Inihaw na Bangus

I got this method of cooking Inihaw na Bangus (Grilled Milkfish) from my
sister. Her secret? Remove the scales to enjoy the skin of the bangus
and wrap it in banana leaves to get a very moist fish.


You can use boneless bangus sold in the grocery but fresh ones from
your local market would be better. Ask the fish monger to remove the scales
and clean it for you. Have it sliced for daing na bangus (the fish is sliced from
the back to expose the whole cavity). Some fish monger would deboned it
for you, if not then you get to debone it yourself :D Remove the main spine
and whatever bones you see.


Mix the stuffing (chopped tomatoes, onions and ginger). Rub the fish with salt
and place the stuffing on one side. Fold back the other side to form the fish
and wrap in banana leaves.


I find it hard to measure the doneness(?) of the fish since since it is covered
with banana leaves. My sister suggests to wrap the fish in 3 layers of banana
leaves. When the inner layer is already charred it is time to turn it to the
other side. When cooked, you'll get a very moist fish with a burnt taste of
banana leaves. Fish sauce with kalamansi would be the ideal dipping sauce.

Summer Cooler : Ice Candy

As a child, one thing I looked forward to summer is making
ice candy. It's a Popsicle in narrow plastic bags. We would make
it in the afternoon and freeze it overnight. The next day, we would
bring it to play and compare them with our playmate's version.
The flavor would vary depending on what is available in the kitchen
and what fruit is in season. The most common would be buko
(young coconut), mango and jack fruit. Other times we would use
chocolate milk like Milo or Ovaltine and coffee to make mocha flavor.

For fruit flavor ice candy, puree the fruit and mix with milk and sugar.
adjust the flavor to your liking. You can also add fruit bits to make
it special. Use a funnel to pour the mixture in special plastic
bags (1 1/2" x 10"). Leave about 2 inches space from the top and
make a knot to close it. Freeze overnight (24 hours would be better).
You can tot it for picnics, to play and travel with little fuss.


How to eat ice candy? Rip the sealed flat end of the ice candy using your
hand or teeth (this is more fun). Once opened, squeeze the knotted
end of the plastic,pushing the ice candy upward. Eat the ice candy,
pushing the ice upward until you finish it off.

I made ice candy using the sweetened jack fruit I made weeks ago.
I am sharing this to all Weekend Herb Blogger followers. Don't forget
to head over to Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything, our host for this week's
WHB #280 round up.

Easy Does It Puto

We still have extra Queso de Bola from last Christmas I decided
to try out the recipe on the side of the box, Puto Queso Real.

Puto makes a great snack. It can be eaten alone or paired
with Dinuguan. I prefer it served with grated coconut.

Puto Queso Real

1 Cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup water
1 pc Magnolia Queso de Bola, cut into strips
1 pc salted egg, cut into strips (optional)

Boil water in a steamer. When boiling point is reached,
keep heat in medium flame. Mix all dry ingredients in
a bowl. Make a well at the center and add water.
Mix with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour into puto
mold (you can use a ramekin cup if you don't have one)
and place a strip of cheese and egg on top.
Steam for 15 minutes.

Puto

Dinuguang Manok

Living in a farm, you get to raise your own chicken. And learn how to dressed
them whenever you need one for cooking. On special occasions, you'd get
yourself plenty of chicken blood in your hands having dressed about 15-20
chickens.

Mang Jovit, our neighbor, cooked this dish to use the chicken blood.
Dinuguang Manok. I got a recipe of Dinuguang Manok
from http://www.recipesphilippines.com

Dinuguang Manok

1 cup chicken meat and clean internal organs, finely chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup chicken blood
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon crush peppercorn
1/2 laurel leaf
2 long green chili peppers

Saute garlic in cooking oil. Add onion and cook until translucent.
Add chicken and stir to blend until chicken changes in color.
Add vinegar, salt, pepper, laurel and oregano and bring to a boil
without stirring. When chicken is tender, add chicken blood and water .
Continue cooking and stirring until it boils again. Add peppers.
cover for a few minutes. Season to taste. Serve hot.

Chicken Pacham

Dad surprised us with a new dish. He said he used to cook
this for his friends when he was still a bachelor. This is their
favorite pulutan (any food that accompanies an alcohol drink
during drinking sessions).

He doesn't have a name for this dish. He just calls it
"Pacham" a slang for Filipino term tsamba which means
fluke or chance.

Chicken "Pacham"

1/4 k chicken breast, sliced
1/4 k chicken gizzard, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2T Oyster Sauce
1/4 k string beans, cut into half
1/2 cup potatoes, diced
1 bell pepper, sliced
2Tbsp cooking oil
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper

Saute garlic until golden brown. Add onions and cook
until translucent. Stir in chicken breast and gizzards.
Stir fry until chicken changes in color. Add Oyster sauce
and stir fry for a minute. Add water and bring to a boil.
Add potatoes, bell pepper and beans. Cover until the veggies
are cooked. Add water if necessary. Season with salt
and pepper before removing from heat.