SOCIAL MEDIA

FILIPINO MACARONI SALAD PIC1© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

When Mr. H and I dated in the Philippines, I always dragged him to Tropical Hut for Burgers and Macaroni Salad before watching a movie to take inside the cinema.  I love Tropical Hut’s little tubs of Macaroni Salad, it has this right melody of creaminess, sweetness and saltiness.  But my love for Filipino Macaroni Salad didn’t start there, I grew up with this pasta salad in the 70’s, 80’s and up until now am still fond of this cold pasta dish…. I can say we’re old BFF’s.

You can’t have a Filipino gathering or family outing without this pasta salad and it’s another easy dish to assemble.  Great for Christmas family parties and if you’re experiencing summer during Christmas like the TRIBE do, this Filipino Macaroni Salad goes great as a side dish for burgers or barbequed meats.

FILIPINO MACARONI SALAD

BUKO PANDAN© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

One word to describe this Filipino dessert….REFRESHING!  With this Brisbane summer heat that we are having, this Buko Pandan Dessert will definitely lift your spirit up and cools you down.  A Filipino tropical chilled dessert, it is compose of cubes of Pandan Jelly, Buko (shredded young coconut) and mini Sago Pearls in a not too sweet cream sauce.

I’ve only started making Buko Pandan last Halloween and since then I been making this easy version multiple of times now.  The sweetness is just right and the balance of sauce/jelly/buko/tapioca ratio are good.  Some people tend to drown this dessert with too much cream sauce….if you do that then you shouldn’t call it Buko Pandan Salad, it should be called Buko Pandan Drink.  I used frozen/defrosted shredded Buko (shredded young coconut) and instant Pandan jelly as I don’t have the time yet to do certain things from scratch.  But rest assure, this is a wonderful dessert to make specially this coming Yuletide season….simple recipe but definitely a keeper!

LUCKY GIFT PACK© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012LUCKY CHRISTMAS GIFT PACK

Christmas is a couple of days away now and everyone knows that this is the time of the year that home bakers are busy baking cookies, brownies, puddings and other diet busting baking treats.  Nuts are one of the main ingredients in baking these delectable morsels and what better timing when Nuffnang announce that one of their “Product Talk by Nuffnang” was Lucky Nuts Products.  Of course I volunteered to review the products, I use this brand anyway so why not =)

Did you know that the Almonds that Lucky use are Australian grown, in their very own orchards in the Sunraysia and Riverina districts.  Included in the Gift Pack was Lucky’s two newly released products… Lucky Easy Chef Oven Roasted Almond Meal and Lucky Easy Chef Almond Crumble.  I’m so happy with my pack (so much nuts!), they even included a booklet of recipes =)

ALMOND BISCOTTI © BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

When I looked at my Lucky Nuts packets and saw Blanched Almonds, I know right away what I want to bake for my Busog! Sarap! followers….. Almond Biscotti!  This Almond Bread (Biscotti) Recipe has been in my private personal cookbook for years now, so it has been tried and tested so many times.  Let me tell you some great things about this recipe; it’s easy to do, fantastic Christmas giveaways for your family & friends, you can put your leftover eggwhites into good use and this baked biscotti are so addictive that you can’t stop on munching just one.  Its crunchy, not cloying sweet and a good match with your cup of coffee.  So I hope you enjoy this Almond Bread (Biscotti) Recipe =)

ALMOND BREAD (BISCOTTI)

BANANA BREAD SLICES© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

Who can’t resist the smell of freshly baked Banana Bread?  If you’re the type of person who can’t say no to Banana Bread, you belong to my Banana Bread kinfolks.  I love spreading good butter on my slices of Banana Bread, accompanied with a good cup of coffee…heaven on earth moment!  Honestly would trade a bar of chocolate for a loaf of Banana Bread but then if its Fruit & Nuts Choc Bar that’s another story…

BANANA BREAD

KWEK KWEK & TOKNENENG WITH PIPINO SAWSAWAN© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012TOKNENENG & KWEK KWEK WITH PIPINO DIPPING SAUCE

The names sounds funny I admit but I love these gorgeous Filipino Orange Tinged Battered Chicken & Quail Eggs.  Who ever thought about how to concoct this Filipino snack is heaven sent from above.  You see, it starts with a boiled egg and then it gets coated with an orangey batter then deep fried….teamed up with a fantastic vinegary or sweet based sauce and you got a winner!  Out in the streets in the Philippines, Kwek Kwek and Tokneneng are served as a quick street snack.

CARDILLO © BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

First of all lets make it clear, Sarciadong Isda (Fish Sarciado) is compose of Fried Fish topped with Sautéed Garlic/Onion/Tomatoes Sauce but if you add beaten eggs to the sauce it will morph into Cardillong Isda (Fish Cardillo).  You might ask what’s the big deal?  Well, in my opinion if a dish has a proper name…as Filipinos, we better start using right terminology if we want to spread Filipino Cuisine to other nationalities, don’t you agree?

CARDILLONG ISDA (Fish Cardillo)

GISING! GISING! (SIGARILYAS VERSION)© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

I have done the Seafood and Kangkong versions of Gising! Gising! and now I present you with another one…..a Sigarilyas (Winged Bean) edition!  Some of you will say, somebody already have posted a Sigarilyas Gising! Gising! before so what’s so special with this one?  Well, to answer that question….in my opinion, this is the tastiest version I ever created so far in the Gising! Gising! department.  This one is definitely a keeper and if you’re a regular Busog! Sarap! reader, you know what I mean!

GINISANG CORNED BEEF WITH POTATOES© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

Filipinos have this love affair with certain canned goods.  A sure sign that you’re in a Filipino household is when you take a peek inside the pantry cupboard you will see, Ligo (canned sardines in tomato sauce), SPAM (America’s influence during the war) and the ever trusty canned Corned Beef!  The reason why this canned goods are always present is that, they are convenient to stockpile and grab when there is a power outage, flood/typhoon/cyclone, end of the world (just kidding!) or merely too lazy/tired to whip a dish for your next meal.

MINH TAN BAKERY© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

If you live in Brisbane and haven’t tried Minh Tan Bakery’s Toasted Vietnamese Rolls, you’re missing a lot big time!  Local Asians knows that they serves the best Vietnamese Rolls (Bánh mì) in town.

MINH TAN BAKERY, INALA TOWN CENTRE

VAN LONG FRUIT & VEG, INALA© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012VAN LONG FRUIT & VEG

I definitely found a gem inside Inala Town Centre and it’s Van Long Fruit & Veg.  Located opposite the Newsagency and next to the Food Court, it provides lots of space to move to leisurely shop to your heart’s desires.  I use to pass this shop without any interest at all on my way to buy the TRIBE’s Vietnamese Pork Rolls. It was an old tired looking Fruit & Veg Shop before but since the refurbishment or takeover it called my attention to browse inside and boy, I was not disappointed!

VAN LONG FRUIT & VEG - INALA TOWN CENTRE

GRAM, BRISBANE ISSUE 2 (MAY)© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

I’ve been so thrilled for Busog! Sarap! to be featured in GRAM’s (Brisbane Edition) Magazine, Issue 2/May.  It was so nice to see one of my recipes in Busog! Sarap! printed in paper.  Once we found out that GRAM’s Brisbane May Issue was out, Mr. H grabbed a copy from one of the coffee shops in South Brisbane and brought it home for me to see.

GAI LAN WITH OYSTER SAUCE© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) with Oyster Sauce is a favourite dish to order, for most of the people who eats regularly in Fortitude Valley or Sunnybank.  This dish is so simple to make at home.  What is so addictive with this quick stir fried Gai Lan, is the  delicious crunchiness of the vegetable itself and with the addition of Oyster Sauce, it creates a sweet/salty harmony together.

GUZMAN Y GOMEZ AT CARINDALE© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012GUZMAN Y GOMEZ, CARINDALE

Carindale Shopping Centre just recently opened up their new extension and within this extension came  a couple of new foodie delights to check out.  First on our list was Guzman Y Gomez but we were unable to visit on their opening day as there was a big stretch of people line spilling out of their shop, it was like a giant long tequila worm.  I said to Mr. H, they must have some crazy secret sauce or something for people to wait patiently in line for their turn.  It turns out, GYG was offering free burritos for their special day, that’s why!

GUZMAN Y GOMEZ, CARINDALE

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE PIC2© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

I never get tired of eating Pineapple Upside Down Cake,  with its buttery brown sugar syrup clinging to the top and side of the cake.  Slices of sticky sweet pineapple adorned on top that calls you up to come and eat them.  Whenever I serve a slice of this yummy cake, I always have custard sauce on the side.  So nice and sinful…..hmmmmm!

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

I’ll be starting this home business tips segment of Busog! Sarap! due to the fact that I receive countless emails from people around the world asking for recipes that can help them start their own food business.  To tell you all straight, nobody will give you a super duper delicious recipe just like that, out of the goodness of their heart designed for their own catering purposes just because you ask them to.  Get a massive pin and burst that fantasy balloon of yours, and make your hands dirty and try out recipes from the web or books/magazines and evolve it to your ideal recipes.  It might take weeks, months and even years but that is where you will see for yourself that you have the determination,the passion and dedication.

Cusinera’s Negosyo Tips - THINK

GISING! GISING! (KANGKONG VERSION) PIC1© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012GISING! GISING! (KANGKONG VERSION)

What is so nice with savoury dishes that are cooked with coconut milk/cream, is that they possess this rich creamy goodness that makes you eat more rice with it.  There are so many dishes I have to taste when I go back to the Philippines and Gising! Gising! is one of them.  Cooking is always a learning experience and I want to taste how the local does it, compare and improve what I have tested so far.

GISING! GISING! (Kangkong Version)

SUMPIA© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

Sumpia is what we call  Large Fried Vegetables Spring Roll in Malabon.  Here’s another classic Street Food snack, best eaten freshly cooked.  Usually served encased in a small clear plastic bag, you puncture the top end of the Sumpia and drizzle  your spicy vinegar sauce inside and eat it on the go.  In Malabon, Sumpia is team up with  Goto (Filipino Beef Congee) or Arroz Caldo (Filipino Chicken Congee).

SUMPIA …is what it’s called in Malabon

SUKANG ILOCO WITH RED ONION AND GARLIC DIPPING SAUCE© BUSOG! SARAP! 2012

I’ve used Mr. H stash of Sukang Iloko for this dipping sauce, it went well with the Sumpia version I’ve made with the addition of pork belly slices.  I love the balance of the sweetness, saltiness and that slight punch of the vinegar (Sukang Iloco) of this dipping sauce, very addictive!

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