Grilled Pampano with Herbed Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• a cup of jasmine rice
• 1.5 cup water
• a tablespoon of butter
• 1 tsp shallots, finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• a tsp each of chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, basil and oregano
• 1 pc fresh pampano
• 1/4 tsp ground oregano
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Cook jasmine in water. Spread in a baking sheet to cool. Separate grains well.
2. In a heated saute pan, sweat shallots in butter until translucent. Add garlic and saute until aromatic. Add fresh herbs and toss in cooked rice. Keep warm.
3. Rub fish with ground oregano and ground coriander, salt and pepper. Grill for 5 minutes on each side until cooked through.
4. Serve hot.

Bicol Express

Ingredients:

• 2 pcs matured coconuts
• 2 tbsps cooking oil
• 1/2 head garlic, finely pounded
• 2 medium (70 grams) red onion, peeled & minced
• 3/4 kilo pork belly, skinned & diced
• 3 tbsps fresh bagoong alamang
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 pc bird's eye chili pepper (siling labuyo), minced or 1/8 tsp dried pepper flakes
• 5 pcs finger chilis, minced with seeds

Procedure:

1. When you buy your coconuts in the market. Let the vendor grate and squeeze them for you, using their manual jack pump. The first squeeze which is the coconut cream (kakang-gata) and the second squeeze, the coconut milk (pangalawang gata). This type of service will only cost you an extra php2.00, not bad, right? It also means, you'll have less work in the kitchen.
2. In a wok, put oil. Heat moderately. Put garlic, saute until golden brown. Follow with onion, cook until limp. Add in the diced pork, fresh bagoong alamang, black pepper and pepper flakes. Stir-fry until pork is no longer pink and bagoong is aromatic.
3. Pour the the coconut milk. Cover. Bring to boil. Remove lid. Stir. Bubble away in medium-low fire for 30 minutes. Stirring every 10 minutes.
4. Increase fire to medium-high, add in the coconut cream. Do not stir until boiling. Cook for 2 minutes. Put the minced finger chilis. Mix. Cook for another minute.
5. Serve with steamed rice.

Sinigang na Bangus sa Miso

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo milkfish (bangus), scaled and gutted
• 2 tsps of iodized coarse salt
• 3 tbsps cooking oil & more for frying the fish
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• a large chunk, about 50 grams, ginger, sliced thinly
• 1 medium red onion, sliced thinly
• 2 large red overripe tomatoes, sliced thinly
• 75 grams, 1" thick slice, of miso
• 2.5 tbsps fish sauce
• 1 liter of rice wash or water
• 1 med (200 grams) radish, sliced at 1"thick diagonally
• 1 small sachet, 28 grams, of sinigang na calamansi recipe mix powder
• 4 pcs finger chilis
• a bunch (175 grams) of mustard greens, sliced

Procedure:

1. Put the milkfish in a bowl. Sprinkle all over half of the salt. Stand aside while preparing the other ingredients.
2. Fry lightly the fish. Set aside.
3. In a different pan, put oil. Saute garlic and ginger. Cook until garlic is golden brown. Follow with onion and tomatos. Cook until very soft.
4. Add in the miso nd fish sauce. Cook until liquid evaporates or aromatic.
5. Pour rice wash. Put in also, the radish and sinigang powder. Cover. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling for a minute or two.
6. Put the lightly fried fish and finger chilis. Cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add in the green mustards. Cook until half-done only.
8. Serve hot and with freshly cooked white rice.

Batchoy

Ingredients:

• 2 pcs, about 300 grams pork kidney
• 1/4 kilo pork liver
• a pc, 200 grams in weight, pork heart
• 1/4 kilo tenderloin (lomo)
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsps of cooking oil
• a tsp of msg
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 onion chopped
• a thumb size ginger, sliced thinly
• 1.5 cup water
• spring onion, for garnishing
• salt to taste

Procedure:

• Cut pork kidney, liver, heart and pork into strips. Set aside.
• Saute garlic in oil. When golden brown, add onion. Cook until transparent.
• Add pork kidney, liver, heart and tenderloin. Put ginger, continue cooking for 3 minutes. Season with fish sauce and cook for another 10 minutes.
• Pour water. Cover. Bring to boil. Then, simmer gently until tender
• Garnish with spring onion.
• Serve hot.

Shrimps with Sweet Peas

Ingredients:

• 500 grams medium-sized fresh shrimps
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 6 pcs dried mushroom, soaked and diced
• 1/2 cup bamboo shoots, diced
• 2 tsps soy sauce
• a tsp of msg
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• a cup of cooked peas
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsps water

Procedure:

1. Shell and devein shrimps. Rinse thoroughly, dry on a towel.
2. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a pan. Saute mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
3. Season with soy sauce, msg, oyster sauce and rice wine.
4. Stir in shrimps and sweet peas. Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Thicken with cornstarch mixture.
6. Serve hot.