Mushroom Sotanghon Soup with Meatballs

Filipino Style Recipe: Mushroom and Sotanghon Soup with Meatballs is another easy and mouth-watering soup dish that usually during rainy season. The dish is consist of sotanghon noodles boiled in pork soup together with mushrooms and meatballs.

Ingredients:
2 packs sotanghon noodles
100 grams oyster mushrooms, torn into 2-3 pieces
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pork bouillon
fish sauce or salt and ground pepper to taste
3/4 litre of water
2 tablespoons chopped spring onion (optional)

Meatballs:
300 grams ground pork
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 raw egg
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
1 teaspoon soy sauce(optional)
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce(optional)

Procedures:
Part 1(Skip this procedure if you are using premade meatballs from the market)
1. In a bowl, combine all the meatballs ingredients and mix thoroughly.
2. Scoop and form the mixture into 1 tablespoons ball shaped.
3. In a frying pan, heat oil and deep fry until light brown. Drain and set aside.

Part 2
1. In a bowl, soak sotanghon in water until soft then cut into desired length. Set aside.

Part 3
1. In a pot, heat oil and saute garlic, onion and mushroom.
2. Add water and bring to boil then add pork bouillon.
3. Add meatballs and simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Season with fish sauce and ground pepper according to taste.
5. Add sotanghon noodles then simmer for another 2 minutes.
6. Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with spring onion then serve immediately.

Puto Ube

Filipino Style Recipe: Puto Ube is another variety of popular Filipino steamed mini rice cake. It is often eaten for breakfast served with hot coffee or sometimes during meryenda (mid-afternoon snack). Some like to eat it with dinuguan “a pork blood stew”.

Ingredients:
340g plain flour
250g white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder

125ml evaporated milk
250ml water
2 raw eggs
250g butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon ube flavour
1/8 teaspoon violet food powder(optional)
cheddar cheese for toppings, cut into thin slices

Procedures:
Part 1
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.

Part 2
2. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients then sift.
3. Pour in the water and evaporated milk and stir well. Mix in the eggs, ube flavour, violet food powder and butter. Do not over mix.

Part 3
1. In a steamer, boil water then wrap the over with a towel.
2. Grease mini muffin pans then pour the mixture into molds 3/4 full. Top with cheese.
3. Steam over medium heat for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
4. Let it cool slightly before removing from the muffin pans.

Pinakbet with Chicharon

Filipino Style Recipe: Pinakbet or Pakbet with Chicharon (crispy pork rind) is a tasty vegetable dish consisting of different fresh vegetables, pork, and shrimp paste. One of my favorite when it comes to vegetables dishes as long as not overcooked.

Ingredients:
1/4 kilo pork belly, cut into small cubes
1 small pack chickaron (crispy pork rind), crushed
1/4 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 squash, chopped into 2×1 inch cubes
1 large eggplant, cut in halves and sliced diagonally
1 bunch string beans(sitaw), cut in 2-inch length
6 pieces okra, cut diagonally
1 medium-sized bitter melon(ampalaya), cut in half seeded and slice diagonally
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 piece onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, sliced in strips
3 large tomato, diced
4 tablespoon shrimp paste(bagoong alamang)
1 cup of water
3 tablespoon cooking oil
salt, sugar and pepper to balance the taste

Procedures:
1. In a pan, heat cooking oil over medium heat.
2. Saute the garlic, ginger, onion and tomato
3. Add the pork and cook for about 5-8 minutes or until color turns light brown.
4. Put-in the shrimp and shrimp paste and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add water and increase the heat to bring it to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until pork is tender
6. Add the squash and cook for another 5-8 minutes or until texture becomes soft
7. Add in all the remaining vegetables, mix with the other ingredients.
8. Simmer for 5 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked.(Do not overcook the vegetables)
9. Transfer to serving plate then sprinkle with crushed chicharon. Serve with rice. Share and Enjoy!

Crispy Pork Sinigang

Filipino Style Recipe: Crispy Pork Sinigang is another variety of Filipino tamarind soup. This dish has a sour taste best to serve during rainy and cold season.

Ingredients:
3/4 kilo pork belly
1 cup flour
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
8 pieces tamarind(sampalok) or 1 pack sampaloc mix
1 big-sized onion, chopped
3 medium-sized tomatoes, quartered
2 medium-sized taro(gabi), peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 bundle of string beans(sitaw), cut into 2 inches long
1 bundle of river spinach(kangkong leaves)
3 pieces green pepper(siling haba)
salt and fish Sauce(patis)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 liters water
oil for frying
3 pieces okra, trimmed(optional)
1 radish, sliced(optional)

Procedures:
Part 1
1. In a pot, boil pork belly with salt for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and reserved the broth.

Part 2
1. In a bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper then mix well. Set aside.
2. Prepare beaten eggs and breadcrumbs into a separate bowls. Set aside.
3. Dredge the meat into flour mixture then shake off to remove excess flour.
4. Dip in beaten eggs and press into bread crumbs to coat all sides.

Part 3
1. In a pan, heat oil then deep fry coated meat until light brown.
2. Drain on paper towel then cut into serving pieces. Set aside.

Part 4
1. In a pot, boil tamarind in 1.5 cups water, pound and strain the juice. Set aside.

Part 5
1. In a large casserole, pour pork broth, onion, tomatoes then bring to boil.
2. Add tamarind juice then bring to boil. Add gabi then simmer until tender.
3. Add radish, okra, green pepper, and string beans then simmer for another 5 minutes.
4. Adjust seasoning with fish sauce then add crispy pork and kangkong.
5. Turn off the heat then let it sit for 1-2 minutes or until kangkong is cooked.
6. Transfer to serving bowl then serve hot with steamed rice.

Crispy Pork Kilawin

Filipino Style Recipe: Crispy pork kilawin is another popular spicy and sour appetizer that usually served as finger food(pulutan). Normally the pork meat(usually cheek and ears) comes boiled and grilled then chop into small pieces. Mix well with onions, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and pepper.

Estimated time of preparation: 10 minutes
Estimated time of cooking: 30-40 minutes
Good for 5-7 servings

Ingredients:
1 kilo pork meat(combination of cheek, ear and snout)
2 big red onions, chopped
2 thumb-sized gingers, minced(optional)
3 hot chili(siling labuyo), chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 pieces green chili(siling haba), slice diagonally
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Procedures:
Part 1
1. In a pot, Pour water, pork and salt. Bring to boil for 30-40 minutes or until soft and tender.
2. Drain and grill over hot charcoal until browned and crisp.
3. Let it cool then chopped into small pieces.

Part 2
1. In a large bowl, place chopped pork and other ingredients. Toss to combine.
2. Serve! best for pulutan.

Mushroom and Tomato Pasta

Filipino Style Recipe: Mushroom and Tomato Pasta is an easy and simple pasta dish consist of linguine pasta and a creamy white sauce with mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese.

Ingredients:
250 grams linguine
2 tablespoon butter
5 cloves garlic, miced
5 pieces tomatoes, chopped
1 cups oyster mushroom, torn into 2-3 pieces
1 pack (250 ml) all purpose cream
1 piece chicken bullion dissolved in 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Parmesan or Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried basil flakes (optional)

Procedures:
Part 1
1. Cook pasta according to package instruction. Drain.
2. Sprinkle with oil to avoid from sticking and set aside.

Part 2
1. In a pan over medium heat, saute garlic in butter until translucent.
2. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and the juices comes out.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the all purpose cream and chicken broth, reduce heat and let it simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced and the sauce is a bit thickened.
5. Add the cheese and season with salt and pepper.
6. Scoop the sauce over pasta, top with cheese and basil.

Pork Adobo with Sweet Pea Beans

Filipino Style Recipe: Pork Adobo with Sweet Pea Beans is another variety of Filipino pork adobo, we just add sweet pea beans (sitsaro) which gives a contrast color and crunchy texture.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo pork, cut in serving pieces
150 grams sweet pea beans, trimmed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
6 gloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon peppercorns
2-3 pieces bay leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste
1 cup water

Procedures:
Part 1
1. In a pot, combine pork, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and soy sauce. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Part 2
1. Simmer in a low heat for 40 minutes or until pork is tender. Add more water if necessary.
2. Pour vinegar and simmer for another 10 minutes then season with salt and sugar according to taste.
3. Simmer until the sauce thickens then add sweet pea beans.
4. cook for another 3 minutes then remove from heat.
5. Transfer to serving bowl then serve with steamed rice.

Grilled Garlic Squid

Filipino Style Recipe: Grilled Garlic Squid a simple yet delicious dish that doesn’t require much ingredients. The squid marinated, grilled and cooked in soy sauce, lemon juice, soda, pepper and garlic. Avoid to overcook the squid because it will become rubbery texture and tough.

Ingredients:
1 kilo medium-sized fresh squid
1 cup soda (sprite or 7-up)
1/4 cup light soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grind pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil

Procedures:
Part 1
1. To clean the squid, pull the head and remove the plastic-like cartilage.
2. Then push the head in, popping out the hard “beak” and discard it.
3. Wash the squid very well under running water.

Part 2.
1. In a bowl, combine squid and all the ingredients then marinate for at least 1 hour.

Part 3
1. Grill the squid for 3 minutes, use the marinade sauce for basting. Set aside.

Part 4
1. In a pan, simmer marinade until the sauce reduced.
2. Add squid then stir cook for another minute.(Don’t overcooked, squid will become tough).
3. Transfer to serving bowl then serve. Enjoy!

Puto Leche

Filipino Style Recipe: A Philippine favorite meryenda (mid-afternoon snack) made of puto bread with leche flan.

Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour or all purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon yellow food color

Leche Flan:
4 egg yolks
1 big can (300 grams) condensed milk
2 teaspoon lemon juice

Procedures:
Part 1 (Leche Flan)
1. In a bowl, combine mixture then whisk until well blended.
2. Grease moulds then pour leche flan mixture 1/2 inch full.
3. Place into steamer then cover with cheesecloth, steam over low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from steamer and let it cool.

Part 2 (Puto)
1. In a separate bowl, combine wet mixture until blended
2. In another bowl, combine wet mixture until blended
3. Combine both mixture then add food color. Mix until no lumps and smooth.
4. Strain mixture using clean cheesecloth then pour over leche flan until almost full.
5. Place into steamer then cover with cheesecloth, steam over low heat for another 10 minutes.
6. Top each puto with leche flan then steam for another 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a puto comes out clean.
7. Remove from steamer and let it cool.

Easy Tom Yum Soup

Filipino Style Recipe: Tom Yam or Thai Prawn Soup is a popular Thai soup dish. It consists of shrimps with lemon, fish sauce and some herbs and spices. I love tom yum soup but the only way to have it is in thai restaurants and usually, they are a bit pricey.While I was in the grocery I passed by this aisle with premixes and I decided to try one of the tom yum instant mix. I just added some of the ingredients to enhance the flavors and tadaaa! I have my budget friendly tom yum soup.

Ingredients:
1/4 kilo medium-sized shrimps, washed, peeled, and deveined.(save the head)
1 can shitake mushrooms, halved (you can substitute with button mushroom)
2 stalks lemon grass(tanglad), cut into 2 inch stalks and pounded
1 pack instant tom yum soup mix
1 piece onion cut into quater
1 small ginger cut into small strips
1 tablespoon fish sauce(preferably Thai fish sauce)
2 cups water
Spring onion, cut into 1 inch sticks for garnish

Procedures:
Part 1
1. Put the shrimp head in boiling water and let it boil for 5 minutes to release the flavor. Strain the shrimp head out of the boiling water.
2. Add onions, ginger, mushroom, and lemon grass and let it boil for 3 minutes.
3. Add the tom yum soup mix.
4. Add the shimp and cook until color turns bright orange, around 3 minutes.Season with fish sauce.
5. Remove and transfer to serving bowl. Top with spring onions.