Ensaymada ( Ensaïmada)

Ensaymada is a Filipino sweet bread derived from Spanish origins. The Spanish version of this is called Ensaïmades. In the Philippines, this pastry bread is made with butter and shaped into like a pinwheel or snail-like coil ,topped with butter cream, sugar and grated cheese. The procedure sounds intimidating but it is very easy. Nowadays, it is not even necessary to make the unique shape anymore.  It has been re-invented for easy cooking. But, since it was my first time to make this, I tried my best to replicate the original  look of this soft and buttery bread. If you have already tried making pandesal.This recipe should not be hard because the process is quite similar. Give it a try and see for yourself. Please check video below for step by step instructions.

Ensaymada Recipe
Adapted from Panlasang Pinoy (Just did some tweaking)

Ingredients:

5 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup butter, melted
¾ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 pieces raw eggs
1 envelope (¼ oz ) active dry yeast
1 cup warm homogenized milk

Cooking Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoon of sugar  with 1 cup warm milk (110°F-115°F) and mix well. Add the yeast and stir. Let mixture stand for about 10 minutes or until it foams.
• In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients starting from the flour, ½ cup of sugar and salt. Mix thoroughly.
• Add the eggs and ½ cup melted butter to the yeast mixture and pour to the dry ingredients. Using your hand, mix the dry and wet mixture together. Make sure that it is well incorporated. Continue mixing until dough comes together.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 6 to 8 minutes., adding more flour if necessary,until the dough is smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it proof in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
• Punch down dough and turn it out onto a floured surface. Divide dough into four pieces. Roll each piece into a log or cylindrical form. Cut individual serving pieces ( about 80 grams each). Flatten each piece using a rolling pin.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the ¼ cup melted butter with the remaining sugar. Paint the sugar and butter mixture onto the center area of  flattened dough. Sprinkle some cheese over the painted area and seal. This is done by folding opposite directions and rolling it until a long cylindrical shape is formed ( about 14 inches long) .
• Form the spiral Ensaymada shape by crossing the two opposite ends of the dough. It is like making pretzel.
• Place in a baking tray with wax paper  and cover with cheese cloth. Let rest for 45 minutes. This is the 2nd proofing.
• Pre-heat oven at 350°F.
• In a small bowl, prepare the egg wash by whisking the egg and a little amount of water or milk. Using a pastry brush, generously coat the top of the ensaymada with the egg wash. Bake the ensaymada for about 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove baked Ensaymada from oven. Brush the top with the remaining butter and sugar mixture and sprinkle with cheese on top.
• Serve hot. Enjoy and do not forget to Share!

Related Video

Continue Reading...

Filipino Pork Barbecue ( Pinoy BBQ)

Filipino Pork Barbecue is a favorite appetizer (pulutan ) and street food in the Philippines. This authentic Filipino recipe is a very popular and a requested dish during parties or potlucks. This is a very delicious and easy to prepare dish. There are many variations of this Pinoy recipe but this is basically made with pork, marinated in a sweet and sour sauce, skewered and grilled. Give it a try and do not forget to share with others.

Filipino Pork Barbecue Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pounds of pork cut into cubes ( I prefer combination of pork butt and pork belly)
1 small onions, minced
1 cup soy sauce
1 whole garlic, peeled and smashed
¼ cup of calamansi juice or lemon juice
½ cup of 7Up or Sprite soda/pop
1 cup of Banana Sauce (Ketchup)
5 tablespoon of dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of sesame oil

bamboo skewers- soaked overnight

Directions:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except pork and cooking oil. Mix thoroughly.
• Add the pork cubes, make sure that it is well coated. Marinade for a minimum of an hour, preferably overnight on the fridge.
• Pre-heat grill. Skewer the marinated pork.
• Bring the marinade mixture to boil. Let it simmer until it is reduced to half. Transfer into a bowl and add oil. Mix well. This would be used as a glazed for the barbecue.
• Grill pork barbecue for about 5 minutes each side. Brush both sides with the prepared barbecue glaze.
• Serve hot with Green Papaya Pickle ( Atsara ) or your favorite Dipping Sauce.
• Share and Enjoy!

Note:

• Easy Dipping sauce would be a mixture of crushed garlic,minced onions, red chili pepper and sugar cane vinegar. Pinch of sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
• Use charcoal grill for best authentic taste.

Continue Reading...

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!

Continue Reading...

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.

Continue Reading...

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! *********

Continue Reading...

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!

Continue Reading...

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.

Continue Reading...