Overseas Pinoy Cooking

Bistek Stir Fry . I am always a fan of stir fry beef , what ever type of they really are great. Stir fry are mostly used if Chinese cooking. The Ilocanos use these method of cooking to some of the popular beef dishes, imbaliktad (tossed or flipped) and kinigtot (stunned), both method beef are quickly stir cooked at high heat or boiled for a few minutes. Premium beef cuts are best cooked this way other wise it tend to get harder if cooked a little longer. One of my favorite Pinoy beef dish is the bistek , How ever I found in some versions the beef are fried to the extent that they are overcooked and hard to chew. This bistek stir fry is another of my originals. It is prepared using the original ingredients of bistek Tagalog and traditional stir fry Chinese cooking. Ingredients: 1 k. lean beef, thinly sliced into strips 4 small size onion, sliced into rings 1 tsp. black pepper, coarsely ground 1/2 head garlic, minced 2 tbsp. cornstarch 1/4 c. soy sauce 3 tbsp. lemon j

Pinoy Spaghetti Longganissa . In the tradition of spaghetti with meat balls , I am offering a Pinoy version using our own longganisa sausage . The idea came upon in my thoughts from a similar post by Pinoy Cook several months back. The recipe calls for a garlicky style of skinless longganisa . Lukban or Vigan longganisa are the recommended choice. I would have though the skinless type is the logical choice, they have the extra binding ingredients and when cut in right sizes it will form into nice longganisa balls. I didn’t want to deviate from the Pinoy spaghetti version though, after all the site is all about Pinoy cooking . Using the extra skinless Vigan longganisa from my previous post, here is how I cooked my Pinoy spaghetti longganissa. Ingredients: 1/2 kilo spaghetti, cooked 12 pcs. skinless longganisa , Vigan or Lucban, cut into 4pcs. 2 pcs. red/green bell pepper, finely chopped 6 regular hotdog, sliced 1 big can button mushroom, sliced 2 cups Filipino s

Daing na bangus is not the salted and sun-dried daing or tuyo . The fish or bangus is marinated with vinegar and plenty of garlic, black pepper and salt. And usually crispy fried and eaten with salted eggs and chopped tomatoes, or spicy-chilli vinegar for breakfast. For a variety I used talakitok in place of the traditional bangus . Talakitok has a firm flesh with a delicious flavour and also readily available, its a good alternative for bangus . In fact it turned out tastier. I would suggest to try the recipe with other fish that have similar firm flesh. Ingredients: 4 medium sized talakitok 1/2 cup vinegar 1/2 head garlic, crushed 1 tsp. black pepper, roughly crushed 1/2 tsp. salt cooking oil Cooking procedure: Prepare the fish or ask your fish monger to prepare. Slit diagonally crosswise on two places, both side of each talakitok . Cut at the back along the bones of each talakitok leaving the belly intact, open up and spread flat. Remove gills and in

Vigan Longganisa, Homemade Skinless Longganisa . Longganisa are popular Pinoy breakfast, there are various versions that defend on regional location. Vigan and Lucban longganisa are garlicky. Pampanga version are sweet. Some are made with beef or chicken instead of pork. And of course they come also with out the casing or skinless version. Vigan longganisa are garlicky, sourly and salty with the distinct pungent aroma even in its uncooked state. It is made up of lean pork meat compared to Pampanga version which are sweet. Vigan longgnisa are not readily available elsewhere outside Vigan, the authentic Vigan longganisa are only produced in limited quantities by the manangs of this old City. So limited that you have to order in advance should you require to take back home, if you plan to visit Vigan. I am sharing my recipe for the homemade version. Don’t worry if you could not find any sausage casing, with a little tweaking with the recipe, you can make the skinless version.

Ginataang Galungong with Pechay . Galunggong or mackerel scad are abundant in coastal waters of the Philippine archipelago, they drove in schools and are caught by the fisherman nets in large quantities. This is the reason when they are in season they flood the wet markets. Galungong are associated with the Pinoy masses. They are usually cooked crispy deep fried, so crispy everything is eaten from head to tail. The tasty fried meat of galungong goes best with vinegar and siling labuyo or with chopped tomatoes, onion, bagoong and siling labuyo. Left over fried galungong are usually cooked escabeche style, but I wanted something more Pinoy. Ginataang galungong with pechay. The resultant dish was superb, the tasty fried galungong meat compliments the distinct flavor of pechay and coconut milk. Ingredients: 1/2 kilo small size galungong 2-3 bundles pechay 1/2 head garlic, chopped 1/2 thumb size ginger, cut into strips 2 cups coconut milk powder 2-3 red chillies, choppe

I was looking for something to cook for dinner in an Indonesian grocery store at our neighborhood when I chance upon this beautiful teri asin or dried silver fish or daing na dulong . The Indonesian usually fry them and use as garnishing on their fried rice, nasi goreng ikan asin or fried rice with dried fish. Don’t be mistaken it with the dried anchovies or daing na dilis or ikan bilis asin in Bahasa Indonesia . Ikan bilis is also used as garnishing on their fried rice or as a side dish for nasi lemak or coconut rice. Dulong or ipon in Ilocano, up in the north when in season they are plentiful the fishermen use to sun dry their excess catch or make into bagoong . Daing na dulong are very rare in Metro Manila market though. I would recommend them on your next trip to Ilocos, grab a kilo or two they are always available at Vigan market. Cooking is simple just lightly oil the skillet and toss them for a minute or two or until cook and crispy. See other related p

Lenten Season's Special On this Lenten season , my childhood memory brings me back to Vigan City, Ilocos Sur . Semana Santa or Holy week on this historic city is unique and fiesta-like atmosphere. There are processions of colorful life-size statues of Jesus Christ and other Saints in the evenings. On Holy Friday the Pabasa , or public chanting of the Pasyon are held in homes of devotees. St. Paul Cathedral is crowded, particularly on Easter Sunday people thronged in from different barangays and adjacent municipalities, the Salubong is held early in the morning at the plaza before dawn. Plaza Jose Burgos is now an open flea market where you could buy everything, house wares, farm tools, Ilocos woven blankets (abel) , native foods such as empanada, okoy, bagnet, longanisa, dried seafood and dried fish. Christians observed the abstinence on meat on Holy Friday. Dried fish dish dominate the kitchen of most Ilocano household, at least on my home province. The most p

Crispy Fried Espada . Espada , hairtails or bulong unas (sugarcane leaf) in Ilocandia, I never cook this fish of any other method except frying. When fried they are best eaten with chopped fresh tomatoes, onions, hot sili and bagoong , or as topping for boiled vegetable dish like dinengdeng or buridibud . Espada thrive on deep seas with hard fish bones and with out scales. The skin of this long flat fish is bright metallic silver that is similar to spade blade that may be the reason why they are called espada. For now I would not attempt to cook it in any other way except crispy fried, should anyone know other method and is happy to share please leave your comments and I would try it my self also. Ingredients: 1 pc. medium size espada , hairtails salt cooking oil Cooking procedure: Remove gills and innards of espada . Using scissors cut fins and tails. Cut fish crosswise diagonally at about 2” width. Wash fish thoroughly and drain. Season inside and out with sal

Beef Adobo is a dish to try when ever you visit Batangas or Tagaytay, it's called Batangas adobo.  These are the places where you could find the best adobo , it's obvious since part of Metro Manil a supply of local beef and carabeef are from Batangas and Tagaytay . For some reasons beef is not usually cooked adobo , compared to pork or chicken in most household. When cooked right beef adobo is equally great, the richness of the beef adds more flavor to the tanginess of an adobo dish . Beef adobo is best cooked to almost dry, here is how I did it. Ingredients : 1 k. beef brisket cut into serving pieces 1 thumb size ginger, sliced 1/2 head garlic, crushed 1 tsp. peppercorns 1/2 c. vinegar 1/4 c. soy sauce 3 pcs. bay leaf 2-3 pcs. sili salt and pepper cooking oil Cooking procedure: In a frying pan stir fry beef in batches until color changes to golden brown and start to sizzle. I a saucepan put in fried beef, pour in 6 to 8 cup of water, v

Nilagan Oxtail . Oxtails are best for soup and stew, Nilagang Oxtail is my second oxtail soup . I have recently posted an Indonesian sop buntot which is more savory but really delicious. If you still prefer our own nilaga, here is my version of nilagang oxtail , with the addition of corn in a cob it is similar to the popular bulalo pochero of Cebu . Compared to bulalo, oxtail will also produce an equally rich broth, enjoy. Ingredients: 1/2 k. oxtail, saw cut crosswise at 1 1/2” in thickness 1/2 small size cabbage, cut into wedges 2 pcs. sweet corn in a cob, cut into 4 parts 1 small bundle green beans, trimmed 1 small size carrot, cut into wedges 1 medium size whole onion 2 medium size onion, quartered 1 stalk celery, chopped 2 tsp. peppercorns salt Cooking procedure: Wash oxtail thoroughly and remove all traces of blood. Put in a large casserole, add enough water to cover and let boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and discard first boiled liquid, remove all tra

Kalderetang Manok, Chicken Kaldereta . Kaldereta is not the usual way of cooking chicken, Pinoy chicken stews are normally cooked a dobo, afritada or pininyahan . Of course chicken can also be cooked as kaldereta and it is equally tangy delicious if done right. On my chicken kaldereta I used chicken wings, I find chicken wings the tastiest part and it’s ideal for my version of kaldereta. Other choice chicken parts can also be use or use the whole chicken. I used Mama Sita kaldereta mix , I always use this ready mixes, it made cooking trouble-free and has benefited most of us, the Overseas Pinoys and those of us who don’t have the luxury of time. Never the less the dish came out excellent, here is how I cooked it. Ingredients: 1 k. chicken, cut into serving pieces 6-8 pcs. regular hotdog, cut diagonally into three 2 medium size bell pepper, cut into wedges 1 medium size carrot, cut into wedges 1 medium size onion, chopped 1/2 head garlic, chopped 2 tbsp. pickled

KBL is an acronym for Kadyos, Baboy, Langka a common dish of the central part of Visayas. The authentic KBL is boiled kadyos (Round beans called pigeon pea or Cajanus cajan bean, not very common in Metro Manila), baboy (usually use pork pata or hocks, but any other cuts with a lot of fats and skin), and unripe langka and soured with batwan a round green fruit, often preserved in brine. KBL is a popular fiesta dish or any other occasions which require to feed a lot of visitors. In Metro Manila the dish is available at any Ilongo restaurant, I love this dish I used to have it at Ilongo Grill. Here is the version I cooked last night. I was not able to find kadyos in supermarket around my place instead I used red beans, black eyed beans was also there but I’ve chosen red beans It gave a reddish brown color to the dish. The original dish call for batwan as a souring fruit, I used sampalok sinigang mix instead, the langka is not common as well, I was lucky enough to find young

Corned Beef Sopas . Here is an economical but equally delicious sopas recipe for some of us who are on the budget. The Pinoy sopas is another popular comfort food for breakfast or merienda. I love sopas myself, in fact this is already my third post of sopas recipe, see my previous post on chicken sopas and seafood sopas . On this recipe I have used corned beef, hotdog and ready to cook mixed vegetables as an alternative ingredient to pork or chicken meat. The cooking procedure is the same. The macaroni pasta can be cook al dente or as tender as every Pinoy preferred it on their sopas. I like the macaroni pasta on my sopas soft and almost melt in your mouth. Here is the recipe, enjoy. Ingredients: 3 c. macaroni 200 g. corned beef 4 jumbo hotdog, sliced crosswise 1 c. mixed vegetables 1/2 head garlic, minced 1 medium size onion, chopped 1/4 c. patis 1/4 c. evaporated milk salt and pepper cooking oil Cooking procedure: In a big pot bring to a boil 10

Sop Buntut, Sup Buntut, Indonesian Oxtail Soup . These oxtail soup stew is a very popular dish in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. Oxtail slices are boiled till the meat nearly fall off from the bones with clove and nutmeg, not common spice in Pinoy cooking. Margarine is used to sauté the aromatic ingredients which gives a yellowish tint to the broth, The combination of margarine, clove and nutmeg gives a distinct aroma and flavour to this soup stew. The kamote or sweet potato makes the dish sweetish and adds more texture to the already gelatinous broth. It is garnished with diced tomato, chopped spring onion and fried garlic. I really miss this dish it was one of my favorite Indonesian or Malaysian food during my many years of working in Batam and Singapore. Here is my version, I have reduced the amount of spices and tweaked out some exotic ingredients to make it more of a Pinoy version. Ingredients: 1 k. oxtail, saw cut crosswise 1 large size sweet potato, cut into wedg