This Pork Meatballs with Water Spinach Egg Drop Soup is very easy to prepare. It uses common ingredients. The main ingredients are eggs, ground pork and water spinach leaves! With these three (3) main ingredients, you can come up with an easy to prepare dish perfect for rainy or cold weather. Your family will love this recipe. They will ask you to cook it always. In case you want to cook this dish again, use ground beef or ground chicken instead.
Even beginner cooks will find that this soup is easy to prepare. The steps are simple and easy to follow.
Water Spinach in Filipino is called kangkong. It is widely available in the Philippines. Egg drop soup in its simplest form is very easy to make and is common in Chinese cooking.
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Ingredients:
Pork Meatballs:
1/2 kilo ground pork
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Soup:
1 bunch water spinach leaves
1 thumb-sized ginger, julienned
6 cups chicken stock
fish sauce (patis), to taste
ground pepper, to taste
2 egg whites
1 tbsp cooking oil
Garnish (optional):
leeks
fried garlic
Instructions:
For the pork meatballs, mix the ingredients well until sticky and form into balls.
Add the chicken stock and start adding the meatballs. Boil until meatballs are cooked.
Add the water spinach leaves and drop the egg whites. Stir gently to mix.
Season with fish sauce and ground pepper to taste.
Garnish with leeks and fried garlic (optional).
Serve
Pork Meatballs with Water Spinach Egg Drop Soup
This Pork Meatballs with Water Spinach Egg Drop Soup is very easy to prepare. It uses common ingredients. The main ingredients are eggs, ground pork and water spinach leaves!
Pork Meatballs
1/2 kilo ground pork
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
Soup
1 bunch water spinach leaves , , to taste
1 pc ginger (thumb-sized , julienned)
6 cups chicken stock
fish sauce (patis) (to taste)
ground pepper (to taste)
2 egg whites
1 tbsp cooking oil
Garnish (optional)
leeks
fried garlic
For the pork meatballs, mix the ingredients well until sticky and form into balls.
In a pot, heat the oil and saute the ginger.
Add the chicken stock and start adding the meatballs. Boil until meatballs are cooked.
Add the water spinach leaves and drop the egg whites. Stir gently to mix.
Season with fish sauce and ground pepper to taste.
Convection ovens, also called as fan ovens, are a kind of oven with a built-in fan and exhaust system. The fan blows the hot air around the food. This enables the food to cook quickly and and be evenly cooked on all sides.
There are many different models of convection ovens with various features, functions and sizes. It may be difficult to choose which one to purchase. This article aims to help you choose a convection oven based on your needs and budget.
Lastly, there is also a list of the recommended five (5) best convection ovens to buy online.
What is a Convection Oven?
First off, do not confuse a convection oven with a toaster oven. An oven toaster simply toasts, bakes, and roasts. Oven toasters usually only come with one rack and are generally smaller.
Convection ovens have built-in fan and exhaust systems, while toaster ovens do not. The fan and exhaust make the hot air circulate around the food. This helps the food cook faster and evenly. Convection ovens tend to cook faster and operate at lower temperatures than toaster ovens. Convection ovens usually come with a rotisserie which allow you to cook meat on a spit.
Convection ovens are more energy efficient than traditional toaster ovens. They save on electricity in the long run as they cook food at lower temperatures due to the fan. If you enjoy cooking meats, a rotisserie convection oven is a good idea.
Here is a YouTube video explaining how convection ovens work:
The video explains the difference between a convection oven and a conventional (radiant heat) oven. It shows how convection ovens cook faster and evenly than a conventional oven. This results into energy savings.
How to Choose the Best Convection Ovens (Buying Guide)
Check-out the Features of a Convection Oven
Convection Setting
Convection Setting (Fans ON)
The convection setting with its built-in fan and exhaust system (which distributes heat evenly), allows everything inside the oven to get cooked evenly.
This is ideal for:
baking pastries
baking cookies
baking pies
roasting meat or vegetables
toasting or dehydrating foods
Oven Setting
Oven Mode (Fans OFF)Oven Mode (Top and Bottom Heaters ON)
When at Oven Setting, the fans and exhaust will be off (top photo). This converts our convection oven into a regular oven. The heat will now come from the top and bottom heaters of the oven (bottom photo).
Without the fan, heat concentration from the heaters will be at the top and bottom. Cooking time will be slower as the temperature inside will be uneven.
This setting is ideal for cakes or bread. The uneven air temperature and slower cooking time results soft and moist cakes.
Top Heater Only for Grilling
Heat Selector on Top Heater
Some convection ovens have settings which allow you to turn on the top heater only which is ideal for grilling.
Using the top heater setting setting only applies heat directly on the exposed side of the food. If grilling meat, fish, chicken or vegetables, you may need to turn them over to cook both sides.
The top heater function is also ideal for melting cheese toppings like in baked macaroni.
Bottom Heater Only for Slow Baking
Heat Selector on Bottom Heater
Activating the bottom heater only results into slow baking. Heat concentration will be below the food. This will be ideal for steaming food.
On the other hand, using the bottom heater and convection function, will be ideal for desserts and baking pizza.
Rotisserie
Function Setting on Rotisserie Mode
The Rotisserie function allows you to roast meat while skewered on a spit. A spit is a long solid rod used to hold food while it is being cooked or roasted in an oven. The convection oven on the photo above also allows you to turn on the fans.
Determine Your Size Requirement
How Much Space Do You Have?
When choosing a convection oven, take into consideration how much space you have in your kitchen.
The physical size of your convection oven needs to fit on the space available in your kitchen. Make sure that you take measurements before buying a convection oven.
The area around the convection oven can get hot so there should be some free space around the oven for heat dissipation.
Take note that the bigger ovens have more functions and have higher cooking capacity.
Small convection ovens are as big as the standard oven toasters. They will take less space in your kitchen. However, the smaller sizes mean that your cooking sizes may be limited.
How to take measurements:
Check the Capacity
The capacity of the convection oven is the space inside the oven itself. It is measured in liters. The capacity determines how much food you can cook. The bigger the capacity, the more food you can cook inside the convection oven.
Although space is the primary factor in choosing a convection oven, please take note that there are convection ovens with the same physical size but have different capacities. So try to go with the larger capacity convection ovens, you will not regret it.
Typical sizes and capacities:
small (approximately 5 liters)
regular (approximately 8 liters)
large (approximately 15 liters or more)
Large convection ovens are good for roasting chickens, pork belly and baking large batches of cookies. They also have more options on rack placement. They also allow you to use two racks at the same time. This saves time and effort if you plan to cook a large batch.
Small convection ovens, with their limited capacities, allow you to grill small pieces of meat or fish and bake smaller batches of cookies.
The Breville Smart Oven Pro BOV820 is a smart oven with a slow cook function. This countertop oven will help you bake the perfect pizza pie, crispy yet chewy cookies, toasts evenly and roasts succulent meat. The convection setting reduces cooking time by up to 30%.
It has five (5) independent quartz heating elements that move the heat above and below the food. Each element adjusts automatically based on the setting you choose. The right temperature is delivered at the right time ensuring a precise cooking process.
The oven has has an interior oven light allowing you to view the food you are cooking.
The Breville Smart Oven Pro BOV820 has ten (10) Pre-set cooking functions that include:
Toast
Bagel
Bake
Roast
Broil
Pizza
Cookies
Reheat
Warm
Slow cook
The Slow cook function automatically switches to “keep warm” mode once the slow cook cycle is complete.
SUMMARY:
PROS
Energy Efficient
Smart Oven
Installment Mode and COD available
CONS
May be expensive for some people
Buyer reviews picked-up from LazadaPH: by Camille K. Love this oven! Consistent ang baking temperature. I use it for baking daily whenever I have cookie orders. Thumbs up dito! Might seem expensive pero super worth it! Took a week for the item to be delivered pero kebs! Masaya ko sa oven na ito! 🙂
by Emilia F. Very much satisfied with my new Breville Smart Oven. I’ve already baked Chiffon Cake on a 9” pan, it’s perfect. The Meatballs I baked last night was done right on time & temperature indicated on the recipe. Thank you Lazada & IAJ Wellness Corp. Nice packaging & fast delivery!
by Andrew S. Delivery was late. But very satisfied with the oven.
A similar model, the Breville BOV845BSS, is available at AMAZON.
The Imarflex IT-350CRS is a 3-in-1 convection oven: it can be used for turbo-broiling, baking and roasting meat in a rotisserie.
With a 35 liter capacity, this allows you to roast whole chicken and pork belly with plenty of room to spare.
The body is made of stainless steel and it comes with two (2) stainless steel racks and a stainless steel skewer spit.
The double insulated glass door helps maintain the oven’s temperature. The oven’s cavity is non-stick, making cleaning an easy job to do.
SUMMARY:
PROS
Large Capacity
Mid-range price
Stainless steel construction
Installment Mode and COD available
CONS
The physical size may be an issue for small kitchens
Buyer reviews picked-up from LazadaPH: by ascii31415 Received this the day after ordering!! Box was in good condition, so was the oven. Everything as described. The door can be opened incrementally (can leave it open at 45°), which is cool.
by maria S. Cooked 1 cheesecake one night, and 2 chicken gallantina another night. All went well. Totally satisfied with the oven.
by Carlo H. Got the oven quickly. Okay na sana lahat pero sira yung timer. Too much of a hassle to return. Good thing I always use kitchen timers anyways. edit: after a couple of days, the timer started working. maybe it just needed to be broken in. 5 stars.
The Imarflex IT-180CS is a small convection oven in which you can bake delicious cookies or make french toasts. It has an 18 liter capacity and the body is of stainless steel construction.
At 34 x 45 x 32 cm, it may be small but it offers a convection heating system for you to savor a juicier and crispier chicken, pork and fish recipes.The Convection switch gives you control of the heat, so you don’t burn or under cook anything. Cook and toast with ease!
Even at its size, the Imarflex IT-180CS still delivers an ample amount of capacity. You can even fry on the oven’s built-in pan. The tray is designed for easy cleaning.
SUMMARY:
PROS
Small size ideal for small kitchens or single person use
Mid-range price
Stainless steel construction
Installment Mode and COD available
CONS
The capacity may be an issue if you want to cook large meals
The 55 liter capacity allows you to cook large volumes of food. Ideal for parties or if you want to cook large batches of cookies or pastries.
It has a 120 minute timer with bell ring. Most ovens come with 60 minute timers only. The timer can also be set to stay-on if you want to. It has a sturdy tempered glass door. Construction is double-walled and has enough holes for proper ventilation.
It has four (4) cooking functions:
defrost
roast
broil/rotisserie
broil/roast/ convection
The defrost function makes this model different from the other ovens reviewed here. This is ideal for quickly defrosting frozen meat for faster cooking.
SUMMARY:
PROS
Large capacity
120 minute timer
Ideal for cooking large volumes of food
Installment Mode and COD available
CONS
The physical size may be an issue for small kitchens
The Imarflex IT-480CRS is another large convection oven with a 48 liter capacity. This allows you to cook large quantities of food. This is what I currently use.
The body is made of stainless steel and it comes with two (2) stainless steel racks and a stainless steel skewer spit. Even the heating elements are made of stainless steel. It also comes with two (2) enamel coated baking trays. The cavity is non-stick, making it easy to clean. It has a 60 minute timer and tempered glass door. The bottom has a removable crumb tray which is a plus factor for easy clean-up.
The cavity has five (5) tray slots allowing for versatile cooking.
The interior light allows you to see what is inside the oven.
Functions:
roast
broil/rotisserie
broil/roast/ convection
The Imarflex IT-480CRS has four (4) control knobs:
Function Selector
Heat Selector
Temperature Control
Stay On / Timer
Being very functional and versatile, the Imarflex IT-480CRS is highly recommended.
SUMMARY:
PROS
Large Capacity
Stainless steel construction
Installment Mode and COD available
Multi-functional and versatile
Easy clean-up
CONS
May be expensive for some people
The physical size may be an issue for small kitchens
Summary
Convection ovens tend to cost more than oven toasters so expect to pay more for them. Since convection ovens come with different functions depending on the manufacturer, choose them according to your needs. But it is also wise to invest in convection ovens with more features as they may come in handy in the future. You may think that you are a beginner now and you only need the basic convection oven, but who knows? Tomorrow you might become an expert cook!
Choose the best convection oven for you taking into consideration the following:
space in your kitchen
kinds of food you cook
quantity of food that you often cook
Look out for convection ovens that include the necessary accessories. This saves you money rather than buying those accessories separately. The accessories that come with your convection oven are guaranteed to fit into the cavity. These accessories may include baking trays, skewer spits, racks, and pizza trays.
I hope this list was able to help you choose the right convection oven for your everyday cooking. Please feel free to comment below in case you have other thoughts or recommendations.
I have always been fascinated when watching videos of cooking with puff pastry. I figured that making pigs in a blanket would be good start to experiment with puff pastry.
What is Puff Pastry?
Puff pastry is a light, flaky, leavened pastry that is often bought pre-made. I searched for home-made puff pastry recipes but I find them difficult to make.
Puff pastry is used to make tuna turnovers and simple appetizers for parties (like the recipe in this post).
While it is difficult to make, one advantage is that you can easily buy frozen puff pastry sheets in supermarkets. Just check the frozen goods aisle and look for it.
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What is Pigs in a Blanket?
Pigs-in-a-Blanket is sausage based food that is small in size and can usually be eaten in one or two bites. They are often served as appetizers in parties.
Our pigs in a blanket recipe only has three main ingredients: hotdogs, cheese and puff pastry. Very easy to make!
Ingredients:
10 pcs square puff pastry sheets
10 pcs hotdogs
10 pcs cheddar cheese slices
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 220˚C (425°F).
Place a slice of cheddar on top of each puff pastry piece.
Place a hot dog on the cheddar, then roll it up.
Slice each roll into 2 pieces, and arrange the pieces evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown and flaky.
This beef lo mein recipe takes only less than 30 minutes to cook. All you need is to have all the ingredients ready and the noodles cooked. For this beef lo mein recipe, I used spaghetti noodles instead of lo mein noodles (egg noodles). Why? Because I already have the spaghetti noodles available in my pantry. For a traditional Chinese food experience, you may use lo mein noodles instead.
What is Beef Lo Mein?
Lo mein is a Chinese dish cooked often with egg noodles. Also, it often contains vegetables and meat or seafood. Beef, chicken, pork, shrimp or wontons are the meat or seafood used. Some people cook lo mein with only vegetables which is probably the simplest to cook. Traditionally, lo mein is almost a dry variation of wonton noodle soup.
Aside from the spaghetti noodles, our main ingredients for this beef lo mein recipe are beef and brocolli. Therefore, it is very simple to cook! Another alternative is to replace the beef with chicken or pork.
After cooking this beef lo mein dish, this has been a family favorite. As a result, the kids always request for this!
If you are a busy parent, this is one home cooked meal that everybody will love. Most noteworthy, it looks and tastes complicated but in reality very easy to make. Try this and certainly everyone will classify you as a very good cook!
In a large pot cook the spaghetti noodles according to package directions.
In the last 5 minutes of cooking the noodles, add the broccoli and cook until tender.
Drain the noodles and broccoli. Set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, add olive oil to a wok.
Cook the steak until no longer pink.
Add the garlic, and carrots and cook for two minutes.
In a small bowl mix the brown sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes and finally the black pepper.
Add the spaghetti to the wok and pour the sauce on top and mix.
Serve hot.
Lo Mein with Beef and Broccoli
Lo mein is a Chinese dish cooked normally with egg noodles. It often contains vegetables and meat or seafood, like beef, chicken, pork, shrimp or wontons. Some people cook lo mein with just vegetables. Traditionally, lo mein is a dry variation of wonton noodle soup.
This lo mein recipe takes only less than 30 minutes to cook if you have all the ingredients ready and the noodles cooked. In this recipe, instead of using lo mein noodles (egg noodles), I used spaghetti noodles as I already have it in my pantry.
After cooking this lo mein dish, this has been a family favorite. The kids always request for this!
1/4 Kilo flank steak (sliced)
225 grams spaghetti noodles
3 cups broccoli florets
1 tbsp olive oil
3 pcs garlic cloves (minced)
1 pc carrot (medium , shredded)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
In a large pot cook the spaghetti noodles according to package directions.
In the last 5 minutes of cooking the noodles, add the broccoli and cook until tender.
Drain the noodles and broccoli. Set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, add olive oil to a wok.
Cook the steak until no longer pink.
Add the garlic, and carrots and cook for two minutes.
In a small bowl mix the brown sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes and black pepper.
Add the spaghetti to the wok and pour the sauce on top and mix.
Here is a pork and chorizo stew recipe that is very easy to cook. This pork stew recipe is certainly very good for a Sunday lunch.
What is Chorizo?
Chorizo in English is a pork sausage. From Wikipedia:
Chorizo is a type of pork sausage. Traditionally, it uses natural casings made from intestines, a method used since Roman times.
In Europe, chorizo is a fermented, cured, smoked sausage, which may be sliced and eaten without cooking, or added as an ingredient to add flavor to other dishes. Elsewhere, some sausages sold as chorizo may not be fermented and cured, and require cooking before eating. Spanish chorizo and Portuguese chouriço get their distinctive smokiness and deep red color from dried, smoked, red peppers.
Due to culinary tradition and the high cost of imported Spanish smoked paprika, Mexican chorizo is usually made with native chili peppers of the same Capsicum annuum species, used otherwise rarely in Mexican cuisine, but is used extensively in Mexican-American restaurants. Spanish-American cuisine adds vinegar instead of the white wine usually used in Spain.
Chorizo can be eaten sliced in a sandwich, grilled, fried, or simmered in liquid, including apple cider or other strong alcoholic beverages such as aguardiente. It is also sometimes sliced and used as a pizza topping in a similar manner to salami and pepperoni. It also can be used as a partial replacement for ground (minced) beef or pork.
For this pork and chorizo stew recipe, we used Chorizo de Bilbao. This is a type of sausage with lots of paprika and is either canned or vacuum packed with lard. Popular belief is that this type of chorizo originated from Bilbao, Spain but it seems that this is a purely Filipino term as there is no such variant in Spain.
Spaghetti aglio olio (“spaghetti with garlic and oil” in Italian) is a traditional Italian pasta dish coming from Naples.
The dish is made by lightly sauteeing sliced, minced, or pressed garlic in olive oil, sometimes with the addition of dried red chili flakes, and tossing with spaghetti. Finely chopped parsley can also be added as a garnish, along with grated parmesan or pecorino cheese, although according to some traditional recipes, cheese should not be added.
Many New York Italian-Americans refer to aglio olio as “alla-ul” due to the influence of Southern Italian pronunciation in the area.
Beef tapa is often served tapsilog style (tapa, fried rice and fried egg). This recipe shows us a different way to serve beef tapa. We need to cook the beef tapa in advance prior to preparing this pasta dish. Check out the beef tapa recipe HERE.
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You will need poached eggs for this recipe. Below is a video from YouTube (not mine) that shows how to prepare poached eggs:
Ingredients:
300 grams cooked beef tapa (recipe is HERE,shredded)
Add the garlic, chili flakes, and a pinch of salt.
Add the cooked pasta and toss well.
If needed, add pasta water.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Carefully spoon the poached egg onto the tapa or pasta.
Garnish with Parsley (if desired).
Serve.
Aglio Olio with Beef Tapa and Poached Egg
Spaghetti aglio olio (“spaghetti with garlic and oil” in Italian) is a traditional Italian pasta dish coming from Naples.
Beef tapa is often served tapsilog style (tapa, fried rice and fried egg). This recipe shows us a different way to serve beef tapa. We need to cook the beef tapa in advance prior to preparing this pasta dish.
Bánh mì or banh mi refers to a kind of sandwich that consists of a Vietnamese single-serving baguette. This baguette is also called banh mi in Vietnamese. Split lengthwise, various savory ingredients fill the baguette.
A typical Vietnamese sandwich is a fusion of meats and vegetables from native Vietnamese cuisine such as chả lụa (pork sausage), coriander, cucumber, and pickled carrots and daikon combined with condiments from French cuisine such as pâté along with jalapeño and mayonnaise. However, there is a wide variety of popular fillings, from xíu mại to ice cream. In Vietnam, sandwiches are typically eaten for breakfast or as a snack; they are considered too dry for lunch or dinner.
The baguette was introduced to Vietnam in the mid–19th century, when Vietnam was part of French Indochina, and became a staple food by the early 20th century. During the 1950s, a distinctly Vietnamese sandwich developed in Saigon, becoming a popular street food. Following the Vietnam War, overseas Vietnamese popularized the banh mi sandwich in countries like the United States.
Banh Mi in Vietnam
In Vietnamese, the word banh mi is derived from bánh (which can refer to many kinds of food, including bread) and mì (wheat). It may also be spelled bánh mỳ in northern Vietnam. Taken alone, banh mi means “bread” but is understood to be the Vietnamese baguette. Via synecdoche, it may also refer to a sandwich, with the term banh mi kẹp being used to disambiguate. In particular, banh mi often refers to the sandwiches made on Vietnamese baguettes, which may be called bánh mì Sài Gòn, after the city in which they were popularized. However, even in Vietnam, “a bánh mì for breakfast” implies a meat-filled sandwich for breakfast, not just bread.
A folk etymology claims that the word bánh mì is a corruption of the French pain de mie, meaning soft, white bread. However, bánh or its Nôm form 餅 has referred to rice cakes and other pastries since as early as the 13th century, centuries before French contact.
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This banh mi sandwich recipe is a little bit different from the traditional banh mi recipe as we are going to use beef tapa as our meat. Think this way, Vietnamese cuisine in fusion with Filipino cuisine. Beef tapa is often served tapsilog style (tapa, fried rice and fried egg). This recipe shows us a different way to serve beef tapa. We need to cook the beef tapa in advance prior to preparing this sandwich. Check out the beef tapa recipe HERE.
1. Cook the beef tapa as in the recipe found HERE.
2. Prepare the pickles:
In a bowl, mix the cane vinegar, white sugar, and red chili until the sugar is dissolved
Add the carrots and radish
Chill for an hour or more
3. Prepare the soy dressing:
Combine mayonnaise, liquid seasoning, onions, bird’s eye chili, and garlic in a mixing bowl
Chill for at least an hour
4. Assemble the sandwich:
Slice the bread in the middle, lengthwise
Lightly-toast the bread
Line the insides of the toasted bread with soy dressing
Add and distribute evenly the cooked beef tapa
Top the tapa with the pickles
5. Serve with potato chips
Beef Tapa Banh Mi
This banh mi sandwich recipe is a little bit different from the traditional banh mi recipe as we are going to use beef tapa as our meat. Think this way, Vietnamese cuisine in fusion with Filipino cuisine. Beef tapa is often served tapsilog style (tapa, fried rice and fried egg). This recipe shows us a different way to serve beef tapa. We need to cook the beef tapa in advance prior to preparing this sandwich.
500 grams cooked beef tapa
Baguette (or any similar bread)
Pickles
Soy Dressing
Pickles
1 pc Carrot (small, finely julienned)
1 pc White Radish (small, finely julienned)
1 cup Cane Vinegar
8 tbsp White Sugar
1 pc Red Chili (chopped)
Soy Dressing
2 pcs Red Onions (small, sliced)
1 pc Bird’s Eye Chili (to taste, chopped)
3 tbsp Knorr Liquid Seasoning
1 cup Lady’s Choice Real Mayonnaise
Cook the beef tapa.
Prepare the pickles:
In a bowl, mix the cane vinegar, white sugar, and red chili until the sugar is dissolved
Add the carrots and radish
Chill for an hour or more
Prepare the soy dressing:
Combine mayonnaise, liquid seasoning, onions, bird’s eye chili, and garlic in a mixing bowl
Chill for at least an hour
Assemble the sandwich:
Slice the bread in the middle, lengthwise
Lightly-toast the bread
Line the insides of the toasted bread with soy dressing
Beef tapa is a type of cured meat of thin slices of tender beef. Filipinos prepare beef tapa by using thin slices of meat. The meat is cured with salt and spices as a preservation method. Beef tapa is often cooked fried. Beef tapa is a popular breakfast that is usually served with fried egg and fried rice. The combination of fried beef tapa, fried egg and fried rice is Tapsilog. That is short for TAPa, SInangag (fried rice), ItLOG (egg).
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This is how (Beef Tapa) Tapsilog is normally served:
Combine the Knorr Liquid Seasoning, cracked black pepper, brown sugar, half of the minced garlic, Knorr Rostip Chicken Seasoning Powder, chili flakes, and Knorr Tamarind Soup Base in a bowl. You may adjust the seasonings according to your preferred taste.
Pour this marinade over the beef and marinate for a minimum of an hour or overnight in the chiller.
Saute the other half of the minced garlic until fragrant.
Add the marinated beef and cook until it is cooked through and the sauce has reduced enough to glaze it.
Garnish with garlic chips and spring onions.
Beef Tapa | Filipino Beef Tapa Recipe
Beef tapa is a type of cured meat of thin slices of tender beef. Filipinos prepare beef tapa by using thin slices of meat. The meat is cured with salt and spices as a preservation method. Beef tapa is often cooked fried. Beef tapa is a popular breakfast that is usually served with fried egg and fried rice. The combination of fried beef tapa, fried egg and fried rice is Tapsilog. That is short for TAPa, SInangag (fried rice), ItLOG (egg).
1 tsp Cracked Black Pepper
2 1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
4 tsp Garlic (minced)
1 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes
1/2 tsp Knorr Sinigang Sa Sampalok Mix
1/2 kilo Beef Sirloin or Breakfast Steak (sliced into 1-inch pieces)
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1 1/2 tbsp Garlic Chips
1 1/2 tbsp Spring Onions (finely chopped)
1 tbsp Knorr Liquid Seasoning
1/2 tsp Knorr Rostip Chicken Seasoning Powder
Combine the Knorr Liquid Seasoning, cracked black pepper, brown sugar, half of the minced garlic, Knorr Rostip Chicken Seasoning Powder, chili flakes, and Knorr Tamarind Soup Base in a bowl. You may adjust the seasonings according to your preferred taste.
Pour this marinade over the beef and marinate for a minimum of an hour or overnight in the chiller.
To cook the marinated beef, heat the oil in a saute pan.
Saute the other half of the minced garlic until fragrant.
Add the marinated beef and cook until it is cooked through and the sauce has reduced enough to glaze it.
Okra, also known in English speaking countries as Lady’s Finger or Gumbo, is always used in common Filipino vegetable dishes and every vegetable stall in the markets should always have this. The health benefits of okra include:
its ability to lower total cholesterol levels
improve digestive health
improve vision
boost skin health
protect infant health
prevent certain cancers
strengthen bones
improve cardiovascular health
aid the immune system
lower blood pressure
protect heart health
Aside from the fried okra, this recipe also comes with green sambal. Green sambal is a spicy Southeast Asian sauce made with chili peppers. The sambal ingredients used are green chilies (green peppers such as Anaheim (mild) or jalapeno (spicier)), garlic, shallots and olive oil. Since I am from the Philippines, instead of Anaheim Chilies, I used a combination of siling haba and green bell pepper. WARNING: This could get spicy!!!
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You could also buy Green Sambal if you wish:
For frying, I like to use cast iron skillets because they offer superior heat retention and even cooking. Cast Iron Skillets look like this:
Heat olive oil over high heat, and fry the okra (lady fingers) briefly until they are bright green in color, but still crisp. Remove the okra from the pan and set aside.
Add the peppers, green bird’s eye chilies, garlic, shallots, salt and enough olive oil to a blender. Blend until nearly smooth.
Reheat the oil in the pan, and sauté the blended paste.
Serve the green sambal with the fried okra.
Fried Okra | Fried Okra with Green Sambal
This recipe for fried okra is easy to prepare but packs a lot of flavor. Aside from the fried okra, this recipe also comes with green sambal. Green sambal is a spicy Southeast Asian sauce made with chili peppers.
2 bundles okra
Olive oil (for frying)
4 pcs siling haba
2 pcs green bell peppers (small)
3 pcs green bird’s eye chilies (siling labuyo)
1 clove garlic (minced)
10 pcs shallots
salt to taste
Heat olive oil over high heat, and fry the okra (lady fingers) briefly until they are bright green in color, but still crisp. Remove the okra from the pan and set aside.
Add the peppers, green bird’s eye chilies, garlic, shallots, salt and enough olive oil to a blender. Blend until nearly smooth.
Reheat the oil in the pan, and sauté the blended paste.
Grilled Pompano is a delicious dish that anyone can prepare. It does not require a lot of ingredients and is simple to prepare. Normally, in order to make grilled pompano, you need to rub salt all over the pompano prior to grilling. Filipinos would normally eat grilled pompano with rice.
This grilled pompano recipe was inspired by a video I found on this Facebook Page. While browsing on Facebook, I came across the video below. I figured that this would be a nice (and different!) way to make grilled pompano. Instead of rubbing the fish with salt, curry powder is used. I figured why not try doing it this way and see if there is a difference.
The cook in the video also used Red Sambal sauce. Being unfamiliar with sambal, I had to google this one out and it appears that what he used is Sambal Belacan. Sambal Belacan is a popular spicy Malaysian chili condiment consisting of chilies, belacan (shrimp paste), and lime juice. From Wikipedia:
Sambal belacan
A Malay style sambal. Fresh chilies are pounded together with toasted shrimp paste (belacan) in a stone mortar to which sugar and lime juice are added. Originally, limau kesturi or calamansi lime, is used but since this is scarce outside of Southeast Asia, normal lime is used as a replacement. Tomatoes are optional ingredients. Sometimes, sweet sour mangoes or equivalent local fruits are also used. It can be eaten with cucumbers or ulam (leafy herbs) in a meal of rice and other dishes. A Malaysian-Chinese version is to fry belacan with chili.
Sambal Belacan may be store bought. It is also available in Amazon.
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For this recipe, I decided to try to make my own Sambal Belacan. There are many versions of Sambal Belacan that I found on the web. One thing that stood out is that there are three (3) essential ingredients – red chilies, belacan (shrimp paste), and lime juice.
Grilled Pompano
Ingredients:
1 large pompano (around 1 kilo), cleaned
Cooking oil spray
1 tablespoon curry powder
Instructions
Rub the curry powder all over the pompano. Let is stay for 30 minutes.
Heat-up the grill. Spray the cooking oil all over the pompano.
Grill each side for 7 to 9 minutes.
Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with red sambal.
Grilled Pompano is a delicious dish that anyone can prepare. It does not require a lot of ingredients and is simple to prepare. Normally, in order to make grilled pompano, you need to rub salt all over the pompano prior to grilling. Filipinos would normally eat grilled pompano with rice.
1 piece large pompano (around 1 kilo) (cleaned)
Cooking oil spray
1 tbsp curry powder
Rub the curry powder all over the pompano. Let is stay for 30 minutes.
Heat-up the grill. Spray the cooking oil all over the pompano.
Grill each side for 7 to 9 minutes.
Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with red sambal.
Share and enjoy!
Red Sambal
Ingredients:
1 tbsp shrimp paste
6 red chilies
a few bird’s eye chilies (optional) for extra spice
1 large lime (about 2 to 3 tbsp lime juice)
Instructions:
Remove seeds from chilies and cut into small pieces.
Place chilies and shrimp paste in a blender and process until fine.
Squeeze in the lime juice and stir to mix. Transfer to a small dish.
Red Sambal
1 tbsp shrimp paste
6 pcs red chilies
bird’s eye chilies, a few pieces (optional) (for extra spice)
