Easy Shrimp Tom Yum

My sister bought some packets of Tom Yum paste from her trip
to Thailand.Since I was feeling adventurous, I decided to try it.

I bought some mushrooms (Volvariella volvacea)to go with it.
These mushrooms are dear to me. I took a Mushroom culture
class in UPLB. My family used to cultivate them using banana
leaves.

Everyday we would wake up around 3:00am to harvest the
mushrooms and by 5:00am I would be on a bus going to
Quezon City to deliver it to Crossings market in Cubao.
Traffic was not a problem then. The trip would only take me
an hour. By 8:00am I would be in UPLB for my first class.

Tom yum paste, checked. Mushrooms, checked. Shrimps
(I brought with me from my GenSan trip), checked.
From our garden I got kaffir leaves, lemon grass and dayap
(local lemon). Now I'm ready for my first Tom Yum.


1 packet Tom Yum paste
200g deveined shrimps
200g mushrooms
1-2 kaffir leaves
1 stalk of lemon grass
fish sauce
dayap juice to taste
3 cups water

Submerge the packet in hot water for a minute. Cut open,
the paste will come out easily.

Boil lemon grass and kaffir leaves in 3 cups water.
Add the paste and bring to a boil. Add the shrimps and
mushrooms. When cooked, add fish sauce and dayap
juice to taste. It's that easy!

Ampalaya with Egg

Ampalaya /bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is popular in the
Philippines as an alternative remedy for diabetes. The Philippine
Department of Health has endorsed the use of ampalaya
capsule and tea to maintain blood sugar levels among diabetes
patients.

Ampalaya is bitter in taste hence it is not in my favorite list
of veggies. There are many suggestions on how to cook
ampalaya without the bitter taste. From slicing it thinly,
sprinkling it with salt, squeezing out the juice, blanching with
hot water and no over stirring. I know of someone who keeps
quiet when slicing it believing that the noise will make it bitter.


Ampalaya with egg is a common dish sold in carenderia together
with Ginisang Monggo, Menudo, Pakbet and Sinigang. It's easy
to cook, cheap and nutritious.

Ampalaya with Egg

1 1/2 cup ampalaya, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, slightly beaten
salt to taste

Blanched ampalaya in hot water. Set aside.
Saute garlic and onion in oil. Add tomatoes and stir until wilted.
Add water, simmer for about 2 minutes. Add ampalaya, cover
and cooked for 3 minutes. Season with salt. Spread eggs all
over the vegetables, cooked over slow heat until the eggs are
slightly firm. Serve with hot rice.

Gensan Trip

Spent a wonderful time in General Santos City last month.

I had my fill of seafood, snorkeling, visit to their palengke
and watched the Pacquiao-Mosley fight live on the big screen.

Picture taking first before attacking the Seafood galore:
slipper lobster in garlic sauce, stuffed squid,

seafood platter (crispy shrimps, fish and calamari),
salt & pepper prawns, king crab in coconut sauce.

slipper lobster in garlic sauce

salt and pepper prawns

mr. crab agree: one happy face

Pacquiao-Mosley fight on the big screen at KCC Convetion Center

Manny Pacquiao wins! and the crowd goes wild...

watching the fight with friends

My trip would not be complete without a visit to their palengke

this bunch for Tinola costs Php 10 only

dried fish sold at the market

bought some dried tuna skin for pasalubong

a view of the beach at Lemlunay Resort

looking for Nemo

Bread Machine Fun

My sister recently bought a bread machine from her recent US trip.
We all had fun with it and enjoyed the freshly baked bread.

It so easy to use, just dump all ingredients in the machine, set the
cycle and wait for it to cook.

Dad with the bread machine

my sister checking out the manual

Me and mom checking out the baking process

Of course I have to pose with the machine

Voila! freshly baked bread

letting the sesame bread rest before cutting

basic white bread

Nutella goes well with hot bread

mom wanted some raisin bread but we didn't have raisins
that time, so we use trail mix instead

The Incredible Hulk's favorite green bread, Pandan bread :D