HOW TO COOK GINISANG UPO (RECIPE)

HOW TO COOK GINISANG UPO (RECIPE) -Upo or bottle gourd is a very abundant vegetable in the Philippines. Many dishes are cooked with upo in the country like pesang isda with upo, sinibak na upo, etc. But Ginisa is the very famous and it has many ways to cook. In english, this dish is called sauteed bottle gourd which is literally means sauteed in onions and garlic with additional ingredients to boost the texture and flavor like pork or fish. Shrimp and sardines are also used. Bottle gourd may not be available in your country but if you want to try this recipe, you can replace upo with chayote or young papaya. In this recipe I am going to share with you, we are going to use Tinapa flakes or you can use any fried fish flakes as replacement. If you are into eating tuna flakes, it is also good to use canned tuna just use the plain flakes and oil. Very popular version of this dish is the one with tomatoes but some people do not like the idea of combining the taste of Upo and tomatoes so in this recipe, we are going to use pepper corn instead of tomatoes to make it a bit unique but delicious. Here is the Ginisang Upo Recipe:

HOW TO COOK GINISANG UPO (RECIPE)

INGREDIENTS
1 upo (about 1 kilo)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
1 medium size red onion (thinly sliced)
1/2 teaspoon peppercorn (ground)
2 cups deboned tinapa flakes (smoked fish)
cooking oil
1 teaspoon salt (or more depending on your taste)
1/2 cup water
MSG (optional)

STEP BY STEP COOKING PROCEDURE AND DIRECTIONS
1. Wash the upo well before peeling. Peel and thinly slice.
2. In a skillet, heat oil, saute garlic and onion until light brown.
3. Add the sliced upo and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add water, pepper and salt, cover the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the tinapa flakes and MSG, mix a little and continue simmering for 3 minutes.
6. And serve with rice.

HOW TO COOK GINISANG UPO (RECIPE)

HOW TO MAKE TORTANG HIPON

HOW TO MAKE TORTANG HIPON -hipon or shrimp is one of the very abundant aquaculture products in the Philippines. There are many kinds of dishes cooked with hipon and  i am going to share with you one of these dishes. Torta is a very common way of cooking in the Philippines and shrimp is one of the ingredients that can be used in making torta. Torta is actually made of eggs and sometimes flour. In this recipe, we are going to use the combination of eggs, flour and shrimp. Ground pepper can also be added to the ingredients to give it more appealing taste. condiment is another key to its great taste. You can either use vinegar or sauce and even catsup can also be used especially when you have kids in your home. Here is the simple recipe:

HOW TO MAKE TORTANG HIPON

INGREDIENTS
1/2 kilo raw shrimp (the smallest kind would be the best)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
cooking oil

for vinegar dip
1 red onions (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pieces red chili (cut into halves)
1/2 cup vinegar

STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE AND DIRECTIONS
1. In a mixing bowl, combine together shrimp, pepper, salt and egg. Mix well.
2. Add the flour and mix. You can add water if the mixture is too dry.
3. In a pan, heat oil. Scoop the mixture and pour in the pan. The amount depends on your preference.
4. Flip the torta when the other side turns light brown and cook until the other side turns light brown. Repeat the process for the remaining mixture.
5. Let cool down a bit.
6. In a small bowl, combine together all the vinegar dip ingredients. Stir until the salt is dissolved.
7. Transfer the torta in a serving plate and serve with vinegar dip.

HOW TO MAKE TORTANG HIPON

HOW TO COOK FILIPINO STYLE PORK BARBECUE

HOW TO COOK FILIPINO STYLE PORK BARBECUE -Barbecue is not an original Filipino food but since the Philippines is partly influenced by Western culture, barbecue has become one of the dishes commonly prepared and served in the Philippines not only in the fancy restaurants but also in many small food shops and food carts. This delicious dish is always present in the table whenever there is an occasion like birthdays, baptismal, weddings and even family reunions. There are many versions of barbecue cooked in the Philippines like the bistek style barbecue, sisig style barbecue but the most common of them is the Filipino style. To me, this one is the best because it gives me sweet, sour and salty tastes with a little hotness just right making it good for the kids. In this recipe I am about to share with you requires calamansi but if you don't have calamansi you can replace it with lemon or orange. Also we are going to use soda pop like Sprite or 7up. You can use your favorite soda pop like for example you want to use Mountain dew. Here is the recipe:

HOW TO COOK FILIPINO STYLE PORK BARBECUE

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs pork loin
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup soda pop
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoon calamansi extract
6 cloves garlic (minced)
1 red onion (minced)
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 tablespoon banana ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Barbecue sticks
grill

STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE AND DIRECTIONS
1. In a bowl, combine together all marinade ingredients. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
2. Cut the pork into thin strips good enough to skewer.
3. Add the pork into the bowl and marinate for 4 hours.
4. Skewer the pork using bamboo stick skewer.
5. In a charcoal grill, grill the pork for 15 minutes. Spread pork with marinade using a clean barbecue brush from time to time.
6. Do the grilling process for the rest of the pork.
7. And serve with red wine.

HOW TO COOK FILIPINO STYLE PORK BARBECUE

HOW TO COOK KINILNAT

HOW TO COOK KINILNAT -Kinilnat is a Filipino dish very famous in Ilocos region in the Philippines. This dish is a vegetable salad usually made of vegetable leaves. Instead of using mayonaise, Fish sauce or bagoong isda is used as condiment for this dish. Raw tomatoes and onions are also commonly used as ingredients. There are many kinds of vegetables that can be used in making Kinilnat like sweet potato tops, eggplants, chayote tops, green chilli, pumpkin blossom, string beans, etc. Also many kinds of souring agents can be used too like tomato, calamansi, vinegar, cooked tamarind extract etc. Kinilnat is best serve with fried fish or chicken because these foods compliment the taste of sour and salty steamed vegetables. Here is the recipe:



HOW TO COOK KINILNAT

INGREDIENTS
1 bundle sweet potato tops
fish sauce or bagoong isda to taste
5 pieces cherry tomatoes
1 red onion
MSG (optional)

STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE AND DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the sweet potato tops by removing the hard stems and wash thoroughly.
2. In a pot, pour 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.
3. Add the sweet potato tops and cook for 3 minutes. Do not overcook.
4. Remove the vegetable from hot water and transfer in a bowl.
5. Was the tomatoes, cut into dices and add to the bowl.
6. Wash the onion and thinly slice, add to the bowl.
7. Add a pinch of MSG if you like.
8. Serve with rice and fried fish. Enjoy!

HOW TO COOK KINILNAT

HOW TO MAKE BELEKOY (RECIPE)

                                image source: 365greatpinoystuff.wordpress.com
HOW TO MAKE BELEKOY (RECIPE) -Belekoy is a very popular sweet Filipino dessert in the Philippines. This pastry is made primarily of flour and sugar commonly coated with sesame seeds. I am not sure but i think this sweet food originated in Bulacan province where pastries and cracklings industry is booming. There are many pastry stores and shops in the country where you can find Belekoy but the most common place to find this delicious dessert is the bus, yes, you hear me. Many street vendors ride buses to offer their products like cold water, nuts, burgers, cracklings and candies. One of these products is Belekoy. This soft candy is not expensive at all, in fact, you can buy a small pack for only 20 pesos. What I am going to share with you is a fruit-flavored version of this candy. It is not the original one but you can still have the taste of the original flavor that this candy has to offer. Here is the Belekoy recipe:

HOW TO MAKE BELEKOY (RECIPE)

INGREDIENTS
3 cups glutinous rice flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 litro pack instant apple juice powder
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla syrup
4 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)

STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE AND DIRECTIONS
1. Put a skillet over low heat, put the rice flour and toast while mixing until the color turned light brown. Do the process for sesame seeds.
2. In a pot, pour water and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and juice powder and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Add the vanilla and toasted rice flour and cook until the mixture becomes thick and solid enough while folding.
4. Remove from heat and let cool down.
5. Cut the cooked mixture into desired shape.
6. On a very clean board, scatter sesame seeds.
7. Roll the belekoys over the sesame seeds until coated.
8. Wrap the belekoys with cellophane.
9. Good for kids as baon.

HOW TO MAKE BELEKOY (RECIPE)