Pinsec Prito To Welcome The Year Of The Dragon

Chinese New Year is fast approaching, we will be saying goodbye to the year of the Rabbit will be welcoming the lucky Dragon.  To celebrate I will probably be making our favorite Chinese appetizer Pinsec Prito, and if I am in the mood I might make another favorite Chinese Hot Shrimp Salad. 

I and the Little Ones are absolutely crazy addicted to pinsec pritos, we can finish 10 pieces each in one sitting.   

If you would like to serve this on Chinese New Year here is the recipe:

1/2 kilo ground pork, ask for the one with more fat
1/4 kilo of shrimps, minced it up
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
chopped green onions
1 pack of dumpling or molo wrappers
1 beaten egg
water
oil for deep-frying

1. In a bowl combine all of the ingredients listed above up to the chopped green onions.  Make sure to mix everything well.  Let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

2. Get about a teaspoon of the mixture and place in the middle of the dumpling or molo wrapper.  Fold to make a triangle, and then wet the edges with water and the beaten egg.  Place the pinsec pieces in a plate topped with was paper to prevent the pinsec pieces from sticking to the plate.

3. Heat enough oil in a wok or deep frying pan.  The oil should not be too hot that the pinsec pieces easily blister and burn in just a few seconds.  Deep-fry the pinsec pieces until golden brown.  Serve immediately with either sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce and chili.  

Enjoy and Kung Hei Fat Choi =) 

Fried Pork Spareribs With Salt And Pepper

I had a craving to prepare a Chinese dish.   We usually order fried pork spareribs whenever we eat out. I found an easy to follow recipe in Yummy Magazine.  So glad I made this dish, it turned out delicious without being too oily and greasy.  The pepper and vegetable toppings added a new dimension to the dish.  Will definitely be adding this recipe to our favorite home cooked pork dishes. 

Here's the recipe.

500 grams pork belly, skin removed and meat sliced into 2x2-inch pieces
1 tsp meat tenderizer
1 tsp five spice powder or ground cinnamon
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsps ginger juice
2 tsps liquid seasoning
2 tbsps gin
1 tbsps sesame oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
5 cups cooking oil, for deep-frying
1 cup cornstarch

For the topping
1 tsp Szehcuan peppercorns or black peppercorns
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1 stalk leek, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 finger chili, sliced into rings

1. Mix together pork belly, meat tenderizer, and the rest of the seasonings.  Marinate overnight. When ready to cook, mix pork with beaten egg.

2. Heat oil in a deep pan.  Dredge pork with cornstarch and fry.  Drain on paper towels, keep warm.

3. Make the toppin: Heat the wok or frying pan. Saute peppercorns until just fragrant.  Pound using a mortar and pestle until in powder form, add salt then set aside. 

4. Using the same wok or pan, heat oil and fry garlic until golden brown. Toss in leeks, chili and peppercorn-salt mixture.  Toss in fried pork, then transfer to a serving platter. 

Crispy Sweet And Sour Shrimps

This is another recipe from Yummy Magazine that was a surprise hit with the Little Girl.  She prefers eating squid over shrimps, but this dish may have swayed her to liking shrimps a little more. I guess the crispy coating really made this dish extra special. The shrimps were coated with cornstarch and then deep-fried which made their shells edible and the meat inside cooked just right.  The addition of  the sweet-sour sauce with bits of pineapple made this dish perfection.  

Here's the recipe:

For the shrimp
350 grams medium shrimp
salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups cooking oil

For the vegetables
2 tbsps corn oil
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 stalk leek, sliced into 1-inch rings
5 slices of carrots
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup canned pineapple chunks, reserve syrup for sweet-sour sauce

For the sweet-sour sauce
2 tbsps cane vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1 bay leaf
2 tbsps sweet chili sauce
1 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1 1/2 tbsp water

1. Prepare the shrimp. Cut off the legs then slice the back halfway through, making sure the shell, head and tail are still attached.  Season with salt and pepper.

2. Dip the shrimp in egg then coat with cornstarch.  Heat oil in wok then deep-fry shrimp just until color turns pink and the coating becomes golden and crisp.  Drain on paper towels.

3. Cook the vegetables.  Heat oil and stir-fry onions and garlic until fragrant.  Add the rest of the vegetables except for pineapple chunks.  Saute until tender, about 1 minute.  Add pineapple chunks and mix well; set aside.

4. Make the sweet-sour sauce.  In a saucepan mix all the ingredients (except for the cornstarch mixture) and simmer over medium heat until reduced in half.  Strain and let cool.  Place 1 cup of the sauce in a wok and bring to a boil.  Thicken with the cornstarch and water mixture.  Once thickened, toss in the fried shrimps and vegetables.  Transfer to platter and garnish with sliced leeks. Serve immediately

* If there is excess unused sauce, you can use it as dipping sauce for fried dishes.

Chili Chicken Stir-Fry

The Little Girl is into spicy dishes these days, so I made a quick chili chicken stir-fry dish.

She loves this bottled crispy prawn chili.  She likes mixing it with either her rice or other dishes.

I know it looks super spicy, but the heat is quite mild.  Great combination of spicy, salty and sweet.

Tocino Chao Fan

The SM Supermarket near our place has been conducting cooking demos.  I decided to make one of the dishes I learned.  It was sponsored by CDO so I used their Young Pork tocino, but I guess any brand of sweet tocino would.  The rice dish was a hit with the Little Girl, I guess the combination of the sweet tocino with the salty fried rice was a winner for her. I guess the flavor combination of this dish is more to the liking of kids.  I personally found it to be just an okay dish.

Here is the recipe:

1/4 cup oil

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks leeks, chopped

1 pack frozen mixed vegetables 

1 pack pork tocino

4 cups cooked rice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup oyster sauce

1. Cook tocino in a pan with a little water.  When the tocino changes color and is cooked, remove from pan and then chop into small pieces.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. Saute garlic, then add leeks. Stir for a a few seconds. Stir in the salt and pepper.

3. Add mixed vegetables (since we were running low on supplies I only added shredded cabbage, but preferably you can use carrots, bell pepper and green peas)  followed by the tocino.

4. Add in the rice and mix well.

5. Pour in the oyster sauce and mix until evenly seasoned.

6. Pour in the beaten eggs and quickly mix to spread. Heat through for five more minutes.

7.Then transfer to a platter, and serve hot.

Quick Chicken Stir-Fry

The Little Girl wanted to have chicken for lunch so I made a super quick and easy chicken stir-fry.  She loved it very much and asked would there be enough left for dinner =)

Here's the recipe:
1 chicken breast, cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red bell pepper, cut into squares
1/2 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
cooking oil

1. Heat a wok with some oil.  Then add garlic, when the garlic starts to turn brown, add the bell peppers. Stir-fry for about a minute.

2. Add the chicken, stir-fry until the chicken changes color. Then add the hoisin, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes.  Then transfer to a serving plate.

Fried Shrimp Wontons

I was in the mood for some Chinese, so I decided to make fried shrimp wontons for the first time. I found an easy enough recipe to follow in Yummy Magazine. Instead of making all the wontons triangle shaped I made some that were half moon shaped. The wontons turned out pretty good, really crispy and tasty. Next project is to make these steamed for a healthier version. 

Here is the recipe:

300 grams shrimps

2 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

pepper

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp chopped green onion

20 -24 pieces wonton wrappers (use square wrappers to make traingle shaped wontons or round dumpling wrappers to make half moon shapes)

1 egg, whisked to use as an egg wash

oil for deep frying

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl except the wonton, egg and oil. 

2. Make the wonton triangles by placing a spoonful of the mixture in the center of each wrapper.

3. Brush with egg wash and fold to make triangles, or half moons.

4. Heat enough oil to deep-fry the wonton pieces.  Make sure the oil is not too hot that the wrappers blister and brown within seconds.

5. Fry in batches and drain on paper towels.  Serve with sweet chili sauce.

A Family Favorite - Gloria Maris Restaurant

Old Family Picture at Gloria Maris CCP Complex taken
sometime in the 1980s

Growing up in the '80s family milestones were usually celebrated in a Chinese restaurant.  Our favorites were South Villa in Greenhills and Gloria Maris in the CCP Complex.  Our clan celebrated anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, and even a wedding in these two restaurants.

Yesterday, after a long absence, we visited Gloria Maris at the Alabang Town Center.  We ordered the same dishes that my Tito Ed used to recommend to us - hot prawn and chicken salad, fried rice, steamed suahe, fish lip soup with black vinegar of course.  In between bites, we could not help but recall the many meals we had with had Tito Ed,  his favorite dishes, and the happy moments shared during those family occasions.

At the end of our meal I got a wonderful treat, I bumped into a very good friend who I have not seen for many years.  She was also at Gloria Maris with her clan - parents, brother, pamangkins, husband and two adorable little daughters.  I am sure they too were making happy family eating memories.

Weng it was great seeing you, hope to bump into you again soon :-)









Hot Shrimp Salad

Whenever I have Hot Prawn Salad I remember my Tito Ed.  He was the one that introduced me to what seemed to me then as sophisticated Chinese cuisine. Before that Chinese food was limited to lumpiang shanghai, mani and pansit.   Tito Ed used to be a consultant for a Chinoy who owned a Chinese restaurant.  Whenever we would go to that restaurant it was Tito Ed who would order for us. Apart from Hot Prawn Salad, he would also order cold cuts, shark’s fin soup (He would always say “Add Chinese vinegar, your soup will taste better.”), steamed lapu-lapu, fried pigeon, peking duck, and many other fine Chinese dishes.

So when I came across a recipe for Hot Shrimp Salad I had to try making it. I was surprised to learn that this dish is easy to make, I always imagined it would be a complicated recipe.  Making and eating this dish brought back good memories.

I dedicate this to you Tito Ed, we miss you dearly and thank you for the many happy food memories.

Here is the recipe, you will need the following:
1/2 kilo shrimps
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons condensed milk
1 can fruit cocktail, either the fiesta or imported variety works, but the imported kind makes it more special :)
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg
3/4 cup cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel shrimps, then season with salt and pepper, add 2 tablespoons milk.  Marinate for at least 30 minutes. 
2. In a bowl mix together the mayonnaise and condensed milk. Drain the liquid from the fruit cocktail, then toss in the mayo-milk mixture.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill in the fridge.
3.  In a bowl combine egg and cornstarch season with salt.  Whisk until the batter becomes smooth. 
4.  Drain the milk from the shrimps, then dip the shrimps in the batter, one at a time.  Deep-fry the shrimps.  Cook until light golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.
4. Toss cooked shrimps in the mayo mixture, serve immediately and enjoy :)

Chili Garlic Squid

The little ones, especially the little girl, loves to eat squid.  So for dinner I made chili garlic squid.  I only use one piece of chili so that it won't be too spicy for the kids.   I can say this is one of my signature dishes.   When all of the squid has been consumed we like to use our fingers to pick up the left-over fried garlic pieces and pop these in our mouths.  Yummy to the last garlic bit.