Bola-Bola with Upo and Carrots

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Bola-Bola with Upo and Carrots
(Serves 8 to 10 people)

For the meatballs: 

1 lb ground pok

1 lb ground beef

1/4 cup cornstarch 

3 to 4 scallions, minced

1 cup minced carrots

1 cup minced yellow onion

1 tbsp minced bottled garlic

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

For the soup:

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 cup shopped yellow onions

1 tbsp minced bottled garlic 

2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee chicken boullion

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 to 2 tbsp patis

Water

1 1/2 to 2 bundles of misua (fine flour vermicelli)

3 cups large chunk carrots

3 cups large chunk upo

2 large scallions, large sliced

Combine all ingredients of the meatballs together. Fry a little pice to taste the seasoning and adjust as needed. Roll into 2 inch balls (about 12 to 16) and put aside.

In a large pot, add tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Cook down the tomatoes, then add enough water to fill 3/4 of the pot. Season with bouillon, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and patis. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add carrots and the meatballs. Bring to a boil, then break the misua into pieces into the pot. Stir and cover. Let simmer another 5 minutes. 

Add the upo and the green on onions. Cover and turn the heat to medium. Let simmer until the upo is tender. Adjust taste as needed, then serve with rice.

Korean Spicy Tuna (Gochu Chamchi)

 

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Korean Spicy Tuna (Gochu Chamchi)
(Serves 3 to 4 people)

2 (150)gr can Korean Hot Pepper Tuna (Sajo or Dong Won brand)
1 large onion, chopped
3 to 4 Korean peppers, sliced
1 tsp minced bottled garlic
1  to 1.5 tbsp gochujang paste
1 tsp gochugaru powder, fine ground
2 green onions, sliced
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
Ground black pepper

Oil for cooking

In a medium pan, add 1 tbsp cooking oil over high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the peppers and cook for a couple more minutes. Stir in the gochujang and gochugaru. Stir fry until the all vegetables are coated. Add tuna, sugar, and green onions. Season with black pepper. Stir and cook for a few more minutes then add sesame oil. Stir to combine then taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve over rice with a crispy egg and shredded nori. Drizzle additional sesame oil, if desired.

Lots of room for mushrooms

I decided to try my hand again in making chicken with mushrooms. This time, instead of drumsticks, I went for some tasty chicken thighs and tweaked the recipe a little for a larger serving. I served this with parmesan garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed asparagus. Super happy with how this turned out and looking forward to adding this to the dinner rotation!

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Chicken with Mushroom Gravy

(Makes 6 servings)

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 lbs sliced baby portobello mushrooms

1/2 large onion, diced

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp flour

1 tsp chicken better than bouillon 

1 cup water

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp everything seasoning 

2 tbsp chopped italian parsley.

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Season chicken with 1 tbsp olive oil, thyme, everything seasoning, salt, and pepper. Let sit for five minutes to marinate.

Heat a large skillet and add olive oil to the pan. Once hot, add the chicken and brown on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. 

Add the onions, garlic, and half the mushrooms to the pan. Cook the mushrooms until most of the moisture is gone. Add the remaining mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the mushrooms down again until they start to brown. Sprinkle the flour and cook for another two to three minutes.

Add the water and stir, making sure to get the sides. Add the bouillon and parsley and season as needed. If the sauce is too thick, add additional water.

Return the chicken to the pan and let cook for another 5 minutes until the the sauce has thickened. Turn the chicken in the sauce to coat before serving.

Dad's Crab Torta

 

One of my favorite breakfast foods is a Filipino fritter called tortang talons (eggplant fritter). It's typically eaten with rice and a side of tomatoes a dollop of sweet (or spicy) banana ketchup on the side.

When I visited the parents last time, we had some steamed Dungeness crab the night prior and had some leftover. To my delight, Dad turned the leftover crab into a wonderful breakfast treat! Here's the recipe for my Dad's crab torta!

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Crab Torta with Potatoes and Onions

(Makes 4 to 5 fritters)

2 cup chopped Dungeness crab

1 cup potato, diced

1 cup onion, diced

2 green onion, chopped

4 eggs

3 tbsp tapioca starch

3 tbsp water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fry potato until slightly  softened. Add onion, season with salt & pepper until potato is browned. Remove from heat and mix with crab. Add eggs and mix. 

In a separate bowl, combine water and tapioca starch. Add 3 tbsp of the tapioca mixture to the batter and mix. Add more to taste, if needed. Discard any unused tapioca mixture. Season with additional  salt and pepper, as needed.

Heat pan with oil. Scoop mixture to make 5 inch omelets. Cook each side until golden brown or until inside is no longer runny. Serve with banana ketchup and rice. 

Chicken and Pork Adobo with Sitaw

 

Sometimes I find it hard to eat a lot of Filipino food. Most dishes are meat-heavy and I constantly find myself finding ways to add lots of vegetables to my dishes, if I can. So typically, the Filipino dishes I make are slightly non-traditional that my Mom always finds weird, lol.

One such staple that we always have is adobo...warm, comforting, vinegary, and peppery. My favorite version of adobo is the sitaw or long bean while my sister's is the traditional pork and chicken.  In order to compromise, we decided to marry the two! Is it weird? Nah...I feel like this dish just makes sense. :)

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Chicken and Pork Adobo with Sitaw (Long Beans)

(Makes 8 to 10 servings)

3 to 4 lbs of chicken, pork or combination

2 tbsp minced bottled black garlic

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 large onion, sliced

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp packed brown sugar 

3 to 5 whole bay leaves

2 buches green or white sitaw (long beans), end trimmed and cut to 2-inches

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Optional: 1 pkg of coconut cream powder

Season and toss meat with 1 tbsp garlic, salt, and pepper. In a large hot pan, heat oil until very hot on high. Add meat to pan and sear. Add onions and cook until just softened. 

In a bowl, mix soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar, and remaining garlic. Add coconut powder here, if adding. Stir well. Add to pan and reduce heat to medium. Cover and let vinegar cook off, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Once mixture boils, add sitaw to pot. Submerge in liquid and cover. Let cook, covered for 45 minutes. Uncover and reduce liquid by 1/4 or until meat is tender.

Thai Coconut Chicken Curry

I love a good curry! There's just something about a nice, rich gravy, flavorful meat, and a good mix of veggies over rice that's  so comforting. 

I normally cook a lot of Japanese or Indian curries but not any Thai.  Not sure if it's  just lack of ingredients or if I just don't think about it, but Thai doesn't  come immediately to mind. Since I don't cook that cuisine that much, i decided to stock my pantry with some staples like lemongrass powder and a Thai curry paste. 

For tonight's dinner, I wanted to something fairly quick. I found a couple of recipes that I decided to combine and tweak and the results were amazing! Definitely a keeper!

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Thai Coconut Chicken Curry

(Slightly adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen and Salt & Lavender)

2 medium onions or 1 large onion, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

8 chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces

1/2 tsp lemon grass powder, divided

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp minced black garlic or regular garlic

2 tbsp Maesri brand Thai red curry paste

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 to 2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 (13.5 fluid ounces) can full-fat coconut milk or cream

1 cup carrot chips, chopped

1 cup green beans, chopped to 1 in

1 red bell pepper, sliced to 1 in

1 tsp lime juice, or to taste

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 bunch spinach

1 small handful fresh cilantro, chopped

1 small handful fresh basil, chopped

2 stalks scallions, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

In a large saute pan over high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the chicken and season with salt, pepper, and 1/4 tsp lemongrass powder. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

Increase heat to high and add remaining 1 tbsp oil. When the pan is hot, add onions and a pinch of salt, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until onions begin to soften and brown, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, turmeric, curry powder, and curry paste until onions are coated.

Add tomatoes and cook until just soft. Add the remaining vegetables and saute until just tender.

Add the fish sauce, coconut milk, and brown sugar. Let it come to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened (add water as needed, if too thick).

Add the chicken back to the pan then add garlic powder and remaining 1/4 tsp lemongrass powder. Stir in lime juice and spinach then cook a few more minutes to soften the spinach. Adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.

Finish the curry by adding the cilantro, basil, and scallions just before serving. 

Soondae Bokkeum, a tasty korean dish!

I love Soondae.  Soondae is a Korean blood sausage that's composed of noodles, blood, and a bit of pork. The taste ranges from slightly metallic to a bold blood flavor. I like it in between. 

The first time I had it, it was stir-fried with cabbage, gochujang, and carrots (called Soondae Bokkeum) and served with a steaming bowl of rice and kimchee on the side at the Durebak Restaurant located in HMart. Let me tell you, it was super simple but oh, SO good at the same time!

Ever since, I've been trying to make my own version of the dish. Some recipes called for adding dangmyeon (sweet potato starch noodles) or ramen, and some added tteok (Korean rice cakes). Some added both! After some trial and error, I've finally come across a recipe from Future Dish that compares to the first time I had it, yay! I added a few more veggies to it, doubled the sauce, subbed some ingredients to what i had on hand. All in all, a good recipe if tried as is. 

Here's my slightly adapted version of the recipe, enjoy!

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Spicy Korean Soondae Bokkeum

(Slightly adapted from Future Dish)

(1) 500 gram package of Soondae

1 whole Onion, sliced

1/4 head of Green Cabbage, roughly chopped or julienned

1/2 a whole Carrot, sliced or julienned

1/2 Red bell pepper, sliced

Handful of snow peas, chopped

2 chives or green onion, chopped

6 to 8 Perilla Leaves, julienned

4 Tablespoons of Gochujang (pepper paste)

2 Tablespoons of Gochugaru (pepper flakes)

4 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon of Sugar

2 Tablespoon of Rice Syrup or Honey

2 Tablespoon of Maesil (Korean plum extract) or Mirin

2 Tablespoon of Minced Garlic

2 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil, Perilla Oil, or combination of both

2 Tablespoon of Sesame Seeds

Few Shakes of Black Pepper

Few Shakes of Perilla Seeds Powder for garnish (optional)

Prep Soondae:

Bring a pot of water up to boil. Don't take the Soondae out the plastic package. Add it directly into the boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat. Give it another 5 minutes to simply sit in the water and steam. 

Carefully take the Soondae out of the package. Let it cool down. Then use a knife and cut into small bite-sized pieces. Sample one - it's ok to eat by itself and a dab of salt. 

Make Sauce:

Take out a mixing bowl and thoroughly mix: Gochugaru (4T), Gochujang (2T), Soy Sauce (4T), Sugar (1T), Honey (2T), Maesil (2T), Minced Garlic (2T), Sesame Oil (2T), Sesame Seeds (2T), Black Pepper (few shakes). 

Make Soondae Bokkeum:

Place frying pan on a medium-high heat. Once its hot, place in some oil. Then add in the cabbage, onions, and carrots. Cook for a few minutes then add bell pepper and snow peas. Stir-fry until the cabbage and onions turn soft. It should take about 4-5 minutes. 

Once cabbage turns translucent and soft, add in the sundae. Then add in all of the spicy marinade sauce. And reduce your heat to a medium-low (!) Then stir-fry everything and get it nicely coated. If it's a little dry, add a few tablespoons of water if you want it a little saucey. After 1-2 minutes, turn off heat. Add on some of the sliced perilla leaves for color. You can also sprinkle-on some perilla seeds powder (if you have it). Give it one final stir and plate. 

Garnish with the rest of the sliced perilla leaves on top.

Spicy Honey Glazed Carrots

It's been a while since I've had a chance to make my family a nice meal. Usually it's just something super quick or some kind of takeout. This time I decided to take my time and roasted some chicken, glazed some Brussels sprouts, mashed some potatoes, then tried a new carrot recipe.

Since I had a bunch of carrots, I wanted to do something that was relatively easy that didn't  require a lot of prep. This recipe turned out pretty decent. I may cut back on the honey but overall it was pretty tasty! Definitely wouldn't mind trying this again!

                                     

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Spicy Honey Roasted Carrots

(from The Endless Meal)

1 tablespoon butter or oil

3 tablespoons honey

¼ teaspoon each: sea salt and pepper

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more if you like heat

2 lbs. carrots, about 12 medium, cut into 2-inch lengths

Minced chives, to garnish

Turn your oven on to 425 degrees.

Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet (see notes) over medium-high heat. Add the honey, salt, pepper, and cayenne and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and toss to coat in the sauce.

Place the carrots in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. If you'd like some dark spots on your carrots, broil for the last 2-3 minutes. Be careful as they burn quickly.

Remove the pan from the oven and continue to cook the carrots for 2 minutes over medium-high heat on your stovetop to caramelize the honey. Once the sauce just barely starts to darken, remove the pan from the heat.

Sprinkle with some minced chives and serve.

Chicken Pasta Salad

Sometimes I like to have a quick lunch. No fuss, something to just scoop on a plate and be done with. That's when a nice pasta salad comes in! I like mine with a nice amount of veggies with a bit of sweetness and tang. Hope you enjoy this salad as much as I did!

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Chicken Pasta Salad 

(Makes 12 servings)

Dresssing:

1.5 cup Duke's mayonnaise

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp sweet relish

1 tsp dill relish

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp everything seasoning 

Salad:

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast 

1 box Cavatappi pasta, cooked al dente

3 ribs celery, chopped

1 medium red onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 

1 cup broccoli, chopped into small florets 

1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup matchstick carrots 

Mix dressing and adjust to where you want it (should be savory, slightly tangy, a little sweet). Combine salad ingredients together then add dressing. Mix well and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

sloppy veggies.

 

My husband likes simple foods so sometimes our meals consist of homey casseroles and quick dishes. I like fancier plates so even the humble sloppy joe gets a little something something added to the meat! I mean, who doesn't like a fancy sandwich?

As I've never really grown up eating this particular dish, I went and googled a few recipes until I found one that I really liked. I loved the idea of adding loads of vegetables in the meat. Thankfully this was husband approved and is part of our regular rotation.

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Very Veggie Sloppy Joes
(adapted from Simply Delicious)

2.5lbs ground beef

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 large leeks, washed and finely chopped*

3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped*

2 celery spears, finely chopped

1 can mushrooms, drained, chopped

1 tbsp minced bottled garlic

1 tsp minced black garlic (optional)

1 1/2 tbsp Chili powder

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika 

1 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp cloves

1 tsp yellow mustard

2 tins chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 small can tomato paste

1 8oz can Tomato sauce

1 tsp beef bullion

salt & pepper to taste

*For even more veggies:

Substitute 1 leek and 1 carrot for: 1 zucchini, 1/2 bell peppers, 1/4 cup of Italian parsley.

soft kaiser rolls or onion hamburger buns, toasted

grated cheese

finely chopped lettuce (optional)

Fry the onion, leeks, carrots and celery until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. 

Add the mushrooms and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes before adding the spices and ground beef.  Cook until beef has browned then add tomatoes and tomato paste. 

Allow to simmer for 5 minutes then add beef stock and sugar.

Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes covered.

If the sauce looks very watery, remove the lid from the pot and turn up the heat. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes uncovered until the sauce has reduced slightly. Season to taste.

Serve the mince on the toasted bread with some grated cheese.