KOREAN BEEF STEW

Remember KIMCHI Fast Food located inside the Food Courts all over Metro Manila? I wonder how they are now and why so sudden that they had to lay low from their business and slowly hibernating from the market? I think they are still there but their branches doesn't make them famous these days.

Korean Restaurants admits that Korean Beef Stew is still the BEST SELLING dish in their menu, no wonder why a bowl/an order of this costs so much.

I got numerous messages from friends on how to make simple and doable Beef Stew without taking away the authenticity of the Korean Taste. I came up with my own version years back and surprisingly, my kids really loved it and I am ready to share this to everyone. But, take note, you need to stretch and test your cooking patience in doing this, because it takes 3 days of preparation before you serve it.

Ingredients:
Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Brown Sugar
Roasted Sesame Seeds (for garnishing)
Chopped Spring Onions (Options)
Big Slices/cubes of Carrots (as we don't want carrots to melt while boiling)
Drops of Sesame Oil
Beef Ribs 1kg or more!

DAY 1-METHOD
1. Marinade beef with Kikkoman for about an hour before cooking.
2. Boil a pot with half filled water, add in Kikkoman soy sauce (about half a bottle or until the sauce turns a little salty)
3. Add about 1/2 cup of brown sugar or even more, it's up to your sweetness desire.
4. Add the beef. Slowly cook for about 1.5-2hrs. (yes that long, and make sure that beef must be submerged in water)
5. Set Aside and cool.
6. Kindly place the entire pot inside the.fridge over night.

DAY 2-METHOD
7. Take out pot from the fridge and remove or strain the fats.
8. The carrots may join the boiling now.
9. Boil it again for 30 mins or until tender (in low heat), sauce will be 1 inch below the meat level by this time.
10. You may add in kikkoman and sugar to balance the taste as you wish.

DAY 3- Before serving
11. Repeat step no. 7 please
12. Boil for about 15-30 Mins in Low heat.
13. Add in few drops of Sesame Oil.
14. Transfer in a serving bowl, garnish with roasted sesame seeds or spring onions, then serve with warm steamed rice.

NOTE:
-3 days of cooking may darken the meet and makes it flavourful and tender. I suggest to please minimize mixing while cooking so that meat and bones will still be intact on 3rd day. Kindly print this recipe for future reference.

-Be very conservative in mixing Kikkoman Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar.

-I put pre-boiled beef inside the fridge so that I can strain the excess fats of course.

-What I want to achieve here is the oil-free sweetness of the sauce and the tenderized, dark colored, intact bone and meat. YEHEY!

-I really don't measure my ingredients, please do not ask how much of these and that. Hope this helps! ENJOY!

Chili Wings

Introduction:

I maybe stubborn in cooking because I don't really believe in cooking bible or Cook Books, collections may guide you but will not be able to give 100% satisfaction from the over-all taste of your dish... This Chili Wings doesn't have rules either, what I can give you now is just guide and it will be very essential on your kitchen woes... You may do it better than restaurants or you suck at it. This is the CHALLENGE.

Ingredients for the Sauce:

Salted Butter

Tomato Ketchup

Tabasco

Salt

Pepper

Sugar

Ingredients for the Chicken:

Chicken Wings 

Cornstarch

Cassava Powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Soy Sauce

Beaten Eggs 

Oil for Frying

Method:

1. Preheat oil in low heat.

2. Marinade Chicken wings with a little soy sauce and pepper or salt and pepper(you may marinade this over night or do it when you need it)

2. Mix the dry ingredients 1:1 of cornstarch and cassava powder

3. Beat the egg.

4. Dip chicken on beaten egg, dredge to the dry ingredients and fry in medium heat.  

5. Remove from heat once golden brown. Lay your wings on a cooling rack. Set aside.

Make your Sauce

6. Preheat your pan, melt the 3-4 tbsps of butter, mix in 2-3 tbsps of ketchup, half a bottle of Tabasco (the more the merrier), salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 tsp of sugar.

7. Bring to boil and remove from heat. 

Combining them....

8. You will be needing a basting brush for this. Coat the entire chicken with the sauce or simply toss them then serve hot. 

ENJOY!

Deep Fried SALTED EGG CRABS

 Ingredients:
Salted Egg Yolk (mashed, air-dried)
Cornstarch
Chicken Powder (Optional)
Curry Powder (Optional)
Egg Yolk, Beaten
Salt
Pepper
Oil for Frying
Crabs

Method:

What I normally do on my crabs? I kill and boil them first. You may wash and brush (cleaning) crabs thoroughly with water after pre-boiling to ensure cleanliness, then set aside.

1. Mix Cornstarch and mashed Salted Egg Yolk (the dry one), dash of curry powder,  sprinkle little amount of chicken powder, salt and pepper to taste, you may do the ratio (cornstarch:Salted egg Yolk), these are the dry ingredients. Set aside.

2. On a separate bowl, beat 1-2 eggs (depends on how much crabs you have)

3. Pre-heat Oil on a low fire. 

4. Dip pre-boiled crab in beaten egg, then followed by dredging on our dry mixed ingredients.

5. Fry until golden brown or until crumbs turned crunchy. 

6. Strain excess oil. Then serve. 

Note:

I don't normally measure my ingredients, but I hope this guide will produce a sumptuous Fried Salted Egg Crab on your dinner table!

ENJOY!

Chicken Sisig

Who doesn't love SISIG??? I like it the healthier way! I want it guilt-free and enjoys every bits of it! Here's my simple version and it is unbelievably "doable" for everybody!

Ingredients:
Boneless Chicken Leg Quarter- Cut in small pieces
White onion- diced
Green Chili- sliced
Knorr Seasoning
(Mayonnaise- Optional)
(Crushed Chicharon for garnishing- Optional)
Salt and Pepper
Little Sugar
Little Vinegar
Oil for Sauteing
1 Raw Egg
Sizzling Plate 

1. Heat oil, saute onions until well done. 
2. Add chicken, chilies and knorr seasoning (you may add in mayonnaise if you want to!)
3. Dash with salt and pepper to taste! Oops!!! Do not forget the little sugar and vinegar!
4. Preheat sizzling plate, drizzle oil. 

CAUTION:  Be careful when you remove sizzling plate from the flame....

5. Add raw egg to garnish your sisig!
6. Serve Hot! Enjoy it with your Garlic rice! Sizzzzzzzllllleeeee!!!!!

SORRY! I AM NOT INTO MEASURING EACH OF MY INGREDIENTS! HOPE THIS STILL HELPS!

Fried Tilapia with Gising Gising Sauce

Simple yet exciting! I find this really good combining all ingredients and really makes it so Filipino!

Ingredients:
Tilapia (The bigger the better)
Baguio Beans (Cut in 1/2 inch)
Coconut Milk (Fresh, 1st Squeeze using warm water "kakang-gata")
Cornstarch diluted in coco milk
Green Chilies, sliced (the more the merrier!)
Onions, Diced
Minced Garlic
Sugar
Bagoong (Shrimp Paste)
Salt and Pepper too taste
Oil for Frying

1. Fry Tilapia....
2. While working on it.... Saute Onions and minced garlic on a separate pan, add in baguio beans and chilies.
3. Pour coconut milk with cornstarch. Boil until thicken. Low heat.
4. Add 1 tsp of bagoong to give a little kick on the sauce.
5. Sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
6. Strain the fried fish from dripping oil, combine gising-gising sauce over your tilapia.
7. Serve Hot! Enjoy!

I DO NOT NORMALLY MEASURE MY INGREDIENTS. HOPE THIS ONE HELPS!

Classic Kare-Kare

THE ALL TIME FAVORITE FILIPINO DISH!

Ingredients:

1 kilo of beef

Combination of the following:

 -(round or sirloin cut) cut into cubes

 -beef tripe or oxtail (cut 2 inch long)

Fresh Ground Peanuts (from the market)

Bottle of Peanut Butter

Ground toasted rice (if desired thickness is not enough)

Cooked bagoong or alamang

Onions sliced

Peppercorns

Minced Garlic

Atsuete oil

Salt to taste

Veggies (All veggies should be blacked in Boiling water the moment before you serve, no salt)

Eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 bundle Pechay, separate each pieces... no need to cut

1 bundle of sitaw (string beans) cut to 2" long

1 banana bud, cut 1" thick

Making atsuete oil:

Heat oil, add in atsuete, let the color come out, strain the seeds, and save the oil. 

1. Boil water, combine garlic, onions, peppercorns and beef for 1.5 to 2 hours for normal cooking time or 30-40 mins for pressure cooker (make sure you check the stock every 15 mins)

2. Strain, and disregard the onions, peppercorns and garlic.

3. Cover meat while you prepare the Kare Kare sauce (I normally chill the stock for 2 hours inside the fridge so i can remove the fats!)

4. Boil the beef stock, add in fresh ground peanuts, peanut butter, atsuete oil, a little salt to taste (not too much).

5.Thicken the sauce using the ground rice diluted in water to prevent clumps. 

6. Combine cooked meat and Kare-kare sauce. 

7. In a separate pot, blanched all veggies one by one. Do not over cook!

8. Arrange dish, place beef, pour the sauce and garnish with your fresh blanched veggies on top! 

9. Serve hot with your favorite bagoong on the side!

I DO NOT NORMALLY MEASURE MY INGREDIENTS, BUT I STILL HOPE THAT THIS RECIPE WILL GUIDE YOU ALL THE WAY!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of mushroom soup has been a favorite of mine since we were kids (my siblings and me) or even most of us here.... Of course, when we were growing up, it was just the Campbell’s Mushroom Soup we normally cook. And later on during younger years, still on Campbell's, I discovered that it was so much better If I added milk instead of water, and how important it was to slowly add the milk while stirring so it will not form clumps.

Even up to this day, I still love mushroom soup, and so happy that I just make it from scratch using lots of fresh mushrooms, shallots, chicken stock and cream. 

I will be more happy to share my knowledge and let you feel proud that you can make your own Mushroom soup out from fresh ingredients! 

Here are some on my list!

FRESH (Only fresh) Shiitake Mushrooms or Portobello Mushroom (better)

Heavy Cream

Butter

Chicken Stock

Shallots
Fresh Ground Pepper

1. Heat pan, add butter, saute onions and mushrooms. Let the butter coat the mushrooms and set aside.

2. Boil Chicken stock.

3. Using a blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Then return to the pot. (If the soup is too thick for you, add some water or more stock to thin the soup to your desired level thickness.)
4. Combine blended mushrooms, stock, salt and pepper to taste and whisk in heavy cream. Mix thoroughly to prevent clumps.

5. Serve hot and enjoy your soup!

You might find out later on that the taste of the mushroom is too strong? Add some chicken stock or keep some puree mushrooms in the freezer without the cream so you can cook it again in your next batch!

You may add garlic while sauteing your mushrooms, but it depends. it will kick some flavor out of your fresh mushrooms!

Portobello mushroom is tastier than other mushrooms, the flavor is more intense. if you have extra budget to buy these.... Why not???!!!!

I AM NOT INTO MEASURING INGREDIENTS. BUT STILL, I HOPE THIS RECIPE HELPS!