In Response to: How Do You Cook Your Adobo?

A dear friend of mine, Connie of Connie's Notebook asked this question: How do you cook your adobo?

Here's how I cook mine:

• pork shoulder and chicken breast (I don't know how much though! LOL, approximately 3 pieces of pork shoulder cut into small cubes and 1 1/2 chicken breasts -- skinless and deboned)
• one whole garlic crushed (sometimes I even put more! I love garlic!)
• 1 cup vinegar
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup water
• 1-2 bay leaves 
• peppercorns or black pepper

***I also use pork butt or pork belly sometimes.

I put everything in a pot, boil for 10 minutes and then simmer for another 30 or until tender. I like mine with a little sauce so I don't let it dry up. Serve with hot steaming rice and a side of tomatoes and cilantro salad! YUM!

Simple? Yes. But adobo is a very tricky dish for me to make, which is why it's the only dish that I actually measure!

What about you? How do you make your adobo? :)

Mommy Cooks: Ultimate Super Nacho Supreme

This is so easy to make in fact I can't wait for Sofia to grow a little bigger (not too fast though!) so she can help me prepare it!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 Bag of Tostitos Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips --- healthy alternative? Trader Joe's Veggie and Flax Seed Tortilla Chips or Trader Joe's Organic White Tortilla Chips
• 1 lb of lean ground beef (I used 90/10 lean meat) --- healthy alternative? ground turkey breast
• 1 taco mix (I used El Paso medium) --- healthy alternative? Homemade Taco Mix!
• 1 to 1/2 cup of salsa (I used Tostitos medium salsa) --- healthy alternative? Homemade Salsa!
• 2-3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 to 1/2 can of refried beans (I used canned) --- healthy alternative? Homemade Refried Beans!
• 1 chopped fresh tomato
• a bunch of chopped cilantro - I used A LOT because we are big fans!  
• 1 avocado, smashed 
•  3 dallops of sour cream or any amount you desire --- healthy alternative? I used fat free sour cream
• 1/2 cup of water
• pickled jalapeno peppers amount as needed

 PROCEDURE:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Brown the meat then drain excess water. When beef is all brown and dry add the water, then add the taco mix. Let it simmer uncovered until thick.  
• Arrange one layer of chips on the baking pan. Spread beans first and then cheese on top, repeat this on a second layer.
• Add the beef on top and stick it in the oven for approximately 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• When done, add the guacamole, salsa, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers and the cilantro.
• Finally add the sour cream on top and enjoy while chips, beef and cheese are warm! :) This will (probably) serve 4-5 people! :D

 Tex-Mex at its finest! What's your favorite Tex-Mex recipe???

Mommy Cooks: What's For Dinner?

I love to cook! I wish I could do it more often. My Mom usually cooks during the weekdays. But now (like starting today - ha!) I vowed to cook as much as I can especially on weekends. 

The kid is not a very picky eater, for her it's all about timing. She will try anything and eat anything, as long as she's not full. I will write about the kid's favorite snacks and meals in the next few days.

Tonight I made my all-time favorite dish using my all-time favorite fish! Bangus (milk fish) is the Philippines' national fish, very boney, but really delicious! Here in the US you can buy the whole fish, or you can also buy the deboned butterflied version. But my ultimate favorite is the bangus belly! YUM! Perfect for daing na bangus! Here's my version of this favorite Filipino fried dish.

Daing na Bangus
(Fried Milkfish marinated in vinegar and garlic)

1 pack of bangus belly (2 in a pack)
white vinegar
1 head of garlic (crushed)
black pepper
oil for frying

1. Marinate the bangus in white vinegar (enough that it's covered, skin side up), black pepper and crushed garlic. Cover container and refrigerate for at least an hour. Ideally I would say 2-3 hours will work best.

I kept it in the fridge for 2 hours today, some days even more.

2.  Fry in pan in medium to low heat until brown and crispy on both sides. I timed it and the best results are between 5-7 minutes on each side. This is NOT pan fried nor deep fried. Warning: oil will pop and splatter so make sure to wear your armor! :D

Oil should be super hot! And always duck for cover! :D

*** I will write about techniques on avoiding being burned by hot oil during frying in the next few posts.

3. After frying, place on a plate with paper towel. Fry the leftover garlic from the marinade. Serve piping hot, best with spicy vinegar for dipping!

5-7 minutes of frying on both sides to make it crispy and golden brown.

The next recipe is one of Sofia's favorite Filipino dishes. She eats a lot of vegetables and this dish is no exception. She loves eating it with rice and soup.

Ginisang Sayote, Carrots & Shrimp
(Sauteed Chayote with Carrots and Shrimp)

2 chayotes
2 carrots
garlic
onions
1 small tomato
4-5 whole, large shrimps (with head)
water
salt or fish sauce to taste

1. Chop the chayote and carrots in small cubes. Crush garlic, dice onions and tomato. Take off the shrimps' heads and set aside. Dice the rest of the shrimp meat.

 2. Sautee garlic, onions and tomato. Add shrimp heads for more flavor. Add the shrimp meat. Add carrots and chayote. Stir fry.

3. Add desired amount of water for sabaw (soup).  Let simmer until all veggies are cooked and tender. Add salt or fish sauce according to your taste.

Simmering goodness.

And my final plate with a side of spicy Pinakurat vinegar and fried garlic!

What's your dinner?

PS
All photos taken using my phone, HTC MyTouch 4G because I'm too lazy to look for my camera. (there's a reason behind why my stuff are shoved away in a closet somewhere...will post why soon!)