Pancit Sotanghon (Vermicelli)

The Easy Kitchen is bringing you yet another healthy meal that consist of your favorite noodles. It is cooked with less oil, more white meat instead of the regular pork meat you use. With eggs and scallions, you can be sure of a healthier version of your conventional "pancit recipes".

Recipe inspired by Madel's kitchen

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

2-3 pcs. chicken breasts

3 pcs. eggs

3 packs sotanghon noodles (Vermicelli) (Soaked in water for 30 mins prior to cooking)

Cooking oil (enough to saute garlic and chicken)

ground pepper

fish sauce

scallions (Chopped)

Preparation:

• Boil the chicken until tender and cooked. Set aside to cool down and put the chicken stock in a separate bowl.
• Shred the cooked chicken and set aside.
• Fry the scrambled eggs and cut into strips. Set aside

How to cook:

• Saute garlic until it turns brown. Set the aside.
• Using the oil where you sautéed the garlic, saute the shredded chicken
• Add fish sauce according to your taste and mix.
• Add the chicken stock and let it simmer.
• Add the noodles and occasionally mix until the chicken stock is drained.
• Put cooked noodles on a serving plate, sprinkle with ground pepper and chopped scallions
• Add fried egg strips on top and sprinkle it with sautéed garlic
• Serve and eat!

Ginataang Ampalaya na may Takal

One of the few things I don't dare to cook is a recipe that requires some coconut milk in it. As I mentioned on my previous posts, this is because I have this notion that there is a certain way you cook food with coconut milk. However, hanging around with a family who came from a place where "guinataan" recipes are abundant, and thus expert in doing so, you might see The Easy Kitchen feature more and more guinataan recipes in the future. 

Recipe inspired by Elmo's Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 pcs. large ampalaya (sliced into strips)

2 bundles string beans (cut in 1 ½ to 2 in. long)

1 clove garlic (chopped)

1 pc. Onion (chopped)

2 pcs. tomatoes

Cooking oil

1 ½ cups gata (coconut milk)

1 cup takal (takal is a seafood ingredient similar to oyster)

(when in Bicol, takal is usually already boiled and cooked)

2 pcs siling haba / finger chillies  (coarsely chopped)

Salt and seasoning

How to cook:

• In a small pan, saute garlic, onions and takal. Set aside.
• In a small pot, put together the ampalaya (bitter melon), string beans, tomatoes and coarsely chopped finger chillies and add the coconut milk. 
• Bring to simmer until vegetable is half done. (Do not overcook)
• Add salt and seasoning to taste.
• Add the sauteed takal and simmer again for a minute or two.
• Serve and Eat with white rice.

Ensaladang Dilis Recipe

Most of the time, we find ourselves thinking of the fastest way we can mix and match food that’s true to the taste. The Easy Kitchen recently discovered a new recipe called Ensaladang Dilis (Anchovies Salad) that is fast to cook and can be served in an instant. I honestly love this with or without white rice. Happy eating everyone!

Ingredients:

4 pcs. Medium size labanos (radish) (peeled and thinly sliced)

3 packs dried dilis (anchovies)

2 pcs. Medium size onion (diced)

5 pcs. Medium size tomatoes (sliced length wise)

½ cup vinegar

5 pcs. Kalamansi or 1 pc lemon

2 pcs. Red chilli pepper (chopped)

salt to taste

1 tsp. sugar

Cooking oil (for frying of anchovies)

Procedure:

• In a clean pan, fry the dried dilis (anchovies) until they turn crispy or cooked. Set aside
• Put all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix them together. For best results, wash your hands clean and use them to mix the ingredients.
• Lastly, add the vinegar to the mixed ingredients including the fried anchovies.
• Add lemon to balance the sourly taste.
• Set aside for an hour
• Serve and eat. 

Pininyahang Manok (Pineapple Chicken) Recipe

It's such a delight lunching on another chicken recipe aside from the typical fried one. If you're not in for some total soup based chicken recipe (Tinola) you can always go for this (pininyahang manok recipe) or chicken curry if you feel like it.

Ingredients:

¼ kg            Chicken legs 

¼ kg            Chicken thighs

                    Cooking oil (enough for sauteing chicken)

2 cups         Coconut milk (or you can opt for 1 can of evaporated milk)

4 cloves      Garlic   (Crushed)

1 pc             Onion

1-2 tsp         Fish sauce or salt

½ tsp           Seasoning

¼ tsp           Black pepper

2 pcs.          Medium size ginger  (Cut into strips)

1-2 pouch   Pineapple tidbits

1  pc            Medium size red bell pepper

1pc              Medium size green bell pepper

Procedure:

• In a clean pan, heat cooking oil and sauté garlic, onion and ginger.
• Add fish sauce (patis) and chicken and sauté of 10 minutes or until the chicken turns slightly brown
• (If you opt to use salt, you can add it when you simmer)
• Add black pepper and pineapple syrup. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Lastly, add bell pepper, coconut milk, seasoning and pineapple tidbits. Simmer again for 3 minutes.
• Serve and eat :D

Sinabawang Tahong (Mussels) Recipe

When I cook tahong (mussels) at home, I usually cook it with minimal water so it may look like it’s steamed mussels. Some prefer it with more water (soup based). Either way they taste really good. The reason I cook it with less water is the sweet twang of bitter and a purely seafood taste.

Ingredients:

1kg Tahong (Mussels)
1 clove medium size minced garlic

1 medium size sliced onion

1 thumb-size ginger (sliced finely)

4-5 Tomatoes (sliced)
12 oz 7 up soda or sprite
2 tablespoon cooking oil
salt to taste

2 pcs chilli pepper (chopped) (To give a little spice on the soup)
1-2 pechay (bokchoi) or chilli leaves

Procedure:

• Wash and clean the mussels thoroughly, make sure to remove the beard.
• Place the mussel in a bowl with water while you prepare the other ingredients.
• In a pan or pot heat cooking oil then sauté the garlic, onion and ginger.
• Add tomatoes and saute until soften.
•  Add mussels and stir fry for 2 - 3 minutes or until the shells are slightly opened.
• Add  7Up or sprite soda and simmer. If you want to have more soup, add water and simmer until shells are opened.
• Add salt and seasoning to taste. Be careful when you add salt as the mussels taste salty already.
•  Add pechay (bokchoi)  and simmer for 1 minute.
• Turn off the fire and leave it covered for another 2-3 minutes making the veggie half cooked. (I like it that way)
• Place it in a serving bowl and serve! Yum!

Lechon Roll from Kim's Kitchen

Again, my sister can be very unique with her cooking style. Surprisingly because she seldom cooks when she's around but when she does, she nails something very out of this world like this version of Lechon Roll. I asked her the recipe and she said "YOUTUBE"! :D ok so there I went and this is what I found. How to make Lechon. Not bad for a starter with big dreams in the kitchen eh?!

mmmmm... the smell of lemon grass :D

Ingredients:

Pork Belly
Lemon Grass
Minced Garlic
Salt
Pepper

Rub lemon grass, minced garlic, salt and pepper on the slab of pork
Get another stem of lemon grass and tie it to a knot
Place it in the middle of the pork belly
Roll the pork tight and secure it with a cooking twine
Place it in oven at 400deg. F or use a turbo broiler instead
Cook for 3 hours or until the skin is crispy and golden brown.. Whoala! there you go..

Recipe procedure taken from MALOU'S MODERN ASIAN COOKING
Photos are from Kim's Kitchen