Foot and Fire

I wanted to cook Tinola as my last entry for the National Heroes Day Cookfest but we had it last week and I was not abe to snap a photo of it as I planned to do another recipe. Anyway, I wanted Tinola for my last entry because it was mentioned in Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and the neck and wing parts were given to Fr. Damaso who was insulted but the soup was especially prepared for Ibarra who just came back from abroad and not for him. (By the way, I can't help but mention that I love the neck and wing part mainly because of the foodie wisdom that says, "the nearest to the bone, the sweetest is the meat." This, Fr. Damaso has no clue).   And so, I had my favorite dish, Binakol. I checked on the web the entries on binakol and I was surprised that most entries would introduce binakol as Tinola but uses coconut water and coco meat. Okay, I was not pleasantly surprised (I'm a bit horrified, I admit) because the binakol I grew to love while I was in Ilo...

By GERLIE M. UY Maja blanca is a Filipino sweets made from cornstarch and coconut milk... 400g corn starch 12 cups thin coconut milk 2 cans condensed milk 2 cans corn kernesl or 1 can corn kernel and 1 can cream of corn 2 spons of corn kernel as garnish or grated cheese or raisins or ground peanuts. In a soup casserole, place all inngredients except the garnish. In a medium to high heat, bring the mixture to a boil and constantly stir for about 15 minutes or until it thickens and the mixture is milk white, not transparent. Pour in a mold pan. Makes two 9-inch pans of maja blanca. Put grated cheese, spoons of corn kernel or raisins or ground peanuts on top as garnish.

By GERLIE M. UY The Banh Xeo served with the ever salivating Nouc Cham... PANCAKE: 200 g Banh Xeo 1 T turmeric powder 250 ml evaporated milk 200 ml water (Or coconut thin milk, as per package instruction) Small amount of oil FILLINGS: 1 T canola oil 1 pc. carrot, cut into strips 1/2 sayote, cut into strips 10 pcs Baguio beans, cut into slant strips 1 small head cabbage, cut into strips ground pepper SAUCE Nouc cham sauce (fish sauce and calamansi) In a deep bowl, put the Banh Xeo and cumin powder. Slowly add the milk and water until dissolved and there are no lumps. Set aside and leave oil for later. In a pan, stir-fry the vegetables, add ground pepper. Set aside. Heat a non-stick Teflon pan, put about 1/4 cup. Cover for about 30 seconds and place a small amount of oil around the edges. Place stir-fried fillings. Fold the pancake half-way to cover the fillings. Remove from pan and lay on a plate. Roll pancake before serving. Serve immediately with Fish and Calamansi sauce (Nouc Cham) ...

By GERLIE M. UY The Ginata-an Nga Tilapia, ready to serve over steaming rice!!! My portion of the ginat-an nga tilapia Chef Handyman checking his ginat-an! The mixture before heating it through! The Thick coconut milk The grated coconut milk Our guest chef, Handyman, prepared our favorite Ginat-an Nga Tilapia... Here is how he did it! 1 whole matured coconut, grated water 1 kilo Tilapia, cleaned and fins trimmed. 1 large red onion, sliced 3 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced 2 thumbs ginger, crushed and sliced 5 long chili (ilahas) 2 bellpepper 1/2 cup coconut vinegar salt and pepper Prepare the coconut milk by putting a cup of warm water to the grated coconut and pressing the same until the milk collects. Strain and collect the thick milk. Set aside. To get a thin milk, add two cups of warm water again to the grated coconut and press with hands and collect the thin milk. In a deep pan with lid, arrange the Tilapia, and place the rest of the ingredients and the thin milk. Reserve the t...