Sandy Corned-Coco Pudding (Maja Blanca)

While Hurricane Sandy was raging in the Eastern Seaboard I decided to prepare one my favorite desserts, Maja Blanca, so we can have something to calm as down while watching the devastating news on TV. Although we were not affected, our area was saturated with heavy rainfall and gusts of wind. Hence, I came out with this name for my new recipe.

While I mentioned that Maja Blanca is one of my favorite desserts, this was my first time to do this. My guide for doing this was the cook book, "Signature Dishes of the Philippines" by my favorite Filipino chef, Sony Robles Florendo, whom I had the chance to meet last Sept. 23, 2012 in her book signing event in Vienna Virginia, USA. My recipe is a variation from hers, as her original recipe doesn't have corn kernels and Angel Flake sweetened coconut, which was manufactured by Franklin Baker Company of the Philippines in San Pablo City, Laguna, Philippines where I used to work as Electrical Project Engineer prior to migrating to the US in the late eighties.


Ingredients:

1 can 13.5 oz (400 ml) coconut milk          
1/4 cup white sugar
6 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water        
1/3 cup sweet corn kernels
1/2 cup Baker's Angel Flake sweetened coconut

Cooking Directions:

1. Mix 1/2 cup of water with the cornstarch in a bowl, and stir until smooth.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over low to medium heat depending upon your cooking range.
3. Mix well and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved. 
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, add the corn kernels, and then stir in the cornstarch mixture, stirring quickly to avoid lumps as it becomes very thick. 
5. Bring the mixture back to a boil, and simmer until fully thickened and smooth, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.
6. Pour the Maja Blanca into an appropriate size dish, and set aside to cool until firm, about 2 hours or if you prefer you can leave it refrigerated overnight.
7. Place the Angel flakes in a dry skillet over medium heat, and stir to toast. Watch them carefully so they don't burn. 
8. Put the toasted coconut flakes into a bowl, let cool, and sprinkle over the pudding before serving.

Number of servings: 6 - 8

Shrimps in Spicy Coconut Sauce (Ginataang Hipon)

Last month, I had a chance to meet Sony Robles-Florendo in her book-signing event of "Signature Dishes of the Philippines." Sony is a well known Filipino chef and advocate for the international promotion of Philippine cuisine. She told us to enjoy and share with friends her book, to introduce our cuisine to the rest of the world. That's why I'm sharing with you one of my favorites from her book.

This blogger and Mrs. Sony Robles-Florendo

Ingredients:

8 - 9 pcs   large shrimps with shell on 

1/3 pc onion, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp garlic, crushed

1 tsp ginger, finely sliced

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 tsp fish sauce or salt 

1 pinch chili pepper, crushed

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 pcs banana peppers

Cooking Directions:

1. Saute garlic and ginger in cooking oil until garlic is golden brown. 

2. Add the onions and cook for about a minute.

3. Throw in the shrimps and stir once or thrice.

4. Then add all the remaining ingredients and cook for about 3 minutes.

Number of Serving: 1 - 2 persons

Serving Suggestion: Scoop onto a small white or black dinner plate. Decorate with a sprig of parsley or mint leaves. You can also add red peppers, so there is a suggestion of a hot and spicy dish. Serve with a bowl of steamed rice, a side dish of sliced cucumbers in a sweet and sour vinaigrette, a bottle of your favorite beer, a serving of caramel custard (leche plan), and a robust cup of Spanish coffee. Enjoy your meal folks!

The Forever Love tandem with Mrs. Florendo

Mrs. Sony Robles-Florendo while signing her book,
"Signature  Dishes of the  Philippines"
...because we do them best!

Engineer's Version of Bicol Express

Bicol Express as authentic as it gets...

Recently I came across an online recipe for Bicol Express. In that article, it was mentioned how Mrs. Cely Kalaw in her Manila restaurant happened to discover a new recipe and named it "Bicol Express," aptly named after a passing express train on its way to Bicol in the late 60's or early 70's.

Well, as far as I can remember, it was my aunt who was married to a Mediavillo from Daraga, Albay in the Bicol Region who first cook a similar dish. She would cook it with the ingredients that I'm going to enumerate later, and with a variation of puso ng saging (heart of banana), bamboo shoots and unripened jackfruit in the mix, whichever is available or whatever you feel like eating. My aunt and her family used to visit us in the early 60's when I was in the elementary grade and loved to cook and shared this particular dish with my mother, which my aunt acquired from her husband, a native from Bicol. How authentic could that be! You tell me. I'm not refuting anything, for I have nothing to gain, just saying.

Many of you especially from the Philippines have tasted this spicy dish at least more than once I presumed, and probably wondering when you will be able to taste it again. If you Google search it, you will find different varieties and style of cooking this dish. Well, here is my take on the famous Bicol Express based upon my aunt's cooking.

Ingredients:

24 pcs. Thai red hot peppers 

2 pcs. Jalapeno peppers

1/2 lb. pork bellies or lean ground pork

8 pcs. medium-sized shrimps, shelled

3 tbsp. salted shrimp paste (bagoong)

4 pcs. garlic, crushed and sliced

1 tsp. ginger, finely diced

1 pc. medium onion, sliced

1 can coconut milk (13.5 fl. oz = 400 ml)

2 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil

All the ingredients in the mix

Onion, ginger, garlic and shrimps

Pork bellies (used 4 slices only)

Thai red hot peppers

Preparation: ( 5 - 10 mins. depending upon your cooking skills)

Slit the Thai peppers to remove seeds and scrape off membrane to reduce its spicy taste; that's what I learned from a former Cambodian neighbor who grew lots of peppers in his backyard. Cut and dice the jalapeno peppers diagonally and also remove seeds. Slice onions and cut ginger into thin strips. Cut and slice the pork bellies into very small pieces. Shell and devein the medium-sized shrimps. 

Cooking Directions:

1. Pour oil in frying pan or wok and then saute garlic until golden brown.

2. Add ginger and onions and stir until onions are caramelized.

3. Add thinly sliced, small pieces of pork and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 20 minutes occasionally stirring.

5. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes until coconut milk is reduced to a gravy or sauce-like consistency.

Serving: 4 (Serve with steamed rice)

It's your option to add either banana's heart (puso ng saging), bamboo shoots and unripened jackfruit or any vegetable you feel like eating at that moment. Feel free to experiment; that is the wonder of cooking - leave everything to your senses: smell, taste and sight (presentation). The quantities or measurements of the ingredients are based upon my acquired taste and my knowledge of ratio and proportion as an engineer. You can simply add or subtract to it, just a simple 'rithmetic as "Bubba" would say. Bon appetit!

Chicken Mushroom Curry

Ingredients:

Peanut oil Garlic (chopped) Onion (diced) Ginger (chopped) Chicken Breast (sliced in strips) Salt Curry powder Black pepper (ground) Franklin Baker® Coconut Concentrate Hot Water Mushroom (sliced) Green onions (diced) Lemon juice

Weight(grams) 44 10 100 3 454 10 3 2 120 114 454 44 12

% by Weight 3.21 0.73 7.30 0.22 33.14 0.73 0.22 0.15 8.76 8.32 33.14 3.21 0.87

Procedure:

Heat oil. Sauté garlic, onion, ginger and chicken. Add salt, curry powder and pepper. Blend the coconut concentrate in hot water then add to the sautéed chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms. Continue cooking until mushrooms are slightly tender. Remove from heat. Stir in green onions and lemon juice. Serve hot.


Chicken mushroom curry is also one of my favorite comfort food. The above recipe is from Franklin Baker Company of the Philippines, where I used to work as an Electrical Project Engineer for six (6) years before I went to the US in 1987.

For more recipes using coconut please visit their website:

Franklin Baker Company of the Philippines

Lemongrass Chicken with Papaya

The best Filipino dishes are the ones that do not have a written recipe other than the knowledge passed on from generation to another. The chicken adobo sa gata is a great example and it is one of my all time favorite comfort food. That's why when my childhood sweetheart visited me on my birthday last year, (we haven't seen each other for 43 years) I asked her to teach me how to cook this dish.

Estimated preparation and cooking time:

3 hours and 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken cut into pieces (adobo size)
1 small unripe papaya
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 stalks lemongrass, pounded
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 pc onion, chopped
½ cup white vinegar (Datu Puti)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp whole peppercorns
2 cans thick coconut milk (14 oz. each)
1 pc finger pepper or jalapeno

Angel Flake Coconut Pie

Baker's Angel Flake Sweetened Coconut Pie

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Milk

1 cup Sugar

1 cup All-purpose Baking Mix*** (or you can use Aunt Jemima pancake and waffle mix)

4 Eggs

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Butter or Margarine, softened

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1-1/3 cups Baker's Angel Flake Sweetened Coconut

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

BAKING TIME: 45 - 50 minutes