Cooking Task #4: Chili Crabs

Poor little crabs…

Ingredients:
2 kilos crabs
1 tbsp cooking oil
3-5 pieces chillies, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 knob ginger, grated
1 cup tomato ketchup
¼ cup chilli sauce
¼ cup Chinese wine (I used Mompo)
2 cups chicken stock (I just used plain water)
2 stalks onion leeks
Dash of sesame oil
2 cups Sprite (This was Mommy’s idea)

Procedure:
1. Cook crabs in Sprite.

2. Pull out the outer shells. Remove the lungs.

3. Split the body into quarters, and crack the claws.

4. In a large wok, heat cooking oil. Stir fry chillies, garlic and ginger until fragrant. Stir in tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and wine. Pour in chicken stock. Let simmer until thick. (I added 1 tbsp of cornstarch dissolved in cold water).

5. Add quartered crabs, mix well and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in leeks and sesame oil.

The finished product…

Chili Crabs for Dinner

Based on the recipe from “The Best of Food Magazine” by the ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc. (2001).

What’s for Lunch?

Grilled Burger + Mashed Potato + Green Salad w/ Vinegrette + Mushroom Soup + Milk = L.O.V.E. ♥

Cooking Task #3: Turbo Chicken

This one is so easy; even a pre-schooler can do it.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
2 small butter cubes
2 packets Ajinomoto Ginisa Mix (7 g each)
Soy sauce
Pandan leaves

Procedure:
1. Rub the chicken with salt, pepper, Ginisa Mix, and soy sauce. Slide 2 small butter cubes into the breast pockets.

2. Stuff chicken with pandan leaves, then tie the legs.

3. Place in turbo broiler.

4. Set the temperature at 200 °C, and cook for 60 minutes.

DONE! Now get a plate and eat!

Cooking Task #2: Fish Fillet w/ Tartar Sauce

For first-time visitors of this blog who are not great fans of cooking: Don’t worry, this isn’t a cooking blog. I just wanted to chronicle my cooking experiences.

While cooking the tuna carbonara [from my previous post], I was simultaneously cooking fish fillet.

Ingredients of Fish Fillet:
1 pack Pangasius fillet (prime cream dory)
All-purpose flour
1-2 eggs
Japanese bread crumbs

Procedure:
1. Defrost cream dory.

2. Heat corn oil in a small deep saucepan.

3. Cut dory into [not-so-]thin strips.

4. Coat dory strips with flour.

5. Dip in beaten egg.

6. Roll on Japanese bread crumbs.

7. Deep fry until golden-brown.

Ingredients of Tartar Sauce:
1 hard-boiled egg
1 tbsp minced onion (preferably white onion)
1 tbsp pickled relish
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
Salt
Pepper

Procedure:
1. Mince hard-boiled egg in a small bowl.

2. Add onion.

3. Add pickled relish. (I didn’t do this because our mayonnaise already has pickles).
4. Add ¾ cup of mayonnaise.

5. Add 1 tsp. mustard.

6. Mix everything together.

7. Add salt and pepper, if desired.

So what’s for lunch?

Ta-daaaa…!

Tuna Carbonara + Fish Fillet w/ Tartar Sauce

Cooking Task #1: Tuna Carbonara

The Silent Spectator is proud because for the first time, she was able to cook something by herself! (Well, not really, since her mom was there to guide her).

As the title suggests, T.S.S. cooked Tuna Carbonara. Here are the ingredients:

1 pack penne (500 g)
1 can plain tuna (6.4 oz/180 g)
1 can hot and spicy tuna (6.4 oz/180 g)
1 pack all-purpose cream (250 mL)
1 egg
1 red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
Salt
Black Pepper
Parmesan cheese

Preparing the pasta:
1. Boil water in a large casserole.

2. Add the penne and boil it for 14 minutes. Sprinkle a little salt.

3. Check if the penne is already al dente, then drain the water using a colander/strainer.

Sautéing the tuna:
1. Pound garlic using mortar and pestle.

2. Mince red bell pepper and onion.

3. Sauté garlic in a large casserole until golden-brown. Add onion and red bell pepper.

4. Add 2 cans of tuna (one is plain; the other one is hot and spicy).

5. Add 1 pack of all-purpose cream.

6. Add 1 egg.

7. Add the previously cooked penne.

8. Add Parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper, if desired.

9. Decorate with parsley. Et voila!

Tuna Carbonara

The Silent Spectator didn’t want to wash any more utensils/glasswares; that’s why, as you can see, the pasta is still in the casserole.

Forty Days: Day 16

We’re having lunch here at Tiny Kitchen. I heard that their pasta and paella are really great (great enough to bring Unni and Goldie here everyday since Monday). When Goldie told us this morning that she and Unni were going to eat here again, we thought we might dine in as well. (When I say “we,” I’m referring to Kpop Lover, Audrey, and me).

Mango Sansrival

The place looks good, and er… tiny. The menu on the blackboard looks good also, full of words like paella and pasta and anchovies. We ordered Paella Mariscos (Php 390) which is good for 2-3 persons, and Chorizo Tomati Cheese (Php 156) which is good for 1. Since we were already starving by the time we arrived, and the foods we ordered require 30 to 40 minutes of preparation, we had our desserts first. Kpop Lover had plain sansrival, while Audrey and I had mango sansrival (Php 65). Yum yum!

Paella Mariscos

True to their word, they served our orders after 30 minutes of waiting. As you can see, they look really good! And taste good too! But my gosh! My mom can do these too! I’ve seen this types of dishes many times before in our own home! And on my own plate!

Chorizo Tomati Cheese

Now I realize how great Mom’s dishes are! With genuine ingredients and all! When I get rich, I’m so building her up a restaurant! She truly deserves one!

Looking back at my previous posts, I notice that I’ve been eating out a lot.

Cookies

Valentine’s Day came early for me last Wednesday when I received a package from Mommy! Inside were two boxes of cookies, especially baked by her. I never expected it. That was so sweet!

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

As usual, Mommy’s cookies were so yummy that they completely disappeared the next day. Didn’t even make it to the actual Valentine’s Day. LOL. Anyway, Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! Kung Hei Fat Choi too! Have a great year of the Tiger!