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Filipino Tinolang Isda (Fish Soup) Recipe

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:54:44 +0000

Don’t get confuse when you hear the word “tinola”. The word itself has different meanings in most places in the Philippines. Some people in Luzon area says that Tinola refers to the clear chicken broth with papayas and chili leaves. But generally, major areas in Visayas and Mindanao refer Tinola as a clear fish broth. Most pinoys if not all really love to eat this very delicious and aromatic dish.

Tinolang isda serves best when it is still hot and the fish belongs from the freshest catch of the day. Aside from the terrific taste and aromatic smell, the dish has plenty of nutrients and vitamins that we can get from it which would play a vital role to our body.

You can see below my simple but yet very delicious tinolang isda recipe:

- ½ kilo fish (any medium to large fresh fish will do)
-1/2 medium size onion sliced
- 2 medium size tomatoes
- 4-5 pcs. green pepper
- salt

Directions:

Clean the fish. In a pot bring to a boil 1 1/2 liter of water, add onion and tomato (you can also add tanglad and ginger if available) then simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the fish and continue to simmer for 3-5 minutes. Season it with salt to taste. Cook until fish is already cooked. Serve hot and enjoy!

Filipino Crispy Pata Recipe

admin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:14:48 +0000

Crispy Pata is a special dish to every Filipinos because of its crispiness and very delicious taste. But before I give you the procedure on how to make a good crispy pata, let us try to know first the meaning of the word “crispy pata” and its origin. Crispy pata means deep fried pata with a crunchy rind and soft and moist meat inside. Pata is the front or hind leg of the pig. In the Philippines, that means the leg and the trotters (knuckles).

Always remember to have a best pata, we must be very selective when buying pig’s hind leg. It is very important to choose a young pig rather than the old one because the more mature the pig, the thicker and tougher the rind. Frying alone is not the only step in cooking this dish; the pata has to be boiled to tenderness prior to deep-frying.

According to the oldies, one has to drip-dry the pata after boiling and then allow it to air-dry for a day prior to deep-frying. It is definitely not true. For as long as you drain, cool and, preferably, chill the boiled pata, there’s no reason why you can’t boil and fry it on the same day.

Procedures:

At first, you should boil the pork hocks or the knuckles with enough water and spiced with garlic, peppercorns, salt, bay leaf, and soy sauce. Some recipe also indicates the inclusion of 7-up or Sprite in the boil. So it’s your preference, it really doesn’t matter at all. Boil until it become tender for not less than 2 hours. It only takes less time if you have a pressure cooker.

Once the pata is tender, you need to drain it well. Please make sure it becomes dry to obtain crispiness. Probably hang it so it can drip or at least, blot with paper towel.

You need to deep-fry the dried pata and make sure that you have enough oil to cover the pata by doing this in a large kawale (or pan). You start at high heat, then medium heat, then low heat when the skin starts to become golden brown in color. When blisters start to appear, the pata is probably cooked at crispy. Then, your pata is ready to serve for dinner.

Filipino Bicol Express Recipe

admin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:24:35 +0000

Bicol Express or also known as Sinilihan is a famous dish which originated in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. It is pork strips and siling haba (finger chilies) cooked in coconut milk. Bicol Express is very rich and very spicy. Some versions include ginger, some include dilaw (turmeric), some include bagoong or shrimp paste. The dish is said to have evolved from gulay na may lada, another Bicolano dish which is nowadays also presented as one of the many variants of Bicol Express.

Basically the original Bicol Express is a lot different from what is being introduced here in Manila and some other places. According to some Bicolanos the original Bicol Express has less or no coconut milk at all. It’s less saucy and much drier and has more “siling labuyo”(hot chili).

Ingredients:

• 1/4 kilo pork, thinly sliced
• 1 cup Baguio beans
• 3 cups long chili or jalapeno peppers
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 head of garlic, minced
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Directions:

• In a bowl of water with salt, soak chili peppers for 30 minutes then rinse and strain.
• In a cooking pan, heat cooking oil and brown sliced pork for a few minutes.
• In another pan, sauté minced garlic and onion.
• Add to the sauté the browned pork.
• Then add the coconut milk, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the chili peppers, Baguio beans and cook until dish gets a little dry.
• Add the coconut cream and simmer until the sauce thickens.
• Salt to taste.

Indeed, there’s a lot of version on how to cook Bicol Express and it depends on the taste of the person cooking the dish. There are two options and that is to stick to the old version of cooking or enhance it according to your style and taste.

Guide in Preparing a Delicious Native Dinuguan (Blood Stew)

admin — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:01:51 +0000

Ilocanos are very proud to have Dinuguan or pork blood stew in English as one of their dishes. It is a Filipino stew of blood and meat simmered in rich, spicy gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili, and vinegar. The term dinuguan comes from the word dugo meaning “blood”. It is recognizably thick and dark, hence the Westernized euphemism “chocolate meat.” It is similar to a Singapore dish, pig’s organ soup. The only difference is it does not have vegetables in it. For western cultures this dish is considered as unusual or maybe an alarming dish even though it is similar to European-style blood sausage or British black pudding, but in a saucy, stew form. This dish is so popular in the Philippines that everyone will find it at just about any occasion, from simple family gatherings to weddings.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg pork
• 1/4 kg pork liver
• 2 1/2 cups pork blood
• 2/3 cup vinegar
• 4 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cups meat broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 bayleaf
• 1/4 teaspoons pepper
• a pinch of sugar to taste
• 3 pieces of small (1-inch long) chili pepper

Directions:

Prepare pork blood by straining it and separating the blood that is in a jelly form in a separate bowl. Next add ¼ cup of water and break up the jellied blood with your hands and set aside. Slice pork into small bite sized pieces and set aside.
Using a casserole dish, heat 1 Tbs. of corn oil, add the pork, and spread it evenly on the bottom of the casserole dish. Cover and let it cook on medium low heat for three minutes without stirring it. Remove cover, stir the pork, and drain the liquid accumulated. Add garlic and sauté for one minute, and then add the onions, stir, and cover. Let it cook for another minute. Next add fish sauce and bay leaf and sauté for 3 minutes. Then add ½ cup of vinegar, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and salt and let it simmer for five minutes. Add the jelly formed pork blood first, stir for about a minute, and then add the rest of the pork blood and the finger peppers. Continue to stir for about two minutes, cover, and let simmer for another five minutes. Add another ½ cup of vinegar. Again cover and let it simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Adjust the taste by adding salt & pepper if needed. That’s it, you’re done. Serve with white rice, or Puto. Enjoy eating!