Cooking Rice

Cooking rice has been my Achilles heel almost all my life. Usually, when I cook rice, it will still be "crunchy", take note, not chewy but crunchy. Or...... It would be like porridge.

I do not how to cook rice properly. I asked my family, neither my Ate nor PD can cook rice! Definitely, not my mom when she was still alive. We just always took it for granted that there was rice on the table.

Last Sunday, I felt so proud that the rice I cooked was perfect!

I discovered the secret! Aside from the 1:1 ratio, when the rice cooker button or lever goes back to the warm setting, just let the rice rest 30 minutes before serving. It is the same with meat and poultry, you let it rest first for a few minutes before carving or slicing.

It is what we call in-in. It is what I normally do every morning, I let myself "in-in" for a few minutes before getting up from bed.

I cooked my own rice tonight, feeling confident it would turn out exactly the way it did last Sunday. Hermie already put it in my small 1 C. rice container. I was surprised it was "crunchy"!

I found out that after it went back to the "warm" setting, Hermie AGAIN put it in the COOK setting! And she did not even wait a few minutes to serve it to me! I was so surprised the bottom part was dry and overcooked!

I had to cook my rice again.

So, all along I thought something was wrong with me! I could cook almost anything but my rice would always turn out "inedible" only to find out it was not my fault!

Whew!

Yay! I know already how to cook rice!

Congratulations are in order! I am very proud of my accomplishment!

 

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Tilapia Escabeche

I was able to buy very fresh Tilapia when I went to Farmer's last Sunday. I like the small-sized one, about 6 pieces to a kilo.

My plan was to cook Fish in Tamarind Sauce but when I opened the bottle of tamarind paste, it had molds.

So..... The next best choice was Escabeche or Sweet and Sour Fish.

Tilapia Escabeche

1 K. Tilapia, cleaned and scaled

2 t. Rock salt

1/2 C. Cooking oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red onion, sliced

1 inch knob of ginger, julienned

1 small carrot, julienned

2 pcs. Jalapeño pepper, sliced diagonally

Sauce

1/4 C. Vinegar

1/4 C. White sugar

1 T. Brown sugar

1/2 t. Salt

1 T. Soy sauce

2 T. Banana Ketchup

1 T. Oyster sauce

1 T. Sriracha Sauce

Slurry:

1 t. Cornstarch dissolved in

2. Water

Season the Tilapia with salt and let it rest for 10-20 minutes. Fry in oil over high heat all the way. Remove and set aside. Pan and oil will be used for the sauce.

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce.

Sauté the garlic, onions, ginger, carrots and jalapeño pepper in the oil used to fry the fish (same frying pan also). Add the sauce mixture but do not stir. When bubbles appear, add the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking until it has thickened slightly.

Pour over fried Tilapia.

 

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Unlimited Yum Cha at Jasmine, New World Hotel

I had my monthly lunch with my Senior friends, PD, Tita Josie, Tita Mita, Tita Butchie and Tita Tess.

We had the Unlimited Yum Cha at Jasmine, New World Hotel

Pork Dumpling, Shao Mai, crab roe

Shrimp Dumpling, "Har Gao"

Chicken Feet, black bean sauce

Chinese Spinach dumpling

Barbecued pork buns

Shredded radish puff

Seafood taro dumpling

Glutinous pork dumpling

Barbecued pork pastry

Wagyu beef mango roll, pan fried chicken bun, shrimp wanton, shrimp cheese spring roll.

Chocolate, peanuts, glutinous dumpling

We also ordered almond cream soup glutinous dumpling, deep fried sesame ball and steamed red dates cake.

I enjoyed the dim sum at Jasmine. PD prefers Lili's but the rest of the group liked the food. I am going back with my friends and so is Tita Tess with her relatives.

Lili's is great but a bit far from Makati so if you have a yen for yum cha and do not want to go all the way to Manila, Jasmine would hit the spot.

Menu

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lia's Milk Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

If Trader Joe's has their own Milk Chocolate Covered Potato Chips, then I have my own version!

Royce's was the first one I tried. Even before they opened branches in Manila, friends would bring home from Japan or Hong Kong as pasalubong.

Chocolate Fire Bar in Salcedo Village also sells by piece (40/pc.) I think they used Pringles.

Sebastian's has ice cream with chocolate covered potato chips.

It is actually very easy to make.

I used a small pack of Ruffles Potato Chips and Dove milk chocolate.

The finer the chocolate, the better it will taste but Hershey's bar or kisses will do if you are just going to experiment. Personally, I prefer Dove Milk Chocolate because it is creamier and silkier in texture.

Break the chocolate in pieces and microwave it for 20 seconds. Stir slowly with a spatula. I actually burned mine because I nuked it for 30 seconds.

Brush the melted chocolate on the chips and let it dry for a few minutes.

I loved it but I felt so guilty the whole time I was eating it. I know it is bad for me because it is high in sugar but I just could not help myself.

I want to make again tomorrow!

Next time, I am going use Pringles because it is saltier than Ruffles!

 

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Broccoli with Shrimps

I have been racking my brains for days on what to cook for our Saturday Lunch. My family is a picky eater. Each one has a different taste, so the food must be something that everybody will like or else I will have to cook for each one of them.

Ding! I remembered this morning I have frozen shrimps in my freezer. I went to SM supermarket very early so I can buy broccoli.

Broccoli with Shrimps

1 head broccoli, cut into florets soaked in salted water

300 g. Shrimps

1/2 t. Salt

1/2 t. Sugar

1 T. Cooking oil ( for the marinade)

2T. Cooking oil

5 cloves garlic, chopped not crushed

2T. Water

1/2 t. Sugar

Sauce

1/2 C. Chicken stock

1 t. Sugar

1 T. Oyster sauce

1 t. Cornstarch

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

Peel the shrimps. Marinate in 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t. sugar and 1 T. oil for 10 minutes.

Heat 2 T. oil in a wok. Sauté the shrimps briefly until it changes color. Set aside.

Sauté the garlic then add the broccoli, water and sugar. Cover for 1 minute or until crisp tender. Transfer onto a serving plate. Put the shrimps on top of the broccoli.

In the same wok, pour the sauce and stir until you get the the consistency you like. Drizzle over the Broccoli with Shrimps.

I also cooked Sio Mai Mami (soup was added right before lunch because the noodles would absorb it).

Hermie fried the chicken wings which were marinated in kalamansi and patis for 10 minutes.

Cooking is the easiest part of the equation. What I am always having a hard time of is thinking what my guests would like and what would complement each dish.

I should feel very lucky my family only likes simple and easy to prepare food. If they have a choice they only like grilled or fried meat and soup. I always feel I should add a vegetable dish.

I wonder, what am I going to cook for them next Saturday?

 

 

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Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

I love chocolates!

I love potato chips!

What's better than Milk Chocolate Covered Potato Chips!?!?!

Yum! Mmmmmmmmmmm! YUM!!!!!!

Hahahaha I am humming in happiness. I am actually SINGING!

Pinky is my TJ Chocolate Potato Chips supplier.

She also sells TJ Cookie Butter and Biscoff Cookie Spread.

People may not know this but I am very "selfish" when it comes to my favorite things. Yes, I always invite people over.... I am generous that way.... but there are times that I hide my stash in my secret drawer. I do not even like to give Mona! The first time I ate the TJ Chocolate Potato Chips, I only let her take a little bite. I figured, she bought her own pack ..... she can just open hers but she gave it to her Mom.

I am going to experiment..... I already bought Ruffles Potato chips and I plan to melt the milk chocolate bar and dip the chips in Chocolate! Will let everybody know how it turns out.

Thank you so much, Pinky for bringing so much joy to a diabetic!

Hahahaha ha!

 

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Happy Birthday, Tricia!

Tricia is the sister of Jing.

We had a Chili, Pizza and Nachos lunch at my house.

I used the Trader's Joe Belgian Chocolate for my Chili.

It really makes a difference if you add chocolates.

I also made Fresh Salsa for the Nachos.

Jing brought Pizza and Mojos from Shakey's.

Our dessert was Selecta ice cream!

The boys of Jing joined us for the birthday of their Tita.

Happy Birthday, Tricia!

 

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