Cooked From the Heart » Archive
Oxtail Soup
Not too long ago, Rowena had an obsession with oxtail soup that also piqued my own obsession. Our local Costco just started carrying oxtails in their meat section and I immediately snagged a pack with this particular soup in mind. Whenever I can get ahold of some oxtails I inevitably plan on cooking kare-kare, a peanut butter based stew with vegetables. Now with this soup, I have added to my oxtail prep repertoir. Whenever I visit my sisters in Los Angeles, one of our stops is King’s Hawaiian Restaurant and Bakery in Torrance where one of us (mostly me) would almost always order the oxtail soup. The Hawaiian oxtail soup, I learned is a Chinese recipe adapted by the Hawaiians. My version, admittedly, is not half as good as King’s; I … Read entire article »
Rice Pudding
The thing about being under the weather is, you turn into a big baby and start to want all the comfort foods your mommy gave you when you were sick. That’s been the case in our kitchen lately what with one of us getting the cold one right after the other with moments of overlap in between cases. So lately there haven’t been any new experiments in our kitchen. We’ve fallen back to old comforting favorites like sinigang or ‘sour soup’ as the girls like to call it, rice porridge or lugaw, and lots of soft rice dishes like the malagkit na bibingka below. This is the Southern version of our rice cake, the rice pudding. We’ve made this at least twice since I’ve been sick. Mainly because the girls … Read entire article »
Sweet Rice with Coconut Jam Topping
This is a short cut to making the traditional Philippine rice cake which usually labor intensive when made from scratch and thus was reserved for special occations. I have to admit that it isn’t as good as the ‘made from scratch’ version, but when hungry for some comfort food fast, then this will do. This recipe is based on the Baby Rambutan’s Bibingka recipe.3 cups sweet rice, cooked1 can coconut milk plus 1/2 can of water1/8 tsp. salt Coconut jam topping For my really short cut version, I did away with the soaking part and just put the rice, coconut milk, water and salt in the rice cooker and hit the button. I opened it midway and stirred as the coconut has a tendency to float to the top. Once cooked, I … Read entire article »
Filed under: desserts, Filipino, rice cakes
Tomato Gazpacho
I was dreaming of summer the other day and discovered this unposted photo of last summer’s tomato gazpacho. Gazpacho is a Spanish derived cold soup which is just the thing when you have perfectly ripened tomatoes that are just brimming with natural sweetness. My girls, upon seeing this dish, exclaimed, but that’s just watery salsa, mom! But upon tasting it, they have become gazpacho addicts. They can drink up this stuff. I make a very basic blend to start with. In a blender or food processor, combine ripe tomatoes, sweet onion, 1 clove of garlic, a sprig of basil, salt and pepper to taste. Blend until everything is crushed together. If the tomatoes are not juicy enough and you would like a ‘soupier’ mix add some broth or just plain water … Read entire article »
Filed under: side dishes, soup, vegetables
Pork belly braised with shrimp paste
In the Philippines, this dish is also called ‘binagoongan’. Translated loosely as something cooked in bagoong, a term used for fermented fish or in this case shrimp paste. While I have heard of this dish for years I have never made it myself nor have I ever tasted it, I don’t think. I was intrigued by its description though, and I have heard of how delicious it is from other people, I just had to try it out. Plus, for some reason, I have had the weirdest craving for something fatty and salty lately so could anything be more perfect than this dish to sate my craving? The more I researched how to cook this dish, the more I realized how many different versions and variations there are. It’s almost like … Read entire article »
Filed under: bagoong, braised, Filipino, pork, secret pot
Chicken and Mushrooms in Spicy Oyster Sauce
This was another happy accident that came about when I couldn’t decide what to make for dinner, didn’t feel like looking for a recipe to try, and was just plain tired of the usual fried and baked dishes. I had some of the boneless and skinless chicken thighs in the freezer so I decided to simply stir fry them with some chinese broccoli. However, as I started chopping the ingredients, I changed my mind midway and decided to cook them as separate dishes. The broccoli, I simply pan friend with olive oil and garlic. For the chicken, here’s what I did. INGREDIENTS:3 packs of boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 15 thighs)1 large onion, sliced1 cup of dried Shiitake mushrooms (soaked in hot water)1/4 cup diced red bell peppers1 hot chili pepper, … Read entire article »
Vegetable Adobo
How do I love adobo? Let me count the ways….there’s chicken, beef, pork, liver, ribs, and vegetables too! Yes, you can adobo vegetables and yes, adobo can be a verb When you’re tired of the vegetable stews, soups, steamed, and stirfrys, vegetable adobo can be a very good option and quite easy too! You can cook almost anything in the soy and vinegar mixture that makes adobo. I just had some long beans okra and peppers on hand so that is what I used. INGREDIENTS:4 cloves garlic, chopped1 onion, sliced3 tomatoes, sliced3 Tbsp. vinegar1/4 cup soy saucevegetables: long beans, okra, peppers 1 Tbsp. oil Heat the oil in a pan and saute’ the garlic, onions an tomatoes until they have softened and are fragrant. Add the vegetables and stir. Pour the … Read entire article »
Filed under: adobo, side dishes, vegetables
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