Almondigas

Almondigas simply means meatballs or bola-bola in Tagalog, but the almondigas dish in Philippine cuisine has a vermicilli rice noodles or misua in it, its the distinguishing characteristic of almondigas Filipino style from other countries. 

Ingredients for 5 servings:
1/4 kilo ground beef
1/4 cup flour
1 onion (minced)
5 cups water
70 grams misua
3 cloves garlic
2 tomatoes
spring onion
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Mix very well the ground beef, flour, onion, salt and pepper, then get a portion from the mixturee and form into balls, then fry and set aside.
2.Saute the garlic and onion then add the tomatoes, simmer  until soften then add the water and bring to a boil. Add the almondigas (meatballs) then simmer for 3 minutes and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add the misua and simmer for 2 minutes or until done, turn off the heat then put the spring onion

4. Serve it hot.

Note: It is also okay if you just drop the almondigas into the soup without frying it.

Ampalaya with bola bola

I will not refuse bitter melon any time, because this vegetable stimulates digestion  which can be helpful in relieving indigestion and constipation problems. This is also good source of Niacin (vitamin B-3), Pantothenic acid (vit.B-5), Pyridoxine (vit.B-6) and minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium, manganese and magnesium. To those who do not like bitter melon, start eating this now :-).
Ingredients for 4 servings:
1/2 kilo bitter melon (ampalaya) sliced
3 cloves garlic
1/2 piece onion
2 beaten eggs
1/4 kilo ground pork ( made into small balls)
salt and pepper to taste

Bitter melon

Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the meatballs and simmer until cooked.
2. Increase the heat then add the bitter melon and stir until half cooked then add the beaten eggs and give a good stir, add salt and pepper to taste, then turn off the heat.
3. Serve it hot.

Rice Puto

The first puto that I've tasted when I was around 5 years old. Every weekends my older sisters and their bestfriends are always spending time at our house making this puto. That's why it became my favorite, I loved the sweetness and creamy taste in every bite.

Ingredients for 15 Puto:
2 cups rice flour ( giniling na bigas)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
Wilted banana leaves ( cut into circles enough to fit the molder with an overlapping allowance)

Procedure:
1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, then pour the coconut milk into it and mix well, until the batter is smooth in texture.

 2. Put the banana leaves into the molder properly then pour the batter around 3/4 full.

3.Steam for 30 minutes or until done.
4. Serve anytime you want it.

Refreshing Avocado and Milk

Cool yourself with this refreshing drink made from a delicious fruit, avocado. Loaded with ice and blended with the creamy taste of milk, nothing beats this. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 servings:
1 ripe avocado
2 cups evaporated milk
3 cups crushed ice or more
sugar to taste

Procedure:
1. Scrape the avocado meat and put in a jar then add the milk and sugar, mix well until sugar is fully dissolved.

2. Add the ice and allow few minutes for it to be melted, you can add more ice if you want.
3. Serve and enjoy.

Pancit Molo

A comfort food that originated from Molo district of Iloilo city. I learned this dish from my parents who are both Ilonggos. This Filipino noodle dumpling soup is really delicious yet very easy to prepare and this is how I like this soup, with pancit, you can click the link at the bottom for molo soup, I wrote there on how to make the dumplings. The original recipe do not have noodles, but my family like it this way, because we love pancit ( noodles).

Ingredients for 5 servings:
10 pieces molo (cooked)
1/2 kilo pancit ( blanched)
10 cups chicken broth or water
1/2 cup minced carrots
salt and pepper to taste
spring onion for garnishing

Procedure:
1. Saute garlic and onion then add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
2. Add carrots, salt and pepper to taste, just allow to simmer over very low heat so that when we pour the soup over the noodles it's really hot.
3. Divide the pancit into 5 serving bowls, put each bowl with molo and spring onion, then pour the soup.
4. Serve it hot.

You might also like this recipe
Molo Soup

Mely's Kitchen Puto Cheese

This puto cheese is a result of finding out a perfect batter for the puto, I think this one is very good, it's just perfect! I am talking about the batter, because I was not happy with the cheese that's available in my place. I hope you will try this recipe.

Ingredients for 15 medium size Puto:
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cup fresh milk
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon butter (soften)
cheddar cheese for toppings

Procedure:
1.Combine the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder then sift it.
2. In a mixing bowl combine together the sifted ingredients, butter. egg and milk then mix very well until the batter is smooth in texture.
3. Fill the puto molder with the batter around 3/4 full then top the cheese and steam for 20 minutes or until done.

4. Let cool before unmolding it then serve it with a smile :-).

Sunday Dinner February 2, 2014

Today is a very challenging cooking experience because at the middle of my cooking activity the gas tank was emptied, oh no!!!!! There is no LPG shop that is open during Sundays in my place, so it means we can not purchase a tank of gas, and there is no electric stove, so I used the oven and rice cooker to finish my cooking. So instead of pork adobo, it became a lechon, then I cooked the beef stew  in the rice cooker, I'm still thankful to God, I have finished my cooking on time.

The starter: 

The main course:

Rice

Lechon

Beef stew

Baked Lasagna

The Dessert:

Tapioca dessert

Ginataang Alimango ( Single Serving)

Alone and craving for crab. I was  too shy to tell the vendor that I only want 1 crab :D, but at last I was able to opened my mouth and yes! The vendor allowed mo to have just 1 crab. Thank you! I said to him smiling :-) .
If you want to cook or few persons, just adjust the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 crab ( cleaned )
1 tablespoon ginger strips
1/2 onion
1 cup pure coconut milk
some spring onion
salt to taste

Procedure:
1. In a pan put the crab, onion, ginger and salt then cover over medium heat, once the crab turned reddish, add the coconut milk and simmer until cooked.
2. Add the spring onion then serve it hot.

How to Cook Tapioca Pearls

I have received emails asking me how to cook tapioca pearls because when they cooked it, the result was not good.
So here is the simple and perfect way of cooking tapioca pearls.

We need:
1/2 kilo Tapioca pearls
3 litres water

uncooked tapioca

Procedure:
1 Put the water in a pot then bring to a boil.
2 When it is boiling, pour the tapioca  and stir very well to avoid it from sticking to each other.

3. Stir occasionally  while simmering until the tapioca pearls are all transparent, this means it's already cooked. Approximately 1 hour.

4. Turn off the heat, then drain and wash in running water.

This is now ready to be used for your recipes

Here are some Tapioca Recipes:
Tapioca Mango salad 
Tapioca Corn salad
Tapioca Mango Delight

Tapioca Mango Delight

I can not believe how delicious is this dessert. A must try recipe.

 Ingredients for 10 servings:
1/4 kilo Tapioca pearls ( cook the tapioca then drain)
1 1/2 cup condensed milk
1 cup Nestle cream or all purpose cream
1 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup water
3 mangoes

Cooked Tapioca Pearls

Procedure:
1 Remove the mango from its seed ( use only 1 piece of mango) then put into the blender together with the water, then blend until smooth.

2. Combine the cooked tapioca, blended mango, cream and milk then mix well, now use the remaining 2 mangoes by slicing it and put as a topping.
3. Refrigerate for few hours before serving.

Note: Just adjust the sweetness by adding more condensed milk or sugar, and you can add more mangoes if you want.

Pancit Canton With Shrimps

I did not put soy sauce for this recipe for health reasons, but it is still yummy and just the same taste of my favorite pancit canton, only lighter in color. I used instant pancit canton for this because I do not have a choice :(.

Ingredients:
2 packs instant pancit canton ( cooked and drained) do not include the flavoring.
200 grams shrimps
1 carrot
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup sliced cabbage
calery ( optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water

Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the shrimps and simmer for a minute.
2. Add water, salt and pepper then bring to a boil.
3 Add the carrot, celery and cabbage and give a good stir, simmer until tender, then add the pre-cooked pancit and mix thoroughly and turn off the heat.
4.. Serve it hot.

Fruit Salad Drink

This is a very refreshing drink with real fresh fruits, it's very easy to make instead o making your salad, add more liquid to it or a change and be refreshed,  since it's very hot in my place, it's better to have something to quench my thirst, ahhhhhh refreshing!

Ingredients 3-4 servings:
2 cups diced watermelon
1/2 piece avocado ( diced)
1 cup  diced gelatine ( optional) can be replaced with any fruit
1 cup Nestle cream or all purpose cream
2 cups evaporated milk
sugar to taste
3 cups crushed ice or ice cubes

Procedure:
1. Mix all the ingredients except the ice.
2. After mixing everything, add the ice then serve.

Pork and Chicken Adobo

I always love this adobo combo specially when my older brother was the one who cooked it, but now, the more I love my version :D :D. The chicken meat is tenderer than pork, therefore it is important to choose a tender pork so that it  will be cook evenly with the chicken, here is my simple way of cooking this.

Ingredients for 5 servings:
1/4 kilo chicken
1/4 kilo pork
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic

Procedure:
1. Marinate the pork and chicken with the soy sauce, salt and pepper.

2. Saute the garlic then add the marinated chicken and pork together with the marinade and simmer or 2 minutes.

3. Add the vinegar then cover, just allow to simmer over low heat to incorporate the flavor.
4. Stir constantly until fully cooked then serve it hot with rice and enjoy.

Ox Feet Adobo

If you love adobo you have to try this recipe, it is really delicious, the melting sensation of the skin when you bite it, is so satisfying and will make you crave for more, so eat in moderation :-).

Ingredients for 5 servings:
1 kilo ox feet ( paa ng baka) - boiled and already tender ( 20-30 minutes in a pressure cooker)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
4 cloves garlic
1 cup broth from the ox feet

Procedure:
1.Saute the garlic then add the cooked ox feet
2. Add the soy sauce and ground pepper then then simmer until the ox feet absorbed the soy sauce color, add the vinegar, cover and let simmer. Do not mix until the vinegar boils so that the texture of the meat will be nice and smooth.
3. Once boiling mix well, then add the broth and continue to simmer for 3 minutes then increase the heat to high, allowing the soup to simmer intensely until the consistency of the soup is thick like a sauce then turn off the heat.
4.Serve it hot.

Mely's Kitchen Siomai

I made this siomai with more vegetables for lower calories in every serving. It is still delicious even if it is not too meaty. Try it and let me know.

Ingredients:
1/4 kilo ground pork
15 siomai wrapper
1 onion ( minced)
5 cloves garlic ( minced)
2 carrots ( minced)
1 potato (minced)
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup minced spring onion
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
salt to taste


Procedure:
1. Set aside the wrapper, then mix all the ingredients very well.
2. Spoon a portion and put at the center o the wrapper and wrap it to well.

3 After wrapping, steam for 30 minutes or until done.

4. Serve and enjoy.