Beef Sinigang (Beef in Sour Soup)

Beef Sinigang

I love it best when I have some beef ribs for my beef sinigang. The soup's more tasty with some ribs on it. And everyone in the family gets to pick what veggies they want to include for sinigang. I personally like it with lots of sigarilyas (winged beans), my mom with her fave sitaw (string beans), Bee with his slices of labanos (raddish), Joy with her okra. And for my Pia, she likes it with cupfuls of sour soup. 

I remember this was one of my dad's fave soup dish too. We're the ones who usually eat the fatty meat parts then dip it with fish sauce with red chilis. Sarap! But now, we'd like to keep it on the healthy side, so we are skipping the beef fat.

Ingredients:

Beef Sinigang

1/3 kilo beef ribs

1/4 kilo beef chunks (lean meat)

1 med sized labanos, peeled and sliced

2 pcs med.sized gabi (taro), peeled and sliced

a bunch of kangkong (about 2 cups)

a bunch of sigarilyas (about 10 pcs)

a bunch of sitaw (about 10 strings)

3 ripe tomatoes, chunked

2 sibuyas tagalog 

3 siling haba

instant tamarind mix powder (best if you have some fresh tamarind to be used for seasoning)

fish sauce

about a liter of water

Procedure:

• In a big pot, let water boil, the drop the beef chunkss and ribs.Cover. Let it cook for about an hour or until the meat gets really tender. Add more water if needed.
• When meat is tender, add gabi. cover and cook for about 5 minutes, then add labanos, tomatoes and onions. Let cook for about 3-5 minutes. Season with tamarind powder mix and fish sauce. I like it really sour...
• Add siling haba, okra, sigarilyas and sitaw. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. We like the green veggies crisp so do not overcook.
• Add kangkong before putting off the fire.
• Serve hot!

This post is linked to :  eRecipecards

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Steamed Tilapia in Ginger with Piña-Ampalaya Ensalada

Steamed Tilapia in Ginger

"What dish do you always have or wish you could have for your birthday, but with a healthier twist?"  

That's what we are tasked to do for our Kulinarya theme this month. Since we are celebrating for good health and new beginning for a new year, fish dish came up first in my mind. And it's so happen tommorrow is Chinese new year, so it's perfect! Chinese people considers it auspicious to serve fish for new year (and it must be whole fish). But chinese or not, who wouldn't want to have good luck and good food? 

And since we are calling for a healthy dish, I opted out the usual mayo I spread on top of steamed fish. I just had it steamed in sesame oil and lots of ginger for a very nice flavor and aroma.

Piña-Ampalaya Ensalada

What goes best with steamed fish but a crisp vegetable salad or shall I say veggie-fruit salad? Since the ensalada I have here is that of ampalaya (bitter gourd or bitter melon) and pineapple. Oh yeah! Isn't that interesting? I bet most of you haven't had this salad yet. Some might even think the taste would be really bitter, but i dare say nah! Ampalaya and pineapple really do compliment each other's flavor. Now don't just imagine what it tastes like... have some of it now!

Ingredients

Steamed Tilapia in Ginger and Sesame Oil

1 whole tilapia (large)  ~ you can also use other fish such as lapu-lapu, etc.

1/2 cup chopped ginger

1 tsp grated ginger

2 tbsp sesame oil

a slice or two of lemon

salt and pepper

Piña-Ampalaya Ensalada

1 cup thinly sliced Amplaya

450g canned pineapple chunks (about 1 1/2 cups), best if you can find a really sweet fresh pineapple

1/2 tsp salt

ice cold water 

How to prepare

Steamed Tilapia  :  

• Clean fish, remove gills, innards and scales. Wash then pat dry. 
• You might want to pour some hot water into the fish to remove "lansa" or stench. Dry.
• Rub each side with a little salt and pepper. 
• In a wide pan, put the ginger and sesame oil. Place the fish on top of the chopped ginger. Then sprinkle the grated ginger on top of the fish.We will let the fish absorb the flavor of the ginger and sesame oil.
• Cover the pan and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes.
• Transfer in a serving plate. Serve warm. Squeeze with some lemons. Garnish with bell peppers, celery, onions (optional).

Piña-Ampalaya Ensalada

• Cut ampalaya lenghtwise. Remove seeds. slice thinly, then soak in ice cold water with a dash of salt. Drain, then pour in some cold water again to remove salt. Then drain well. 
• In a bowl, just mix the ampalaya slices with the pineapple chunks( If you're using canned pineapple, remove the syrup)
• Then let it chill in the fridge. We'll let the amplaya absorb the sweet and sour taste of pineapple.
• To best enjoy this crisp salad, serve chilled.

Kulinarya Cooking Club is a group of filipino  foodies. We showcase different dish with every month's theme challenge. 

This post is linked to :  eRecipecards ,  Food Friday , Any One Can Cook

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Binu`tong

This is the first time time I tried to cook Binutong(bi-nu-'tong) and am glad i made it perfectly right like the ones I used to taste in Bicol ~ maliputok and masiramon (creamy and delicious).

Binutong ~ a bicolano delicacy

Binutong is a bicolano delicacy made up of glutinous rice with coconut cream, wrapped in banana leaves. The banana leaves gives a wonderful flavor to the rice.This is often served as breakfast or merienda, and best paired with hot chocolate or cofffee. Oh my! I wont be saying anything more... am endulging on it right now :)

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo glutinous rice
2 1/2 cups coconut cream
1/8 tsp salt
10-12 pcs young banana leaves ( cut into 10x10 inches each)
water

How to prepare: 

Wash glutinous rice, then soak in water for about 30 minutes.

Remove water, then add the coconut cream and dash of salt.

Soften banana leaves over heat so it wouldn't be stiff and wont tear up easily when we use it for wrapping.

Place banana leaf in a bowl, push the center part to make a basin-like mold , then scoop about half cup of rice mixture, secure the edges to make a pouch, then tie tightly.

This mixture makes about 10-12 pouches.

Place the pouches in a pot with water. Water level should be about halfway to the sides of pouches.

Cover and cook for about an hour over medium low heat.

Then remove from the pot. Serve warm.

This is how it looks like when it's cooked. 

Sprinkle with some sugar.

Dig in! Enjoy with a cup of coffe or hot choco. 

This post is linked to :  eRecipecards ,  Food Trip Friday, Food Friday , Any One Can Cook

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