Pad Thai for Beginners

What would it take for a noodle gaga like me? Simple, just dare to cook all those noodle varieties available. From pansit bihon to pansit palabok, Italian spaghetti to Korean jab chae. Heck, even from instant ramen to the unbeatable instant pancit canton, I tried it all and dig it :) Come to think of it, I survived my college days by eating instant noodles. Yes, the lazy way of just putting hot water, and viola, you have a hot serving of a hearty noodle. But since I got married, cooking the instant way has to change, or else my husband will disown me,LOL! I'd been eating noodles since time immemorial, in which the amount of noodles I'd eaten could encircle the globe to-and-fro beating Michael Palen, hahahaha! So, this time, I dare myself to cook the famous Pad Thai. I had never cooked Pad Thai, and I always wanted to learn how to do it. At first, I was really intimidated, but after reading some blogs and articles, I conditioned myself not to back out.

One of the best blogs that I find very helpful on how to cook Pad Thai for beginners, is Chez Pim's blog. In there, she thoroughly explained everything up to the last bits and pieces of ingredients, procedures, and even cooking tips. The article is a long read, but trust me, it's worth your time. When you're done reading it, I can assure you that you are now fully equipped on how to make your very first and own Pad Thai, just like me :) Good luck on your Pad Thai quest, and soon enough, you'll forget about take out!

Click here,Pad Thai for Beginners by: Chez Pim.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls (Lumpia)

I love spring rolls, and I don't mind at all how long it takes to make it, after all patience is a virtue . Back home we call spring rolls as "Lumpia", and it has variety of fillings. It can be a meaty porky filling, or some tutty fruity ones, usually made up of banana, jack fruit, or a sweet mongo bean paste. Come to think of it, I used to sale lumpia back in grade school, and I almost got suspended coz the teacher in-charge of the canteen reported my sorry a$$ to the principal. DUH! How can a 9 years old could be the downfall of a school canteen? Thanks to her, I learned the basics of capitalism. Sad,sad,sad tragic event for a third grader, but did it stop me from selling other food stuff? HELL NO! Yes, at 9, I was already a guerilla vendor,bwahahaha. Me like more my nickles and dimes than to be completely penniless and have nothing to support my needs, hmmm......buying Gundam stickers and different colors of rubber bands. Amen to that!

Here's a simple vegetarian recipe for a spring roll filling, and a tutorial on how to wrap a spring roll. For first timer rollers (sorry I couldn't find any appropriate terms on this, lol!), don't be intimated on how to start your spring rolls rolling. It doesn't need to be perfectly wrap. Just have some fun, and savor the fruit of your rolling labor .

Ingredients:
Spring Roll Wrapper
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots
1 cup fresh shredded coconut pulp
Note: Frozen one will do, but if you can't avail either, replace the coconut with mung bean sprouts which you can easily avail at any grocery store.

1/4 cup roasted sesame seeds
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp minced ginger
1 regular size habanero pepper minced
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cooking oil
black pepper
green onions

Procedure:
1. In a hot pan, add the cooking oil and saute the ginger, habanero pepper, and the onion (put the bulb part of the onion first)

2.Add the carrots and stir for a minute, then add the cabbage,salt,sugar,soy sauce and a dash of black pepper. Stir for 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the roasted coconut and sesame seeds for a minute, then mix in the green onion stalks.

4. Let it cool and set aside.

Wrapping Procedure:
1. Let the spring roll wrapper defrost to room temperature.
I use this brand:

2. Cover the spring roll wrapper as well as the finish spring roll with a damp paper towel to keep it moist.

3. Deep fry until golden brown.

4. Follow this tutorial video, and enjoy rolling.

Wrapping and frying tips:

1. Wrap the filling as tight as you can to avoid opening during frying, but don't wrap it too tight, or you'll end up tearing the wrapper.

2. Make sure that the oil is hot, or you'll end up with a soft and oily spring roll rather than crispy.

Siopao (Filipino Steamed Buns)

Hmmmm....I miss my sio pao, and for that, I decided to made some. Sio Pao is a famous snack in the Philippines. It's a good food on the go and very affordable. Making sio pao is not complicated at all even for first timers. You just need to be time conscious when you're waiting for the dough to rise, otherwise you'll over grow the dough, and this can really affect the texture of your dough resulting to a dry and heavy buns. When deciding on what fillings to make for the buns, just feel free to experiment, or I may say, do as you please. I decided to do a sweet filling which is made of sweet purple yam just because it's my favorite,lol!

Ingredients:
Dough

4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp cooking oil
3 tsp dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp sugar

Filling:
For my filling, since I use a powdered purple yam, I just followed the instructions on the packaging. However, for a salty filling, you can use a some scrambled tofu,minced cabbage and carrots. Just stir fry it, add some soy sauce and any spices you like, but make sure that it's not liquidy to avoid any problems with the dough.

Procedure:
1. Sift the flour and baking powder, then add up the 1/2 cup of sugar and the 3 tbsp of oil.
2. Mix together the yeast and sugar in a lukewarm water and stir until it's lump free and wait till its bubbly.
3. Pour in the liquid mixture in the flour mixture and mix well. Form into a ball and cover with a damp cloth.
4. Leave the dough to rise for 1 hour or until it doubles its volume.
5. Once the dough arises, punch it in the middle and let it rise again for another 30 minutes.
6. After 30 minutes, knead the dough in a floured surface until it is smooth and not sticky.
7. Divide the dough into 2 balls and roll it into a log then cut it into small balls.

Note: I weighed my balls into 75 grams each just enough for a regular bun size, and it makes about 14 buns.

8.Flattened the balls into a circle and put the filling into the middle.

9.Pull the sides of the dough into the center in closing the bun.

10.Place the bun into a 4"x 5" square parchment paper and cook in the steamer for 15 minutes.

11. After 15 minutes, viola! Your sio pao is ready :)

More Vegetarian Bento On The Go!

Some more veggie bento delights. Enjoy


Contents: Panda (I tried, lol) onigiri, jab chae (Korean stir fry noodles), string beans pakora, steamed asparagus, and some fruits.


Contents: Yellow rice w/ green peas,corn, and carrots, samosas, spicy strawberry pineapple chutney, pineapple chunks, and some chocolates.


Contents: Onigiri, Soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles), barbecued tofu, and fruits.


Contents: sushi rice, stir fried veggies, veggie sushi pakora, kiwis, strawberries, and chocolates.

Vegetarian Lasagna

A couple of months ago, Radha and I had some mouth watering craving for lasagna, so we searched into one of Kurma's recipe book, and we found this excellent lasagna recipe. It is very simple to follow that even for somebody like me who haven’t cooked a lasagna in my entire life has no problem at all. Of course, with the help of my partner in crime, cooking lasagna for the first time is not just fun, but also a memorable gastric enticement experienced to relished!

The lasagna was “plump” because I didn’t wait and let it set for an hour, but it’s still oishi together with a simple salad!

Vegetarian Lasagna

By: Kurma

Preparation and Cooking: 1 1/2 hours

Baking time: 45 minutes

Yield: 1 tray of lasagna, 30 cm x 20 cm x 8 cm (12 in x 8 in x 3 in )

This lasagna has five distinct ingredients: pasta, tomato sauce, bechamel sauce, spinach, and cheese.

Pasta

about fifteen 17 cm x 17 cm (7 in x 7 in) sheets of instant lasagna (400 g, or about 14 ounces)

Tomato Sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp yellow asafoetida powder

1 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried marjoram

2 bay leaves

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 medium eggplant, diced 3 medium diced peppers

24 medium tomato blanched, peeled, and chopped, or six 250 g tins Italian tomatoes cut into cubes (keep the juice)

1/2 cup black olives, chopped

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp salt

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Bechamel Sauce

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup sifted plain flour

4 cups warm milk

Spinach

1 large bunch of spinach leaves, separated, stalks removed, washed, blanched in boiling water and drained.

Cheese

375 g grated cheddar cheese

250 g grated mozzarella cheese

60 g grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, reserved for garnish

To cook the tomato sauce:

1. Heat the olive oil under a moderate heat in a large, heavy-based saucepan. When hot, add th asafoetida. Saute momentarily; then add the fresh basil,oregano, marjoram, bay leaves, and black pepper and saute for another few seconds.

2. Add the eggplant cubes and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the peppers, and stirring occasionally, cook them with th eggplant pieces until both are softened (about 3 or 4 mins).

3. Add the tomatoes and olives and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, and cook uncovered, stirring often, for about 1/2 hour or until it reduces and thickens. Add tomato paste, sugar,salt, and parsley, mix well, and remove from the heat.

To cook the Bechamel Sauce:

1. Place the melted butter in a heavy saucepan over a low heat and stir in the nutmeg, black pepper, and flour and saute until the mixture darkens slightly (about 1/2 min). Remove from the heat.

2. Gradually pour in the warm milk, stirring with a whisk until the sauce is smooth. Return to moderate heat and stir until it boils. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens to a thick-custard consistency (about 5 mins.)

To assemble the lasagna:

1. Combine all 3 cheese (except the reserved parmesan) in a bowl. Divide the tomato sauce and bechamel sauce into 3. Divide the cheese and spinach into 2. Divide the pasta into 5.

2. Spread one-third of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the tomato tray. Place one-fifth of the pasta sheets on top. Spread on one-third of the bechamel sauce then another one-fifth of the pasta. Spread one-half of the spinach leaves; then sprinkle half of the grated cheese on top.

3. Repeat this process twice more and you should end up with the bechamel sauce on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place the lasagna in the top of a pre-heated 200 degree C/ 300 degree F oven and cook for 30 -45 minutes or until the top is slightly golden and the pasta “gives” when you stick a knife in it.It’s best to let the lasagna set for at least another hour before serving, as this”plumps” the pasta. Cut into squares and serve.

Will The Real Vegan Marshmallow Please Stand Up!

I was goggling online looking for that elusive recipe for a perfect fluffy vegetarian/vegan marshmallow. After a couple of clicks and stops from one site to another, I stumbled and ended up in youtube. As a vegetarian, I'd always been careful of what I eat especially in buying pre-package vegetarian goodies because god knows what's exactly in there and manufacturers just label it as "vegetarian".

I remember one time, a friend give me some packs of this “kosher-Gel” for making vegetarian gelatin. Out of courtesy, I accepted it and thank her for her generosity. When I got home, the usual, I just tossed every food stuff inside my pantry. No, I didn’t bother to check it, or even to try it due to my laziness, and I just completely forgot about it. Until one day, when I checked my pantry and noticed that there’s something missing. Then, I asked my husband (the usual culprit) if he touched anything in my pantry, it turns out, he did.

With a nonchalant and seemingly cold manner (as most guys are, acting cool,LOL), the hubby told me that he threw away that “kosher-gel” thing because he found out that it WASN’T VEGAN AT ALL. I was just dumbfounded and didn’t bother to start an argument because my guts was telling me that he seems to be right. Anyway, “EMES KOSHER-GEL” turns out to be a BIG FAKE!. So, calling all vegetarians and vegans out there, please don’t buy this product at all!

If you want to read more about how this fake vegan gel got busted, please click here.

And here’s what I found in Youtube.

Part 1

Part 2

Sweet and Sara is the only vegan marshmallow I’m buying because as you can see from the video, the maker is a vegan. Even though it’s kind of expensive, from time to time, my hubby and I can’t help but be tempted.

As for the recipe, I’m still on the look out and doing some trial and error. If you want to do some vegetarian gelatin, try using some agar-agar. This is what we generally use in the Philippines in making gulaman or gelatin, and you can find this in your nearby Asian stores.

Don’t Eat that Marshmallow yet!

Joachim de Posada takes us to a funny look on how instant and delayed gratifications has something to do with our success. Now, I’m wondering if what would be the outcome if he also performs the marshmallow test in our community. Of course, it’s gonna be a vegetarian marshmallow, so don’t worry prabhus. I’m sure it’s gonna be interesting

Puto (Steamed Rice Cake)

It’s been a while since I posted a new recipe, and some of my friends have been asking me about it. So for my recipe update, I present to you, Puto! Puto is a famous native delicacy in the Philippines. In every province and island, the people has it’s own version of it. Whenever we have special occasions in our house, my mother would make sure that puto is part of the menu. Will, actually even if there’s no occasion at all, I can still avail it, but only the ordinary plane flavored ones. Originally, puto is made of grinded sticky rice that is soak in water for 24 hours, but now a days, it can be made by regular rice flour ( can be purchase at any Asian store) mixed with regular flour. I found some recipes online, and from there, I just made my own for my convenience.Also, when steaming puto, it is usually placed in banana leaves, but since it’s hard to find it here in Florida, I just simply omit it.In this recipe, I made a strawberry flavored one, but plain puto is also good just add vanilla essence for more aromatic experience. Making puto is really easy, but eating it is more delightful. Share with love and enjoy .

Puto

Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

5 tsp coconut oil (canola oil is ok too)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp strawberry essence

1 tsp red food coloring

2 cups fresh coconut milk ( evaporated milk is fine if coconut is not available)

1/4 cup water

Procedure:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Slowly add the milk and stir for couple of mins until no more lumps is visible.

3. Add the oil.

4. If the batter is too thick, slowy add the water, and continue stirring.

5. Fill butter lined prepared puto cups 3/4 full and steam for 25 to 30 mins.

6. Serve with grated coconut or cheese of your choice.

Note: You can make any flavor you want (don’t be afraid of experimenting), all you have to do is to add the flavoring or the essence you’d like.

Tofu Bar-B-Q

Ingredients and Procedures:

3 cans of 15 oz tomato sauce

1/2 cup peanut butter

dice tofu (about 5 -6 cups) drained and deep fry it.

2 cups of dice pineapple, red,orange and yellow bellpepper, and cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp butter/ghee

2 tbsp of finely grated parmesan cheese

basil leaves

masala or mixed spices ( I usually mixed asofatedia, ginger powder, cumin powder, curry and chili powder for a pinch or two of each)

dash of black pepper

1 tsp sugar

bamboo skewers

Procedure:

1. Cut the tofu into desired thickness and size then drained and deep fry.

2. While frying the tofu, start the sauce. Put first the butter and if it’s hot enough then put the masala ( be careful not to burn the masala), then dumped the tomato sauce.

3. Put the remaining ingredients one at a time; peanut butter, basil leaves, parmesan cheese, sugar and black pepper and let it simmer for 10- 15 mins in low fire.

4. Put the fried tofu into the sauce and let it marinate overnight.

5. The next day before skewing the tofu start first the barbecue fire. Skew the tofu, bell peppers, pineapple and tomato in any order.

6. Now don’t forget to make a barbecue dressing while barbecuing it’s just a one is to one proportion: 1 cup of the barbecue sauce + 1 cup of oil. Coat the skewed tofu and the grill w/ the barbecue dressing before barbecuing in this way it will prevent it from sticking into the grill.

7. Now your ready to cook it and be careful not to burn it:)

Note: slice it thick enough so that it wont break when you put it on the bamboo skewer, same as the tofu but the tomatoes no need, justt skew it as it is. For the skewers, soak it in water for 30 mins so that it wont burn easily.

Vegetarian Bento!

Bento is a Japanese way of preparing lunch boxes. It is basically made up of rice, fish, meat, and egg. But now a days, bento has evolved, and it has lots of varieties. Japanese moms actually designed bento boxes for their kids in order to encourage them to eat a variety of foods. Also, it helps in tricking the kids to eat foods that they don’t like to eat at all, and one classic example is the greenly leafy healthy veggie. I used to religiously eat my bentos when I was at grade school, even if it includes the veggie that I totally despised before, the bitter gourd.

Lately, I’d been longing to make some bentos, but the only thing that stops me from moving my butt is my laziness. Then one day, my husband and I needs to go to Tampa for some business, and he told me to packed some lunch since it’s gonna be a long day (duh! he just hate to eat outside,LOL). While checking the cooler to see if what can I whip from our almost bare fridge, making bento lunch boxes pops in my head right away.

Making bento is actually easy. You don’t need to make it fancy and intricate as the Japanese folks does, but to have the basic things in making it is a big help. So, for the basics, you just need rice (sushi rice), nori (dried seaweeds/sushi wrapper), some veggies and fruits, small containers (like a small paper/cupcake cup). You also need some toothpicks to sometimes hold the food in place, and of course your bento box ( I just use the regular rectangular box). All of these are very easy to avail at your local Asian store. Once you have all of it, then you’re good to go.

When it comes on how to arrange your bento, there’s no pattern at all if which comes first. Whatever suits your needs, then go for it! All you need is your creativity and imagination, and just do things out of the box! You can make pakoras or samosas and have it arrange anyway you want. You can also put some accents for more colors, like cherry tomatoes, grapes, or even m n’ms will do.

If you’ve never tried making a bento box, now is that time to do it, hahaha! If you have problem with your kids on letting them eat some healthy foods, do it the bento way, and I’m pretty much sure it’ll work.

For more detailed steps and how tos in making a bento, I suggest to visit this site, http://lunchinabox.net/. If you have more questions about this, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’m just a click away, and I’ll be happy to be of service.

Some of the simple bentos that I made for my husband :) .


Contents: Seaweeds rolls, onigiri, veggie balls, kiwi, strawberry, candy,cherry tomatoes, and grapes.

Contents: Rice balls, veggie dogs, tofu, vegetarian brownies, gulabjamon, cherry tomatoes, and grapes.

Contents: Rice rolls w/ cream cheese, tofu, veggie balls with broccoli and marinara sauce, edamame, and kiwis.

Contents: Rice rolls, zucchini pakora, broccoli, and veggie dogs.

Contents: Rice balls, steamed asparagus, spring rolls, and stir-fried noodles.

And that's me pigging out, LOL!

Here is also a video of cute bento boxes. I’m sure we can get an idea or two from this video.

About Me

Hello!!!She's just a simple soul who loves to cook,bake, and eat!!!Most of the time she's harassing the kitchen, so the probability of you meeting her in the kitchen is infinite. A full-time wife who just wants to explore her endless possibilities, likes to think outside the box, and best of all is willing to exploit her strength to make things possible. One of her favorite quote is from the hot Bono of U2; ” The world is more malleable than you think, and it’s waiting for you to hammer it in shape.” She’s also a certified Asian drama addict, a vegetarian, loves mangas, can’t get enough of her daily dose of animes, but her best attribute is that she can seriously compete with a polar bear when it comes to hibernating.Oh, I almost forgot that she’s a procrastinator Numero UNO!

Thoughts-O-Rama

Got Water?

Amidst the issues of global warming which is sadly manipulated by the government, fabricated by the media, and sadly ignored by many,Michael Pritchard water purifier invention is something not to be taken lightly because it is something that can surely save our lives, and could save thousands as well. This is one of the coolest inventions of the century that can never go wrong...read more

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It Wasn’t Me!

Why do people cheat? Is it because of instant reward and satisfaction? Is it because it’s thrilling, so people do it just for the heck of it? There could be a variety of colorful answers, and we’re all gonna try to justify it...read more

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Will The Real Vegan Marshmallow Please Stand Up!

I was goggling online looking for that elusive recipe for a perfect fluffy vegetarian/vegan marshmallow. After a couple of clicks and stops from one site to another, I stumbled and ended up in youtube. As a vegetarian, I'd always been careful of what I eat especially in buying pre-package vegetarian goodies because god knows what's exactly in there and manufacturers just label it as "vegetarian"... read more

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JUSTICE FOR NEDA SOLTANI!!!

What you’re about to see, is a horrifying event. At first, I chose not to say anything, and to just offer my prayer in silence and that she may rest in peace. But every time I see her face in the monitor and hear news about her, I can’t help but feel guilty...read more

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The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

I was trying to do some research yesterday at Barnes & Nobles on how to start up a business. Will, it was more like a psedo-research, since I was reading some mangas on the side, LOL! I got bored after sometime of scanning those thick and pricey business books, and they’re not appealing at all..read more