Dessert

Bibingkang Malagkit, rice cakes made from glutinous rice flour.



Bibingka Galapong, rice cakes with salted duck eggs.



Nilupak, a dessert made from mashed cassava. sweet potatoes, orsaba bananas with butter or margarine.



Kutchinta (also known as Puto Cuchinta), moist jelly-like rice cakes made with brown sugar and lye. It is usually served with grated coconut.

Maja de ube, a dessert made from mashed purple yam and coconut milk.

Coconut Shrimp

 Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on your preference)
• 3 carrots (halved lengthwise, and sliced thin or julienned)
• 1 (13 1/2 ounce) can coconut milk
• 3 cups filtered water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 ounces angel hair pasta
• 1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh lemongrass (optional)
• sea salt to taste

Garnish with your choice of:

• 4 scallions, thinly sliced and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro  OR
• 2 tablespoons flaked coconut

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring continually. Add carrots, lemongrass, coconut milk and water.

Mix cornstarch and 2 tbsp water in a small bowl until smooth, and add to the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil.

Break pasta in half and add to the pot. Return the liquid to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer until pasta is al dente and carrots are just tender, about 4 minutes.

Add shrimp to the pot, and stir for about one minute until the shrimp is opaque. Remove pot from the heat, and stir in lime juice and salt.

Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with cilantro and scallions or flaked coconut.

Giniling Turo-Turo Style

Ingredients:

1 Lb. Ground beef (lean)

1 Cup of diced potatoes

½ Cup diced carrots

½ Cup Frozen green peas

½ Red bell pepper diced

½ Yellow bell pepper diced

1 Small onion diced

1 Small tomato diced

4 Cloves of garlic peeled and smashed

½ Tsp. Ground black pepper

½ Tsp. MSG (vetsin), optional

2 Tbs. Annatto seeds (atsuwete)

2 Tbs. Soy sauce

1 Tbs. Fish sauce (Rufina brand) Patis

Corn oil

Directions:

Prepare the Annatto seeds in a small pot by heating 2 Tbs. of corn oil and then adding 2 Tbs. of Annatto seeds until the oil turns dark red. Then remove it from the heat. Make sure that you do not burn the seed.

In a large pan brown ground beef and drain. Add garlic and let it saute for about 3 minutes. Then add the onions, tomatoes, black pepper, msg, (vetsin) and fish sauce (patis) and let it cook for 2 minutes on medium high heat. Add the potatoes, carrots, green peas, and soy sauce. Stir and cover. Let it simmer for 1 minute. Using a strainer add the colored corn oil from the annatto seeds into the pot and mix well. Replace cover and let it cook for 5 minutes over medium low heat. Then add the bell peppers. Stir well and adjust the taste by adding salt and pepper if needed. Cover and let it cook for another 2 minutes. Serve with rice topped with Turo-Turo style Giniling. Enjoy!

Ginisang Monggo

Ginisang Monggo or Mung Beans Soup is a dish known to the Filipino’s as a poor mans dish, but from what I can tell you there is nothing poor about it. It is rich and hearty in flavor and just to kick it up another notch (as Emeril Lagasi would say) you can add shredded smoked fish and some shrimp and you will surely have a killer dish. Serve it with freshly smoked Tinapa and steamed white rice and your family will have a wonderful meal together.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of monggo beans (mung beans)

½ Cup of malunggay leaves

8 Cups of water

3 Tbs. Cooking oil

3 Tbs. Soy sauce

3 Cloves of garlic – smashed

1 Small onion – sliced thinly

1 Small tomato – diced

1 Tsp. MSG

½ Tsp. ground black pepper

Pinch of salt to taste

¼ Lb. Pork belly cut into small pieces

¼ Lb. Shrimp peeled and deveined

2 Pieces medium sized Tinapa (shredded)

Directions:

Rinse monggo beans thoroughly, place in a casserole dish, and boil in 8 cups of water on medium low heat for about 45 minutes. Remove the beans and set aside. In the same casserole dish add oil and saute garlic until golden brown. Next add the onions and cook them until they hit the shiny stage. Add pork belly, soy sauce, and tomatoes. Cover and let it cook for 3 minutes. Then you can add the shrimp and let it cook for another 2 minutes. Add the monggo beans and malunggay leaves (horseradish leaves) along with the shredded Tinapa, ground black pepper, salt, and msg. Cover it and let it simmer for an additional 15 minutes on medium low heat. Stir it every 5 minutes to avoid scorching. Taste it and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve with rice and Tinapa and enjoy your meal.