ARROZ VALENCIANA RECIPE

Ingredients

malagkit rice or sticky rice
oil
onion and garlic, chopped
pork loin, cut into strips
chicken, cut into strips
shrimp, shelled
salt, pepper and vetsin to taste
tomato paste
bay leaves
broth
steamed halaan or clams
steamed crab
garbanzos or chickpeas
chorizo de Bilbao, sliced
red and green bell pepper, cut into small squares
achuete water

Cooking Procedure

• Cook the malagkit rice. Then set aside.
• Heat oil in pan and saute onion and garlic. Add pork loin, chicken and shrimp. Season with salt, pepper and vetsin. Then add tomato paste, bay leaves and broth. Mix well.
• Pour in malagkit rice. Saute. When rice is almost cooked, add steamed halaan, crab, garbanzos, chorizo de Bilbao, red and green bell pepper. Mix well.
  
• Add achuete water. Mix then continue to cook until done.
  

RICE WITH ASSORTED PRESERVED MEATS RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

1 CUP UNCOOKED RICE
2 CUP WATER
2 PC PRESERVED LIVER, SAUSAGE, CHORIZO BLACK
2 PC SAUSAGE, CHORIZO RED
2 PC PRESERVED DUCK EGG
100 GRM PRESERVED PORK MEAT

Cooking Procedure

Steam rice in water in Chinese pot. Put assorted meat on top of the rice while boiling. Wait for the rice to dry. Remove meat and slice. Serve with sauce on the side.

COOKING WITH THE CHEF

I was invited by Chef Jong to become part of his team to prepare for a wedding occasion. The team will be composed of 4 chefs, including chef Jong, will be preparing for around 500 people. The venue of the event will be in a hotel. According to chef Jong, the hotel has its own chefs. But the couple who are going to be wed wanted that chef Jong will do the cooking for their wedding reception. The couple is chef Jong's family friend that is why he was asked to do the food preparation in the reception area.

Chef Jong selected me because I am already accustomed to catering to this kind of event. The recipes are already prepared. The food tasting will be done on Monday. Chef Jong told me that I will be the one to prepare for the main dishes that are going to be served. Chef Jong also told me that I will be the one to cook for the food tasting. The upcoming wedding will be a busy day for me. I have to prepare around 20 dishes, meat, fish and beef dishes for the occasion.

RICE CINNAMON RECIPE

RICE CINNAMON INGREDIENTS

2 cups cooked rice
1 cup milk
sugar to taste
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cooking Procedure

Heat rice, milk and sugar over low heat. Add butter and cinnamon; stir until well-mixed. Serve hot with cream, if desired.

CULINARY SCHOOL IS NOW OPEN

Announcement, the culinary school is now accepting student who want to learn and develop their skills in cooking and pastry. The dean called me this morning informing me about the opening of the school year and requested if I will allow the school to place an add on my restaurant. The enrollment will start on May 25 until the end of May. I will be posting more of the opening after I see the add.

SAVORY SHRIMP RICE RECIPE

SAVORY SHRIMP RICE INGREDIENTS

6 oz rice, uncooked
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup cherry tomato, halved
chopped fresh parsley

Cooking Procedure

Steam rice until tender.

In large bowl, combine shrimp, paprika, pepper, salt and garlic. Mix well; set aside.

Heat oil in skillet until hot. Add shrimp and cook on medium heat for about 30 seconds. Stir tomato and cook 45 seconds or until opaque, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and serve over 1/4 cup rice.

PAELLA FILIPINO RECIPE

Paella Filipino Ingredients

1 cup uncooked rice
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup pisto sauce
2 cups broth
pinch of saffron
100 gms each sisig and cochinillo
salt and pepper to tatse
2 pcs fried banana
1/2 cup lechon sauce for basting

Cooking Procedure

Saute rice in olive oil, put pisto and broth. Put saffron making pure broth is boiling; continue cooking.

Add sisig and cochinillo. Season with salt and pepper. Put banana on top then baste with lechon sauce. Bake for a few minutes. Then serve.

FAREWELL CHEF HAZEL

My friend chef, Chef hazel, is bidding farewell because she will be going to Canada to practice her profession as a chef. She is my assistant chef in the restaurant and my best buddy in the kitchen. I remembered chef Hazel when she helped me in the restaurant operation while I was in Singapore for the Annual Chef Convention. Chef Hazel did an excellent job in the restaurant, manning the entire operation while I was a way. From the beginning, she told me about her plans of going to Canada since she had already made some applications to top Hotels there.

I was just shock to know that she is bidding farewell to me. My buddy and friend chef. I cannot afford to lose a good chef like Chef Hazel. But that is reality. I have to let her go so that she will be able to develop her skills more in cooking and earn want she really wanted. Chef Hazel is really best in cooking American dishes and French as well. I will surely miss her.

LUNCHABLES MADE EASY

Our family is having a picnic today and I was the one assigned to make the lunch foods for all. We are around 20 people and several kids are also coming. I thought of cooking foods and placing them in a container and that will be our food for lunch. But that is quite heavy to bring to a picnic event. I decided to make lunchables. This is a type of food preparation that I will place in a pack lunch. Ready to serve for all.

My cousin is also assisting me in the food preparation. In a minute we will be through with the packing of the foods and the cold drinks. We are now placing the lunchables in the car, ready to go to the venue of our picnic.

MARINATED STEAK RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

1 pc small red onion, quatered
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup capers, drained
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 lb flank steak
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Cooking Procedure

Sliver one quarter of onion; set aside. Chop remaining onion. Mix with vinegar, capers, oregano and garlic in bowl. Combine 1/4 cup of mixture with slivered onion; set aside.

Sprinkle both sides of steal with salt and pepper; prick well with fork. In large zip-top-food storage bag, combine steak with remaining onion mixture. marinate for about 30 minutes.

Grill the steak for about 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare. let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Place meat on platter and pour onion mixture over steak.

SICK CHEF ON CALL

Yes, you heard me right. I was very sick this morning but I still needed to go to the hospital not to admit myself but to do the dietitian's work of cooking. Remember I posted about the hospital job that I accepted, I really need to be in the hospital or else I will be sued by the hospital administration because of not following the contract that I signed 2 months ago.

I am like a doctor, I am on call to do the cooking in the hotel. But I would also like to thank the administration because they still allowed me to stay in the hospital room to rest because I really needed one at the moment. The sudden change in the weather might be the main reason why this chef got sick. But I am okay now. I have completely recovered from the flu that I was in.

TAKING A NEW STEP IN COOKING

I was in the mall this morning when I decided to rush for home and prepare a buko salad for dessert. I was told by my restaurant secretary that I am expecting visitors in the restaurant from the local city culinary department. They will be expecting the entire restaurant. This is part of my application for additional tables and extension of my current restaurant establishment. This is necessary because without their approval, I cannot extend my restaurant. They will be checking if my restaurant is fit for an extension or not.

I also thought about making a salad bar inside my restaurant. I saw this in a hotel while I was doing the kitchen works for the hotel. The salad bar is the place where health people like to dine. They only have to make their own salad for themselves. The fresh vegetables and fruits will be delivered in the restaurant by my local supplier and the fruits be be the same as well.

ROASTED PORK PUERTO RICO STYLE RECIPE

Everybody loves steak, grilled, and coal cooked dishes. The next recipe that I am about to share to you is just one of the roasted recipes that I collect and cooked in my restaurant and at my home. This is a very special recipe because I learned this during my chef seminar in Puerto Rico. I really don't know the exact recipe name for this. I just gave it a name from my pure chef instincts.

Ingredients

8 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (10 pound) pork picnic roast
4 yucca (cassava) roots, peeled and sliced


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

2. Place the garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and olive oil into the container of a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Use a small knife to make several incisions in the fresh ham. Insert the garlic paste into each one using a small spoon. Place the ham in a roaster, and cover.

3. Bake for 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, then check every 15 minutes or so, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F ( 80 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer.

4. While the meat is roasting, place the yucca in a large pot of boiling water. Cook until fork tender, and drain. Serve with pork roast.

SUPER BANANA BREAD

Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup butter
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

SESAME CHICKEN

Ingredients

* 2 teaspoons cornstarch
* 2 tablespoons rice wine
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 dash hot pepper sauce
* 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
* 1 clove crushed garlic
* 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
* 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
* 1 tablespoon sesame oil
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered
* 1 green bell pepper, sliced
* 4 green onions, sliced diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces


Directions

1. To Make Marinade: In a nonporous dish or bowl blend cornstarch with wine or sherry; then stir in lemon juice, soy sauce, hot pepper sauce, ginger and garlic. Blend together and stir in chicken strips. Cover dish and refrigerate to marinate for 3 to 4 hours.

2. In a wok or large skillet, place sesame seeds and dry-fry over medium heat, shaking the wok, until the seeds are a golden brown color. Remove seeds and set aside.

3. To same wok or skillet add sesame oil and vegetable oil and heat slowly. Drain chicken, reserving marinade, and stir-fry in wok a few pieces at a time, until browned. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.

4. Add mushrooms and green bell pepper to same wok or skillet and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the scallions and stir-fry 1 minute more. Return chicken to wok, together with reserved marinade, and stir over medium high heat for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly coated with the glaze. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and serve immediately.

YUMMY DISH FOR THE WEEK

When I was in Hong Kong last year, I met several Hong Kong chefs in Kowloon and it was something that I will never forget. Hong Kong chefs are known in the world because of their expertise in Chinese cuisines and Chinese recipes that they practice since the last century. We share and exchanged recipes and practice some easy ones. There I learned how to prepare instant siomai and make noodles myself. It was really a meet that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

By next month, I will be featuring a dish that I learned from my Hong Kong chef friends. That is how to make a Peking duck. Preparing the duck must be given detail. A single mistake in the duck preparation will cause the duck to lose its taste and soon the fresh flavor of the duck.

SIOMAI SPECIAL

Things needed to make the cheese siomai are the following:

1 Cup cottage cheese 1 cup cooked fish fillet, flaked 2 tsps chopped kinchay 2tsps chopped onion 2 tsps minced carrots 2 tbsps minced celery 1/4 cup cornstarch 2 eggs 1 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper Molo warppers

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients, except molo wrappers, in a bowl. Mix well. Drop 1 tablespoonful mixture at the center of molo wrappers, then fold. steam 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with soy sauce and calamansi or lemonsito. This is very good for the kids during merienda time.