Chubby Lumpia (Chubby Pork Spring Rolls)

1/2 k ground pork
2 tbsp Hibe or dried shrimps, finely chopped
1/2 a large singkamas grated
1 medium size carrot grated
1 large onion chopped
1 whole garlic chopped
5-6 pieces dried mushrooms, soaked in hot water, then squeeze out water, chopped
1 inch ginger chopped
half of a star anis
soy sauce
1 tsp salt and 8 pepper corns
1 tsp brown sugar
lumpia wrappers
1 or 2 hot pepper or labuyo

spice paste: in a mortar and pestle, ground star anis and 5-8 pcs pepper corns until pulverized, then add garlic, ginger, hot pepper and salt, pound into a paste, add brown sugar.

in a mixing bowl, mix ground pork, onions, Hibe, mushrooms, singkamas and carrots then mix in spice paste.season with soy sauce, then have a test by creating one lumpia and frying it. taste, and season the rest of the mixture if necessary and according to taste... this is the best part too to elevate the flavors of your stuffing, add a tbsp of housin paste and a few drizzle of sesame oil for a more oriental feel, add in dried prunes for a sweeter mixture, chopped squid balls to add more of the seafood feel, or even the real thing.

roll mixture in lumpia wrappers making sure to tuck in the sides for a more moist inside when cooked. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

serve with sweet chili sauce, or sweet and sour.

this makes 20 chubbies, or 30-40 skinny ones. LOLs.

Easy Ginataang Adobo (Pork Adobo with Coconut Cream)

***As always, all my dishes serves a lot since i do cook for my staff and family, so for smaller portions, you do the math. :P

1 1/2 K Pork Liempo
1 Cup Rose Vinegar + 1/4th cup separately.
3/4 Cup Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce
3 Bay Leaves or Laurel
1 tbsp Honey or 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 packet Coconut Cream Powder dissolved in a few tablespoons of hot water
Rock Salt and Whole Pepper Corns
1 large Onion chopped
2 whole garlic bulbs chopped

Cut pork into serving sizes, salt and pepper, then brown them both sides in a casserole with hot oil. set aside.

in the same vessel,using the same oil, saute onions first and then the garlic until tender.

add vinegar to deglaze the bottom of the pan and then add soy sauce, Laurel leaves, Honey, then get it to a round boil, till the vinegar vapors disappear.

add browned pork, and stir with the liquid. set burner into low and let it cook for 20 mins.

add salt after 20 mins or not, this is the time to properly season the dish, then add 1/4 cup vinegar. cover and wait for another 5 mins.

turn off fire and wait for anther minute or so before adding the coco cream mixture. stir.

serve with soysauce with chili and bananas... and of course, piping hot rice!!! Yum!!!

Pasta Pomadoro with Bacon, Olives and Capers

For those who were asking for the recipe, finally here it is. This dish is best cooked when tomatoes are in season (specially the native oval ones)and are cheap and very ripe. just remember this ratio, 1 kilo or tomatoes per kilo of pasta.

Basic Tomato Sauce:

1 kilo of ripe tomatoes quartered
1 star anise
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp of mascovado sugar or brown sugar
1 whole garlic chopped.
balsamic vinegar
juice of half a lemon
basil leaves

1. In a casserole, drizzle some olive oil and heat it up to smoking point. Add tomatoes after and stir once. cover and leave for the next ten minutes.

2. After ten minutes, stir the tomatoes again and add the garlic, star anise, oregano, sugar and lemon. Stir and check if your tomatoes are starting to break down and cover it again and leave for another 10 mins in low heat, then after remove cover and let it reduce for 5 mins or until chunky consistency is achieved.

3. add the rest of the ingredients and try to mash with a potato masher or the back of the ladle. adjust taste with salt and lots of pepper. the recipe can be adjusted depending on the tomatoes. Some tomatoes have higher acidity than others so you could adjust it by adding more sugar. you can also do this ahead of time if kept frozen and would usually last for 2-3days.

After tasting this recipe, I'm sure, you'll rather have this than the tin ones. hehe.

Level Up.

1 basic tomato sauce recipe
1 small bottle of black olives and capers, rough chopped.
400 grams of smoked bacon, roughly sliced
basil leaves
parmesan or old keso de bola (specially the ones since christmas that were just left inside the fridge and long been forgotten... they do taste like parmesan if aged...)
1 whole garlic, chopped
2 medium red onions, chopped
olive oil.

1. Saute garlic and onions till aromatic (add chili flakes if you want it spicy)

2. Add the bacon and render some fat till slightly brown and then add the olives and capers.

3. Add the tomato sauce till it simmers.

4. Add pasta (cooked according to package instructions) and stir. Add torn Basil leaves and top with parmesan cheese. You can add fresh cherry tomatoes too if you want for a pop of fresh tomato taste or even anchovies while you're on step one, for a Putanesca cheat.

serves 6-7 people or 4 really hungry people. haha.