How to cook lechon Baboy

If you want a lechon with crispy skin, roast it over charcoal instead of Hawaiian pit pig style because you won't get a crispy, flaky cooked skin with that method. But it seems that the cooked meat is more tender and easier to pull with the latter method. Our high school senior class in Dao. prepared one for our class Christmas party. We roasted it over fire and wood charcoal for the more than 4 hours I think but the preparation took whole night

Like maej mentioned, the blood has to be drawn out (you can save it for dinuguan), hair scraped, abdomen cut to remove internal organs. Then a bamboo is pierced in the pig's mouth passing to the anus to act as holder for roasting, then we stuffed the cavitiy with garlic, onions, ginger, potato and other spices (that's the common stuffing in the Northern part of Phils. In Visayas, I notice that lemon grass and banana fruit - saba variety is the common stuffing.) Abdomen is sewn with barbed wire and pig is ready for roasting. The pig must be a little more than a foot above the charcoal for the whole pig to be cooked slowly. The bamboo must be rotated continuously to achieve an even brown color.

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package macaroni
• 1 egg
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
2. In a large pot of salted water, lightly boil the macaroni for about 5 minutes until half-cooked.
3. Whisk the egg and milk together in a large cup. Add butter and cheese to the egg and milk. Stir well.
4. Place the lightly cooked macaroni in the prepared baking dish. Pour the egg and cheese liquid over the macaroni, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir well. Press the mixture evenly around the baking dish.
5. Bake uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is brown.

How to make Chicken Teriyaki Noodles

Ingredients: 3½ oz (100g) dried somen noodles 4 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce 3 tablespoons mirin 2 teaspoons brown sugar ¼ cup water 2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour) mixed to a paste with 2 teaspoons water 12 oz (360g) uncooked skinless chicken breast fillets—cut into bite-sized pieces 1 carrot—julienned Small bunch of bok choy—roughly chopped 1 scallion—finely sliced on the diagonal 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger Prep: COOK the noodles for 3 minutes then drain under cold water and set aside. MIX together the soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar and water in a bowl. HEAT a wok or large frying pan over a high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and stir-fry the chicken for 5 minutes. REMOVE and set aside. SCRAPE the wok/frying pan clean. ADD the remaining oil and stir-fry the carrot and bok choy for 7 minutes. ADD the cooked somen noodles and stir-fry for 30 seconds. ADD the ginger, scallion and chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute. STIR through the sauce then, while stirring constantly, add the cornstarch paste until the sauce thickens.

How to Cook Filipino Chop Suey

Things You'll Need:

• ½ pound pork, cut into cubes
• 1 cup shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 2 cups fish balls, cubed (you can buy it in any Asian stores)
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
• ¼ lbs string snow peas
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup water
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped
• 1 medium-size carrot, cut diagonally
• 2 medium-size potatoes, cubed
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 cups water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 
  Instruction:
  

1. 1

   In a pot or skillet,heat oil and sauté garlic and onions. Add the pork, shrimp, and fish balls. Combine together and cook until the meat is tender.

2. 2

   Add the cubed potatoes, carrots, and chicken broth. Mix well with the previous ingredients.

3. 3

   Add water, soy sauce, and dissolved cornstarch. Stir the pot to mix and combine the ingredients. Let it boil for about 15 minutes.

4. 4

   Throw in the rest of the ingredients (broccoli and snow peas). Cook for another 2 minutes.

5. 5

   Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. 6

   Serve hot with rice.

How to make bibingka

Ingredients

1 cup thick galapong (see procedure on “How to Make Galapong” below)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsps. baking powder
2 tbsps. melted butter (My mom used regular hydrogenated margarine, out of a tub)
4 tbsps. sugar for topping
3 eggs, well-beaten
1 cup coconut milk
3 tbsps. grated cheese (Mom used Magnolia or Kraft processed yellow cheese; I’m more partial to using goat cheese and salted duck’s eggs)

To make galapong bigas:

1. Soak rice in equal amounts of water overnight or a minimum of 4 hours.

2.Grind in a food processor or meat grinder starting with small quantity, adding soaked rice little by little until it produces the consistency of light dough.

3. Let stand until the next day

For the bibingka:

1. Add sugar to the galapong.

2. Add baking powder, melted butter, and the well-beaten eggs and coconut milk. Mix well.

3. Pour a thin layer of this batter into a hot (native clay) baking pan or molds lined with banana leaves (which has previously been passed over an open flame, to soften the fibers).

4. Cover each baking dish with a galvanized iron sheet with live embers on it. (or Bake in a pre-heated hot oven (375 F) until golden brown)

5. When almost cooked, sprinkle grated cheese and sugar on top of each — and cover again. Continue baking until brown; brush top of bibingka with melted butter and serve hot with grated coconut.

Note: If you want a more waxy, chewy “feel” to the bibingka, try mixing malagkit rice to make the galapong. For example, try the ratio of 1/4 cup malagkit rice to 3/4 cup regular rice.

How to make Shrimp and Fish Salad

1. Ingredients:
   2 c. of boiled tilapia
   1/2 pd. cooked shrimp
   4 tbsp of vinegar
   1/2 c. chopped celery
   2 tbsp capers
   1/4 c. mayonnaise
   1 lemon
   lettuce
   cayenne pepper
   salt & pepper

2. 2

   Boil tilapia fillets by placing some water in a skillet pan. Season the water with salt & pepper. Add a teaspoon of butter (optional). Cook tilapia for about 5-7 minutes in the boiling water. Set aside to cool.
   Clean out pan & do the same with your shrimp. Set aside to cool.

3. 3

   Now in a medium sized bowl, flake your tilapia into large pieces. Add your shrimp, and celery. (I add cucumbers as well - this is optional).
   Fold together gently. Add your vinegar. Season with cayenne pepper, salt & pepper to taste.

4. 4

   Now, mix in your mayonnaise (mayonnaise is optional as well) and juice from your lemon. Garnish by placing the fish salad on top of some lettuce and top with your capers. SO good!!!

Pork Hamonado

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo pork pigue, sliced thinly to make 2 pieces (tapa style)
  
• 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1-1/3 tsp. iodized salt
  
• 2 tsp. praque powder (for 1/8 tsp. salitre)
• 200 grams pork fat, sliced into 8 strips
• 1 can (439 grams) pineapple chunks, drained (reserve syrup)
  
• 1 can (35 cl) pineapple juice

Procedure:

Combine sugar, salt and praque powder or salitre. Rub mixture on pork. Spread pork and alternately arrange slices of pork fat and pineapple chunks until all ingredients are used up. Roll and tie firmly with crocheting thread.

Combine dripping from pork, pineapple chunks syrup and pineapple juice then marinate meat overnight. Simmer meat in marinade for 1 hour. Remove thread from meat then chill if desired for ease of cutting. Continue simmering the marinade for 5 minutes or until thick and serve as sauce. Let cool before slicing the meat then arrange in a platter.

How to make Leche Plan

The original leche flan recipe was from my Mom but my sister Lorna reconfigured it to fit her tastes.

The perfect flan is such that when you slice through it, it barely quivers like jello. There is very little syneresis, that is, no weeping (or lots of holes in it!). I am sharing this precious recipe so you may prepare it for your family.

5 eggyolks
2 eggs
1 can condensed milk
1 can water (use the condensed milk’s can for measuring)
1 tbsp. vanilla to add to the mixture
1/4 cup to 1/3 cup sugar for caramelization

Get a pyrex loaf dish (or equivalent oval, square, or round dish).

Caramelize 1/3 cup sugar in it. Use your oven. When the sugar is starting to melt, make sure that you watch carefully. You don’t want the caramel to be too dark or it will taste burnt. Manipulate the dish until you are sure that the caramel is evenly placed on the bottom of the pan. Let the pan rest on the stove top.

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

These are the cooking times:

For the first 45 minutes: 325 degrees Fahrenheit
For the next 20 to 25 minutes, until the toothpick test shows that the flan is done: 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Procedure:

1. Separate 5 eggyolks when the eggs are cold. It’s easier to get the whites and the yolks separated. Set the whites aside to use for Flan de Huevos Blancos or Angel Cake.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix the eggyolks, eggs, condensed milk, water, and vanilla until well-blended. Set aside for a few minutes so that the mixture reaches room temperature. Do not beat up the mixture to form bubbles. Just try to make sure that the eggwhites are blended in.

3. While waiting for the mixture to reach room temperature, prepare your baine marie (bano maria).

Get a rectangular roasting pan that is slightly taller than the baking pan that you are using for your flan. Put this roasting pan inside your pre-heated oven. Add water to the pan, about mid-way. Be careful that you don’t splash water around as you heat this pan of water.

4. Get a small rounded double-meshed metal strainer, as finely-meshed as you can find them (similar to the strainer that comes with a wok). This is the secret of the recipe.

5. Get a bowl and put the strainer over it. Spoon (with a 1/4 cup measuring cup) the mixture over the metal strainer. With a rubber scraper, smoothen any eggwhites through the strainer. Using a wooden spoon (or other mixing spoon), blend the smooth mixture.

6. When you have finishing straining the mixture, blend the muixture with your wooden spoon one last time. Try not to produce any bubbles while doing this.

7. Pour the mixture on your prepared caramelized pan. It should have a thick, liquid “feel” to it.

8. Open your oven and pull out the rack with the roasting pan (that has hot water on it).

Position the Leche Flan’s pan into the center of the roasting pan.

9. Bend a little and check the height of the water around the Leche Flan’s pan. You might need to add more water (using your measuring cup) so that the water outside the pan reaches the height of the leche flan. This is the secret to having very little syneresis (or “weeping”).

10. Remember:

For the first 45 minutes: 325 degrees Fahrenheit
For the next 20 to 25 minutes, until the toothpick test shows that the flan is done: 350 degrees Fahrenheit

11. When you take out the cooked Leche Flan from the baine marie, be careful not to splash water around. Set the pan on top of the stove or counter to cool down.

12. Taking the Leche Flan out of its pan:

Many a Leche Flan is destroyed by the baker not knowing how to take it out of its pan.

Refrigerate the cooled-down leche flan until you’re ready to unmold it.

Unmolding the Leche Flan: Run a straight-edged (non-serrated) knife on the sides of the Leche Flan. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the Leche Flan and press down ever-so-gently on the surface of the flan. Let the caramel from the bottom of the pan run through the sides of the pan. Get a pan of hot water and let the leche flan’s pan rest gently on this water bath for a few minutes. The rest of the mixture is cold and only the bottom is hot. This is done so that the unmolding is faster — and smoother. Take out the plastic wrap. Take your serving platter and place over the Leche Flan. Invert the mixture in one quick move.

13. You can garnish the Leche Flan with some macapuno strings or langka strips (preserved jackfruit) if you like.

Hoping you all are successful in making Leche Flan.

Bangus Tocino

2 pieces boneless bangus
2 T calamansi juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt, or to taste
2 T sugar
2 T anisado wine (I used Pernod)
¼ tsp ground white pepper
¼ tsp prague powder, optional

Combine seasoning ingredients. Marinate bangus in the mixture for at least one day. Fry and serve with steamed rice and vinegar with hot chile.
I have a jar of pickled santol which goes very well with the salmon tocino. I will make tocino again with another kind of fish and will dry them in my food dehydrator.

How to cook Bulalo

Ingredients :

1 piece of bulalo (bone-in beef shank), about 1 kg. in weight
1 whole onion
1 whole garlic
1 bay leaf
6-8 peppercorns
patis (fish sauce)
1/2 head of white cabbage
250 g. of potatoes

Place the beef shanks in a large casserole. Cover with water. Add the whole onion, garlic (pierced in several places with a sharp pointed knife), bay leaf and peppercorns. Season with patis. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, removing scum as it rises. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for two hours (longer, for a more flavorful broth) or until the beef is fork-tender. Alternatively, pressure-cook for one hour and 30 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the beef shanks and transfer to a tureen or serving bowl. Strain the broth. Reheat to boiling point.

Peel the carrot and potatoes and cut into chunks. Core the cabbage and cut in half. Trim the ends of the pechay. Add the carrots to the broth and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add the potatoes and cabbage leaves and simmer for another 8-10 minutes. Lastly, add the pechay leaves and simmer for another 3 minutes.

Scoop the vegetables out and arrange around the bulalo. Pour in hot broth and serve at once.

Buko Salad............

Ingredients
5 large cans of Del Monte Fruit

Cocktail (Imported)
Grated Coconut meat from 10 buko (young coconut)
2 cans lychees
1 small bottle nata de coco (green)
1 small bottle nata de coco (red)
1 small bottle kaong (green)
1/4 kilo seedless grapes
3 small china apples , cubed
1/4 kilo seedless grapes
1 can condensed milk
2 packs Nestle Cream
1 can Peaches for topping
Few red or green cherries for topping

Fresh Buko, Nata de coco

Fruit Cocktail, Peaches

Procedure
1. Drain the fruits from the can for at least 2 hours. This is to prevent a soggy fruit salad.

2. When all the juices have been drained, mix all the fruits together in a bowl.

3. Add the condensed milk and cream till well blended.

4. Transfer to serving bowls and top with peaches and cherries.

5. Freeze or Refrigerate properly. (Buko spoils if not refrigerated or frozen. I prefer to freeze the rest of the buko salad if it isn’t eaten within the day.)

Ingredients :

1 pack of chicken thigh fillets, about 800 grams
4 potatoes, about 400 grams
1 carrot
3 bell peppers OR 3/4 c. of frozen sweet peas
1 chorizo de bilbao
1/4 c. of raisins
1/2 kilo of plump tomatoes or 1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 large white onion
half a head of garlic
1 bay leaf
6 tbsps. of olive oil (you can get away with vegetable cooking oil)
salt
pepper
a little sugar

Cooking procedure :

Pat each chicken thigh fillet dry with kitchen towels. Cut each into small pieces, about 1-inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper.

Peel the potatoes and the carrot and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (when the chicken pieces shrink during cooking, they will end up the same size as the carrot and potato cubes).

Peel the onion and roughly chop.

Peel, crush and chop the garlic.

Core the bell peppers, cut off the veins and remove the seeds. Dice.

If using fresh tomatoes, cut them up. If using canned, transfer the contents to a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands, leaving some chunks for a better looking chicken menudo.

Slice the chorizo then cut each slice into three or four parts (extend it, baby!).

Heat the oil in a large pan (non-stick pan is really useful). When hot, add the chicken pieces and cook until they change color. Next, add the chopped onion, garlic, potatoes and carrot cubes and cook for about 5 minutes over high heat. Add the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt, pepper and a little sugar (to cut down the acidity of the tomatoes). Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

SWEET AND SOUR FISH

1 lb. halibut, cut in strips 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sherry 3 tbsp. flour 1 tbsp. cornstarch SAUCE: 1/4 c. rice vinegar 1/3 c. sugar 3 tbsp. soy sauce, light 2 tbsp. cornstarch in 1/3 c. water 1 can pineapple chunks (8 oz.) 2 oz. Chinese pickles 1/2 green pepper, cut in chunks 1 tomato, sectioned Pat halibut dry with paper towels. Dip halibut in mixture of beaten egg, salt and sherry. Roll in combination of flour and cornstarch; deep fry until golden brown. Set fish aside. Mix juice from canned pineapple, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and cornstarch. Bring to boil. Add pineapple chunks, Chinese pickles, green pepper and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Add sectioned tomato. Pour sweet and sour sauce over deep fried fish just before serving.