Kansi

Hi, guys! I know I haven't updated for a while; I've been quite busy. I hope this one can make it up to all of you though, it's a very worthy first post for 2010.

This is a dish I first tasted when I lived with my cousin in Virginia. Her husband is a Filipino from Bacolod and his relative, Carmel, who is also from Bacolod made some Kansi for us during one of our parties. Kansi is an Ilonggo recipe that is sort of like a cross between Bulalo (beef bone marrow and vegetables soup) and Sinigang (sour pork soup). Carmel was kind enough to share the ingredients with me, and tonight for dinner, I finally got around to try and put it together. Here's how:

Ingredients
1.Beef Bones (3-5lbs) and/or Beef Shank (3-5lbs)
2.Lemon grass (2 stalk)
3.onion (1 medium)
4.Fresh ginger (1/2 cup, sliced)
5. 1 long hot pepper
6.Atchuete powder(1 Tablespoon)
7.sinigang mix (2 Tablespoon or to taste)
8.Canned Green Jackfruit (1 can)
9.salt & pepper (to taste)
*I also added some garlic to the recipe and tomatoes, and used fresh green jackfruit (sliced) instead.

Directions
1. Saute garlic and onions
2. Add beef and ginger into the pot and pour just enough water to cover most of the meat
3. Leave it to boil for about an hour, thirty to two hours
4. Lower heat to simmer, add more water into the pot until meat is completely submerged
5. Mix in sinigang mix, salt, and pepper (I used about half of the pack of sinigang mix since I liked it more sour)
6. Mix in pepper (add more if you want it to be spicier)
7. Put in sliced green jackfruit
8. Leave to simmer until jackfruit is cooked and beef is very soft
9. When it's almost done, put in lemongrass (tie it into a knot) and atchuete for color
10. Simmer for about 10 minutes and serve with hot rice.

I'm not sure if my version was as good or as authentic tasting, since it's still up to the cook to blend proportions up to his/her liking, but I loved it when I ate it, so you might too!

Bacon-wrapped Ribs

This is one of the easiest yet tastiest (and also probably unhealthiest) dishes I have ever made. And this I'm proud to say is something I came up with all on my own. I was just thinking, bacon and ribs - how can you go wrong right?

Ingredients

1. Emeril's rib rub
2. Ground pepper
3. Vegetable oil
4. Hot sauce
5. Pork Ribs
6. Bacon
7. Baking/cooking Foil

Directions

1. Wrap bacon around each pork rib and lay in a glass baking container (leave some space between pork ribs)
2. Brush ribs with a little vegetable oil
3. Smother each rib with Emeril's rib rub, ground pepper, and hot sauce
4. Cover container with foil, and marinate for 1-2 hours
5. Bake in oven at 350F for 1hr 45 mins up to 2 hours
6. In the last 15 mins before it gets done, take the foil off the container
7. Take out the oven, let it cool for a bit
   
8. Serve with lots of rice, mashed potatoes, and maybe even some roasted veggies!
   
9. ENJOY!!! :)

Fresh Salsa

Goes great with chips, fish, and even steak! Also very, very easy to make.

Ingredients
3 Fresh tomatoes - diced
1-2 red onion - diced/chopped coarsely
1 half lemon slice
1 jalapeno(sliced)/1 tbsp chili flakes/any chili you like
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
Mixe together in a bowl, cover with cling-wrap, leave in fridge for atleast an hour (or a day if you want the flavors to blend together better), ENJOY!

Nilagang Baka (Boiled beef soup)

This nilagang baka recipe is a mix of my Tagalog and Cebuano heritage. I hope you like it!

Ingredients
1/2 kg Beef ribs or beef cut into 1 inch cubes. If they are attached to bone, better.
2 potatoes, quartered
Bokchoy
String beans
Carrots (optional)
3 inch long ginger cut into pieces
1 Knorr beef bouillon (sp?) cube
Black pepper
Salt
"Patis" (Fish sauce)
2 whole onions chopped
4-5 cloves garlic crushed

Directions

1. Boil meat, ginger, garlic, and onions together for about 45 minutes on medium high heat.
2. Lower heat a little and then crush and dissolve beef cube into the soup
3. Add dash of salt and pepper (salt less than pepper)
   
4. Add about 1/4 cup of Fish sauce (more if you like it a little saltier)
5. Add carrots and potatoes
6. Boil for 30-45 minutes
7. Add in bokchoy and stringbeans
8. Simmer for 15-20 minutes (more if you want your veggies soggy, less if you want them a little crisp)

Perfect for a cold day! Enjoy! :D

Crispy-Coated Pork Belly/Chops

Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside!

Ingredients
6-8 pork belly cuts about 2-3 inches long each or .5 or less inch thick pork chops

Marinade:
Soy sauce
Salt and Pepper
5 cloves Garlic, crushed

Coating mixture:
You can use ready-made breading like Mama Sita's or make your own with
1.5 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup water, 1 egg, salt & pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme or rosemary, and a dash of paprika

Directions

1. Marinate meat for 45 minutes or more (can be left overnight)
2. Fill pan with enough oil to cover atleast half of the meat cut; put on high heat
3. Dip meat (one by one) in coating mixture
4. When oil is hot, fry the meat. Leave each side of the meat in the oil until the coating browns and becomes crispy.
5. When this happens, lower heat to medium and leave meat there for a few minutes to ensure that it will be fully cooked.

ENJOY! :D

My version of Daeji Galbi (Korean grilled pork ribs)

Ingredients:
8-10 Pork spare ribs, cut
Sesame seeds

Marinade (mix together; enough to coat ribs):

1. 1/2 cup soy sauce
2. 1 cup sesame oil
3. 5 tbsp sugar (more if you like your ribs sweeter)
4. 1/4 to 1/2 cup tobasco sauce (more if you like your ribs spicier. I also recommend chili flakes although in a lesser quantity, because chili flakes are much hotter than tobasco)
5. 1 and a half inch ginger root cut into pieces
6. 1 onion finely chopped
7. 5 cloves garlic minced

Directions:

1. Marinate ribs for atleast 40 minutes up to overnight.
2. I didn't have any coal for grilling and for this recipe, I don't recommend pan grilling, so I opted to bake the ribs instead. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds and bake the ribs in a baking or glass pan at 350F until pork ribs are cooked, crispy looking on the outside, and very soft and juicy in the inside. That will take about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours.
3. Serve with rice! (You can also cut up some chili peppers and sprinkle on top if you like some extra spice.)

Enjoy!!!

Chocobanana Fudge Milkshake

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:
4 scoops chocolate fudge ice cream
1 ripe banana, sliced
1.5 vanilla soy milk (regular milk is fine too)
Whipped Cream
Chocolate syrup
Cookie

Directions:
Blend in shake maker or blender until smooth
Pour in a clear glass
Decorate top with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and either a chocolate chip or oreo cookie.

Enjoy! :)