Showing all posts in mom’s kitchen

In mom's kitchen

Puto Pao Recipe

Author RosselPosted on Leave a comment

“What’s with puto?” My husband asked me this because I have been experimenting with puto. I cooked the regular puto, Puto Flan and now Puto Pao. A friend shared her puto recipe then I modified it a bit. I replaced a portion of water with evaporated milk to make the puto creamier.

Puto Pao is a combination of steamed rice cake and the all-time-favorite siopao. It’s just like the regular steamed rice cake only with pork or chicken asado filling. It’s now becoming a popular snack among Filipinos.

Just recently, I have seen on a TV show that you can use any filling you want, ube jam (purple yum), fruit jams, cheese, macapuno, picadillo, adobo and even dinuguan. I need to try all these fillings with puto. But before that, I want to share with you this special puto pao recipe. My father-in-law loved it so much that he asked to take home 2 more on top of the 6 pieces he had :). For sure you’ll love its sweet and salty combination too.

puto pao

Ingredients

For the asado filling:
250 gms. ground pork
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup water
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. cooking oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 small onion (minced)
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 pc. star anise
1 bay leaf (optional)

For steamed rice cake or puto:
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup water

For the toppings:
cheddar cheese
sliced salted egg

Cooking procedure

1. Boil water on a steamer. Make sure to wrap the steamer cover with cheesecloth.
2. Lightly grease the puto moulds then set aside.

For the filling:
1. Heat cooking oil on a skillet or pan
2. Saute onion and garlic until golden brown.
3. Add the ground pork then cook until it all turns brown.
4. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, star anise and bay leaf. Then simmer for 2 minutes.
5. Dissolve the cornstarch in ½ cup of water then add. Simmer until cornstarch mixture becomes translucent.
6. Set aside and cool.

For steamed rice cake or puto pao:
1. Combine all the dry ingredients then sift. Add water. Mix until there are no lumps.
2. Pour a little puto mixture (about 1/3) of the mould.
3. Add about 1 teaspoon of the asado filling.
4. Pour puto mixture again over the filling, nearly to the top.
5. Top with a small slice of cheese and a slice of salted egg.
6. Steam for 15-20 minutes.

Serve hot. Makes 18 pieces.

In mom's kitchen

Learn How to Care for Your Tableware

Author RosselPosted on Leave a comment

Fancy tableware shouldn’t stay hidden in your cabinets just because you’re not sure how to take care of it. With a little know-how, you can learn how to properly care for your elegant tableware so that you can use it whenever you want rather than saving it for the once-a-year “special” occasions. Here’s a short guide to how to care for your tableware correctly:

tableware care guide

If you have sterling silver tableware, you can wash it in the dishwasher with just a small amount of detergent. Make sure that you store your sterling silver away from anything rubber or wool, which can cause a chemical reaction. For gold vermeil and gold plated tableware, hand wash the tableware with mild soap and store vermeil pieces in a soft flatware case to avoid scratches.

Silver plate tableware is dishwasher safe, as long as you only use a small amount of citric-acid free detergent; make sure not to wash it next to stainless steel in the dishwasher, because the metals will react and discolor the silver. Stainless steel is dishwasher safe as well, but take care not to hand wash stainless steel with hard-bristled brushes or scouring pads, which can wear away the chromium oxide film.

White porcelain and decal or underglaze porcelain are dishwasher safe and microwave safe. Hand painted porcelain and metallic porcelain, on the other hand, should be hand washed with mild soap and are not microwave safe. Glassware is usually dishwasher safe, unless it’s blown glass, but crystal should not be washed in the dishwasher unless your dishwasher has a crystal setting. Instead, wash crystal by hand with mild soap.

Your luxury tableware doesn’t have to stay locked up behind a display case for fear of ruining it. Instead, take just a few minutes to learn how to care for your tableware so that you can enjoy it on a regular basis instead of on rare occasions.

In mom's kitchen

Puto Flan Recipe

Author RosselPosted on Leave a comment

Lately, I’ve seen a lot of pictures of puto flan posted online and I got curious. Puto + leche flan? Why not? Puto and leche flan are Filipinos’ favorite delicacy and dessert. Puto is a steamed rice cake while leche flan (also known as custard) is a milk and egg-based dessert . When combined, the result is heaven. For those who want to try this heavenly dessert, below is the recipe that was shared to me by a friend who bakes heavenly goodies.

puto flan

Ingredients:

For the flan:
350 ml condensed milk
5 egg yolks
1 & 1/2 tsp lemon or lime juice

For steamed rice cake or puto:
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 egg whites
1 & 1/2 cups water

Cooking procedure:

1. Boil water on a steamer. Make sure to wrap the steamer cover with cheesecloth.
2. Lightly grease the puto moulds then set aside.

For the flan:
1. Mix thoroughly the egg yolks, condensed milk and lemon juice.
2. Fill 1/3 of the mould with the mixture.
3. Steam for 20 minutes then set aside.

For steamed rice cake or puto:
1. Combine all the dry ingredients then sift. Add water and egg whites. Mix until there are no lumps.
2. Pour puto mixture over the flan, nearly to the top. Steam for 15 minutes.
3. Let it cool before removing from mould, this is to ensure that the puto and flan stick together. Makes 18 pieces.

Enjoy your puto flan!

In mom's kitchen

Ajinomoto Challenge: String Beans and Squash in Coconut Milk

Author RosselPosted on Leave a comment

I love vegetables! I am not a vegetarian but I rarely crave for meat than I crave for vegetables. Not impossible though for someone like me who grew up in the province where leafy greens were just within our reach…the camote tops and kangkong (water spinach) in our backyard, malunggay from our neighbor’s yard, taro leaves from Lolo Ben’s farm, etc. Me and my siblings could eat vegetables all day, everyday…no complaining, no whining, no throwing of tantrums. I can still imagine how easy it was for our Mom. I knew I wouldn’t have problems too with children of my own when it comes to eating vegetables. And so I thought.

When my daughter tenaciously refused to eat almost all kinds of vegetables, my heart sunk. But then I realized, she’s still a toddler and toddlers have hyper sensitivity issues with food’s taste, texture, smell and color. So instead of forcing her to eat what she doesn’t want, I patiently waited for her palates to be more accepting of vegetable and other foods. I knew it won’t be long.

When my daughter is finally ready, I started to prepare a variety of healthy food with very tempting presentation. I know that if she sees the food as delicious and she likes it, there is a greater chance she will. And it worked! Hooray! One of her favourite is ginataang sitaw and kalabasa (string beans and squash in coconut milk). A very simple yet very delicious dish made even more delicious with PORKSAVOR™ All-in-One Seasoning Mix. PORKSAVOR™ All-in-One Seasoning Mix is made from natural pork meat extract and bone broth, complete with spices and seasonings to bring out the deliciousness of home-cooked dishes. And because of my desire to help other Moms with picky eaters, I am sharing this deliciously healthy recipe through Ajinomoto PORKSAVOR™ Cook and Blog contest.

String Beans and Squash in Coconut Milk

Ajinomoto challenge
Ingredients:
250 grams pork (cut into small cubes)
12 pcs string beans (cut into 2 inches length)
2 cups squash (cubed)
1 cup malunggay leaves
2 cups coconut milk 1 medium sized onion (sliced thinly)
3 cloves garlic (minced) ½ tsp ginger (sliced thinly)
2 tbsp cooking oil
Ajinomoto PORKSAVOR™ All-in-One Seasoning Mix
dash of salt
pepper to taste

squash and string beansingredients
Cooking Procedure:

Heat oil on a skillet. Sautee onion, garlic and ginger until golden brown.
Add pork (seasoned with salt and pepper).
Cook until pork’s color turns brown.

saute ingredients

Add the string beans then cook for 2 minutes.
Add the squash then Season with Ajinomoto PORKSAVOR™ All-in-One Seasoning Mix.

porksavor

Add the coconut milk then simmer until the vegetables are cooked.
Add malunggay leaves just before you turn off the stove.

coconut milk

Bribing, scolding or forcing children to eat vegetables will just give them negative experiences. Instead, cook delicious foods that are colorful and look appetizing. A little effort and creativity will sometimes be needed but it is all worth your time when you see your child having his first spoon of vegetables.

In mom's kitchen

Savor the deliciousness of the new Porksavor™

Author RosselPosted on Leave a comment

Filipinos love food with strong meaty flavors, which is why saucy, soupy or stir-fried dishes would usually be accentuated with pork meat or broth. It is for this reason that Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) came up with a new product called Porksavor™ All-in-One Seasoning.

Porksavor™ is made from natural pork meat extract and bone broth, complete with spices and seasonings to bring out the deliciousness of home-cooked dishes. The new Porksavor™ is available in 8-gram packs for only PhP 2.00 Suggested Retail Price (SRP). It is truly an affordable way to draw pork flavor goodness in dishes without the cholesterol.

Here are some appetizing recipes that you can try using Porksavor™ All-in-One Seasoning:

Bihon Guisado

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
¼ cup sliced onions
60 grams sliced pork liempo
1½ cups water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
125 grams Super Q Bihon
½ cup carrot strips
½ cup sayote strips
1 pack, 8 grams Porksavor™
1 cup shredded cabbage

Procedure:

  1. In a bowl, soak bihon in water for 15-20 minutes. Strain and set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a pan, sauté garlic, onions and pork for 1 minute over low heat.
  3. Add water and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and add soaked pancit bihon. Mix well.
  4. Add carrots and sayote, stir-fry in medium heat for 2 minutes.
  5. Season with Porksavor™ and mix well.
  6. Add cabbage and mix until cooked.
  7. Serve hot.

Calories 240, Carbohydrates 31g, Protein 5g, Fat 11g
Makes 3-4 servings
Dish Cost: PhP 79.00
Cost per serving: PhP 19.75

Bihon Soup

Ingredients:

Soup

1.5 liters water
3 packs, 8 grams Porksavor™
125 grams Super Q Bihon

 Toppings

12 grams toasted chopped garlic
60 grams sliced carrot strips
60 grams thinly sliced cabbage strips
10 grams chopped spring onions
15 grams sliced red onions
30 grams ground pork sautéed in oil
10 grams crushed chicharon to garnish

 Procedure:

  1. Prepare the broth by boiling 1.5 liters of water seasoned with 3 packs of Porksavor™.
  2. In a bowl, soak the bihon until it is covered with water for 15-20 minutes. Strain and separate the noodles and set aside.
  3. Combine the hot broth and the bihon noodles in your serving bowl.
  4. Top the soup with the prepared meat and vegetables. You may adjust the quantity of toppings as desired.
  5. Serve hot.

Suggestions: You may replace toasted garlic with 1 tablespoon of ginger cut in strips or add drops of sesame oil.

Calories 150, Carbohydrates 23g, Protein 4g, Fat 5g
Makes 5 servings
Dish Cost: PhP 60.00
Cost per serving: PhP 12.00

*This is a press release.