HO CHI MINH CITY DAY 2

Day 2 was scheduled for the Mekong River Tour.  The coach picked us up at 8 a.m. and it took us 3 hours to get there. We went to a place where they make popped rice and other candies made with coconut milk.

 

After the rice has been popped, a mixture made with coconut milk, sugar syrup, and coconut strips are boiled until slightly caramelized.  The popped rice is then added and mixed into the coconut mixture. Two men with wooden sticks go through this mixing motion, sort of like a tribal dance and in the process, the popped rice gets sticky and gooey. 

The sticky popped rice is then transferred to a table. Metal rolling pins are used to flatten and to keep them compact.  Then they are sliced and allowed to cool.

 

Then it is packed in plastic, sealed and labeled.

Here's a candy that they make made out of coconut milk. It somewhat tastes like coco jam.  It's wrapped in rice paper and then it's individually wrapped.

 

There was a lady there that made rice paper.... the one that is used for fresh spring rolls. 

   

It looked really easy but when I tried it, as you can see, it didn't turn out so well. :-) It was fun trying it though.

 

Ok... more stories next time.

HO CHI MINH CITY DAY 1

My family and I went to Ho Chi Minh City for the Holidays. We figured, it was a place that most of us have not yet been to and the long holiday was a perfect time to explore and get to know the place.  I know Vietnam through their popular spring rolls, lemongrass barbecue pork, shrimp in sugarcane and the beef noodle - pho. 

My first dinner in Vietnam was not so good though.  We ate at a tourist place that served French and Vietnamese cuisine.  We ordered a set menu that had soft shell crabs as an appetizer and it turned out to be raw in the middle.  That really made me lose my appetite that night. What saved the night was the spring rolls. I don't think you can ever go wrong with that.

The two things that I found interesting that night... Beer and Kropek.  I'm not a beer drinker but I always enjoy seeing another brand.  The kropek was a good tummy filler specially when you're waiting for your food to arrive.

More stories about Vietnam on my next post...

MANGO TRIFLE

Here's a simple recipe for fuss free entertaining.... The Mango Trifle. 

Ingredients:

2 cups  Nestle Buko Flavor All-Purpose Cream (chilled)

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1 loaf butter cake or vanilla chiffon cake sliced into 1 inch cubes

2 pieces ripe mangoes - sliced

Instructions:

1.  In a bowl, combine the Nestle Buko flavor All-purpose cream and confectioner's sugar.  Whip using an electric hand mixer or by hand using a wire whisk until fluffy.

2.  In a dessert glass, scoop 1-2 Tbsps. of the whipped cream and place at the bottom, then place about 3-4 butter cake or chiffon cubes.

3.  Lay sliced mangoes over the cake cubes, then top with 1-2 Tbsps. of the whipped cream again.

4.  Repeat process by ending with the whipped cream on top.  Smooth out surface and lay some sliced mangoes for decor.

5.  Chill for at least an hour before serving.

SHRIMP IN SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

Here's a dish that I made for the October issue of the YUMMY MAGAZINE! What I love about it is that it only takes 10 minutes to cook it. This is simply great with garlic rice!  For more YUMMY recipes, go grab a copy now.

Shrimp in Spicy Tomato Sauce:

250 gms. white shrimp, deveined

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. green chili, sliced (siling tagalog)

1 T. garlic, minced

1 t. paprika

1/2 C. crushed tomato 

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1.  In a saute pan, heat olive oil.  Saute the green chili until slightly wilted.

2.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.  Do not brown.

3.  Add the shrimps, paprika, and crushed tomatoes. Mix until combined.  Simmer until shrimps turns pink and sauce is slightly thickened.

4.  Season with salt and pepper.

TRUE CONFECTIONS!

Check out the Philippine Star today! Entertainment section C-7... Sweet Memories on Q-11

There is a new pastry shop in town, and its is all set to churn out delectable baked goodies and desserts starting October 4, 6:30 p.m.

Enter Q-11's True Confections, a half hour casual baking tutorial that showcases easy-to-make but hard-to-resist desserts.

Hosted by Sam Oh with pastry chefs Aileen Anastacio of Goodies N' Sweets and Jackie Ang-Po Fleur de Lys Patisserie, the show will share all the delicious secrets behind everyone's favorite desserts - from classic to modern, from simple, no-bake goodies to fancy.
Segments include Do it yourself desserts, a "how to" on making a variety of desserts from scratch, Sweets around the world, a feature on various dessert products from other countries; Guiltless, a feature on low-sugar and low-fat desserts; and Behind the sweets, a feature on how everyone's all-time favorite sweets are made.

On it's pilot episode, True Confections will feature classic cakes that never fail to impress any sweet appetite.  Classic chocolate cake and strawberry shortcake will revive everyone's cravings and bring back sweet memories of the good old days!

THE FLAVORED CUP BOOK LAUNCH

Ok I know it took a while to get this together.  Life has just been too hectic lately for me to sit down and organize my thoughts and these pictures together. 

The launch started with an introduction by Ms. Cherry Cruz of Equilibrium Intertrade Corp. who's company's passion and love for coffee has lead to the support of this endeavor with me. Then I gave a short lecture about coffee, the basic guidelines to achieving the perfect cup and did a demo on some of the recipes from the book.

Close family and friends attended. 

The food was catered by Goodies N' Sweets of course and the coffee bar was provided by Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation.  I would love to tell you about the yummy menu that we had but Ill have to tell you that next time.

I will post a recipe from the book soon.  Hope you all will go and grab a copy soon.  The books is available in selected Powerbooks and National Bookstore outlets.  So 'til next time, happy brewing!!!

HEALTHY LIVING

I was asked to contribute some recipes for a magazine publication some time ago and they requested for some healthy and low fat dishes. I gladly obliged and came up with two recipes. Here's one that's easy to make even for a weekday meal. Hope you get to try making this soon.

Seared Chicken Breast with Garlic and Caper Sauce Served with Couscous Salad

 Ingredients:

1            piece                                chicken breast

1/8            t.                                    salt

1/8            t.                                    pepper

Flour                                               for dusting

1            T.                                      butter           

1            T.                                      olive oil

2            cloves                        garlic minced

2            t.                                        capers               roughly chopped

1/4         c.                                       white wine or chicken stock

2            T.                                      parsley                chopped

Salt and pepper                                to taste

Directions:

1.   1.   Place chicken breast in between 2 plastic films and pound until1/4 inch thick all around.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and dust with flour and set aside.

2.   2. In a non-stick sauté pan, heat butter and olive oil on medium high heat.  Add the chicken breast and sear the chicken for about 2 minutes per side turning the chicken only once.  Remove from pan when cooked and set aside.

3.   3. Add another T. of oil if necessary.  Saute garlic until fragrant, then add the capers and then the wine.  Allow to simmer for 30 seconds.

4.   4. Add back the chicken and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes.  Then sprinkle parsley over.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5.   5. Place on a plate with couscous salad.

Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 cup                       couscous

1/2            cup                      chicken stock                        boiling

2               T.                        parsley                                  chopped

1               T.                        basil           

1               T.                        mint

1               pc                       lemon                                    juice

Rind of lemon

1               t.                         salt

1/4            t.                         pepper

2              T.                         extra virgin olive oil

1/4            c.                        Tomatoes                               cubed

1/4            c.                        cucumber                               cubed

2               T.                        kalamata olives                      pitted and sliced

Directions:

1.   1.  Place the couscous in a medium sized bowl.

2.   2.  Pour the boiling chicken stock over the couscous. Slightly mix with a fork then cover with a plastic film or plate and allow to cook for 15-20 mnutes.

3.   3.  Uncover the bowl and fluff the couscous using a fork.  Allow to cool for 10 mintues.

4.   4.  Then in a separate bowl, combine the lemon, rind, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Mix until well blended.

5.   5.  Pour over the couscous then toss together with the herbs – parsley, basil and mint, and the vegetable – tomatoes, cucumber and olives.