Puto - The Second Attempt

Since I'm not so happy with the puto I made the first time (link: My First Try with Puto), I decided to make some again.


Sorry... I cheated. hihihihi!
In fairness they were yummy! Perfect texture too.

Seriously, I really tried making puto again from scratch. Here's my second attempt in making puto:

This time it contains coconut milk.

Before steaming & without the cheese

After steaming them, I can already smell the coconut milk flavor.
The texture: soft yet firm. The taste: creamy rich flavor (because of the coconut milk).


I brought some to our friends' house and they liked it.

I got the recipe from Oggi's blog I Can Do That! (thanks Oggi for sharing the recipe).

Some changes I made:

• I added a slice of cheese on top before steaming because I looove puto with cheese!
• I used cupcake paper cups. Unfortunately my individual molds are too small for the paper cups I have, that's why the puto I made did not fill the paper cups completely.

Next time I'll try the pandan & ube flavor. :)

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Pork Menudo

I finally made some pork menudo last Friday! I had this recipe bookmarked from my cookbook for months.

Menudo is a Filipino dish, with thick tomato sauce. Normally menudo has raisins to balance the sourness of the tomato paste and liver to add some bitterness, but I opted not to put it because neither I nor hubby will eat them. Some would also add green peas, carrots and bell pepper. But for the dish I made, I only added potatoes. I actually added too much potatoes. You can actually count the number of pork cubes in there. :D


Pork Menudo

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 cup minced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups potatoes, cut in 1/2" cubes
• 2 cups pork, cut in 3/4" cubes
• 1 1/2 cups cubed liver (optional)
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce

Directions

1. Saute garlic, onions.
2. When the onion is translucent, add the tomatoes and saute until it starts to liquefy.
3. Add pork and cook until brown.
4. Add the tomato sauce and water and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Cook until meat is soft, adding more water if necessary.
6. Add the potatoes.
7. When the potatoes are half-cooked, add the liver.
8. Cover and simmer until fully cooked.

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Adobong Sitaw

Here's another recipe to share with you... Adobong Sitaw.


Adobo is a famous Filipino food. It's usually meat (or vegetable) stewed in vinegar and soy sauce.

There are different Adobo recipes... Pork Adobo, Chicken Adobo, Squid Adobo, there's even Adobong Kang Kong (although I haven't tried this one).

Adobong Sitaw normally is cooked with ground pork or sliced pork belly. The way I cook it... all veggie. :)


Adobong Sitaw

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 500 grams long beans
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup vinegar
• pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil and fry the garlic until slightly brown.
2. Add the onion and stir fry until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the long beans and saute until it's half-cooked.
4. Add the soy sauce and vinegar. Season with pepper.
5. Let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until the long beans are cooked.

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Ginisang Sayote

Ginisang Sayote or Sauteed Chayote is another Filipino dish that is easy to cook and requires a few ingredients only - chayote and shrimp/prawns. I've seen and tasted a lot of variations for this dish. Some would use ground pork, some would add tomato, and some would even add carrots.


Ginisang Sayote

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 500g chayote, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup shrimps, shelled and deveined
• 1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup water
• salt or fish sauce to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil and fry the garlic until brown.
2. Add the onion and stir fry until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the shrimps and saute a bit until half cooked.
4. Pour the water and add the chayote.
5. Season with salt/fish sauce, cover and simmer until the chayote is a tender.

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Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa

Ginataang sitaw at kalabasa is a Filipino dish, consisting mainly of coconut milk (gata), long beans (sitaw) and squash (kalabasa). There are different variations for this dish. Some would only use the long beans with coconut milk, some only the squash with coconut milk. Some would prefer pork instead of shrimps, and some would make it all vegan.

I have a limited knowledge in cooking Filipino dishes, and I'm proud to say that this is one of the Filipino dishes that I can cook well. It's a healthy dish and has a simple & easy to follow recipe.


Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 to 2 cups long beans, cut into 2 inch segments
• 1 to 2 cups squash
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup shrimps, shelled and deveined
• salt or fish sauce to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil and fry the garlic until brown.
2. Add the onion and stir fry until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the beans and squash. Season with salt/fish sauce.
4. When the beans and squash are half-cooked, add the coconut milk and shrimps.
5. Add water if necessary. Continue cooking until the beans are done and the sauce is thick.

Notes:

• You can substitute the shrimps with pork, cut into small bite pieces. Or you can also make it all vegan, remove the shrimps/pork completely. Simply adjust the seasonings according to taste.
• If you used pork, cook the pork before cooking the garlic. Add the garlic when the meat is done or brownish in color.

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