Majah's Mini Tempura

Majah also prepared shrimp tempura, a popular Japanese dish, for the birthday celebrators. Here's her mini version of tempura (pronounced as tenpura).

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 kilo shrimps
1 egg
breadcrumbs
salt
pepper
all-purpose flour
cornstarch
cooking oil

How to prepare the shrimp:
Remove heads and shells from shrimps without removing tails. Make incisions on the upper, middle and lower parts of the shrimp (parts where the body of the shrimp curves). Face the shrimp down then press it to straighten its body. Place on a paper towel to remove excess water.

COOKING PROCEDURE:
Beat egg, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl to make the batter. In a separate plate, mix flour and pepper. Cover shrimp in flour, then dip into the egg batter. Then roll it over the breadcrumbs before deep frying in the pan. Shrimps cook fast. Make sure to quickly remove from pan once tail turns golden orange.

Tip on checking the heat of the oil:
Place a little batter into the oil. If the batter sinks to the bottom, then the oil is not hot enough. If the batter stays on top, then the oil is too hot. The right temperature will be when the batter sinks half way then goes up again. Once the right temperature is attained, lower the heat as not to burn your shrimps.

Pansit a la Majah

Pansit is a Filipino-Chinese dish that is widely known for its symbolic representation for "long life". This means that if you wish someone to have a long life, better serve Pansit (with uncut noodles) on his birthday. Hahaha! For Majah's case, she planned to cook pasta on her mom and grandma's birthday bash but since Iya (her grandma) requested for Pansit, Majah ended up cooking this traditional dish.

INGREDIENTS:

Bihon noodles
Canton noodles
cabbages (cut into strips)
carrots (cut into strips)
chicken (shredded)
chicken stock
chicken liver (optional)
soy sauce
salt
garlic
onions


COOKING PROCEDURE:
Sautee garlic and onions. Add chicken and liver. Add soy sauce. Sautee for a couple of minutes to let the chicken absorb the mixture. Add chicken stock (amount of stock depends on the amount of noodles you are going to cook). Keep in mind that bihon noodles need more water than canton noodles. Add more soy sauce and salt to taste. Drop bihon noodles first. Use fork to spread the noodles if necessary. Once cooked, drop the canton noodles. Wait until bihon noodles are cooked then add cabbages and carrots. Do not overcook the vegetables. Best served with calamansi on the side.

Haruhi Suzumiya resin kit

I want this... (sigh)

Ang kyut na keyk (a cute cake)

This was the cake before it was murdered by some gorgeous misses.

This was the cake after. Still cute. :D

Watch out for this cake at the corner bakeshop of Max's and try it out.

Sweet 'n Spicy Gemüse a la Chris

Gemüse n. (genitive Gemüses, plural Gemüse, from the noun Mus) 1. vegetable 2. (mildly offensive) A person whose brain has been severely damaged.

Derived terms

Gemüsemischung (mixed veggies)

(Resource: en.wiktionary.org)

INGREDIENTS:

broccoli

long beans

carrots

cabbage

monggo sprout

garlic (minced)

onions (finely chopped)

UFC sweet and spicy sauce

vegetable oil

COOKING PROCEDURE:

Heat vegetable oil. Sautee garlic and onions. Chop and add veggies- broccoli, long beans, carrots, cabbage, monggo sprout. Add UFC sweet and spicy sauce. Cook until firm tender. Serve with potatoes on the side.

For potato side dish: Chop baby potatoes into 2 then boil. After boiling, sautee in vegetable oil. Add salt and sprinkle italian herbs.

Marco's Ham 'n Cheese Omelet

Here's another egg dish from Marco. :D

INGREDIENTS:

6 slices of chinese ham (cut into small pieces)

2 eggs (beaten)

1/4 cup grated cheese

cooking oil

salt

vetsin (msg)

COOKING PROCEDURE:

Saute garlic in cooking oil. Add the chinese ham. Stir until light brown. Add salt and vetsin to taste. Pour in the beaten egg and grated cheese mixture then stir. Turn off heat after a few seconds or when the egg has solidified. Serve with pandesal or garlic bread.

(for Marco's review)

Inaymommy's Bulanglang

"I always miss home. I always miss my family. I always miss my mom's lutong bahay... "

My mom cooked Bulanglang last weekend. Almost all the ingredients were freshly picked from her garden. The dish is guaranteed healthy and organic. So here it is.

INGREDIENTS:

1 small size papaya, sliced

2 cups kalabasa (squash), cut into wedges

1 bundle kangkong

1 medium sized tomato, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

6-8 cup rice stock (water from washing rice)

salt

vetsin (msg)

(Important: Make sure to wash all the vegetables)

You can also add the following if available:

1 bundle malunggay leaves, removed from stem

1 bundle sitaw (string beans), cut into 2” length

2 bundle sigarillas (also know as kalamismis), cut into wedges

1 bundle okra, cut into wedges

COOKING PROCEDURE:

Boil rice stock in a large pot, add garlic and tomato. Cook until tomato becomes soggy. Add kalabasa and simmer until it is firm tender. Add papaya continue simmering until cooked. Season with salt and vetsin to taste. Serve immediately. Best served with dried fish or tuyo (specifically sapsap or hawut).

Ginataang Kalabasa ala Cathz (Squash Cooked in Coconut Milk)

Cathz is not always in the mood for cooking. Hahaha! I'm like paparazzi sometimes, watching her every move. One day, I caught her cooking this so I grabbed my cellphone and took a picture of this yummy-looking thing. :P

INGREDIENTS:

1 kilo squash, cut into cubes (1"x1")

1 bundle of string beans

2 medium-sized eggplants (cut into small pieces)

3 pieces tomatoes, diced

2 onions, chopped

1 head garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of ginger root, crushed and minced

4 tablespoons of cooking oil

2 pieces long chili peppers

2 tablespoons of shrimp paste (bagoong)

2 cups coconut milk

1 cups coconut cream (kakang gata)

2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons of fish sauce (patis)

COOKING PROCEDURE:

On a big pan, heat oil. Sauté garlic, onions until light brown then add ginger, cook until onions become translucent. Add the tomatoes, squash, string beans, eggplants, chicken stock, shrimp paste and the coconut milk. Let boil then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and the squash becomes tender. Add the coconut cream, and long chili peppers. Bring again to a boil and simmer for a few more minutes. Serve hot with plain rice.

(for Cathz' review)

Tina's Tuna Macaroni ala mayaman

It's really nice to have friends who are into cooking. It's more often than not that you get to taste their specialties and sometimes their new recipes. I feel very lucky!!! Hehehe :D

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 kilo elbow macaroni

1 pack sweet style spaghetti sauce

1/4 kilo hotdog (cut into small pieces)

1 can Century tuna light (slightly drained)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

cheddar cheese (grated)

secret ingredients

COOKING PROCEDURE:

Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain, douse with cold water, drain again and set aside. While the macaroni cooks, sautee the garlic in the pan until you smell its aroma. Add the hotdog then the tuna. Add the spaghetti sauce and the secret ingredients. Let boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the sauce to the cooked macaroni. Transfer to a serving platter and serve at once.

(for Tina's review)

Dinner at Persia Grill

It started with my craving to eggplant. I was thinking where can I eat a yummy eggplant meal that won't ruin my stomach. I wanted something unique like Baba Ganouge. And suddenly Persia Grill crossed my mind. Hmmm, why not? I haven't eaten there for almost a year. I missed its romantic ambiance. Yihee! So Marco and I went there to have a wonderful dinner.

Of course, we ordered Baba Ganouge (for Php 100.00) as the appetizer. It was served with Pita. Yum yum! Its smooth texture and grilled taste really goes well with Pita.

Then for the main dish, we ordered Business Meals (BM) also known as budget meals. We had BM2 - Chicken Kebab (for Php 120.00) and BM7 - Lamb Kebab (for Php 160.00) and 1 extra rice (for Php 25.00 -I think :P). They were served with grilled tomato, buttered plain rice and eggplant yoghurt dip.

The Chicken Kebab was soft, tender and tasty. It was like marinated in a special sauce that you could easily distinguish its taste from any other chicken kebabs. On the other hand, Lamb Kebab was just as tasty and well done. Nonetheless, Kebabs plus grilled tomato, buttered plain rice and eggplant yoghurt dip is a perfect combination. I also noticed that the food presentation was very simple yet surprising. The kebab was all covered with rice that you could barely see it on the plate.

Lamb Kebab

Chicken Kebab

For refreshments, I had House Blend (a mix of mango, calamansi juice and ice tea for Php 75.00 -I think :P) and Marco had a regular ice tea (for Php 40.00). The taste of House Blend was not really that appealing to me. It lacked sweetness though I didn't bother to ask the crew for any sugar. Somehow it complemented the dish. I was like drinking flavored water. As for the ice tea, there was nothing special. Hehehe. :D But then we finished all the food up and went out with a smile on our faces. :)

Persia Grill (Main Branch), Valero St.

Valero Carpark 2, Valero St., Salcedo Village

Makati City, Metro Manila

(02) 818-9090

Mon - Sun 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Other Branches:

Legazpi St., Makati Megastrip, Megamall Soon SM Skygarden, North Edsa