Chimichurri Pork Roast

What is a Chimichurri ? - it is a sauce and marinade for grilled meat, it is very popular in many Latin and South American countries but originally from Argentina. This is slightly spicy sauce and it is made of herbs that you can easily obtain - parsley, cilantro, oregano and thyme. Also you will need shallots and garlic along with olive oil, sherry vinegar and fresh lemon juice. This marinade is really good for pork roast, pork tenderloin and chicken breast.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons freshly lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed chili pepper
• 2 -1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 lbs of pork roast

Cooking Directions:

1. Place all ingredients ( except the pork) in a food processor or blender; process until smooth but do not puree.
2. Transfer sauce to a non- reactive bowl, cover with plastic wrap and reserve at room temperature for 2 hours to allow flavors to blend.
3. Season the pork tenderloin with kosher salt and black pepper. Place in a large resealable plastic food storage bag or Ziploc bag.
4. Pour in the chimichurri sauce on to the pork roast. Make sure to coat well.
5. Seal bag and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
6. Pre-heat oven to 475°F. Bring roast to room temperature.
7. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil, then sear roast on all sides.
8. Transfer the pork roast to the oven and continue cooking for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 425°F and roast for an additional hour or until internal temperature reaches 155°F.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 20 minutes before carving. It will continue to cook while it rests. Enjoy !
   
   

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Butter Pound Cake - Best Pound Cake Ever !

I think i have been lucky in trying new recipes. This is my very first Pound Cake and as my husband puts it, it is the best Pound Cake he has ever had! I have been motivated in making cakes lately, and whatever new cooking gadgets i have, dictates what i will make next. I just purchased this new Bundt Pan so i decided to baptize it by making this Butter Pound Cake - a recipe from my Fine Cooking Magazine. I strongly recommend that you give this a try. It's simply out of this world.

Or if you want to make money on selling your cakes,you should check  Start a Cake Decorating Business. It has great reviews, saying that it covers everything you would need to know about starting your own cake business. The recipe collection and gallery alone is worth the price.

 

Ingredients :

• 10 oz. ( 1 - ¼ cups) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; more for the pan
• 10-1/4 ounces (2-½ cups) cake flour or 11 ounces (2-1/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pan
• 1-½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 1- ¾ cups granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1-½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Cooking Directions:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan, dust the pan with flour, and tap out the excess. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. On low speed, beat in the yolks until smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and the paddle. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add the whole eggs, one at a time, mixing for at least 20 seconds after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and paddle again.
4. With the mixer running on the lowest speed, add half of the flour mixture and mix just to combine, add the milk and mix until combined, and then add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until combined.
   5. Scrape the bowl one last time, add the vanilla extract, and mix at medium speed until the batter is smooth and fluffy, 20 to 30 seconds.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Run a knife through the batter and tap the pan against the counter to dislodge trapped air. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only moist crumbs clinging to it, 45 to 55 minutes.
6. Cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. The cake will keep at room temperature for 3 days.

Tips:


If the recipe asking for the 1 or 2 ingredients to be in room temperature, make sure to do with the other ingredients. ie; milk, egg, butter

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Chicken Lo Mein Stir Fry

Growing up in the Philippines and living in Taiwan for several years, I learned to love cooking and eating Lo Mein. This is really a fast and easy stir fry recipe. When my in-laws were here, i wasn't sure if they would like to try this dish since i haven't seen them eating it before. The response was really good - it was a relief for me.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Lo Mein Noodles ( can be replace by spaghetti noodles )
• 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ small onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, julienne cut
• 1 cup pea pods, whole or sliced
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 2 Tablespoon Light soy sauce
• ¼ cup chicken broth ( or 1 bouillon chicken cubes )
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Cooking Directions:

1. Cook Lo Mein noodles as per package directions.
2. In a wok, bring 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a smoking hot state.
3. Add the chicken and stir fry for 2 minutes. Set aside.
4. In the same wok, heat another 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil until it's smoking hot.
5. Add the garlic and onions. Stir fry for few seconds. Add remaining vegetables and stir fry for 2 minutes. Season with pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. Clean the same wok with paper towel. Re-heat the wok again with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil , add the cooked noodles and stir fry for 1 minute, add the chicken broth, soy sauce and oyster sauce.
7. Add the cooked chicken and vegetables. Drizzle with toasted sesame oil.
8. Taste and season with salt and pepper as preferred. Enjoy!
   
   

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Lemon Cheesecake

This is my very first Cheesecake ever! I had never make one before but when my husband bought me a Spring Form Pan, i had no choice but to overcome my fear and go for it.The crust made from scratch and the fresh squeezed lemon gives this cake it's unparalleled taste,tartness and flavor. It is a winner !


Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs


• 1/2 cup butter, melted


• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Filling:

• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened


• 1 cup granulated sugar


• 4 eggs


• 1/2 cup sour cream


• 2 tablespoons lemon juice2


• teaspoons lemon zest

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.


2. Spray the bottom of an 8 inch Spring Form pan with non-stick cooking spray.


3. In medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar.


4. Press mixture into the bottom and the sides of the spring form pan.


5. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.Remove from the oven and let cool completely.


6. Reduce oven heat to 250°F .


7. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until light and fluffy.


8. Gradually add sugar and mix well.


9. Add eggs, sour cream, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix well.


10. Pour into prepared crust.


11. Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of oven.


12. Place Spring Form on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.


13. Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for 1 hour.


14. Remove from oven and let cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.


15. Slice with a knife immersed in hot water. Enjoy!

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Sio Pao Asado ( Steamed Bun )

Siopao is a steamed bun with pork filling. This is a popular dim sum dish for Filipinos and Chinese. While there are different variation of steamed bun ( e.g. Pork filled buns, Chicken filled buns,BBQ pork buns), the classic for each is pretty much the same - plain dough rolled into rounds and filled with mixture of your choice and seasoned with Asian sauce like Hoisin sauce , Oyster sauce and Soy Sauce.

Ingredients:

( adapted from panlasangpinoy, made few changes )

For the Dough

• 2 cups of warm water ( 110°F- 115°F )
• 2 ½ tbsp sugar (added to yeast mixture)
• ½ cup sugar (added to the flour mixture)
• 1 pouch dry yeast
• 3 cups bread flour
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 ¼ tbsp baking powder
• 6 tbsp shortening

Cooking Instructions:

1. Place the warm water in a mixing bowl . Add the yeast and sugar . Mix well and let it stand for 10-15 minutes or until foamy.
2. In a separate mixing bowl. Prepare the dry ingredients. Mix the flour, baking powder,shortening. Mix with the yeast mixture.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking.
4. Place dough in a deep greased container, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at cool room temperature for about 2 hours.
5. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a well-floured surface and knead a few times until smooth.
6. Form the dough into a flat ball, pinch a hole in the center, and stretch the dough into a uniform loop. Continue stretching until the dough rope is about 1 1/2 inches in thickness. Cut the dough into pieces about 1 inch long, dust with flour, and cover with a damp paper towel.
7. To make a wrapper, lightly flatten a piece of dough with your palm. Roll the piece of dough out into a thin, even round using a rolling pin.
   Place the wrapper flat in your palm and add about a heaping tbsp full of filling in the center. Pinch the edges up into folds towards the center while turning the bun in your hand until all the edges have been pinched up.

Prepare your steamer. Place your Siopao buns into the steamer and steam for 15 minutes. Serve hot with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!

For Asado Filling

• 2 lbs pork, chopped into small pieces
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, minced
• 2 tbsp cornstarch, diluted in 1/4 cup water
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce

Cooking Instructions:

1. 1. In a saucepan,under medium-high heat, stir fry the garlic and onions.
2. Add the chopped pork, cooked until brown.
3. Season with soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sugar. Mix well and let it simmer for 40 minutes.
4. Add the diluted cornstarch, continue to simmer until the sauce thickened.
5. Remove from heat and let it cool.

To Make the Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• salt and pepper

Cooking Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, under medium-high heat, bring 2 cups of water to boil.
2. Add in sugar lower the heat to medium , stir and simmer until dissolved.
3. Add in the Hoisin Sauce and soy sauce, simmer for a minute.
4. Dissolved the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and add in to the saucepan.
5. Cook for another minute until sauce thicken. Remove from heat and let it cool.
   

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Do's & Don't In Blogging

For Blogger

• Do consider that you have global audience. Be responsible.
• Do write for specific topic. Find your niche.
• Do not steal content from other blog. Provide credit and link back whenever you copy a text or image.
• Do not hotlink images. Ask permission to use the graphics, save it to your own computer and insert to your own blog.
• Do not use your blog as a battlefield.

For Reader

• Do post related comment only. Use email for other purposes.
• Do not leave negative anonymous comments. Stand up for your opinion and link your name or otherwise do not comment at all.
• Do remember that CAPS is like shouting or yelling.
• Do respond to people's comment on your blog.
• Do respect other views and opinions.

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Ginisang Munggo ( Sauted Mung Beans )

Ginisang Munggo is an authentic Filipino dish often serve with Pan Fried Fish or Tinapa. While this is consider as an easy recipe, the way other Filipino prepares their Mung beans varies. Some soak in water for several hours, some boils them. The way i prepare this dish is like the way my mom used to do. I boil the beans first so that it will come out creamy and delicious. Then saute it with garlic, onion, tomatoes and pork.

Ingredients :

• 1 cup mung beans ( munggo )
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup pork, cubed
• 1 cup shrimp (optional )
• 2 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil or vegetable oil
• spinach leaves

Cooking Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the mung beans with water and bring to boil. Cook beans until tender around 30-40 minutes.


2. In a separate pan, saute garlic in an olive oil or vegetable oil until golden brown.


3. Add onion, tomatoes and pork. Let it simmer until pork is tender. If you are adding shrimp, you may add at this point.


4. Season with the fish sauce.


5. Add the cooked Mung(munggo) beans and simmer for 5-10 minutes.


6. Add the spinach and season well with salt and pepper to taste.


7. Serve with steamed rice. Enjoy!

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Max's style Fried Chicken

This Filipino style Fried Chicken Recipe is my take for the Max's Restaurant Fried Chicken dish . Most Filipino really loves Max's Fried Chicken because it is cook to golden perfection, processed in a very unique way which gives this dish the unforgettable "sarap kilig to the bones " quality.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole spring chicken (Cornish game hen)
• 6 pieces dried bay leaves
• 1/4 cup dried thyme
• 1/4 cup dried oregano
• 4 cups water
• 3 cups peanut oil or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions :

1. Prepare the steamer, combine the water with the dried spices. Bring to boil.
2. Wash chicken thoroughly and let it dry.
3. Rub the chicken with 1 tsp of kosher salt and 1 tsp of black pepper.
4. Steam the chicken for 45 minutes.Add more water if necessary.
5. Remove the chicken from the steamer . Let it cool and chill for 1 hour.
6. Prepare deep fryer with 3 cups of oil. Heat the oil to 350°F.
7. Rub the remaining kosher salt and black pepper. Deep fry the chicken until brown and crisp, about 12 to 14 minutes.
8. Remove chicken from the fryer onto a paper towel to drain.
9. Serve with sauce of your choice. Enjoy!

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Apricot and Nut Cookies- Giada Food Network Recipe

When Giada at Food Network make this cookies, i told myself, i will give this a try. It turn out pretty good. The mixture of nuttiness and the sweet-sour apricots make it so fresh. Easy to make and definitely a keeper. I was not able to have a picture with the icing on because everybody ate them before i had the chance to make the icing. ;-)

Ingredients:

Cookies:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Icing:
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
5 to 7 tablespoons almond flavored liqueur (recommended: Amaretto)

Cooking Directions:

For the Cookies:

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour until just blended.
3. Mix in the apricots, almonds, and pine nuts.
4. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter.
5. Wrap the dough in the plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Cut the dough log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2 inch-thick slices.
8. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart.
9. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 15 minutes.
10. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

For the Icing:

1. Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Gradually whisk in the almond flavored liqueur, until the mixture is of drizzling consistency.
3. Place the wire rack over a baking sheet.
4. Using a spoon or fork, drizzle the cookies with the icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto the baking sheet.
5. Allow the icing to set before serving, about 30 minutes.

*******

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Banana Bread

I had tasted a lot of Banana bread. Some of them are dry, some of them are too moist, some are very nutty. So, after several experiments on Banana bread recipes. I can say that, the Food Network Banana Bread recipe is the right one for me. The banana flavor is just right,not too overpowering, it's super moist,not too sweet and so easy to make. My husband like it that he can eat half a loaf after i just finished baking. This will make some seriously wonderful Banana Bread French Toast.

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 ° F.
   
2. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.
   
3. Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon.
6. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
7. Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined.
8. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes.
11. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.Enjoy!

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Pan de Coco ( Coconut Bun )

Pan De Coco ( Bread with Coconut filling) is one of my favorite snacks back home. This traditional Filipino bread brings me back childhood memories of my neighborhood bakeshop. Since my stay in Panama- Latin America, i have not yet found Asian or Chinese bakery that carry Custard Bun or Coconut Bun. I decided to make it a try using the Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix. It turned out really good, my husband and my neighbor loved it.

Ingredients :

For the bread

• 1 Pillsbury Hot roll mix
• 1 egg ( for egg wash )
  

For the Filling

• 1 cup grated coconut or Desiccated coconut
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tbsp of water

Cooking Directions:

1. To make the bread or rolls, follow the procedure on the box of Hot roll mix.
2. Flatten each piece of dough. Top each with a heaping tablespoon if coconut mixture.Fold dough over filling to meet in center; pinch edges to seal.
3. Place seam side down on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubles,about 30 minutes.
4. Brush with egg wash and bake at 350°F for 15-30 minutes or until golden brown.

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Dongpo Pork Recipe ( Braised Pork Belly )

Dongpo pork is a famous Chinese dish, it is like pork belly adobo in Philippines.The general ingredients for Dongpo pork are pork belly, wine, ginger and Welsh onion; and it involves a long cooking time (2-3 hours) to give the tenderness.Eat as little of the fat as you choose. The accompanying ginger help offset the fat.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) piece pork belly


• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil


• 1 tablespoon tea leaves


• 4 stalks welsh onion or spring onions
  

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup water


• 8 cloves garlic, lightly crushed


• 5 slices old ginger (or 7 slices young ginger)


• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns


• 4 tablespoons soy sauce


• 2 tablespoons yellow wine (e.g. Shaoxing wine)


• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil


• 2 tablespoons sugar

Cooking Instructions:

1. Cut the pork belly into cubes (~ 4×5 cm).


2. Blanch the pork belly in a pot of boiling water for a 5 minutes and clean it with cold water.


3. Put the pork belly in the pot and cover with water. Make sure the skin is facing down. ( Important ). Bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes.


4. Heat a wok and add the sauce ingredients. Mix well and bring to a boil.


5. Add the pork and cook each surface for a few minutes over a medium heat.


6. Remove pork and drain well. Pour the remaining sauce into a small saucepan and set aside.


7. Clean and drain the wok. Heat the vegetable oil to a medium heat. Fry the pork on all sides until it is well browned, making sure the skin side is a little crispy.


8. Steep the tea leaves in hot water for a couple of minutes, remove and set aside.


9. Place the pork in the pot of water again–topping up the water if necessary.


10. Add the tea leaves and simmer for 30 minutes.


11. Place the spring onion stalks on the bottom of a steamer.


12. Transfer pork to the steamer. Steam for 2 hours, turning the pork after 1 hour (because of the long steaming time, you may need to replenish the steamer water). Serve with white steam rice. Enjoy !
    

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Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

No more Chinese take-outs. This Beef and Broccoli stir fry is super fast. Make sure to have the ingredients prepped prior cooking.
Ingredients:

• 1lb pre-cut beef stir-fry
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 bunch fresh broccoli (sliced into florets)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (finely minced)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Cooking Instructions:

1. Place pre-cut beef in a bowl or sealable bag.
2. Combine soy sauce, dry sherry and cornstarch. Mix well, and pour mixture over steak strips. Marinate for 15 minutes to a half hour.
3. Heat the wok and add oil. Add minced garlic and ginger root and stir fry over medium-high heat for about 20 seconds. Add beef and stir fry stirring constantly for a couple minutes.
4. Add broccoli and stir fry for 5 minutes or until broccoli is cooked but still crispy and dark green.

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Banana-Bread French Toast

I had tried this Esquire's Recipe for French Toast and since then it became my husband favorite for breakfast. This is really good for those Banana bread leftovers.

Ingredients:

• Thick (about two-inch) slices of banana bread
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp milk
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• Maple syrup
• Half of a vanilla bean, split and scraped
• Spoonful of lemon sour cream

Cooking Instructions :

1. Start with the slices of banana bread. Dried-out is better.
2. Beat the eggs, milk, and cinnamon until well combined.
3. In a nonstick skillet, heat the butter until barely foamy.
4. Thoroughly coat the bread with the egg mixture (dripping off excess), add to the pan, and cook about two minutes on each side.
5. Meanwhile, warm some maple syrup with the vanilla bean — throw the seeds and the bean in with the syrup.
6. Top with butter of your choice. Enjoy!

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Suman Sa Gata ( Sticky Coconut Rice )

Suman is a Filipino steamed cake wrapped in banana leaves or coconut leaves. It can be made from sticky rice, grain or root. The variations of this rice pastry depends on each region in the Philippines. Suman is considered one of the oldest and most popular Filipino snacks or dessert.It became a traditional Noche Buena meal and holidays or parties especialty. This recipe is adapted from the The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook, with a little bit of adjustment with the ratio.

Ingredients :

• 3 cups sweet rice ( available on Asian store abroad )
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• fresh or frozen (thawed ) banana leaves
  

Cooking Instructions :

1. Rinse the sweet rice 2-3 times. Drain.
2. Using a 14- inch wok or 4 - quart heavy bottomed pot, combine all the ingredients except the banana leaves.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to medium. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring constantly especially during the last 15 minutes of cooking. You don’t want rice to stick to the bottom of the pan and scorch. Reduce heat if rice mixture starts to burn at any point.
4. After about 20 minutes, expect the oil from the coconut milk to separate from rice mixture and coat wok with a thin film. The rice mixture will pull away easily from the sides of the pan. When done, rice mixture is shiny, almost dry and very sticky, like risotto. Let cool in the wok.
5. Wipe away any white residue on leaves with a damp cloth. Remove spine and trim to 4- by 7-inch rectangles with the longer edge going along the grain.

6. Place a banana leaf rectangle on a dry work surface with the smooth, matt side up (the shiny side has faint ridges) and longer edge parallel to your body. Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice mixture in the middle of the leaf. Mold rice into a mound about 4- by 1 1/2-inches.


Take the leaf edge closest to you and fold it over rice. Using both sets of fingers, tuck leaf edge under the rice and roll to enclose filling completely. Roll as tightly as possible into a compact cylinder. With the seam-side down, smooth your fingers across the cylinder to gently flatten and fold both ends under to form a snug packet. Place seam-side down directly in a steamer basket. Repeat until rice mixture is finished, layering packets neatly in a single layer and one on top of the other if necessary.

 7. Fill steamer (bamboo steamer)  bottom with a generous amount of water, about 2 to 3 inches, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Place basket with rice rolls above. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You should see steam escaping from underneath the lid.

8. Let it cool. Unwrapped the banana leaves and Enjoy! *********

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Leche Flan ( Caramel Custard )

Leche Flan is a very popular desert in the Filipino community. Although there are only few key ingredients. It requires few tricks in order to produced a good Leche Flan. The version I prefer is the "no egg white version", only "pure egg yolks".  It is creamy and delectable.. no bubbles. This is a very easy recipe so why not give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 can Condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon Rind
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 8 egg yolks

For Caramel syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup hot water

Cooking Instructions:

1. Melt sugar in a sauce pan to make the caramel syrup. As soon as the sugar dissolves and turn brown. Add the ½ water – this will turn into caramelized sugar and form the syrup.
2. Reserve ½ cup of the syrup for the finished product.
3. Distribute the caramel syrup to cover the bottom of your baking pan. Let it cool before pouring the Flan mixture.
4. Mix and blend all the ingredients and strain using a cheese cloth to make a smooth results .
5. Prepare the steamer. When the steamer is ready. Pour mixture to prepared pan, cover with foil.
6. Steam for 30 minutes to an hour or until mixture is firm.
7. Let it cool or chill in the fridge before serving.
8. When ready to serve flip so it will like upside down cake. Add reserve syrup.Enjoy!

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Cassava Cake ( Bibingkang Kamoteng Kahoy )

Cassava, also called Yuca is some kind of root that are very rich in starch. It is a tropical root vegetable grown as a shrub in temperate zones of Asia, Africa, the Carribean, and South America. In the Philippines, Cassava cake is another festive treat or is a common dessert. This is my version of a Cassava Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 packs grated cassava (from a local Filipino stores abroad)
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 1 can condensed milk
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 cup sweetened macapuno strings
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp of coconut extract ( optional )

Toppings:

• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 1 cup macapuno strings
• 1/ 4 cup brown sugar

Mix and blend 3 ingredients in a saucepan. Bring it to simmer until think.

Cooking Instructions:

1. Pre- heat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
2. Mix all the ingredients and blend well. Make sure the frozen items are thawed.
3. Butter the prepared baking pan or pyrex dish (9x15x2).
4. Pour the mixture onto your prepared pan or pyrex
5. Bake for 350°F for 45 mins or until top solidifies.
6. Remove from oven and spread the toppings on top
7. Broil Medium for 5-10 mins. Babysit so that the toppings will not burnt.
8. Remove from oven and cool.

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