Chicken Rice Soup with Ginger

Chicken Rice Soup with Ginger

This hot-pot meal is very favorite especially good when is during the rainy season. Chicken Rice Soup with Ginger. A hot rice stew with chicken. And this probably the most simplest soup ever made from scratch.you just throw everything into the pot at once. Just don't substitute white rice because it would really get mushy. This soup is beautiful and delicious at it own way.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
2 in (5 cm) fresh ginger, cut into thin slices
¾ cup (150 g) uncooked rice, washed and drained
7 cups (1¾ liters) water
1 lb (500 g) boneless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1½ teaspoons fish sauce, or
1 teaspoon salt, dash of soy sauce
Freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste
Spring onion, thinly sliced to garnish
Pinch of saffron, to garnish
Kalamansi limes or regular limes, halved, to serve

Direction:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a pot and stir-fry half of the garlic until golden brown. Add the onion and ginger and stir-fry until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the rice and stir-fry for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the water and cover the pot. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Then reduce the heat, add the chicken and simmer for another 30 minutes or until the rice and chicken are cooked.
3. While the rice is cooking, heat the remaining oil in a skillet and stir-fry the rest of the garlic until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
4. When the rice and chicken are cooked, add the fish sauce or salt, stir and continue to simmer over low heat for another 2 minutes. Serve in individual soup bowls seasoned with black or white pepper. Garnish with the spring onion, fried garlic and saffron, and serve with lime halves on the side.

Pan de Sal Bread Rolls

Pan de Sal Bread Rolls

Despite its name (Pan de Sal literally means “salt bread”), Pan de Sal Bread Rolls actually taste more sweet than salty. Originally made with just yeast, flour, water, and salt, the recipe has been improved over the years by adding sugar and breadcrumbs.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (125 ml) lukewarm water

1/4 oz (1 envelope) active dry yeast

1 teaspoon plus 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

1 cup (250 ml) water

3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon salt

5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Makes about 15 to 20 bread rolls 

Preparation time: 20 minutes + 3 hours rising time 

Baking time: 20 minutes

Direction:

1. Pour the lukewarm water (about 110° F/45°C) in a large mixing bowl, and add the yeast. Add 1 teaspoon of the sugar to activate the yeast, and stir gently to dissolve. Let stand in a warm place for 15 minutes.
2. Add the water, oil, 1/ 2 cup (100 g) of sugar, salt, and flour little by little and mix thoroughly. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and pliable.
3. Place the kneaded dough in a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or hand towel and let rest in a warm place for 2 hours or until dough doubles in size. The ideal room temperature for bread dough to rise is about 75°F (24°C).
4. When the dough has doubled in size, place it on a floured surface. Punch the dough down and then divide it into 15 to 20 pieces. Form each roll into a ball with your hands.
5. Place the balls on a lightly greased baking sheet and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Make sure to leave a little space between the rolls. Let them stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until they double in size.
6. Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven (325°F or 160°C), or until lightly browned. To test if they are done, gently press the top of one of the rolls; if it springs back, it is done.

Tips for baking bread:

• Each oven bakes differently, so take time to get to know your oven. For instance, electric ovens tend to get hotter and cook faster than gas ovens.

• Sometimes it is difficult to find a warm place to let the yeast or dough rise. Try putting it inside a preheated oven set to the lowest setting (and turn the oven off halfway through the rising process to make sure it doesn’t cook the dough).

• When dissolving the yeast in the lukewarm water, the temperature should be about 110°F (45°C). If the water is too hot or too cold, the dough will not rise.

• Make sure to use fresh yeast. The dough will not rise properly if the yeast is expired.

• It is tempting to add too much flour when kneading, but that will result in stiff bread.

• Overbaked bread will turn hard after some time even if it looks fine right out of the oven.

Shrimp Soup

Shrimp Soup

There are so many ways to prepare this popular dish. The sour taste comes from unripe or young tamarind pods, but the soup can also be made with guavas, pineapples, unripe tomatoes, or calamansi limes instead. Leave the shrimp heads on because they add flavor and aroma to the soup.

Ingredients:

10 unripe tamarind pods, shelled (or 2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate or 1 packet sinigang powder, page 16)

12 cups (3 liters) water

5 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of knife

1/4 lb (125 g) daikon radish, chopped

One 2-in (5-cm) piece ginger, peeled and sliced

1/4 lb (125 g) taro root (or potato), peeled and cubed

1/4 lb (125 g) okra, trimmed and sliced diagonally

1 tomato, sliced

1 lb (500 g) fresh shrimp, heads and shells on

1/2 lb (250 g) Chinese (Napa) cabbage or bok choy (or spinach), chopped

1 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons fish sauce (plus extra for dipping if desired)

Serves 4 to 6 

Preparation time: 25 minutes 

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Direction:

1. Boil the shelled tamarind in a saucepan with 4 cups (1 liter) of the water for about 20 minutes until soft. The tamarind has to be submerged. Add more water if necessary. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the mixture into a bowl, mashing the pulp with the back of a spoon to force it through the strainer. Discard the pulp and seeds. Set aside the tamarind liquid.
2. Pour the remaining 8 cups (2 liters) of water into a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Add the garlic, radish, ginger, taro root, and tamarind liquid (or the tamarind concentrate or the sinigang powder) and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
3. Add the okra, tomato, shrimp, Chinese cabbage, and salt, and 5 tablespoons fish sauce and cook for 15 more minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice and fish sauce, if using.

Wonton Soup Pancit Molo

Wonton Soup Pancit Molo

Chinese in origin, Pancit Molo is one of the best-known dishes in the Visayas region of the Philippines. Though the word pancit suggests noodles, here Chinese dumplings or wontons are
added to a delicious chicken broth. If you don’t feel like making the dumplings, you can buy them frozen or just use noodles and bits of chicken meat instead. Wonton wrappers are versatile: You can cut them into small squares and deep-fry them to make delicious chips or you can make ravioli with them.


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of knife and minced
1 onion, minced
8 cups (2 liters) water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 chicken thigh, preferably bone-in, sliced 2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 green onions (scallions), finely chopped, for garnish

Dumplings
One 16-oz (454-g) package wonton wrappers
1 lb (500 g) ground pork
1/4 lb (125 g) shrimp, shelled, deveined and sliced
3 water chestnuts, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4 green onions (scallions), chopped

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

Direction:

1. To make the Dumplings, mix together the pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, salt, and fish sauce in a large bowl. Set a wrapper on a floured flat surface. Place a teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Use your finger to moisten the inner edges of the wrapper; this will seal the wonton wrapper together. Gather the four corners of the wrapper toward the center. Make sure there is no air between the wrapper and its filling. Squeeze the corners tightly together to ensure the dumpling stays closed—if the wrapper is loose, the mixture will come out when boiled. Continue filling the other wrappers until all of the pork mixture is used up. You should be able to make about 20 dumplings.
2. Add oil to a skillet over medium heat and sauté the garlic until lightly browned. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Set aside.
3. Add the water and salt to a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the fish sauce, chicken, pepper, garlic, and onion to the broth. Bring to a boil again, and reduce heat to medium. Gently add the wontons to the broth and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Ladle the soup and wontons into individual serving bowls. Garnish with the chopped scallions. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Fish Soup with Miso Dip

Fish Soup with Miso Dip

Although whole fish (traditionally dalag or snakefish) is used for this dish in the Philippines, any firm-textured white fish fillets or steaks may be used. The fish is boiled with ginger and garlic, and served with an appetizing miso dip. Try using the water from rinsed rice instead of plain water

Ingredients:

 1 lb (500 kg) white fish fillets or steaks

1 tablespoon oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of knife

1 onion, sliced

5 cups (1.25 liters) water (preferably rice washing water)

One 2-in (5-cm) piece ginger, peeled and sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

4 cups (400 g) chopped cabbage (from about 1/2 head cabbage)

Miso Dip

1 tablespoon oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of knife and minced

1 small onion, sliced thinly

1 tomato, chopped

3 tablespoons miso paste

1 tablespoon fish sauce

4 tablespoons water

Serves 4 

Preparation time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Direction:

1. Cut the fish into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until lightly browned. Add the onion and sauté until translucent.
3. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the fish, ginger, salt, peppercorn and sautéed garlic and onion. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft.
4. To make the Miso Dip, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until lightly brown. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the tomato, miso, fish sauce, and water. Stir over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. You can serve the dip either at hot or at room temperature.
5. Serve the soup with the Miso Dip and steamed rice.

Marinated Morcon Stuffed Beef Roll Morcon

Marinated Morcon Stuffed Beef Roll Morcon

In Spain, cured sausage is used to stuff this dish, but people of the Philippines make it with carrots, pickles, Vienna sausages, cheese, and eggs. The filling of this dish is rolled into a large sheet of marinated flank steak (about 1/4-inch or 6-mm thick) and tied with twine before being simmered in a flavorful tomato-based sauce. Your butcher can cut the flank steak to the right size, or if you can’t find one large piece of meat, then use two pieces at least 8 inches (20 cm) wide.

How to make the Stuffed Beef Roll

Ingredients:

About 2 lbs (1 kg) flank steak, depending on the size of the steak cut into one large 1/4-in (6-mm)-thick sheet or multiple smaller sheets at least 8 in (20 cm) wide
One 5-oz (142-g) can Vienna sausages
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-in (1.25-cm) strips
1/4 cup (100 g) sweet gherkin pickles, sliced into strips
2 thin slices cheddar cheese (about 1/8-in/3-mm thick)
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons oil
Kitchen twine
3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of knife
1 small onion, minced
1 cup (250 ml) water
1 bay leaf
One 8-oz (227-g) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons soy sauce
Marinade
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed calamansi or lime juice

Serves 4 Preparation time: 20 minutes + marinating time
Cooking time: 55minutes

Direction:

1. Combine the Marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place the beef in a casserole dish and pour the marinade over the meat, turning the beef to coat evenly. Marinate the beef in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Reserve the marinade.
2. Form the beef roll following the steps shown below.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the beef roll and brown it on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the meat and set aside.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and sauté until lightly browned. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the reserved marinade, water, bay leaf, tomato sauce, pepper, salt, and soy sauce and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beef roll and cover. Simmer over medium-low heat for
5. about 45 minutes—remember to turn the beef roll occasionally—or until it is cooked. Remove the beef roll.
6. Remove the twine and slice the beef roll into several disks. Place the sliced beef roll on a serving platter and spoon the sauce over it. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Sautéed Squid

Sautéed Squid

Squid is a popular ingredient in the Philippines and is an excellent source of protein. For this dish, tender squid is sautéed in a spicy and sweet tomato-based sauce to create a hearty meal. It’s important not to overcook the squid as it not only toughens, but it loses its flavor and texture as well. I’ve provided instructions on how to clean a squid correctly.

How to Clean Fresh Squid

Ingredients:

2 lbs (1 kg) fresh or frozen squid

2 tablespoons oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of knife

1 onion, chopped

1 tomato, diced

1 finger-length green chili pepper, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Serves 4 

Preparation time: 10 minutes + 15 minutes to clean fresh squid 

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Direction:

1. Prepare fresh squid, if using, by following the steps below. Cut into rings and set aside.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the garlic and sautè until lightly browned. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the squid and sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until cooked, while stirring frequently. The meat will turn opaque. Add the tomato, chili pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar and simmer over medium heat for another 3 minutes. Season with the pepper. Serve hot with steamed rice.