Posting this recipe (another long overdue post) for my girl friend, Cat. :) Oh I'm such an inefficient blogger, I know, I know. *sigh* But I hope I can somehow make it up to her and of course to all of you, my dear readers, with this mouth-watering and easy-to-prepare dish. :)

It's actually a recipe of my sister, Gia. We made this for snacks a few weekends back. I instantly fell in love with Pizza Hut's Crab Salad Roll when Gia brought home some. Those lettuce, cucumber, and crab meat wrapped in rice wrapper, oh and that yummy dip, all made me crave for it days after, so Gia and I decided to make our own version one weekend afternoon.

Pizza Hut's version didn't have mangoes in it and used rice wrapper, unfortunately my homemade rice wrapper didn't turn out as expected so we just did away with it and used tortilla instead. We also included ripe mangoes for an added twist. :)

Crab Salad Tortilla Roll

Just like what I said before, I always make sure that I get to cook Mark's favorites whenever he comes over at my house for a visit. Aside from his all-time-favorite Kare-Kare, I also learned that he has come to love my version of Pork Steak. :D Thanks to my mom for teaching me the recipe. :)

Pork steak is actually a twist on the Filipino dish, Bistek Tagalog (Beef Steak), as it has the same ingredients and just differs with the main ingredient which is the meat. Paired with steamed rice plus Ensaladang Kamote (Camote Tops Salad), I'm sure this dish will be a family hit, just like how it has always been for our family. :)

Pork Steak

My dad loves to cook, as all of you already know, and being a true blue Ilocano, Ilocano delicacies of course are one of his specialties. Good thing I have mastered his cooking skills over time. :)

One of the Ilocano delicacies that I can cook perfectly is Dinuyduy. :p It's basically a mashed squash soup. :D It's a perfect appetizer. It may also be paired with any fried dishes like pork, chicken, and fish. It's even perfect for children who are picky eaters especially when it comes to vegetables.

Dinuyduy

I've already posted before that buttered veggies with gravy may be a good complement for pork, beef, and fish dishes; and so I'm sharing with you this simple yet delectable recipe of buttered veggies paired with fried cream dory which I cooked for lunch a few weeks back. :)

Cream Dory Fillet with Buttered Veggies and Gravy

An authentic Vigan delicacy, Vigan Empanada has always been one of my family's favorites. Whenever we go to Vigan we make sure to indulge into their tasty Vigan empanadas. But here in Manila, we usually get to satisfy our empanada cravings through Ilocos Empanada.

It is very much different from the usual empanadas. The crust is made from rice flour. And for the filling, nowadays they use grated cabbage, mongo sprouts, and egg. But my dad, being a true blue Ilocano, said that authentic Vigan empanada's filling is originally made from grated unripe papaya.

Here's my daddy's recipe of the Vigan Empanada. Now we'll get to enjoy it anytime we want yipee! ;p

Vigan Empanada

Ingredients:

filling: 2 large unripe papaya 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 Knorr pork cube salt and pepper to taste eggs

crust: 1/4 kilo ground rice 30g butter 1/4 cup water 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 egg atsuete (with water) or yellow food color

Preparation and Cooking Procedures:

Peel off the papaya's skin, remove the seeds, and wash with water. Shred the papaya or if you don't have any shredder, you may cut the papaya into thin strips.


In a pan with a little cooking oil, cook the garlic over medium heat until golden brown and add in the onions. When the onions start to caramelize, add in the pork cubes and the shredded papaya. Sauté and stir continuously until all ingredients are well incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover pan and cook for 3-5 minutes. Pour into a plate and set aside.


Pour in the ground rice in a separate bowl and add in the egg, butter, water, vegetable oil, and atsuete mixture. Using your clean hands, mix the ingredients until it becomes a dough.


You will need to lay a plastic wrap, brushed with a little oil, on the table. Ordinary sandwich bags cut in half may come in handy. :) Now we're ready to make the empanadas. :)

Get a small amount of the dough, dip it in oil, and flatten into the plastic wrap using a rolling pin until it becomes a flat circle. Put 2-3 table spoons of the sautéed papaya over the crust.


Be sure to leave some space in the middle for the raw egg.


Hold one end of the plastic wrap and fold it over the other end, making a half circle out of the dough. Using a dough cutter, or a plastic plate, trim the rough edges of the empanada.


Here is what the finished empanada should look like:


Heat pan and pour in some cooking oil just enough for the empanada to be submerged. Gently slide the empanada and then cook over high heat until crispy. You'll know that it's ready when the color changes from light yellow to bright yellow orange. Cooking time is around 2-3 minutes.


Drain, serve, and enjoy!!! This may be eaten as is or with sukang Iloco.

Vigan Empanada with Egg

You may also make your own dip by mixing vinegar with soy sauce, onions, and sugar.

Vigan Empanada

Aside from eggs, ground Vigan Longganisa may also be added in for a more delectable treat. :)

More recipes HERE :)

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kriskamarie   sweetnothings.kriskamarie
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Another addition to one of my favorites, this recipe is not just a good appetizer, this may actually be served as main course for lunch or dinner feasts. This may also be feasted on while having a bottle or two of ice cold beer. :D

Sizzling Tofu

Ingredients:

1 block tofu, cut into cubes

1 pc each, red and green bell pepper, minced

2 pcs red chili (siling labuyo), chopped

spring onions, chopped

1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp Del Monte sweet and sour chili sauce
2 tbsp Del Monte tomato castup
30 g Mama Sita's oyster sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch

Preparation and Cooking Procedures:
Pour cooking oil in a pan over high heat. Make sure that the oil is hot before adding in the tofu. We wouldn't want rock hard and burnt tofu so be sure to set the fire to medium heat a few minutes after putting the tofu.


Fry the tofu until golden brown. You may need to turn each side of the tofu for it to be evenly cooked. Drain and set aside.


Dissolve the cornstarch in water. Amount of water may vary depending on your preferred sauce consistency. Add in more water for a less thick sauce consistency.

In another sauce pan, dissolve sugar in water. Stir and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add in the sweet and sour sauce, tomato catsup, and oyster sauce while stirring the mixture continuously.

Add in the bell pepper and chili and bring to a boil. Add in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. You may add in salt and pepper to taste.

Put the sizzling plate over medium heat. Add in a bit of oil or butter. Heat the sizzling plate just enough making sure not to burn the butter/oil too much. Place the sizzling plate on its wooden holder and add in the cooked tofu. Pour the sauce over and sprinkle some spring onions. Serve and enjoy!

More recipes HERE :)

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kriskamarie   sweetnothings.kriskamarie
kriskamarie   kriskamarie

I think I already have a post or two of our family lunch or dinner with Buttered Veggies. Simple yet mouth-watering and healthy, this surely is a perfect side dish for fried or grilled chicken, pork, fish, or beef. :)

Buttered Veggies

Ingredients:

2 pcs medium-sized potatoes

1/4 kilo Baguio beans

1 pc medium-sized sayote

1 pc medium-sized carrot

50g butter
28g Mc Cormick Chicken Gravy mix
salt and pepper to taste


Preparation and Cooking Procedures:
Wash vegetables with running water. Peel off skin and cut into strips.

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Pour in the sliced vegetables and stir, making sure that the veggies are coated with the melted butter. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Cover pan and simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Cooking time may vary. I usually want the veggies cooked just right and still crisp to the bite. :) Place the cooked veggies in a plate and set aside.

The vegetables are not limited to the ones listed above. You may add in other veggies like mushrooms or any other vegetable that you wish. :)


For the gravy, pour the Mc Cormick Chicken Gravy mix into a bowl and add in a cup of hot water. Stir well. Pour the gravy over the veggies and serve. Serves 5-6 people. :)

More recipes HERE :)

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kriskamarie   sweetnothings.kriskamarie
kriskamarie   kriskamarie