Pinoy Style Siomai

Do you miss the Pinoy-style pork Siomai in Hen-lin back in the Philippines? Siomai is steamed pork/beef dumplings.

This recipe will help satisfy your taste buds.

Ingredients:
1 kg ground beef or pork
1/3 cup chopped water chestnuts or turnips (singkamas)
1/3 cup chopped carrots
2 medium or 1 large minced onion(s)
bunch of spring onions or leeks
1 egg
5 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
50 pcs. large or 100 pcs. small wanton or siomai wrapper


Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except the wrapper:)
2. Place the mixture into each wrapper
3. Put it in the steamer for 20-30 minutes
4. That's it! Serve with chilli paste, soy sauce and lemon or kalamansi.

Filipino Beef Tapsilog

I was craving for a Jollibee beef tapa here in New Zealand so I present this Filipino Beef Tapsilog recipe. The name tapsilog is coined term for a special fried beef (TAPa), garlic-fried rice (SInangag) and fried egg (itLOG).

Ingredients:
1 kilo beef sirloin, thinly sliced
1 1/2 Tablespoon salt
7 Tablespoon white sugar
2 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
3 1/2 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoon oil

Directions:
1. Combine sugar, garlic, salt, black pepper, soy sauce and vinegar in a large bowl.
2. Put the beef to the mixture.
3. Refrigerate overnight.
4. Fry the beef in hot oil.
5. Serve in garlic rice with fried egg, sliced tomatoes, and a vinegar dip with crushed garlic.

Indian Butter Salmon

Buttered Chicken, an Indian dish, is quite popular in New Zealand. I finally found a way to re-create the recipe of the Buttered Chicken from our favourite Indian food restaurant in Riccarton, Christchurch. One time I was craving for salmon and veggies, so instead of using chicken I substituted salmon and heaps of veggies. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
1-2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoon butter
2 large onions, chopped
2 tablespoon Tandoori Paste
2 tablespoon brown sugar
400 g can chopped tomatoes in juice
2pcs courgettes, chopped
string beans, topped and tailed
1 cup sour cream
1kg salmon fillet sliced in cubes
Salt and pepper
Baked cashew (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan

2. Place the onion

3. After 2 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes, Tandoori paste, courgettes and beans

4. Cook for a couple of minutes then add the sour cream and salmon

5. Add salt and pepper to taste

6. Add sugar (adjust on your taste)

7. Serve hot with rice

Chinese Tikoy

In the Philippines, tikoy (from the Chinese ti-que meaning sweet cake) is usually served during the Chinese New Year. Here in New Zealand, tikoy is a dessert served anytime of the year. This is a bit different from the tikoy that you can buy in the Philippines. I love the texture and richness of this version so I requested my friend for the recipe. So here it is:

Ingredients:
½ kg of glutinous rice
100 g melted butter
2 cups white sugar
3 cups of milk
3 eggs
½ tsp Vanilla
Sesame seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder

Directions:
1. Excluding the sesame seeds, mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Cover the baking dish with a partial part-melted butter.
3. Transfer the mixed ingredients from the mixing bowl to the baking dish.
4. Sprinkle sesame seeds at the top5. Bake at 160 degree Celsius for 55 minutes (adjust the time if needed)

Some of the photos when I was teaching my friend how to make this tikoy.
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Little Angel in me

We are so excited when I had my first ultrasound appointment to see how the baby is going. It is a wonderful experience when you see your baby moving his/her hands and touching its face. Every breathe I take makes him/her move as well. He or she is 10 cm long, and with a heartbeat of around 150 bpm. The technician measured his/her stomach, heart, legs, head, etc and everything turned out normal.

big wave

kicking to the goal

Nature is a miraculous thing. I could not believe it! There is really a little baby in me with a replica of all my organs. I am at a loss of words with the experience. I am grateful to experience the happiness of being a mum. God gave us the most amazing blessing of our lives!

Egg Omelette wrap with crispy bacon

I can hardly eat a plain omelette, so I have to find a way to modify the taste a bit. I tried this one Saturday morning and it’s amazing. I was able to make three variations of the humble egg omelette.
a) Egg omelette with crispy bacon
b) Egg omelette with German sausage Kransky
c) Egg omelette with lettuce, bacon and sausage

You can include as much ingredients that you desire, just consider that it may be too heavy to flip over.

Ingredients
4 eggs1 tomato, sliced in cubes
1 pc of capsicum, sliced long and thin
1 tablespoon oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Sliced cheese
2-4pcs bacon, sliced in cubes
Sliced parsley (optional)

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan.
2. Place the bacon, wait until it is crispy.
3. Put the sliced tomatoes and capsicum.
4. In the meantime, beat the eggs and put salt and pepper.
5. After 2 to 5minutes, transfer the mixed bacon to a bowl.
6. Put the egg in the frying pan then top the mixed bacon at the middle.
7. Put the cheese at the top, and then carefully wrap the bacon, cheese and capsicum using the egg.
8. Cook thoroughly by flipping the omelette over.

Italian White Ziti

One of our favourite pasta dishes back in the Philippines is white ziti from Italian restaurant, Sbarro. Unfortunately there is no Sbarro here in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is fortunate that our friend had the recipe. From then on I’m making this pasta from time to time and when we came back to the Philippines for a vacation, we don’t want to eat in Sbarro anymore!

Ingredients
A] Red Sauce
Delmonte Garlic and Herb “Chunky” Tomato Sauce
Salt

B] Garlic Cheese Sauce
100g butter
1 glove of garlic, minced
I box cheddar cheese
1 tsp of ground pepper
2 cans of Nestle Cream
Garlic powder (optional)
Parsley (optional)

C] Pasta
450g of Penne Pasta
Salt and 5L of water

Directions:
1) Pasta
a. Boil water and add salt
b. Place pasta in boiling water. Usually it takes 12 minutes to cook the pasta (or follow the time from the package)
2) Red Sauce
a. Heat the red sauce
b. Add salt if the sauce is too sour
c. Simmer until hot
d. Combine the red sauce with the cooked pasta
3) Garlic Cheese Sauce
a. Melt butter in sauce pan
b. Add garlic
c. When garlic is almost transparent, add nestle creams. Cook for 3 minutes
d. Add 2/3 portion of the grated cheese. Stir to melt the cheese.
e. Sprinkle ground pepper
f. Sprinkle salt (optional)
4) Mix
a. Place the mixed pasta with red sauce in a flat baking cookware.
b. Pour garlic cheese on the top of the pasta
c. Sprinkle garlic powder and ground pepper at the top (optional)
d. Sprinkle parsley (optional)
e. Bake it in microwave oven for 5minutes

That’s it! Serve with garlic bread.

Nilagang Baka

It’s freezing outside when we got home today and I thought it’s perfect to have a piping hot beef stew for tea. This is one of our favourite dishes back in the Philippines; you get to have a taste of home. Since there is no Philippine string bean (sitaw) available in the grocery store I used New Zealand string beans as a substitute. And instead of the Philippine’s favourite citrus, kalamansi, I used lemon.

Ingredients

1 kilo of shin beef, sliced

1 onion, sliced in four pieces

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 lemon

2 teaspoon of patis (fish sauce)

1 beef cube

3 medium-sized potatoes cut into quarters

1-2 whole corn, sliced in quarters (optional)

1 small head of cabbage cut into quarters

2-4 head of Bok Choy or petchay (optional)

3-4 teaspoon of Salt

½ teaspoon of black pepper

(Adjust salt and pepper on your own preference)

Directions

1. Boil the beef with onion in a pot, water should be enough to cover the meat.

2. Once boiling, put the cubes, salt, pepper.

3. After 30mins of boiling, add potatoes and corn(optional)

4. Boil for another 10-15 minutes.

5. When potatoes are done, add the cabbage and string beans.

6. Keep boiling for another 2 to 5 minutes.

7. Serve with warm rice.

8. Optional: Usually most Filipinos love to have a dipping sauce made of squeezed lemon and fish sauce. Try the dip with every bite. Yum!

Akaroa

This place has unique charm that motivates us to return again and again.
This can be a romantic getaway for a couple or an incredible place for family and friends.
The sea gulls are so used to people feeding them that they expect it from you. They love all kinds of food but specially bread and chips. Due to the intense winds in Akaroa, the sea gulls would use the wind to glide and seem stationary. This is perfect for feeding and photo opportunities.

What to do?
You can experience dolphin watching and other marine wildlife on daily scenic cruises
Eat the famous fish and chips in town
Visit the cheese factory on the way home

Recommendation
Any time of the year as long as sunny.
Favourite thing to do:
Feeding the sea gulls.

Photo Gallery

Hanmer Springs

Hanmer Springs is a marvellous place to visit whether for a day, a weekend or even longer. If you want to do something relaxing, do some exciting activities, or check out breathtaking views, then this is one of the best places to visit. I love the thermal spa and pools; the massage is awesome as well. You can bring your favourite food and have some picnic in the park near the entrance or have it inside the resort.

Photo Gallery

These are some of the photos that I have taken during a day trip to this place:

What you can do?
There are plenty of activities for adrenaline junkies like bungee jumping and jet boating nearby. There are also ski fields and great tracks for mountain biking. There are also some fantastic trails for walking, like up Conical Hill.

Recommendation
Any day of the year wether sunny, snowy, or windy, Hanmer Springs is the perfect destination for everybody.