Pinoy Favorite Meriendas

Yesterday after posting my Chicken Sinampalukan recipe, My cousin who now lives in Japan, requested for an Okoy recipe which according to her every time she attempts doing it, the crust is as hard as a stone. The reason  for that is due excessive use of baking powder. Baking powder in large amount causes that hard crusty surface.

By the way to those who do not know what "Okoy" is, it is a Pinoy native merienda that is usually made up of bean sprouts (Toge), flour, water, baking powder, and some food coloring, deep fried in a very hot oil. Fresh shrimps can be use as toppings or slices of tofu. Anchovies can also be use or some cook slices of meat. So here are the basic ingredients of an Okoy.

Ingredients:

Toge (bean sprouts) - 1 kilo can yield up to 12 regular size okoy
Flour - 2 - 3 cups
Baking powder - 1 small sachet or at least 1 teaspoonful
Water
Oil - for deep frying
Food coloring - 1 small sachet or half a teaspoon color orange or yellow
Salt and pepper
Fresh shrimp or sliced tofu for toppings

Sauce:
White Vinegar -
Soy Sauce
Onion - sliced
Green chili - sliced
Sugar
pepper

Procedure:
Mix flour with water, baking powder, food coloring, salt and pepper (just a dash to taste). Be sure that the consistency of the mixture is not to watery but not too dry. You can gauge it by dipping a spoon and the batter must have that elasticity on it. Otherwise you can add water or flour little by little until you get that smooth consistency. Pour in the Toge and mix them well make sure everything is coated with the mixture.

Scoop the mixture in a small saucer and top it with tofu or small shrimps. Make sure to cover your toppings with small amount of the mixture to prevent them from falling off. Deep fry them by letting the mixture slide off the saucer to retain its circular shape. Get the Okoy out of the oil as soon as it turns golden brown and floated above the oil. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

For the sauce:
In a small pot, pour in vinegar, onions, chili, sugar, soy sauce and pepper and let it boil WITHOUT stirring them. Adjust the taste as you may like it.

Note: Grated squash or grated green papaya can also be use as replacement for bean sprout specially if you are suffering from arthritis. Enjoy...

Chicken Sinampalukan

As requested by an FB friend who happens to have seen my Chicken Sinampalukan just this week courtesy of my wife who else (lol). The one my Mom usually cook consist of native chicken meat which is tastier and takes a longer time in cooking since the meat is much compact and has a lesser liquid on it. Unlike the commercially available chicken where in the meat is much juicier, more tender, and much dense.



Also included is a plate of rice drenched in chicken blood and let to dry, Tamarind young leaves or sprouts. These leaves appears whenever a Tamarind tree is about to bear fruits, they are the light green colored ones sprouting on the tip of older, greener leaves. A gram of this leaves in the market cost 25 pesos to 30 pesos. During my childhood days here in our place, Tamarind trees are abundant and so is the sprouts and the fruits which sometimes we make into cold tamarind juice. Thus Sinigang is a common viand on every mealtime in our house. One of the Uncommon is the Sinigang sa Mangga and the Sinigang sa Santol. Anyway lets just take sinigang one at a time. So here's my take on Chicken Sinampalukan.

Ingredients:
Fresh Chicken - 1 and half kilo. Adobo cut. (commercial)
Sampalok mura (young sprouts) - 2 grams.
Ginger - sliced thinly
Onion - 1 medium size chopped
garlic - 1heart chopped
Tomato - 2 pcs sliced thinly
Water Spinach (Kangkong) - 1 bunch
Green Chili (panigang) - 2 pcs cut in half
Taro root (Gabi) - 4 medium size peeled and cut in half.
Rice drenched in chicken blood (optional) - 2 plates cut in four
String beans - 1 bunch cut into bite sizes.
Tamarind Powder - 1 large pack
Chicken Cube
Salt and pepper
Fish sauce (patis) - 2 tablespoon

Procedures:

Wash the chicken thoroughly and drain the excess water. Put at least 2 teaspoon full of salt on to the tamarind leaves and rub them until its juices comes out. Throw away small stems where the leaves are attached. Saute garlic, onion, ginger, tomatoes. Put in the chicken and cover to let its juices come out. Pour in fish sauce and let it simmer for a minute or two. I always use fish sauce on every chicken dish I make except on barbecues, and oven cooked chickens. Fish sauce brings out that aromatic taste and flavor of the chicken. Add Chicken cube and taro roots. Add at least 5 cups of water and put in the blood drenched rice. Let it boil then add the vegetables, green chili, tamarind powder, salt and pepper to taste. The cooking process should take at least 30 minutes of your cooking time. Serve hot in a bowl with rice.

Pork Pochero

My wife's office mate has requested for a Pochero recipe. Pochero is a famous Filipino stew which uses either pork or beef mixed with vegetables and some spices. It is a local version of Spanish or Portuguese Cocido which combines Beef and pork with vegetables in a stew of tomato and anato or achuete.

My version would be the simpler and cost friendly one. This dish is great for a Sunday family get together or just a simple family weekend meal. Commonly, Pork pata or beef sirloin is used. Others tried Fish and Chicken meats that requires a much faster cooking process.

So lets give this a try and enjoy this Pinoy recipe.

Ingredients:

Pork Pata (leg and knuckles) - 1 whole front leg. DO NOT GET THE HIND LEGS, they are the bony type. They look huge but has lesser meats. This usually cost 140 - 150 pesos per kilo on a local market or grocery.

Chick peas (garbanzos) - 1/4 (soak them on tap water overnight before using them to easily peel off the skin) or you can buy the ready to use canned garbanzos
Onion - 2 medium bulb sliced
Garlic - 1 whole heart chopped
Bay leaf - 5 pcs.
Paprika - a pinch
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sugar - just a little
Tomato Sauce - 1 medium pack (250 gms.)
Tomato paste - 2 tablespoon.
Pechay - 1/4
String Beans (sitao) - 1 bunch (about 12 to a5 pcs. cut into 2.5 inches)
Chorizo De Bilbao (optional) - sliced diagonally
Cabbage - 1 whole medium size cut proportionally
Pork and beans - 1 medium can
Oil - for sauteing.
Banana (Saba) - 4 pcs cut in halves.

Procedure:

Clean the pork pata and remove some hair bristles around the knuckles or on its elbow. If you cant remove it with knife, try burning it on the stove. Boil the pata in a pot along with bay leaves until fork tender, set aside. In a wok (kawali) saute onion and garlic, add slices of chorizo and the chick peas. Then add the pork and the water where it was boiled. Put in the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Add the can of pork and beans and simmer. As soon as it boils, add the banana and the rest of the vegetables. Since your pork was cooked ahead of time, it will be easier for you to cook the bananas and the vegetables within two minutes or so. Add salt and pepper, paprika and a dash of sugar to taste. You may also add pork cubes for an added taste. When using beef make sure you buy the sirloin part with out the bones, Chicken and fish can also be used but needs extra care when using them since they cook faster than pork or beef. When using fish, Lapu lapu, Maya maya or any other similar white meat fish are suitable. Serve hot with rice and a glass of very cold juice...Now I'm getting hungry.