Phak Chee Farang / Sawtooth Coriander

My contribution to this weeks Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB)
event is Phak Chee Farang, which I only recently learned is
also called Sawtooth coriander.



I was introduced to this plant by Tita Cora of Ning's Thai when she
served my Pad Thai garnished with Phak Chee. She even gave me
some plants to grow.

Sawtooth Coriander (Eryngium foetidum) is an uncommon herb.
The leaves are long and distinctly serrated along the hedge,
hence the name, sawtooth coriander. If you are a cilantro/coriander
lover then you will also love this herb. Their taste and smell is
very similar. The herb is easy to grow, tolerating hot humid weather
and can also grow well in shaded area.


Sawtooth coriander is used in many Thai ( known as Phak Chee Farang)
and Vietnamese (known as Ngo gai) dishes. I love sawtooth coriander
in my salsa and Tom Yum.


Check out the rest of the entries in the week's
WHB event, hosted by Astrid of Paulchen's Foodblog.

Haalo of Cook (Anything) AT Least Once
organizes the event.

Adobong Hito sa Gata

Here in Pila, Laguna, hito (catfish) is often sold live in our local market.
These came from the fishpens along Laguna de Bay. When in season,
you can see hito being sold along the national highway.

Hito are slimy and sometimes "malansa" (fishy taste?). I can't find the
exact English term for this word but to describe it, it's like a taste of rotten
fish, when not cleaned properly. Ask the fish vendor to gut the fish for you
since it can be a little tricky. It's a sight to see the vendor going after a live hito
with his "pamalo"(whipping stick).

To remove the sliminess of the hito, rub it with used wood ash. If wood ash
is not available, you can use salt to rub it with. Others would soak the fish
in salt and vinegar for a few minutes. Wash with water thoroughly.

Hito at home is often cooked as Adobo. Luyang dilaw or yellow ginger
is added to help remove the "fishy" taste.

Adobong Hito sa Gata (Catfish Adobo in Coconut Milk)

1 k hito or catfish (about 4-5 pcs)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 c vinegar
1/2 c water
thumb size luyang dilaw, sliced
salt and pepper
2 cups coconut milk

After cleaning the fish thoroughly, cut the fish into half and place in a pan.
Add garlic, onion, vinegar, water, ginger. Bring to a boil without stirring.
Cook until almost dry before adding the coconut milk. Bring to a boil
and cook a few more minutes until oil appears on the side of the pan.
Season to taste. Serve with steamed rice.

Versatile Blogger Award

A few days ago, I received a lovely surprised. My first blogger award.
Thella of I love. Therefore, I cook has honored me with the Versatile
Blogger Award! Thank you so much Thella. I am grateful and honored
that you consider me as one of the bloggers worthy of this award.

As part of accepting the award, I have to follow these guidelines:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award:
again, maraming salamat, Thella.

2. Share 7 things about yourself:

- i love the smell of freshly mowed grass

- i find it difficult to express myself in writing. My sister, Gay of
A Scientist in the Kitchen introduced me to blogging.
This helps me practice my writing composition.

- my favorite comfort food is Chicken Adobo sa Gata (chicken adobo
in coconut milk) and inihaw na liempo (grilled pork belly)

- i love watching NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service)
and NCIS: Los Angeles tv series

- we don't have a food processor and oven at home. i would love
to have my own oven so I can bake and bake and bake

- i am more productive in the afternoon.

- i have difficulty keeping my rosemary plant alive.

3. Share the award to 15 other bloggers who you have recently
discovered and think are fantastic. Link to each of the recipients and
let them know they've won. I find this so difficult since there are so
many awesome blogs out there and am passing this award to those
I have recently discovered. In no particular order they are:


The Witchy Kitchen : Brew - Taste - Smile

Liv Life : Our attempts at living life to its fullest through food,
photography, and travel!

Foodiva's Kitchen : Adventures in my Haute kitchen.

Tes at Home : Home Cooked Food and Family Time

Speakeasy Kitchen : Law-abiding lawyer by day, renegade chef by night.
Food-obsessed at all times. I've dabbled in a lot of things over the years,
but one thing stays constant. I need to feed people almost as much as I need to eat.

Sheng of Anything goes...

My Delicious Life in San Francisco : Eating. Drinking. Loving. Living.
In the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area that I call home.

Joy's Misadventures

Surviving Suburbia : the job... the marriage... the kids... the mortgage...
life changes. but it doesn't have to stop.

The Mom Chef : Taking on recipes one magazine at a time

Christine's Kitchen Chronicles : A collection of recipes that will tickle
your taste buds and leave you wanting more

Jun-blog : San Francisco Food Photography

Liz' Test Kitchen : Family-tested food from a multitude of sources....

Kitchen Confidante : sharing taste and inspiration

Val and Mani of The Little Things