Mixed vegetables or "pinakbet in tagalog"

Mixed vegetables or "pinakbet in tagalog"  Recipe 

Here are the ingredients: 
1 large egg plant, sliced
1 medium-sized bitter melon, chopped
1/4 pound squash - chopped into 2×1 inch cubes
3 pieces large tomatoes, sliced
1 piece onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 to 8 pieces of okra
1 bunch string beans, cut in 3 inches length
4 tablespoons of shrimp paste ("bagoong alamang in tagalog")
oyster sauce
3 tbsp cooking oil

Cooking Procedure:
1. Cook the shrimp paste first. Heat the pan and put the cooking oil. When oil is hot enough, saute the garlic then put the shrimp paste. Then set it aside.

2. Heat the pan again and put oil. When oil is hot enough put the garlic, onions and tomatoes.

3. Put-in the squash and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until texture becomes soft

4. Add the remaining vegetables and mix with the other ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked. (Do not overcook the vegetables)

5. Then put small amount of cooked shrimp paste because it's too salty. 

6. Put the oyster sauce then serve this dish with hot rice and cooked smoked fish.

* You can keep the remaining sauteed shrimp in a container for future use. You can also put this on raw mangoes.

Lumpiang Shanghai or Shanghai Spring Rolls made with Ground Pork

Filipino people love to cook different types of dishes most especially during special occasions like birthday parties and other gatherings.

Lumpiang Shanghai

Lumpiang Shanghai is a dish that is never forgotten during special occasions.  You could do different versions of Shanghai Spring roll by using different kinds of meat (chicken, pork or beef) or fish (Galunggong or Dalagang Bukid.  This is also one of my favorite dish during rainy seasons.

Ingredients:

Lumpia Wrappers

It costs twenty five pesos for a pack of lumpia wrapper (fifty pieces per pack) - Market price in our Public Market.

2-3 pieces of eggs

This serves as the binder for all the ingredients.

In our public market - it costs five pesos per egg.

3 pieces of Red Bell Pepper 

Chop the bell peppers finely.  I love red bell peppers :)

2 pieces of onions

Chop it finely.  

Well, I'm afraid to chop the onions because it makes me cry.

Few Pieces of Garlic

Mince the garlic.  Kids refused to eat this so make sure to mince it finely.  Sometimes I'm using a chopping board and a big knife to mince the garlic.

Carrot or Two pieces of carrots

Carrots are good for the eyes because of it's nutritive value.  Chop it finely.

A stalk of celery

Chop this finely.  Some parents does not include this on this type of dish.

1/4 kilograms of Ground Pork

2-3 pieces of potatoes (finely chopped)

a teaspoon of pickle relish

Putting too much pickle relish on this dish would make it sour so make sure to use a small amount of it.   This is optional. 

Other Ingredients:

half teaspoon of ground black pepper 

1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce

Vegetable or Cooking Oil for Frying

half teaspoon of iodized salt

Cooking Method

1. Saute' the garlic, onions, and red bell pepper using few drops of vegetable or cooking oil.  Avoid too much oil for the ground pork would produce oil which make it difficult to wrap it using the lumpia wrapper.

2. Then put the ground pork.  By doing so, we are sure that the meat is cooked well before putting it on the lumpia wrappers.

3. Remove it from heat then mix it with the finely chopped potatoes, carrots, and celery.

4. Let it cool down.  

5. Mix the remaining ingredients.

6. Put three tablespoons of the mix ingredients onto the lumpia wrapper and seal it with water.

Seriously - I'm not good in sealing lumpia wrappers with vegetables and meat.  Some are using a teaspoon of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water as the sealer.

7. Fry it slowly until it'x golden brown.  Slowly frying of the lumpia makes it crispier.  Use a strainer to strain the excess oil from the spring rolls and enjoy it with a hot rice, puto, pansit bihon, pansit palabok or spaghetti :)  You could use banana catsup for dipping.

My Version of Adobong Pusit “Squid”

Cooking this meal is fast and easy.

Some people would add carrots, pork and oyster sauce on this dish.

Facts  About This Squid Meal:

This type of meal is available in the Philippines.  Most of the Filipino people knows how to cook this meal.

A traditional type of squid is smaller in size which tastes much better than the big ones which is also known as Calamares.

Nutrient Value of a Squid:

·         It is known to be a good source of phosphorus which is good for our bones and teeth.

·         It’s a good source of protein and minerals that helps stabilize the sugar of an individual.

·         A good source of copper which is good for our red blood cells.

·         Good for those people with arthritis.

·         A good prevention for migraine.

·         Rich in zinc that helps improve one’s immunity to fight infections and diseases.

I’m not a health expert but I find squids better than meat products.

Ingredients:

·         1 kilograms of fresh squids

·         2-3 pieces of tomatoes

·         2 tablespoons of cooking oil

·         one head of garlic (minced)

·         2-3 pieces of onions

·         3 pieces of chili pepper

·         1 tablespoon of salt and black pepper to taste

·         3 tablespoons of soy sauce

·         2 tablespoons of vinegar



Cooking Method:

1.     Saute’ the garlic until it turned brown in color.  Saute’ the onions and tomatoes.

2.     Add the cleaned squids.  

3.     Add the remaining ingredients and cook it for ten minutes in very low fire.

Since we do not have a housemaid, I usually do the household chores which allowed me to learn how to cook.  I just have a difficulty budgeting our money.  I don’t have an idea what to cook earlier.  It’s good that I saw some vendors selling some fresh squids which costs one hundred twenty pesos per kilo in the public market.

My husband prefer a spicier version of squid.