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.