LP 18: Squash & Shrimp in Coconut Milk

I couldn't resist joining the Lasang Pinoy 18: Oh My Gulay! event. I took one look at the icon (below) and signed up. I mean look at this guy,he's adorable! I wanted to hug him and squeeze him and and call him George. And then I wanted to take him home because I had to have him on my blog.

Lasang Pinoy (lasa meaning taste and Pinoy is slang for Filipino) is a Filipino food blogging event that was launched in Aug. of 2005. Since it's inception, LP has been successful at setting the stage for promoting Filipino cuisine and ingredients native to this country, as well as providing a venue for the sharing of ideas and discoveries related to Filipino food. Though this is my first time to contribute to LP, I have eagerly followed many of the past events and round-ups.

This month's LP is all about vegetables or gulay in our native tongue, and is hosted by Toni of Wifely Steps. For those who aren't familiar with the expression, "Oh my gulay!" is a Taglish (Tagalog+English) version of "Oh my God!", "Oh my gosh!" or "Oh my goodness!". I may be wrong and may be speaking only for myself when I say that I think our Taglish version was born out of the fear of taking the Lord's name in vain. We were always scolded and admonished by our elders when we did, so when shouting it out in front of them, we grab hold of ourselves at the last minute and make that crucial switch to "Oh my G-gulay!!!"

According to Jeffrey Steingarten in The Man Who Ate Everything, we are omnivores by destiny and food aversions are not something we are born with but something that is learned. A food aversion is no different from a phobia or fear which can only be overcome by exposure. The more we are exposed to something at moderate amounts and at regular intervals, the sooner we conquer the aversion. Steingarten asserts that "most babies will accept nearly anything after eight or ten tries." (So don't give up, moms!) I think he is definitely on to something here.

Now I love vegetables big time but I didn't always like kalabasa or squash, in fact I hated it as a kid almost as much as I hated ampalaya (aka bitter gourd, bitter melon or amargoso). And because I was never forced to eat it, I didn't. But you see, when I was growing up I idolized my older sisters. I worshipped the ground they walked on and I wanted to be like them in every way. So I followed them around, mimicking their movements, their fashion sense and their expressions. What I didn't realize was that I was also unconsciously taking on their likes and dislikes.

So when one day I noticed my sister Ginny eating kalabasa during lunch, I did a double-take. But-but we both hated kalabasa!? What is she doing? I was confused and even felt slightly betrayed. Ugh! Now I have to eat kalabasa too!? I barely remember how I liked it the first time because I was pinching my nose throughout the ordeal. On the second try, I had to admit it wasn't half bad. On what was probably my fifth encounter with kalabasa, I could taste the beginnings of an amicable relationship which gradually evolved into a full-blown love affair. Steingarten and those scientists were right! And if it weren't for my crazy sibling idolatry, maybe I still wouldn't be enjoying those creamy pumpkin soups today or those nice roasted butternut squashes, or even this dish below.

This is something I learned to make while still living abroad and craving home-cooked Filipino food. It is a modified version of a recipe I had found online many years ago, and in which I originally used butternut squash. It is not your usual ginataang kalabasa (squash in coconut milk), it has a pinkish hue from the tomato paste and the chili gives it a nice punch. But it's still smooth and creamy and flavorful like mom's. If you like squash and you like things cooked in coconut, I guarantee you will love this.

Squash & Shrimp in Coconut Milk
Ginataang Kalabasa't Hipon

1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tsps brown sugar
2 tsps tomato paste
1 tsp chili flakes
1 can coconut milk (I used Nestle coco evap this time)
2 cups squash, cubed
1/2 kg shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp patis or fish sauce (optional)

Mix together the chicken broth, brown sugar, tomato paste, chili flakes and coconut milk in a saucepan. Add the squash and bring to a boil. Slow it to a simmer then season lightly with salt and pepper, simmering until squash is tender. About 15 minutes or so. Throw in the shrimp and calamansi juice and continue simmering until shrimp is cooked.

Best served with steamed white or brown rice.

Check out the other delicious entries on the LP 18: Oh My Gulay! round-up here.

Bistro cooking with Chef Migne

Chef Jean-Pierre Migne handling the phyllo pastry sheets

The word bistro conjures up cozy images of friends or lovers sipping wine in between bites of simple and traditional French food. Bistro fare is not haute cuisine nor is it modest cafe food, it falls somewhere in between. According to Chef Jean-Pierre Migne, Executive Chef of Restaurant Le Bellevue at the Manila Diamond Hotel, there are four basic types of French restaurants: the cafe that offers only drinks, the guingette which is an old cafe that is usually situated on a river bank with a dock for dancing, the bistrot or small restaurant serving simple traditional fare and the brasserie which is larger and more elaborate than a bistro.

I learned all this and more during a French Bistro Cooking class I attended last Saturday thanks to Vina, who offered me her slot because she felt I would appreciate it more. I can't thank you enough, Vina, you're such a sweetheart! I was happy to see familiar faces such as Nina, who I first met over at BootsnAll and had dinner with while Christina was in town and Rachel, Anton's wife. We shared a front-row table, a basket of croissants and a hunger for good food.

Chef Migne teaches us how to plate the salad and phyllo pockets

The class was headed by Chef Migne, a jovial Frenchman with over three decades of culinary experience spanning three continents. He has prepared state dinners for the King & Queen of Spain, Pres. George Bush and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and also prepared an elaborate banquet for the APEC summit. He entertained us with his delightful sense of humor and savvy manner in the kitchen.

He showed us how to make four typical French bistro dishes, two appetizers, a main course and dessert. Shown below are the finished products, clockwise from top left:

• Fried Camembert and Crabmeat in Pocket-Phyllo pastry and Mesclun Salad with dressing
• Pan-fried Chicken Breast stuffed with Cured Ham & Emmenthal Cheese and Pont Neuf Potato
• Flambeed Strawberries with Green Peppercorns and Basil wtih Vanilla Ice Cream
• Gratinated Oysters & Mussels with Mushrooms and Garlic Herbed Butter
  

(Should you want the recipe of any of the above items, let me know and I'll be happy to e-mail it to you.)

Although it wasn't a hands-on class, I learned a lot from it. Chef Migne was generous with his advice and encouraged us to ask questions. Here are some things I learned during this session:

• Anything frozen is usually bland, let it soak in brine the night before you use it.
• Avoid food processors like the plague - they break the fibers of food and result in pulverized ingredients
• Never cook your soup with water, always boil the water or stock separately from the ingredients
• To wash lettuce, put 2 tsp vinegar in the water to kill any bacteria that may be present
• French cooking usually involves the two major components, fat and acid, for example butter and wine, cream and vinegar.
• Always cook chicken skin-side down first
• Always cut basil and other herbs with scissors and not knives which have the tendency to squeeze the juice of the herb out and onto the chopping board
• The liver is the only part of the chicken that the King of France eats
• Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte is a good source for fleur de sel locally

He emphasized that recipes are merely a guide and not meant to be followed to the tee, unless of course you're working on pastry. I agree. Everything we make should reflect our own style and personality and champion our uniqueness. We should be flexible and allow our creative juices to flow while we cook.

After the three hour session, we were escorted upstairs to Le Bellevue at the 27th floor for lunch where we dined on the bistro fare that Chef Migne had previously demonstrated but which were prepared and plated by the skilled kitchen crew. During lunch, I had the chance to get to know some of the other attendees, such as Ajay who was kind enough to coordinate my attendance. After lunch, there was a simple ceremony wherein we wore our aprons and toques and had our pictures taken with the Chef as he handed us our certificates.

As if I didn't already feel extremely lucky for having attended Chef Migne's class and partaking of the superb lunch for free, my name was drawn from a bowl and I won a gift certifiate from Jewelmer too! Yay!

This is only the second in a series of International Cuisine Culinary Classes organized by the staff of Manila Diamond Hotel. Future classes include Japanese cuisine with Chef Junichi Sekiyama and Thai & Vietnamese cuisine wtih Chef Mel Taylo. For more info, you may call the hotel at +632 5283000 and look for Bernie.

Pomelo Salad

To go with the Thai green curry, I made a pomelo salad using a recipe also from At the Table with Jim Thompson. The pomelo salad is one of those things I've made a mental note to try at home someday. It's a salad I enjoy immensely and will order it automatically at my favorite Thai restaurant, it's as delicious as it is refreshing.

The pomelo salad, like most yams (Thai salad) showcases Thai cuisine's four basic flavors: tangy, salty, sweet and hot. The blast of lime provides the tang, the fish sauce infuses in the saltiness, and if the pomelos are in season they would make the salad juicy and sweet. But the real secret is in the dressing, a blend of contrasting ingredients dominated by the naam plaa or Thai fish sauce. The naam plaa is the main source of salt for the Thais, used in cooking and as a condiment. It is fermented into varying grades and colors and is used in practically all Thai dishes.

I was really excited about this and was very happy with the outcome. The only thing I would do differently is separate the pomelo into smaller segments, add more chili paste (I held back for my mom's sake) and make it sooner so it has time to cool in the fridge longer.

Pomelo Salad (Yam Som Oo)

1 tbsp thinly sliced garlic
1 tbsp thinly sliced shallots
2 tbsp grated coconut, roasted
1 cup (150g) pomelo segments
1 to 3 cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp chopped red chilies
1 tbsp ground roasted peanuts
2 tbsp coriander leaves

For the dressing:

1/2 cup (125 ml) coconut milk
2 tsp grated palm sugar (I used muscovado sugar)
1 tbsp naam plaa or Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp roasted chili paste

To prepare the dressing, boil the coconut milk, palm sugar, fish sauce, chili paste and lime juice in a wok for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Stir-fry the garlic and shallots separately for 1 minute, the combine them in a bowl. Add the roasted coconut, pomelo, shrimp, chilies and ground roasted peanuts. Dress the salad and garnish with coriander leaves.

Thai green curry

For Mother's Day, my 2 sisters and I prepared lunch at home for the family. My mom's favorite cuisine is Asian, so that's what we went with as a theme, it's her day after all so we wanted to make her happy. It made me happy too because it meant I could finally try some recipes from At the Table of Jim Thompson , the cookbook I purchased form The House of Jim Thompson during a recent trip to Bangkok.


It is an elegant book of Thai recipes, some in their traditional form while others sporting a Western twist, contributed by chefs of the Jim Thompson restaurants. The pages are adorned with beautifully-styled photographs, masterpieces in their own right. I spent hours admiring them, wistful, and with a yearning for the skills of the food stylist that prepared them.

I chose a salad and a curry from the book and my sister, Ginny, complemented this choice with MarketMan's spicy eggplant which was excellent. My younger sister, Diane, helped with the chopping, toasting, and grinding and it was nice to have someone to bark orders at and not feel guilty about it because she really seemed to be enjoying herself.

It was delicious, the kaffir lime leaves (ma-krut to the Thai) imparted a fragrant citrus tartness to the creamy curry. They could make a perfume out of this leaf! Even my mom who struggled a teensy bit with the heat of the curry loved it. She loved everything actually and was mmmm-ing the entire time, grateful to us for the wonderful meal made even more enjoyable by the fact that she didn't have to lift a finger to make any of it. :)

It was a hot summer day, not exactly the perfect day for a hot curry. But with the refreshing pomelo salad and the cold drinks, we hardly noticed. I had made a pitcher of lemongrass iced tea and Ginny made a large tub of sago't gulaman (a local syrupy refreshment made with tapioca pearls or sago and gulaman or agar-agar). And to finish things off, there was a box of frozen brazo de mercedes sitting coolly in the ice box for dessert.

So here's the recipe I used. I tripled the ingredients to feed our party and tempered the heat for my mom's sake by adding a little bit more coconut milk. Because the green curry paste I used was hot enough, I omitted the red chili from the recipe. You'll love how simple it is to make how quick. Thai curries, unlike Indian curries, do not require long cooking times.

Green chicken curry (Gaeng Gwuio Warn Gai)
adapted from At the Table of Jim Thompson

Serves 1-2

1/2 cup (125 ml) coconut milk
1 cup (250 ml) coconut cream
2 tbsp green curry paste (photo at right)
2 tsp grated palm sugar
1 tbsp naam pla or Thai fish sauce
100 g skinless chicken thigh meat
3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
2 small eggplants, cut into sections
a handful of basil leaves

Pour the coconut milk and coconut cream into a wok and bring to a boil. Add the curry paste and mix well. Add the palm sugar and fish sauce and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the chicken, lime leaves and eggplants, and simmer until the chicken and eggplant are cooked. Garnish with basil leaves to serve.

Up Next: pomelo salad recipe

Feijoada and pão de queijo

The first time I had feijoada (Brazilian black bean stew) was at a graduation party hosted by my two Brazilian friends in their flat off Oxford st. in London. They had prepared a veritable Brazilian feast but the feijoada took center stage as it usually does at most Brazilian feasts. It was accompanied by other typical cuisine from the land of samba y gol and everything was chased down with glasses of caipirinha or wine. The second time I had it was at a Brazilian restaurant across from where Jerry Springer: the Opera was playing. I had insisted on eating there before the show started and was so glad I did because it was to be my last feijoada for a while.

Feijoada is a black bean stew that is typically served with side dishes such as rice, fried collard greens and presented with orange slices which is used to counteract the fat of all the pork thrown in the feijoada. The bowl is then topped off with a soft cheese which they like to call Romeu e Julieta.

Marina & Malena's feijoada was very chunky, replete with beef, salted pork trimmings, bacon, sausages and other parts of the pig I couldn't recognize. It was not soupy but there was just enough of the soup to cover the everything and then some. This was no wimpy little thing, it was thick, and heavy and strong. It was incredible and it knocked my socks off! It went beyond the gastronomic frontiers of anything I had ever experienced before.

As if that wasn't enough, they handed me a basket of cheese rolls or pão de queijo which sent me over the edge. At first glance I thought they were ordinary rolls because they had nothing on them or in them. Oh my, they were heavenly, so soft and still warm from the oven. The flavor was just right, not too subtle not too overpowering.

Sadly both remain elusive to me. The one and only "Brazilian" restaurant in the country does not even have it on the menu, ? Well, I f I wanted to have some again, I had to make it. I resisted for a long time, worried I would ruin one of my top 5 things to eat before you die, but I couldn't wait any longer. I had half a dozen recipes but they usually just varied in the types of meats thrown in, and their quantities. For my first attempt, I did not want to overdo it so I chose the recipe with the most variety of meats (feijoada completa), and cut down from there. Keeping to what I had on hand and what I could easily find at the deli that day.

Feijoada
adapted from this recipe

220 g smoked bacon
300 g pork shoulder
230 g lean beef chunk or rump
4 pcs chorizo bilbao ( I used my Uncle's homemade chorizo from Dumaguete)
2 cups black turtle beans, soaked overnight and drained
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs parsley
1 sprig thyme
6 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a large heavy stock pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until translucent. Add the garlic and cook a little more, until the aroma is released. Add the bay leaves, parsely and thyme along with the all the meats and the water. Bring slowly to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and skim the fats and scum from the top.

Cook for about 30 minutes then add the beans. Simmer for another hour. As each piece of meat becomes fork tender, remove it, starting wiht the beef and finishing with the salted meats. Place the cooked meats on a platter , cover with aluminum foil and keep warm in a low oven.

Continue cooking the beans for 20 minutes more, or until tender. You can either serve the meats and beans side by side on a platter, or mixed back in all together in a big bowl. I prefer the latter.

The feijoada was very very good and I was very proud of my first attempt. It was chunky and thick and heavy, just how I wanted it. Hearty, comfort food, sould food. The best kind. But there was still some room for improvement as I felt there was something lacking but couldn't quite put my finger on it. The flavor wasn't as strong as how I remember the others to have been.

The pão de queijo, though perfect in flavor, did not come out as soft as I hoped. It did not melt in my mouth like Malena's and Marina's did. Even after the recommened time in the oven, the insides did not bake well through so I had to keep it on a little longer. This is the recipe I used and most of the recipes I've seen and bookmarked are identical, but I obviously did something wrong. I used cassava starch which is our equivalent of manioc starch that all the recipes called for. I could try using tapioca starch next time, but isn't that just the same?

If any of you reading this, have any experience in making either of these dishes, I would love to hear from you and would appreciate your comments and suggestions. Thanks in advance! :)