Cheap and healthy, the mung bean is the solution to s t r e t c h i n g the budget. It can be eaten as a soup or main dish. This recipe serves 6 persons. Ingredients: 3/4 cup mung beans– soak in water for 1 hour and drain 200 grams pork belly – sliced into ½-inch by 1-inch bits 2 tablespoons cooking oil 10 garlic cloves – peel and leave whole 1 whole onion – coarsely chopped 1 bay leaf (laurel) 8 cups water or chicken or pork broth 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon sautéed shrimp paste or 3 pieces finely chopped anchovies 1 pork seasoning cube (Knorr) salt to taste – start with ½ teaspoon 1 cup baby spinach leaves or talbos ng ampalaya (bitter melon shoots) or malunggay leaves Procedure: Using a 10 cup saucepan, sauté garlic and onion with oil, over low-medium flame, until the onion is translucent. Add shrimp paste and stir for 1 minute. Drop in the pork belly and continue sautéing for 3 minutes. Add the mungbeans and mix. Pour in water and add bay leaf and pork seasoning cube. Simmer over low fire until the mung beans and pork are tender. Season with pepper and salt. Simmer for another 5 minutes. When almost ready to serve, mix in the baby spinach leaves. Serve. Also goes well with steamed white rice....

Rainy days and merienda (afternoon tea or snack) time call for Arroz Caldo. This one is the chicken version. The other versions use pork or beef innards called Goto. There is also a ‘pamahiin’(old wives tale) that when you start building a house, you serve Arroz Caldo to the workers so that good luck will come upon the building of the home. Ingredients: 1 one whole grain fed chicken cut into serving pieces or 500 grams mixed (breast and thigh) chicken fillets – cut into 1-inch by 1-inch by ½-inch pieces 1 onion – slice into strips 2 whole garlic – minced 2 teaspoons ginger – sliced julienne (like match sticks) ¼ cup cooking oil 6 to 8 cups water or chicken broth (6 cups to start with and adding later as necessary) 2 chicken cubes Maggi or Knorr cubes 2 tablespoons fish sauce ½ cup malagkit (glutinous) rice (from Asian food store) salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons spring onion – sliced thinly into rounds for garnish and flavor Procedure: In a 4 quart casserole, over medium-low fire, sauté the garlic in ¼ cup cooking oil till light golden brown. Remove the garlic and set aside. Separate about 2 teaspoons garlic and return to pot and sauté with the onions. Sauté the onion and garlic till the onions are translucent. Place chicken in mixture and sauté till chicken pieces are slightly brown. Add the fish sauce and glutinous rice; stir to mix. Pour in water/broth and add chicken cubes. Simmer chicken and rice, adding extra water/broth when necessary, till tender. (about 45 minutes) Check every 10 minutes to stir the pot. Season with salt, pepper and fish sauce. Garnish with spring onions and fried garlic. Soup should be on the thick side. Serve while...

Ingredients: 500 grams thinly sliced (1/4-inch thick) New York cut – using the blunt side of knife, pound all over the meat; both sides (secret to having tender beef) 2 cups sliced onions (half moon – cut onion in half, lengthwise and slice 1/8-inch thick) 1 teaspoon minced garlic ¼ cup light soy sauce 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1 ½ teaspoons calmansi juice salt and pepper to taste 1 cup corn flakes crumbs or bread crumbs– place on plate 1 whole egg – beaten – place in a bowl cooking oil for sautéing (2 tablespoons) and frying (about 1 cup) Procedure: Meat: Dip each slice of beef in egg; then dip and cover all over in corn flake crumbs. Set aside. In a frying pan, place 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and sauté the garlic and onions till the onions are translucent (wilted). Pour in the soy sauce, water, lemon juice; Season with salt (1/8 teaspoon and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper) Set aside.Combining the Rest of the Ingredients: In another frying pan, over medium heat, pour in enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot (180°C), fry the steak slices, one by one, one minute each side; then set aside. In the pan, with the onion mixture, place the fried steak and simmer with cover, for 5 minutes. Serve. Goes well with steamed rice or mashed potatoes. Notes: To make the regular Bistek, do away with the crumbs, beaten eggs but you still must fry each one. You can also use sirloin cut for this. The New York cut is just more...

Ox tongue is one of the cheapest cuts of meat nowadays because it takes a few hours to prepare and cook it; but one must remember there is hardly any part of the tongue that you discard. It has a different flavor from the other cuts of beef but with the addition of some herbs and spices, it has its own savory flavor. How to clean the ox tongue: In a pot that can totally submerge the ox tongue, fill with water and bring to a boil. Place the ox tongue in the water and let cook for half an hour. Remove the ox tongue from the liquid and remove the white membrane that surrounds the ox tongue. If membrane is hard to remove, return to the hot liquid and continue to boil for another 15 minutes. Keep doing this till all the white membrane is removed. In the USA, Australia and other countries, the ox tongue is already clean; this step is not necessary. Ingredients: 1 ox tongue (its around 1 plus kilo) water to cover tongue in a pot 2 bay leaves 10 whole peppercorns 4 pieces cloves 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 onions – quartered ¼ cup soy sauce Garnishing: 100 grams mushrooms – cut into four (sauté mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 carrot – cut into small squares and blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes ¼ cup green peas Sauce: 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons butter 2 cups of cooking liquid 1 piece beef cube 1 tablespoon red wine salt and pepper to taste Tenderizing the ox tongue: In a pot, place ox tongue and add water till the tongue is fully submerged. Add the onions, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, salt, tomato paste and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour. Remove ox tongue from cooking and liquid and slice into desired size. I prefer to slice them into ¼-inch thick oblong pieces. Return the ox tongue into the cooking liquid and continue to simmer till the ox tongue is tender. Remove the ox tongue from the liquid and arrange in a baking dish. Make the sauce. Sauce: In a small sauce pan, over low fire, place the butter and flour. Using a wire whisk, stir the butter and flour till the smell of the flour doesn’t smell raw. Pour a fourth cup of cooking liquid into butter/flour mixture and stir well till well blended. Continue doing this until all the liquid (2 cups) have been added. Continue simmering for 5 minutes. Remove from fire and pour on top of ox tongue. Scatter mushrooms, carrots and peas on top of sauce. To make...

I first tasted this dish in San Fernando, Pampanga. C.G. Garcia, a realtor in San Fernando had a restaurant and that is where I first tasted it. The original recipe of this dish was too oily (it was deep fried twice) and as usual, I tweaked it to make it healthier. Fish Ingredients: 1 kilo fish fillet – labahita, ocean perch, sole – de-bone and slice into serving slices 2-inches x 4-inches or whole tilapia 1 tablespoon lemon or calamansi juice or mirin Sauce Ingredients: ¼ kilo tomatoes – blanch, skin, peel and cut into quarters 50 grams coriander – chop coarsely 2 cups onions – chop coarsely 2 tablespoons garlic – chop finely 2 lemon grass white stalks – chop finely 1 tablespoon ginger – finely chopped ¼ cup oyster sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons cooking oil ¼ cup light soy sauce 1 teaspoon finely crushed black pepper 1 tablespoon cassava (arrowroot) flour dissolved in 2 tablespoons water Fish Preparation Procedure: Rub the fish fillets with lemon juice and lay out on over-proof serving dish lined with banana leaf. If you are using a whole tilapia, fry tilapia with a little oil, on both sides, just to seal it; about 1 minute per side. Procedure: In a medium sized sauce pan, over low fire, pour in the oils (cooking and sesame) and sauté the onions, and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add in the ginger and lemon grass; continue sautéing for another 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and black pepper. Stir and continue simmering for 1 minute. Add the coriander and the cassava flour mixture. Cook for another minute and remove from flame. Pour sauce over the fillets and bake for 15 – 20 minutes at 180°C or 350°F. Serve with boiled...

I could write a chapter of my life dedicated to my friendship with Antonio (Tony) Kornerup. Tony is now smiling down at me from that blissful place in Paradise and I miss his challenging company. Instead of writing that chapter for this particular recipe, I will instead write down what he wrote about me. This piece came about in 1996, when I had asked him to write something about me; something that I might use for the publication of my book “The Secret Is In The Sauce.” At that time of my life I didn’t want it too known that that I was a ‘witch’. But now, who cares if people know that I am a ‘witch’ and so, here is what Tony wrote about me. En el centro de la isla de Luzon, por alla en el ano de 1980. It was hot, hot, hot! The summer’s sun was at its peak, shinning over the plains of Central Luzon and over the Barangay San Isidro (not the one connected with the late famous fugitive), when a gentle breeze tickled my delicate and large nose with a subtle aroma that persisted over the dust and heat; it brought back from perennial memories the enchanting fumes given by cauldrons of magic concoctions performed by undefined and unknown culinary spirits. Enticed to follow it, I obeyed this strange compulsion until I discerned a very young and beautiful witch bent over cooking pans, emerging from cloudy steams, elaborating the family fare of the day, Kare Kare. Being a curious admirer of gourmet concoctions, I cast a spell inquiring about her enchantments. Her inner being was powered by a very strong will that flamed around her, like the interior fires that Mother Earth spews through active volcanic craters; her light was enticing yet dangerous; her warmth was sincere; her heart was very much palpitating with love for life, pain, concern, the Universe, the known and unknown, cooking and baking. That was my first look of MARIANNE As it was pre-ordained by destiny, we met physically in a very ordinary, every day store at the market place, in a dusty town with a Royal and Holy Name (San Fernando, Pampanga). Since then, through the years, glimpses of her life, her loves, her fights and difficulties, her quests in her way upon this Earth, were tenderly offered for sharing, commenting, dissecting, enduring and forecasting; knowing that the choices and decisions will dictate the outcome, the realization of dreams and enjoyment of daily toiling. Having a very active and restless mind, Marianne loves to experiment; to look for new ways to obtain and prepare new dishes; to share new culinary skills; should I mention her special...

Never in my wildest dream did I think that I would be perfecting the Sans Rival and making a small business with it. Being here in Sydney, with time to create and experiment, I thought that doing things that I never had time to do in the Philippines, would just be the thing to stir my creative juices. Here I present to you, the Ultimate Sans Rival; crispy and creamy without being too sweet. I was told by one of my customers, Neni Manalo, who ordered a bunch to give away for Christmas, winded up keeping most of it and just eating it by herself. That to me is the ultimate test that I have reached my goal in perfecting the Sans Rival. Special Equipment: 4 pieces ring mould for frying eggs – this is one of the discoveries I made; you can make a perfect mold for individual servings of Sans Rival and if making a cake, use a 8-inch embroidery hoop. Isn’t that just fantastic! Necessity is the mother of invention. This recipe makes 8 individual, three-layered cakes or one 8-inch diameter, four layered cake.To make the cake, divide the formula so that the meringue, for the next two layers, does not weep while waiting to be baked. The trick here is to divide the whipped meringue before adding the nuts and just whip again to bring up the volume before adding the other half of the nuts. Of course, one can also have a big oven and bake the meringue layers all at once. Preheat oven to 250°F or 130°C Line two cookie sheets with baking paper Ingredients: ¾ cup egg whites with 1 drop of lemon juice and ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar 115 grams of coarsely chopped, lightly roasted cashew nuts ½ teaspoon vanilla essence Plus 50 grams chopped cashew nuts for topping Note: You can also use almonds or macadamia nuts or combination of nuts. Procedure: Place egg whites, with 1 drop of lemon juice and ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar, in a mixing bowl and whip at medium speed. When egg whites have doubled in volume, gradually add the caster sugar, in four doses. Continue whipping until the egg whites are slightly stiff, then add the vanilla essence and continue whipping till the egg whites make stiff but moist peaks. Stop. Remove the bowl from the mixer and with a hand held wire whisk, add the coarsely chopped cashew nuts. Just lightly blend. With a rubber spatula, finish the cut and folding of the nuts, just making sure that the nuts are all over the meringue. Each cookie sheet, lined with baking paper, holds 12 meringues....

To celebrate a Filipino birthday, it is a must to have noodles and the Filipino kitchen repertoire for noodles is a treasure trove. To inject being Asian, I have chosen to use the Korean glass noodle for this much loved noodle dish. Ingredients: 500 grams Korean glass noodles (vermicelli) – sweet potato noodles or sotanghon – soak in tap water for 30 minutes; cut into 12-inch lengths and drain 1/2 cup cooking oil 250 grams shrimps or very small prawns – peel; if shrimps, leave whole; prawns, peel, devein and cut into 1-inch slices or slice in half lengthwise 250 grams pork liempo – pork belly – slice 1/2-inch by 1/4-inch pieces 250 grams chicken thigh – slice 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch pieces 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 cup chopped onion 3 tablespoons anato juice – soak 1 tablespoon anato seeds with 1 teaspoon lye water; mix well and then pour in 1/4 cup boiling hot water; leave to soak for ½ hour 10 grams dried wood ear mushroom (tenga ng daga) – soak in hot water and slice julienne 4 cups chicken broth – warmed 2 pieces chicken broth cubes or 2 tablespoons powdered chicken stock 2 tablespoons fish sauce (patis) 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (to make it spicier – 1 teaspoon Jabanero sauce) 1 teaspoon salt Garnish 2 eggs and make an omelet – slice into thin strips or 1 doz. cooked quail eggs 1/4 cup spring onion – chopped Procedure: Use a medium sized wok; put over medium-low heat. Warm pot for 2 minutes. Pour oil into wok. Sauté garlic till light gold. Add in the onions and continue to sauté till the onions are translucent. Pour in the anato juice and turn flame to low. Continue sautéing till the anato juice does not smell metallic; around 10 minutes. Add the fish sauce and sauté for 1 minute. Turn flame to medium. Add the pork and chicken pieces and sauté for 5 minutes. Add in the shrimp and continue sautéing for 1 minute. Add the wood ear mushroom. Pour in chicken broth and chicken cubes and turn flame to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with patis, pepper and salt. Simmer for another 5 minutes and adjust taste. Place the drained noodles in the mixed broth, cover and simmer till the noodles are done (around 10 to 15 minutes); but every once in a while, stir the mixture. Test noodles if done and then garnish with sliced egg and green onion. Serve with patis as dipping...

Another Pilipino comfort food is Sinigang. Sinigang has many faces – it can be made with pork, chicken, fish, prawns, or beef; with as many souring agents like green tamarind, lemon juice, calamansi juice, green mangoes, balingbing (carambola), camias, batuan, green tomatoes, and whatever sour fruit you find and that includes santol. It’s basically a sour soup much like the Thai Tom Yum soup with out the fiery chili. Ingredients: 1 kilo corned beef brisket or just plain beef brisket – cut into 2-inch length and 1-inch thick pieces (ask your local butcher to corn the beef brisket; what is always available is silverside but one needs a bit of fat to make this savory dish) ½ of whole watermelon (if big or whole if small) – sliced and seeded into 2-inch by 2-inch pieces 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1 tablespoon crushed garlic 1 whole onion cut into eight parts 3 pieces dried galangal or 1 tablespoon fresh ginger – julienne sliced (like little matchsticks) or 1 lemon grass white stalk – chopped finely ½ cup tamarind paste or 1 to 2 cubes sinigang flavor or 1 to 2 tablespoons sinigang powder mix or 1 cup fresh green tamarind juice from 1 cup fresh green tamarind boiled with 1 ½ cups water 2 long chilies – green or red 3 – 4 taro – use the small ones, peel (if using the bigger ones, cut into ping-pong ball size 1 bunch Kangkong (water spinach) – cut into 3-inch lengths – soak in water for 15 minutes 1 bunch pole beans – cut into 3 inch lengths 12 pieces okra (lady finger) – do not cut fish sauce to taste – start with 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper to taste – start with ¼ teaspoon Procedure: In a large casserole, over medium fire, heat casserole till warm and then place the oil. When oil is hot, place the beef and sear. Do this in batches and remove from the casserole. Sauté the garlic and onions till the onions are translucent. Put in all the watermelon slices and ginger or galangal. Cook for 5 minutes. Add in the beef slices; cover pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the chilies and tamarind paste; continue simmering till tender (about 1 hour or so). Add the taro and simmer for 15 minutes or till the taro can be pierced with a fork. Check the taste; adjust with fish sauce and pepper. When done, add the pole beans; simmer for 3 minutes; then add the kangkong; simmer for 1 minute. Serve hot with steamed rice; with fish sauce or soy sauce or bagoong for...

In whatever country you are in, everyone loves barbeque! And we Pinoys are no exception. But, we’re the only ones that have barbeques named ‘beta max’, ‘Addidas’, and ‘IUD’ to name a few. Here is a sure-fire marinade and procedure that will complete that gathering. The secret to barbeque tasting good to the bone, is marinating it for at the very least 12 hours prior to cooking; it lets the marinade seep in giving it that very savory taste. Ingredients: 1 kilo pork spare ribs – cut per rib strip or cut into 3-inch pieces or 1 kilo chicken legs and thighs or half and half 1/4 cup light soy sauce 1/2 cup white vinegar or ¼ cup calamansi or lemon or lime juice 1/4 cup (50 grams) brown sugar 2 – 4 pieces sili labuyo (bird’s eye chili) – chop finely 1 tablespoon finely crushed garlic 1/4 cup banana ketchup or tomato paste 1/2 cup lemonade (Sprite, 7-Up) 1/2 teaspoon MSG (optional) Procedure: Make a marinade of the soy, vinegar, sugar, chili, garlic, ketchup, lemonade and MSG. The best trick in marinating is to get a plastic bag (Zip-Lock or Glad) and fill it with the pork or chicken pieces. Pour in the marinade and seal bag; try to remove as much of the air. Place in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. Every few hours, turn the bag around so that all the parts get the same flavor. Drain the sauce from the pork or chicken. Steam the pork pieces for 15 minutes. Steam the chicken parts for 20 minutes. Finish cooking by placing them over hot charcoal fire or oven grill till the meats are cooked; anywhere between 10 to 20...