Tag: Food

The Binondo “Wok”ing Tour

Possibly, no definitely the best way to see Manila “on foot” as their leaflet suggests and I completely agree.  It’s literally experiencing Binondo or Chinatown one bite at a time.

I am of Chinese descent but I don’t really know my way around Chinatown.  My parents would occasionally take us there for lunch or dinner when we were growing up but really, I am clueless as to their whereabouts.

An “old-time” favorite of the family

Binondo is like a maze, although the street names are all very familiar, I have no sense of where they are in relation to each other.  Leave me there and I am helpless.

I grew up with home cooked Chinese food.  Not the stuff that you eat in “Cantonese-style” Chinese restaurants in the metro, but simple home cooked meals that really is more everyday stuff to me than “Chinese”.

So taking this tour was somewhat nostalgic and enlightening.  We journeyed through old and new adventures.  There were food that I grew up with and there are those I encountered for the first time.  The places we walked through were likewise familiar, yet unfamiliar.

Binondo Today and Yesterday

Ivan showing the group a “grandma” slipper that is almost in the brink of deletion.

Our gracious host, Ivan Man Dy met us at the Binondo Church located across the Plaza Calderon dela Barca along Quentin Paredes St.

It is today a well-known landmark in Chinatown.  Because the saint once served there as an altar boy, it is also known as Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz.

At the Plaza across the church, we talked briefly about how the early Hokkien (Fookien) immigrants arrived from Fujian province in China during the Spanish rule and the time when Binondo was the main center of business and finance in Manila with mainly the Chinese, Chinese mestizos, and Spanish Filipinos anchoring the bustling banking and financial community many decades ago.

Today, the community is still vibrant as ever and continues to keep alive its heritage.

Café Mezzanine

After a brief reminder of our history, we walked over to a café above Eng Bee Tin where we were served a bowl of “kiampung”, which literally translates to salty rice.

This rice dish is a mixture of pork, chicken, dried shrimps, mushrooms and peanuts mixed together in soy sauce and topped with caramelized and spring onions – a simple dish that reminded me of my childhood, my grandmother, actually.  Opened and run by a group of volunteer firemen headed by Gerry Chua, all of its proceeds go to the Binondo and Paco Volunteer Fire Search and Rescue Brigade.  So if you find yourself in the area, head on to Café Mezzanine and eat up a storm, every bite you take is a contribution to a noble cause.  Located at the corner of Ongpin and Yuchengco (former Nueva St) Sts., it opens its doors at 7am and closes at 10pm.

Dong Bei Restaurant

Fried Kutchay Pancake

We then walked over to a hole in a wall that serves perhaps the best dumplings in town.

At the storefront (as you enter) there will be someone making fresh dumplings by hand for everyone to see.

Owned by new immigrants Ivan calls “bagong salta” (new arrivals) from Northern China, they serve prominent dishes from that region.

Heavenly with the sauce!

The steamed Kutchay dumpling is a blend of minced pork, kutchay and fresh shrimps – juicy pork dumpling flavored with kutchay and fresh crisp shrimp adding another dimension to the taste of the dumpling.  This is truly a wonderful blend of flavors and is heavenly with the soy-vinegar sauce.   I loved it so much, I bought some frozen ones to savor more of it at home.  Heard that they also make a mean dish of hand-made noodle with Soybean sauce.  Must get myself back there to try it.

Fried Siopao

Another favorite and a first for me is fried siopao from a small take-out stall along Benevidez St. Yes folks, this siopao is not steamed but pan-fried.  This might be the best tasting siopao I had ever tasted in my life.  Not the typical asado filling, this is more like bola-bola siopao but much more tastier.   Definitely a must-try.

Aside from the siopao, I also bought to munch some sugar sprinkled bicho-bicho (Chinese crullers).  This was a favorite and truly a blast from my past!

There’s more and best to experience it first hand.  The Big Binondo Food Wok.  Go book a tour today.  And oh… make sure you’re hungry.

Posted on by Jenn 4

My take on Kalbijim

A and I love Korean beef stew or Kalbijim as they call it in Korea.  For some reason – with all the delectable authentic Korean dishes we had during our 4 days stay – Kalbijim was surprisingly not part of the menu.  Don’t ask me why, it’s a mystery to me as it may be to you.  So in the spirit of my visit to Korea and missing out on the authentic taste of this wonderful tasting beef stew, I’ve decided one evening to look up a recipe and reminisce the taste of Korea just one more time.

Korean Beef Stew

  • 1 Kilo short ribs or beef flank
  • 4 slices ginger
  • 2 tsps. garlic, chopped
  • 1 pc. onion, sliced
  • ¼ tsp. chili powder
  • 2 tbsps. brown sugar
  • 6 tbsps. Kikkoman Soy Sauce
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 1 pc. carrot, cubed
  • 2 pcs. raddish, cubed
  • 1 tbsp. Manjo Mirin
  • 1 tbsp. sesame oil
  • sesame seeds, toasted
  • leeks

Here’s what you do:

  • Boil beef in 3 cups water seasoned with salt and pepper for 30 minutes.  Set aside.
  • Saute ginger, garlic, onion, chili powder.  Add sugar and beef.  Make sure to cook until slightly brown.
  • Pour soy sauce and beef stock.  Cook until beef is tender.
  • Add carrots, raddish, mirin, sesame oil.  Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and leeks.

I had some mushrooms so I threw that in which explains the inclusion in the photo.  Totally optional, just wanted to use up the remaining mushrooms I had and add more veggies onto the dish.  If you want a truly authentic beef stew, omit the mushrooms.

Posted on by Jenn 5

Maa Shee Saw Yo (Delicious!)

Credits:  Kitschy Digitals – You Are Awesome Kit Plain and Yellow Houndstooth papers; JSprague Awesome Scallop tag

Twenty years ago, Korea to me meant underground shopping where overruns of well-known brands abound.

Itaewon

Today, these so-called underground shops albeit scarce still exists but no longer rule my interest.  More than lovely sceneries (which I only discovered on this trip), it’s the cuisine that got me fired up.  Korean food ranked high on my list of favorites ever since I stepped foot on their soil some twenty years ago.  The proliferation of Korean restos in my neck of the woods nurtured that fondness.  Lucky for us, we had great Korean hosts and night after night, we were treated with authentic Korean cuisine and more. And contrary to some reports, Koreans are very courteous people.   🙂

Some of my favorite dishes came to life and once again, I got to taste it from its source.

Bibimbap

Rice, meat, vegetables, an egg and chili paste.  Mixed together and I’m in heaven.  What I love best about this is the crusty rice at the bottom.  So better make sure that it is served in a hot stone bowl.

Chapchae

Usually served as a side dish in Korea but I can have it as a main dish anytime.  It can truly make my day.

Galbi Gui

The first time I tried this was in a small restaurant in Itaewon and I’ve never looked back.  A must have in every Korean dinners.  It is short ribs marinated in Korean Soy Sauce, garlic and sugar and then grilled, usually at the table.   Typically served with lettuce, which is used to wrap the beef in.  The hot bean paste called ssamjang sealed the deal for me.

Kimchi

Funny how I sometimes crave for this when it wasn’t love at first taste…  nope, not at all!  It actually took a while for me to even like this stuff.  But what is Korean food without kimchi?

A Colorful Platter of 9 ingredients in Thin Crepe

This was interesting and a first encounter.  The platter came with thinly sliced fresh and pickled vegetables and mushrooms.  Gather a few of each and wrap with the crepe.  Maa shee saw yo!

It was a great trip to Korea even if it was actually work (and a bit of play).  The food capped it all, as usual.

Posted on by Jenn 3

Roasted Veggies!

I’ve been stuffing myself with way too much meat lately.  So, last night I scrounged through my ref and put together a medley of veggies that will soon waste away from neglect.  I cut up a piece each of zucchini, carrot, onion, and some breakfast sausages – just for flavor.

I sprinkled on to the veggies a small amount of rub, which I got when I was in Healdsburg a couple of years ago, coated it with a bit of olive oil, and popped into the oven to roast till veggies caramelized.

Turned out quite well, if I may say so.  As the label suggests, it is best with pork or lamb but it surprisingly is very good with grilled or roast veggies too.  The sweetness of the veggies combined well with the herbs and spice blend.

Luckily, this all-purpose rub is sometimes available at Chelsea.  Would you believe I went crazy when I recently caught sight of it and bought one of each variant they had? Heehee!

Posted on by Jenn 3

Orange You Glad?

Credits:  Typed letter paper from JSprague’s Thank Ya Kindly kit; Brush from J Crowley’s Beautiful Evidence.

That’s one in a series of vinaigrettes that came out in the market of late.  One thing I love about salads aside from the healthiness it accords one’s body is the ease of preparation.  Packed washed salad greens are plentiful in the groceries with so many varieties to choose from nowadays.  And although I like making my own dressings, sometimes ready-made dressings are a blessing especially if all you want to do, after a long day’s work, is to plop on the couch and have Ellen Degeneres liven up your evening.  So yes, orange you glad there are washed salad greens just waiting to be eaten or served, yummy ready-made dressings to perk up your salad and of course, the frozen chili I made a few weeks ago, apportioned and ready to be heated anytime you feel like it?  Yes, I am glad to have these on lazy nights such as tonight.   😀

Posted on by Jenn 2

My Very First Chili con Carne

I love food and cooking has always fascinated me.  But cook I seldom do.  I can come up with a good number of reasons why but that would just be justifying.  Admittedly, it has been a while since I endeavored to cook something new and exciting, let alone raved about it.  I attempted to start several years ago and failed miserably.  The sorry number of posts listed on my “culinary endeavors” category is proof of that.  But that will hopefully change soon.  Yeah, I have resolved to cook one new dish a month.   Pretty doable, right?  Who says you can’t start a resolution mid-year?

So I flipped through my cookbooks that were collecting dust, wandered through some of my favorite blogs and stumbled on this.  I love Chili con Carne but A (I found out) is not too crazy about it.  Yikes!  He gave the thumbs up though, but maybe that was just to cheer me on.  Hee hee!   😛

I was enticed to try this because of the many versions that can be made depending on one’s preference.  It’s a recipe that I can own.  A good first attempt, don’t you think?  Here’s the recipe I ended up with.

Baked Chili Con Carne

  • ½ kilo ground beef
  • 1 cup diced onions
  • 3 chopped garlic cloves
  • 1 cup corn kernel
  • 1 16 oz.  canned kidney beans
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp. ground cumin
  • ½ bottle of dark brown beer
  • 2 14 oz. cans diced or crushed tomatoes with liquid
  • salt
  • pepper
  • dash of cayenne pepper

For Garnish:

  • shredded cheese (I used cheddar & mozzarella)
  • 2 eggs

Here’s what you do:

  • Brown the beef in a large pot.  Remove. Set aside, drain the fats.
  • Add around 2tbsp. canola oil to the pot and cook the vegetables until soft.  Add the beef back and then the seasonings.
  • Add the beans, tomatoes, and beer.  Then add salt & pepper to taste.  Adjust seasonings if needed.  Let simmer, partially covered, for an hour.  Stir every 20 minutes.
  • Transfer to a baking dish, crack the eggs and top with cheese.
  • Bake in 180˚ C until the egg white is set.

I would have loved to try it with chocolate, which goes well with chili, but A is not a big fan of spicy hot dishes so I decided against it.  This one turned out well.  With a little inspiration here, I added eggs and truth to tell, I think this was what won A’s  approval.

Posted on by Jenn 3