Roast Pork Soup with Chinese Herbs

I have posted a recipe for Pork Soup with Ling Zhi and Chinese herbs before. But the focus of that post was on Ganoderma Lucidum or Ling Zhi and its anti-cancer properties. This time around, I want to present the other ingredients which are also very nutritious. Chinese herbs are known to have medicinal properties, if not for treating illness, herbs can be used for maintaining wellness.









Chinese Wolfberry
or
Gou Qi Zi




Qi Zi has been renowned in Chinese herbal cooking for its potent tonic and aphrodisiac properties. It is used for treatment of general weakness and impotence. This is my mother-in-law's favorite herb because she believes this not only increases our stamina, but also nourishes and brightens the eyes, strengthens our lungs and nourishes our liver and kidneys. It is mildly sweet. This 'neutral' herb can be added to a variety of soups without affecting the taste or smell.







Chinese Red Dates
or
Hong Zao




Red Dates are considered a tonic for the spleen and stomach, so this herb is used for improving digestion. It also increases available energy, so it goes very well when added with Qi Zi. Red dates are known to be effective in countering fatigue, anaemia and low energy. They are commonly used for building up strength and blood. It has a naturally sweet taste.

Red dates can be made into teas; or added to chinese wine and kept for a long time to enhance the flavor of wine. This wine is good for drinking or it can be used to flavor dishes.









Chinese Wild Yam
or
Huai Shan




This is one of the children's favorite Chinese herbs. It is crunchy even when cooked and simmered for a long time. Wild yam is known for enhancing the immune response, so it a good herb for the whole family. Recently, I found out that it also boosts hormone production so it benefits women greatly when taken during mentruation, or menopause and for those who needs to boost their fertility. It can also relive morning sickness.


We had some leftover Lechon or roast pork. The meat, we can make into Paksiw ( a stew made with vinegar and the Lechon sauce). But the bones from ribs and legs parts are also tasty as well. What better way to 'recycle' them but to cook them in soup!

around 1 kilo roast pork bones with some meat

a handful of Chinese wolfberry or Qi Zi
4 -5 pcs red dates or Hong Zao
5 pcs Chinese wild yam or Huai Shan

10 C water
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil the water in a pot. When it boils, add in all the ingredients.

2. Simmer for 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Or alternately, just throw everything in the crockpot or slow cooker in the morning. When you come back for dinner, you already have a nice, hot, nourishing soup waiting for you!




This warm, nourishing soup filled with the goodness of Chinese herbs is submitted to Weekend Herb Blogging, a foodie event featuring herbs and unique plant ingredients around the world. This event was launched by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. This week's host is Simona of the Italian Briciole. Please check out the delicious round-up last week done by Pam of Sidewalk Shoes.

Sweet Potato Greens (Camote Tops) Salad

Many people are familiar with sweet potatoes - the tuber we use for cooking, baking or making desserts. But do you know that the leaves of the sweet potato plant can be eaten as well? The leaves are not only edible but nutritious as well. Its nutritional content is said to be comparable to the spinach. Sweet potato leaves contain dietary fiber, lipid, and essential minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum and boron. They are also important sources of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and ascorbic acid. The leaves are high in protein - making it a perfect dish for vegetarians.

Sweet potato tops are excellent sources of antioxidants, mainly polyphenolics, which may protect the human body from many diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases. There are also many anecdotal testimonies that the sweet potato tops are the cure for dengue fever (infammatory, hemmoragic fever caused by a specie of mosquito common in Asia). Information here.

Here in the Philippines, we call the leaves Talbos ng Camote or Camote Tops. Camote is the Tagalog word for sweet potatoes, and Tops, well, because the leaves grown on top! We usually use the leaves for soups and salad. It is an easy plant to grow. It can be harvested several times a year. It is also abundant in all markets and groceries.




1 bunch (around 300 gms) Sweet potato (Camote) Tops, washed, cut into bite sized pieces
4 large tomatoes, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 C rice vinegar (I used brown rice vinegar)
1 T sugar (or more if you prefer a bit sweeter taste)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Blanch the leaves in boiling water. Drain. Immerse in cold water bath. Drain again.

2. Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper together.

3. Arrange the sweet potato leaves on a platter. Top with tomatoes and onions. Drizzle with the vinegar-sugar mixture.


This is the basic salad recipe. For variation, we can add fruits such as mangoes, avocadoes or watermelon cubes.


This highly nutritious, absolutely yummy, totally vegetarian dish is my entry to the Healthy Cooking foodie event. Head over to Mansi's Fun and Food blog to learn more healthy and yummy recipes. After all, we have to eat well in order to live well.

Brocolli and Cheese Egg Bake

This is such an easy breakfast or brunch dish to prepare. Very tasty and healthy too! I got the recipe from South Beach proponent and Weekend Herb Blogging chief Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, original recipe here. Of course her picture is much prettier than mine. :)

I did the oven toaster version. Also, I think my oven toaster is much smaller than hers. I couldn't find a small baking dish for my toaster so I used a disposable foil baking dish. With one small head of brocolli, I was able to make 3 small casseroles. Here's my retake on the Brocolli and Cheese Casserole. Recipe for 1 serving casserole.

3 eggs
3 T fresh milk
a bunch of brocolli florettes
1/4 C grated cheddar cheese
salt to taste
some dashes of ground red pepper
some dashes of onion, ginger and chive seasoning

1. Blanch the brocolli florettes in boiling water. Drain immediately and immerse in cold water bath.

2. Lightly spray or coat the baking dish with butter or cooking oil.

3. Arrange the blanched brocolli in the dish. Top with grated cheese.

4. Beat the egg with the milk, salt and pepper and the onion-chive seasoning. Pour this egg mixture over the brocolli and cheese. This is what it's going to look like.


5. Bake in the oven toaster on high power for 10 to 15 minutes. Check for doneness. It is cooked when browned and slightly puffed up. (But it will deflate when cooled...)


You can use any kind of cheese you have on hand, or even a combination of cheeses will do. I think mozarella cheese will be perfect, but I didn't have any on hand. Hubby called this a quiche without the crust. But I think the texture is different from a quiche. However, I think this can be as versatile as the quiche. I think we can add and/or change the brocolli to mushrooms or bell peppers and we can probably add seafood or ham. Hmmm... many possibilities to do next time.

Grilled Chicken With Aromatic Herbs

The kids love chicken. Everybody in my family loves chicken. Which is something good, because chicken contains good protein - it has all the essential amino acids in the correct proportions required by the body for optimum growth of lean, calorie burning tissue. Chicken is a very healthy food only if you remove the chicken skin, of course. If you check out the pictures and recipes of the chicken dishes in this blog, you will see all the chicken skins removed. Why? Because the chicken skin contains all the saturated fat and cholesterol. So, when you cook chicken dishes, make sure to remove all the skin.

Grilling is a healthy and easy way to cook a dish. This way, the fats contained in the meat will drip down (discard the oil), and the remaining meat will be healthier. The secret to making good grilled chicken is in the marinade. This is where your creativity comes in. You can use a lot of different spices, condiments, seasonings and herbs.

For this dish, I mainly used some of the herbs from my garden to include in the marinade. This is such an easy recipe to do, if you have food processor, that is. If not, you simply have to pound the herbs to make the paste/marinade.

1 Kilo chicken pieces, skin removed, washed and chopped to serving sizes

2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
a handful of coriander leaves
3 - 4 pcs bird's eye chillies (use more or less according to your preference)
4 T garlic
1 stalk scallions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 T canola oil
1/2 T turmeric powder
some sugar (if you prefer it a little sweet, this is optional)


1. Pulse all the marinade ingredients (all the ingredients listed, except the chicken) in the food processor. Or pound them together to make a paste.

2. Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours or more (covered, in the refrigerator).

3. Grill the chicken over hot coals, electric grilling machine, or like me, simply use the Turbo Broiler (15 minutes). Chicken is cooked when juices run clear if meat is pierced.


Easy to do, isn't it? If you're anticipating a busy day ahead, you can make a big batch and store in the freezer. Take it out when needed. Hubby and kids declared this dish yummy! It is fragrant, aromatic, and when cooked at the right time, the meat is soft and tender juicy. Nothing brings satisfaction to a home-chef but to see your dish finished with gusto.




This is my entry to this month's Eat Healthy event featuring protein-rich dishes. This event showcases dishes that are healthy and easy to prepare. Head over to Sangeeth's Art of Cooking Indian Food for the round-up at the end of the month.

Steamed Kang Kong (Water Spinach) with Mango Salsa

This salad is highly recommended for everyone. It has vegetable - the KangKong. It has fruit - the mango. It is tasty. It is healthy. There is something special about the pairing of these two ingredients. The kangkong is considered a poor-man's vegetable while the mango is considered the queen of Philippine fruits!

The vegetable is known by many names : Water Spinach, Swamp Cabbage, Eng Tsai (Hokkian), KongXinCai (Mandarin Chinese), KangKong (Filipino), KangKung (Indonesian, Malay)...

The Kang Kong is a popular vegetable here in Asia, primarily because it flourishes naturally in moist watery areas and does not need much care. It is also one of the cheapest vegetable around so it is used extensively in cooking. Kang Kong is usually stir fried in shrimp paste, garlic and chili; or to make a vegetarian dish, it can be stir-fried with fermented tofu. Either way, stir-fried kang kong can already be a stand-alone flavorful vegetable dish paired with a steaming bowl of rice. It can be added to soups like the Sinigang. It can be added to noodles. It can be made into a salad like this recipe.

The fruit - the mango - the queen of Philippine fruits - is fortunately available year-round in this tropical country, though it is particularly abundant in summer. It is one of our family's favorite fruits. There is something wonderfully intoxicating about the aroma of a ripe mango. And the sweet taste of a ripe mango is incomparbale to other fruits. When buying sweet mangoes, make sure the color is even throughout the flesh, and the part near where the stem was broken off should smell sweet.


3/4 C diced ripe mangoes (or use a melon baller to make round mango bites)
1 C diced, seeded tomatoes
1/4 C Chopped coriander
1/4 C brown rice vinegar (or white rice vinegar)
1 T sugar
1 and 1/4 t salt
dash of pepper
1 bunch (around 300 gms) Kangkong, cleaned, cut into bite-size pieces, steamed


1. In a medium bowl, gently mix mangoes, tomatoes and coriander.

2. In another bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour over the mango salsa, stirring lightly.

2. Arrange the steamed Kangkong on the serving plate. Spoon mango salsa over the Kangkong and serve.


You may chill the Kangkong with salsa for 10 minutes to make a cold salad. However, please serve the salad within an hour of preparation otherwise the mangoes will absorb the vinegar and lose their sweetness.


This is my first entry to the Monthly Mingle foodie event, hosted by Meeta of What's for Lunch Honey? This month's feature is the beautifully golden-yellow, wonderfully delicious, sweet ripe Mango.


With this entry, I want to focus on the versatility of the mango. The mango is not only used for savory sweets and desserts like cakes or tarts or ice creams. It can be used to enhance dishes (stir fried beef with mangoes, for example) and to make a salad like this one stand-out exceptionally. It is true. It was the mango bits in this salad that gave the flavor, aroma and sweetness to an otherwise blah dish.

Fish With Miso Glaze

Miso is very popular here in Asia. Of course we are most familiar with Miso Soup (a simple but tasty soup made with miso, tofu, seaweeds and scallions), but what most people don't know is that we can use Miso to flavor our dishes as well. And that is exactly what I did with this dish. I used Miso to flavor the fish. And the taste turned out to be delicate yet tasty, simple and flavorful.

Miso is a thick peanut-butter-like food originating from Japan. I always thought that Miso is just made from fermented soy. What I didn't know is that Miso is produced by fermenting rice, barley and soybeans, with salt and a certain type of fungus (The soybean is the main ingredient, of course.) I think there are many types, grades, quality, color, taste of Miso, depending on the type of grain used to ferment it. What we get here is the golden colored thick paste ones. But the color can range from white to red and even dark brown. The Miso is typically salty. But it also has a hint of sweetness, earthy, savory...

The Japanese consider the Miso as a complete food, containing 8 essential amino acids. It is high in protein, rich in vitamins and minerals. According to the Book of Miso, it is similar to yoghurt, it is a living, cultured food containing lactic acid-forming bacteria, health-giving microorganisms and digestive enzymes. It is a versatile food, that can be used to flavor soup (like bouillon cubes), gravies, stews. It can used as sauce (just like ketchup), dip, and added to salad dressing. It is also good as a barbecue sauce, like what I did to this grilled fish.

I think Miso is now widely available in most health food stores, Japanese groceries and most Asian groceries. Miso is an ideal seasoning to use for the health-conscious because it is low in sodium, low in fat, yet high in protein, vitamins and minerals.


4 pcs fish fillet (I used white cobbler fish fillets, but any fish fillet will do)

2 T sugar (or less)
2 T soy sauce
2 T cooking wine
2 T water
1/4 C miso paste
1/4 C spring onions, chopped


1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, water, soy sauce, and cooking wine. Stir constantly over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Reserve some marinade for basting during broilling or grilling.

2. Marinate fish in the cooked sauce for around 30 minutes or more.

3. Brush the broiling pan with a little oil (I used my trusty stove top grill.) Remove the fish from the marinade. Discard marinade. Brush the fish with miso paste.

4. Broil or grill fish fillet while brushing occasionally with the reserved marinade.

5. Fish are cooked when browned on top. Around 8 to 10 minutes.

6. Remove from grill or oven. Serve warm topped with chopped green onions.


Hubby declared this the best tasting fish fillet ever. I think it is the healthiest ever. :)


Some other yummy fish fillet recipes:

Dijon Crusted Fish Fillets
Grilled Pesto Fish
Grilled Chilean Sea Bass




This dish and the healthy Miso is my entry this week to Weekend Herb Blogging, a food event originated by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, celebrating unique and wonderful herbs, plants and spices available around the world and the recipes we can cook using these special ingredients. This week's host is Pam of Sidewalk Shoes. To see last week's variety of food, please check out Kalyn's Kitchen.

Rum Cake Made Easy

I would usually make rum cake with a butter cake base. I would bake a basic butter cake. Then when the cake cools, I would brush the cake with rum glaze.

It just so happens that I discovered cake mixes. There's a white cake mix, a yellow cake mix, also a pre-mix for lemon cake, brownies, devil's food cake and a lot more other kinds of pastries. I think these are wonderful time-savers for those days when you need a dessert but too busy to make from scratch.

Of course, purist and serious bakers would consider using cake mixes a sacrilege! And of course, using cake mixes would take out the joy you really do get out of baking, specially if you are baking as a hobby. However, as I have mentioned, cake mixes can be used to help shorten the time you spend in the kitchen. There's less measurements to do, less ingredients needed, less utensils to wash. Plus cake mixes are so versatile, you can garnish them, add different flavors, make different icings and fillings and you can produce professional looking cakes that can impress your guests or audience.

I was invited to an informal birthday gathering yesterday and I wanted to bring a cake. However, I had several writing deadlines, leaving me less time to putter around in the kitchen. So, I took the easy way out and made rum cake using the yellow cake mix. :)

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 C Bacardi's rum
2/3 C water
1/3 C Canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 350F (for regular bundt pans). I used a silicone bundt pan so I had to lower the baking temperature to 325F.

2. Grease the baking pan and coat with a little flour.

3. Mix everything up in the cake mixer for 2 minutes. Pour into the baking pan. Bake in the oven for around 30 to 35 minutes, until cake tester inserted in the center comes out dry.

4. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Invert the baked cake into a serving platter. Let cool completely before adding the glaze.


Rum Glaze

1/4 C Butter
3 T sugar
2 T water
1/4 C Bacardi Rum

1. Boil butter, water and sugar until sugar is melted and syrupy.

2. Turn off heat. Let cool for a while before adding the rum.

3. When completely cooled, brush rum glaze all over the baked and cooled yellow cake.


I have to confess that I find my butter cakes baked from scratch more fluffy and moist. And of course, the taste is totally different. But still, this is easy baking, isn't it? It can keep in the refrigerator for a longer period of time and the taste will just get better. It is delicious in its own way. Just do not let out that you cheated... hee... hee...

Cream of Potato Soup

Potato, potato, potato.... hmmm... do you know that potato is always on my mind this month of June? This is because Wandering Chopsticks challenge for this month's Weekend Wokking is the ever humble potato.

The United Nations has declared this year, 2008 as the Year of the Potato. I think they want due recognition to this humble crop, which is easy to grow and very nutritious. They want to increase awareness for this crop that may be a good food source for developing nations. Of course, when we say potato, the first thing that comes to mind is starch. Potato is pure carbohydrates and with a high glycemic index at that, which is not good for dieters. However, you have to consider that potatoes have the health benefits of fiber. Therefore, it offers protection against colon cancer, it improves glucose tolerance and increases satiety, and possibly even reduce fat storage - because you will tend to eat less if you include potato in your meal. They also have one-fourth of the calories of bread and, when boiled, have more protein than corn and nearly twice the amount of calcium. They contain vitamin C, iron, potassium and zinc.

Potatoes are very common and quite cheap here in this country. We often use it as an extender. We add it to stews, or add it for stuffing. However, I wanted something different for this event. I want to feature potato as a the main ingredient for a dish. Aside from the Potato Salad that I made, I know some dishes that has potatoes as main ingredients are: mashed potatoes, which are first peeled and boiled and then mashed with milk and butter; French fries (oooh! very unhealthy!) whole Baked Potaotes (smothered with unhealthy sauces!) Hash Browns, grated potaotes then fried again. I wanted something that is healthy and nutritious, something that will make the potato's assets shine out...

I decided to make a humble soup - as humble as this crop. It is easy to cook, it is warm, it is flavorful, it is healthy, it is tummy-filling, perfect for dieters (unfortunately, not on South Beach).

2 T buter
2 heads garlic
1 big onion, chopped
4 pcs (around 400 gms) potatoes, diced
1 C milk
3 C Chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

submerge peeled potato in water to avoid discoloration

1. Heat butter in medium heat and cook garlic cloves until golden brown.

This is the garlic cooking in butter.

2. Add onions and cook until soft. Add the potatoes without browning them.

It gets very fragrant at this stage. Smells yummy!

3. Add soup stock. Boil and simmer until potatoes are cooked (around 15 minutes).

4. Add milk. I usually add milk last and I do not let it boil to prevent the milk from curdling.

5. Put soup in the blender and pulse until creamy.

6. Season to taste.


You can serve this with sliced French bread topped with fresh chopped tomatoes and basil, which I did. And I already consider this a full meal.

By the way, I just came from a dinner last night, hosted by my German missionary friend (the one who taught me to make Quiche - recipe and story here.) She also served us Potato Soup! She flavored hers with curry and a dash of nutmeg. It was also yummy!


This is my entry to Weekend Wokking, launched by Wandering Chopsticks. This month's hosts are Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple. Please check out their site in a few days for the round-up! Looking forward to the next ingredient and the next Wokking event!

Prawn and Mushroom Quiche

Truth to be told, most Asians are not familiar with Quiche, much less pronounce it. :)

Although I knew of a dish called Quiche, I never bothered to make it nor learn about it until a German missionary friend introduced me to this dish more than a year ago. She brought a quiche dish with bacon and cauliflower to our Couples@Work fellowship and it was an instant hit! I loved the flaky crust. I loved the texture and the flavorful filling. It was yummy!

She gave me her recipe, and then I also combed the internet for more recipes. I found out that a quiche is basically a dish made with egg and milk (or cream) baked with a pastry crust. Although some quiche can be made without the crust (for those on low carb diets). However, I thought a good quiche should have the crust because it provides the nice crunch and flavor to the dish. A variety of ingredients can be added; usually a combination of meat and vegetables.

I bought a 27 cm quiche dish just specially to make quiche. I remember I made one before I started blogging. It was a bacon and spinach quiche. It was a big hit with my family! But for one thing or another, I never made it again. Until last Tuesday... This is because my Tuesday group has been asking me to bake one for them ever since they found out that I knew how to make one!

And so, last Monday, I started preparing the crust...

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1 C cold butter
1/3 C cold water

1. In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt. using a pastry cutter, or a large-tinned fork, cut the chilled butter into the flour until it resembles coarse sand with a few pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.

2. Sprinkle water evenly over the mixture and toss gently a few times, just until a ball holds together.

3. Separate the dough into 2 balls. Flatten it slightly into thick disc shapes. Wrap in plastic and chill overnight (or a few hours before working on it.)

4. When ready to use, prepare the table, clean and dust with flour. Roll the dough to flatten it, into 1/8 inch thick round crust. Place the dough in the quiche dish. Pat down with clean fingers to follow the mold of the dish. Cut off the excess dough and crimp the edges.

5. Prick the dough with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F.



I have read these tips from the internet, which I followed to the letter, and the resulting crust is flaky and buttery (which we like):

1) The secret to a flaky crust is to handle it as little as possible. When mixing the dough, stop once it sticks together to form a cohesive dough.

2) Run your hands under cold water for a few minutes and pat dry before handling the dough. This prevents the dough from melting together and being 'processed' by body heat.


On baking day, I assembled my ingredients. I wanted to make a prawn and spinach quiche. But probably in haste, or excitement, (or is it forgetfulness?) I was not able to buy spinach at the grocery! (Huh? How can one forget a major ingredient???) What to do? I then spied my pot of onion leeks... hmmm...

I am quite proud of my leeks. They are a product of my being a cheapskate. One day when I bought some leeks, I just thought of cutting off the roots with a little part of the stem - probably an inch of the white stem, and just planted them in a big pot. It was just an experiment. I was not even sure if leeks can re-grow themselves or if they have to grow from seeds... I was so happy they started to slowwwwwly grow new leaves. Admittedly, these new leaves were scrawny, but tall. Yes, they were not photogenic. But, they are still leeks! Edible and organic!

So, here is the recipe for Prawns and Mushrooms and Leeks Quiche. With this recipe, I was able to make one 27-inch quiche, which I brought to my Tuesday Bible Study group (no picture was taken because everybody was so hungry then) and a small 12-inch quiche (photo above).

8 eggs
1 C all-purpose cream
1 C cheddar cheese
20pcs medium sized prawns, shelled, deveined
1/2 C white onions, chopped
5 T garlic, mined
1 C chopped leeks
1/2 C fresh Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
1/2 t salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Whisk all the eggs, cream and cheese together. Add salt and pepper. You may set aside some cheese for the topping later.

3. Distribute and spread the prawns, onions, garlic, leeks, and mushrooms into the prepared quiche crust. Pour the egg-cream mixture into the dish. It will be enough to cover the prawns and mushrooms, etc.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for around 60 minutes, until it tests done in the center. After around 45 minutes of baking, sprinkle the cheese (you have set aside earlier) on top of the nearly-done quiche. Continue cooking until done.







This is my entry to Andrea's Grow Your Own, a monthly foodie event that celebrates the foods we grow or raise ourselves and the dishes we make using our own homegrown products. Please check out Andrea's Recipes for her round-up in a few days!

Cucumber Salad with Creamy Soy-Ginger Dressing

Do you know cucumber is technically a fruit? Although it is widely considered as a vegetable. It is easy to like cucumbers. They are moist and crunchy at the same time. It has lots of vitamin C. It also contains a certain kind of nutrient that reduces swelling. So, it is true that if your eyes are tired and swollen, just slice up a couple of cucumbers and cover your eyes with them!

Cucumber also helps you cool down with its high water content. It also contains fiber to help your digestive system. When buying cucumbers, choose the firm ones with green color. Avoid the yellowing ones with dried up ends. Cucumbers can be eaten with their skin on. However, if you are concerned with the chemical pesticides or preservatives most vegetables are sprayed with, it is recommended that you peel the skin off.

Cucumber is best eaten raw, dipped in simple vinegar-chilli sauce or in a salad.

I got this delicious salad recipe from White on Rice Couple here. It is quite simple to make, a very refreshing side dish for a grilled or fried entree.

I followed the recipe to the letter except that I did not mince the garlic finely as White on Rice Couple did. I still wanted the texture and crunch of the garlic. I also did not have grapeseed oil on hand so I substituted canola oil.


2 pcs cucumbers, sliced thinly
1 large onion, sliced thinly

Dressing:
1 T sesame oil
2 T rice vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1/2 t sugar
1 T mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T fresh grated ginger
1 t freshly ground pepper
1/4 C Canola oil

1. Slice cucumber and onion thinly. place in a plate with paper towels to blot out excess moisture. Remove paper towels.

2. Combine all ingredients for the dressing together.

3. Arrange cucumber and onion in a serving platter. Top with the mixed dressing.

Dried Scallop Congee

Yesterday was a very very stormy day. Typhoon FengShen devastated Central and Northern Philippines. Now, it is on its way to Taiwan, Southern China and Japan, leaving many people dead or homeless, and a passenger ferry capsized (more deaths.) If not for the news, we would have been so removed from the reality of these disasters around us, because we had to stay put inside our own homes.

In Asia, we call a tropical cyclone, a typhoon. Elsewhere, it is called a hurricane. But basically, they are the same weather disturbance that originates at sea. In Asia, our typhoons come from from the Pacific Ocean. It brings heavy rains, thunderstorms, and the dreaded powerful winds that damages properties and can topple anything in its path. I remember two years ago, Typhoon Millenium brought powerful winds that all our sliding doors and window glasses on the fifth floor were broken. That was the first and only time my family had experienced such winds.

When there is a typhoon, powerlines are often down. My mom would then cook something simple but warming and nourishing. More often than not, it would just be a simple congee. And I have done the same for my own family. It is a complete dish in one, with protein and complex carbohydrates. It brings warmth to the body on a cold stormy day. It comforts and calms our minds while strong winds are lashing outside.



This picture shows the dried scallops. Dried scallops or conpoy is a type of dried seafood made from the adductor muscles of scallops. Its taste is rich, marine, intense. According to Wikipedia, it has high content of various amino acids and minerals such as calcium and zinc. In Hong Kong, where we buy dried scallops, it is considered a delicacy because it has complex flavor that enhances various dishes. It is ideal to use scallops to flavor congee, and for stir frying various vegetables. Even if it is a relatively expensive ingredient, we do not have to use a lot to impart flavor to our dishes. Like for this 4 bowls of congee, I only used 3 medium pieces.

Dried scallops have to be prepared before cooking. I would usually wash a cup or two of dried scallops. Boil and simmer them in water for half an hour until softened. When cooled, I would divide them (scallops and broth) into serving sizes, store them in the freezer for future use. When I need some for cooking, I would just get a pack of pre-cooked dried scallops from the freezer. It would not be convenient to soften a little amount of dried scallops every time.



While the scallops impart the flavor, the main ingredient of congee is the Rice. Rice is the main staple of the Asian people. For most Filipinos, it is difficult to imagine a meal without rice. Because a meal without rice is perceived as "not filling" enough. As children, we are taught to give due respect to the rice farmers because of their back-breaking work planting rice in water paddies under the hot tropical sun. Magtanim ay di biro, maghapong naka-yuko...

Rice is a good nutritious food. Rice is high in complex carbohydrates, contains almost no fat, is cholesterol free. All rice, red, brown and white, is considered a good source of vitamins and minerals. Red rice is the rice wherein only the husk is removed. It is not milled and polished like the white rice that you often see in the market. White rice is simply polished and milled red or brown rice (color depending on the variety). Although almost all the nutrients are stripped from white rice when the bran layer is removed during milling, most of the rice sold in the market are enriched with minerals lost during the milling process. So, you have to check out the label to know what minerals your rice contains. Rice is gluten-free and easily digestible making it a good choice for infants and people with wheat allergies or digestive problems. To know more about how rice is grown and what the different types of rice are, please click here.

I mixed 1 part organic long grain red rice with 3 parts long grain white rice for this congee. Red rice is healthier because it is unpolished and still has the outer bran layer. Therefore, aside from the natural nutrients that the rice has, it is also rich in fiber and protein. However, I was afraid my kids are not used to the texture and "graininess" of the red rice, so I had to mix them up with the white rice first. Later on, I plan to increase the red rice ratio to the white rice.

1 C mixed rice, washed once
3 pcs prepared conpoys or dried scallops, with some juices/broth
1/3 K lean ground pork, marinated in 2 T soy sauce and 2 T cornflour
4 T cooking oil, preferably canola oil
3 slices ginger
4 T minced garlic
4 T light soy sauce
3 - 4 C water, depending on how thick you want your congee to be (more water, less thick)
salt and pepper to taste
chopped green onions for garnish

1. Heat up the oil in a pot or wok. Saute the ginger until light golden brown. Add the garlic. Stir fry until fragrant but not burnt.

2. Add the conpoy or dried scallops. Stir for a while. Add the marinated ground pork (including sauce). Stir for a while until the pork changes color. Add the rice. Add soy sauce. Mix everything up.

3. Add water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until rice is cooked (around 20 minutes).

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into bowls, top with chopped green onions. Serve immediately.





Am sharing this steaming bowl of congee filled with the natural goodness of rice with Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by the one and only Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. To see last week's delicious round-ups, please check out Joanna's Food.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Milkfish (Bangus)

Here's another recipe featuring one of our favorite fish - the Bangus (Milkfish)! Milkfish in Tamarind Soup was featured previously here.

Milkfish are large silvery fish with forked tail, and a sharp snout. According to the Wikipedia, it is also known a Chanos Chanos, and the sole living specie of the Chanidae fish family (other family members are already extinct.) Milkfish are aplenty here in the Philippines. It is already cultivated in fish ponds across the archipelago. It is the country's national fish, after all. This fish has delicate taste and soft texture, similar to Bass. It has lots of healthy fish fats making it a family favorite. The only bone we have against this fish is that it has lots of bones!!! It is not difficult to debone this fish, because all the bones are all neatly lined up anyway. But it will still take time. So if you want to eat this fish in a more convenient way, buy the deboned version.

There are many "forms" of milkfish available in the market. There's the fresh milkfish, with bones and all. There's the deboned whole milkfish, milkfish fillets, milkfish belly, marinated milkfish, smoked milkfish, etc. And now the newest milkfish product to hit the market is the bottled milkfish fillets and belly in oil.



It is indeed very convenient to have this bottled version. Just open it and serve with rice, it makes a yummy, flavorful, and filling meal. And without the bones to bother us at that. However, to use this milkfish in a pasta dish would be perfect! The bottled sauce is flavorful and spicy - perfect for a pasta sauce.



These are the Milkfish Belly pieces taken out of the bottle. The black parts are edible and yummy. Those are the fish fats. My kids would often save those best parts for the last...



I used whole wheat pasta for this dish. Whole wheat products are healthier, with higher protein content than the regular pasta. Of course its texture would be grainy as well. At first, the kids did not like the 'graininess' of whole wheat pasta. We experimented on different brands and finally settled on this one.



1 bottle milkfish belly, spanish style in corn oil
1 pack (350gm) whole wheat spaghetti
4 T minced garlic
1 onion, chopped
5 tomatoes, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
handfull of basil, cut
5 T olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Set aside.

2. Mash 1 to 2 pieces of milkfish fillets, set aside. Reserve the rest of the milkfish belly/meat.

3. Heat up the cooking pan or skillet. Pour the oil from the bottle into the cooking pan. Cook onion and garlic in the oil until fragrant but not burnt.

4. Add the tomatoes. Simmer for around 2 minutes for the flavors to develop. Add the mashed bangus meat. Saute for a while. Add the bell peppers. Add the basil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil. Turn off heat.

5. Arrange pasta on the serving platter. Top with the sauce, then add a reserved milkfish belly on top. Alternately, you can add all the pasta into the pan and mix the pasta with the sauce inside the pan - for easier, less messy mixing. Serve into individual plates topped with the remaining milkfish belly meats.



I am submitting this pasta dish and the featured milkfish to the HomeGrown Gourmet, hosted this month by Joy through Cooking. Milkfish, being the national fish of this country is truly home-grown. :)