Watercress Pork Soup

After a long week's work, my friends and I would hit the local market tucked in the middle of the city. Local produce and products plus stalls of edible foods that one can eat on the spot or take home. We cam across a stall that sold watercress. VT animated how she and her siblings love the soup her mother cooks using this peppery vegetable with pork. So I excitedly buy a bundle which actually was priced to high, for my taste.

So I followed the recipe and it was a big hit with everyone at home. I tried looking over the net other recipes and discovered different ways of preparing the dish. Having learned of it's medicinal properties (contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid; good source of Vit. C, iodine), this one is a keeper.

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Winter in Seattle calls for something warm and comforting and this soup is the best remedy that brings back the comforts of friends and family from home.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of pork spare ribs (1 lb of pork neck and 1 lb pork shoulder)
1 - 2 bunch of watercress, cleaned and tough stems removed
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsps. ginger, sliced
1-2 liters of water
salt or fish sauce
1 tbsp. oil

In a soup pot, place 1 tbsp. oil and sear the pork pieces in all sides until there is no sign of pinkish color. Pour water covering the pork and let it simmer. Do not let it boil and once the scrum forms on top, remove it with a spoon until you have a clear broth. Season the broth with salt or fish sauce according to your taste. Add the ginger and garlic and let the soup simmer until it becomes fork tender. If the pork is not yet tender, add more water and adjust seasoning.
Add the watercress and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. (I prefer the watercress wilted and the soup has a light greenish coloring. The soup would be slightly peppery to the taste.)
Serves 4-5.

Note: Other vegetables could be added such as carrots, potatoes, yams or mushrooms. Pork can be substituted with fish fillet, chicken, fish balls, clams or mussels.

Honey Ginger Pork with Noodles

I have been quiet and in hiding again for the longest time - almost a year.
Things have been busy with moving from one place to another, getting re-adjusted with the environment and trying to find friends and comfort zone. Now that I am back home to where everything began, I can write again. Of course, in the span that I have been gone, I have tried a number of recipes which deserves sharing... I will of course in due time write everything down else I may forget. Besides, this beats bringing along tons of cooking books and magazines for reference. :)

So allow me to start with this sweet, gingery tender pork with taste rice noodles. I am now challenging myself to use the opened bottles/cans of sauces or what not that have been ignored in the refrigerator. So for this challenge, I had to use the sweet soy sauce. It turned out pretty good thanks to a recipe came across online. Of course, I didn't follow everything to the letter. So here is my version:

2 tbsps. honey
1 1/2 cm piece ginger, peeled and minced or grated
4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup kecap manis or sweet soy sauce
500g pork fillet, trimmed, sliced into 1/8" wide strips
4 tbsps. canola
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1 large chayote, peeled and sliced into 1/4" wide sticks, blanched.
250 grams rice noodles (in this case, I used bihon)

Marinate pork strips in honey, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and kecap manis for atleast 4 hours. (I prefer to marinate it overnight to have a more flavorful meat).
In a wok, place 2 tbsps. oil and stir fry the marinated pork. Reserve the marinade and set this aside. Stir for about 3 minutes until the pork is seared through.  (If you are not sure if the pork is cooked, add about 1/2 cup water and let it simmer with a cover. Let the liquid dry up.) Set this aside once done.
Pour remaining oil in the wok and add in onions, bell pepper, marinade and noodles. Add enough water to cook the noodles through. Mix in the pork and chayote. Serve hot.

Pork can be replaced with chicken or beef.

Another Baked Macaroni

I guess we are just fanatics for baked macaroni so I made with what was available in the kitchen. It came out pretty well - a Filipino-style sauce which mom likes.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo (1 lb.) lean pork, ground
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup onion, minced
1/3 cup green and red bell pepper, minced
1 kg tomato sauce
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsps. sugar
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup milk
500 grams elbow noodles, cooked
1/2 to 1 cup grated cheese
2 tbsps. parsley, chopped

In a sauce pan, saute meat on medium heat until everything is brown. Keep sauteing until the meat is dried out of its juices. Set aside. Add 2 tbsps. olive oil and saute onions, bell pepper and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add in the meat and continue to stir until the ingredients are well blended. Add the soy sauce, salt and black pepper. Pour the tomato sauce and stir until it boils. Reduce the heat and add the sugar and chili pepper and bay leaf. Simmer the sauce for about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally to avoid the bottom from sticking and burning. Adjust the seasonings based on your taste then add milk to make a creamier sauce. Simmer for additional 3 minutes then turn heat off. Let the sauce cool and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator to allow the spices to marry together with the sauce.
Cook noodles and drain. Mix the noodles with the meat sauce. Pour into a baking dish and top with the grated cheese. Sprinkle the parsley and bake at 350F for 5-8 minutes until the cheese melts and tops slightly turns brown.

Recollections - Humba

Mom and I were trying to reminisce the old times and the conversation ended up with how Grandma and Tita was able to cook really well. One of these dishes was Humba - a sweet and salty concoction for pork belly or pata mixed with banana blossoms. So this is the recipe version that I tried with adjustments that passed our taste buds. It was nothing close to my aunt's but it is a working progress :)

Ingredients:
1 k. pork liempo (belly), cut into big cubes
1/2 head garlic, crushed
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp. muscovado sugar
2 pcs. bay leaf
1 star anise
1 tsp. peppercorns, crushed
salt
1/2 cup banana blossoms 

Sear the pork pieces until all sides are brown in a thick sauce pan. Add garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, bay leaf, anise and peppercorns. Add water enough to cover the meat and bring to a boil. Remove all scum that rises, add more water if necessary. Set to medium heat and simmer until pork becomes tender for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. When pork skin turns to gelatine like texture, adjust the saltiness and sweetness according to taste. Add the blossoms. Set heat to low and continue to simmer until all the liquid has evaporated and pork start to render fat. Now cook the pork on its own fat until brown on low heat stirring occasionally to avoid burning the bottom.
Serve over hot rice.

Sweet and Sour Pork

I am trying to think of what to cook this weekend and decided to try this recipe out. I know when we were growing up as kids, this was one of the dishes my mom and helpers prepare. My sister and I never liked it as a child because of the pineapple chunks. Of course, growing up made me over come this. But I don't think my sister ever did. (^-^)

1/2 lb. pork
1 egg yolk (or the whole egg beaten)
7 tbsp. and 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1 small bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic, chopped
3 tbsps. sugar
4 tbsps. water
2 tbsps. pineapple juice
2 tbsps. white vinegar
2 tbsps. ketchup
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix the 3 tbsps. sugar, 3 tbsps. water, 2 tbsps. pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Cut the meat into 2/3" cubes and slightly tenderize meat. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Mix meat with egg yolk, 1 tbsp. cornstarch and soy sauce. Dredge meat in 6 tbsps. cornstarch then deep fry the meat for 3 minutes. Remove from the oil and reheat the oil until very hot but not smoking. Refry the pork for 30 seconds. Remove and drain out excess oil and set aside.

Heat the wok with 1 tbsp. oil. Stir-fry the bell pepper and add 1 tbsp. water. Remove and drain. Add 3 tbsps. oil; stir-fry garlic until fragrant. Add the onions and pineapple; stir-fry briefly then add the sugar mixture. When the mixture begins to boil, add 1 tbsp. water mixed with 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch. Add the fried meat and toss lightly.

Notes: Pork may be substituted with beef or chicken or a combination of meats. The pineapple may be substituted with fresh tomato or bite-size pieces of carrot. If using fresh tomato, omit the 2 tbsps. pineapple juice and increase the white vinegar to 3 tbsps.

Chicken and Pork with Sweet Soy Sauce

With the challenge of what to cook next that I haven't tried, mom suggested that I try this recipe. I am not sure if she has even tried it though. And so, the verdict? I wasn't really a fan of it. There was something missing and I couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe you can let me know where I went wrong (".")



1/2 half chicken (about 1/2 kilo), cut into pieces
1/4 kilo pork, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tbsps. garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
3 potatoes, peeled and sliced
salt and pepper to taste
bunch of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Saute chicken and pork over medium heat until the outer is brown. Add the garlic and onion and continue to stir until the onion is translucent and the garlic is tender. Pour sweet soy sauce and mix until the meats are coated. Add 1 cup water or broth and the potatoes. Let it simmer until the meats are tender and the potatoes are cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Add more liquid if necessary. Continue to simmer until the sauce has evaporated leaving about 1/4 cup. Remove from the fire and transfer in a serving dish. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Notes: Sweet soy sauce may be bought in Asian stores or on the international or Asian isles of the grocery.

Broiled Pork Belly

Mom loves lechon kawali and we would prepare this on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, or days when she wants to just treat herself. Unfortunately, as the years go by, she can't indulge on too much pork pleasures for health reasons. As we would remind her, preventive measures are better than just letting our indulges get in the way :). So this made me want to try the broiling approach over deep frying. So far, with my first attempt the skin came out cripy, the meat tender and moist. Taste wise, everyone liked it except for mom. She really doesn't care for spices like five spice power, which I used for this recipe. They think the marinade would be good on chicken too. Maybe will try this and let you know.

Ingredients:
1 kilo pork belly (with skin on, bones removed and with a thin layer of fat)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2-3 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. light soy sauce
a pinch of black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. five spice powder
2 tbsp. spicy brown mustard

Dry the pork well and pierce the skin mulitple times until the whole skin is full of holes or score the skin to be able to make sure the pork dries faster and it would easily crisp. Puncture parts of the meat to allow the marinade to get through the meat. Rub 1 tsp. salt on the skin of the pork.
Mix the rest of the ingredients well and rub on the flesh side of the pork. Avoid rubbing on the sides of the pork to avoid from burning. Air dry the pork for 8 hours or until overnight.
Preset the broiler to 200C and set the pork with skin side up. Line the broiler with a pan with water to catch the drippings and for easy cleaning afterwards. The skin will start to brown and "bubble". Broil for 10 minutes. Adjust the temperature to 190C and continue to broil for 1 hour. Let the meat rest for 10 - 15 minutes and slice into 1x1 1/2 inch. Serve this with hot rice.

The next time I will try broiling pork belly, I will try to remove the marinade and season the pork with just salt and pepper. My mom would perfer this one in my opinion.

Baked Spareribs

On a special day, this would make everyone at home run to the table to get their fare share. I know there are alot of other baked spareribs on the net and in cookbooks that maybe better than mine and for sure you would have your own version with strings of followers. I just want to share ours and would appreciate if you have other opinions or suggestions to further improve this :D

Ingredients:

1 kilo pork spareribs
1 cup honey or brown sugar
1/2 cup worchestershire sauce
2/3 cup vinegar
1 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce or 1/2 cup chili powder*
1 cup tomato catsup
4 tbsp. prepared yellow mustard
4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed

Procedure:

Marinate spareribs for 2-3 hours or overnight. Boil ribs until tender in moderate fire. Be sure the sauce won't dry or be to little for basting. Transfer into a baking dish and bake for a few minutes. Serves 4-5 persons.

Pork in Tomato, Potato and Carrots

I am currently far away from home and I miss the familar surroundings specially the kitchen. When mom called, she began sharing a recipe that I should try. I did and would like to share it with you. It is almost similar to Afritada/Mechado in my opinion and was easy to prepare. I will just call this Pork in Tomato, Potato and Carrots.

Ingredients:
1/4 - 1/3 kilo pork, sliced into 1/4th-inch cubes (lomo or kasim)
2- 2 1/2 tbsps minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped onions
5-6 pieces Roma tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
3-4 tbps soy sauce
ground black pepper
1 cup peeled and chopped potatoes
1/3 cup peeled and sliced carrots
1/8 cup sliced leeks
1 tbsp. sugar

Marinate the pork in 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and ground pepper according to taste for 4 hours. Saute garlic, onions and tomatoes in a hot pan with about 1 tbsp of oil. Saute until the tomatoes are tender. Add the marinated pork, reserving the marinade sauce. Saute well until all sides of the pork are brown and no longer pink. Add the remaining marinade and enough water to cook the meat until fork tender. Add the potatoes and carrots and adjust the taste by using the remaining 1 tbsp soy sauce, ground pepper and sugar. Once the meat and vegetables are tender but not soggy, add in the sliced leeks. Serves 3-4.

Notes:
The leeks may be substituted with 1/3 cup sliced bell peppers. If a more rich tomato taste is desired, tomato paste may be added.

Estofado Experiment

Whenever there are celebrations at my co-worker's place, her mom would prepare Estofado. I have asked her how her every time how her mom prepares the tasty dish. It's sauce is thick and you could distinctly taste the liver and beef. Though my co-worker's mom palette is on the salty side, it is a dish you would look forward to eating on a daily basis. :)

When she gave me the instructions on how to make it, my mom revised the whole recipe thus the taste was not the same. It had no liver taste and the color was bright red than dark brown. The sauce was thick as well. Mom added vegetables to the recipe.

Let me share with you my mom's version of the Estofado she made. (How much I wanted to replicate the original recipe, I didn't dare interfere with her while she was in the kitchen.)

1 kilo pork, cut into cubes, about 2x2 inches
1/2 of the small can of liver spread
pineapple juice
1/2 of 250g box cheese, grated
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
1 250g tomato sauce
1 bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
salt and pepper for seasoning
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large carrots, cubed

Marinate pork cubes in liver spread, pineapple juice, cheese and soy sauce for at least 1 hour. Make sure that pork is submerged in the pineapple juice. Saute garlic and onions. Add the marinated pork plus the marinate sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes then add tomato sauce. Continue to simmer until the pork is tender stirring occasionally. Add the pepper, pickle relish to the pork. Season with salt and pepper to taste then simmer for another 3 minutes.