Guinataan or Binignit

Binignit or Guinataan is a warm root crop and fruit stew  from the Visayas region in the Philippines.The dish is traditionally made by Cebuanos with slices of saba, taro, sweet potato. The people in the neighboring island Leyte, usually include landang (palm flour jelly balls), langka (jackfruit), anise and thickened with milled glutinous rice in cooking binignit. The vegetables along with pearl sago is cooked in a mixture of water, coconut milk and the local landang and sweetened by muscovado or brown sugar.

It is a Filipino sweet dish which is usually served as snacks and usually prepared during the Holy Week especially Good Friday.  The soup is best served when hot.


 Ingredients:

2 pieces yellow camote or sweet potatoes (cubed)
1 piece white gabi or taro root (cubed)
1 piece ube or purple yam (cubed)
4 pieces ripe saba banana (sliced)
6 pcs ripe langka or jackfruit
4 tbsps landang or tapioca
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup coconut milk, diluted with water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Procedure:

 

1. Place the diluted milk in a large pot and add the bananas, ube, camote and gabi. You can also save a lot of time by boiling the hard ingredients first before adding to the diluted coconut milk. 

 

2.Add the landang or tapioca, salt and sugar.

 

3.Add the langka strips and simmer until the mixture is thick and all the ingredients are tender.

 

4. Pour in 2 cups of coconut milk and adjust the heat to medium.

 

.5. Do not bring to a boil to prevent curdling of the cooking liquid.

 

6.Place in small serving bowls and serve.

Egg Omelette for Breakfast

An omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat (often ham), or some combination of the above. Omelettes may be only partially cooked on the top side and not flipped, even prior to folding.

Here in the Philippines, we do sometimes call it Scrambled egg.  It's one of my favorite dish not just for breakfast but also for lunch or dinner.  I always eat it with rice or bread.  Countless fillings such as onions, garlic, tomatoes, corned beef, potatoes, peppers or any possibly leftovers like ground, chopped or shredded pork and beef are used.  I prefer spring onions and tomatoes or sometimes potatoes.  Try it!  

2 eggs

spring onions, finely chopped

tomato, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

oil to fry

1.  Beat the eggs. 

2.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Heat oil in the frying pan and add the beaten eggs.  Cook over low heat till mixture is bit dry.

4.  Add the spring onions and tomatoes at the center.

5.  Then fold it...  flip it if you want to fry the other side or just leave as that if you want the top is partially cooked.

6.  Serve hot with plain or fried rice or bread.

Holiday Bubbly.. A Cool Refreshing Drink for Summer!

We prepared this refreshing drink in our Caregiver class few years ago.  It's a rich, luscious blend of fruits spiked wit the fizzle of soda. You can serve it with pica pica and light, sweet desserts...

Just mix Sweetened Orange Juice Drink, Pineapple Guava Juice Drink and Sprite or 7-up. Make 7 servings.

How to Make Coconut Oil?

Coconut has been part of the culture and traditions of many countries, apart from being used for culinary and medicinal purposes. It is one of the most revered item in  "Ayurveda" ( The complete knowledge for long life) , which originated in India. Uses of coconut oil include its role in the treatment of a number of medical conditions, like constipation, jaundice, swelling, toothache, scabies, colds, burns, scurvy, sore throat, etc. Coconut oil is used in the manufacture of cosmetics, soaps, massage oils and detergents.

Virgin coconut oil is said to be the best type of coconut oil.  It is made from natural processes without using harmful chemicals just to produce good quality of oil.  Plus, it can easily be made; you can do it yourself at home.

Here is how to make coconut oil, specifically  virgin coconut oil:

1.  Get a fresh and mature coconut.

2.  Split the coconut shell with the use of a machete or any cleaver knife. Be very careful in doing this. 

3.  Once you have broken the coconut, grate the coconut meat with a grating machine or with a grating bench. Place the grated meat inside a net bag.

4.  Press the bag tightly with your hands to squeeze out the milk.  Produce more milk by soaking the pressed coconut meat in the coconut water and squeeze it again. 

5.  Coconut oil can be produced from this milk through two different methods - natural fermentation and heating. In the first method, you have to mix the remaining coconut water to the milk and fill the mixture in a transparent glass jar. Allow the jar to remain at room temperature for about 20 hours. This allows the water to settle at the bottom. You can find oil floating above the water and above the oil, there will be a layer of protein, which is white in color. You can then filter the oil, which will be colorless or pale yellow in color.

6.  Another method to make coconut oil is by heating. The coconut milk extracted from the grated coconut meat has to be heated over a low flame. You have to stir the mixture continuously. The mixture becomes thicker as it boils. After some time, the oil starts separating from the mixture. The water will evaporate, leaving the oil behind. Cook for some more time, before turning off the heat. 

Once cool, fill the oil in a clean glass jar, which is devoid of water or moisture. Your homemade coconut oil is ready and you can use it for cooking or for applying on the skin or hair. It is believed that coconut oil is good for a healthy skin and hair. You can even start a coconut oil diet.

source: Buzzer.com 

We tried to make virgin coconut oil last Thursday (April 14, 2011) and applied it on my hair :)

 

Fresh Lumpia

Fresh Lumpia or Lumpiang Sariwa is a traditional Filipino dish. It consist of minced ubod (heart of palm), flaked chicken, crushed peanuts, and turnips as an extender in a double wrapping of lettuce leaf and a yellowish egg crepe. The accompanying sauce is made from chicken or pork stock, a starch mixture, and fresh garlic. This variety is not fried and is usually around 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches in length; it is also the most popular among the Filipino variants. It is derived from the original Chinese popiah.

We always prepare and serve Fresh Lumpia in our family reunions, birthday parties and other special occasions.


3/4 kilo ubod ( heart of palm )
1 cup ground pork
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 kilo Baguio beans
1/2 cup shrimps, shelled
salt and vetsin to taste
1 medium size onions, chopped
2 cups water with shrimp juice added
carrots and lettuce

Extract juice from shrimp head.  Set aside.  Saute in garlic, onions, pork and shrimps.  Add water and shrimp juice mixture.  Let it boil.  Add ubod and beans.  Cover and cook until done.  Season to taste.  Drain.  Set aside to cool. 

Cut lettuce in half lengthwise. For each lumpia, place a piece of lettuce on wrapper. Spoon about 1/3 cup filling into center of wrapper. Fold bottom third of wrapper over filling, then fold in sides.
Serve with garlic dipping sauce or a mixture of hoisin sauce and soy sauce.


 Lumpia sauce:

1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
garlic, crushed as desired
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups broth
2 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Mix all the ingredients and heat in low fire.


Homemade Lumpia Wrapper:

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 egg
salt and vetsin to taste

Mix all ingredients.  Brush on Teflon pan.  Yield: 10-15 pieces

Minatamis na Saging (Sweetened Banana)

6 medium ripe saba or cardaba banana

2 cups sugar

3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1.  Pour water in a saucepan.  Stir in sugar and salt to dissolve.  Heat over medium heat.  Bring syrup to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

2.  Peel banana.  Add to simmering syrup and continue cooking for another 10 minutes more or until saba bananas are tender and syrup is slightly thickens and lightly golden brown.

3.  Remove from heat.  Transfer to a dessert plate and serve.

Oh my SIOMAI!

Siomai (Cebuano/Tagalog: siyomay) in the Philippines is often ground pork, beef, shrimp, among others, combined with extenders like green peas, carrots and the like which is then wrapped in wonton wrappers. It is either steamed or fried resulting in a crispy exterior. It is normally dipped in soy sauce and squeezed calamondin, and for some, with an oily, spicy garlic mix.

It's one of my mom's specialty..... try it!

SIOMAI

1 cup shrimps, chopped
1/4 cup ground pork
1 cup singkamas, chopped
1/4 cup spring onions, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 egg
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Aji-no-moto
1 teaspoon salt

Siomai wrapper
salad or cooking oil
calamansi or lemon juice and soy sauce

Combine first 10 ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Wrap about 1 tablespoon of mixture in a siomai wrapper.  Shape each in a bonnet-like poach.  Brush with salad oil.  Arrange in a steamer and steam for 30 minutes.  Serve with soy sauce and calamansi or lemon juice.