Special Pancit (or Pansit) Bihon with Ground Beef and Chicken

Pancit or pansit is the term for noodles in Filipino cuisine. Noodles were introduced into the Philippines by the Chinese and have since been adopted into local cuisine. The term pancit is derived from the Hokkien pian i sit which means "something conveniently cooked fast. ~ en.wikipedia.org

Pancit is often present in any occasion in the Philippines especially during birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  I love pancit!  I made my own homestyle version by blanching all the veggies and using some ingredients that are available at home. Aside from chicken, I also added sauted ground beef. So far, this is my first time to cook pancit with ground beef  and it turned out so good.

This recipe  is made of cornstarch stick instead of rice stick imported from Pinas. ^.^  I love Pinas products. It feels like home in Pinas cooking such products. My Esposo enjoyed this dish and he's so thankful and appreciative of yours truly. 

Thank you, Lord for making me a good cook in your due time. Being married and having a loving and appreciative hubby who loves Pinoy foods, and living in a place where no Pinoy foods to be bought nearby, these are some of the reasons why I've become interested in cooking and I've been happy to say that I satisfied my hubby's appetite. Yum!  God is good!

 Ingredients:
4 pcs Chicken breast, pre-cooked by boiling with salt, bay leaf, pepper corns, and leamongrass; Deboned. 
1 cup Ground beef, pre-cooked by sauteing with minced garlic & sea salt.
2/3 lb Cornstarch stick

1 cup Carrot
1/2 small Cabbage
1 cup Celery
1 cup Green bean
1 tbsp Cooking Oil or Butter (I used both. 1/2 tbsp each)
2 tbsp Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1/4 cup Red peppers, sliced (any color will do, I prefer red for variation of colors)
2 tbsp Soy sauce (I used Datu Puti imported from Pinas :-)
1 tbsp Oyster sauce (optional, add 1 tbsp soy sauce if not using oyster sauce)
1 tbsp Fish sauce (optional,  add 1 tbsp soy sauce if not using fish sauce)
1 tsp Chili powder (optional)
1 tsp rosemary, dried (optional)
3 to 4 cups Chicken broth (from the boiled chicken breast)
2 tbsp Cilantro, dried (in the absence of fresh cilantro)
1 tbs Lemon juice
Salt & pepper  to taste


Cooking Procedure:
1. Blanch all the veggies (carrot, cabbage, celery, and green bean)  I prefer to blanch all the veggies to save time in mixing and cooking the pancit and to retain the color of the veggies. Set aside.

Blanched carrots, cabbage, and celery.

Blanching is a cooking process wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process. Blanching means "to whiten", but this is not always the purpose of blanching in cooking. Food is blanched to soften it, or to partly or fully cook it, or to remove a strong taste (for example of bacon, cabbage, or onions). ~ From Wikipedia

2.  In a bowl, soak the cornstarch stick in a cold chicken broth (from boiled chicken) for about 10 minutes or until soften. Drain. Set aside.

I used 2/3 pack of this Philippine cornstarch stick.

Note: You may also soak it with water but using chicken broth is much better to add flavor to the noodle and make it moist.

3.  Heat cooking oil in a wok.  Add butter, garlic, onions, and red peppers. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce, chili powder, and dried rosemary. Mix well.

4.  Add in chicken broth,  and cornstarch stick.  Mix well. Cooked until liquid evaporates completely.

5.  Mix-in chicken, beef, blanched veggies (cabbage, carrots, celery, beans), cilantro, and lemon juice.  Mix to incorporate.  Add more broth if need to.

Cooked ground beef (sauteed with garlic, chili sauce and oyser sauce).

Note:
Pre-cooked ground beef:
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
A dash of salt.

In a heated cooking pan, brown the beef until oil or fat comes out. Add  garlic and dash it with salt. Taste taste.  Set aside.

Still cooking using a wok

Mix to incorporate means to just mix enough so that all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Sometimes mixing more than necessary can spoil the dish.

6.  Salt and pepper  to taste. Adjust the taste according to your liking.

7. Serve hot. Enjoy eating!

Ready to eat... finished product. Pancit,

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Hope you enjoy your stay.  God is good all the time!

Chicken Adobo (Ilonggo Style)

Chicken Adobo, Ilonggo Style.  I grew up eating it way back home in Pinas.  Yummy!

Ingredients:
Procedures:

Pork Chop Adobo with Potatoes and Coconut Milk

a·do·bo  (ä-db)

n. pl. a·do·bos

A Philippine dish of marinated meat or fish seasoned with garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and spices. [Spanish, from Old Spanish adobar, to stew, from Old French adouber, to dub, arm, prepare, of Germanic origin.] from thefreedictionary.com

I used to eat an Ilonggo Style of this dish.  But at this time, I made it with the combination of potatoes and coconut milk, my first attempt to cook it. So far, so good.  Just like the rest of my otheeeer dishes, it turned out the way I like it and as delicious as I expect it to be.  Esposo was happy with his brunch in bed and I am so glad.
                                                          

Ingredients:

 3 pcs. bone-in pork loin chop

1tbsp cooking oil

1 tbsp butter (optional; just just use 2 tbsp cooking oil without using the butter)

2 tbsp garlic, minced

1 large onion, sliced

3 pcs. bay leaf

1 tbsp pepper corns 

1/4 cup soy sauce 

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tbsp leamon juice

1 tsp ginger powder (or a small pc. of fresh fresh will do if you prefer)

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce (optional. just the taste by adding soy sauce or salt)

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 & 1/4 cups water (or you may use pork broth if you prefer)

 salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Heat the cooking pan with oil &/or buter and add garlic and onions until onions are caramelized.
2. Add the pork chop, ginger, and whole peppercorn. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir; Avoid burning.
3. Pour-in soy sauce,worcestershire sauce, and water. Mix well.
4. Add the bay leaves and let boil. Simmer (covered) for about 40 to 60 minutes. Note: Add water if needed
5. Put-in the vinegar and allow re-boiling.
6. Add the potatoes, sugar, coconut milk, and lemon juice. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

   

   Potatoes and Coconut Milk

7. Add salt to taste.You may adjust the taste as per your liking by adding soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice or water.

   

   Still cooking... Pork Chop Adobo with Potatoes and Coconut Milk

8. Serve hot with or without rice. Share and enjoy! 

   

   Finish product in a bowl over Rice

God is good all the time!

 

Coffee-Braised Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce

 This is my 1st attempt to cook this yummy dish as adapted from "Coffee-Braised Beef with Mushroom Sauce" of the Ninja Cooking System recipe book.  I've made my own version making use of whatever ingredients I have available in our kitchen.  So far, so good as it turned the dish so delicious!   The pork chops were tender and the mushroom sauce had a unique mild smell of the coffee.  I do recommend this for coffee lovers. Esposo was delighted to have it, brunch in bed. Namit!Yummy!

I can cook this the Ninja way using the rack to steam bake the pork chop based on the recipe book that is, stove top and steam oven in one, but I opted to use the Ninja cooker as a stove top by simmering the pork chop with the mushroom sauce instead of steam roasting the pork chop with the mushroom sauce. This is the Ninja way of cooking, Coffee-Braised Beef with Mushroom Sauce based on the above mentioned recipe book courtesy of justapinch.com.

Mushrooms, Bone-in pork chops, Jasmine rice topped with this dish, Brewed black coffee, Mushroom sauce, Mushroom sauce with bone-in pork chops

Ingredients: 

2 pcs. bone-in pork loin chops

1/4 tsp Salt (I used sea salt)

1/4 tsp Ground black pepper

1 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Cooking oil (I used olive oil)

1 cup Mushrooms (I used Baby Bella Mushrooms aka Crimini mushrooms instead of Baby Portobello)

1 large Onions, chopped 

1 tbsp Garlic, minced

1/4 cup Red peppers, sliced (optional)

1 tsp Chili sauce (optional)

1 & 1/2 cup Strong-brewed black coffee 

1/4 cup Red wine vinegar (but I used Sherry cooking wine)

2 tbsp Corn starch (instead of All-purpose flour)

2 tbsp cold water

Spring Onions for garnish 

Directions:

1.  Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.

                                            

Browning the bone-in pork loin chops

2.  Place butter and oil into pot (Ninja Cooker pot) or a cooking pan (if no Ninja cooker is available) until butter is melted.  Add pork chops to pot.  Cook uncovered until pork chops are browned on all sides.  Remove pork chops from pot  and transfer on a plate; set aside. 

Mushrooms, Cooking Wine & Black coffee

3.  Add onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms to pot.  Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes until veggies are tender-crisp, stirring occasionally.  Stir in garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in coffee and cooking wine.

Stir in - means to add something to a liquid or substance and mix it.

Click here for Health benefits of Baby Bella Mushrooms by livestrong.com

Ready to be served

Jasmine rice topped with Coffee-Braised Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce

4.  Stir cornstarch and water in a bowl until smooth. Stir in cornstarch mixture into the pot, stirring often until mixture boils and thickens.

5.  Return the pork chops to the pot. Coat the chops with the sauce.  You may add a little water if you like  additional sauce. Cover the pot and simmer over very low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes or until pork chops are very tender.

5. Add in chili sauce.  You may add salt and pepper to adjust the taste as per your liking.



 6.  Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.  Happy eating!

As for me, I served this with Jasmine rice for my Esposo's delight.

You may serve this with mashed red potatoes, honey orange glazed carrots and rolls. 

Definitions: 

BRAISE - means to cook (meat or vegetables) by browning in fat, then simmering in a small quantity of liquid in a covered containe. - From freedictionary.com,

tr.v. braised, brais·ing, brais·es

 Braising - (from the French “braiser”) is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavor. Braising of meat is often referred to as pot roasting, though some authors make a distinction between the two methods based on whether additional liquid is added. - FromWikipidia

 Braising. This cooking method is used for less tender meats. The meat is browned slowly and thoroughly on all sides, then a small amount of liquid is added to the pan, the pan is covered, and the meat is simmered over very low heat until very tender. -From  busycooks.about.com
 

You may be interested with these: 

Balsamic Quick-Braised Pork Chops

Braised Pork Chops With Mushrooms And Onions

Thanks for visiting my blog.  God is good all the time! 

 

Sweet & Sour Tilapia with Peas & Eggplant

My first time to cook this dish; my own version.  It turned our very yummy!  I even ate it in a bowl without rice.  And later, I tried to wrap it with Romaine lettuce. Kindly click here for the lettuce wrap photo.

This is so delicious especially with boiled eggs as toppings.  I would definitely cook this again in the future.  My Esposo loves it and he's happy as I am!  The Tilapia fillets have no fishy smell & no fishy taste. Yum yum yum! :-)

Recipe to follow....

Marinated Tilapia Fillets, Diced Tomatoes & Black Eye Peas

Fried Tilapia Flakes

Sauteed Onions, Garlic, Peppers & Ginger

Finished Product

Finished Product with Boiled Eggs over Java Rice

 

My Own Version of Tuna Salad

The the term SALAD derives from the Latin sal (salt), which yielded the form salata, 'salted things' such as the raw vegetables eaten in classical times with a dressing of oil, vinegar or salt. The word turns up in Old French as salade and then in late 14th century English as salad or sallet."

During the Roman times, salt is associated with salad because vegetables were seasoned with brine or salty oil-and-vinegar dressings.

My own version of Tuna Salad, first time to prepare it. Yummy!

 

Ingredients: 

1) Chunk Light Tuna in a can 

2) Frozen Stir Fry Veggies in a pouch (broccoli, sugar snap peas, green beans, carrots, celery, onion, 

3) Mushroom and red pepper), 12 oz.

4) Coconut Oil

5) Raw Egg, whisked

6) Garlic, minced

7) Onions, sliced

8) Mayonnaise

9) Salt & Pepper 

10) Iceberg lettuce 

Just combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl and pour the mixture in a lettuce leaf of leaves and dash it with salt and pepper.

"Tara, Let's Eat!" 

Interesting links to visit re: salad:
foodtimeline.org

en.wikipedia.org 

God is good all the time!

Sweet & Sour Tilapia with Peas & Eggplant Romaine Lettuce Wrap

I made a Sweet and Sour Tilapia Fillet and I decided to make a lettuce wrap with it.  Usually, I'm eating fish with rice, but this sweet & sour is so good that I can just nibble it without rice. Later, I decided to make a lettuce  wrap with boiled egg and a dash of salt and pepper.   So delicious! Yum yum...  :-)

Ingredients:
Note: Link of the Sweet and Sour Tilapia Fillet with Beans & Eggplant recipe... to follow...
Romaine Lettuce
Boiled Egg
Salt and pepper
Boiled egg
Spring onion as garnish (like a flower :-)