Wednesday, December 28, 2016

4 Irresistable Filipino Noche Buena Food Recipes





Christmas is over! Sadly it was a rainy christmas eve in the Philippines because of the typhoon and there was no way to go outside to see the fireworks display or community outdoor party. Pretty much the only way and the best option is to stay in bed wearing your holiday sweater. And not to have a dull night, you go with a movie marathon after that traditional Filipino noche buena with your family. And guess what? The next day when you woke up, you stepped on the scale and you were surprised because you gained 3 lbs. Congratulations! Or Is it too late to say I'm sorry? Well, majority of us don't really care like bear. Noche Buena food like menudo, adobo, pasta and buko pandan are simply irresistable. Definitely these are all filipino food with spanish and american influence. And you know what made me happy? They were all on our table last christmas eve. And what is wow about that? I was the one who cooked for my family and I have recipes to share to you. Oh! You're welcome. 
It's my first time to blog about one of my favorite hobbies which is to cook. Somewhat the main reason why I'm doing this not only because I really love blogging but also to share to the world the savory filipino food. Wherever you are. Hope you like it!



MENUDO
1 Kilo Pork Meat (cut into chunks)
1/2 Kilo Pork Liver (cut into chunks)
Oyster Sauce
Soy Sauce
Fish Sauce
Calamansi(Philippine Lime) Juice
Black Pepper
Margarine
Vegetable Oil
Garlic(crushed)
Onion(chopped)
4 Potatoes (cut into chunks)
1 cup Green Peas
1 cup Garbanzos(ChickPeas)
230 Grams Tomato Sauce
Water
Tomato Paste
Bell Pepper(cut into chunks)
Raisin
Salt

Make sure to wash all the meats. Marinate the pork meat and pork liver in a separate bowls. Put 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp calamansi(Philippine Lime) and 1/2 tbsp black pepper in each bowl. Mix it altogether and leave it for 5 minutes. Heat the pot. Add 3 tbsp vegetable oil and 3 tbsp margarine. Saute crushed 1 tbsp garlic and 1tbsp onion. Add the marinated pork meat and liver. Stir it occasionally until aromatic. Cook it for about 3 to 5 minutes. Then add potatoes, garbanzos(chickpeas), green peas, 1 cup of raisin and bell pepper. Add 2 tbsp tomato paste, 230 grams tomato sauce and 3 cups of water. Stir it and bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and cook it again for about 25 to 30 minutes or until pork is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finally, serve it hot. Good for 5-7 person.





CHICKEN ADOBO WITH PINEAPPLE
1 Kilo Chicken Meat
Garlic(crushed)
Oyster Sauce
Soy Sauce
Vinegar
Salt
Black Pepper
Pineapple Juice
Pineapple Chunks
Margarine
Vegetable Oil
Thyme
Rosemary

Make sure to wash the chicken meat. Put it in a bowl and start to marinate. Add 1 tbsp crushed garlic, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1/2 tbsp salt, 1 cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup pineapple juice. Mix it altogether and leave it for 10 minutes. Heat the pot. Add 3 tbsp vegetable oil and 3 tbsp margarine. Add the marinated chicken meat only not the sauce. Cook it for about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally until it slightly turns brown. Add 1 cup of pineapple chunks and the marinade. Stir it and bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and cook it again for roughly 20 minutes or until the meat is tender. Season it with thyme and rosemary to taste. Serve hot. Good for 5-7 person.



FILIPINO SWEET PASTA MEATBALLS
1 Kg Angel Hair Pasta
1 Kilo Ground Pork Meat
1 Egg
Bread Crumbs
Onion(chopped)
Salt
Ground Pepper
Garlic Powder
Garlic(crushed)
500 Grams Hotdog(cut into chunks)
Black Olives(chopped)
Water
Thyme
Rosemary
1 Kg Pasta Sauce
Pomace Oil
Vegetable Oil
1 cup water
Parmesan Cheese

Boil 6 liters of water. Add 1 tbsp salt. Add 1 kg Angel Hair Pasta into rapidly boiling water. Cook uncovered and maintain water at a rolling boil. Stir occasionally to prevent pasta from sticking together. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender-"Al Dente". Rinse with tap water and drain immediately. Set it aside. Now, it's time to create meatballs. Make sure to wash the ground meat. Put it in a bowl. Add 1 egg, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup onion, 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tbsp ground pepper, 1/2 tbsp garlic powder. Mix it altogether. Get 1 tbsp of the meat mixture and gently roll between your hands to form meat balls. Continue forming until all the meat is used. Once done start to heat a large frying pan with vegetable oil over medium heat. Fry the meat balls until they turn into slightly golden brown. About 5-7 minutes. Set aside. Heat the same pan with 5 tbsp pomace oil over medium heat. Saute 5 tbsp onion and 5 tbsp garlic. Add fried meat balls, hotdog chunks, 1 cup black olives, 1/2 tbsp thyme, 1/2 tbsp rosemary. Stir fry for about 5-7 minutes. Add 1/2 tbsp salt and pour 1 kg spaghetti sauce. Let boil for about 10-12 minutes. Add the cooked pasta. Mix it altogether and cook it again for about 3-5 minutes. Serve it hot with a sprinkle of parmesan and a drizzle of pomace oil. Good for 7-10 person.



BUKO PANDAN
Shredded Coconut
250 ml All-Purpose Cream
300 ml Sweetened Condensed Creamer
Pandan flavor essence
90 g of Filipino Gelatin(Gulaman)
Water

Let's make gulaman first. Dissolve the mixture in 410 ml water. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Pour into mold and let cool to set for about 45 minutes. Slice the gelatin into chunks. Put it in a container. Add the shredded coconut(5 coconuts were used here). Add the condensed milk and all-purpose cream. Add 1 drop of pandan flavor essence. Mix it altogether. Chill it overnight. Good for 5-7 person.




Sunday, December 25, 2016

Circuit, Makati City: Check Out The 'Tallest Artificial Christmas Tree' In Town






Happy Christmas Everyone! How was your celebration? Did you get drunk? Were you satisfied with the gifts you received? For sure you got bloated. Am I right? Me too. Yule Ham is indeed irresistable. Even me, I find this month of December the most 'wonderful time of the year'. Why? Excluding the traffic jam everyday, you get to see christmas lights display everywhere, lights and sounds show, nonstop party, exchange gifts that will either make or ruin your day, caroling kids at night, 13th month pay or christmas bonus for hardworking employees like me, shopping rush, "Misa de Gallo/SimbangGabi", a nine-day series of masses(December 16-24, usually starts 4am), the cherry on top traditional family dinner we also call "Noche Buena" in the Philippines, family reunion, eat out with friends and let me not forget the new year countdown. What else can you ask for? Did I miss one? Well, pretty much these are all in my backyard. 
Honestly, I'm still in the middle of absorbing on what they call "spirit of christmas". I know everything is somewhat overwhelming. So, one of the ways for me to say that I'm not dreaming this holiday vibe is to go out during my free time. After Ayala Triangle Gardens, one of the perfect places to see in Makati City these days is Circuit. It's totally an advantage for me living near this place. But to tell you what. It was my first time when we went here last week. Come with me and discover Circuit!

First and foremost, going to Circuit was intentional. When I was in Ayala Triangle Gardens, after watching lights and sounds I was encouraged by the emcee to visit Circuit and get a chance to see the 'Giant Christmas Tree' in town. Wow! And there you go. It happened. It was evening, roughly 7pm when we went there. While everyone is in a rush going home, here I am with my family enjoying my free day. #Fambam. We rode tricycle and paid 50pesos(1 USDollar), one of the modes of transportation in the Philippines and aside from bike, this is very reliable when you want to go here easily. The way here is like passing through the eye needle. 


Inside Circuit Makati Mall


Did you know that Circuit was a horse racetrack before? It was the old Sta.Ana Park. My uncle used to work here for Philippine Racing Club(PRC) but it is now operating in Cavite City. I never thought that Ayala Land would turn this into what they say city's new "premier entertainment district". We walked from north to south and east to west. We saw every areas of Circuit. The place is not fully developed but for sure three or five years from now this will be the oasis of many millenials. I can say, although I had seen a lot of skaters and runners, truly the best place for them, there's no life yet. Few restaurants and merchants to shop. I enjoyed the most was our time in Timezone. It was just a small area outside Starbucks where we got to play arcade games. 10pesos per token.


I'm unlucky guy so I didn't play this. Perhaps, seeing pikachu there is enough.


Bang! Bang! Sadly, it's not working. We wasted 1 token.

These christmas lights displays are super cute! Really sweet to the eyes.


When my nephew thought it was a big lollipop.


The moment we've been waiting for. CHRISTMAS TREE! Literally big. 


One-of-a-kind 56-feet outdoor artificial christmas tree.


Inside the giant christmas tree.


Another great shot inside the giant christmas tree.


And yes you can enter inside. It can fit roughly 20-30 viewers.


He enjoyed this fake grass.


Outside the christmas tree.




Our 2 hours visit in Circuit was fair. Perhaps I expected to see more christmas lights displays but sadly it didn't win my heart so much like what I saw in Ayala Triangle Gardens. It would be better to see also lights and sounds show here. Hopefully next year. Although I really prefer this place for jogging I'm really looking for more. For sure this will be answered as year goes by. Again, merry christmas to all of you guys. Let me share what I just read yesterday. Whatever religion you have, still. Happy Christmas! 





Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati City: Glimpse Of 2016 'Festival Of Lights'




"Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room and heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing. Well, for sure not only heaven and nature are singing but many of us. Aren't you feeling the holiday vibe yet? Not only Santa Claus is doing his "Ho-ho-ho!" but also kids preparing their straw bags and getting ready to collect gifts from Godparents. There's really a lot of happening this season. One is, what do you think? Party today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Plus a never ending gift-giving. It's indeed a season to be jolly, get drunk, and get broke. Right? 
Fast forward, this busiest month of the year will push you to appreciate more your restday. It's like every second counts. It's like you wouldn't wanna miss what's buzzing the town. Somewhat, you would want to go outside instead of sleeping on your couch. Like what I said, there's a lot of happening this season and definitely only for this season. One example, lights and sound show in Makati. I'm so sorry for my readers outside Manila and The Philippines if you can't relate but I know you have a very beautiful 'christmas show' in your place too. It was last week  when I went there alone. 
Ayala Triangle Gardens 'Festival of Lights' in Makati is a much awaited show opened on November 15. It's on their 6th year of wowing Filipinos mostly employees working in Ayala, central business district of Makati. Due to every night traffic jam, its kinda stressful to go here especially if you're from north and the main mode of transportation is mrt 3(metro rail transit). Goodluck to you. I'm lucky enough living in Makati. I can travel here by jeepney(Filipinos affordable mode of transportation). There were years I took it for granted. Sadly, it's my 2nd year to witness this. Again, it didn't fail me. Only one word I can say. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
Warning! What you will see are lights! Stunning lights! 

 
                     
 

Hello everyone! If you're looking for a relief. Then kill that stress by visiting this fantastic show. It's set to run until January 8, 2017 daily from 6pm to 10pm. If you're living near Makati or Manila. Let's go here tonight! Make sure if you're wearing shorts bring insect/mosquito repellents. It's garden anyway so expect it's a bit itchy. Have fun! I might go here again. See you there!