Domestic Goddess

Today started with garlicky fried rice with smoked mackerel. Sides were tomato-onion-salted egg salad. All eaten with the hand (no cutlery please, it was hand shovelling in the face madness). Then BLT sandwich. Lots of crispy B, about 1 1/2 pieces of L and light on the T. Tonight is noodle stir-fry, with fried crispy kimchi dumpling on the side. Burp. Excuse me.

Batard, you are right, kare-kare differs from each family (kinda like gumbo is prepared differently by different cooks). In my family, my mother and grandmother absolutely forbid the use of peanut butter in kare-kare, only toasted ground peanuts and rice. Also, there are the choice of veggies, my family likes asian eggplants, yard long beans, banana heart and bok choy in the stew. And bagoong (fermented shrimp paste sauteed in garlic and vinegar) is a must condiment on the side.

Here's a simple Filipino recipe that is a common side dish for lunch. Squash in Coconut Milk 1 small squash (as big as a husked coconut or grapefruit), peeled and cut into 2inchesX2inches chunks 2 cups of coconut cream (or two cans) 1/2 pound of fatty pork (belly or any pork piece with fat or skin on it) 2 cups of water 1/2 onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tablespoon of fish sauce salt and pepper 1. Take your pork piece, wash it very well and put in a small sauce pan with 2 cups of water and boil until tender (20-30 minutes). Take the cooked pork and cut into 2 inch strips, set aside along with the pork broth. 2. In a wok, add your vegetable oil, heat it until hot. Add cut up pork and fry until golden brown (be careful of the splatters). Add garlic and saute until golden brown and then add onions. Stir-fry everything for a minute. Add your squash chunks and mix everything up. 3. Add coconut cream and fish sauce, turn down the heat when it start to simmer. Let everything simmer for 15-20 minutes until the squash is tender. Salt and pepper if you think it still needs it. Serve hot along with something fried or grilled (fish or pork) with rice. This is a favorite lunch side dish in my family.

Hi Sheena! Welcome back! I am happy that another foodie is introduced to the delights of Filipino cuisine. But first things first. Phillipines is spelled with one "l" and two "p" - Philippines. Our tiny country of islands are named after the spanish king Philip. And with referring anything about/concerning the Philippines, it is usually called Filipino, so Filipino cuisine. There are different types of Filipino cuisine, we are after all composed of 1,700+ islands. And these islands are distinguised by 3 main parts Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. I have been fortunate to have lived in all three regions. Filipino cuisine is as varied as the Chinese. For example, dishes from the rugged Ilocos region up north is more vegetable-centric (usually what is found in backyard gardens) and mostly incorporates the use of fermented fish sauce. In the Pampangga province (considered the culinary center of the country), is known for its charcuterie like tocino (sweetened pork) and longganisa (Filipino sausage). It is also reputed that the famous Kare-kare stew (Beef in savory peanut stew) has originated from here. Then we have the Bicol province that is known for its heavy use of coconut cream and the delightfully hot "bird chilis" (called siling labuyo, once considered the hottest chili pepper by Guiness Book of Records) in their various viands. Down South, like in the Visayas where seafood is abundant, there is a lot of grilled seafood like grilled marlin head and various types of cerviche called "kinilaw: in Tagalog. Cebu is known for its roasted pig or lechon, while in Iloilo batchoy (noodles with pork offal) reigns supreme. Chicken inasal (Chicken marinated in Ginger, lemongrass and vinegar) also hails from here. In Mindanao, where there is a predominantly large Muslim population, coconut cream is also used in a lot of the dishes but with the addition of turmeric, coriander, ginger, chilis, etc. In my hometown, Cavite city, our dishes are Spanish oriented, I can even say South American-oriented. Most of the popular dishes are menudo, callos (tripe with garbazo beans in tomato sauce), morcon, mechado, afritada, etc. As for Filipino recipes, I'll be glad to oblige with traditional simple lunch fare recipes (mostly vegetables). As for the sponge cake and ube (Taro) spongecake, that would entail a call to my mother who knows how to make it.

Tonight, I had Bibimbap. Without the egg... With the requisite fried sunny-side up egg... I added drops of sesame oil and gochujang (red pepper paste) on top and mixed everything up.

Last night the madness started... fried belly pork with oyster cerviche on the side vienna sausage rice roll (wrapped in salty seaweed wrap) a banana more seaweed wrap a handful of walnuts a handful of raisins Today might be more of the same... Hang her head in shame...

If I can get those clear capsules here and those colored sugary balls, I'd be happy to whip up a batch of googly eyes cookies. I'd like to see the look on my hubby's face and his feloow teachers (koreans) when I bring these um, cookies to his school.

I'd like to answer the question about plantains being a veggie or a fruit. It is a fruit. In fact it is a cousin to the banana ergo it is a fruit. But like the tomato, it is incorporated into many savory dishes that sometimes one might think it is a veggie.

I figured it as such Nakji. I'll be trying it out tomorrow when I make Oyakudon. I'll report back on the taste and how it turns out.

Look what I found in our local supermarket. DICK STICKS

I'm doing a happy dance back here.

I went to Ilsan city (a satellite city near Seoul) and found this in the posh Hyudae Dept. Store. The lady said it is mirin. For those who can read korean (Peter's Yoonhi, Sheena, Milgwimper - help!) Did I buy mirin?

Rona, just saw your post today. Yes they were ball-shaped cheetos. T'was so good and that huge jar didn't last long. Now I am snacking on Nestle Crunch bars. PS. Nargi, when I was sick with severe sinusitis last week that came with a pounding headache and face-ache (my lower sinus was so infected it made my cheek swollen), reading eGullet was the a major way for me to keep my mind off the constant pain. Loyal eGulleteer here too.

Try rinsing your rice 3 times. Put in a pot and cover with water until it reaches the middle of your thumb (when you stick your thumb in it until your fingertip touches the rice level). Turn on your heat and let it start to boil. When it begins boiling, turn the heat to the lowest level and take the cover and put the pot cover on cockeyed (or askew or whatever you call the style when the cover only covers half of the pot). Let the rice simmer until all the water has evaporated (15-20 minutes). When all the water has evaporated, straighten the cover of the pot (meaning cover it completely) and turn off the heat. Let the pot rest for 5 minutes, you will find cooked, fluffy rice everytime. Trust me, this is how I've done it for over 2 decades. And I'm Filipino and like other asians we eat rice almost every day, every meal.

So are double yolk sunny side eggs. Hmmm yolky...

My mother found a pearl in one of the tiny clams that we foraged in the shores of Bacolod City in Negros Occidental, Philippines. I was in high school, gee it was mid '80s? My dad would take my brother and sisters and me to the nearby shoreline and we would dig for tiny clams (the size of a thumbnail). I forgot the name. Anyway, my mother would briefly blanch them in boiling water and we would sit down and feast on the tiny, succulent morsels. To open the, you take a tiny clam, put your thumbnail in the middle of the clam lip and pry open. Suck out the juicy clam meat and toss the shell. Repeat a hundred times. Sometimes my mom would dip it in a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar. That one day, my mom yelped and said there was a stone in the clam and it stuck to here teeth. When she pried it from her teeth, it was a tiny perfectly formed white pearl. She had it set on my ring that was missing one small diamond stone. It has made for a memorable keepsake.

Verjuice, what wonderful, mouthwatering food photos. I just wanna reach into my computer monitor and just dig in. Aaaah the sausages with their glistening skin, the brik, the creamy hummus.... must go raid the fridge now. Oh, Happy New Year to you and all your loyal blog followers (in other words my eGullet family). ETA: that your lovely blog reflects your lovely you. Thanks for sharing and you are such a beautiful person.

Hiroyuki, I'm still saving up the courage to buy a whole monkfish and cut it up myself. Sometimes a big one is on sale for as low as 5,000 won (about $5).

Wow! I am so impressed Carolyn! Not to mention really hungry and craving for the fondue and charcuterie in your pictures. Rock on! Looking forward to more train cuisine pics in your future travels.

Pierogi, I've seen those US Army forks sold here on the street markets of Janghowon and in the Namdaemun market. I'll ask how much one would cost. I might get myself one. One kitchen item I cannot replace or get is the coconut/cantaloupe grater?( not really a grater but a tool that can make long strands of young coconut or cantaloupe for summer drinks in the Philippines). My grandfather used to make them during the war (WWII). Now only a handful remain in my family, coveted by my aunts and mother and sometimes held as a threat of not being passed on as an inheritance should you lose their favour. I'll get my Dad to take a picture of one of them.

On our end, Billy left a glass of milk, three gingerbread cookies (one shaped like a duck, a bell and a Christmas tree), one shortbread kisses cokkie and a colored shortbread cookie. He also left a giant strawberry lollipop for SAanta, in case he wants some candy.

Christmas morn and my hubby and I wake up with the meanest cold bug ever. Through the chorus of hacking, sneezing and coughing, we both agreed to order out for lunch. Me and our youngest son got Korean Food delivery. Son got the Tonkatsu plate complete with the requisite ketchup+mayo combo over julienned veggies (and half a tangerine). I got a steaming bowl of Kalbi Tnag (Beef Ribs Soup) to help decongest my nose and such. This one got bits of ginseng in it and a jujube fruit, very tasty. Everything is saranwrapped for convenience and food safety. Korean food delivery comes with your very own set of cutlery, kimchee and pickled radish slices and even condiments. After eating, you just put all the dirty dishes and cutlery outside for the delivery guy to come back and pick up. No mess, no dish washing and no hassle. Hubby wanted korean fried chicken and he settled for the Nene Chicken brand. This one gave us a pink alarm clock for ordering on Christmas day. The slot that you see in the topmost portion of the box is where a small bottle of Pepsi goes. Pretty neat, ain't it? And that sums up our Christmas meal. Aaachooo!

Bravo! More HK foodie pics! So I guess po taat is the name for egg custard in Hong Kong? How much does one tart cost?

Rona, your mother looks like one of my aunts! I am truly enjoying your posts, please do continue (and more pics too!).

Rehovot, I found it on a website which published updated gingerbread recipes adapted from very old time recipes (which used treacle). I copied and pasted it on my Word program and forgot to make a note where I got it.