angeljolie

Thanks, Doddie! Since our function will be a formal one, I think I will opt for the getup of the fancier restaurants' waitstaff. Thanks again!

It's been quite a while since this thread had been posted to. But I hope someone can help me out. We are having a Korean function on Sunday, and I will be stationed in the dining room. I was told to wear the Korean national costume but I think that will be very uncomfortable and might even cause trouble. My question is, what do waitresses or female dining managers usually wear in Korean restaurants? Any help will be very much appreciated. Thanks!

Fugu: Thanks for the suggestions! I would still love to try the ube reduction, for presentation purposes. Btw, I've been to a weekend market at some park here in Salcedo Village, it must be what you were referring to in your previous post. I'll try to go there next weekend. Thanks again! prasantrin, thanks for the link. I've opened it immediately, for fear that it might disappear. Re: botulism, yes I've read about it. That's why I have to be really really careful. Thanks for the reminder.

How long does your oil with beet juice or pepper juice last? Your ube powder suggestion got me really excited! I mean, w-o-w. Thanks a lot. I'm a beginner in the kitchen and my weakest point so far is presentation. I really find it difficult to make my creations appealing. Thanks again! Hope someone can post pics of their infused oil bottles. ← I used to make yellow pepper oil and beet oil once a week and should last longer unless it breaks its emulsified state. Sometime temperature change will cause these oils to separate or break. Herbs infused oils don't have that danger of separating. You might have to work on that Ube since the juice will be full of starch and when heated, it will thicken. It will be easy to emulsify but may need to be thinned out? Bel Air village, around Antel Platinum, has a farmer's market on Saturdays. I've seen fresh tumeric there that's worth infusing, along with some other local herbs and seasonal ingredients. ← Ok, I'm a little confused here. Do I really need to emulsify them? I'm thinking of placing the herbs and/or spices in oil in their original state (maybe bruised a little) because I think it looks nice to have whole leaves and fruits or berries in there. Is it a bad idea?

Have you tried placing it under running water? Even if you remove it from the stove, if you don't rinse it to lower the temperature, the heat will continue to cook it.

How long does your oil with beet juice or pepper juice last? Your ube powder suggestion got me really excited! I mean, w-o-w. Thanks a lot. I'm a beginner in the kitchen and my weakest point so far is presentation. I really find it difficult to make my creations appealing. Thanks again! Hope someone can post pics of their infused oil bottles.

Oops, my fault. I was supposed to say that olive oil is highly perishable, as compared to other oils. Anyway, I think I'd use sunflower oil (because I read that it has milder aroma). I will try that mint-cayenne combo you suggested. Sounds interesting. Where do you use it btw? Can infused oils actually be used for cooking? Or just as a condiment? Thanks again!

Thanks, Peter! I have questions though: 1. Isn't olive oil perishable? How long can I keep it unrefrigerated? 2. Is it also possible to mix an herb and a spice in one oil? Or will mixing destroy the flavor altogether? 3. Why do you decant? I've seen oils in restaurants that still have the herbs inside the bottle. What's the disadvantage of leaving the herbs or spices in the oil?

I will be making infused oils and vinegars as part of my class requirement, but I am totally clueless of what herbs and/or spices to use. Also, how do you do them? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

^Alex, your chicken looks perfect! Yum yum!

Awesome! I love to see a whole creature on the plate. Good thing the basil leaf is there for scale, otherwise it could be a swimming pool with a giant squid (and pool noodles). ← Haha! I prefer cooking the squid whole to minimize shrinkage and preserve its natural juices. Thanks. nakji, thanks. Btw, what's in your curry? Looks tempting, especially with the shiny grains. Doddie, kumusta po? Wow menudo empanadas! I'm just wondering though why the pastry is white. How did you do it?

There's a deli shop on Edsa cor. Liberty Street called Treffpunkt that sells sausages, oils, beer, other canned and bottled items from Austria. Here's their website: TREFFPUNKT

I think even room temp water can un-clump the pasta. As for preventing the clumping, adding oil to the boiling water also didn't work for me. What I do is, after cooking, I place it under running water (to stop the cooking process), drain it (there should be little water left though), and then smother it with oil. Most probably, it is the carry-over cooking that's making the starches come out, hence making the pasta sticky.

Now this is a fraud. Last Sunday, at the culinary class, the recipe called for chili powder. However, I wasn't able to buy it so I used ground Spanish paprika but never admitted it to the chef. Well, they look the same to me.

Pasta Negra (with leftover squid from lunch)

My favorite would be stir-fried beef with bitter melon and fermented black beans. I also love bitter melon in munggo guisado (mung bean soup), in lieu of bitter melon leaves. The secret is not to overcook it so it won't become too bitter. Also, you need to pick those that are light green in color. Based on experience, they're less bitter.

I always have a craving for dried fish or dried squid during rainy days. And since last week had been rainy (stormy actually), I gave in to my cravings. Here's dried squid on top of garlic fried rice. And here's dilis (dried long-jawed anchovies). Of course, it won't be complete without this:

One of my office colleagues used taba ng talangka as a sauce for her pasta. That was one of the best pasta dishes I've ever tasted!

Thanks, Ann_T! I actually think it looks very dry. Hee hee. Your pancakes look sooo much yummier!

No prob, Tepee. HKDave, yeah basil is relatively more difficult to grow but growing it is indeed a lot cheaper than buying it from the supermarket.

I can only cook on weekends and this was what I made for breakfast last Saturday. In lieu of maple syrup was sweetened macapuno (coconut) topping.

In Manila, we call this kamias or balimbing (another variety). In English, I think it's known as bilimbi.

I just re-started (because I left my plants when I moved to another place just recently). I currently have sweet basil, rosemary, and tarragon in pots. So far, I think they're doing good. Here are their photos: Basil Rosemary Tarragon

I love Korean food, but haven't tried making any dish yet. I particularly love Japchae (or Chapchae) and Kimchichigae (Kimchi soup). I'd probably the recipes you have here.

Circles in Makati Shangri-La indeed has a very wide food selection. It has Filipino, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, and American dishes. The pastries are also very good. If you're craving for Italian, you definitely have to try Cafe Caruso in Bel-Air, Makati.