Filipino Comfort Food 101 | Kare Kare (Oxtail and Tripe Stew in Peanut Sauce)

The plethora of food diaries seen in blogs, magazines and even TV shows, has opened the door to a more accepting food culture.  It is now fashionable to try something different. What was deemed intimidating is now called fresh, bold and ground-breaking.  Anthony Bourdain was way ahead of his time.  From dining at a sushi bar to feasting on prime rib steaks, it is now cool to enjoy good food.  Food is no longer taken just for nourishment, food is now savored, talked about and even watched by millions on TV.  Who would have thunk?

For today's dish, I hope you still keep an open mind.  For us Filipinos, kare-kare holds a very special place in our foodscape.  It is usually served as part of our "special" dinner spread - always present in parties and in celebrating special occasions.  Kare-kare tastes better when shared with family and friends.  The classic kare-kare recipe is a stew in peanut sauce with oxtail, beef, vegetables and tripe.  As a dish often prepared for fiestas throughout the country, kare-kare is comfort food for Filipinos living abroad.  

When done exquisitely, it serves as a time machine that brings you back to your hometown as a kid - remembering the fiestas and special events you celebrated with your family.  A bite into the stew brings the peanut sauce front and center followed by the tripe that melts in your mouth What puts you over the edge is the sliver of bagoong (shrimp paste) you add to a spoonful of the stew, as there is no other taste like it.  And there is no place like Home...

Kare-Kare (Oxtail and Tripe Stew in Peanut Sauce)

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs of oxtail cut into pieces (they usually come in packs already cut)
2-3 lbs tripe
1/4 c rice, toasted then pulverized (use Kare kare mix as an alternative)
3- 4 tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 tsp annato powder
2 onions (1 for sauteing, one for tenderizing the meat)
3 cloves garlic, minced
bokchoy
2 pcs eggplant (sliced)
1 bundle string beans (sliced, 3 inch long)

Procedure:
Rub rock salt on the oxtail to clean.  Rinse thoroughly.  On a stockpot, place the oxtail and submerge it with water.  Allow the water to boil.  Discard the water.  Rinse the oxtail and discard the water.  In the same stockpot, submerge the oxtail with water again.  Throw in some bay leaf, peppercorn and celery.  Boil until tender.  You could use the stock later, but make sure to remove the fat that settles on top.

Do the same procedure with the tripe.  Usually the tripe sold here in the US is already white and clean.  But you can still rub salt to clean.  Repeat procedure as you've done with the oxtail. Let it cool and slice the tripe into strips, 2-3 inches long and 0.5 inch wide. Drain the water and set the tripe aside.

Saute garlic and onions until onions get wilted and translucent.  Add annato powder, stir to mix well.  Add oxtail and tripe (make sure they are tender).  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir for about 2 minutes then add beef broth.(3-4 cups).  Let it simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the broth has been reduced.  Add the pulverized rice (or the kare-kare mix).  This will thicken the sauce, so make sure to keep on stirring. Add peanut butter.  Mix well, taste and season with salt (or shrimp paste) and pepper.

In a separate pot, pour 2 cups of water.  Add a teaspoon of baking powder.  Season with salt.  Drop the veggies and remove after boiling.  Drain excess water.  Add blanched vegetables on the cooked kare kare.  Serve with cooked or bottled shrimp paste on the side.  Enjoy!

This recipe is also available on my YOU TUBE Channel.  Please watch it here:

Baked Pompano in Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

Pompano is one of my favorite fish species to bake. It does have a high  fat content - as more than half of its calorie breakdown is from fat (with the remainder being composed of protein). But no worries, as most of the fat is unsaturated - the "good type" of fat that is linked to having beneficial effects on cholesterol levels. I love the texture of pompano especially if it's fresh. It is almost creamy, as it kinda melts in your mouth.

I'm lucky that I found a good source for seafood here in St. Louis. My weekend usually includes a stop at the seafood markets along Olive Ave.

It may not sound right, but this is my "happy" place. And oh not just me... just look at how happy my husband is "shrimping", haha.

These days, I am lucky that we could get our hands on live blue crabs...

Or on fresh shrimp.  They are the juiciest, perfect combination of sweet and salty.

And oh, while you get your seafood cleaned, it's a good way to meet new friends.  Would you believe that I met a sweet lady while we were both standing by the cleaning station. We swapped recipes, then our phone numbers. Later that evening, I got a call from her inviting me for dinner.

"It's my birthday and my friends are having a party for me.  Why don't you come so you could meet them?"

How can I say no to a party?  Much more her birthday party... right.

Ok I digress... and before I get any further, let me share with you my fish recipe. But you're going to forgive me for my awful photography.  But oh well, my family devoured it before I could even think about re-taking photos... LOL!

Baked Pompano in Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1 whole pompano (around 2 lbs) cleaned, gills removed
2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp orange zest
juice of one orange
salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
5 pcs sliced tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
2 pieces ginger, pressed

Procedure:

Pre-heat oven at 375 degrees. Wash the fish thoroughly. Pat with paper towel to dry.

To make vinaigrette: Combine the\vinegar, orange juice, salt and pepper in a bowl.  After mixing together, add the oil.  Then add tomatoes, onions, ginger and lemon rind.  Set aside.

Rub the orange balsamic vinaigrette inside and outside of the fish.  Stuff the onions, tomatoes inside the fish belly and put the rest on top and below the fish.  Wrap with foil and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Guilty Pleasure | Porchetta ala Malou

Once we hit our 40's, eating healthy should become the norm rather than a fad.  But let's face it, we still enjoy a slice of decadent chocolate cake or a slab of juicy steak when opportunity knocks. We all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to food.  And the holidays seem to make it worse, as the extended family gathers and (maybe for most of us) we put up with each other's company.  But that's what family is all about. 

Last Christmas, I had the chance to share my guilty pleasure with my family.  This is my version of  the iconic Italian dish Porchetta.  It is the savory, fatty, succulent and ever so tempting pork dish that is always a crowd-pleaser.  From your local Italian restaurant to Mario Batali, a Porchetta recipe is easily available.  

For my recipe, I used a rolled pork belly stuffed with lemon-grass, thyme, rosemary, bacon and generously sprinkled with garlic, salt and pepper.  I gently tied the pork "roll" with cooking twine and baked it in a bain-marie for a couple of hours.    

The result is a plate of juicy,well seasoned slice of pork with the crispy skin attached.  I am glad this is only shared at parties or featured to celebrate the holidays, as it may be too much of a good thing if I have this more often.

Porchetta ala Malou

3-4  lbs Pork belly
salt and pepper
5 cloves garlic
6 stalks of lemongrass
1 pack bacon (chopped)
2 tbsp Thyme (fresh, chopped; if using dried, use 1/3 less)
2 tbsp Rosemary

Directions:

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the lemongrass. Make sure to get the juices out. Add the garlic and continue to pound.  Add thyme, rosemary and generous amount of salt and pepper.  Set lemongrass mixture.

Lay the pork belly on a flat surface with skin side up.  Using a meat mallet, pound the skin all over.  This will make the skin crispy.

Flip the belly and rub the lemongrass mixture generously.  Spread a thin layer of the chopped bacon.  Roll the pork and secure with cooking twine.

Now, rub the lemongrass mixture all over the skin.  Refrigerate roast overnight. (If you have the time, 2 nights would be preferred)

Let the pork belly sit at room temperature. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Use a baine marie  and place the pork belly. Cover with foil.  Bake for 20 minutes and reduce temperature to 375 degrees F.  Bake for 1 hour.  Remove cover.  Bake it for another hour or until roast reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.

Set the oven on broil until the skin is crispy and mahogany brown.  This takes a few minutes so better keep an eye on it.  Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Enjoy...

Fiesta Filipino Cooking Class Recap

It was a huge success.  The Fiesta Filipino cooking class that I conducted at the Kitchen Conservatory in Clayton was both well attended and, more importantly, well received. This was a dream come true for me, as I am very passionate about sharing Filipino food recipes to a wider audience.

It was a dellight to have 12 people attend my class.  Yep it was a fun hands-on cooking class; they discovered the culinary process of making latik (coconut sprinkles formed from the reduction of coconut milk; the class gave the a first hand experience of using banana leaves for steaming fish and baking sweet rice cake.  And they had fun learning how Filipinos celebrate fiestas. Oh and special thanks goes to Anita, who assisted me throughout the night.

True to its title Fiesta Filipino, we prepared dishes normally served during Fiestas.  We started off with a sweet and savory braised pork leg called Patatim. And what's not to love with braising pork, especially during these cold winter months? 

Then we went on with Fresh Lumpia: a vegetable dish sautéed with meat, shrimp, garlic and onions all rolled in a delicate crepe.  The lumpia is topped with a sweet soy sauce-based sauce and sprinkled with fresh garlic and crushed peanuts

Then we preceded to steaming our big red snapper. I will share you the recipe for this Fiesta iconic dish we call  Fiesta Holiday Fish below.

We made two desserts.  The first one was Majah Blanca,  This is a popular Filipino dessert made by simmering together coconut cream, milk and sugar. and letting it cool and set.  The creamy coconut cream pudding is punctuated with toasted coconut milk crumbs on top

And the fiesta is not complete without the dessert called biko (Sweet Sticky Rice with Caramelized Coconut Cream).  Women gather together to make this special dessert cooked in banana lined pans. 

You may want to see the photos posted on Kitchen Conservatory's Facebook page.  I'm sure you will agree with me as the photos reveal that they had a wonderful time.  And don't we look like we are one big happy family preparing a spread for a real Fiesta?  Yes indeed we all warmed up to each other and were soon gathered around the kitchen.  It felt like a fiesta. 

Fiesta Holiday Fish

(We prepared a whole red snapper during the class but for the purpose of this post, I recreated the dish using a slice of mahi mahi. But traditionally, a whole fish is used). 

1 large grouper/ pampano or red snapper

2 pcs lemon

5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushesd

3 pcs. ginger, peeled and crushed 

2 cups mayo

4 tbsp cream cheese

3 pcs. shallots

1 pc. red bell pepper

3 pcs. carrots, peeled and blanched

1 cup pickle relish

3 boiled eggs, mashed.

Clean the fish.  Score both sides of the fish. Squeeze the lemons over the fish and sprinkle salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes.

Lay the fish flat on a banana leaf. Add onions, ginger, cilantro and garlic.

Wrap the fish with the banana leaf.

Steam the fish for about 20-30 minutes.  Remove from steamer and pat the fish dry.

In a bowl, mix mayo and milk together.  Add shallots and pickle relish. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the mayo mixture on both sides of the fish.  Arrange the sliced pepper, boiled eggs and carrots on top of the fish. Enjoy!

 If you want to join me next week, I will be teaching at Whole Foods Town and Country.  Check out my cooking class schedule here... And btw, one of the dishes that I will be teaching is Seafood Sinigang.  Sinigang was one of the winning dishes on the most recent episode of Top Chef (Seattle Bites) prepared by fellow Filipino Sheldon from Hawaii.  

Until next time - See you STL!

Off to a great start

A New Year brings in new hope, new dreams... and endless possibilities.

I love the "gifts" of the new year.  I'm ecstatic, in fact, I am all fired up and ready to face 2013.  I hope you are too!  Now if it is obvious to you that my smile is showing from ear to ear, let me tell you why.

Remember my Modern Asian Cooking Series I launched late last year?  Well it's off to a great start, as I will be cooking in 3 different venues in the St. Louis, MO area: WholeFoods Town and Country (every third Wednesday of the month) Kitchen Conservatory in Clayton and at different Dierbergs locations. It will be a fun food adventure as I take my students to the Far East and introduce them to the flavors of Asia.  

So here are the classes I will be teaching and a brief description of the menu and what they share about me... (Warning:  this is a shameless plug alert--haha!) But I tell you, this is an opportunity I celebrate as a food blogger.  And my foodblogger friends know exactly what I mean. 

1. Kitchen Conservatory : January 8, 2013 6:00 PM to 8;30 PM

SKIP TO MALOU - FIESTA FILIPINO 
It is a delight to welcome the charming food blogger, Malou Perez-Nievera, who shares her passion for her native Filipino cuisine. This hands-on class will create iconic festival dishes, including fresh vegetable and meat spring rolls with crushed peanuts and sweet sauce, patatim - braised pork shoulder with star anise, and the colorful centerpiece of the fiesta table - steamed fish with creamy sauce and vibrant peppers. Prepare two traditional desserts, starting with majah blanca - coconut cream pudding, plus sweet rice cakes - a special dessert cooked in banana-lined pans.


2. Whole Foods Town and Country : January 16, 2013 6:00 - 8:30 PM

Skip to Malou: Modern Asian Cooking Series

Get ready as Malou Perez-Nievera, an award winning food blogger takes us to an adventure to the Far East featuring the flavors of the Philippines.  Filipino Food is finally getting the attention of the US food scene and as Andrew Zimmerin said   Filipino Food is the next big thing. Filipino food is an eclectic mix of food with Spanish influences and with the influences of its neighboring Asian countries.  So get ready to whet your palate as we prepare a typical daily menu repertoire of go-to Filipino favorites.

Seafood in Tamarind Broth:  is considered the dish most representative of Filipino palette: it’s slightly tangy, slightly sour and with a tinge of spice. Barely less than 15 minutes to make, this proves no night is a busy night for home cooking; definitely refreshing and comforting during winter nights.

Stuffed Eggplant: This dish has the eggplant as the center piece.  The egg and the ground pork make this eggplant omelet the perfect match for the tamarind broth.

Yema:  End the meal with something delightful.  A custard candy made of egg yolks and condensed milk.  It’s bite size, so you don’t have to worry about overloading calories.

3. Dierbergs presents: Skip to Malou: Thai Cravings 
When you’re hungry and only Thai flavors will do,do it yourself! With just a few simple ingredients, Malou will show you how fast and easy it is to bring your favorite Thai specialties to the table in minutes. $37

Pad Thai Noodles • Panang Curry • Sticky Rice with Mango

Venues and Schedule:
Bogey Hills (BH) Jan. 30, Wed., 6:30-8:30 PMClarkson (CL) Jan. 22, Tues., 6:30-8:30 PMEdwardsville (ED) Feb. 25, Mon., 6:30-8:30 PMSouthroads (SR) Feb. 11, Mon., 6:30-8:30 PMWest Oak (WO) Feb. 4, Mon., 6:30-8:30 PMMalou Perez-Nievera, Culinary Professional

Happy New Year.  I hope the new year brings you a BLESSful and a BLISSful life!

xoxo,
Malou

a simple song and a simple recipe

I know everyone is busy at this time of the year...and so I'm offering this simple song and this simple recipe to bring you the holiday spirit.May the magic of Christmas be yours...Merry Christmas!

Ginger Pizookie with Pineapple Custard

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup sugar
1tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup crystalized ginger
1 cup milk

Directions:

Pre-heat oven at 350 F.

Grease a round 9" pan with butter.

In a mixing bowl,  mix together flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Add in the ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, crystallized ginger.salt and sugar.

In another bowl beat the eggs.  Pour in the milk. Add the flour mixture little by little.  Add lemon juice and mix thoroughly.

Pour into a baking pan until 1/3 full. (you could opt to have a thicker pizookie by pouring more cake mixture) 
Bake for about 10 - 15 minutes or until a toothpick com Let it cool.

For the Pineapple Custard: (you could use the custard on your ice cream, waffle, etc.)

1 can condensed milk
2 eggs
3 tbsp cream cheese (full spoonfuls)
2/3 cup heavy cream (I use a small can of Nestle's cream)
1 tsp vanilla
a pinch of salt
1/2 can pineapple tidbits (you could use fresh pineapples too)

Using a whisk combine eggs and condensed milk and vanilla.  Cook in the top of the double boiler, stirring constantly over slowly simmering water until thickened.  Remove from heat immediately and let it cool.

On a another bowl, cream the cream cheese until soft.  Add heavy cream  Pour the custard mixture and mix them together.  Add a pinch of salt.  Add pineapple tidbits.

Spread the Pineapple Custard over the ginger pizookie and voila you will soon enjoy a delightful holiday treat.

Sweet Memories | Orange Banana Polvoron

"This is the first year we are celebrating Christmas without Mommy Dory."

The tone in my sister in law's voice reveals that she misses Mommy Dory.  I do too. Who wouldn't miss her especially at this time of the year? I know if she were still alive, Mommy Dory (my hubs maternal grandmother) would be busy in the kitchen making traditional Filipino Christmas sweets and savory dishes.  

At this time, she would already have wrapped dozens of polvorons, (soft and crumbly Filipino shortbread cookie) with colorful "papel de hapon" (Japanese paper).  These irresistible, melt-in-your-mouth polvorons disappear fast on the table.  Every time someone walks by, they grab one haha! So she packs a few pieces in small boxes and keeps them in the small fridge in her room. She labels the boxes with our names for us to take home after our yearly Christmas reunions in Las Vegas a few years ago.

Yes, Christmas evokes sweet memories and oh yes, definitely food memories.  

We are grateful that Mommy Dory left us with loads of them...

Her anecdotes and nuggets of wisdom never fail to make us laugh... and even make us shed tears as we smile. 

Although to tell you honestly, I'm not sure how she will like the nontraditional polvoron flavors I created... All I know is, I thought about her lovingly as I made them.

You could check out Mommy Dory's Polvoron here, but today I'm going to share with you:

Banana Orange Polvoron

Ingredients:
2 c flour
1 c powdered milk
1 c melted butter (allow it to cool)
2/3 c sugar
2 c banana chips (pulverized)
3 tsp orange zest

Directions:

On a pan (Mommy Dory would say, make sure the pan is thick enough!) toast flour in medim heat stirrimg constantly (she could actually tell by the smell of the flour roasting when it's good enough) until light brown.
Transfer the roasted flour in a bowl right away to avoid further cooking.

Add the powdered milk and sugar into the mixing bowl  and mix them together. Add the pulverized banana chips and orange zest.

Add the melted butter (she would repeat that the butter should be cold enough)

Mix it thoroughly and make sure there are no lumps.

Using a special  moulder shown above, fill it with the polvoron micture and press  it hard then release it,  Add more butter if the mixture in not firm enough.

Wrap it in cellophane or in my case I used gift wrapping tissue paper.  (while waiting for the powdered mixture to cool down, Mommy would cut the paper uniformly... and yes wrap the polvoron one by one). But sometimes, the polvoron won't even get the chance to be wrapped, because kids and adults alike would come around and grab a molded polvoron right away... hmmm ... YUM!