Tuna Hot Pandesal

I was rummaging through old recipe index cards that I collected over the years from every possible source I got my hands on. I was thinking of an easy breakfast dish to prepare which ended up as a snack today. It was good in my opinion because the olives gave the usual tuna spread a twist on the taste :D. I told my brother to heat the whole thing in the toaster oven. He said, "No need, it will be good as is." I guess it was since he finished his snack.
Pandesal (small buns) was a substitute to the original recipe that required hot dog buns. First I didn't had any in the pantry. Second, I was preparing this as a snack.

Ingredients:

1 can tuna flakes, drained
5-6 pcs. pitted olives, minced
1 onion, minced
2 - 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/3 cup to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup quick melt cheese, sliced into cubes
salt to taste
10 hot dog buns or 15-20 pcs. pandesal

In a bowl, mix tuna, olives, onions, cheese and mayonnaise. Add eggs and salt to taste. Place about 1 1/2 tbsps. of the mixture in the hotdog buns or about 1 tbsp. for pandesal. Place on a cookie sheet and wrap with foil. Toaste for about 8 minutes to 10 minutes in 300F or until the bread is heated or cheese has slightly melted. Serve.

Notes: Depending on the preference, onions may be white or red. The white ones give a sweeter taste while the red ones are more stronger. I personally omitted the salt since I used tuna flakes in brine.

Chicken in Green Curry

Chicken curry is one of my favorite dish mom would make. When I came across a recipe from a magazine that required green curry paste, I thought of giving it a shot and try something different. This version didn't require potatoes or carrots. It used bell peppers and fresh basil leaves. I thought of throwing some eggplants along the way. I didn't want it to waste and it would go well with the coconut milk.

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2 tbsps. cooking oil

2 eggplants, halved length-wise and sliced into 1" length

3 cups green beans, ends removed and halved cross-wise

1 medium onion, sliced

1 to 2 tbps. green curry paste, depending on how hot you want the dish to be

4 chicken breasts or 1 small chicken (about 800 grams), cut into pieces

1 1/2 cup coconut milk

1 to 1 1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup torn basil leaves

2 tbsps. dayap or lime juice

salt

Saute onion  in oil until soft. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring and scraping bottom to prevent from burning. Continue to stir paste for about 4 minutes until it darkens. Toss in the chicken and stir until the outer layer browns. Pour 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup coconut milk and let it simmer until the chicken is fork-tender and cooked. Add 1/2 cup of the broth and 1/2 of the remaining coconut milk if needed. Add in vegetables and let it simmer until the eggplant is cooked. Season with salt. Add basil leaves and dayap juice. Serve hot with rice. 

Korean Beef

My aunt, dad's elder sister, is one of the best cooks I have met. She practically taught most of my cousins, my siblings and me to cook specifically the art of baking. Every Christmas we would get one of her baked goodies which she passed down to us.

This recipe of Korean Beef was passed down to us when we couldn't get enough of it. She would prepare this dish on special occasions only. My family had to beg to get a copy of this recipe. Wonderful scents of sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, ginger and garlic stewing in a pot of soy sauce and chilli with cuts of beef brings my mouth watering (the whole family too) everytime I would cook this dish.

When I went to the States and cooked this recipe, my co-workers loved it that they claim the sauce is good enough to eat with rice. Thank you Tita for sharing this recipe.

1 kilo beef brisket

1st Step:

salt to taste
1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp. dried chilli
3 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 garlic head, minced

2 inches ginger, sliced

2nd Set

2 Tbsp. ground sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. sesame oil (opt)

1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp. toasted whole sesame seeds
sliced leeks

Procedure:

Stir fry beef in oil for 5 minutes.Add Step I ingredients and enough water to cover beef. Simmer for 1 hour.Add Step II. Continue to simmer until beef is tender. Add water when necessary.Adjust the taste by adding more sugar to sweeten, soy sauce for more taste.Turn off when sauce has been reduced to half. Serve with toasted whole sesame seeds and sliced leeks leaves.

Ginataang Langka

Who doesn't love jackfruit? But not everyone knows that the young fruit can be cooked and served as one of the main dishes. We prepared this with coconut milk and finger chillies. In the photo, paired this with pan-fried pork loin and hot rice.

300 grams young jackfruit, sliced, boiled until tender

coconut extract of 2 coconuts (separate the first and second extractions)

1 medium red onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

3 finger chillies (siling haba)

salt or fish sauce to taste

2 tbsps. cooking oil

Saute garlic and onions in medium heat until lightly transparent. Add the young jackfruit and stir for about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour in the second extraction of the coconut milk and season with salt or fish sauce. Let it simmer until the liquid has reduced in half. Add the first extract and let simmer until the sauce thickens.