Ginny's Zesty Fries

“I want fries”, this is the first thing I heard this afternoon from the boss, my 3-year old son. Having less than 6 hours of sleep, my world was still a blur at 3:30pm. After TWENTY (20!!) grueling hours at the office, I have to admit I’m still beat. But being tired on a Saturday afternoon is a big no no for mom’s like me. Besides, how can you say no to those two small, chinky eyes staring back at you?

Instead of going to my neighboring fast-food chain that houses the so-called world famous fries, I decided that I’ll cook this one instead. Straight to the kitchen I went and started chopping those potatoes. After 25 minutes here is my zesty fries.

Did the big boss love it? Of course he did (lutong eh) :D This zesty fries are crispy and flavorful. Even the nanny loved it.. hehhehe..

So here’s a new twist to that good ol’ fries. Follow easy recipe below:

2 large potatoes

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 T chicken flavoring mix (any will do, I used crispy fry)

dry italian herbs

cooking oil for frying

Peel and cut potatoes to desired shape and size. This time I just cut it to fries-size but you can also make wedges or spuds. Mix all the dry ingredients and sprinkle to the cut potatoes. Make sure that the potatoes are evenly coated. I usually put the potatoes in a large bowl and cover it with a flat plate then I shake it. Deep fry till golden brown. Make sure that your oil is roiling-hot before you dump the potatoes.

Tip: to save cooking oil, If you dont have a small fryer, use a sauce pan instead.. this way you can save on cooking oil and still be able to deep fry your patatoes..

Best with Tater's sour cream dip but you can use mayo-ketchup as well. Me, I like it even without any dips.

You can add chilli powder to this recipe and make Diablo Fries.

Cereal Fried Chicken

I served this super delicious dish during my aunt's visit. I got this recipe from my mom and just modified it a little. Mommy used to cook this recipe when we go to one of the excursions that my dad's work sponsors. This takes place during the summer and my mom thought of cooking fried chicken this way. This is so, we can enjoy it even its already cold. Gravy is not so popular then and we only have ketchup to accompany the chicken.

I remember that my dad likes chicken adobo while us kids wants fried chicken. So there you go, that's how my Ma came up with this style of cooking fried chicken. She cooks it as adobo first and then fry it later. This is the fried chicken you'll love to eat to the bones!!!!

Over the years, when I started to cook I tried adding chicken coating then Japanese crumbs before frying it. But lately, when I started to get conscious of what I put in my mouth, I replaced the Japanese crumbs to oatmeal. I got the idea when I tasted cereal prawn in Singapore. It's not a bad idea using oats since its rich in fiber. Honestly, they say that you don’t need ketchup or gravy with this fried chicken.

So without blabbing any further this is my recipe.. hope you guys like it.

Cereal Fried Chicken

1 k chicken breast or thigh (any part will do)

3/4 c vinegar

1/4 c soy sauce

1/4 t peppercorns (crushed)

2 garlic cloves (chopped or crushed)

2 bay leaves (laurel leaves)

1 small onion salt and pepper to taste

1 c oatmeal

1/4 bar of a margarine

2 T sugar

1/2 to 1 c flour 1 egg

(you can adjust soy sauce and vinegar to your taste)

Saute garlic and onion. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorns, bayleaf and chicken. Simmer till it's done.

While chicken is cooking, prepare the oatmeal coating. Melt the margarine in a wok then add the cooking oats. Add the sugar, sauté well until mixture is even.

When the chicken’s done, set aside and let it cool.

Prepare the chicken coating, beat the egg and add-in the flour, mix evenly. Dip the chicken in the coating mixture till all parts are coated. Roll the chicken to your oatmeal mixture then deep fry over low heat.

Do not overcook the chicken, remember it is already cooked. You can eat this without gravy or ketchup. It's really tasty on its own.

Ciao!!

Vegetable Recipes Even Kids Will Like!!!

Remember what your mom always says, “eat your vegetables.” Now it’s your turn to tell it to your kids …but like you, did they follow? Eating vegetables has been proven in many research and studies will make your body stronger and healthier. Vegetables are rich in anti-oxidants that our body needs especially when you’re living here at the metropolis. So how will you make your kids eat this green stuff?

Use the stealth settings.This has been proven very effective when introducing green leafy vegetable and fruits to your kids. I remember being very skinny during my teens (whoa!! those were the days) I was underweight and had a low blood pressure. Our family doctor gave me lots of vitamins and of course his number one advise is to make me eat vegetables. Boyyy I hate them then.. I can’t stand eating ampalaya (bitter gourd or bitter melon) but it’s a major source of iron and that’s what I needed. So.. my mom devised ways to help me eat this eeekky vegetable. She mixed ampalaya with corned beef.. ohh yes, corned beef I can relate to it. Guess what .. I loved it and later on I got used to eating this bitter gourd even without the corned beef. If you want the recipe read on and you might want to try it to your kids.

Ampalaya con Corned Beef Omelet

Ingredients:

1 medium size ampalaya (bitter gourd) cut thinly
1 large tomato remove the seeds
2 eggs beaten
2 T flour
1 clove of garlic chopped
1 medium size onion chopped
1 can of corned beef any brand will do
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t sugar
3 T oil for cooking

Saute the garlic and onion, add the chopped tomatoes. Wait until the tomatoes are tender and slightly cooked then put in the corned beef. Your intention here is just to sauté the corned beef and mix all the ingredients. Now add in the bitter gourd, don’t stir just put it on top of the corned beef mixture. Cover and let it cook for a while. Make sure to cook it over low fire so not to burn the corned beef. Let the steam cook the bitter gourd. When the bitter gourd turns light green remove the mixture from fire and set aside.

In a large bowl beat the eggs then add the corned beef-bitter gourd mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients, the flour then the sugar. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Mix all the ingredient until flour dissolves evenly with the egg.

Heat oil in a frying pan and cook the mixture batch by batch. Spread the mixture evenly, your goal here is not to have a thick omelet. Cook the mixture as if you’re cooking a pancake in lots of oil.

Served great with relish or achara.

Tips:
To further reduce the bitter taste of amapalaya, cut it as thin as possible and put it in brine solution for about 15-20 minutes before cooking

Health Watch

Amapalaya is rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, C and Iron.

When frying, use Canola Oil instead of ordinary cooking oil.

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!
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