Moringa Chicken Soup (Chicken Tinola with Malunggay)

The last time I ate moringa was at least 30 years ago back in the Philippines. But I never knew that this plant is loaded with nutrients too many to list, that it’s now dubbed as the ‘miracle tree’. I remember when I was growing up, whenever we needed some moringa leaves for this dish, my grandmother simply sent the house help to go to the nearby farm which was just across the street,  to pick some moringa branches. I am so glad to find that this tree is widely grown as a backyard plant here in South Florida. We now have one growing in our backyard. Back in New York, though frozen moringa is available in Filipino food stores, I find it  convenient and healthier to simply use fresh baby spinach or the young leaves of the pepper plant which is a staple in our summer vegetable garden.

And today I learned something new. We went to an Indian restaurant for brunch with our Indian friend and guess what they had on the buffet selections,  a soup with the moringa pods.  I didn’t know that the moringa pod is edible (but why wouldn’t it if the leaves are?). Our friend said that in India, it is called the vegetarian chicken because eating it is like eating chicken around the bone.

These are the ingredients for this dish:

•    1 lb cut-up chicken pieces. I usually get a whole chicken but reserve the breast for another dish.
•    2-3 pieces of chayote. In the absence of chayote, zucchini can be used. Cut in spears.
•    2 cups of moringa leaves
•    1 small onion, sliced
•    5 cloves of garlic, minced
•    3 quarter size slices of ginger, pound with the edge of a knife
•    2-3 pieces of Thai green pepper
•    2 tsp sea salt or 2-3 T Patis or fish sauce
•    freshly ground pepper
•   1 T oil
•  1 qt water

In a deep pot, heat the oil and add the garlic and ginger until medium brown, then add the onion. Add the chicken, salt and pepper and let it saute for about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add the chayote or zucchini and the Thai peppers, let it saute for  an additional 2 minutes, then add 1 quart of water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. When the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender, add the moringa leaves, cover and turn off the stove. The moringa leaves will continue to cook in the covered pan.

Filipinos always eat rice with this dish and we like to season the chicken as we eat. So we make a dipping sauce by mixing a little fish sauce, a piece of the cooked Thai pepper and  juice of 1/2 lemon.

Fish in Sweet and Sour Sauce

This is a Filipino dish that clearly was influenced by the Chinese. In the Philippines, this becomes a festive dish depending on the kind and size of the of the fish used. I think this is a festive dish judging by the color alone!

Here I used a red snapper about 8 inches long and perfect for 2 people, which nowadays is all that I cook for.

First, season the fish with salt and pepper  including the inside of the fish. Chop 1 clove of garlic, quarter size ginger and 1 scallion. Fill the fish cavity with this mixture and stick with a toothpick to prevent from spilling out during cooking. This filling can be skipped.  Put 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 t paprika in a plastic bag, put the fish and shake gently until the fish is fully coated. Fry in well heated oil.

What you need for the sauce are the following:

• 1 cup of unsweetened pineapple chunks
• 1/2 c pineapple juice
• 2 sticks of celery, sliced
• 1 small sweet red pepper, sliced
• 1 small carrot, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 tomato, cut in wedges or 12 cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 T catsup, more for color than taste
• 1 T sugar
• 1 whole jalapeno pepper
• 1/2  t sea salt
• pepper
• 1 T cornstarch or tapioca flour diluted in 1/4 c water to thicken the sauce

The sauce cooks in about 10 minutes. In a pan, with 1/2 T oil, saute the garlic until lightly brown. Add the onion and the rest of the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Add the pineapple juice and catsup.  The vegetables are good when slightly under cooked. Add the cornstarch mixture and let boil to thicken the sauce. Adjust the salt according to taste. Enjoy while the fish is crispy!

Basic Dough

This is my play dough. It’s a basic dough recipe which I use to make bread of various flavors, shapes or form.  I bake it plain, or I add  herbs like rosemary, lavender  or nuts and dried fruits, even chocolate. I shape it in baguette, big rounds, small rounds, bake in a loaf pan or a bundt pan and if I am feeling lazy, I just let it rise and bake on the bread maker all the way through.

Basic dough ingredients:

• 1 3/4 water
• 6 T olive oil or  6 T butter
• 3 C bread flour
• 1 C whole wheat flour, regular or white
• 3 T sugar
• 3 T powder milk
• 1 t sea salt
• 3 t instant yeast

Load the ingredients in the bread maker as listed set to dough.

• To make rosemary bread, add 3 T chopped fresh rosemary, when prompted
• To make nuts and fruits, add 1 cup nuts and dried fruits like dried cranberry, dried cherry or dried blueberry.
• To make chocolate, add 3/4 C chocolate chips plus 2 T instant espresso coffee
• Possibilities are endless, limited only by ones imagination.

When the dough cycle is complete, begin shaping.

Pre-heated oven to 375 degree .

• If making a single piece, bake for 30-40 minutes.
• If making small rolls, bake for 15 minutes.

Tandoori Flavored Chicken with Sauteed Indian Eggplants

We recently met a very nice seventy-one year old Indian woman who is a retired doctor from the Northeast. There’s 10 years between us, but I think it will be a very good friendship. We shared a number of odd commonality.  How odd  it is that we both take the same two prescription medicines (I haven’t met anyone else who does). We both have two children. Both our daughters graduated from New York University, about 12 years apart; both our sons graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, also years apart. Upon discovery, we both said the word almost at the same time: Karma. We both love cooking and gardening,  that is,  cooking from the garden. We have already started a plant and food exchange.

After 911, from 5WTC, our office moved to the Flatiron district of Manhattan. It is in the proximity of Lexington Avenue and 26th Street, which is home to various reasonably priced (i.e. cheap) but good Indian eateries which we frequented for lunch. My husband worked in downtown Manhattan where he also frequented cheap but good Indian eateries. Needless to say, we both miss eating cheap but good Indian foods. Today, our newfound  friend inspired me to incorporate Indian spices in this chicken recipe.

• Half of chicken
• 1 T tandoori powder which is available in the spice section of most supermarkets
• 1 tsp paprika, for heat and color
• 1 tsp sea salt

Massage the dry rub all over  the chicken. Let it marinade for  at least 15 minutes.

While the chicken is being marinated, heat a heavy pan on high. I use a bacon press, a cooking brick will work as well. You can be creative, in the absence of a bacon press or cooking brick, use another pan. Put the bacon press or brick on stove top on high heat for 10 – 15  minutes. It will be very hot so handle carefully. The pan has to be really hot to crisp the chicken skin. When the pan and press are ready, put the chicken on the pan skin side down and put the press or brick on top. It should produce a sizzling sound if both the pan and the press are properly heated. Cook each side for about 10 – 15 minutes. When pricked by a fork in the leg part, clear juice indicates that the chicken is done.

Meanwhile  prepare the eggplant:

• 1/2  red onion, sliced
• 8  pieces of Indian eggplants
• 1 sweet pepper
• 1 t turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• black pepper
• 1 T oil

In another pan, heat the oil.  Pile the ingredients on the pan in the order they are listed, spread the spices on top. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir and check the eggplant if done.

There you go, dinner in no more than 45 minutes. We ate  it with steamed brown and red rice and the spicy Indian lime chutney  from our new friend. The dish marries well with the spicy lemony Thai basil which I happened to have at the time.

By the way, I paid our Indian friend a dime for the chutney, she only asked for a penny, but I didn’t have a penny. She said in India, it is customary to ‘pay’ for a spicy gift so as not to ruin a friendship (with the spice)! As they say, chalo khana khayenge! Let’s eat!

Pickled Green Mangoes (Burong Mangga)

The mango season here in Florida lasts from late June through early  September. Making pickled mangoes from fruits freshly picked from a farm is truly a luxury. But for those who have no access to a mango farm, select green and very firm mangoes from the store. For those interested, fruits maybe ordered from the farm we went to: http://www.ericksonfarm.com/home.html. We know the family who owns the farm but most of all I like it that they use food grade sprays on their trees and they employ  local help!

Sterilize everything that will be used. In a pot of boiling water, put the jars and lids and boil for 2-3 minutes, remove and set aside to dry. Do the same for the vegetable peeler and knife. When done, pour  the boiling water to the chopping board and any work bowl.

In a pot, preferably glass, boil the brine solution until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Cool.

• 4 parts water
• 1 part sea salt
• 1 part sugar

Meanwhile, peel the mangoes, slice the flesh about 1/8 inch thick.  Pack the mangoes on the jar tightly. Whole chili peppers or jalapeno, washed and dried, may be added.  For this batch, I used Habanero peppers which is extremely hot.  Reserve the chili for the chili lovers in your home. Strain the cooled brine solution into the jar. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for 2 days before enjoying.

My family likes to pair this with fried or grilled fish or beef tapa. Beef  tapa is a Filipino version of cured beef but that’s a discussion for another day.

This would make a wonderful hostess gift. I like to wrap the top of the  jars with a piece of cloth (I save scraps from my sewing projects) tied with kitchen twine to give away as gifts from my kitchen.

Bamboo Shoots Fried Eggroll

Bamboo shoots are available in Asian stores either canned or in sealed plastic bags. I used to get them fresh in New York Chinatown. The canned type is the least of my preference. Bamboo shoots have a distinct smell, if you can not tolerate the smell, soak the sliced shoots in a quart of water with 2 T white vinegar for 15 minutes. Rinse  in cold water and drain.

What you need are:

• 1 pack  (25 pieces)  spring roll wrapper,
• 3  C bamboo shoots, julienne cuts
• 1 1/2  C carrots, julienne cuts
• 1/4 C black fungus mushrooms, soak in water for 15 minutes, then chopped.
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Choice of flavor: 1 C shelled, chopped shrimps;  1/2 lb. ground chicken; 2 blocks of tofu, cut into small strips will  make this a wonderful vegetarian dish
• salt
• pepper
• Canola oil for frying

Pre-cook the filling.

• In a pan, heat 1 T of oil. Saute the garlic and onion until the onion is wilted or clear.
• Add the choice of flavor and the chopped fungus mushrooms. Saute until cooked.
• Add the carrots and shoots. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
• Cook for 5 minutes, turning over, until wilted. Do not cover as it will generate liquid.
• Remove from the pan and cool.

Wrap the eggroll.

• Follow the rolling instruction printed on the package.
• Put about 1/4 cup filling on the center of the wrapper, positioned on the diagonal.
• Roll and seal the end with water.

Fry on a heated pan, set to medium heat,  with about 1/2 inch of oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

I serve this with either a spicy vinegar-soy sauce or sweet chili sauce. The sweet chili sauce is available in Asian food stores which I usually dilute in water to cut down the sweetness and lighten the consistency for better dipping. The vinegar-soy sauce is simply a mixture of 2 parts vinegar and 1 part soy sauce. Spice it up with minced fresh garlic and sliced  fresh chili pepper. I usually add some type of chopped green like cilantro, scallions, chives or  Thai basil, depending on what I have growing in the garden.

This is also good to freeze for future use. Fry and serve when you have unexpected guests or even on parties. These make good appetizers or cocktail foods, cut it in half on the diagonal and arrange on a platter with the sauce.

To freeze, place the un-fried eggrolls on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes. Once they are firm, they can be stored in quart size plastic freezer bags and store in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

Fried Yucca with Cilantro-Lime Sauce

People always bring their cooking wherever they settle and South Florida is home to millions of Cubans. The first time we went to a local Cuban restaurant, we had fried yucca with cilantro sauce. And immediately after the refreshing taste and cool sauce hit my taste buds, my mind worked to dissect the components – mayo, garlic, lime and of course cilantro. Simple enough. I just had to work out the proportions.

I call this the Cuban French Fries.

• Fresh or frozen yucca can be used. I find it easier to use the frozen kind. Cut the frozen yucca into 2-inch pieces, microwave for 5 minutes to defrost and cook.
• Heat a pan with about 1/2  inch of oil. I use canola oil.
• Fry the yucca pieces until golden brown.

Cilantro-Lime Sauce

• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 2 T  lime juice.  I like adding some zest of citrus to any dish I make calling for citrus.
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 c packed cilantro, leaves and stem

Process everything in a food processor. Alternatively, mince the garlic using a mortar, finely chopped the cilantro and mix everything.

I also use this sauce on fried plantain,  as vegetable dip and dressing for meat sandwiches. I am sure it will be good with French fries too!

Crabs In Fish Sauce (Pinatisang Alimango)

I grew up in the fishing town of Malabon in the Philippines. My grandparents owned acres of fish ponds where milkfish, shrimps and crabs were raised. This crab recipe is one of many my grandmother cooked using the crops from the fish ponds. I wish I had made notes or took pictures even when my grandmother was in the kitchen. All that I have of her now is  in my memory.  Wonderful memories that always bring tears.

Here’s what you need.

• 1 dozen female live crabs
• 1 head of garlic, minced
• 1 big onion, cut in half, then sliced
• 1/4 c white vinegar
• 1/4 c Patis or fish sauce
• 1 T Canola oil

Here in the US, I use the blue crabs from Maryland as pictured but should be live.  I always make a big batch of this dish because this is one of those dishes whose flavor improves after a day or two, that is, if you happen to have leftovers. The crab apron tells you which is the male and which is the female.  I found this website: www.lpsteamers.com/sex.html.  It’s funny how the apron is described. Female apron looks like the dome of the Capitol Building whereas the male’s is shaped like the Washington Monument.

For this dish, the female crab is favored because they have more tamale which is what makes this good.

Preparing the crab for this dish is the hard part! It is a cruel process and you just have to get passed it, just like preparing for the broiled lobster. As they say, somebody has to do it.  I guarantee no one will think of this process once they taste the dish.

• Using a kitchen tong, take a crab and lay it upside down on a chopping board and with a cleaver, cut it in half crosswise.
• Clean each half  by removing the bottom, discard.
• Separate the shell from the body. Discard the gills or plume-like white part.
• Taking the shell, discard the antennae and the eyes.
• Wash each piece in running water being careful not to wash out the tamale.
• Save any tamale that falls off in the process.

Now you cook.

• In a big pan or wok, heat the oil. Add the garlic and saute until light brown.
• Add the onions, cook until wilted.  I really put a lot of Vidalia or sweet onions on this.
• Add the saved tamale and saute for about 2 minutes or until it turns orange.
• Add the crabs, vinegar and fish sauce.
• Cover and cook for  15-20 minutes, turning over to get the fish sauce-vinegar flavor onto all the crabs. This will produce water from the steaming but you may add water for more sauce, if desired.

That’s the basic. You can create another dish using this: Crabs in Coconut Milk. Following the Filipino love for coconut, you can add a 14-oz can of coconut milk and some sliced jalapeno peppers. Simmer until the sauce thickens.

Enjoy!

Taro Bread (Ube Pandesal)

Pandesal is the most popular bread in the Philippines. The name is actually  Spanish. Pan de sal. Salt bread, the basic ingredients being flour, lard, yeast, sugar and salt.

Ube is purple yam. I just love ube that I try to incorporate it whenever I can in my cooking. Ube is not available fresh here in the United States. Frozen ube is sold in Filipino food stores and ube powder is sold in Asian stores. This recipe calls for ube powder.

To make plain pandesal use the same recipe below except, reduce the sugar  to 1 T ,  the yeast to 3 tsp and water to 1 1/2 cups.

Ingredients:

• 2 c water
• 4 1/2 c bread flour. I like King Arthur’s flour, I also like to weigh the flour as I get consistent results. The Escali Digital scale is calibrated for all types of King Arthur’s flours.
• 1 envelope (4.06 oz) ube powder
• 1 t salt
• 1/4  c sugar
• 6 T  butter
• 4 t  instant yeast
• 1/2 c plain bread crumbs
• Yields 24 pieces

Procedure:

• Mix 1 c water,  2 c bread flour and the ube powder in a bowl.
• If using a bread maker to make the dough, simply put the ingredients in the pan and set  to dough. With the bread maker I don’t have to be mindful of the kneading and rising process and if I have to make more, I just load up another batch to the machine while the other one is getting a second rising after shaping.
• If using a mixer or a food processor, make sure the water is about 110 degrees and the butter is soft. Knead until the dough forms a ball and does not stick to the sides of the mixer. Put in an oiled bowl and let rise until double in volume.
• Cut the dough into 2 pieces and shape each into a log about 1 1/2 inch round. Shape, roll in bread crumbs and arrange in baking sheet. Let it rest and rise for another 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat the over to 375 degrees.
• Put the baking sheet in the middle rack  and bake for 15 minutes.

Meat Rolls

These are bread or rolls with meat filling. I make either beef menudo or chicken soy sauce or chicken adobo. The filling must be pre-cooked before filling the dough.

Prepare the dough.

• 1 C water
• 3  C bread flour
• 3 T powdered  milk
• 3 T sugar
• 2 T butter
• 1 t salt
• 2 1/2 t instant yeast

Put all the ingredients in the bread maker in the order listed. Set to dough. Alternatively, mix all the ingredients and knead in a mixer  or by hand kneading until dough is soft and pliable. Put in greased bowl. cover and  rise until double.

Cut the dough into 12 – 15 pieces about the size of a golf ball. Flatten each piece and put 3 T of filling in the center. Gather the edges and tuck underneath, seal with water.  Put each filled dough in a piece of wax paper, about 3 inches square with the seal on the bottom.

Make an egg wash with 1 egg yolk  and 1 T water. Brush the top of each roll before baking.

Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Meat filling: Beef Menudo

• 1/2 lb sirloin or any low-fat piece, cut in very small cubes or use ground meat
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 red sweet pepper, diced
• 1 medium potato, diced
• 1 t dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
• 1 dried bay leaf or 2 pieces fresh leaves
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 t sea salt
• ground pepper

Cook the filling and cool before filling the dough.

• In 2 T canola oil, fry the potato until brown. Drain and set aside.
• In the same pan, add 1 T oil and saute the garlic and onion.
• Add the meat and herbs cook until the meat browns
• Add the rest of the ingredients.
• Season according to taste.