Crispy Fried Kangkong

Filipino Style Recipe: Crispy fried kangkong or water spinach is a delicious and healthy snack dish. The water spinach coated in flour mixture then fry until light brown and crisp. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. This dish should serve immediately after cooking to preserve the crunchiness of water spinach.

Ingredients:
2 bunch fresh water spinach, trimmed and rinse
1 cup flour
1/2 cup water
a dash of salt
cooking oil for frying

Procedures:
Part 1
1. In a bowl, combine flour, salt and water but not too watery. Mix until well blended.

Part 2
1. Dip the water spinach leaves one by one in flour mixture until well coated.
2. Dip fry spinach for a 10 seconds or until light brown and crisp.
3. Drain on paper towels and repeat the procedures for remaining pieces. Serve immediately with sour cream dip.

Ampalaya Con Carne

Filipino Style Recipe: Ampalaya con carne is another simple yet healthy dish. Bitter gourd or ampalaya cut into thin slices then cook together with beef strips in a blend of soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, salt and pepper until the ampalaya and beef are tender.

Estimated time of preparation: 15 minutes
Estimated time of cooking: 20 minutes
Good for 2-3 persons

Ingredients:
300 grams beef sirloin, cut into thin strips
1 medium-sized bitter gourd(ampalaya), cut in half then removing the seeds and sliced crosswise
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespooon oyster sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 thumb-sized ginger, julienned
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon sesame oil(optional)

Procedures:
Part 1
1. In a bowl, combine beef, soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper then marinate for an hour.
2. In a separate bowl, combine bitter gourd, 1/4 cup salt and enough water then soak for 15 minutes. Rinse, drain and set aside.

Part 2
1. In a pan, heat oil then stir fry marinated beef for 5 minutes. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.

Part 3
1. In a same pan, saute garlic, onion and ginger.
2. Add bitter gourd, water and oyster sauce then simmer for 5 minutes or until tender.
3. Put back beef then season with salt and pepper to according to taste.
4. Turn off heat then serve with steamed rice.

Crispy Fried Spinach

Filipino Style Recipe: Crispy fried spinach is a delicious and healthy snack dish. The spinach leaves coated in flour mixture then fry until light brown and crisp. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. This dish should serve immediately after cooking to preserve the crunchiness of spinach.

Ingredients:
2 bunch fresh spinach, trimmed and rinse
1 cup flour
1/2 cup water
a dash of salt
cooking oil for frying

Procedures:
Part 1
1. In a bowl, combine flour, salt and water but not too watery. Mix until well blended.

Part 2
1. Dip the spinach leaves one by one in flour mixture until well coated.
2. Fry spinach for a 10 seconds each side or until light brown and crisp.
3. Drain on paper towels and repeat the procedures for remaining pieces. Serve immediately with sour cream dip.

Pan Fried Rosemary Chicken with Potato Wedges

Filipino Style Recipe: pan fried rosemary chicken with potato wedges is another easy and simple chicken dish. First, the potato wedges fry into butter until golden brown. Then pan fried chicken seasoned with rosemary, salt and pepper until golden brown. I recommend this dish for those on diet and health conscious.

Estimated time of preparation: 10 minutes
Estimated time of cooking: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:
500 grams chicken, cut into serving pieces
4 pieces potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1 teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Procedures:
Part 1
1. In a bowl, place chicken then season with rosemary, salt and pepper.

Part 2
1. In a pan, melt butter then fry potato wedges until golden brown. Drain and set aside.
2. In a same pan, Add butter then fry chicken until golden brown and tender. Drain.
3. Arrange fried rosemary chicken and potato wedges in a plate then serve.

Crispy Fried Tahong

Filipino Style Recipe: Crispy fried tahong or mussels is another easy way to cook mussels. This seafood dish is simple to prepare, boil mussels until the shells open. Remove the mussels the coat in flour mixture then fry until golden brown. This is usually serve with spicy vinegar as appetizer or finger-food(pulutan).

Estimated time of preparation: 8 minutes
Estimated time of cooking: 10-15 minutes
Good for 3-5 persons.

Ingredients:
1 kilo mussels(tahong), cleaned with beard removed
1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced and pound
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
oil for frying

Procedures:
Part 1
1. In a pan, place ginger and mussels with enough water. Bring to boil until the shells open.
2. Drain then remove the mussels from the shell. Set aside.

Part 2
1. In a bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, ginger powder, salt and pepper.
2. Dredge the mussels in flour mixture until well coated. Set aside.

Part 3
1. In a frying pan, heat oil then fry mussels until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
2. Transfer to serving plate then serve with spicy vinegar.

Kwek-Kwek

Filipino Style Recipe: Kwek-kwek is another popular Filipino meryenda(mid-afternoon snack) that is commonly sold along the streets. Kwek-kwek is a hard-boiled quail eggs wrapped in orange batter then deep fried until golden brown. This is similar to tokneneng which is made up of chicken or duck eggs instead of quail eggs.

Estimated time of preparation: 10 minutes
Estimated time of cooking: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
3 dozen quail eggs, hard-boiled
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup water
salt and ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon orange food coloring
cooking oil for frying

Procedures:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour,salt, pepper, water and food coloring. Mix until well blended.
2. Add baking powder, stir to smooth batter and set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Place the hard-boiled eggs in the mixing bowl and coat with batter.
4. Spoon out the eggs from the batter and deep fry in hot cooking oil for a minute or until the coating is crispy.
5. Drain and serve with spicy vinegar or sweet and sour sauce. Enjoy!

Notes:
1. You may also used anatto water instead of food coloring.
2. You may used duck eggs or chicken eggs instead of quail eggs.

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons soy sauce or 2 tablespoons ketchup for coloring
hot sauce or chopped chili peppers(labuyo)(optional)

Procedures:
1. In a sauce pan, combine all the ingredients then simmer in a low heat while keep stirring until thickens.

Stir Fried Kangkong

Filipino Style Recipe: stir fried kangkong or water spinach is an easy yet healthy dish. The procedures is very simple, normally water spinach toss oyster sauce mixture in a blend of oyster sauce, red chili, fish sauce and brown sugar then stir fry in olive oil until wilted.

Estimated time of preparation: 3-5 minutes
Estimated time of cooking: 2 minutes
Good for 1-2 persons

Ingredients:
1 bunch water spinach(kangkong), trimmed
2 gloves garlic, minced
4 pieces red chili(labuyo), sliced
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Procedures:
Part 1
1. In a large bowl, combine garlic, red chili, oyster sauce, fish sauce and brown sugar.
2. Add kangkong then toss to coat.

Part 2
1. In a pan, heat oil then add all the ingredients.
2. Stir fry to 1-2 minutes or until wilted. Serve immediately.

Sauteed Tinapa with Salted Eggs

Filipino Style Recipe: sauteed tinapa with salted eggs is an easy and simple dish made up of smoked fish(tinapa) cut into flakes then sauteed in garlic, tomatoes and salted eggs. I used left-over tinapa in this recipe, this is usually served during breakfast with garlic rice.

Estimated time of preparation and cooking: 10-15 minutes
Good for 1-2 persons

Ingredients:
3 pieces tinapa(smoked fish), flakes and discard bones
2 salted eggs(itlog na pula), cut into cubes
3 tomatoes, cut into cubes
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons liquid seasoning or soy sauce
ground pepper to taste
a pinch of chili flakes(optional)
spring onion, chopped(optional)

Procedures:
1. In a pan, heat oil then saute garlic, onion and tomatoes until soft.
2. Add tinapa flakes, ground pepper and chili flakes then stir cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add salted eggs, liquid seasoning and spring onion then stir cook for another minute.
4. Transfer to serving plate then serve with garlic rice.

Milkfish Steak(Bistek)

Filipino Style Recipe: milkfish steak or bistek tagalog na bangus is another variety of steak(bistek) dish. The fish marinade and fry until golden brown. Then re-cooked in marinade together with onion rings.

Estimated time of preparation and cooking: 20-30 minutes(plus marinating time)
Good for 3-4 persons

Ingredients:
4 slices milkfish(bangus) belly, deboned
1 large white onion, cut into rings
1/4 cup cooking oil

Marinade:
6 calamansi, juice
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb-sized ginger, julienned
salt and pepper to taste

Procedures:
Part 1
1. Marinate milkfish in calamansi juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper for 30 minutes.

Part 2
1. In a pan, heat oil then lightly fry onions for a minute. Drain and set aside.
2. In a same pan, fry marinated fish until crisp and golden brown. Drain and set aside.
3. In a same pan, reduce oil then saute garlic and ginger.
4. Pour marinade then adjust seasoning according to taste.
5. Put back fried fish and fried onions then simmer for a few seconds.
6. Remove from heat then transfer to serving plate. Serve with garlic rice.

Stir Fried Beef with Asparagus and Red Pepper

Filipino Style Recipe: stir fried beef with asparagus and red pepper is another easy and simple dish. Normally the beef strips marinate then stir fry until light brown then cooked with marinade, cornstarch, asparagus and red bell pepper.

Estimated time preparation and cooking: 20-25 minutes
Good for 2-3 persons

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo beef sirloin, slice thinly into strips
300 grams asparagus, cut into 1 inch
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 tablespoon cornstarch(dissolved in 3 tablespoons water)
3 tablespoons olive oil

Marinade:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 thumb-sized ginger, julienned
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon salt

Procedures:
Part 1
1. In a bowl, combine beef, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes.

Part 2
1. In a pan, heat oil and stir fry beef over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a same pan, saute ginger and garlic from marinade.
3. Add asparagus and red pepper then stir fry for a few seconds.
4. Add stir fried beef, marinade and dissolved cornstarch. Cook for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens.
5. Remove from heat then transfer to serving plate. Serve with steamed rice.