Beef with Bok Choy in Oyster Sauce

Here's a quick recipe that you can cook for lunch or dinner. My husband and my little sister loved this dish and asked me to cook it again tomorrow. 

What you need: 

1/4 kilo of beef tenderloin, cut into strips 

1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips 

2 knobs of garlic, chopped finely 

1 medium onion, chopped finely 

1 thumb ginger, cut into strips 

bok choy or pechay 

1/4 cup cornstarch 

1/4 cup soy sauce 

1/8 cup of oyster sauce 

Dash of seasoned salt and pepper (you may use ordinary salt if seasoned salt is not available) 

3 cups of water 

Canola cooking oil 

What you need to do: 

♥ Marinade the beef with soy sauce and cornstarch for 10 to 15 minutes. 

♥ Heat the oil. Saute the garlic and ginger. Then add the onions until translucent. Set aside.

♥ On the same pan, pan fry the marinated beef. 

♥ Pour 3 cups of water. Let it boil. 

♥ Once the water starts to evaporate and the sauce gets thick already, you may now add the red bell pepper and oyster sauce. Dash with salt and pepper.  Let it simmer for 3 minutes. 

♥ Add the bok choy. Let it simmer for 1 minute. 

♥ Serve with steamed rice. 

♥ Happy eating! 

Beef Stroganoff

I was supposed to cook this dish last week, but since I wanted to skip creamy dishes that time, I opted to cook it last Thursday because my husband wanted something soupy.

This isn't the typical beef stroganoff you would taste somewhere. I used substitute spices and skipped the sour cream. Mind you, you can even eat this version without rice.

What you need

* 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom
* 3 1/2 cup of water
* 1/4 kilo of beef sirloin, cut into thin strips
* 1/2 teaspoon of spanish paprika
* fresh parsley
* dash of seasoned salt
* 1 onion, chopped finely
* 2 tablespoons of cooking oil

What you need to do

* On a pot, pour 2 cups of water. Let it boil. Put the beef strips. Let it cook until tender, or when the water starts to evaporate. Set aside

* On the same pan, heat the oil, sauté the onions. Add the beef strips. Lower the fire and continue frying fir 2 minutes.

* Add the cream of mushroom and pour the water. Continue stirring until the soup gets creamy. You may add more water when needed. Add the seasoned salt and paprika then put the parsley. Let it simmer for another 1 minute.

* Serve with love and happy eating!

Battered fish with tartar sauce

This recipe resembles the fish fingers I cooked before. But instead of dredging the dory on bread crumbs, I made a batter. In terms of crispiness, I liked the fish fingers more, but in terms of savoring the flavors of spices and the fish, I liked this recipe even more!

Here's what you need

For the batter:
* 1 egg lightly beaten
* 1 cup of sifted flour
* dash of seasoned salt (if not available, you can use plain salt)
* 1/2 cup of water

For the fish:
* 1 fillet of cream dory, cut into strips
* juice from 1 piece of calamansi
* dash of salt and pepper
* Canola cooking oil for frying

For the tartar sauce:
* 2 to 3 tablespoons of lite mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon of sweet pickled relish
* 1/2 teaspoon of spanish paprika
* fresh parsley
* pinch of black ground pepper

What you need to do:

* On a bowl, combine the fish strips, calamansi and salt. Set aside.

* On another bowl, mix the flour and egg. While mixing, gradually add water. Sprinkle with seasoned salt.

* Dip the fish on the batter.

* Deep fry by batches. Make sure to leave enough space in between the fishes when frying. We don't want the fish strips to look like a maruya. :D (banana fritters). Drain on paper towel.

* Serve with tartar sauce.

* Happy eating!

Chicken and mushroom on Oyster sauce

My husband really loved this dish, good thing I added more water to make it more soupy because the sauce turned out so delicious. Perfect when served with steamed rice.

Yields: 4 servings

What you need:

* 4 pieces chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

* 2 tablespoons rice wine

* 2 tablespoons corn starch

* 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

* 1 small can of mushroom, pieces and stems

* 10 pieces young corn, cut into half

* 1 onion, chopped finely

* 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

* dash of seasoned salt, or ordinary salt when not available

* 2 cups of water

* 1 knorr chicken broth dissolved in 1/2 cup of hot water

* 1 knob of ginger, chopped finely

* Canola cooking oil

What you need to do:

* Marinate the chicken pieces to rice wine and cornstarch for 15 minutes.

* On a wok, heat the oil. Sauté the garlic and onions. Add the chicken pieces. Let it cook until the outer layer turns to brown.

* Pour the broth. Let it boil until the broth starts to thicken.

* Pour the water then add the ginger. Let it boil for another 10 minutes.

* Add the oyster (magic ingredient), and the young corn. Let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Then put the mushrooms.

* You may add more water when needed.

* Sprinkle some seasoned salt to taste.

* Serve while hot. Happy eating!

Soup Spaghetti

Yesterday, I was supposed to cook carbonara, but since I had a hard time looking for the instant carbonara sauce (yes, I scouted 3 groceries to no avail) so ending, the carbonara I've been craving for a couple of days turned to a sopas spaghetti. Somehow, my craving had subsided apparently I enjoyed sipping the soup.

What you need:

* 1/2 kilo of malunggay spaghetti noodles (or any type of spaghetti noodles you prefer) - cooked as per instructions

* 1/2 cabbage, shredded

* 1 carrot, cut to small square

* 1 can of evaporated milk (big)

* 5 cups of water

* 1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt or any salt

* dash of ground black pepper

* 1 tablespoon of butter

* 1 piece chicken breast

* 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

* 1 medium onion, chopped

What you need to do:

* Boil the chicken for 30 to 40 minutes. Cut the chicken to small pieces. Set aside.

* On a pot, melt the butter. Sauté the garlic and onions. Add the chicken the carrots. Cook for 2 minutes.

* Pour the milk and water. Add the black pepper. Let it boil.

* Put the cabbage. Let it simmer for 2 more minutes.

* Put the noodles. Continue stirring. You may add more water when needed, as the noodles may absorb the soup.

* Serve while hot. Happy eating!

Cajun dory with tropical Salsa

It's a healthy and spicy Sunday! This dish is an inspiration of the cajun recipe I saw on the yummy website; but since not all herbs and spices are not available in my pantry, I had to tweak and use substitutes. Surprisingly, the dish turned out delicious and flavorful.

It's a healthy and spicy Sunday! This dish is an inspiration of the cajun recipe I saw on the yummy website; but since not all herbs and spices are not available in my pantry, I had to tweak and use substitutes. Surprisingly, the dish turned out delicious and flavorful.

Here are the ingredients you need:

For the fish

* 2 fillets of cream dory, cut into two

* 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

* 1 tablespoon of spanish paprika

* 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

* 1 teaspoon ground oregano

* 1 teaspoon dried thyme

For the tropical salsa

* 1 ripe mango, cubed

* 1 sachet of pineapple chunks, drained

* 1 tablespoon of fish sauce

* 1 piece of red chili pepper, chopped finely

* 1 juice of calamansi

What you need to do:

* On a bowl, combine all the spices.

* Rub the fillet with olive oil. Season with spices.

* Deep fry and drain on paper towels.

* Serve with tropical salsa.

Cream dory and Tofu with bokchoy splashed with rice wine

Tofu and cream dory is a good combination - and if you want to cook and eat something healthy, then you'd really enjoy this dish.

What you need:

6 blocks of firm Chinese tofu, cubed

1 cream dory fillet, cubed

1 1/2 cup of water

1/2 tablespoon of rice wine (optional)

1 bunch of bok choy/ pechay, cut to small pieces

1 bunch of celery, don't include the stalks

2 tablespoons of butter

1 medium onion, chopped

3 knobs of garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons of oyster sauce

1/2 teaspoom of cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

Canola cooking oil for deep frying

What you need to do:

* On a pan, deep fry the tofu until golden brown. Set aside.

* On the same pan, heat the butter, sauté the garlic and onions. Add the cream dory, let it cook for 3 minutes.

* Pour the water, add the oyster sauce, rice wine and dissolved cornstarch. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.

* Add the vegetables. Simmer for another 3 minutes. Then add the fried tofu. If you want it more 'saucy' you may add more water and a bit of oyster sauce.

* Serve with love and happy eating,

Gising gising

Your taste buds will really be awaken if you cook this. Since my family is really into spicy foods, I had to add 7 pieces of finger chilies to make it REALLY spicy.

What you need:

1/4 kilo ground pork

1 can of thai coconut milk (you can also use 2 cups of kakang gata if thai coconut milk is not available)

7 pieces of finger chilies, chopped

1 sachet of magic sarap

10 pieces baguio beans, cut into 1/2 inch

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 tablespoon of uncooked bagoong na alamang (shrimp paste)

Dash of ground black pepper

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, chopped

Canola cooking oil

What you need to do:

* Heat the oil, sauté the garlic and onions. Cook the pork, until it turns medium brown.

* Add the shrimp paste, pepper, magic sarap and chilies.

* Pour the coconut milk and water. Let it boil.

* Add the baguio beans. Let it simmer for 3 minutes.

* Serve with love and happy eating!

Beef Stew

If you love nilagang baka, this dish is really for you. But instead of using fish sauce, I used a different ingredient to make it more flavorful. Since we're using beef as the main ingredient, it is much better to use a pressure cooker to get the best consistency of the beef. But if you don't have pressure cooker, you can boil it manually, but it would take hours to get it done. :)

What you need:

1 kilo of beef

5 to 8 cups of water

1 tablespoon of ground spanish paprika

5 pieces celery sticks, cut into small pieces

1 medium carrot, cubed

1 medium potato, cubed

1 sachet of magic sarap

3 pieces laurel leaves

1 piece knorr beef cube, dissolved in 1/4 cup of hot water

1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of canola cooking oil

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, chopped

What you need to do:

* On a pan, heat the oil. Sauté the garlic and onion, add the paprika and bay leaves. Put the beef. Let it cook for 2 minutes.

* Transfer the beef in the pressure cooker. Pour the water and add the dissolved beef cube. Let the beef cook in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes.

* Carefully open the lid, the add the magic sarap. Add salt and pepper to taste. You may add more water when needed.

* Add the potatoes, carrots and celery. Let it cook for another 5 minutes.

* Serve with love and happy eating!

Vermicelli Guisado

My mom loves to cook pansit bihon, but she has never attempted to use vermicelli (sotanghon) for the noodles. If you try to skim at the grocery, you may notice that no vermicelli is being sold at big packs. (Or baka meron, pero di ko lang alam. hehe) So what I did is to buy 3 small packs of vermicelli to make this dish.

If compared to pansit bihon, this is easier to prepare because it has less ingredients.

Here are the ingredients you need:

3 packs of vermicelli (while preparing the other ingredients, start soaking the noodles)

5 tablespoons of fish sauce

1 chicken breast

2 medium onions minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/8 cup of celery sticks, cut into small strips

1 medium carrot cut into strips

5 cups Water

1/2 cup Annato water (atsuete for the orange color effect :D) - if you don't know how to make annato water, just put 2 tablespoons annato on a strainer and pour 1/2 cup of water. Let it sit for a couple of minutes. As in leave the strainer on top of water. Once the water turns orange, dispose the annato seeds

Calamansi

What you need to do:

* Heat the pot. Pour the water. Add the celery, chicken and 1 minced onion. Let it boil and set aside once chicken is cooked.

* Drain the water, set aside. This will be your chicken broth.

* Cut the chicken into small pieces. Set aside.

* On a wok, add the oil. Sauté the garlic and remaining onions.

* Add the chicken broth and annato water. Put the fish sauce and carrots. You may add salt when needed. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.

* Put the noodles. You may add water if you think that the broth is not enough. Add the chicken pieces.

* Serve with calamansi. Best eaten when you have softdrinks!:)

Happy eating!

No bake blue berry cheesecake

My family most especially my husband is really into cheesecake. That's why when i found out a couple of years ago that red ribbon is no longer selling cheesecakes, I really felt sad because I wouldn't want to spend too much just to eat cheesecake, most especially that the other cheesecakes in the market are way too expensive!

Making the blueberry cheesecake was such a challenge for me. I was quite afraid that I might not get the consistency that I wanted. Well, the texture wasn't really perfect - but I am super proud that I nailed how a true cheesecake tastes like. It was such a big hit for my family, and mind you, since this is not the commercialized cake, the filling is really filled with blueberries and the cheese is somehow thick. So sulit na sulit talaga.

I didn't know that 2 packs of cream cheese can make 3 sets of cake. So I was really unprepared with the containers. Good thing I still have these disposable containers and that's where I placed the finished product. Before I learned the secret of cheesecake, I thought that the ingredient is only the cream cheese. Little did I know that we need to use nestle cream and gelatin to make it. Now that answers my question how come cheesecakes doesn't taste cream cheese after all. Hehe

What you need

400 grams of cream cheese

1 can of preserved blueberries

1 pack of crushed graham

1/2 knob of melted butter

2 tablespoons of sugar, you may add more if you want the crust to be sweeter.

2 tablespoons of unflavored gelatin dissolved in 1/2 cup of water

1 can of nestle cream

What you need to do

* On a bowl, mix the graham and sugar. Add the melted butter. Make sure that everything is mixed altogether.

* Now put the mixed graham on your container. Since these ingredients could yield 3 containers, make sure to divide the crust equally. Chill the crust for 30 minutes.

* Now this is the fun part - making the filling! Mix the cream cheese and nestle. Well and good if you have a mixer,but if you don't have one (just like me), your hands is already enough to beat it. Pour the unflavored gelatin. Now beat the mixture for another 2 minutes.

* Put the filling on top of the chilled crust. Make sure to fill the containers equally. :) Tip: don't make the filling to thick. :)

* Top with blueberry preserves.

* Chill, and serve with love.

Crispy Cream Dory with buttered vegetables

Of all the fishes available in the market, cream dory is my most favorite. Though it needs tweaking to extract it's flavor, you can really do so much with it.

Here's another simple way of cooking cream dory.

What you need:

2 pieces cream dory
1 small pack of crispy chicken breading
10 pieces of baguio beans, cut into half an inch
1medium carrot, cut into half an inch
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon of sweet pickle relish
Canola cooking oil for deep frying

What you need to do

* Coat the fillet with the chicken breading. Don't be too excited to coat the fish. As in don't put too much breading as it would turn really salty.

* Deep fry and drain on paper towels. set aside.

* Mix the mayo and pickle relish. set aside.

* On another pan,melt the butter, put the vegetables. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.

* Put the mixed vegetables on top of the fried fish. Serve with the mayo and pickle mixture. (This will be your dip)

* Serve with love and happy eating!

Cooking resolution

Happy 2013! My cooking blog is about to turn 1 year and I am very proud to see that a lot of foodies have been checking my cooking blog from time to time. I am happy too that in a short span of time, I was able to practice my cooking skills and I was able to try a lot of recipes already.

Experience is really a good teacher, and without proper culinary background, I can proudly say that I now know the basics and what not of cooking. Though there were times that my dish didn't satisfy my palate, I am still fulfilled with what I have learned. Cooking is really a skill, and it get better through time and practice :)

In lieu of New Year's resolution, I made a list of my cooking resolution as well. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I could accomplish the resolution. :D

* My number 1 cooking resolution is not to mess the kitchen too much whenever I cook. I swear, even my husband who happens to be my number 1 fan in cooking tells me that The kitchen gets too messy every time I cook. Plates, ingredients, knives are all over the place. So this time, i vow to clean the domestic mess and prepare all the ingredients I need just before I turn on the stove.

* To learn more pasta recipes - not just the typical filipino style and carbonara. I want to learn the different types of pasta, and to use more tomato sauce often, instead of the ready made spaghetti sauce.

* Learn how to devein a shrimp. People find it really easy to do, but I just can't do it. Haha

* Poach eggs, instead of frying.

* Cook fishes too. If you notice, I am really not a fan of fish, so this year, I will try out more fish recipes.

So that's it!:) Hopefully, before the year ends ( dang, it's just the 1st week of January 2013) I can accomplish all these things.

How about you? What's your cooking resolution?:)

Happy New Year, from my family to your family! Have a happy new year cooking!:)