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Tag: chili

  • Fried Okra | Fried Okra with Green Sambal

    Fried Okra | Fried Okra with Green Sambal

    This recipe for fried okra is easy to prepare but packs a lot of flavor.

    From one of the recipes in this blog:

    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:

    Ingredients:

    • 2 bundles okra
    • Olive oil
    • 4 siling haba
    • 2 small green bell pepper
    • 3 green bird’s eye chilies (siling labuyo)
    • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • 10 shallots
    • salt to taste

    Instructions:

    1. 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.
    2. Add the peppers, green bird’s eye chilies, garlic, shallots, salt and enough olive oil to a blender. Blend until nearly smooth.
    3. Reheat the oil in the pan, and sauté the blended paste.
    4. 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

    1. 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.

    2. Add the peppers, green bird’s eye chilies, garlic, shallots, salt and enough olive oil to a blender. Blend until nearly smooth.

    3. Reheat the oil in the pan, and sauté the blended paste.

    4. Serve the green sambal with the fried okra.

    fried okra

    Other recipes may be found HERE.

  • Grilled Pompano

    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.

    grilled pompano

    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

    Grilled Pompano

    Ingredients:

    • 1 large pompano (around 1 kilo), cleaned
    • Cooking oil spray
    • 1 tablespoon curry powder

    Instructions

    1. Rub the curry powder all over the pompano. Let is stay for 30 minutes.
    2. Heat-up the grill. Spray the cooking oil all over the pompano.
    3. Grill each side for 7 to 9 minutes.
    4. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with red sambal.
    5. Share and enjoy!

    For grilling the pompano, I used my Lodge Cast Iron Square Grill Pan and it looks like this:

    Grilled Pompano

    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

    1. Rub the curry powder all over the pompano. Let is stay for 30 minutes.

    2. Heat-up the grill. Spray the cooking oil all over the pompano.
    3. Grill each side for 7 to 9 minutes.
    4. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with red sambal.
    5. 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:

    1. Remove seeds from chilies and cut into small pieces.
    2. Place chilies and shrimp paste in a blender and process until fine.
    3. 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)
    • 1 piece lime (large) (about 2 to 3 tbsp lime juice)

    1. Remove seeds from chilies and cut into small pieces.

    2. Place chilies and shrimp paste in a blender and process until fine.
    3. Squeeze in the lime juice and stir to mix. Transfer to a small dish.


    Other recipes may be found HERE.

  • Filipino Style BBQ | Pinoy Pork Barbecue Recipe

    Filipino Style BBQ | Pinoy Pork Barbecue Recipe

    This pinoy pork barbecue recipe is simple enough for anyone to follow.  The Filipino style BBQ is the ultimate Filipino street food.   Everywhere you go around the Philippines, for sure there is a restaurant or food stall that sells pinoy pork barbecue.

    pinoy pork barbecue

    Street food has suddenly become popular in the Philippines once again. In the past few years or so, I’ve seen a number of food parks rise up all over.  Maybe because of the change in eating habits of people today. People are busier, there is less time to cook.  Together with the lack of time, people are also looking for cheaper alternatives to eating out. Hence, the popularity of pinoy pork barbecue.

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    Filipino Style Pork Barbecue are skewers of pork marinated in garlic, soy sauce, sprite (or 7-Up) and banana catsup.  Sprite (or 7-Up) acts as the meat tenderizer.  Banana catsup gives the pinoy pork barbecue its reddish color. The pork skewers are grilled until cooked and slightly charred.

    Very easy to make.  Can be eaten while on the go.  And most important, delicious!

    Did I say that they also are very good pulutan with beer?

    BTW, I served this together with the Ensaladang Talong which can be found HERE.

    pinoy pork barbecue

    Ingredients:

    • 400 g pork fillet, sliced finely into around 1 inch by 5 inches
    • 500 g pork belly, sliced finely into around1 inch by 5 inches

    Ingredients for marinade:

    Ingredients for the spiced vinegar dip:

    • 1/2 cup white vinegar
    • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
    • 1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
    • 1 to 2 Thai chili peppers, chopped
    • 1/8 tsp freshly-ground pepper
    • 1/8 tsp salt

    Instructions:

    1. Soak 20 barbecue sticks in water for at least an hour.  This is to ensure that the sticks do not burn while grilling.
    2. Mix all the marinade ingredients and then add the strips of pork.  Marinate for a minimum of 4 hours (preferably overnight).pinoy pork barbecue
    3. Skewer the meat into the pre-soaked barbecue sticks.pinoy pork barbecue
    4. Grill meat over hot coals for about 2 to 3 minutes each side, basting occasionally until the meat is thoroughly cooked.pinoy pork barbecue

    The grill I used is a Weber 741001 Original Kettle 22-Inch Charcoal Grill.  It is quite huge to grill only a few skewers of pinoy barbecue.  You need lots of charcoal to grill the barbecue.  It looks like this:


    Maybe I should get myself a Hibachi grill, it is smaller, and may be possibly used indoors.  It looks like this:

    What do you think?



    pinoy pork barbecue

    Filipino Style BBQ | Pinoy Pork Barbecue Recipe

    This pinoy pork barbecue recipe is simple enough for anyone to follow. The Filipino style BBQ is the ultimate Filipino street food. Everywhere you go around the Philippines, for sure there is a restaurant or food stall that sells pinoy pork barbecue.

    • 1/2 kilo pork fillet (sliced finely into around 1 inch by 5 inches)
    • 1/2 kilo pork belly (sliced finely into around1 inch by 5 inches)

    Marinade

    • 4 cloves garlic (sliced)
    • 2 tbsp brown sugar
    • 1/4 cup soy sauce
    • 1 cup sprite or 7-up
    • 1/4 cup banana catsup
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Spiced Vinegar Dip

    • 1/2 cup white vinegar
    • 2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
    • 1/2 piece onion (peeled and finely chopped)
    • 1 to 2 Thai chili peppers (chopped)
    • 1/8 tsp pepper (freshly-ground)
    • 1/8 tsp salt

    1. Soak 20 barbecue sticks in water for at least an hour. This is to ensure that the sticks do not burn while grilling.

    2. Mix all the marinade ingredients and then add the strips of pork. Marinate for a minimum of 4 hours (preferably overnight).

    3. Skewer the meat into the pre-soaked barbecue sticks.

    4. Grill meat over hot coals for about 2 to 3 minutes each side, basting occasionally until the meat is thoroughly cooked.

  • How to cook Pork Dinuguan | Pork Dinuguan Recipe

    Pork Dinuguan is a Filipino savory stew of pork offal (typically lungs, kidneys, intestines, ears, heart and snout) and/or meat simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili (most often siling mahaba), and vinegar.  Offal refers to the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal.

    – From Wikipedia

    pork dinuguan

    Pork Dinuguan is a type of stew made from Pork and Pig blood.  Pork Dinuguan is on my bucket list of dishes that I want to cook.  I have to be careful with this one as pork dinuguan is not for everybody.  A lot of people, particularly non-Filipinos, have an aversion to this dish due to the offal and pig’s blood.  My own children will say a big NO to this dish!  So when I searched for a recipe of pork dinuguan, I had to make sure that it is acceptable.  This one from Panlasang Pinoy uses pork shoulders and pork large intestine.  I might replace the pork shoulder though with pork belly and make a crispy version.  Or I might also take out the pork intestine too.  Who knows?  I will update this once I get to the actual cooking of this recipe.  It is a tradition to pair pork dinuguan with puto (rice cake) but plain rice will also do.  Below is a video of the actual process in making pork dinuguan (from the Panlasang Pinoy YouTube channel):

    Ingredients

    • 1 Kilo pork shoulder, cubed
    • 1/2 Kilo pork large intestine, cleaned thoroughly (optional)
    • 1 to 1½ cups pig blood
    • 2 to 3 pieces banana pepper
    • 2 thumbs ginger, minced
    • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
    • 6 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
    • 2 cups water
    • ¾ cup cane or white vinegar
    • 1 piece pork cube (optional)
    • 3 tablespoons cooking oil
    • Salt and ground black pepper to taste

    Instructions

    1. Heat the oil in a cooking pot.
    2. Saute the garlic, onion, and ginger.
    3. Add the intestine. Saute for 3 minutes.
    4. Add the pork. Cook until light brown.
    5. Pour the water in and add the pork cube. Let it boil. Simmer until the pork becomes tender.
    6. Pour the vinegar in the cooking pot. Let it re-boil.
    7. Add the banana peppers. Cook for 3 minutes.
    8. Stir-in the pig blood and make sure to continuously stir during the first minute to avoid the blood from forming. Cook in low to medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
    9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    10. Serve with puto. Share and enjoy!

    pork dinuguan

    Pork Dinuguan

    Pork Dinuguan is a Filipino savory stew of pork offal (typically lungs, kidneys, intestines, ears, heart and snout) and/or meat simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili (most often siling mahaba), and vinegar.

    • 1 kilo pork shoulder (cubed)
    • 1/2 kilo pork large intestine (cleaned thoroughly (optional))
    • 1 to 1 1/2 cups pig blood
    • 2 to 3 pieces banana pepper (siling haba)
    • 2 thumbs ginger (minced)
    • 1 piece yellow onion (medium, diced)
    • 6 cloves garlic (crushed and chopped)
    • 2 cups water
    • 3/4 cup cane or white vinegar
    • 1 piece pork cube (optional)
    • 3 tbsps cooking oil
    • Salt (to taste)
    • ground black pepper (to taste)

    1. Heat the oil in a cooking pot.

    2. Saute the garlic, onion, and ginger.
    3. Add the intestine. Saute for 3 minutes.
    4. Add the pork. Cook until light brown.
    5. Pour the water in and add the pork cube. Let it boil. Simmer until the pork becomes tender.
    6. Pour the vinegar in the cooking pot. Let it re-boil.
    7. Add the banana peppers. Cook for 3 minutes.
    8. Stir-in the pig blood and make sure to continuously stir during the first minute to avoid the blood from forming. Cook in low to medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
    9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    10. Serve with puto. Share and enjoy!

    Other Food & Recipes posts are HERE.

  • COPYCAT WENDY’S CHILI

    COPYCAT WENDY’S CHILI

    Everytime I get a chance to visit a Wendy’s store, the first thing that I would order is the Wendy’s chili.  Unfortunately, it seems that Wendy’s Philippines has removed the Wendy’s chili from their menu.  Almost every branch that I have been to lately doesn’t have it.  Even their online order system doesn’t have it anymore.  So I am not sure if the Wendy’s chili has been pulled out nationwide or what.

    Who else but Wendy’s could bring you hearty chili?  It’s the perfect comfort food anytime of the year.  Wendy’s chili is a good healthy option that will keep you feeling full for a while.

    If I could not find Wendy’s chili anymore, what should I do?  The solution is to make my own copycat Wendy’s chili!  The recipe below is very easy to follow and you do not need to be an experienced cook to make your own copycat Wendy’s chili.  The most difficult part in making this recipe is waiting for it to get cooked.  That simple!

    wendy's chiliYou can serve it with rice, chips, cheese, diced onions, sour cream or whatever you enjoy topping your chili with.  My suggestion is to serve this copycat Wendy’s chili with crackers like the way Wendy’s used to do it.

     

    INGREDIENTS

    • 1 kilo Ground Beef
    • 2 cans (14 oz/411 grams per can) Diced Tomatoes in Juice
    • 1 can (16 oz/450 grams per can) Kidney Beans, drained
    • 1 can (16 oz/450 grams per can) Pinto Beans, drained
    • 2 pcs Onion, diced
    • 1/4 cup Celery, diced (2-3 stalks)
    • 1/4 cup Bell Pepper, diced
    • 3 tbsp Chili Powder
    • 2 tsp Cumin
    • 1 tsp Black Pepper
    • 1 tsp Salt
    • 1/2 tsp Oregano
    • 1 tsp Sugar
    • 2 tsp Garlic Powder
    • 2 cups Water

    DIRECTIONS

    1. Brown Ground Beef and drain.
    2. Add water, boil and drain to eliminate more fat.
    3. Place in large pot and add all ingredients,
    4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2-3 hours stirring every 15 minutes.
    5. Serve with crackers.

    wendy's chili

    COPYCAT WENDY’S CHILI

    • 1 kilo Ground Beef
    • 2 cans Diced Tomatoes in Juice (14 oz/411 grams per can)
    • 1 can Kidney Beans (drained, 16 oz/450 grams per can)
    • 1 can Pinto Beans (drained, 16 oz/450 grams per can)
    • 2 pcs Onion (diced)
    • 1/4 cup Celery (diced (2-3 stalks))
    • 1/4 cup Bell Pepper (diced)
    • 3 tbsp Chili Powder
    • 2 tsp Cumin
    • 1 tsp Black Pepper
    • 1 tsp Salt
    • 1/2 tsp Oregano
    • 1 tsp Sugar
    • 2 tsp Garlic Powder
    • 2 cups Water

    1. Brown Ground Beef and drain.

    2. Add water, boil and drain to eliminate more fat.

    3. Place in large pot and add all ingredients.

    4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2-3 hours stirring every 15 minutes.

    5. Serve

     

    SIMILAR RECIPE:  Chili Con Carne

     

  • Chili Con Carne

    Chili Con Carne

    Chili Con Carne (a Spanish phrase meaning chili with meat) is such a simple meal to make.  This was my favorite when I was a kid. When I worked in Angola, my American teammates (usually from Texas or Louisiana) loved to cook this hearty stew.

    chili con carneThis was an event I was always looking forward to.  Most Chili Con Carne recipes call for cooked canned red kidney beans, but I used the uncooked variety, similar to THIS.  If the beans you bought aren’t cooked, soak them in water overnight, and boil them for about an hour before adding them to the chili.  Another thing, depending on the type of ground beef you have, it will be a good idea to brown the beef separately and scoop out the oil produced.  I just find it to be more savory without the oily feel in the mouth when it’s all done.  Most Chili Con Carne recipes also require canned tomatoes but for this one, I decided to use tomato sauce.

    Ingredients
    • 1 tbsp oil
    • 1 pc onion large, chopped
    • 2 pc bell peppers red and green, chopped
    • 3 pc garlic cloves chopped
    • 1 tsp chili powder
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 500 g minced beef
    • 1 cube beef stock (broth)
    • 1 kg pack tomato sauce
    • 500 g red kidney beans cooked
    Instructions
    1. In a wok or pan, brown the beef separately.  Scoop out the oil.  Set aside.
    2. In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil.  When the oil is hot, add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent.  Tip in the garlic, bell pepper, chilli powder, paprika and ground cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    3. Add the browned beef to the pot and continue cooking.
    4. Add enough water to cover the beef.  Add the beef broth cube.  Stir.
    5. Add the tomato sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.
    6. Simmer gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes. You should check on the pan occasionally to stir it.  Make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.
    7. Add the cooked beans and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Taste a bit of the chilli and season. Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving, and relax. Leaving your chilli to stand is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle and the meat.
    8. Serve with rice.

    chili con carne

    Chili Con Carne

    An easy to cook stew…

    • 1 tbsp oil
    • 1 pc onion (large, chopped)
    • 2 pc bell peppers (red and green, chopped)
    • 3 pc garlic cloves (chopped)
    • 1 tsp chili powder
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 500 g minced beef
    • 1 cube beef stock (broth)
    • 1 kg pack tomato sauce
    • 500 g red kidney beans (cooked)

    1. In a wok or pan, brown the beef separately.  Scoop out the oil.  Set aside.

    2. In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil.  When the oil is hot, add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent.  Tip in the garlic, bell pepper, chilli powder, paprika and ground cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    3. Add the browned beef to the pot and continue cooking.

    4. Add enough water to cover the beef.  Add the beef broth cube.  Stir.  Add the tomato sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.

    5. Simmer gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes. You should check on the pan occasionally to stir it.  Make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.

    6. Add the cooked beans and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Taste a bit of the chilli and season. Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving, and relax. Leaving your chilli to stand is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle and the meat.

    7. Serve with rice.

    Check out other recipes HERE.