Gising Gising - Veggie Delight

...........................................................Gising Gising with green chilli

"Gising" in our native tongue means awake or wake up. This veggie recipe is a certified hit. There are a variety of ways to prepare this dish. It can be served in a sizzling plate with crispy tofu and assorted vegetables (carrots, cabbage, snow peas, turnips, etc). The other one is prepared with coconut milk and legumes. The dish originated in Pampanga, a northern province in Luzon popular for its delicious meals.

There’s a nice restaurant in Greenbelt and Serendra that serves this dish. They both use Baguio beans for their main ingredient but I use winged beans (sigarilyas). People in our household lke it so much and it has been part of our table every week. It is so popular that my friends asked me to prepare it for them as well. It's really easy to prepare and if you're keen on recipes with coconut milk like me, you'll surely love it. It's nutricious and healthy... what can I say more.

So guys, here’s the secret recipe of Gising gising. Enjoy!

Gising Gising Recipe

Ingredients:

1 bundle winged beans (approx 10-15 pcs)

1/3 kilo ground pork

2 C coconut milk

1 clove of garlic

1/3 C sliced onion

2 inches ginger peeled and sliced into very small pieces

2 pcs green chillies (siling espada)

salt and pepper to taste

Slice the winged beans in half to remove the seeds. After removing the seeds, chopped it in small pieces depending on your preference.

Saute the garlic and the onions in a medium sized wok. Add the ginger and continue to stir. Before the garlic turns to golden brown, add the ground pork. If you like it spicy, chop the green chillies and saute it before adding the meat.

When everything is golden brown, put in the chopped winged beans and simmer it with the coconut milk. Cook in low fire until almost all the milk evaporates. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes:

Legumes are no no for people with rheumatism/arthritis and gout.

Use lean ground meat since it produces less oil.

My mom has a very thin tolerance for spicy food so I don't chop the green chillies.

This spicy dish is really meant to awaken the senses. Add more green to your life, try it!

Ran Ramen Tei - Cheap Eats at Fort Bonifacio

When people say Fort - they usually mean Global City, where Serendra and High Street are located. But there's more to to Fort Bonifacio than Global City.. If you manage to passby McKinley Hill or you went to Daboys wake and funeral .. you probably went through Bayani Road. Here, there's a nice Japanese joint that serves really good food. So when craving for that delicious Donburi or you just want to snack on maki.. Why spend so much on such Japanese dishes when you can enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine served hot/cold/fresh with a very reasonable price. Especially nowadays, when everyhting is expensive, people are looking for something that has value for money to offer.


This fastfood has attracted alot of Japanese golfers at the nearby driving range along Bayani Road. You can tell from the customers that the food suits them since they come back again and again to enjoy the simple ambiance and great food.

Randolph Rebleza, the manager/owner of Ran Ramen Tei, has managed to turn his small Japanese Food Counter into a modest fastfood restaurant in a span of just one year. During his opening months his target customers were the people who came from the happy hours. The mini counter offered assorted Donburi(rice bowl dish) and miso soup. The soup and other ramens was a knock out for the tipsy customers. The popularity of his food grew and later on he needed to man two shifts. The first one catering to his usual night customers and the new shift to cater to the early morning golfers. Soon he attracted more clients and he turned his joint into a family friendly place. This is when my husband started bringing me here. Since then I'm hooked and everytime I want to eat Japanese stuffs I directly go here and compared to the ones at the malls you spend less. You can even watch them cook it for you.

I personally like the Katsudon (deep-fried pork cutlet with egg, veggies and sauce). It reminds me of the ones I used to enjoy at the UMall during my collegiate years. Another thing I like about it is that the pork is still crunchy even when sauced.






Boo likes the Ebi Furai (fried crispy prawn) and the Gyoza (steamed dumplings slightly fried on one side). We both like the miso soup and assorted makis.

Some other popular dishes are the sizzling beef teppanyaki, tendon and tamago sushi. While the maki platter is popular with Japs.

Here is a short list of some of the dishes in Ran Ramen:


Katsudon 70.00
Tendon 70.00
KatsuCurryDon 75.00
Ebi Furai 80.00
Tonkatsu 80.00
Ramen 70.00
California Maki 95.00
Gyoza 45.00
Miso Soup 25.00
Fruit Shakes 25.00

Ran Ramen Tei and Sushi Bar is open from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm located along Bayani Road, AFPOVAI ph. IV Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. They accept advance order via phone 4975439. They also accept catering service to company events and other special occasions.


Ginny from the blog says Oishii!

***photos courtesy of http://www.pinoylakwatsa.blogspot.com/

Easy HomeMade Gravy

Hey guys, you dont need to buy that instant gravy stuff you find at the supermarkets. Why not make your own. This home made grave recipe is simple and easy to prepare. When my former colleagues and friends visit our house for a round of chitchat I usually served the ever dependable fried chicken with my HomeMade Gravy. They always ask me for the recipe, so here it is. It's really simple.

Easy Home Made Gravy Recipe

Ingredients:


2 T flour
3 T butter or margarine (ordinary cooking oil will do)
1/2 piece of onion chopped into small pieces
1/3 C evaporated milk
1 C chicken broth
1 t sugar
1 t oystersauce
some button mushrooms chopped into small pieces (3-5 pcs will do)
salt and pepper to taste



Melt the butter/margarine in a saucepan over low fire. Before it completely melts, add the onions then the chopped mushroom. When the onions are half done, stir-in the flour. This will make the consisteny a little dry. When flour is completely mixed with the melted butter, you can now add the broth. Let it boil. Add the milk and other ingredients and continue to stir. Adjust the consistency by adding more broth or corn starch (dissolved in water). If you add cornstarch simmer for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.


I usually add some herbs for a richer flavor...basil or oregano will do. Btw, you can do away with the mushrooms if you dont like them.


Tips:
if you use margarine, put less salt or seasoning since most margarines are already salted.

Use 1/3 C of water for 1 T of cornstarch.

For the health buffs, use olive oil instead of butter/margarine and substitute evaporated milk with non-fat milk.

When cooking sauces always use a wooden spoon.


Well friends I hope you try this recipe instead of using the instant ones. There's usually a lot of MSG with the ones available in the market. Next time, I'll post our secret recipe for the knock out Fried chicken.

This is Ginny from the block saying, "behind a great meal there's a great sauce".

Ciao!
(",)

Gin Tries to Blog

Due to insistent public demand, yes, I'll start my blog so I can share my family's secret recipes (well not so secret anymore after this).

Since it's Father's Day, my debut recipe will be my Boo's favorite dish - Calderetta ala Cora (ahhh.. Cora's his mom by the way). I learned the recipe so I can still prepare it just the way his mom used to cook it for him. My in-laws are in the States already that's why I mastered this dish for him to enjoy it again.

This dish is famous in the northern part of Luzon (an island in the Philippines). The dish varries a little with the addition of gata (coconut milk). Some uses tomato sauce and vinegar but we use fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients:

6 large ripe tomatoes
1/2 kilo beef cut into cubes (may be substituted with goat meat)
1 clove garlic
2 pcs onions (white or red)
1 bayleaf
5-10 peppercorns crushed
1 large bell pepper
2 carrots (cut in medium sizes)
1/2 C green peas
1 C coconut milk (gata)
1/2 C water
oil for cooking and salt/pepper to taste

Boil the meat together with salt, peppercorns and garlic for 45 minutes using a pressure cooker, if you dont have a pressure cooker, boil it for 2hrs in low fire or until tender.

While waiting for the meat to be tender prepare the other ingredients. Boil the tomatoes for 5-10 minutes then set aside. Prepare the coconut milk (I usually use fresh coconut milk but they are available in tetra packs and cans in your local groceries).

In a large skillet, saute garlic then onions. Add the now tender meat frying till brown. Add the carrots then the green peas. Add the boiled tomatoes, crushing the juice out till you have a sauce. Add water as desired (Tip: you can use the water from where you boiled your tomatoes).

Now add your coconut milk, stirring, make sure not to over stir for this will crush your meat into smaller pieces. Lastly, add the liver spread and bayleaf and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if you like.

Optional:

My Boo likes it spicy so I usually add crushed chilli peppers, the small nasty ones (siling labuyo). I put this in before frying the meat. I also add a little sugar for more flavoring. I'm not so fond of MSG so I use natural ingredient as much as possible.

Ginny from the blog says, Ciao!!