Japanese dessert: Coffee Jelly

I love coffee jelly though its an unusual dessert compare to its Philippine counter part. Filipino desserts are usually made with bananas (saba), rice (kakanin) and with sugar. For those who are on a diet, you can get rid of the cream, chocolate syrup, and the sugar.

Ingredients:
   for base coffee jelly
      1/2 pack gelatin
      3 tbsp. sugar
      1/4 c. tap water
      1 c. brewed coffee
   for top coffe jelly
      1/2 pack gelatin
      3 tbsp. sugar
      1/4 c. cold evaporated milk
      1 c. 3 in 1 coffee mix. (I prefer Great Taste white coffee)
Toppings:
Heavy cream in can

Brown Cow chocolate syrup

Mix the gelatin, sugar and water together in a small pan and cook for 5 minutes under low fire. Add the coffee and keep on stirring constantly until the gelatin dissolves and the liquid is clear. Pour half-filled into individual cups and chill until firm.

Mix the gelatin, sugar and evaporated milk together in a small pan and cook for 5 minutes under low fire. Add the 3 in 1 white coffee and keep on stirring constantly until the gelatin dissolves and the liquid is clear. Pour on top of the base gelatin into individual cups and chill until firm.

Spray the heavy cream on top and glaze it with brown cow chocolate syrup!

Spaghetti Bolognese

When I was young, there's this spaghetti that's been served in Mai King in the extinct Greendale supermarket which is now closed for many years and re-opened this year by Save More supermarket. I oftenly say to my father "Spageting pang-gera!"  (War Spaghetti) because of the spiciness of this spaghetti in contrast to children's spaghetti which is somewhat sweet. Although my version of spaghetti bolognese doesnt taste like that once that I have ate when I was young, it is still a bolognese. So here we go!!

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of Pasta
• 2 250g of Del Monte Italian Spaghetti sauce
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped finely
• 1 kilo ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 Cup tomato paste
• 1/2 Cup beef stock
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 3 tsp Fresh oregano
• 1 tbsp Fresh basil, finely shredded
• dashes of salt and pepper to taste
• dashes of chili powder to taste
• 1 tbsp Butter

How to make Spaghetti Bolognese: 

1. First, heat oil in a big saucepan and cook onion until translucent.
2. Then add garlic in it on medium heat til light brown and keep stirring.
3. Next is add beef to the pan, stir continuously on high flame till well browned.
4. Add the tomato sauce.
5. Add tomato paste, stock, sugar and bring it to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat, covered and simmer for about 30 minutes till beef is tender and mixture thickened slightly.
7. Now stir through herbs.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Add chili powder to taste.
10. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a big saucepan of boiling water with 1 tbsp of salt and butter, uncovered, till just tender, drain.
11. Now serve sauce over spaghetti.

Starbuck's Heaven on Earth dessert

Heaven on Earth.. What a catchy name for a flan-like dessert.. I saw this at Starbuck's Gateway when I went there to relax at around 9PM after shopping at SM North and Trinoma. The dessert consists of different layers with series of flavors that compliment each other. The top part has a gelatin-like texture. It's sweetness is just right and I love it. But I observed that you should eat this dessert slowly to prevent getting yourself bored with it or "naumay". I paired it with my usual order in Starbucks.. The Grande size Chocolate Chip Cream frap. I have a sweet tooth so it's ok to have 2 similarly flavored foods.

While eating the dessert, there's this 90s song that starts to play in my head.

"♪♫ Oh, heaven do you know what that's what?

 Oh, heaven is a place on earth

 They say in heaven, love comes first

 You make heaven in a place called earth ♪♫"

Verdic

Presentation: 5 stars

Taste: 3 stars

Value for money: 3 stars

Score: 3 stars!

Well, to sum it up. I would say that it's good to try this once in a while to relax.

Gyudon (Beef Bowl)

First and foremost, Gyu is a japanese word which means beef. Don is.. I don't know.. Anyway, I love Gyudon!! My sister also love it too so I used it as a reward when she did some series of favors for me. I so love Gyudon that I even eat it twice a day and everyday. It was then P65 but now.. it turned P110 with very few beef strips unlike before and even the bed of rice is dry sometimes. So I decided to make my own.

Ingridients:

• 1/2 kilo steamed rice
• 1/2 kilo breakfast steak cut into strips
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 1 dashi powder mix derived from Bonito fish (I bought one in SM supermarket)
• 5 Tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp mirin
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 pc of calamansi
• 3 dashes of 7 spices (some call it chili powder)

Preparation:

1. Put the water in a pan and let it boil a bit. Then add the dashi powder. (Follow the instruction in the box.)
2. Add soy sauce, calamansi juice, sugar, and mirin and bring to a boil on medium heat.
3. Add onion slices and simmer for a few minutes or until softened. 
4. Add beef in the pan and simmer for a few minutes. 
5. Serve hot steamed rice into individual deep rice bowls. 
6. Put simmered beef on top of the rice. Top with dashes of 7 spices.

My version of Gyudon is a bit sweeter than what they serve at Yoshinoya's.

Ginisang Munggo (Sauté Mung Beans)

Since it's been raining a lot recently, I started to crave for mung beans or just simply "munggo". Some people call it Stew Mung Beans and some Sauté Mung Beans. This dish is so Filipino that everyone in the Philippines probably eat this kind of food. Honestly, I don't like veggies but these mung beans are edible enough even to choosy guys like us who's in love with meat.

 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. cooking oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
3 pieces of fried Gigi (Galunggong), fillet in pinch sizes "hinimay"
1/4 kilo pork cubes, washed with running water (note: wash it separately against the munggo, ok?)
2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
4 cups water (or more)
1 tsp. fish sauce (patis)
2 cups munggo or mung beans, washed with running water and drained

1 bundle of new-sprout ampalaya leaves/bitter gourd (talbos ng ampalaya)
salt to taste

Procedures:

1. Heat large saucepan over medium heat. 
2. Add cooking oil then add pork. 
3. Cook until light brown and crispy (when you got fat and skin on the pork cubes). Set aside pork.
4. Sauté garlic until light brown. Set aside on the saucepan.
5. Add onion and cook until translucent.
6. Add tomatoes and stir often until tomatoes are softened, about 5 minutes.
7. Add pork cubes back into the pan and keep on stirring.
8. Add mung beans "munggo".
9. Add  Gigi "galunggong" fish.
10. Cook everything for around 3 minutes.
11. Pour water. Cover and simmer, stir occasionally, until the beans are quite tender and the stew has thickened, about 30-40 minutes.
12. Add ampalaya leaves.
13. Season with fish sauce and salt to taste.
14. Serve with steamed white rice.

Giniling na Baboy

Giniling na Baboy (Ground Pork) is one of the famous dishes in the Philippines. It is served in almost all street food house aka karinderia or Jolly Jeep. 

It's main ingredient is the ground pork. If you choose the ground pork that has fats in it then you can just cook it by it's own oil or with very little cooking oil else it will turn so oily. (FYI: Lean ground pork is more expensive that just ground pork with fat.) 

Giniling na Baboy is a dish that usually served in Filipino family meals but also in banquets or fiesta.

Ingredients:

1 kilo ground pork
1 cup carrots, minced
1/2 kilo potatoes, minced
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into wedges
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup raisins

2 tbsp cooking oil

1/4 cup of water
salt
pepper

Procedures:

1. Add cooking oil and heat the cooking pan until hot. 
2. Sautee garlic until  light brown. 
3. Add onions and cook until translucent. 
4. Add ground pork and sautee until it turn to brown.
5. Add carrots and potatoes. 
6. Add water.
7. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until vegetables are tender, and half of the water is absorbed.
8. Add red bell pepper, raisins and tomato sauce.
9. Salt and pepper to taste.
10. Cook for another 3 minutes. 
11. Serve with steaming hot rice.

Variations:
Add 1/2 cup frozen green peas with bell peppers
Add 1/2 cup raisins with bell peppers
Add 1/2 cup hotdogs, sliced
Add cooked quail eggs or hard-boiled eggs before serving

Giniling na Kalderetang Baka

It's a very Filipino beef stew with an embrace of spiciness. This recipe is influenced by Iberian which is somehow evident not only in the name, but also in the ingredients used. Surely, the Spanish/Portuguese culture have influenced us. Haha! Even I have Spanish blood in me together with Chinese and Filipino. Anyway, I love it specially those ones that are served in a street food house "karinderia" or "Jolly jeep".

This dish can also be served on celebrations together with rice. You can also opt to remove the chillies if you don't like spicy food.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo ground beef
• 1 big can (350g) liver spread or ground liver
• 5 onions, minced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup of potatoes, diced
• 1 cup of green peas
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp of ground pepper
• 3 green peppers, diced
• 3 red peppers, diced
• 4 pieces hot chili peppers, minced
• 3/4 cup grated cheese
•  2 cups beef stock or water
• 1/4 cup cooking or olive oil
• 1 cup of heavy cream

Procedures:

1. In a casserole, sauté garlic and onions in oil. Then add potatoes, red & green pepper and chili peppers.
2. Add in the beef. Cook until the beef starts to get brown.
3. Add in the tomato sauce, liver spread and water or stock.
4. Salt to taste and add the ground pepper then wait until it boils. Once boiled, reduce the flame.
5. Let simmer for at least 1 hour or until the beef is tender (if you use beef cut in cubes).
6. Add cheese, heavy cream, green peas, and olives (optional) and continue to simmer until the sauce thickens.
7. Serve with plain rice and add some hard-boiled eggs.

Note:

• Instead of beef, goat’s meat (kambing) can be used. If goat’s meat is used, marinate the meat in vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper for at least 15 minutes.