4 T good quality Japanese soy sauce
1 fresh egg
green onions, chopped


1. Combine the beef broth, soy sauce, sugar, and mirin in a pot. Heat to boiling.

2. Add in the instant udon noodles. (The pack says cook for only 3 minutes.) So, after 2 minutes, add in the marinated beef. Cook for 1 minute further.

3. When noodles and beef are cooked, drop in 1 fresh egg. You may choose to stir to break up the egg. Or like me, I just stirred the egg whites, after which I left my egg yolk whole poached in the soup. Ladle in a bowl and sprinkle with chopped green onions.


Instant, hot, delicious meal when you are in a hurry. After all that's the essence of Presto Pasta, right?



Sharing this dish with the Presto Pasta Nights community, headed by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. This week's host is Ulrike of Kuchenlatein. To see last week's yummy dishes, check out the round-up done by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast.

Korean Chap Chae (Noodles w/ Beef Bulgogi)

I must apologize for my anemic-looking noodle dish. The noodles and the beef pieces are supposed to be darker brown. I was supposed to use dark soy sauce, but ran out, so I used the light one instead; resulting in such light colored noodles and meat. Even if they do not look as appetizing as they should be, the taste of this dish is actually wonderful. This is one of Hubby's favorite noodle dish.

Chap Chae is a Korean stir fry noodles dish. It is very popular here, as the Filipinos generally love noodles. More plus factors of this yummy dish are the salty-sweet taste of the sauce and the delicious fragrance of the sesame oil.

The good news is, it is so easy to cook. The trick to get the authenticity of this dish is to get hold of the original Korean glass noodles. The noodles look like thick mung bean vermicelli (sotanghon) the size of spaghetti pasta. But the taste and texture is entirely its own. It is chewy to the bite and yet firm at the same time.





This is the pack that I was able to buy from a big supermarket here in Manila. The noodles are quite a lot. I cooked only half the pack, and it was more than what five people can consume. The noodles does not look thick yet. You have to boil them in water (just like the spaghetti pasta) according to package directions. Then drain and wash in cold bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to cook the noodles only until al-dente. It would not be nice to eat soggy noodles. When cooked, the noodles will swell and look shiny like this:



1/2 pack of the Korean glass noodles, cooked according to package directions
1 C soy sauce (use good quality)
1/2 C sesame oil
4 T sugar (or more, if you prefer it sweeter)
1 large knob ginger, grated (or julienned, if you're lazy like me :)
5 T garlic, minced
200 gms snow peas
1 small carrot, peeled, julienned
dashes of Japanese sesame oil with chili, optional

Korean Bulgogi, recipe here.


1. In a small amount of sesame oil, saute ginger until fragrant. Add in garlic and saute until fragrant but not burnt.

2. Add in the carrots and snow peas. Stir fry for a minute. Then add in the soy sauce, sugar and the remaining sesame oil.

3. When the mixture boils, add in the cooked glass noodles. Mix very well, letting the noodles absorb all the sauce. Adjust the amount of soy sauce, if needed.

4. Turn off heat. Serve on individual plates topped with Korean Bulgogi. Add dashes of the Japanese spicy sesame oil if preferred. (Hubby loves this spicy version!)






Bulgogi literally means "fire meat." Thus, we can use any meat like pork or chicken to substitute for beef. But beef is most often used, specially thinly sliced sirloin because it provides the flavor and soft textue that bulgogi lovers are looking for. Bulgogi is traditionally associated with barbeques and grilling. But broiling and pan frying are also accepted. Using the bulgogi to top the chap chae provides the meat flavor that enhances the noodle dish.

The Chap Chae noodle dish is also very flexible. This can be adapted to vegetarian if so preferred. Just omit the bulgogi part. You can also add in a variety of vegetables like napa cabbage, mung bean sprouts, spinach, and other vegetables that you prefer.

















Serving this dish to the Presto Pasta Nights community, created and hosted this week by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. To see last week's delicious round-ups, please check out Abby of Eat the Right Stuff.

Stuffed Eggplant

Hubby does not particularly like eggplants (also known as aubergine or talong). For him, a vegetable should be leafy and green. And the eggplant is neither leafy nor green! In a way, he is partially correct. The eggplant is not a vegetable. It is a fruit! It belongs to the berry family, distantly related to the tomato. The eggplant is the glossy, deep purple fruit that grows on vines. It is almost always available throughout the year.

This fruit is commonly cooked as a vegetable, as it cannot be eaten raw. It is so versatile it can be cooked in a lot of ways. It can be stewed as in the French ratatouille or the Philippine Pinakbet, or it can be made into a parmigiana. It can be roasted where the pulp can be used for a varitey of dishes or sauces and chutneys. It can be sliced, battered, stir fried, mashed, etc. Because of its versatility and availability, most people just take it for granted!

Do you know that studies have shown that the eggplant is effective in the treatment of high blood cholesterol? It can block the formation of free radicals, as it contains phytonutrients that have antioxidant properties. It helps in preventing cellular damage that can promote cancer; and lessening free radical damage in joints, which is a primary factor in rheumatoid arthritis. It is a source of folic acid, potassium, Vitamin B1 and B6 and fiber. For more information on the eggplant, please click here.


200 gms ground lean beef
4 pcs long oval eggplants
2 T minced garlic
2 T chopped onions
2 T soy sauce
2 T corainder leaves or cilantro
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil eggplants in water until wrinkled and softened. Remove or peel off the skin. Flatten each eggplant by open the eggplants into half, and spreading the meat out.

2. Marinate the ground beef in soy sauce and pepper.

3. Heat up a wok or a skillet. Add some cooking oil. Saute the garlic and onions until softened and fragrant but not burnt. Add in the ground beef. Stir the mixture. Season with salt and pepper and more soy sauce (if preferred). Cook until done.

4. Put some meat mixture onto the flattened eggplant. Dip into the beaten eggs. Lightly skillet fry in some oil until egg is cooked. Dish up and drain in some paper towels to remove some of the oil.

5. Serve warm garnished with chopped leeks or parsley.



Although stir frying or stewing are easier ways of cooking eggplants, my picky eaters prefer their eggplants cooked like this. Hubby and kids are more willing to eat their eggplants this way because it is now made more flavorful by beef. Maybe my repertoire of cooking eggplants are limited. Do you have any flavorful ways of cooking eggplants?



This is my entry to the Weekend Herb Blogging, a word-wide foodie event launched by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen to celebrate different herbs and vegetables available around the world and the dishes we cook using these ingredients. This week's host is Archana of Archana's Kitchen. Please check out last week's round-up beautifully done by Simona of Briciole.

Hot Pot (Shabu Shabu) with Beef

With the induction cooker, we can cook Asian Hot Pot right on our table. Of course you do not need the induction cooker to do Hot Pot. All you need is a table top electric stove and a deep soup pan. Even an electric pan or fondue pot will do.

Asian Hot Pot is simply food cooked and served right in front of the diners on the spot - at the dining table - from a communal pot! It is quite fun to do. Each diner can select ingredients he prefers to eat and cook them in the communal pot. (or request another diner to cook it for you). Lest you be concerned with food hygiene, be assured that there are as many cooking implements used as there are as many diners. To each his own laddle, chopsticks, spoons, dipping baskets, etc.

Hot Pot is becoming a popular dish because it is easy to do, it is a healthy way of cooking, it is very flavorful, you can add in any ingredients you choose, you can make your own sauces and dips according to your own taste.

Locally, Hot Pot is called Shabu-Shabu. Technically, that is misnamed because the real Shabu-shabu is a Japanese soup dish with Konbu (Japanese seaweed) as the soup base. The Soup base often used in local restaurant is either chicken or pork broth.

For today's Hot Pot, I prepared:

Pork broth

1 small Napa Cabbage or Chinese cabbage, cleaned cut into 1"
1/4 K Tung-O Chinese vegetable, cleaned
lobster balls, fishballs, squid balls (all available in Asian groceries)
meatballs with mushrooms
fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
crabsticks
tofu, cubed
1/2 K beef tenderloin slices (sukiyaki cut)
egg noodles

for the dipping sauce:
chinese barbecue sauce (see the picture? this brand is by far better than the others I have tasted)
chopped garlic
chopped bird's eye chillies
soy sauce


1. Prepare and clean all ingredients beforehand. Arrange on serving trays and place on the dining table. The cooker should be at the center of the table, easily accessible to all diners (or to the designated cook, if you choose this option.) Make sure the electric cords will not bother any diner.

2. Place all individual dining utensils as well as the cooking utensils on the table. Each diner should have a bowl to put in their cooked food and soup, as well as chopsticks, soup spoon, or spoon and forks, as well as a sauce plate.

3. Pour hot soup broth in the cooking pot. Wait for the broth to boil before adding any ingredients. While waiting for the soup to boil, diners can prepare their dipping sauces according to taste. Add as much chillies, garlic, soy sauce and barbecue sauce as you like.

4. When the soup boils, add in your favorite ingredient ( from the choices available, of course). It would be advisable to add in the meat first to make the broth more flavorful. This is a cook as you go dish. Once the meat is cooked, laddle up, dip in your sauce and eat. Then, you can proceed to cook the next ingredients in the soup. You go on like this until the ingredients prepared are finished, or you get full - whichever comes first :) It is also advisable to add in the noodles last. By then, the soup is already very flavorful, and the noodles will be flavorful too!

Some more tips:

It is advisable to have around 4 to 6 diners only. It is hard to organize which food is who's if there are too many diners. Plus, there will be longer cooking time. Although, eating Hot Pots is a good way for family members and friends to talk and bond.

It is advisable to have a simple broth first, so that the taste and flavor of each ingredient will not be lost.

You do not have to stick to one variety of meat. You can combine seafood (oysters, fish fillets, clams, etc) with meat( chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, etc).

Prepare a large batch of broth in the kitchen. Add this to the hotpot as needed. Because the soup in the hotpot gets lesser while cooking and eating.

Try doing Hot Pot! It is a versatile way of cooking any of your favorite ingredients.

Beef Watercress Soup

I get my regular supply of watercress from my mother-in-law. Thanks Mama! It has a great story that comes with it too! The chinese name for watercress is "Western Vegetable." According to the story, this vegetable came from the west.

The story goes something like this: A poor fellow from China wanted to try his fortune in the west. Where exactly is west, the story did not say. I mean, how west is west? How far west did he go? Back to the story, nobody wanted to hire him though. Probably because of the language barrier? Or probably because he looked different, you know, an eastern looking person? The story did not say. The story probably wanted to be politically correct too. So this fellow became even poorer and hungry and destitute and he finally became sick. As he was wandering about in this western city, he finally fell, unconsious, by a riverbank. Probably due to extreme hunger? When he regained consciousness, he noticed this plant by the river, which was within his arm's reach. So, with nothing to lose, he thought he was going to die anyway, he got some of those plants and began eating them - raw. Then, he fell unconscious again. When he woke up, he did not feel hungry anymore and he felt a little bit okay. So, he continued eating this plant until he got better. He was so ecstatic with his new discovery that he brought it back with him to China. Since they have no name for it, they just called it "Western Vegetable."

My mother-in-law believes this is one of the best vegetables we have, next to brocolli, that is. And a quick search on the internet produced a website watercress.com that says this vegetable has more calcium than milk, more vitamin c than an orange and more iron than spinach. Wow! A super vegetable!

I usually cook watercress in soups. This is the only way I know. But the watercress site offers more creative recipes. I will try those one of these days. Meanwhile, enjoy this bowl of hot soup. Perfect for our cold weather these days caused by La Nina.



1/4 K lean ground beef, marinated in soy sauce and some cornstarch
3 T chopped garlic
1 small onion, chopped
4 T cooking oil
1/2 can button mushrooms, sliced
4 C water
3 T cooking wine
1/4 K watercress, washed
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 T cornstarch dissolved in water

1. Heat up the cooking oil in a wok or deep casserole. Saute the onions and garlic until fragrant.

2. Add the marinated beef. Stir fry for a while to blend in all the flavors. When the beef turns color, add the cooking wine and button mushrooms. Stir to blend everything again.

3. Add water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes.

4. Add the watercress. Wait for the soup to boil again.

5. Add in salt and pepper to taste.

6. Thicken the soup with the cornstarch solution, if preferred.

This recipe is so versatile. You can also use lean ground pork, oysters, shrimps or mixed seafood instead of beef. Just add ginger slices if you will be using seafood. Hmm.. I'm sure a seafood base will be yummier. I've got to try that some time.

Grilled Steaks with Spiced Mushrooms in Olive Oil

Happy Hearts Day!!!

Hubby and I usually do not celebrate Valentine's Day in a restaurant. Aside from being so ridiculously expensive, the restaurants oftentimes prepare a set menu, lacking in quality. Because the restaurants are full, we do not get the quiet intimate ambience that we prefer. So, I would usually surprise Hubby with a home-cooked valentine dinner, prepared with much love. Of course he knows that I would prepare something special (since I have been doing it for the past 13 years!) This year, I am making it simple because we will have another valentine dinner tomorrow with the Couples@Work Fellowship at the church gardens. There would only be a three-course dinner tonight. A Salad, a Steak and a Chocolate dessert. Hmm... maybe, I will add a warm soup.

Hubby loves a nice juicy steak and chocolates. We usually do not indulge in steaks because of the calories and the cholesterol. Most of our home-cooked meals comprise of vegetables and seafood or chicken. So, this steak is a real treat. I bought some Angus beef from Santis' Deli for the steak. The steak itself is simple to prepare because the beef is already flavorful. I just sprinkled both sides of the steaks with salt and pepper. Then added some olive oil. Let it sit for a while as I prepare the mushrooms.

2 T garlic, chopped
2 T onions, chopped
2 T red bell pepper, chopped
6 T olive oil
1 can button mushrooms, halved
1 t paprika
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t S & B japanese chili powder
2 T cooking wine
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute garlic, onions, bell pepper in olive oil.

2. Add button mushrooms, paprika, cayenne pepper, and japanese chili powder. Stir for a while to blend.

3. Add the cooking wine and let the wine evaporate.

4. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside while grilling the steaks.

5. Prepare the grill and make it really hot. Sear one side for 2 min or more, depending on how well-done you like your steak. Then flip to the other side.

6. Place cooked steak on a serving plate, top with the spiced mushrooms. Drizzle more olive oil on top. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

I use my trusty stove-top grill for this dish. It gives the seared black lines without the toxic carbon residue. Of course, other gourmets and foodies will protest that the flavor and grilled aroma will be lost in this process. Honestly, I do not know for sure. I have not tried using the real hot coal grills. Maybe one day, I should.

I prefer my olive oil not cooked. If I have a dish that needs olive oil, I would usually use a little for the cooking and then drizzle the dish straight from the bottle when serving. I started doing this when I read from somewhere that olive oil should not reach boiling point or its molecules and the good healthy fats associated with olive oils will break down and be rendered useless.

Here is the picture of the steaks in their raw form :



Do you see anything wrong with the meat? Sigh! I did not know! I suppose I am not really a gourmet person yet. Just trying hard to recreate "professional" dishes at home, through experiments and the traditional trial and error. I thought those lovely lines were marbling! After all, this is Angus Beef! They turned out to be ligaments! Oh well, the meat parts were tender and soft, however, the ligament parts were inedible! GRRR!

Korean Bulgogi

This dish is simply yummy and irresistible. It disappeared before I could take a photograph of it! (The picture here was added on Dec 10, taken from the internet.) And it got the stamp of approval from my harshest critic - my hubby! He said the beef was very tender and juicy. It must be the marinade...

I got this recipe from "Cooking With a Cause" a compilation of recipes from the friends and staff of Philippine Campus Crusade for Christ. This book was a gift from the children's Ninang Fanny.


1 K sirloin beef, thinly sliced (buy the sukiyaki cut)
1 big ginger, grated
1 whole garlic, skinned, chopped
1 C brown sugar
1 C soy sauce
1 C sesame oil
spring onions

1. Marinate the beef slices in the rest of the ingredients, except the spring onions, for at least 2 hours. Better if marinated overnight in the chiller. Or some portions may be kept in the freezer for a read-to-cook meal another time.

2. If you want more sauce, increase the brown sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce equally.

3. When ready to cook, stir fry in pan (no need to put oil) just until the meat turns brown. I do it several pieces at a time. Do not overcrowd the cooking pan. Do not overcook or the meat will harden.

4. Dish up and sprinkle with chopped spring onions before serving.