Afritada with Real Tomatoes

My second son hates eating viand that has red sauces (yeah, he doesn’t dig spaghetti too, pretty weird for a 7 year old). Thus I am kinda restricted on cooking food that has tomato sauces. However today, I really craved for Afritada for lunch. But how can I cook Afritada without the red tomato sauce from the can?

So this is what I did… I fried 4 plump red tomatoes. The reason why I fried them is for me to easily peel off the thin tomato skin. After frying and peeling I set it aside and prepared the rest of the Afritada ingredients.

I used the fried tomatoes as substitute for the canned tomato sauce. I Mashed the tomatoes with the rest of the Afritada ingredients and mixed. Let it simmer until the sauce thickens. Yummy.

The verdict, my son ate 2 platefuls for his lunch.

Fried Rice Supreme

Pair this with fried chicken and banana catsup wow. Or eat this as is “kanin pa lang ulam na”.

Ingredients:
6 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup minced smoked ham or bacon bits
1 big clove of garlic smashed and minced
1/4 cup onion chives
1 carrot minced
1/2 cup canned sweet corn kernels
2 eggs, fried and chopped
2 tbsp seasoning or soy sauce, to add color to cooked rice
2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1tbsp ginisa mix (optional)

Procedure:

1. Melt 1 tbsp butter in wok pan over low heat. Add garlic and sauté until color turns to light brown. Add onion chives mix then add the carrots. Sauté for 30 seconds.
2. Add another 1 tbsp of butter. Then add ham and stir fry with the other ingredients.
3. Adjust to medium heat then add the cooked rice and mix well (prevent the rice from sticking on the pan) with the other ingredients in the wok. Add the seasoning, this will give the rice a brownish color and a tasty aroma.
4. Add the corn kernel then mix. Then add the chopped fried eggs and mix it well.
5. Add salt and pepper according to your taste. You may also dash some ginisa powder mix.

Roasted Milkfish (Bangus)

I added taba ng talangka to enhance the taste of this traditional dish.

Ingredients:
2 boneless bangus
3 medium sized tomatoes chopped
1 medium sized onion chopped
1 tsp ground pepper
Taba ng talangka (crab fat)
1 small pack of any ginisa or sauté mix (optional)

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat the oven 350 deg for 5 mins
2. Mix tomatoes, onions and ground pepper. Set aside.
3. Spread crab fat evenly on the bangus meat.



4. Then stuff the bangus with the tomato and onion mix.
5. Sprinkle the bangus skin with ginisa mix. This will give the roasted bangus a brownish color.
6. Semi wrap the bangus in aluminum foil. Letting one side exposed to oven heat.



7. Place inside the oven and set it to 300 deg. Let is roast for 20 mins.

Serve with calamansi, toyo, siling labuyo, and hot plain rice.

Kinalamansiang Adobo

One weekend my kids were raving for the chicken adobo ulam they love. Because of their clamor the more I wanted to impress them. So viola, I cooked a super special adobo with a PUNCH.

Lip smacking adobo!

Ingredients:
1 Kilo adobo cut chicken
6 medium size calamansi, squeezed and separate the seeds
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
2 1/2 tbsps oyster sauce
2 garlic gloves crushed and minced
2 red onion bulbs sliced
pinch of ground pepper
7 asparagus stalks cut diagonally into halves

Procedure:

1. Rub the chicken with small amount of rock salt then wash. This will remove the lansa
2. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
3. Sauté the garlic until the color is light brown.
4. Put the onions, add the chicken and calamansi juice. Sauté until chicken meat is slightly cooked.
5. Add the soy sauce and pinch of ground pepper. Cover and simmer in medium heat for 1 minute. Add water mix, cover, and simmer in medium heat for 2 minutes.
6. Add the oyster sauce, mix and let it simmer in low heat for 3 minutes. Occasionally check the chicken if meat very already tender. An indication that this dish is done when the sauce has become oily.
7. If sauce is already oily add the asparagus then cover for 1 minute.

Mango Summer Salad

A salad recipe I made during one hot summer night this 2009. I recommend this to refresh your dinner.

Ingredients:
2 cups romaine lettuce cut into 1 inch strips
1 whole salad tomato remove the seeds and cut into wedges
1 whole small red onion sliced very thinly
1/2 half cucumber sliced
1 whole mango cut into cubes
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing: I used French dressing the brand is Praise about 1/4 cup
You may also use other dressing that is vinegar and oil based

Procedure:

1. Mix all the ingredients and top it with your dressing.
2. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Then toss.
3. Leave it for about 3 to 5 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.