Domestic Goddess

The key thing is to scrape/peel the white covering on the tongue once it is boiled tender. In the Philippines, we have a recipe called Lengua Estofado and the tongue is served sliced with a sweet-savory sauce. My mother makes a mean beef tongue with gravy. It's a treat for us since my mom rarely makes it (she finds cooking and cleaning the tongue too ardous).

Here's what I made that has made me a fan of Bitter Gourd melon (called "ampalaya or amargoso" in the Philippines). The beef is sauteed with onions, garlic, ginger and slices of bitter gourd melon. Beef with Bitter Gourd (Beef with Ampalaya)

I agree with SauceRobert. You need to shuck one and smell it. If it smells a bit off, then you have to discard it. Another sign is that their shells are a tad open, then they're dead. Although here in Korea, I've seen people buy up dead oysters (open a bit), cook them and show no sign of food poisoning of some sorts.

Mallet, my friends say that black garlic is hard to make since it takes a long time (like about a month) of constant heat and humidity to make a batch. There's a device that is sold on the home tv shopping but it is all in korean and I don't really understand how to use it and for how long. (I surmise that the gadget cuts the fermenting time short). I'll get back to you with more details after my friends do their own research too.

It is so cute, so portable, I like it! Hubby would probably scoff at it (being used to mega-sized grills).

Mallet, they slow cook it here in Korea and they have a special pot/gadget to do it. There's a lot of black garlic products sold on the home tv shopping here. I'll ask my korean friends how do they make their own black garlic.

Oh please let it not be the last. I am enjoying every minute and every picture of your Japan adventure. You're one heck of an eating machine. I am so jealous! I would have probably caved in and snoozed more if I was eating/travelling with you.

Petite tete de chou - that is the recipe! Thank you so much for finding it. And thank you fo your compliment on my stuffed tofu.

You should also review Marketman's blog on roasting a pig. He has tried several techniques to get the crispy caramel-colored skin. His pig trials should give you tips on roasting your pig just right. http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/three-little-piggies http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/lecho...5-mm-score-8875 http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/lecho...-a-la-marketman http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/lecho...-a-la-marketman

Rona, I am looking forward to the upcoming posts and pics. My cousins and uncles also eat dog, as "pulutan" (pulutan means beer food or food you eat when drinking). They usually serve it as adobo or caldereta (tomato-based stew). I've never tried it but I do relish Goat caldereta whenever I have a chance to eat it.

Peter - that is the best part! The eyeballs, you open up the fish head by lifting one gill and the whole head splits into two. Scoop up the eye cavity and slurp on the meaty eye part on the bottom of the eye. Then just spit out the hard white eyeball (not digestible). Then proceed to split the skull in two and now attack the brain. Lotsa good omega 3 nutrients in there. Plus it's creamy and oh-so-good. Hmmm, I wonder if there's Ocean Perch now at my grocery store? I'm hungry!

Thank you for posting pictures and a recipe for this kind of fish Peter. I have seen Ocean Perch sold at our local grocery store and wondered how I could fix it. Your recipe seems simple and delicious enough. This will be a future meal in our household soon.

My hubby uses it for his Beef Vegetable soup and stews. He says that it does add a great color to the soup and stew, the flavor change is minimal. I have read that it is primarily a browning and seasoning sauce. It can be used as a gravy base. It is also used by food stylists for a variety of appearance effects, including 'coffee' made by adding a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet to a cup of water and lending a browned appearance to poultry. - Wiki entry I have had the mistake of accidentally dumping half a bottle of the stuff in a one-pot stew I was making and the sauce became acrid and bitter.

Percyn - I am really hankering for that slab of corned beef right now. Is that homemade?

Rona - dulong is getting to be hard to find in the Philippines. Most water areas where dulong is harvested is getting too polluted or too populated with other fish introduced there. That's the reason why it is quite expensive. Banana blossoms - that's what I really miss right now. I wish I could get a banana heart so I can make banana blossom salad (with coconut milk) and kare-kare.

Pan/Rona - the leafy green veggie up there is Pechay or chinese white cabbage. The Philippine Pechay differs from other chinese cabbage from China and other countries since it is usually small and has bright green leaves with little on no veins on it. It is usually tasteless when harvested young but sometimes a bit bitter if it is a bit old.

Hi Doddie! No, it's not dilis. We've been wracking our brains over it. It sounded like dalang or diwang or. . . ← Rona, I figured it out. You were served Dulong. Marketman blogged about this at Dulong Patties.

Oops I forgot, is the small fish that starts with a "D" dilis? Dilis is anchovy and is hard to find fresh. That's my parents' favorite cerviche fish.

Rona, that stuffed tilapia reminds me of the grilled stuffed bangus (milkfish) wrapped in banana leaves that I always make. The stuffing is usually minced ginger with diced onions and tomatoes + salt and pepper. Aaaah, I really miss that now plus authentic calamansi lemons. Lemon juice just doesn't quite cut it. Sorry to hear that you're under the weather. Maybe somebody can fix a soothing bowl of arroz caldo (chicken porridge rice) for you? The ginger in it can really help your upset tummy.

Shoot Rona, I am definitely craving that oyster dish. That would go well with that crunchy hunk of pork (golden brown and oh so crunchy). My brother makes a mean plate of sisig - the only thing different that he adds is brain. It makes it really creamy and decadent. That's why some restaurants have started to add mayonnaise instead of brain, to substitute for the creaminess. Definitely not one who's on a diet or has high blood pressure.

Cenedra - here's what I made last week. I posted a recipe on my blog.

I am interested in this as well since I have a couple of masala mixes in my pantry.

dmreed - this same thing happened to me a couple of days ago. And it made me confused too. My sauce because watery again after 10 minutes (I used potato starch to thicken it).

Pan - pasalubong is what you call treats that you bring home when you're out on a trip. Anything brought home for loved ones is pasalubong (especially if you go out of town or abroad). Pasalubong can be food, candies, cosmetics, canned goods, imported towels, etc which a balibayan (literally means "back to the country" or Filipinos who live/work abroad going back to the Philippines) would lug back in "balikbayan boxes" for the entire clan. It's a Filipino thing. Then again, if the family member knows that one is going to a city in another region in the Philippines, that family member must or should bring treats and speciakty food/items native to that city or province. Like Rona and her Mom went up to Baguio (known for its strawberries, fresh veggies, leather goods, Good Sheperd Convent jams, etc.), they are expected to bring strawberries, jam, Baguio knickknacks and souvenirs for the family. Ensaimada - is a sweet, baked buttery roll that is a favorite snack or tea time food of Filipinos. The good ones are light, airy and covered in butter before drizzled with granulated sugar. Some have mung bean filling, or dotted with salty ham bits and even cheese. See the picture that Rona posted above...

Rona - that was what I was trying to clarify to Peter. He mentioned fish snot and I never heard of that. Yes, "lukot" is the name of the fish poop (actually sea cucumber secretions combined with strings of fish eggs). Maybe that was what Peter was describing.