Pinakbet with Pork Recipe

Pinakbet is a popular dish in the northern region of the Philippines, Ilocos. It has become famous in other regions as well and each has its own version be it in the choice of vegetables, seasoning or meat.

This pinakbet with pork recipe is a kapampangan recipe which I inherited from my mother. I’m really glad to be able to cook this dish because it is one of my most favorite home cooked foods back home. Other versions of pinakbet recipes uses shrimps (which is the original Ilocano recipe) and fried/grilled fish. Both are delightful in their own distinct flavors. I’ve used pork in this recipe because of its unique flavor that goes really well with the veggies, especially when the pork is slightly crispy-fried.


Pinakbet with Pork Recipe

Here are the ingredients for my Pinakbet with Pork recipe:

¼ kilo pork belly, cut into small pieces
½ kilo squash, cut one inch square
2 pieces medium-size eggplants, sliced ½ inch thick diagonally
1 piece bitter gourd or ampalaya, seeded and sliced ½ inch thick
10 pieces okra, removed ends and cut in two
3 pieces large tomatoes, roughly sliced
½ head garlic, crushed or minced
1 piece large onion, sliced
4 tablespoons bagoongisda or alamang (shrimp paste)
1-2 cups water
3 tablespoons canola oil
Salt to taste (if needed)

Cooking Procedure:
1. In a large cooking pan, boil pork belly in 1/2 cup water until water evaporates. This process will make the pork tender.
2. As soon as the pork starts to sizzle, add canola oil to help the pork cook fast and crispy.
3. When the pork reaches the desired crispy state, remove from the pan and set aside.
4. In the same pan, remove excess fat, sauté garlic and onion until translucent. .
5. Sauté tomatoes. Cook until the skins have wilted.
6. Add in pork and squash. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
7. Add bagoong or alamang. Cook for a couple of minutes.
8. Add all remaining ingredients.
9. Cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the vegetables.
10. Serve with steamed rice!

Penne Tuna Creamy Pasta Recipe

This penne tuna creamy pasta recipe is one of the yummy recipes that my hubby makes.

When I arrived in the UAE on New Year’s Eve of 2008, I discovered that my then fiancée was famous for his creamy pasta dish. His friends were all praises of him and they beamingly call him as the “pasta master”. Friends can really be so supportive right? He can only cook one of the many sauces of pasta then he becomes the master! I couldn’t disagree with his friends because his creamy pasta is certainly delicious! A lot of friends have asked for the recipe and are proud of their own creation as well.

Hubby originally makes the creamy pasta with penne. He would also use flat pasta strands like tagliatelli, linguini or fetuccini, which I like better than penne. And, the flat pasta strands is what he usually brings to work as a treat to our colleagues. Last Thursday, as our contribution to our CEO’s surprise birthday party, he’d gone back using the old preference penne pasta for a change.



Here’s the recipe for this yummy Creamy Tuna Penne Pasta recipe.

Ingredients:
1 kg penne pasta
4 cans tuna in oil
2 cans sliced mushrooms
750ml evaporated milk
750ml thick cream
5 onions, minced
half bulb garlic, minced
salt
pepper
olive oil or canola oil



Cooking Procedure:
1. Cook penne in salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes, or according to packet instructions, until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan.
3. Cook minced onion until translucent.
4. Add garlic and stir-fry for 5 minutes on low heat. Be careful not to brown the garlic.
5. Add tuna followed by mushrooms. Cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add milk and cream. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Check penne if done. Drain well and set aside.
8. As soon as the sauce is done, toss penne immediately and cover it well with the sauce.

Enjoy!

Nilagang Baboy (Pork Stew) Recipe

Nilagang baboy is a comfort food which is perfect during winter season. I grew up celebrating most Christmas with it because my mother would cook it for Christmas meal. I thought to prepare it as the temperature is now starting to drop here in the Middle East. In a few weeks, the long, dry and hot months will be gone.

This nilagang baboy recipe, which is a Kapampangan recipe, is a pork stew that is quite simple to make. It only involves one step of cooking that is boiling all ingredients by gradually adding them according to the required cooking time of each ingredient. For me, the trick to making a very tasty nilagang baboy is to use lots of different vegetables and make sure that the pork is tender. The pork and vegetables simmered together in a considerable amount of time will create a really tasty soup. All the minerals and vitamins from the vegetables will blend with the pork broth very nicely and one will be surprise at how the soup will taste healthy.


Nilagang Baboy (Pork Stew)

Here is my nilagang baboy recipe:

Ingredients:
1 kilo pork belly, sliced into chunks
1 small size cabbage, quartered and remove outer leaves and the hard part in the middle
100 grams green beans
2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced in big chunks
1-2 bunches spring onions, clean well, cut from its roots and remove unwanted outer leaves
1 large white onion, quartered
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1-2 liters water
Salt to taste

Optional ingredients:
1 medium size white radish, peeled and sliced into 2 inches long
1 bunch pechay leaves
2-3 pieces saba banana, peeled

Cooking Procedure:
Place pork belly in a large pot and cover with water. Let it boil then simmer for 30 minutes over low fire. Check the stew from time to time. Remove scum or filmy white layer of impurities being formed on the surface of the water. Add white onions, potatoes and peppercorn. Season with salt. When the potatoes are fork tender, add remaining ingredients and let it simmer until all vegetables are cooked. Add more salt if desired. Serve hot!

Spring Egg Omelette Recipe

We can always have fun with our egg omelettes by adding one or more other ingredients to it like vegetables or meat.

I am quite proud to this Spring Egg Omelette recipe because I was able to use the left over vegetables and created a vibrant egg omelette. The crunchiness of carrots added to the exciting texture. While the seasoning effect of the spring onions made it lighter to the taste compared to the usual sliced onions I am adding to my omelette.

I am not good though in flipping the omelette to retain it whole when cooking. Almost all the time it turns to be like small sheets of several omelettes just like in the photo. I’m not worried though because it doesn’t affect the taste :).


Spring Egg Omelette

Here’s my Spring Egg Omelette Recipe:

Ingredients:
4 eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt
1 small bundle spring onion, roughly sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 & 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 pinch ground pepper (optional)

Cooking Procedure:
Pre-heat the pan. In a low fire, melt the butter in the pan. Be careful not to burn the butter. Sauté diced carrots until it turn bright orange in color. Add spring onion and sauté briefly. Pour in beaten eggs. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side. Serve with your favourite bread.

Must-try Sandwich at Charley’s Grilled Subs

Philly Steak Deluxe

We indulge to burgers and sandwiches at fast food chains once in a while. We thought that the newly opened Charley’s Grilled Subs at Al Wahda Mall is worth a try. We were right. This American food chain is a heartening alternative to a typical fast food sandwiches outlet, which usually serves sandwiches made of processed or deli meats. The Philly Cheesesteaks, which consists of sliced beef steaks, grilled onions and mozzarella cheese, is simply delicious and fresh-tasting. It is even made healthier with the Philly Steak Deluxe option, which is basically the same as the Philly Cheesesteaks with additional vegetables such as mushrooms and green peppers. It also comes with gourmet fries and a cup of soft drink when ordered as a gourmet combo meal.

The Philly Cheesesteaks made me remember my short stay in Taiwan back in early 2000. I and my friends used to go to a Starbucks outlet to grab a pita sandwich with beef slices filling. The pita sandwich is only offered in select Starbucks outlets. It was my favorite sandwich at the time. I never found anything like it until Philly cheesesteaks, that’s why I’m really happy to have discovered this must-try sandwich.