Foot and Fire

It's a wonderful blessing to find seaweeds these days. They seem so sparse today in our wet market. This iodine-rich salad is always a joy to serve in our table.  1/2 kilo Seaweeds of choice or available 1 cup Vinegar 1 small cucumber cubed 1 small head lettuce, cubed 1 small carrots, cubed 1 small onions cubed Chili peppers Pepper & salt A pinch of sugar or drops of honey Wash seaweeds & remove shells and other impurities. Place in a glass bowl. Add hot water and let steep for 3 minutes. Color changes are expected and the seaweed must still be crunchy. Drain. Add vinegar and all ingredients. Mix well and chill until serving. Best as appetizer and side dish. 

     Laswa or vegetable stew is a Visayan favorite and this comes in many variation. My mother would say that when you cook " laswa " you should have an odd number ( Even is a no no!!) so that everything will go well or sampat in our Hiligaynon mother tongue.       Okra and saluyot are two magic ingredients because they give that special slimy texture in the soup, so either of these two must be present. What makes this laswa special is the mushroom and the mongo sprout since they are not usually used to add flavor to the soup. Usually, dried fish or shrimp is used to add flavor to this favorite dish.  Lastly, malunggay or moringa is one leafy green that is staple for laswa. I did not consciously observe the Odd rule here but hey, I got 6 main ingredients but I'm still lucky that it turned out yummy. tomatoes onion water lemongrass, bound Oyster Mushrooms, shred Saluyot, half chopped and half whole 3 stalks Malungay (Moringa) leaves 2T...

Wondering how to turn tofu into sisig? Here is my secret-no-more recipe. Tofu is a favorite in the house when it's made into sisig. This one has the kick of the chili as I bought some from a backyard owner and got some white onions from the market so I generously used it. If you have no calamansi  use acv or apple cider vinegar. Got olive oil, but you may use other kinds of oil.  750g Tofu, chopped Olive oil for frying  Olive oil for sauteeing 3 cloves Garlic, minced 3 medium white Onions, chopped 10 seeded chili, chopped  4 chili, chopped Sauce (see mixture below) Salt and pepper 2 eggs Mayonnaise Sauce 4T soy sauce 4T premium soy sauce 4T worcestershire sauce 4T fish sauce 2T hoisin sauce 2T calamansi juice 1. Line the airfryer basket with banana leaves and spread the tofu thinly and airfry for 10min for 190c. Reapeat till done. 2. In a deep fryer, add oil and deep fry the tofu for 3minutes depending on desired doneness. Add more time for cr...

Our corned beef rice, a rice fried in the oil left in the pan after stir-frying the frozen corned beef. Breakfast is sometimes fun to prepare for us who prefer brunch and take oatmeal for breaky.... We seldom serve frozen meat but this was one occasion when we had a frozen corned beef and we decided that it is better than canned corned beef. With orange slices on the side, our breakfast is indeed fast-breaking. Our corned beef. Our orange mandala...

Bam-i is actually a combination of pansit bihon and dried pansit canton. For this one, I used vermicelli (mung bean glass noodle) and fettuccine (dried one available in the local market). 250 g vermicelli 250 g fettuccine 1 can tuna in oil garlic onion cabbage, sliced thinly 1 carrot, sliced thinly 12 sticks of baguio beans, sliced thinly salt and pepper to taste calamansi Place dried noodles in a bowl, add hot water and set aside. Drain water when the noodles wilt. Saute garlic, onion and tuna in the oil from the same can, add minimal oil if desired.  Add the vegetables and let cook for 3 minutes and adjust flavor with salt and pepper. Add the noodles until cooked. Add a spoonful of water at a time so as not to dry the noodles. Simmer until noodles are cooked. Serve hot with calamansi on the side.

By GERLIE M. UY Pinoy's Special salad: Salted eggs with onions and tomatoes 6 salted eggs (red-painted ones in the Philippine Market) 6 medium-ripe tomatoes 2 red or white onions 2 pieces dalanghita (or 6 pcs calamansi or any citrus) 1 T soy sauce (optional as the eggs are salty already) coarse pepper Peel and slice the salted eggs. Arrange in the platter. Slice the tomatoes and onions, round or chopped for easy bite. Add in the platter. Squeeze the citrus and make sure that the seeds are not going to the preparation. Add soy sauce and coarse pepper.. Serve as side dish or on top of hot boiled rice.

By GERLIE M. UY Bamboo Shoot or Tambo is made into pickle or achara. 24 cups young bamboo shoot, matchstick 1 liter can vinegar  Reserved pineapple juice Spices: salt and ground pepper 5-6 cups brown sugar 3-4 thumbs of ginger, matchstick 1 whole clove of garlic, crushed and sliced 5-6 medium red onions, sliced lengthwise turmeric powder Vegetables: 20 -24  pieces Stringbeans, 1 inch long 2-3 pcs eggplant, sliced lengthwise into eight and cut crosswise, abou 1 inch long 6 -8 pcs medium carrots, matchstick 1 300ml pineapple chunks (juice reserved) Glass Jars for storing  Prepare the bamboo shoot by blanching the same in boiling water for about five minutes. Drain and Set aside.   In a wok, put the vinegar, pineapple juice, and all the spices. Blend with wooden laddle to dissolve sugar. Cook in medium to to high heat for about 15 minutes. Let boil until the liquid tastes sweet, sour and spicy. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. Add the vegetables. Cover and let c...