Laing

I only learned to appreciate laing last year and today I am sharing my own recipe version.

Laing is not a Caviteñean dish but a popular spicy dish in Bicol province. Rich and creamy, it's made from dried taro or gabi leaves and coconut milk.

Ingredients:
1 pack dried taro leaves (about 6 cups)
2 cans coconut milk, (fresh or canned)
4-5 cups water
1 small pack hibe(dried shrimps)
3 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 thumbsize ginger, cut in strips
1 chicken bouillon cube (instead of the normal bagoong)
dash of sugar
red or green chilis or chili pepper flakes

Procedure:
Add taro leaves in a large pot and the rest of the ingredients.
Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Cook until the taro leaves have fully absorbed the coconut milk and almost rendering fat.
Serve with rice.

Adobo

Adobo is one of the most well known Filipino dish all over the world. A classic one inherited from our great colonizers the Spaniards but definitely filipinized to adopt to our palate. Usually made with either pork or chicken or like in this recipe combined. The meat is braised in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic.

Caviteños are fond of food terno (pairings) and did you know that adobo is typically paired with kare-kare and kilawin in Cavite City.

Ingredients:
half kilo of chicken cut into serving pieces
half kilo of pork cut in cubes (3- 4 inches)
garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp of peppercorn
1 tsp of sugar
1/4 soy sauce
1/2 cup of vinegar
3 pieces bay leaves
2 tbsp of cooking oil

Procedure:

In a bowl mix half of the pounded garlic, sugar, peppercorn, vinegar and soysauce. Marinade chicken and the pork into this mixture for about 24 hours in the refrigerator. Place the marinated chicken and pork with the sauce, bay leaves and half a glass of water in a casserole and cover it. Simmer over medium fire for 30 minutes. Remove meat from the casserole to a plate. Remove the sauce to a separate bowl. Put the oil in the casserole and brown the meat. Return the sauce back in the casserole with the meat. Simmer until sauce thicken.

Ginataang Tahong

Mussels is one of the abundantly available seafood in Cavite city and one of my favorite ways to cooked it is with coconut milk.



Ingredients:
2 tbps oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 red siling labuyo
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
2 tsp lemon grass, chopped
1 kilo mussels (steamed and shells removed)
1 cup coconut milk


Procedure:
In pan heat oil and add garlic, siling labuyo, ginger and lemon grass.
Add coconut milk until think. Add the precooked mussels. Cooked for a few minutes. Serve.

Khaleb's Shawarma Rice

There was a time when shawarma sandwich became so popular in the Philippines that almost every corner you can buy it but just like the pearl shakes boom it slowly lost its popularity but lately I came across this new discovery - "Shawarma Rice."

Doesn't these look yummy ?

Who would ever thought that shawarma can be turned into a classic Pinoy meal of hot rice and grilled meat.