Chicharo, those sweet crunchy peas in a pod, happens to be my 14-year-old daughter’s favorite non-leafy vegetable the top favorite leafy vegetables among my kids are cabbage and kangkong (water or swamp spinach). The legume chicharo is known as snow peas in some countries, and snap peas in others. Some say that snow peas and…
Entertaining at home need not be a daunting task. The trick is to divide the cooking over several days as much as possible. And it is never a good idea to cook too much. Making allowances for second helpings is a good rule but anything beyond that would be excessive. Jay and Jet David were…
Until I was introduced to Wok with Yan about twenty years ago, Chinese cooking was a mystery to me. Of course, I had been a fan of Chinese cuisine since childhood but my acquaintance with Chinese food had been limited to my role as a diner. Then, Wok with Yan came along and it demystified…
I’ve mentioned before that we have this Sunday arrangement my husband does the cooking on Sundays. There are times when he makes palusot (headache, don’t know what to cook or he just takes us out for the day) but there are occasions when he surprises us with really, really great home-cooked meals. Yesterday was one…
It rained non-stop for two days. What an excuse not to do the laundry! I just read, watched DVDs, and cooked. Maybe it’s just psychological but I always felt that a hot soup went well with cold rainy days. Good thing I still have two whole ham bones in the freezer perfect for a hearty…
Chicken a la king is not a common item in Filipino parties but it is a special occasion dish for my family. It is my husband’s favorite dish in the whole wide world and his mother only cooks chicken a la king for his birthday. Okay, so I decided he could feel like it was…
The original Chinese recipe is called Szechuan (Sichuan) Pork, so named probably because one of the primary ingredients of the dish is Sichuan peppercorns. I’ve used the same basic recipe for pork, fish, and chicken and they were all good. I have to warn you though that I never used Sichuan peppercorns because I have…
It’s amazing how intertwined Asian cuisines are. Southeast Asian countries have different versions of noodle soups, for instance. Chinese influence, definitely the Chinese have been trading with various Asian countries for centuries. In fact, in the Philippines, the Chinese have been doing business even before the Spaniards arrived. But the Chinese influence aside, the similarities…
Chicken satay without peanuts. I couldn’t believe it myself having associated satay with peanut butter. But this recipe from Vietnamese Cooking Made Easy (recipes by Nongkran Daks, Alexandra Greeley, and Wendy Hutton; published by Periplus) is peanut-free. It is light and succulent, delicate with just the right hints of complementing flavors. Served with nuoc cham,…
In most barbecue stands, and even in restaurants where barbecue is the house specialty, chicken barbecue usually means skewered whole drumsticks, thighs, breasts, or even chicken quarters grilled over live coals and served with fried rice and Achara on the side. Because chicken fillets are more expensive, you won’t find them skewered and sold in…
