Catsup Packets and Shrimps

I was surprised to see the jar of catsup packets in the kitchen.

I didn't know we had accumulated so much. We got these
from take out orders from our favorite fastfoods. Jollibee,
McDonald's, Greenwich, Pizza Hut. I like McDonald's catsup
packets since they serve Heinz, my favorite catsup.

What to do with these packets? We usually use them when
cooking tomato based dishes like afritada and kaldereta.
This time, I used them with shrimps.

The usual way to cook shrimps at home is "halabos" style.
That is, to cook the shrimps in its own juice and stir fry
in oil for a few minutes. Others would put a little sprite
or seven-up to add sweetness. I tweak it a little by adding
catsup and basil.

Shrimps with Basil

                1/2 k shrimps
1 cup basil leaves
6-10 catsup packets
5 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Clean shrimps but do not removed shells. Saute garlic in oil
and add shrimps. Stir fry until shrimps changes color.
Add catsup  and  little water. Stir for about 2 minutes.
Add basil and stir until it changes color about 10 seconds.
Serve hot.

WHB #311: Kulawo

I was introduced to Kulawo here in Pila. It’s an eggplant dish
with a smoky coconut flavor. Coconut meat is grilled before
squeezing out the milk to get that smoky taste.  You can
split the nuts first before grilling or grate the coconut
and grill it by placing hot coals on it. . Either way, you’ll get
that rich smoky flavor.

Dad says my grandmother, Lola Angge sometimes use banana heart (puso ng saging ) instead of eggplant.

puso ng saging / bana heart bud

I was able to try it out the other day when Dad harvested
a few puso ng saging. I knew I had to share this recipe to
Weekend Herb Blogging. This week's host is Brii of Briiblog.

kulawo

Grate coconut meat and place in a bowl. Make a well in
the center and place a live coal. Cover with coconut meat to grill.
Repeat the process until the meat turns brownish and smells
burnt. Squeezed the milk from the meat and set aside.

           Slice the puso ng saging into 4 and boil to cook.
Remove water and quickly shred using a fork. Add vinegar,
chopped garlic and minced onion. Season with salt and pepper.
Add coconut milk and mix well.  Serve with fried or grilled fish.

tuna crisps

My last trip to General Santos City, I was not able to buy

fresh tuna for pasalubong. 

But I discovered these in  Acharon market, dried tuna
skin sold for P300/kilo. These would make a good
pasalubong, plenty to distribute but not so heavy
in my baggage.
     

I cut the skin into strips and fry it into crisps.

makes a good pulutan and toppings for my salad

Chicken Inasal

Mom rarely cooks but when she’s in the mood she goes
all out to prepare it. She likes to try out new recipes
from magazine. She does it usually on Sundays. If,
during the cooking, something would go wrong,
that’s when she talks to herself and makes adjustments.
This is her “bulong” or secret ingredient as Dad calls it.

Last Sunday she made Chicken Inasal, adapted from
Yummy  magazine, September 2009 issue.

 Chicken Inasal

2/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soda (7-up or sprite)
1 1/2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tablespoon calamansi juice
  (we didnt have calamansi so we used dayap juice instead)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp rock salt
1 tsp pepper
4 pcs chicken thigh

for the annatto oil:
3 tbsp corn oil
1/3 cup annato seeds
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp local wine vinegar

1.  In a bowl, mix, vinegar, soda, ginger, dayap juice,
     brown sugar,salt and pepper. Rub marinade into
     the chicken and chill overnight.
2. To make the annatto oil: add annatto seed in oil
     under low heat. Stir until the seeds releases color.
    Remove the seeds and add salt, butter and vinegar.
    Simmer for about 2 minutes.
3. Grill marinated chicken and bsate with annato oil
    until cooked. Served with rice and soysauce/dayap dip.

Crispy Gurami

One dish I look forward during summer is crispy gurami.
We used to have a fish net before and a group of neighbors
would borrow it. They would be gone for a week and when
they come back, they would divide the fish they caught with us.

Gurami is a thick-scaled fish found in fresh waters like
Laguna Lake. We often cooked it Pangat style
(cooked in vinegar, garlic, pepper, salt and simmered
until its almost dry).

It is then fried into crisp and served with tomatoes
and the remaining sauce.