Asian cooking, culture and stories of recipes
The Filipino Kilawin Pusong Saging is a basic sauteed dish of crisp banana blossoms, garlic, onions, sauteed in rice vinegar and flavored with fish sauce. One can use a big, fresh banana blossom, from a banana tree or find it in Asian markets. If using the fresh blossom, soak the coarse, thick leaves first in salt and water to soften before cooking. For this recipe, I used canned banana blossoms, which shortened the cooking time and because I didn’t have access to a fresh puso ng saging .
The Salabat is the traditional Filipino Ginger Tea, made from fresh ginger slices. In the Philippines, this is a cure-all for sore throats, coughs, colds, or upset stomachs. It is also recommended to soothe vocal chords. It can also serve as a wellness beverage. The combination of a fresh ginger brew, honey and citrus juice like calamansi or lemon provide curative effects when taken often.
Like the rest of the world, my heart is heavy. We are experiencing the coronavirus crisis, a global pandemic that is threatening our lives and that of everyone we know and love. Our generation has never seen this before. While our parents and grandparents had World War II to endure, this crisis here is ours…
The Japanese Hamburger Steak – Hambagu is a Western-style beef burger steak pan-fried and flavored with a thick, savory gravy. Filipinos love burgers and this dish has all the familiar flavors of a soy sauce-based entree. For my recipe version, I used both ground beef and ground pork. This cooks quick and easy for a family meal any day.
The Filipino Kilawin Pusong Saging is a basic sauteed dish of crisp banana blossoms, garlic, onions, sauteed in rice vinegar and flavored with fish sauce. One can use a big, fresh banana blossom, from a banana tree or find it in Asian markets. If using the fresh blossom, soak the coarse, thick leaves first in salt and water to soften before cooking. For this recipe, I used canned banana blossoms, which shortened the cooking time and because I didn’t have access to a fresh puso ng saging .
Pancit Canton is a basic stir fry noodle dish which is the Filipino version of Chinese fried noodles cooked in a skillet or wok. This is a versatile entree which can be a family meal or transform to a party dish. There are many versions of this Philippine favorite and different meats, seafood and vegetables are added to it. For this specific meatless recipe, I used shrimps and vegetables
Green Beans Guisado with Pork Bagnet is my version of a Filipino sauteed (guisado) vegetable dish with crisp, pork chunks of bagnet, the Ilocano lechon kawali. First, I cooked the crunchy pork pieces by boiling the whole slab, then chopping it into bite-sized pieces for the deep fry. Then, I sauteed the green beans in patis (fish sauce) and added the pork. The soft, savory green beans were a good contrast to the crunchy pork and made for a wholesome meal served with rice.
