Crispy Tawilis




One market day, I chanced upon someone selling tawilis. And because I have some good food memories of feasting on crispy tawilis in Mahogany Market in Tagaytay, I tried to recreate the dish. It turned out to be not that crunchy (but crunchy nonetheless) so I'm guessing that the ones being sold in Mahogany Market are twice fried.

Wok Inn

I used to frequent this restaurant way back in the mid-90's. My australian boss, J, was the one who introduced me to this resto which was a few minutes walk from "our" hotel. She invited me to join her for dinner when I happen to stay up late in the office. I remember that that dinner was the very first treat that I received from a boss.

So it's a bit nostalgic to eat there again, this time with my family in-tow. I'm so glad that the original branch in Malate is still open and nothing change much in the interiors.


Vegetables in oyster sauce

Steak MD

This has a cult-following when it comes to steak lovers who are after a value-for-money steak.

Catfish or Hito

I love this fish especially if its fried and crunchy. Then best if paired with seaweed salad (lato or arosep). This fish is readily available in the grocery and in Farmer's Market, Baclaran Market and in Dampa, Macapagal. For other small markets like the one near our place, it is only available during weekends.

This fish is also popular in the resorts since it also tastes good when grilled. For some, there's also the preference for Thai Catfish Salad ;)

Savory Escolta

This chinese restaurant is already an institution in downtown Manila and it most noted for their "savory" chicken.

RECIPE: TKG's Seafood Paella

This is my version of Seafood Paella. Lots of shrimp, and scallops or squid.




Ingredients:

Sticky rice, 3 cups
Shrimps, 1/2 kilo
Squid, 200 grams, cut into rings
Scallop, 200 grams
Ripe tomatoes, 4-5 pcs
Saffron
Garlic
Chives
Black pepper
Salt
Lime

Choco Chips Cookies, Vigan Longganisa, Soya Milk and Old Family Picture

Not necessarily in order but the title is related to one another nonetheless. The Vigan Longganisa is my own creation though I still have to perfect it because it gets crumbly when being cooked but it tastes great! The Soya Milk is daughter's pasalubong to her favorite (my Aunt!) ate L. The Choco Chips came from ate L's pantry. As for the Old Family Picture, she saw it in their old baul yesterday. She told me that she saw an old family picture of our clan taken around 1950's. I said that that must be the same picture that we saw hanging in the old ancestral house in the province though the family seem to have lost it. She said she'll give it to me. Yes, yes! The Aunts and Lola and Lelang (maybe.. Lelang was great-grandmother) wore traditional Filipino clothes while the Uncles, my Tatay and Lolo wore barong.. ooops! Except Tito O because he's wearing something different. So while daughter is munching cookies, ate L and I exchanged stories from long ago. It's really weird because I dreamt of ate L yesterday and in my dream, she is telling me that she is cleaning the other bedroom and that it is there. Of course I can't decipher my dream yesterday and it is only when I talked to her on the phone this evening and upon mentioning the old family picture that my dream suddenly became real. Oh!

Pili Tarts

Whenever we have some balikbayan relatives or friends, we always order a box or two or five of these delicious pili tarts. And it is hand-delivered all the way from Bicol. Yumyum!

Kare-Kare Night

Yummy! I used pork sinigang cut and lots of pechay and sitaw. Hubby and daughter loved it- they should! Otherwise they'll get hungry if they don't like the way I cook. We all had third helpings. Then there's dessert, Arce's Mantecado Ice Cream. But let's talk about the kare-kare first. I let the meat boil for about and hour and a half (the water contains a clove of garlic) before I added Mama Cita's Kare-Kare mix. Let ot boil again for another fifteen minutes before adding the sitaw and the pechay. And of course, you have to season it with salt and pepper.

Other notable kare-kare that i've tasted came from the kitchen of Tita Baby and Ate Annie (Resti's sister). I also like the kare-kare in Barrio Fiesta but not in Aristocrat.

Next time I cook kare-kare, I plan to try it with ox tripe though I guess I have to use pressure cooker.

Ciao!

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza




Brooklyn's White Pizza tops my list of current faves. Though I hate to admit that after eating your third slice, your tongue will feel pain due to cheese. But hey, it's still pizza and I'm loving it.
Another fave is CPK White Cheese with Spinach and Bacon. It's yummy but pricey too!
NYPD is another fave and I like it better than CPK ;-)

Fazoli's and Sicilian's pizzas are also okay though you really have to go further than the usual (my usual) route to get there.

I've been dreaming of my own gourmet pizza products soon!

Did I mention daughter loves pizza also? This is our comfort food. I remember feeling sick 2 days ago and hubby and Isabel bought me pizza from Pizza Hut. Its the Cheesy-Bacon thingy which tastes so nice specially if it's really hot. The not-so-secret of its cheesiness is---- Cheesewiz!

Chips, Chips and More Chips

My Top 5 faves:

1. Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar
2. Jack and Jill Potato Chips
3. Pringles
4. Lays Salt and Vinegar
5. Clover

Ruffles and Sour Cream Cheddar. I discovered this treat during a dutyfree spree years ago and I still haven't tire of it since then. I like eating it cold so I put it in the refrigerator for about an hour before I eat it. Eating it cold fools the tongue and tastes less salty than it actually is.

Jack & Jill Potato Chips. Comfort chips from my childhood days. I remember sneaking in some packs whenever I accompany my mother to the grocery store. I was the best when it comes to sneaking items in the grocery cart that its always too late for my mother to take it out of the cart when she is about to pay. Also, we used potato chips as a vegetable salad toppings during college- I forgot which class! Hubby also loves to buy this for me as pasalubong.

Pringles. I have fond memories of Pringles when I was in the elementary grade. My father brought home a big box of Pringles from the office and I fell in love with it. So in love that I even collect the cans. I remember hiding some pink Easter Egg candies and totally forgetting all about it. It ended up hidden for about a year before we threw them out. Kinda off topic but that's how I grew to love Pringles :-)

Lays Salt & Vinegar. This is not always available so it doesn't go up my list. But this is really yummy in terms of saltiness and sourness!

Clover. Cheese, cheese and cheese. The only problem I encounter with Clover Chips is that one's fingers tends to be orange-y after eating a small pack. My daughter loves this also--- she gets to eat chips maybe 1-2 every 2 months!

RECIPE: TKG's Turbo Baked Bangus Fillet in Red Wine Marinade

After the Christmas festivities, with all the good food overflowing, not to mention the weight gain (*sigh*), I'm back in the kitchen with a vengeance! The object of desire- bangus fillet. Also, the red wine is a New Year's Eve leftover. I don't really love red wines except that this one comes in a nice bottle so we bought it anyway. And as everyone in my family knows, frying is my waterloo and I don't want to waste good fish. We love bangus fillet at home and since yaya is on vacay, I have to feed the family. It's a good thing that I have my trusted turbo nearby. I marinated the bangus fillets in red wine and added some spices and cooked it in the turbo until it's brown enough. I added some steamed beans as side dish and sinandomeng rice. Yummy!