Pochero (Filipino language)

Kare - Kare

I've first tasted this dish from Tita June, my friend's mom. "Catz" as what i call him,  was supposed to treat me for lunch but he left his money home so instead of going to Mc Donalds we end up to their kitchen which is actually perfect.

You should try this mouth watery recipe.

Ingredients:

1 kilo of beef (round or sirloin cut) cut into cubes, beef tripe or oxtail (cut 2 inch long) or    a combination of all three (beef, tripe and oxtail)

 3 cups of peanut butter

 1/4 cup grounded toasted rice

 1/2 cup cooked bagoong alamang (anchovies)

 2 pcs. med onions, diced

 3 cloves garlic, minced

 4 tablespoons atsuete oil

 4 pieces eggplant, sliced 1 inch thick

 1 bundle Pechay (Bok choy) cut into 2 pieces

1 bundle of sitaw (string beans) cut to 2" long

1 banana bud, cut similar to eggplant slices, blanch in boiling water

1/2 cup oil

8 cups of water

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. In a stock pot, boil beef, tripe and oxtails in water for an hour or until cooked. Strain and keep the stock.

2. In a big pan or wok, heat oil and atsuete oil.

3. Sauté garlic, onions until golden brown, then add the stock, toasted rice, beef, oxtail and peanut butter.

4. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Salt to taste.

5. Add the eggplant, string beans, pechay and banana bud. Cook the vegetables for a few minutes - Do not overcook the vegetables.

6. Serve with bagoong on the side and hot plain rice.

Beef Stew (Nilaga)

This is commonly prepared and served in Filipino households. I’ve been eating this kind of dish since I was a child and still love it, delicious and nutritious.

 Ingredients:

     1 kilo beef, cut into 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" cubes

8 potatoes cut the same size as the beef

2 pcs. Med size cooking variety banana (saba)

1 bundle Pechay (Bok choy) cut into 2 pieces

1 small cabbage, quartered

5 onions, diced

1 head garlic, minced

4 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)

3 tablespoons of cooking oil

10 corns of black pepper

1 liter of water

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1.  In a big casserole, heat oil and sauté the garlic and onions.

2.  Add water, the beef, black pepper and patis. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 hour or  until the beef is tender.

3.  Add banana and then potatoes. Continue to simmer until potatoes are cooked.

4.  Add the cabbage then the pechay. Do not overcook the vegetables.

5.  Salt and pepper to taste.

6.     Serve steaming hot in a bowl and plain white rice.

Tip:

 You can substitute the beef with chicken (chicken stew) or pork (pork stew) for variety.


You can also check the following links for more references:
1. http://recipe.philippinecentral.com/nilaga.html
2. http://www.momsmenu.com/cgi-bin/sefer.cgi?display:943659433-9945.txt
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdw3n1iJyEU

Igado (Filipino language)

Pork Sinigang

Ingredients:

1 Kilo Pork (cut into chunk cubes)

12 pcs Tamarind (Sampaloc) (or one packet of sinigang mix)

1 big Onion (diced)
3 pcs long green chillis

1 big tomatoes (quartered)

2 pcs Radish (sliced)

1 bundle Sitaw Stringbeans (cut into 2" long)

1 bundle Kangkong (cut into 2" long)

Salt and Patis (fish sauce) to taste

6 cups water

Procedure:

1. Boil Tamarind to soften. Pound and strain all juices and set aside.
2. In a casserole, sauté garlic till golden, add onion and tomatoes wait till transparent then add pork simmer for 2 minutes with 1 teaspoon of patis (fish sauce)
3.  Add water and bring to a boil, lower fire and simmer until pork is tender.
4. Add Tamarind juice (OR sinigang mix).
5. Add in all the vegetables.
6. Season with salt and Patis to taste.
7. Serve hot.

"Pinakbet"

There are 2 or more versions of this dish, famous versions are the Tagalog and the Ilocano, but personally I prefer the first one.


"Pinakbet or Pakbet Tagalog"


Ingredients:
1/4 kl pork belly, diced
1/4 kl shrimp peeled and deviened
3 tablespoon bagoong alamang
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup of fresh ginger root peeled and sliced in strips
5 tablespoon white vinegar (Datu Puti)
1 tablespoon sugar to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 bundle (10 pcs) of string beans, cut into 2 inches length
1 cup of sliced squash
2 pcs medium size eggplant, sliced in rectangular shape
5 pcs medium size okra, stem removed and cut half in diagonal shaped
2 pcs medium size ampalaya, seed and sliced in rectangular shape
1 small size onion, chopped
1 med size tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic peeled, chopped
1 teaspoon msg (optional)


Procedure:
1. Fry pork till brown, set aside.
2. In low fire saute garlic, wait till brown then add onion, ginger and tomato.
3  When onion turns transparent, add pork along with msg (optional), sugar, shrimp, bagoong alamang, and    vinegar and simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Add water and increase the heat and bring it to a boil.
5. Add vegetables- squash, string beans, egg plant, ampalaya and okra.
6. Lower the heat and simmer for 12 mins or until veg are tender.


Serve with rice.

Pork and Beans

This recipe is shared by my Ilocana friend, we never cook white beans this way in our own place it's always just Pork and Beans but this one should be called "Veg, Pork and Beans".

Veg, Pork and Beans

Ingredients:
1/8 kilo pork belly (diced)
1/8 kilo white beans
2 pcs. tomato med size
3 pcs. ampalaya (bitter gourd) med size
2 pcs. eggplant med size
2 tablespoon cooking oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 of med size union, chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon salt
pinch of msg (optional)
Water

Procedure:
1. Soak beans in water for 20 minutes.
2. Boil 3 cups of water and add the soaked beans.
3. Wait until tender.
4. Set aside.
5. In a separate pan saute garlic, union and tomato respectively.
6. Add meat and in low fire simmer for 5 mins then stir.
7. Add fish sauce and stir wait till meat turn golden brown.
8. Pour in the cooked white beans, add water (optional) and bring it to a boil.
9. Add salt and msg (optional) to taste.

Serve hot with rice, good for 5 persons.