TASTE WINE & COOKING CLUB – FORTITUDE VALLEY

Last Thursday night (26 August), I had the pleasure of joining a wonderful group of people for their monthly Taste Wine & Cooking Club get together at the popular Fortitude Valley cookware and homeware retailer Taste.

TASTE

I was graciously invited by Jill Morrison as a guest for their Asian theme that night and how could I resist?  Of course I jumped for the chance of meeting like-minded people.  Cusinera was there at 7pm on the dot (I don’t want to be late!) with Adobo Chicken Wings and Baked Cassava (Cassava Bibingka) in tow.  Of course the Filipino in me can’t resist introducing Filipino dishes in any opportunity (excuse?) I can get=)

TASTE WINE & COOKING CLUB ASIAN BANQUET (THURSDAY GROUP)

Stepping in Taste was like stepping into Aladdin’s Cave full of treasure untold!  Foodies kind of treasure of course!  I have to visit soon to really check the full store during its opening hours, so many wonderful things to buy!  It was a sight to behold but I was distracted from all the splendour by the wonderful people I’ve met that night and their fantastic Asian theme dishes.  Each members brings pre-made home-cooked meals featuring the month’s theme, once a month and are asked to upload the recipes to the Club’s Taste Recipe Archive and at the end of the meal, a prize is handed out to the best dish for that night.

VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLL, GYOZA (SHALLOW STEAMED DUMPLINGS), CHAIRMAN MAO’S RED PORK BELLY AND LITTLE LIME SYRUP CAKES

CHICKEN & MUSHROOM W/ GINGER & SESAME, CHICKEN ASIAN  NOODLES W/ GINGER & AVOCADO, SINGAPORE NOODLES, PENANG CHICKEN CURRY WITH COCONUT RICE AND CHICKEN COCONUT KAFFIR NOODLE SOUP

Cusinera’s CHICKEN WINGS ADOBO & BAKED CASSAVA

I was nervous at first, but they’ve put my nerves at ease.  The group was easy to talk to, warm and super friendly.  We shared food tips, ate, drank and laugh a lot, it was a fun night.  The dishes was paired with wines samples from Purple Palate, the proud wine partner for the Taste Wine and Cooking Club.

 PURPLE PALATE Asian themed paired wines

I took individual photos of the dishes but unfortunately, either my hands were trembling or I need a major upgrade from my old point & shoot camera, most of the food pics were a bit blurry.  As the guest for that night I shared tips on how to shop in Inala Civic Centre ( I feel like the poster girl for this Brisbane shopping precinct! LOL..), also I’ve talk about Balut and basically we just talk about Asian food in general.  By the end of the meal, each of us explained what we made (dishes) for that night, where the recipes came from and how we obtained special ingredients that were hard to come by.  For this Asian theme night, two best dishes were selected by me and was awarded a foodie kitchen tool gift each by the club.

 TASTE WINE & COOKING CLUB FOODIE DISCUSSIONS

YUMMY LIME SYRUP CAKES GETTING PREPPED UP!

 Cusinera’s Plate

For this Asian theme, Thursday group…the standout winners were the Penang Chicken Curry with Coconut Rice and Chairman Mao’s Red Pork Belly, congratulations!  To all the fantastic ladies I’ve met that night including George & Co., thankyou for a superb night=)

 

HOW TO JOIN:

Please click this link: Taste Wine & Cooking Club

If you have any queries contact Jill Morrison

(Mobile)  0438 322 971

(Email)  taste.cookingclub@gmail.com

LOCATION:    TASTE for the Love of COOKING

                             Cnr Montpelier & Breakfast Creek Road

                            (PO Box 307)

                            FORTITUDE VALLEY  QLD  4006

BEANSPROUT SPRING ROLLS (Lumpiang Togue) - KULINARYA

Kulinarya Cooking Club was started by a group of Filipino foodies based in Sydney, who are passionate about Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.  Each month, members from around the world will showcase a new dish on our food blogs that represents Filipino cuisine.  Hopefully by sharing this recipes, we hope we can spread the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.  If you are interested in joining this wonderful group, don’t hesitate to contact one of us….

Kulinarya’s theme for the month of August is SPRING ROLLS (Lumpia).

Spring Rolls in Philippine’s cuisine are served mainly as snack and appetizers.  In Cusinera’s world, I call the savoury kind as Lumpia and the sweet versions as Turon.  In the savoury Lumpia, there are two kinds…the fried ones and the fresh version.  The fresh version is called Lumpiang Sariwa, made up of sautéed vegetables with some mince pork or chopped prawns thrown in.  Wrapped in a freshly made thin crepe with some frilly lettuce leaf and topped with a sweet sauce infused with minced garlic and sprinkled with coarsely chopped peanuts. But if it is served on top of a lettuce leaf minus the crepe wrapper, it is called Lumpiang Hubad (Naked Fresh Spring roll).  In the fried version, we got the Lumpiang Shanghai which is made up of ground beef or pork, beaten egg, seasonings, minced onion and carrots, rolled into mini spring rolls.  Then we move on to the bigger fried version….Lumpiang Togue (Beansprout) or Lumpiang Gulay (Vegetables) which in Malabon are called Sumpia, with a spicy vinegar dipping sauce and can be paired with Lugaw (Filipino Congee).

In Filipino spring rolls, you would notice the absence of cooked vermicelli noodles, we don’t add it traditionally.  I’ve only encountered vermicelli filled spring rolls here in Australia, it like seeing small avocados and seeing them used in salad and sandwiches instead of being made into creamy shakes, it rocked my planet at first but I’ve learned to appreciate it.

What I have here is a very straight forward no frills Lumpiang Togue (Beansprout) recipe, very easy to make and only contains few ingredients to search for.  I can eat 3 of them in one seating, I usually drown them with Chili and Garlic Vinegar dipping sauce.

 

BEANSPROUT SPRING ROLLS (Lumpiang Togue)

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbspn cooking oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, sliced

2 carrots, thin julienned

3 small cubes of fried tofu, julienned

1 kg mung beansprout

1/8 cup oyster sauce

pinch of ground pepper

1 packet of spring roll sheets (20pcs)

oil for deep frying

 

 FILLING:

Top Left: Assemble your ingredients.

Top Right:  In a large pan, heat oil in medium-high heat and sauté garlic & onion.

Bottom Right & Left:  Once onion slices are translucent, add in the tofu and stir for about 30 seconds.  Stir in the carrots and cook until it becomes a bit bendy. 

Top Left & Right: Add in oyster sauce and pepper, incorporate the mixture well.  Mix half of the beansprout and let it cook for a couple of seconds before adding the rest, as you need the volume to deflate a little bit.

Bottom Right & Left:  You cook the beansprout until it is slightly limp don’t overcook it as it will become soggy.  Once the filling is cooked place it inside a colander to drain the excess liquid.

 

WRAPPING & FRYING:

Top Left & Right: In a large plate, layout  the spring roll wrapper with one of the corners facing you.  Place about 1/4 cup of filling on the centre of the wrapper.  With the corner facing you, fold it over and tuck it in underneath the filling.

Bottom Right & Left:  Fold the sides and tightly roll the wrapper away from you.

Top Left & Right: Smear some of the corn flour paste (*see NOTES) on the expose corner and complete the roll.  Repeat this  wrapping process till you finish all the spring roll wrappers.

Bottom Right & Left:  Heat enough oil to fully submerge the spring rolls.  Cook spring rolls until lightly golden brown and crispy.  If it browns to quickly, lower the heat just a little bit.  Drain in absorbent kitchen paper towels or a large sieve over a large bowl.  Serve immediately.

BEST WITH:   Chili and Garlic Vinegar dipping sauce and Lugaw (Filipino Congee).

 

NOTES:

• On eating Lumpiang Togue or Gulay, you hold the spring roll upright with your hand, eat the top end and using a spoon, pour some of the sauce on top to drench the filling.

• If you want this to turn into pure vegetarian version, buy the vegetarian oyster sauce.

• You can add minced pork after sautéing the garlic and onion.  Sliced cabbage can be added instead of beansprout or half and half.

• If you want extra flavour, you can add 2 tspn of powdered chicken stock when you add in the oyster sauce.

• To make the Corn flour Paste, mix 1 tspn of corn flour into 2 tbspn water.  Microwave for 5-10 seconds and stir well once you take it out.

• For Banana Spring rolls (Saging na Turon) here’s the recipe.

CHILI AND GARLIC VINEGAR DIPPING SAUCE

Chili & Garlic Vinegar Dipping Sauce is highly recommended for Beansprout Springrolls (Lumpiang Togue or Sumpia), Chicharon (Pork Crackling) and Fish or Squid Balls.

 

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup white vinegar or any type of vinegar you like

1/8 tspn table salt or 1/4 tspn cooking salt (a bit coarser)

1/4 tspn white sugar

1 red bird eye chili, deseeded and cut into short strips

pinch of pepper

 

ASSEMBLING:

~  Please crush the clove of garlic with the flat side of your knife, don’t use a garlic crusher tool.  Combine all the ingredients, and stir with a spoon until salt and sugar granules has dissolved.  Serve freshly made or can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days.

Guess what I’ve found????

I always go to Inala Civic Centre almost every weekend and last week, to my delight, I found some freshly boiled BALUT!

Balut is a boiled fertilized duck egg with an early stage developed embryo.  In the Philippines, Balut are sold around late afternoon till early morning as street food.  They are kept warm in large cane basket with heavy cloth insulation alongside Penoy (an infertile incubated duck egg).  Rumoured to be an aphrodisiac, giving “strong knees” for the male species as old people use to say in the Philippines.  You can spot Balut vendors around bus terminals, jeepney stops and outside the cinemas.  Other vendors choose to walk the streets with a familiar sing song chant of “BAAaaaluuuut, PEeeenoOY! Bili na kayo nang BAAaaluuuut, PEeeenoOY!” (Balut, Penoy!  Buy some Balut, Penoy!).

Best eaten while hot/warm, with a good pinch of salt.  You sip the broth first before you eat the rest, the white part are not usually eaten as it has a tough cartilage texture to it.

I bought 4x Balut for AUD$10 from the Filipino Shop in Lilac Street.  As I was paying for some Mama Sita’s packets, I’ve noticed two dozen or so of Balut being displayed in front of the counter, I ask the shop owner if they were uncooked Balut, she told me they were freshly cooked that morning, all I have to do was reheat the eggs in hot water for a couple of minutes.  She even told me that the baby chicks are really small, which is good for me as I don’t really want to see chicks that are ready to flap their wings!

I love the Balut broth and yolk, I tried to be a full Pro Filipino street food eater by eating the chicks a couple of times before, but they won’t go down, no matter how I tried.  So here I am, a self confessed Balut yolk eater.  That’s why I love Penoy, same yolk taste but no chick inside.

Sad to say, I’m the only Balut and Penoy eater in the TRIBE :(

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Here are the details of the Filipino Shop in Inala:

J&V Bayanihan Asian & Island Foods

Shop 8/6 Lilac Street

INALA  QLD  4077

Tel:  07 38796222

PUTO ESPESYAL (Steamed Flour Cake Version)

Puto (Filipino Steamed Cakes) is one of the most missed Kakanin (Filipino native treats) by Filipinos around the world.  The authentic Puto is basically made with ground rice (galapong bigas).  The rice is soaked overnight to allow natural fermentation before grinding into a fine textured slurry.  This mixture is then combined with sugar for sweetness and then steamed.  Once people add or replace different ingredients in this Basic Puto, then the end products are then called differently.  To name a few…Puto Pandan (pandan flavour), Puto Ube (purple yam flavour), Puto  Bumbong (purple rice steamed in bamboo tubes) and Puto Lanson (grated cassava and coconut).

I had an Uncle and Auntie (father side) who specialize in this native delicacies in Alaminos, Laguna.  But sad to say, the recipes and techniques stayed with them till they passed away.  Nobody was interested on learning or even jotting down the recipes, as you know most Filipinos in the provinces cook by feel and not by measurements.  How I wish that my love for the Filipino cuisine started earlier, I could have learned more from the experts.  Sometimes you don’t take notice of things you eat or use everyday until it is gone forever.

My mother even inherited some old Chinese teacups from her Auntie, she explained to me that Grand Auntie use to cook puto in those Chinese teacups.  When we left Philippines, the cups where left somewhere…forgotten and maybe dumped in the rubbish.  Sad to say, most great Filipino recipes are like my Great Auntie’s teacups…..most Filipinos considered them not worth keeping or the opposite, the recipes are over zealously guarded that they are taken to the grave.  If only we can have a little bit of time to sit, listen and learn from this folks we could have gain so much from their knowledge or even be such a pain in the rear that they got no choice but divulge their secret recipes…hehehehehe!  So many could’s and if’s…..okieee, Cusinera, snap out of it!!! (sounds of chirping birds being shot by a big shotgun)…  I have to cut the story, it’s getting too long, I’m here to tell you how to cook Puto:)

What I have here is a recipe for a flour version of Puto.  I called it Puto Espesyal (Special Puto) as it’s a bit decadent with the addition of slices of boiled salted duck eggs and cheese.  As you know, there are weird flavours that works fantastic together and I assure you, this is one of them.    Sweet, savoury and salty all blended together to create one orgasmic Filipino native snack.

 

Puto Espesyal (Steamed Flour Version) adapted from Food Business

INGREDIENTS:

Meringue :

7 egg whites, room temperature

3/4 tspn cream of tartar

8 tbspns white sugar

Cake Batter:

2 tbspns baking powder

3 cups plain flour

1 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cups fresh milk + 2 tbspns

Toppings:  Boiled salted duck’s eggs and cheddar cheese slices

 

 

COOKING PROCEDURE:

PART 1 ~ MERINGUE

Top Left: In a very clean bowl place the eggwhites and cream of tartar together.

Bottom Left:  Whisk the eggwhites until frothy.

Top Right:  Gradually add the 8 tbspns of sugar, the texture will became finer.

Bottom Right:  Beat until the mixture have stiff peaks, it would look like a spreadable icing.

  

 

PART 2 ~ CAKE BATTER

Sift the dry ingredients and place in a bowl with fresh milk and whisk into a smooth batter.

 

 

 

~  Slowly fold the meringue mixture into the cake batter until well combine.  Don’t be too heavy handed as you want your end mixture to be very light.

 

~  Place the Puto batter in your baking tins, I’ve use normal circular sponge pans and large frilled mamon tins.  Only fill up the baking tins 3/4 of its capacity, you need room for the puto to raise up.  Top the Puto batter with slices of boiled salted duck’s eggs and slices of cheddar cheese.

~  In a large wok, place a pot ring and fill the wok with enough water just below the top base of the pot ring.  Place the lid and bring the water to a boil.

~  Once the water is boiling, carefully place a puto filled pan onto the pot ring and quickly place the lid back.  Steam the puto for 35-40 minutes.  Once done, quickly remove the lid to avoid water droplets going in to contact with the puto as this will give you soggy texture.  Carefully remove the tin with pot holders and let it cool before taking out the puto from the tin.

~  This recipe yielded 2x medium sponge tins and 2x large frilled mamon tins of puto.

 

NOTES:

• The reason why the puto pictures looks yellowish is that I took the pictures during the evening and also I got overboard with the cheese.

• You can make assorted coloured puto, just separate the puto batter and gently fold in the individual colours.

• If you want mini puto, use mini muffin pans and only cook for 15-20 minutes.