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.

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.

Simple But Delicious Filipino Food - Poque-poque

It was on a Filipino food discovery trip to Vigan and Laoag with my husband that we first tried this eggplant dish the locals there call poque-poque.  It's a simple all Pinoy dish basically made of just eggplants and scrambled eggs but it tastes so good.  I have tried to replicate the vegetable recipe for this wonderful Filipino food at home with success (got rave reviews from the family). And the thing is the dish is so good but is so simple to make. 

Ingredients :

4 medium eggplants

2 eggs beaten

1 clove garlic, mashed

1/2 onion, diced

2 medium sized tomatoes, diced

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 chicken broth cube

Pepper to taste

1. Grill the eggplants and peel off skin.  Slice the peeled eggplant into one-inch cubes (cubes do not have to be perfectly shaped).

2.  In a pan saute garlic, onion, tomatoes in oil.

3.  Add in chicken broth cube and 3-4 tbsp water.  Simmer until the chicken broth cube is completely dissolved.

4.  Add in the sliced eggplants and mix well together.

5.  Sprinkle with pepper.  Serve hot.