Recipes ?

[Gator]

One of my first attempts with my wife was to get more iron in her diet (especially leafy green vegetables).

 

You might try the local vege called "Kangkong" (yes, I've taken to calling it King Kong), otherwise known as water spinach. Though different in appearance when raw, it closely resembles spinach in both taste and texture when cooked. You can also eat the shoots/stems, which I chop into bite sized pieces before cooking. Unless it's a soup, I'll generally add the shoots to a recipe about 4-6 minutes before it's done to fully cook/tenderize them; and add the leaves just 2-3 minutes before the dish is done so as not to overcook them.

 

Many of us have probably already eaten this, but not known what it is as it's a common ingredient throughout the Phils (throughout SE Asia in fact). It's very cheap too, about 5p per bunch at the local wet market.

 

One of my favorite recipes for it:

 

about 5-7 large bunches or roughly 500-600g, cleaned and stems chopped, leave them moist

3-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

palm or veg oil

1-2 tbsp. butter

salt

balsamic vinegar (optional)

 

Over medium heat, pre-heat a large skillet, add about 1-2 tsp of the oil, when hot add the butter. Sauté garlic for about a minute (be careful not to burn it otherwise it gets bitter) and remove from the pan leaving as much of the oil/butter behind as you can. Add a little more oil and when hot add the stems and a small pinch of salt, cover and cook/steam for about 3-4 minutes, if needed carefully add a splash or two of water to keep them moist as they cook. Add the garlic back into the pan and add the leaves and another pinch of salt, cover and cook for about another 2 minutes or until all of the leaves are wilted.

 

Depending on what else I'm eating with it I'll sometimes also add a dash or two of organic, cider or, my favorite, balsamic vinegar (less acidic then plain white vinegar) over the top after it's cooked. Toss to mix in the vinegar and serve.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_aquatica

Edited December 12, 2014 by Gator

[Tukaram (Tim)]

One of the main problems with Filipino cooking is that they have sense of presentation, and no desire to learn.  When I commented (she said I complained) that the eggs at a hotel were fried hard although the menu says "over easy".  She looks at me in exasperation and says "food is food, who cares what it looks like".  That is the attitude I am trying to train out of her ha ha.  And that is exactly why Filipino restaurants have not caught on internationally

 

Maybe a trip to the US will open her to some new culinary experiences.  But at least she knows how to cook an over easy egg for me... but she calls them raw...   :tiphat:

 

~Edit~

She just brought me some "raw" eggs for breakfast!  She made the same face I make when she eats dried fish ha ha

Edited December 13, 2014 by Tukaram (Tim)

[roddavis]

Some of my favorite foods and condiments are very difficult to find here in Cebu. I have gone to several food markets in Cebu City to find cheeses, decent mayonnaise (without all the sugar), breads (french, oatmeal)bran etc...again without all the sugar. So as a retired computer engineer with a lot of time on my hands, went back to my first passion of cooking. The most difficult part of cooking is finding all the seasonings I need. I have my son pack up spices and such from the States to ship out here to Cebu. Items like fennel seed and mustard seed for making pepperoni, Italian sausages. Even a cheap electric ice cream machine(uses ice and salt), cuz ice cream here is not that good.

This past week I made my own cured ham from a fresh killed hogs hind leg. If you enjoy a good ham, this is the one to try. Few ingredients needed and easy to do, takes about a week of curing. Unlike the filipino hams in a can that are chopped press meats and maybe too sweet. Follow this link:  https://delishably.com/meat-dishes/How-To-Cure-Ham-at-Home

If I get enough positive responses, I can add more recipes that might interest you:

Homemade Mayonnaise  (easy, takes 10 mins),  sausages (without casings), breads and cinnamon rolls - even english muffins with all the nooks and crannies for the butter and homemade jams from mango and pineapple. Even cheese for lasagna and spaghetti, made with powdered dry non-fat milk. If your interested, let me know.

[scott h]

On ‎9‎/‎6‎/‎2014 at 2:44 AM, Tukaram (Tim) said:

Mine has learned a few recipes for me... but she won't eat anything new

While in the states, my wife got all my moms recipes and cooks them well. But in my experience Tim is right, Filipinos are not very adventurous eaters.

Solution???::: Well if your like me and retired, cook your own meals, Fun, time consuming, you get exactly what you want..............and no one else to blame

[MacBubba]

21 hours ago, scott h said:

But in my experience Tim is right, Filipinos are not very adventurous eaters.

You would never say that about my wife.  There is a 100-item food and drink challenge out there, and she's had all but 5:  squirrel meat, snake meat, dandelion wine, umeboshi (a kind of Japanese plum), and phaal (the hottest Indian curry).  She has a fair idea of where to get the first 4, but the 5th one just eludes her.  She's phoned Indian restaurants all over Toronto, and the folks she has spoken with have never even heard of phaal.  The only restaurant she has found that does serve it is in New York.

The umeboshi, she may have already had, but she's not sure.