Lumpiang Shanghai

 Lumpiang Shanghai

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground pork
• 1/2 cup green onions
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 cup onion
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 raw egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• Lumpia wrapper (Spring roll skin)

Cooking Procedure:

1. Mix all the ingredients with the pork starting with the onion, carrots, green onions, salt, soy sauce, ground pepper, and raw egg
2. Wrap the meat using the lumpia wrapper (for proper way, see video)
3. Fry the wrapped meat making sure that all the sides are cooked right
4. Serve with sweet and sour sauce (see sweet and sour sauce).

Sotanghon Guisado

Sotanghon Guisado Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb vermicelli noodles (sotanghon)
• 1 lb chicken
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorn
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup annatto water
• 2 to 3 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 cup onion leeks, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/2 cup carrots, julienned
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil

Watch the cooking video:

Cooking Procedure

1. Pour water in the cooking pot and apply heat.
2. When the water starts boiling, add celery, 3/4 cup diced onions, whole peppercorns, and chicken
3. Simmer for 40 to 60 minutes then turn off the heat and let cool.
4. Remove the meat from the chicken using your hands. Discard the bones and skin. Set aside.
5. Filter the liquid using a strainer and set aside. This will be the chicken broth.
6. Soak the noodles in water until it becomes soft.
7. Heat a clean wok or cooking pot and pour-in cooking oil.
8. When the oil is hot enough, sauté garlic and the remaining 3/4 cup diced onions.
9. Add-in chicken and cook for 2 minutes.
10. Pour-in annatto water and chicken broth then bring to a boil.
11. Stir-in the carrots and half of the chopped onion leeks. Cook for 3 minutes.
12. Add the noodles and fish sauce then cook for another 2 minutes.
13. Transfer to a serving plate and top with remaining onion leeks and place lemon or calamansi slices on the side.
14. Serve hot. Share and enjoy!

Chicken Macaroni Salad Filipino Style

Chicken Macaroni Salad Ingredients:

• 1/5 kilo macaroni noodles
• 2 to 3 pieces, medium sized carrots
• 1 big chicken breast
• 500 ml of mayonnaise
• 1 can (836 g) pineapple chunks or tidbits
• 1 big white onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
• 3 hardboiled eggs, diced
• 1 cup diced cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup raisins
• salt and pepper to taste

Macaroni Salad Cooking Instructions:

• Cook macaroni noodles according to package cooking instructions.
• In a pot, boil carrots in water for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked.
• Drain carrots and let cool. Peal skin then dice.
• Boil chicken breast in water with salt. Drain chicken breast, then shred in 1 inch lengths
• Drain pineapple chunks or tidbits.
• Combine all ingredients while adding salt and pepper, to taste.
• Refrigerate, then serve.

Igado, an Ilocano Dish

I have been craving for this dish for a long time since I saw a video on youtube. I Filipino Chef named Bitoy cooked this and it looked so good and healthy. So, I decided to make this dish as soon as I have the complete ingredients on hand. Here it is, my own version of Igado. We paired it with fried rice and oh! it was all so yummy! Try this, you might like it.

Anyway, I substituted the garbanzo beans with gold potato because I forgot that I didn't have the beans. Then, I added more vegetables like peas and carrots. I used pork liver instead of beef liver for it is milder than the beef. If you don't like liver, you can omit it; but I like mine with it because liver is rich in iron.

Jacob's Eight Birthday

It seems like yesterday since I gave birth to a beautiful preemie baby boy. Time flies so fast, my baby  boy is now seven turning eight year old in three this coming July. Not to mention that he would be in third grade this school year. Everyday he becomes more independent and smarter. Before we knew it, he would would feel like he wouldn't need us anymore, and that makes me feel sad thinking of it :-(. So, I better stop thinking about it and just enjoy every minute with him while we still can.

Anyway, talking back on his coming birthday, my husband and I are still torn between celebrating his birthday at home with my in- laws, and family friends, then have his coming baptism at church the next day. Knowing my in-laws, I don't think they'd like the idea of having more people at home. They prefer to make the event a family only celebration. And or, celebrating Jacob's birthday on his exact birth date with just family, and later on with family friends minus my in-laws. It is really hard to decide, but sooner or later we would need to choose between the two. The sooner the better, so we can start sending birthday invitations   to our friends and families and also Jacob's friends at school, church and in the neighborhood. This is going to be a big celebration since he would be baptized at LDS church. We are all excited for his baptism and birthday as well.

One more think to think about is whether I would cook the foods myself, or have it catered. It is very hard for me to do the cooking since I have been doing it every year. Maybe this year, we need to have the foods prepare by a caterer, otherwise I'd be very tired again this year. Oh well, I am sure my husband could really help me on this one.