Chicken in Coconut Milk Sauce

Things needed:

I medium-sized white pan

Wooden Spoon

Tongs

Paper towels

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

½ yellow onion, minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1½ cups of coconut milk

3tbsp. ground black pepper

3tbsp grape seed oil

¼ cup of dried tomatoes in oil

2 bay leaves

1tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Salt to taste

Step by step:

1.     Dry the chicken breasts with paper towels

2.     Sprinkle salt on each side of the chicken breasts

3.     Dip the chicken breasts on ground black peppers and cover both sides

4.     In medium-high heat, heat the 3tbsp grape seed oil

5.     Sear the chicken breasts until they’re brown on both sides

6.     Remove the chicken from oil then set aside

7.     In the same oil, sauté the garlic until golden brown then add the onion

8.     Sauté onion until the color turns translucent

9.     Add 2 bay leaves

10. Add the coconut oil and stir

11. Lower the heat to medium and let the coconut milk boil gently

12. Keep stirring and add 1tbsp fresh thymes

13. Put the chicken back into the pan

14. Turn the heat to medium-low heat and add the sun-dried tomatoes and stir it into the sauce

15. Cover with lid and let the chicken cook thoroughly

16. Stir from time to time until the sauce thickens to desired consistency

17. Serve

Good for 2 servings.

Chili burns and remedies

Chili burn is such a nightmare, isn't it? I experienced the excruciating pain it caused after I chopped a large jalapeno pepper, finely. It was so foolish of me to think that removing the seeds would be enough to get rid of its potency. After removing the seeds, I handled the jalapeno without gloves. It was so careless of me. After 10 minutes or so, I could feel my fingers begin to tingle. Gradually, the sensation escalated to unbearably piercing pain. It felt like my fingers were being roasted over hot burning coals, with some scorching embers attached to my skin. I browsed through the internet looking for remedies and tried them all: milk, lime, alcoholic beverage, olive oil, soap and cold water (as were suggested by some people on the web) yet none of them worked. I suffered for more than an hour. In my desperation I took an ibuprofen and it worked! Yes, it worked. So, guys, if none of the suggested remedies work for you, try Ibuprofen (If you’re allergic to aspirin, or ibuprofen, ask your doctor). After much discomfort and less-than-successful culinary attempts to relieve my anguish, I found peace in my medicine cabinet.

Please chime-in with your experiences and home remedies. Thank you!

Sweet Soy Sauce Chicken Livers

If you’re in a hurry and you want to eat a hearty good meal, here’s an easy-to-cook recipe for you!

½ kg chicken liver

Salt, to taste

1tsp black pepper

1tbsp sugar

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 jalapeno

½ cup of vinegar

2 ½ - 3 tbps of soy sauce, or to taste

4 tbsp of cooking oil

To prepare:

1. In a bowl, prepare this mixture: mix soy sauce and vinegar together and dissolve the sugar in it; set aside.
2. In another bowl, sprinkle salt onto the chicken livers, mix, then set aside.
3. Heat a skillet to medium heat.
4. Pour the cooking oil into the skillet.
5. Sauté the garlic and onion in the skillet until golden brown.
6. Add the chicken livers.
7. Sprinkle with black pepper.
8. Fold.
9. Pour the soy-sauce mixture into the skillet.
10. Add the jalapeno.
11. Lower the heat and cover with a lid.
12. Stir from time to time until the sauce thickens.
13. Remove from stove.

Voila, your chicken livers are ready to eat! Easy, isn’t it? Enjoy!

Good for 2 servings

Beef in Mediterranean Style Recipe

Mediterranean dishes are always my favorite and I have tried lots of them! Inspired by their unique cuisine, I cooked my beef with a touch of Mediterranean taste.

Now, let’s start cooking!

What you need:

½ kg sirloin beef cut into thin bite size slices

1 eggplant cut in half and cut each half lengthwise

250ml Hunt’s® tomato sauce

250ml Nestle® cream

5 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced

6 fresh basil leaves

Parsley, chopped finely

1 ½ McCormick® dried oregano

1 ½ McCormick® marjoram

½ tsp McCormick® all spice

½ tsp American Garden® cinnamon

1 tsp black peppercorn, ground

1tsp salt

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Cooking oil

Butter

To prepare:

• In a bowl, sprinkle 1 tsp of salt onto the beef. Mix them together. Set aside.
• Heat a deep skillet to medium heat.
• Pour ½ cup of cooking oil into the skillet.
• Fry the eggplants in the skillet. Set aside.
• Next, fry the beef, then set aside.
• Heat another deep skillet to medium heat.
• Melt 3tbsp butter.
• Sauté garlic until brown.
• Add the tomatoes.
• Stir until the tomatoes are cooked.
• Add the onion into the skillet.
• Stir until the onion is translucent.
• Sprinkle with black peppercorn.
• Add the fried beef into the pan. Fold.
• Add the tomato sauce and stir.
• Next, add the cream. Mix it with the rest of the ingredients in the skillet.
• Let it simmer and stir from time to time until the sauce thickens.
• Add the fried eggplant then fold it in with the ingredients in the skillet.
• Add the following into the skillet: oregano, marjoram, all spice and cinnamon. Mix them together.
• Add the bell pepper.
• Stir.
• Pour 1tsp red wine vinegar into the pan.
• Stir a little.
• Add the fresh basils and mix them with the rest of the ingredients.
• Remove from stove.
• Garnish with parsley.

Now, it’s done. Very easy! Bon appétit! 

Good for 4 servings

Food Experience: “Mamon Tostado” and “Biscocho Special”

“Mamon Tostado” and “Biscocho Special” can be found in the province of Iloilo (Iloh-iloh), Philippines. I think they can be found anywhere in the Philippines but I heard that they’re Iloilo’s specialty because that’s where they were first made. Where else can you find the best of these types of delicacies than in the place where they were said to have originated, right? My eldest sister went to Iloilo and brought these delicacies home, so my Mamon Tostado and my Biscocho Special came directly from the province where they were first created. Let me describe each of them to you. I’ll start with the “Mamon Tostado”. Mamon Tostado is usually a round-shaped delicacy made of flour, egg, milk and sugar. It doesn’t melt in your mouth like meringue but the crunchiness of the spongy texture, plus the delicate taste of sugar and milk, will make you crave for more. Don’t leave it out in the open for long because the texture will become hard and rubbery. You wouldn’t want that.  It’s best to eat with tea. The Biscocho Special is made of elongated bread cut into four, lengthwise, pieces with melted sugar and milk on each slice. You can't help nibbling on it because of its sweetness and creaminess. Its texture is harder and thicker than Mamon Tostado and, for me, it’s better to eat with soup (like the corn soup I just featured here) than with tea. If you ask me which one I prefer, I would say that despite of their similar ingredients, they somehow differ in taste, due to the different amounts of sugar and milk used in them, so I really can't choose between the two. I like them both. If you're a tourist in Iloilo, or planning to go on a tour there, and you happen to pass by a store that sells these delicacies, you might want to grab yourself a sample of each of them and enjoy the experience. :)

Easy-to-Make Corn Soup for Rainy Seasons

During rainy seasons we either want hot chocolate or soup. As of this moment, though, I want to eat soup, so I made myself some. Here, I'll show you how it's done. :)

What you need:

15oz of canned cream style corn

1 cup evaporated milk

½ cup water

Salt, to taste

Green onion, chopped finely

1-2 eggs, beaten

4 tbsp butter

¼ onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced

Toasted bread crumbs (optional)

Procedure:

1. Heat the 4-inches deep pan to medium heat.
2. Melt the butter in the pan.
3. Sauté garlic and onion in the butter.
4. Add the cream style corn into the pan and stir.
5. Pour the water into the pan then mix gently.
6. Bring to a boil.
7. Lower the heat and pour the evaporated milk into the pan and stir.
8. Garnish with green onion.
9. Remove from stove.
10. Pour the egg slowly into the soup as you stir gently.
11. Add the bread crumbs (optional).

 Now, you can sit back and relax on the rainy seasons! Enjoy!

Good for 4 servings.

Pork Adobo Recipe

Let’s cook Pork Adobo, one of the Philippines’ specialties!

What you need:

1/2 kilo pork, diced into bite size

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup white vinegar

Juice of 6 calamansi (calamondin)

1tsp salt

2tbsp sugar

2tbsp cooking oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 red onion, finely chopped

1tsp ground black peppercorn

2 Bay leaves

Procedure:

1. Sprinkle salt onto the pork. Mix well, then set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix all of the following ingredients to make a mixture: soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Mix well until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Heat a deep skillet to medium heat.
4. Pour cooking oil into the skillet.
5. Sauté garlic and onion until golden brown.
6. Add the bay leaves.
7. Put the pork into the skillet and fold.
8. Pour the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar mixture into the skillet, mix with the pork and cover with a lid.
9. Let the pork cook in this mixture and its own juices.
10. Fold from time to time until the oil from the pork comes out.
11. Let the pork fry in its own oil.
12. Add the calamansi (calamondin) juice. Fold.
13. When it’s dry, sprinkle some ground black peppercorn.
14. Fold until the ingredients are mixed well together.
15. Remove from stove and drain all the oil.

Now your pork adobo is ready to eat! This recipe is always preferred to be eaten with rice.

Good for 3 servings.