Paella Party Mix

This is a spin on a paella, only it's made to serve a crowd. Paella, as it is, takes quite an effort to make but if you just use 1 pan and toss everything in increments, then you cut down on time and you've got yourself a party dish. You'll need 3 spices to execute this: turmeric, paprika and cumin.

 

1. Cook a small pot of rice with turmeric powder to give it a yellow coloring and a slight musky taste.

2. In a big pan, saute the following in order/increments, allowing each ingredient to cook:

• chopped onion
• chicken strips
• sausage slices (I used schublig)
• minced garlic
• peeled shrimp (at this point, season the meats with a light sprinkle of paprika)
• broccoli florets
• sliced red bell pepper
• tomato slices
• peas

Season with salt & pepper as you go along...

3. Mix in the cooked rice adding a squirt of tomato paste for added tomato-ey flavor and two tablespoons (or more) of water for added moisture and to help bind the mixture (and avoid drying out the rice). Season liberally with cumin powder (or according to your preference). Check if you need to season again with more salt and pepper.

4. Top with sliced hard boiled eggs and garnish with parsley.

Note: You can add more meats like shellfish to this dish. Place a slice of lime to each serving/plate to squeeze over on the paella when ready to eat.

French Toast Melba

Better than pancakes and easier to make, french toast takes advantage of 3+ day old breads that otherwise would have turned to waste. Pretty it up with a light dusting of snow sugar and mangoes and banana slices.

a drizzle of honey, sprinkle of cinnamon powder, few drops of vanilla extract, one small egg and a splash of milk

beat with a fork til light and airy and ingredients are incorporated

melt a tbsp of butter in a skillet and let the dipped french bread lightly brown on both sides

Shrimp Orzo Salad

A light and tasty pasta salad that would wow anyone, including yourself. Great for serving at parties! 

The first time I tasted orzo was at Aracama's first anniversary. They served it with Gambas Ajillo and the moment it was in my mouth, I fell in love with it's unique texture and flavor. I have seen orzo in some cooking shows but I never bothered with it since you can't easily find it locally. But the great news is it's now available at Rustan's supermarket under the brand Waitrose. This British brand came into the scene very recently I noticed just summer of this year. They have other great products too like grains and liquer essences. If you could get your hands on some orzo, try to make this... you might just enjoy it!

yummy orzo with shrimp, kesong puti, calamansi juice, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, onions and scallions.

Aracama's version. Ummm.... mine's better! hahaha!

Ingredients

• Orzo
• Shrimp
• Scallions/spring onions
• Red onion
• Calamansi
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Kesong puti
• Parsley
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

Waitrose brand available in Rustan's supermarket

1. Cook orzo pasta in boiling water as instructed. Packaging says 7 minutes but 4-5 minutes is good if you're serving is small (2-3 persons). Add salt and a squirt of olive oil to the water to keep orzo from sticking to one another. Cook w/ lid off and stir occasionally. Make sure pasta is AL DENTE - nobody likes overcooked, mushy and soft pasta.

2. Drain the orzo completely and transfer to a mixing bowl and immediately drizzle with olive oil. Enough to keep the pasta from sticking together. Squeeze calamansi juice over the pasta, again enough to add a citrus and zing (I used 10pcs of calamansi). Season with salt & pepper and using a fork, mix gently.

3. On a pan, saute shrimps with a little olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Toss in 1/2 of the chopped scallions and 1/2 diced red onion. Keep the rest of the onion and scallions fresh to combine later with the orzo. Note: If you find the taste of fresh onions overpowering, just add the whole lot of onions while cooking the shrimp.

4. Toss everything with the orzo - cooked shrimps with scallions and onions, the rest of the fresh scallions and onions, diced tomatoes and cucumber, diced kesong puti and chopped parsley.

5. Adjust the taste - if it needs a bit of salt, pepper, more calamansi juice, etc. There are no exact measurements. Always measure with your senses.

Tip: You can refrigerate this since this is a dish best served cold. The longer it sits in the ref, the better the flavors will turn out.

load the toppings on the orzo, toss gently with a fork

Beef Shitake Rice with Alfalfa Sprouts

This dish was inspired by one of the meals I was able to try out at Aracama, a Filipino cuisine restaurant at The Fort. Their short rib salpicao with mushroom rice was quite good so I was excited to remake it and tweak the dish to my preference. The key ingredients here are sukiyaki beef, shitake mushroom, worcestershire sauce and alfalfa sprouts. Now alfalfa has a strong foresty/earthy taste so you if you are not accustomed yet to this veggie, I suggest using it sparingly.

served on a bed of lettuce leaf, steamed broccoli and left over squash soup

Want to make this? Here's how:

you will need an onion, some garlic, sukiyaki beef, shitake mushroom, broccoli and alfalfa sprouts.

saute minced onion and garlic w/ a little olive oil.

Add the meat, cook a bit then add the mushrooms. Season w/ salt n pepper.

Add a tbsp of flour/cornstarch mixed in a cup of water, add 1/4 of a bouillon cube and stir until gravy is thick. Add worcestershire sauce - start with a table spoon and add little by little according to preference.

In a bowl, put in steamed rice, beef mushroom topping, alfalfa sprouts and mix gently.

plate the food, add some sides like greens and soup.

Smoked Salmon and Kesong Puti

What better breakfast/brunch to serve than a beautiful smoked salmon with kesong puti on top of a warm baguette slice, with fluffy and runny scrambled eggs on the side? 

 

Looks fancy? Yes. Expensive? Nope. Cost me a little under Php50 (USD1). The only cooking required was the scrambled egg too. Multiply the serving by two when catering to a man.

Smoked salmon (Superfish brand) Php150 for 100grams
=16grams Php25
Baguette (Rustan's deli) Php39 for 1 long bread at buy1take1 (equivalent to 20 slices 3/4" thick)
=Php 2 for one slice
Kesong Puti (Hacienda Macalauan) Php103 for 200 grams
=Php10 for 20 grams or 2 thin slices
=1 Egg Php 5
1 bunch parsley Php10 =Php.50 centavos for a sprig

*All from Rustan's supermarket

TOTAL: Php42.50

Crazy for Boba: Homemade Pearl Milk Tea

my own blend of milk tea with boba pearls

I am crazy for pearl milk tea because of the boba a.k.a. tapioca pearls. Soft, chewy and sweet black pearls that I cannot get enough of which I sometimes just order as is (no tea) and take it home for dessert. So crazy over it that I finally had to order a pack from milk tea suppliers (try sulit or ebay 1 pack 3kg minimum for about Php350-400 + shipping fee).

I usually get my fix of milk tea and boba at the usual tea places but did you know that they use powdered cream/milk (not fresh), lots of articial ingredients and sweeteners, and some even use powdered/instant tea instead of brewing real tea leaves?

So making your own pearl milk tea is a better idea because:

1. It's HEALTHIER
2. You're sure it's FRESH
2. You can CONTROL the serving
3. It's CHEAPER

Go easy on the boba though! It is highly caloric and a previous study found traces of carcinogens in certain batches of boba pearls coming from Taiwan. If I could make my own boba I would but for now I haven't tried it... yet.

Easy as 1-2-3...

1. Cook the boba according to manufacturer's instruction. It's similar to cooking rice, you just boil it in water for 15mins or so depending on how much boba you are making or how chewy you want it. Rinse the boba and store in a container with sugar syrup (some muscovado and honey mixed with a little water).

2. Brew your own tea. Concentrate the mixture. If a teabag makes for 2 cups, use a teabag for 1 cup. Place in a container and chill in the fridge.

3. Serve it with a spot of fresh milk then add some boba and it's syrup. I use a ratio of 3/4 tea and 1/4 milk. If the syrup is not enough to sweeten your drink, drizzle some honey.

Another great idea would be to make a milk tea gelatin with boba topping!

Shish Taouk (Chicken Skewers)

Arabic-spiced chicken skewers is known by many names... Persian Jujeh Kabab, the Turkish Tavuk Şiş Kebap, the Azerbaijani Toyuq Kababi, the Moroccan Brochette, and this Syrian Shish Taouk. I just chose the Syrian name because it sounded really nice. Arabian cuisine is one of the most wonderful and healthy cuisines out there, yet it remains underrated here in our country. It looks intimidating to make but really it's not! As long as you have the 3 basic spices - curry, cumin and turmeric, it is easy to turn your everyday food into the exotic.

Here's how to:

Cut chicken into cutlets and season liberally with curry, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper and olive oil

Skewer onto sticks and grill

For the side dish, roast tomatoes and onions in a pan drizzled lightly w/ olive oil. season with s&p and rosemary

Serve with flat bread and with a cucumber yogurt sauce (sauce: cucumber chunks, add yogurt and a little salt)