VEGETABLE CURRY

Curry refers to a spicy dish of vegetables or meat, chicken or fish served with rice. There are different types of curry depending on the region of Asia or India.

Curry originated in India, and had been part of Indian cooking for thousands of years.The word ‘curry’ originated from the Tamil word ‘kari’ meaning spiced sauce. Tamil is South India’s most ancient living language. The word is derived from Sanskrit. 

A typical curry mixture is made of roasted and ground curry leaf, coriander, cumin, mustard seeds, black pepper, fenugreek, turmeric and sometimes cinnamon, cloves and cardamon.

Curry dishes from the south west region of Kerala, India on the Malabar coast, use coconut milk and laurel (bay leaves). This type of curry recipe was the one that had been popular with us Filipinos. And this is the one I'm cooking here now.

Kerala was part of the ancient wealthy and powerful Sri Vijaya empire, controlling much of the Indonesian archipelago and Malay Peninsula. By the 12th century the empire extended to as far as the Philippines. And that is how our early Indian ancestors had greatly influenced the many cultures of the Philippines including cooking of curry dishes.

In Asia and the tropics, wether mild or fiery hot, any curried dish is always exotic and tasty.

Ingredients:

2 c potatoes (cubed)

1 c carrots (cubed)

1 c cauliflower (cut in flowerettes) 

1 c green beans (chopped)

2 c eggplant (cubed)

2 pcs tokwa ot 1 block tofu

(cubed, fried)

2 c thin coconut milk

1 c thick coconut milk

2 Tbsp leeks or spring onions

2 Tbsp curry powder

salt, pepper

Procedure:

1. Saute leeks or spring onions in oil. Add potatoes, carrots, thin coconut milk and salt. Cover and cook.

2. When haf-done, add cauliflower and eggplant. Simmer. Add green beans, thick coconut milk, curry powder and pepper. Cover and cook until flavors blend. Remove from. Serve.

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ADOBONG TALONG AND AMPALAYA

ADOBONG TALONG AND AMPALAYA. Here I'm cooking eggplant (talong) and bitter melon (ampalaya) together in simple adobo style.

Both talong and ampalaya originated in India and are widely grown in Southeast Asia. Talong is a good source of potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure and heart function. Ampalaya is a good source of Vitamin A and C, calcium, phosphorous and iron.

Adobo which is originally a pork or chicken dish, is considered the Philippine's national dish. But adobo is not Filipino in origin, it is Mexican, that originated in Spain thousands of years ago.

The word 'adobo' comes from the Spanish word 'adobar' which means to marinate, pickle or cure. As always, there is no one and only recipe for adobo.

Spanish adobo is a pickling sauce made by cooking together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme, laurel, oregano, paprika and salt.

Mexican adobo is a paste typically containing red guajillo chillies, spices, herbs and vinegar. It is rubbed on meat, fish or chicken.

A dish prepared this way is called 'adobado'. Filipino adobo is a combination of chicken or pork cooked in a pickling mixture of vinegar, garlic, bay leaf and peppercorn. Later, soy sauce was introduced by the Chinese traders.

There are many vegetables that can be cooked adobo style, such as talong and ampalaya. In my cooking, I often feature different kinds of adobong gulay (vegetable adobo) recipes because the taste is so close to home.


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PASTEL DE POLLO

Pastel de Pollo,also known as simply pastel literally translates to 'chicken pie’. Pastel in Spanish means ‘pie’, Pollo means ‘chicken’. This is my chickenless version of this classic Spanish savory pie dish. I serve pastel with or without crust. The origin of pastel de pollo can be traced to Egypt. After the Muslim conquest in 641, Egyptians were forced by the Muslims to eat meat and poultry. So Egyptians started to include little pieces of meat, chicken, rabbit, etc in their bread and pastry. 

Before that, ancient Egypt was purely vegetarian. Their diet was originally made of fava beans, bread baked from wheat, oats, rye and barley, rice, honey, eggplant, tomatoes and other vegetables.

Even today, majority of Egyptian population rely heavily on beans, grains and vegetables. Meat has been very expensive for most Egyptians throughout history.

The Greeks adopted the meat/chicken pie from the Egyptians. The Romans tasted it and adopted it from the Greeks. Soon it spread to Medieval Europe and onto Spain. Spain introduced it to us.

Here is my recipe of pastel.

Ingredients:

3 c potatoes

1 1/2 c carrots (cubed, fried)

2 c gluten, veggie meat or veggie choplet (cubed, fried)

1 c veggie hotdog or sausage (sliced Or cubed, fried)

1/2 c tofu or tokwa (cubed, fried)

1 c button mushroom (sliced)

1/2 c frozen peas

1 block cheese (grated), 175 gms

1 pack all purpose cream, 250 ml

1 big can evaporated milk

2 Tbsp leeks or spring onions

seasoning, salt

Procedure:

1. Saute leeks or spring onions in oil. Add evaporated milk and cheese. Simmer.

2. Add all ingredients. Simmer till flavors blend.

3. Remove from heat. Serve.

Crust:
1 1/2 c all purpose flour

1/2 block butter

5-8 Tbsp water

salt

1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients adding water gradually. To form a dough. Roll out. Cover dish with the dough. Bake.

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GINATAANG KALABASA

Ginataang Kalabasa is a traditional Filipino food made from squash cooked in coconut milk, an all-time favorite in my family. It is a fusion of our ancient Malay and Mexican food heritage.
Our ancient Malay-Filipino ancestors were already cooking vegetables in coconut milk (called ginataang gulay) by the time the Spaniards came and introduced calabaza from Mexico.

The word 'calabaza' is the Spanish word for squash or pumpkin, derived from the Persian term 'kharbuz' for melon, in which family squash belongs.

Calabaza is a native of Mexico and is an ancient staple food. It was first cultivated for food in pre-Hispanic Mexico - - one of the major staples of the Aztec and Mayan Indians. 

Calabaza has been cultivated in central Mexico since about 7,000 years ago. For thousands of years calabaza has been used both as food and ritual offering of the Aztec and Mayan Indians. 

One of the their important rituals featuring squash or pumpkin  was remembering the dead family members or ancestors on one or two special days in a year. From these ancient Aztec and Mayan Indian ancestors come the knowledge that souls continue to exist after death.

The famous Halloween lantern featuring carved pumpkin is an influence from this ancient Mexican tradition of celebrating Dia de los Muertos on Oct 31-Nov 1 (day of the dead or All Saints Day or among Filipinos known as Todos Los Santos). 

In ancient Mexican culture that day was celebrated by refraining from meat and eating only vegetarian food - - fruits, grains, beans, corn and sweets made from squash such as calabaza en tacha - - candied squash baked in rich caramel sauce.

Here is my recipe of ginataang kalabasa.

Ingredients:

4 c squash (big cubes)

1 c malunggay leaves

green chilis

2 pcs tokwa (cut in triangles)

1/2 c tomatoes (chopped)

1 c thin coconut milk

1 c thick coconut milk

2 Tbsp ginger (sliced)

2 Tbsp leeks or spring onions

salt, labuyo chilis (optional)

seasoning

Procedure:
1. Add a little salt to the tokwa. Fry. Set aside.

2. In a pan, saute leeks or spring onions. Add ginger. Cook for a while, then add tomatoes and salt. Cook well.

3. Add kalabasa, thin coconut milk and seasoning. Cover and cook. When kalabasa is a little tender, add chilis. Cover and continue cooking.

4. In a separate sauce pan, cook thick coconut milk until very thick almost like becoming latik. Set aside.

5. When kalabasa is cooked, remove from heat. Add cooked creamy coconut milk and malunggay leaves. Mix. Add fried tokwa triangles on top. Cover. Serve.

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CREMA DE FRUTA

Creama de Fruta is a rich and flavorful dessert found in every Filipino home for special occasions or Sunday family gatherings. In fact, the reason I made this now with a pasta dish was for my simple birthday meal shared with my family.

Luscious and creamy as the name implies, crema de fruta literally translates to 'fruit cream'. It is originally a favorite Spanish cream dessert made of layers of creamy custard or flan with vanilla, fluffy sponge cake, crema (made from smooth condensed milk and milk cream or whipped cream) and fruta (canned or fresh fruit slices) arranged on top.

The Spanish tradition of serving custard and cream as dessert goes as far back as ancient Rome. Crema found its way into Spain where it became a national favorite throughout the centuries.

Spaniards are known for being lovers of sweet custard (different variations of flan de leche) made with caramelized sugar. They are also fond of mixing fresh or canned fruits with creamy desserts to give it a tangy twist.

Today there are many variations of crema de fruta such as the one I made here. It is basically made of layers of graham crackers or crushed biscuits, milk, cream and fruits.

Sometimes if I want to be a little fancy and true to the original recipe, I use layers of my basic sponge cake, eggless leche flan for custard, fruit cocktail, mango or peach slices, fresh strawberries (or mixture of all) and gelatin on top.

Ingredients:

1 pack graham crackers (220 g)

1 pack all purpose cream (250 ml)

1 pack unflavored jelly mix powder (25 g)

1 big can condensed milk (300 ml)

1 big can peach slices or fruit cocktail (850 g)

4 Tbsp sugar

4 c water

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine condensed milk and all purpose cream. Mix well. Set aside.

2. Arrange pieces of graham crackers in a baking pan. Spread milk-cream mixture on top of the graham crackers. Repeat the layers until all crackers and milk mixture are used up.

3. Arrange peach slices of fruit cocktail on top.

4. Prepare gelatin topping: in a sauce pan, pour 4 c water. Add 4 Tbsp sugar and dissolve the sugar. Gradually sprinkle jelly powder. Stir constantly to avoid lumps then bring to a boil. Just before boiling point, pour gelatin over arranged peach slices. Allow to set. Chill and serve.

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VEGGIE 'CHILI CON CARNE'

Chili Con Carne (meaning chili with meat), also known as simply 'chili'  originated in San Antonio, Texas in the 1880’s as a way of stretching available meat in the kitchen of the poor Tejanos (persons of Mexican descent born and living in Texas).

The original Texas-style ‘chili’ was originally a spicy stew made from beef, venison and other meats, lots of chili peppers and tomatoes.  Due to poverty, beans such as black beans, red or white beans, black-eyed beans, kidney or pinto beans were added. 

The word 'chili' comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec Indian language) 'chilli' which means chili peppers and 'carne', is Spanish for meat.

In the 1880's, San Antonio was a tourist destination. From there Texas-style chili con carne spread throughout the South and West of America.

Mexican American women sold chilis in bowls around the public places in downtown San Antonio. They were called the 'chili queens'. They appeared at sundown wearing colorful Mexican costumes. They set up wood fire to re-heat pots and pots of pre-cooked chili.

The taste and aroma of hot chili attracted the passersby. More so because while the costumers were eating on the street, they were serenaded by the mariachi street musicians.

Mariachi is a form of folk music from Mexico. Musicians dressed as peasant farmers (white pants and white shirt) and played with string instruments such as violin, guittaron, guitarra de golpe, vihuela, guitar, trumpet and accordion.

O wow! what a way to enjoy eating chili! with beautiful traditional Mexican music playing. No wonder the chili sold like hotcakes. The chili queens were serving bowls and bowls of chili to satisfied costumers.

Today, chili con carne is the official dish of the US State of Texas.

Here is my recipe for vegetarian chili, also known as 'chili sin carne' (chili without meat).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c red beans

1 tsp baking soda

1 pc green or red bell pepper (chopped finely)

2 Tbsp leeks or spring onion

1/4 c fresh tomatoes

4 pcs tokwa or 1 block tofu (mashed, fried)

1 tsp crushed peppercorn

1 pack tomato paste (150g)

1/4 tsp chili powder or 

1 tsp chopped fresh chili pepper (labuyo)

2 Tbsp Adobo or Menudo Mix powder

sugar, salt 

pepper, soy sauce 

seasoning

Procedure:

1. Soak beans in water overnight. Add 1 tsp baking soda to the soaking water.

2. Wash and boil beans until tender. Drain the beans saving the boiled beans water. Set aside.

3. Saute leeks or spring onions in oil. Add tomatoes and chili powder or fresh chopped chili peppers (labuyo) according to desired hotness. Cook very well.

4. Add green or red pepper, tomato paste and the boiled beans water. Add a little more water if needed. Season with salt, sugar, pepper, soy sauce, adobo or menudo mix powder and seasoning. Cover and simmer.

4. Add boiled red beans. Cover and boil again. When sauce is a bit dry, add fried tofu or tokwa. Remove from heat. Serve.

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SPAGHETTI WITH WHITE SAUCE

This is my adaptation of the Italian basic white sauce used for pasta and vegetables.

Basic white sauce, also known as 'salsa di bisciamella' is popular in northern Italian cooking. Its French name is 'bechamel sauce' and is used in pasta dishes like lasagna, spaghetti and fettucini or with fried, steamed or baked vegetables like potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, etc.

Basic white sauce is originally made from flour, butter, milk, salt and pepper. White sauce is sometimes referred to as 'creamy comfort food' because it is so easy to make and toss with your pasta. You will have a delicious, filling meal in twenty minutes.

Just as you regularly stock up your kitchen with ingredients for red spaghetti sauce, you may also want to stock up on ingredients for the white sauce too.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo spaghetti noodles

White sauce:

1 c sliced mushrooms

1 c grated cheese

1 pack cream of asparagus soup powder (70 g)

1 big can evap milk (370 ml)

2 Tbsp spring onions for garnishing

salt, pepper

seasoning

4 pcs tokwa or 1 block tofu (diced)

1/2 c carrots (diced)

2 Tbsp red bell pepper (diced)

2 Tbsp green bell pepper (diced)

1/2 c frozen peas

2 Tbsp leeks

Procedure:

1. Add a little salt to diced tokwa. Fry, set aside.

2. Saute leeks in oil or butter. Add carrots and cook for a while. Add salt, pepper and seasoning.

3.Add red and green bell pepper, frozen peas and mushrooms. Mix and cook.

4. Pour evap milk, simmer then add grated cheese. Pour cream of asparagus soup powder dissolved in a little water. Let boil adding enough soup stock or pasta water to make a thick and creamy sauce. Remove from heat, add fried tokwa or tofu. Mix well. Serve with spaghetti noodles garnished with spring onions.

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SPECIAL MAJA BLANCA

In response to my sister Claudine's request for my recipe of maja blanca, I’m sharing this recipe with her and with all of you my friends. This is a richer version of the usual maja blanca mais with latik and budbod (toasted grated coconut topping), because of the addition of cream and cheese. So that's why I call it special.

The word 'maja blanca' is a Filipino adaptation of the Spanish word 'manjar blanco', which refers to the traditional holiday Spanish dessert pudding.

'Manjar blanco' means 'white delicacy'. The word is a direct translation to Spanish of the French word "blancmange" which is a molded pudding. It is a sweet dessert commonly made with milk, cream, sugar and almond flavoring, thickened with gelatin, cornstarch or carageenan.

Blancmange (pronounced blay' mandz) originated in the Middle East and introduced to early medieval Europe by Arab traders during the Middle Ages. Middle Ages lasted from the 5th-15th centuries and began after the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Arabic tradition of blancmange used almond milk with rose water flavoring and became popular in the Muslim-occupied Italy and Spain. The sweet pudding became popular with the nobility and the upperclass.

Maja Blanca or maha blanka, the Filipino version, which is what I'm cooking here now, is made from coconut milk, cream, sugar, cheese and cream of corn. It has the consistency of thick gelatin and has a smooth delicate flavor.

Another variation of maja blanca is maja de ube. It uses ube (purple yam) as main ingredient giving it a deep purple color.

Ingredients:

2 c cornstarch

1 c thick coconut milk

1 c cream of corn or corn kernel

1 pack all-purpose cream (250 ml)

1 pack quickmelt cheese (185 g), grated

1 1/2 c sugar

1 1/2 c water

Procedure:

1. Dissolve cornstarch in water. Set aside. Boil coconut milk and sugar. Add cheese and cream of corn or corn kernel. Save some cheese for sprinkling on top later. Mix well. Boil. Add cornstarch dissolved in water. Mix thoroughly to avoid lumps. Turn off heat.

2. Add all purpose cream to the mixture. Pour onto a pan. Let cool
until set.

3. Sprinkle grated cheese on top before serving. Serve.

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VANILLA CAKE

Vanilla Cake is my very simple and basic cake recipe featuring the fragrant flavor of vanilla which is derived from vanilla beans.

The word 'vanilla' translates to 'little pod'. It is derived from the Spanish word 'vaina' meaning pod.


Vanilla originated in Mexico. It was first cultivated by the Totonac people who lived in the East coast of Mexico (present-day Veracruz area) since pre-Hispanic period.

In the 15th century, the Aztecs conquered the Totonacs and soon the Aztecs developed a taste also for the vanilla pods. They named the fruit 'Tlilxochitlan' or 'black flower'. Having conquered by the Aztecs, the Totonacs paid tribute by sending vanilla fruit to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.

Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes introduced both vanilla and chocolate to Europe in the 1520s.

Today, vanilla is highly valued in commercial and home baking all over the world for its flavor which is sometimes described as 'pure and delicate'.

Ingredients:

3 c all purpose flour

1 1/2 c sugar

1 c milk

3/4 c oil

1/2 block butter (100 g)

1/2 c corn syrup

6 tsp baking powder 

1 1/2 c water
4 Tbsp vanilla

Glace icing:
1 1/2 c confectioner's sugar

2 Tbsp calamansi juice

1 tsp butter

3 Tbsp water

Procedure:

1. Prepare glace icing. In a bowl, mix together all ingredients. Mix well. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients first: flour, sugar, milk powder and baking powder. Mix well.

3. Make a well in the middle then pour melted butter, oil, corn syrup and vanilla. Mix well. Then gradually add water. Continue mixing with a whisk to make it fluffy. Pour into a baking pan. Bake until done. Serve with glace icing.

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GINATAANG HALO-HALO

It is an old Filipino family tradition to cook Ginataang Halo-halo to welcome a newly-born baby. The coconut milk signifies increasing prosperity. The little sago pearls and bilo-bilo (rice balls) signify coins or money flowing in for the family. Well, no harm in following tradition! So last week I was busy preparing this delicious favorite afternoon snack to welcome the arrival of my newly-born third apo (grandchild)-- charming little baby Chintamoni dasi.


Ginataang Halo-Halo originated from an ancient Indonesian traditional coconut dessert called ‘Kolak Pisang’ made with palm sugar, coconut milk, pumpkin, sweet potato, jackfruit, pisang (plantain banana), cassava and sagu (tapioca pearls). The Filipino version included camote, gabi and bilo-bilo (rice balls).

The early form of Ginataang Halo-Halo dates back to as early as 7,000 years ago when the historical link between ancient Indonesia and Philippines started. 

At that time the Malay people who came to the Philippines were from the Javanese Medang Kingdom and the Srivijaya Empire. An Old Malay language that contained many Sanskrit words was spoken. The words ‘kolak pisang’ and ‘ginataan’ were of sanskrit origin.

Ingredients:

1 c camote (sweet potato)

1 c gabi (taro)

3 pcs saba (plantain) bananas 

 1 c galapong (glutinous rice balls)

1 c sago (tapioca pearls), small size

1 c langka (ripe jackfruit)

3 c thin coconut milk

1 c thick coconut milk

2-3 c sugar

2-3 tsp vanilla (opt)

Procedure:

1. Set aside 1/4 c galapong dissolved in water for thickening sauce.

2. Boil thin coconut milk. Add camote, gabi and sugar. Cover and cook. Add galapong balls.

3. Add saba, langka, sago and vanilla. Simmer. Remove from heat. Pour thick coconut milk. Serve.

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