Soup it up!

This morning I woke up with a purpose! Nax! In the Philippines "nax" could mean anything. For me, at this moment, it is equivalent, but not limited, to an elbow jab plus an affirmation of how good it is to have woken up in the right frame of mind.

Anyway, I would like to talk about food! What particular food are you and your family into? I would like to think that in my family, my kind of food is their kind of food too! I know how to feed my family and I am aware of the kind of food they prefer. My children are more inclined to stews, sauces, sinigang (tamarind based soup), and of course the usual junk pizza and sweet spaghetti. These days as much as I would like to have the same appetite as theirs, I refrain to. Best part is that the whole family has done away with softdrinks since August last year! Plus we try to eat as much healthy food as possible. So…hooray!

Well today I would like to share with you a very healthy recipe. I learned the recipe early this year while watching a show on tv. It’s very nutritious and very easy to cook. The recipe is called Sinuwang. I don’t know much about its origins (region wise) but it can be compared to Bulanglang which uses almost the same ingredients except corn.

I did a little twist to the recipe and called it Crab and Corn Sinuwang. So for this deliciously healthy soup, you will need the following:

Featured at Mommy Mundo

1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken broth

1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

I thumb-sized ginger, grated

1/4 medium-sized squash, sliced

1 can corn kernels, preserve corn water

Fish sauce

Ground white pepper

Salt (just a little)

1 bunch chili leaves

7 to 10 pieces crab sticks, shredded

Procedure

1. In a pot, heat chicken broth for about 5 minutes.

2. Toss in garlic, onions, and ginger.

3. After 2 minutes, toss in squash. Let boil.

4. Pour the entire contents of the corn in can into boiling pot.

5. Season with fish sauce, white pepper, and a little salt.

6. Lower heat and toss in shredded crab sticks.

7. Turn heat off when squash is tender. Toss in chili leaves and cover pot. Serve hot. You may add more chicken broth.

It's a versatile dish that instead of crab you can use chicken, beef, pork or mussels. You can add coconut milk to add more flavor. Let your imagination run wild!  😍

By the way this recipe was featured at  Mommy Mundo! 

Food for the soul

Our family's diet has passed through different stages... I used to have a hard time thinking of what to prepare for my husband, being a picky eater. I'd always have to think hard and long what to cook. Making a weekly menu helps but it means having to buy more grocery stuff. Not wanting to add more to the list, I am always forced to serve the same dish to my children rather than cook two viands just because only my kids and I eat beef.

Thankfully all that has changed. My husband and I have been weaning ourselves off rice. These days I've been spending shorter times in the kitchen. Our diet consists mainly of vegetables, protein, and fruits. Our kids are exempted from this discipline as far as rice is concerned. But we do have them eat more vegetables. Am discovering more fun ways to serve our veggies. To make them look and taste interesting. I want to be off rice permanently and I feel that my husband is trying his best to keep his resolve.

I love whipping up old recipes with new ideas. Let me share with you some of my recipes. Tonight i made my own version of Yakisoba. For this recipe you'd need the following:

2 cups of beansprouts
2 cups of thinly sliced napa cabbage
1/4 cup thinly sliced meat or shrimps
1 cup japanese tofu cut into cubes
Soy sauce
Mirin
Sesame seeds
1 tbsp minces garlic
1 onion sliced
1 tsp minced ginger
Sesame oil
Salt (optional) and pepper to taste

1. Blanch napa cabbage and beanprouts. Set aside when done.
2. Fry thinly sliced pork in very little oil. Set aside.
3. Saute onion, ginger, and garlic in a little oil. Toss in the pork and fresh noodles pour a little sesame oil. Cook in medium fire for no longer than 5 minutes.
4. Pour in about 2 tbsp mirin or 1 tbsp brown sugar and soy sauce. Pour 1/4 c of water. Put a dash of ground pepper and salt. (Put salt only if necessary, normally soy sauce is enough) Remove from heat. Toss in the rest of the veggies and mix until fully coated with soy. Top with sesame seeds and serve hot.

Enjoy! ;)

Gerger

There is this one leafy veggie that I have began to like eating...and the locals call it Gerger. Back home gerger meant something else and, no offense meant, but am sure my gay friends would know what this means :) Gerger is also known as Arugula or Eruca Vesicaria. It is normally used in salads or eaten raw with Kabsa (Roast chicken served with Basmati rice). It has a peculiar taste which I find very pleasant. It tastes a bit like sesame seeds. I had a handful served along with fried fish over dinner this evening. I sprinkled my gerger salad with olive oil (which is quite inexpensive here). I made a mental note to squeeze a tad of lemon next time and fresh black pepper. And perhaps serve it with grapes and crumbled feta cheese. Yum!