Just another stir-fried vg

Ceylon spinach (alogbate)

Shitake mushroom

Fry the chopped garlic

Add the sliced onions

Add some meat if desired. Add pepper powder.

Add the mushrooms

Stir until well mixed. Allow some water to come out
from the mushrooms and cook them in it.

Add the ceylon spinach. Add some oyster sauce.

Stir for a while but not too long. Do not overcook the spinach.

cooking again!

last post was in may. since that time my interaction with my stove has been erratic. hmmm kitchen is there, but mainly for opening the fridge to get the yoghurt and soy milk. an occasional use of the microwave for sausages and the like. making coffee and toast. but no serious cooking. but yesterday, sunday, i was cooking again! rather, we were cooking again! maybe the lack of homemade meals in our diet has taken its toll, we were craving for something different. so last saturday we went to our suki seller of organic vegetables. bought some stuff. as there was a fisheries exhibition in the same mall, we went there and saw that the DOF was selling smoked milkfish (bangus). we bought one to try it at home. yesterday, after church, we cooked our lunch at home. we seldom do lunch at home, by the way. after putting on the rice cooker, i prepared the fresh shitake mushrooms (เห็ดหอม/fragrant mushroom) and spinach (ผักขม, Popeye's food accdg to the seller), and sliced some garlic and onions. then it was time to stir fry them! my dear hubby volunteered to stir the veggies for me. he took over the cooking then! i just placed the oyster sauce and the soy sauce nearby so he would know these have to be added. he can cook it better than i can, i supposed. i tend to overcook the vegetables but for him he knows just when to take them from the fire, the thai way of stir frying veggies. after that it was my turn to heat the smoked milkfish. it was not boneless but the DOF pressure cooked it first before smoking. so we did not have to worry about the bones. it smelled good but did not know how it would taste. so when everything was ready, we were so hungry that we sat down to eat, after thanking the Lord for His provision. we forgot to take photos of our sunday masterpiece. some other time. the taste was ok, but since we ran out of our chilli powder (pla ku lao prik thai), there was no spicy flavoring. it was still ok though. except that the black belly that milkfish is famous for among the Filipinos was missing!



Thanks to the following sources, esp. for photos. Visit them for more information and links:
marketmanila.com
vinegargirl.com
wikipedia.org

Halo-halo

I was glad to be able to eat halo-halo when I went home to the Phils last April. Actually I really wanted to eat halo-halo from Chowking but I was not able to. One day we went to the beach and we had some at a nearby shop. It tasted good. With the heat all around us, eating halo-halo really refreshed us. There are many variations to the mixture of halo-halo. The best ones are those that put a variety of fruits in season, with toppings of ice cream and ube halaya. Some have roasted pinipig and peanuts. Hmmm wish I can have one again. Somehow the khanom wan yen here in Thailand does not taste the same, despite nearly similar basic ingredients, like crushed ice, milk, sugar/syrup ... and any topping of fruit and nuts.

Pochero

This dish is very basic and simple. Potatoes can also be added. At home, we use cooking bananas (saba) and sweet potato (camote) instead of carrots, beans and potato. For a nice smell, we also add edible lemon grass.

Ingredients:
Tenderloin pork (cut into pieces) - can be substituted with beef, chicken or fish
Carrots
Beans
Cabbage

How to cook:
1. Boil the meat until tender.
2. Add carrots and beans. Cook until soft.
3. Add cabbage. Season to taste.
4. Bring to boil one time and remove from fire.