Chicken Lollipop

Chicken lollipop is a fun dish.  Kids and adults alike love this chicken dish.  Kids love chicken lollipop because it's just like fried chicken and, and we all know how kids love fried chicken.  Men like chicken lollipop as it is the perfect "pulutan" or accompaniment to beer.  Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.  Try this recipe of chicken lollipop which is a regular during reunions.

Ingredients :

1kg chicken, cut lollipop style (you can usually find this at the Magnolia Chicken Station)
cornstarch
Panko Japanese bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten, season with salt and pepper
oil for frying

Chicken Lollipop Marinade:

10 pcs calamansi (local lime)
salt and pepper

Procedure:

1.  Marinate chicken lollipops in chicken lollipop marinade for 3-4 hours.
2.  Coat the chicken lollipops in the following manner :
     -  Coat with cornstarch
     -  Dip in egg
     - Coat with bread crumbs
3.  Fry in hot oil. Make sure oil is hot so that chicken lollipops will be crispy.
4.  Serve hot with sauce.

Suggested sauces :

1.  Kikkoman soy sauce mixed with calamansi and a dash of Knorr seasoning sauce.
2.  Mayonnaise-mustard mixture.
3.  Sweet chilli sauce
4.  Good old tomato ketchup.

Pancit Bihon - The Filipino Favorite

I never fail to notice whenever I eat in Filipino restaurants with friends and family, the pancit bihon, if present on the menu, would always be ordered.  This Filipino pancit version is, I think, the most popular among Filipinos.  Although my preference would tend to lean more towards different pancit variations like the pancit malabon or pancit palabok, I am amazed at friends and acquaintances who never get tired of the pancit bihon.  Even in office and school cafeterias, the pancit bihon seems to be a regular merienda menu.  Pondering on this phenomena, I would thinkg that maybe it is because the pancit bihon rice noodle is flavorful in itself and adds a unique flavor to the pancit bihon that other Filipino noodle variations do not.  Maybe one of these days I will run a poll on which pancit Filipinos like to eat.  The pancit bihon is simple to make yet tastes very good and here is a simple home recipe.

Ingredients :

1 kg. pancit bihon
2 large carrots sliced
1 head cabbage, sliced
1/4 kg beans, sliced
1/4 kg chicken breast, sliced
1/4 kg shrimps, peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 onion, sliced
soy sauce to taste (around 3-4 tablespoons)
dash of fish sauce (patis) and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1.  Soak pancit bihon noodles in water until noodles are soft.  Drain.
2.  Saute garlic, onions in hot oil.
3.  Add in chicken breast slices and continue to saute until chicken changes color.
4.  Add in shrimps and saute until shrimps turn pink.
5.  Add in fish sauce (patis), cover pan and cook over low heat until simmering.
6.  Add in carrots and cook until carrots are half done.
7.  Add in cabbage and beans and cook until vegetables are half done, stirring continuously.
8.  Add in soy sauce.
9.  Add in the pancit bihon noodles and mix continuously until noodle and other condiments are blended well.
10.  Serve hot.

Chopsuey

The Chopsuey.  Healthy yet delicious.  The chopsuey, a mix of various vegetables, usually including cabbage, carrots, and bell peppers, is always a delight to see on our dinner tables.  The combination of lively colors of the vegetables makes is a delectable sight and stirs the appetite of anyone who sees it.  We usually cook chopsuey as an accompaniment to a meat dish, usually fried chicken or pork chops.  I like to cook the vegetables in chopsuey al dente to retain the nutrients and to give the chopsuey a crunchy texture.

Ingredients :

1 head cabbage, sliced into wedges

2 medium sized carrots, sliced

1 big bell pepper, red or green sliced into strips

2 pieces chayote sliced into wedges, the size of cabbage slices

1/4 kg chicken breast, diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 onion sliced

1 Knor chicken cube

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1.  Saute garlic and onions in oil.

2.  Add in chicken pieces and continue to saute until chicken changes in color.

3.  Add in chicken cube with 1/2 cup of water.

4.  When chicken cube is fully dissolved, add in the carrots and chayote.  Half cook.

5.  Add in cabbage and bell pepper and continue to cook until vegetables are al dente.

6.  Serve hot.

Longaniza with Sunny Side Up - The Classic Filipino Breakfast

I haven't eaten longaniza in a while as I was trying to cut down on my fat intake but this morning I just couldn't resist as this longaniza breakfast was served by our angels on our breakfast table.  Paired with sunny side up eggs, it was delicious.  I like my longaniza well-fried with the sugars of the sausage caramelizing on the outside.  With chilli laced vinegar on the side as dipping sauce it was perfect. I passed up on the garlic fried rice and just opted for plain rice to reduce my oil intake (and to minimize the guilt in this indulgence).    Another accompaniment we would sometimes have with the longaniza is fried dried fish (tuyo) which neutralizes the sweetness of the longaniza with its salty taste.   How's that for yin and yang balance.

Sweet and Juicy Pineapples

Pineapples.  One of the fruits that we really love (next to mangoes, of course).  And the Philippine pineapples are some of the best in the world.   We usually get our pineapple treat from Tagaytay, a mere hour and a half drive from Manila.  Tagaytay has the sweetest pineapples that I have tried.  But on days when we find ourselves craving for pineapples and we have no time to drive to Tagaytay, we usually get our fill with the Dole Tropical Gold pineapples available in most supermarkets in Metro Manila.  Dole has packaged their pineapples conveniently, sliced into wedges and ready to eat.  Very convenient for busy moms.  Try biting into the sweet, succulent pineapple wedges - just heaven.

Squash with Coconut Milk

Squash with coconut milk is a classic Filipino vegetable dish that I think every household has cooked at one time or another.  Usually some string beans is mixed together with the squash. My squash with coconut milk recipe has a rich and thick coconut based sauce that is achieved by mashing some of the squash while cooking.  I also add in some malunggay, both for its nutritional value and to add color to the dish.  This squash recipe is simple, nutritious and so good.

Ingredients :

1/2 squash, peeled and cubed
1 bunch stringbeans (sitao), sliced into 1 inch pieces
1/4 kg pork, cut into small cubes
1 bunch malunggay leaves
3 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 cup coconut milk, first extraction
1 cup coconut milk, second extraction
patis and pepper to taste

Procedure :

Have the coconut grated at the market or supermarket.  Extract milk by adding 1/2 cup hot water to the grated coconut . Set aside first extraction.  Add another 1/2 cup hot water to the grated coconut and get your 2nd extraction.

Heat cooking oil in pan and pan fry pork.  When pork is slightly brown, add in the garlic and the onions and saute.  Add in patis. Cover pan and let simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.  Add in squash and saute for about 2 minutes. Add in the coconut milk 2nd extraction. Cover and simmer over low heat until squash is fork tender.  Add in the coconut milk first extraction.  Take out about 1/3 of the squash and mash in a bowl.  Add in the string beans and cook and simmer until string beans are half cooked (string beans should not be overcooked to retain nutrients and the beans' fresh green color).  Add back the mashed squash and malunggay.   Simmer for a minute.  Serve hot.

Easy Recipe for Bangus Marinade

I am an avid fan of the bangus.  It's the only fish I can eat every week, sometimes twice a week without getting tired of it; specially if the bangus is the Dagupan type, full of belly fat and so delicious.  The bangus is so versatile, several fish recipes can be done with it - with sauce, as sinigang, grilled, fried.  Bangus is best when prepared simply - marinated and fried.  Here is an easy recipe for bangus marinade. My bangus marinade is a simple mixture of vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper.  I use lots of garlic for this fish recipe. The simplicity of the bangus marinade brings out the natural flavor of the bangus and this fish recipe has been tried and tested with my family and always elicits the thumbs up from them.  Marinate for at least 4 hours in this fish recipe to enable the bangus to absorb the flavors of the vinegar and garlic. Serve the fried bangus hot with dipping sauce of calamansi (local lime) or vinegar with chillies.  Ummm, soo-o good.