Rellenong Bangus (Stuffed Milk Fish) Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 1 hour

Rellenong Bangus Ingredients:

·   1 big bangus (milkfish)

·   3 cloves of garlic, minced

·   1 onion chopped

·   2 tomatoes, diced

·   1 egg

·   1/4 cup lemon juice

·   1 small carrot, finely chopped

·   1/4 cup soy sauce

·   4 tablespoons of cooking oil

·   ham, finely chopped

·   raisins

·   cooked peas

·   salt and pepper to taste

Rellenong Bangus Cooking Instructions:

·   Scale and remove the intestines of the bangus.

·   With a very sharp knife, slowly remove the meat of the fish from the skin through the opening cavity below the head. Remove the spine by snapping off the bone at the base of the tail and head. Use a long spoon to scrape all the meat from the skin.

·   Marinate the head and skin in lemon juice, soy sauce and pepper.

·   Boil in 1/2 cup of water the bangus meat with some salt for 5 minutes.

·   Sauté the garlic and onions until slightly brown then add the tomatoes and carrots until tender.

·   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.

·   Add a beaten egg to the sauté and mix well.

·   Stuff the mixture inside the bangus skin and head. Sew the cavity if needed.

·   Fry in oil until golden brown.

·   slice slightly diagonal (1 1/2 inch thick) and serve.

Beef Stew

Estimated Cooking time: 1 to 2 hours

Beef Stew Ingredients:

·   1 kilo beef, cut into 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" cubes

·   8 potatoes cut the same size as the beef

·   1 bundle Pechay (Bok choy) cut into 2 pieces

·   1 small cabbage, quartered

·   5 onions, diced

·   1 head garlic, minced

·   4 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)

·   3 tablespoons of cooking oil

·   10 corns of black pepper

·   1 liter of water

·   Salt and pepper to taste

Beef Stew Cooking Instructions:

·   In a big casserole, heat oil and sauté the garlic and onions.

·   Add water, the beef, black pepper and patis. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 hour or until the beef is tender.

·   Add the potatoes. Continue to simmer until potatoes are cooked.

·   Add the cabbage then the pechay. Do not over cook the vegetables.

·   Salt and pepper to taste.

·   Serve steaming hot in a bowl and plain white rice.

Cooking Tips:

You can substitute the beef with chicken (chicken stew) or pork (pork stew) for variety.

Chicken Curry

Estimated cooking time: 40 minutes

Chicken Curry Ingredients:

·   1 Kilo chicken cut to pieces

·   2 to 3 pieces of potatoes, quartered

·   2 to 3 pieces of carrots, cut to pieces

·   1 big red bell pepper cut into 1"x1" squares

·   1 big green bell pepper cut into 1"x1" squares

·   2 mid-sized onions, chopped

·   1 bulb of garlic, minced

·   1 thumb-sized ginger, pounded then sliced

·   2 cups coconut milk

·   2 to 3 tablespoons of curry powder

·   1 teaspoon chili powder or minced chili (optional)

·   4 tablespoons cooking oil

·   Salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Curry Cooking Instructions:

·   In frying pan or wok, fry the cut chicken until light brown. Next, fry potatoes and carrots, set aside.

·   In a sauce pan, sauté garlic, onions and ginger in cooking oil for 2 minutes.

·   Add the chicken, coconut milk, curry powder and chili powder. Simmer for 10 minutes.

·   Add potatoes, carrots and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or until tender.

·   Add red and green bell pepper, salt (about 1 tablespoon) and pepper to taste.

·   Serve hot with steamed rice.

Cooking Notes:

·   Coconut milk may be canned from the grocery store. When using fresh coconut, milk grated coconut meat with 1/2 cup of water, then set aside. Again, milk the grated coconut milk for the second time using 1 1/2 cups of water. While cooking, use the 2nd milking first, then add the 1st coconut milk near then end of cooking -just after putting the potatoes and carrots.

·   Use fish sauce (patis) instead salt when available.

Grilling Tips

Be sure your grill is hot enough before starting.
Grill meat and veggies about 4 inches from heat source and chicken about 6-8 inches away.
To add more flavor, try adding pre soaked chunks of natural hardwoods like Hickory.
Make sure grill is clean before cooking.
To prevent sticking, brush or spray a light coating of oil on grid.
If your grill has a top, close it to allow smoke to add it's flavor.
To keep poultry from drying out, grill with bone in and baste continuously.
Poultry dark meat takes longer than white meat so start it sooner.
Sear chicken on the skin side first.

General Cooking Tips

Prepare what you need before you start. It’s how the pros do it and it simplifies the process when you are scrambling to put it all together.
When using a broiler to cook steaks, pre-heat oven until it's really hot. This will sear the outside of the meat and keep the juices in. And don’t use a fork to turn the steaks, use thongs or a spatula to prevent juices from leaking out.
Buy yourself a potato ricer for mashed potatoes. It a great gadget to have in your kitchen, it looks like a giant garlic press, costs about six bucks, but there’s nothing better for smooth airy mashed potatoes.
A folding steamer platform that sits in almost any pot works great for your steamed veggies. Important, be careful not to overcook the broccoli, you want it to be crisp but tender.
Invest in a salad spinner. They’re inexpensive and work great. There’s nothing more unappealing than soggy lettuce. And speaking of lettuce, you may have grown up on iceberg, but try some red or green leaf lettuce for a little diversity.
Never cook with any wine you wouldn't drink! You can substitute 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves with 1 teaspoon. of dried, but fresh is better. Try using a spray olive oil to coat your roasting pan.
Any brine-cured black olives can be substituted for Kalmata and remember to tell your guests there are pits so they don't break a tooth.
To roast garlic, sprinkle the bulb with a little olive oil and white wine, salt and pepper, wrap it in tin foil and roast in a 350 degree oven for approximately one hour.
Try using a hand blender to puree the soup....it's easier than transferring to food processor.
Mushrooms should be wiped off with a damp cloth and not washed under the faucet since they are like sponges and will absorb the water.
Make sure your roasting pan is the correct size and is placed on the middle rack.
When roasting, save the pan juices for your gravy.
Leeks are full of hard to get at sand and dirt, chop them first, then give them a bath in cold water and drain in a colander.
Try using carrots instead of sugar to sweeten your sauces.
Cracked pepper corns: I opt for putting the peppercorns in a zip lock bag and cracking them on my cutting board with a hammer. Noisy, but it worked. Otherwise, set your pepper mill to course grain instead.
When buying cabbage, look for heads that appear heavier than their size with crisp leaves.

Chicken Pastel

Estimated cooking time for this chicken recipe: 1.5 hours

Chicken Pastel Ingredients:

·    One 1 1/2 kilo chicken, cut in pieces

·    One can (14 ounces) Vienna sausage, sliced

·    3 potatoes, diced

·    1 carrot, diced

·    1 up mushrooms, cut in half

·    1 green bell pepper, sliced in strips

·    1/2 cup sweet peas

·    1 onion, minced

·    1/4 cup grated cheese

·    1 cup margarine

·    2 cups chicken stock (broth)

·    1/2 cup evaporated milk

·    4 tablespoons soy sauce

·    1 lemon extract (juice)

·    1 egg, beaten

·    Salt and pepper to taste

Pie Crust

·    2 cups flour

·    1/2 cup corn oil or vegetable oil

·    1 teaspoon salt

·    1/4 cup of water

Chicken Pastel Cooking Instructions:

·    In a bowl, marinate chicken lemon juice and soy sauce for an hour.

·    In a skillet, melt margarine and brown chicken, set aside.

·    Sauté onion, bell pepper an mushrooms then add chicken broth. Simmer for 15 minutes then add potatoes, carrots, sweet peas, sausages, grated cheese and milk. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Salt to taste.

·    Transfer to a baking dish.

·    Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

·    On a bowl, combine the flour, salt, cold water and oil. Mix into a ball.

·    On a flat surface, roll flat the pastry and cover the chicken pastel mixture and seal the sides by pressing on the edges. Remove excess pastry.

·    Punch small holes on the pastry to let out steam during baking then brush with beaten egg.

·    Bake until golden brown (about 15 minutes).

Crispy Pata

Preparation & drying: 4 hours to 1 day

Estimated cooking time: 20 minutes

Crispy Pata Ingredients:

·    1 Pata (front or hind leg of a pig including the knuckles)

·    1 bottle of soda (7Up or sprite)

·    1 tablespoon of salt

·    2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)

·    1/2 tablespoon baking soda

·    1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)

·    4 tablespoons of flour

·    Enough oil for deep frying

·    Enough water for boiling

Crispy Pata Cooking Instructions:

·    Clean the pork pata by removing all hairs and by scraping the skin with a knife. Wash thoroughly.

·    Make four to five inch cuts on the sides of the pata.

·    On a deep stock pot, place the pata in water with soda and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the baking soda and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.

·    Remove the pata from the pot and hang and allow to drip dry for 24 hours. An alternative to this is to thoroughly drain the pork pata and refrigerate for a few hours.

·    After the above process, rub patis on the pata and sprinkle flour liberally.

·    In a deep frying pot, heat cooking oil and deep fry the pork pata until golden brown.

Crispy Pata Dip Sauce:

Mix 3/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 head of diced onion and 1 hot pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.