Foot and Fire

Having a firm tofu in the house is a joy because it's easy to cook and enjoy. I also feel the need to review the Season 1 of Culinary Wars because that highlighted the ways on how to enjoy Tofu when the chefs developed several dishes out of it. So far, I did Tofu Sisig and this. If tofu comes in blocks, I can do some White Spoon/Black Spoon kitchen moves.  Tofu and Kimchi Stew 1 T Olive oil 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 250 g tofu, cubed 1 cup water 3T kimchi 1T Kimchi juice 1t chili paste 1t Oligosaccharide (or any preferred sweetener) 1t Mirin (or any cooking wine) 1 t fish sauce 1T nutritional yeast (optional) Salt In a pan, saute garlic and onion in oil. Add the cubed tofu and brown the sides a bit.  Add water, kimchi and kimchi juice. Let boil. Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer. Adjust salt according to preference. Serve on top of rice. Serves 2.

Brida  Paulo Coelho Fiction/Novel  originally published in 1990 Translated from Portuguese by Margaret Jule Costa hardbound, 212 pages This is my second Paulo Coelho book. I first read The Alchemist and it did not transform me into something after reading it (even just into something next to stone). It was eons ago that I read it, and sadly, all I can even recall now is how I was thinking that everything in it were cliches. After reading Brida, I wonder why I think/felt that way with The Alchemist that I am on a mission to reread it. Perhaps, as a reader I was, in time, transformed too. Not that Brida got me totally. It is just that I gave it a chance as I went on, perhaps because Brida is a woman and this is March, a celebratory month for women. And usually, the equinox happens in March. I should have some mystic vibes so I can be more receptive, I guess. But that is the point of reading, to explore a world, an idea outside our own and somehow finding some connect...

Men without women By Haruki Murakami Fiction, 228 pages Just a little after valentine's day, I met up with my friends but opened this book to pass the time as I was in the last two short stories out of the eight. When my friends saw the title, they surmised that it might be about misogyny. No, I said they're short stories. Actually, I was in the seventh kafka-esque story of Samsa In Love and I was deciding if I still liked the book itself. I liked how it started with a woman driver and flowed till the fifth story of Kino which I was a bit lost (need to reread this one to get to where it's headed but perhaps that's the point, being lost). Actually, this is the first nonfiction of Murakami that I finished, the first attempt was The Wind Up Bird Chronicle which I find too difficult to continue. I loved Murakami's memoir " What I talk about when I talk about running " that I decided to read his nonfiction. In this shorts, he is still philosophical ...

Two imposing rocks on a circumferential road while we were on our way to villages of Sumnanga and Nakanmuan in Sabtang Island Expectation: Batanes is prone to typhoon Reality: Yes, but not all typhoons are feared in Batanes I heard from a cousin that the best time to visit Batanes is in fact after a typhoon. That stuck in my mind so that I fearlessly booked a PAL flight in October, and of course, led by the fact that it was booked as seat sale. We were supposed to fly out to Manila on the eve of October 18 and take the first flight to Basco the following day. The Manila-Basco Trip was cancelled due to Typhoon Ramil and we had our flights rebooked and chose to fly out of Iloilo/Bacolod on October 23 and on that day, Typhoon Salome cancelled the Manila-Basco flight and we were monitoring weather updates. Flights to Basco resumed on the 24th and we were able to fly. Like this Arius Tree in Itbayat, the Ivatans are fearless when it comes to typhoons for they are res...

   The Secret Arch, Itbayat Island Yes, Filipinos can be found everywhere. I’m sure one can be found trekking and lingering in the outbacks of Australia or partaking a whiff of breeze in Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher while I am writing this piece. But Batanes is in the Philippines, and as Filipinos, we should all at least experience it once in our lifetime. Where else can we experience saying Hello as “Kapian capa nu dios” that translates actually to “God bless you” and random children ask for your hand to touch their forehead asking for blessings and as a sign of respect? So I write this as an open invitation for everyone to have a full sensory experience of Batanes, our very own outback and cliffs.        Racuh A Payaman or the Marlboro country as part of South Batan, Batan Island Batanes has always been at the back of my mind for a long time already. But one can never be too prepared for it. Imagine a laidback town, beaches to swim,...

I love long introduction but just like this dressing, this blog is very straightforward when it comes to kitchen inventions straight from the whatever-is-in-my-fridge shelves.  1T miso paste 1 t anchovies 2T Japanese style soy sauce 1T honey 2T mayonnaise Pinch of salt & pepper Mix and beat all together with your trusted fork.  I used a tablespoon for my dressing today and reserved the rest. Oh, yeah, Caesar who?