Laing

Ingredients

* 25 pieces dried taro root (dahon ng gabi)
* ½ kilo pork (cut into small cubes)
* 3 cups grated coconut
* 2 cups water
* 1 big head of garlic (minced)
* 2 small onions (minced)
* 1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
* ½ cup small dried shrimps (soaked)
* 6 pieces hot chili pepper (minced)
* ½ cup alamang
* 3 tablespoons oil

METHOD

1. Wash dried taro root and separate leaves from stalks.
2. Discard the prickly part of the stalk.
3. Cut into 1 "
4. Extract the cream from the grated coconut.
5. In a pan, sauté garlic, onion, ginger, pork meat and stir.
6. Add in dried shrimp, hot chili pepper, alamang, and the stalks.
7. Cook until stalks are tender.
8. Stuff Taro root leaf with 2 tablespoons of mixture. Wrap well.
9. Arrange stuffed leaves in a casserole and pour in coconut cream.
10. Cook until coconut cream excretes its oil and stuffed leaves are cooked well.
11. Serve hot.

Embotido

Ingredients

1/4 kilo ground pork
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1/3 cup instant oatmeal
1/4 cup pickle relish
1/2 cup shredded wheat bread
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp onion, chopped
2 tbsp liquid skim milk
1/4 tsp ground pepper
3/4 tsp low-salt cheese

METHOD

1. Mix all ingredients together. Roll 4 cm in diameter.
2. Wrap with plastic cling wrap. Steam for 1 hour.
3. Remove from wrapper. Slice and arrange on a platter. Serve with lite mayonnaise.

Squid Adobo

Ingredients

• 1 pound medium-size squid
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or salt
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups cubed red, ripe tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 head garlic, minced

METHOD

1. Wash and clean the squid thoroughly, removing the cattle. Put squid in a saucepan (not aluminum) with the vinegar, garlic, pepper, soy sauce or salt and water.
2. Cook over low heat until squid is tender, making sure it does not get overcooked and rubbery. Drain and set aside the squid broth.
3. Heat oil in another saucepan and stir fry the cooked garlic until brown, onion until transparent and tomatoes until soft.
4. Add the squid and simmer for 3 minutes. Transfer squid broth over mixture and bring to a boil. Serve hot. Serves 4.

Relyenong Bangus

Ingredients

• 1 big bangus (milkfish)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 onion chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons of cooking oil
• cooked peas
• raisins
• 1 egg
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• ham, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Estimated cooking time: 1 hour
2. Scale and remove the intestines of the bangus.
3. Slowly remove the meat of the fish from the skin through the opening cavity below the head with a very sharp knife. Remove the spine by breaking off the bone at the base of the tail and head. Use a long spoon to rub all the meat from the skin.
4. Soak the head and skin in lemon juice, soy sauce and pepper.
5. Simmer in 1/2 cup of water the bangus meat with some salt for 5 minutes.
6. Stir fry the garlic and onions until slightly brown then add the tomatoes and carrots until tender.
7. Add the chopped ham, cooked peas, raisins and the bangus meat to the mixture. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Add a beaten egg to the stir fry and mix well.
9. Fill the mixture inside the bangus skin and head. Sew the cavity if needed.
10. Fry in oil until golden brown.
11. slice slightly diagonal around 1 and 1/2 inch thick and serve.

Pancit Bihon

Ingredients

• 1/2 kilo rice stick noodles (bihon)
• 1 medium sized chicken breast, boiled & shredded
• 1/4 kilo pork pigue or kasim, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 small cabbage, shredded
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 medium carrot, julienned
• 1 celery stalk, sliced thinly
• 4 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup uncooked shrimps, shelled and de-veined (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Place the rice stick noodles in a clean basin and immerse in water to soften.
2. Heat the oil and stir fry the garlic and onion until soft in a large frying pan.
3. Add the pork and stir fry for about 3 minutes or until cooked.
4. Add the chicken, shrimps and vegetables and continue stir frying until the shrimps turn pink and the vegetables are half cooked.
5. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth and soy sauce and boil for about 1 minute.
6. Remove half of the ingredients from the pan and set aside as topping for the noodles later.
7. Remove the noodles from the soaking water and add to the ingredients remaining in the pan.
8. Mix constantly until the noodles are cooked and dried.
9. If it becomes dry before the noodles are cooked, you can add the remaining broth as needed.
10. Flavor with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Arrange the cooked noodles in a big serving dish and put the topping.
12. Serve with slices of calamansi.

Beef Pochero

Ingredients: 1/2 kilo beef, cut into cubes (select a cut good for stewing) 1 small head of a cabbage quartered 1/4 kilo Chinese cabbage (pechay) 2 medium sized potatoes quartered 5 plantains peeled and sliced in the middle 1 big can of pork and beans 1/2 cup tomato paste 2 cups water 1 small onion sliced 3 cloves garlic minced salt and pepper to taste
Step 1: Start by frying the plantains. Filipino plantains look like this. Short and fat. Just let them fry until slightly golden brown. Take off the oil and set aside.
Step 2: Saute the garlic and onions. Then add in the beef. Saute until it changes color. Season with some salt and pepper.
Step 3: Next add in the tomato paste and water.
Step 4: Mix and let it boil. Cover and simmer over low medium heat until beef is tender.
Step 5: Once the beef is tender, add in the potatoes. Let it simmer some more until the potatoes are cooked.
Step 6: At this point you can add in the rest of the ingredients. The veggies, pork and beans and plantains. I usually just pile them in and cover for a few minutes allowing the veggies to wilt a bit.
Step 7: Afterwards I gently mix them until their well incorporated into the sauce. Serve your beef pochero and enjoy!

Spring Rolls

Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs ground pork 1 whole egg 4 cloves of garlic finely minced 1/2 cup onions finely minced 1/2 cup carrots finely minced 1/2 cup shrimp finely minced 1/2 cup Chinese celery (flat leaf parsley) finely chopped 2 tbsps soy sauce 3 tbsps cornstarch salt and pepper to taste spring roll wrappers oil for frying
Step 1: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except for the wrappers. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper and mix well. You can do a sampling at this point by taking a bit of the mixture and forming it into a small patty and frying it in oil. Just to test if it needs adjustment in seasoning.
Step 2: Lay your wrapper in a plate. Take about a tablespoon of the filling and lay on top near the bottom end of the wrapper. Form into a log shape as big as your finger.
Step 3: Fold the bottom end over slightly tugging your filling down so it would be wrapped tightly.
Step 4: Fold the sides toward the middle.
Step 5: Start rolling up. Brush the top end of your wrapper with a little bit of water to seal the lumpia.
Step 6: All wrapped up.
Step 7: Heat oil in a pan and deep fry your lumpia for about 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
Step 8: Pull out and let excess oil drip over a strainer or paper towel. Serve the Lumpiang Shanghai - Filipino Spring Rolls with your favorite sweet and sour sauce or ketchup.