Green Curry Cauldron

I was looking for something to cook for a Halloween party, and found an idea from Martha Stewart's website. Here's our family's usual green curry recipe, but with a Halloween twist by making it greener and gooey-looking. 

Ingredients:
1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
1 can coconut milk, divided
1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
2 lbs chicken thigh or breast fillet, cubed
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 small zuccinni, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 small broccoli crown, cut into florets (about 1 or 1 1/2 cups)
1 green bell pepper, cubed
1 tbsp sugar
salt

Using a blender, puree the chopped spinach and 2/3 can coconut milk. Set aside.
Heat the wok and add the canola oil. Saute the green curry paste. You can add or reduce the curry paste depending on the level of spiciness you like.
Add the coconut milk-spinach puree and let it simmer.
Add the chicken cubes and broth. Season with fish sauce, sugar and salt.
Cook for 15-20 minutes until chicken are tender.
Add the zuccinni and cook for 5 minutes, then add the broccoli and green bell pepper.
Add the remaining coconut milk and let simmer for about 5 minutes more.
Serve with rice.

For regular green curry, you can skip the coconut milk-spinach puree and just add plain coconut milk. You can also add other kinds of vegetables, such as sliced potatoes and carrots. 

Chocolate Cupcake

Jaemi just turned 4! We were not supposed to throw a party for her, but caved in at the last minute. I was unable to pre-order the cake I really wanted for her birthday, so I decided to make cupcakes instead. I got this recipe from my sis-in-law, and tweaked the frosting a little bit. I'm still not that good in artfully designing cupcakes, but they turned out great-tasting and was a sure hit! 



Dry ingredients:

1 3/4 c flour
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 c sugar
1 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs
1 c milk
1/2 c vegetable or canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 c boiling water

Frosting:

1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperatrure
2/3 c cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 can condensed milk


How to make the cupcakes:

Line cupcake pan with paper cups. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda.
Add sugar and salt. Mix until well blended.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg then add in all wet ingredients and stir.
Add wet mixture to dry mix, stir until well combined, but still with some lumps.
Pour batter in cupcake pan, filling about 2/3 of each cup.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean when tested.

** You can also use this as cake mix, increasing the baking time to 20-22 minutes for 8" round or 9" square cake pan.


Frosting:

Using a mixer, whisk the soft butter. Add condensed milk then cocoa powder, whisking them in 3-4 intervals. Add vanilla then whisk. Use rubber spatula to scrape unwhisked cocoa on the sides of the bowl and mix them in. Cool the cupcakes before frosting.

Pork Binagoongan in Coconut Milk

This isn't really a dish Jaemi enjoys, but something I prepare when our Pinoy friends are here and beer is served during get-together dinners at home. I also cook this when I miss the fiestas back home, and when my hubby simply craves for it. It's difficult to get pork belly (the ideal cut for the recipe) in regular grocery stores here in Houston. I guess all the bacon makers got 'em all. So I usually substitute it with pork strip spare ribs combined with cubed country style ribs or boston butt-roast. That way you'll get a balance of the flavor-packed bone parts (the strip spare ribs), dark meat, and fat. 

2 lbs pork belly, cubed*
2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 serrano peppers or long green peppers, chopped
OR 1 tsp chili flakes**
1 medium sized tomato, chopped
1/4 cup bagoong (shrimp paste)
2 tbsp patis (fish sauce)
1 cup coconut milk (set aside 1/4 cup)
2 tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste
2 whole serrano peppers


In a deep sauteing pan, heat oil over medium heat.
Sear the pork on all sides, then set aside. Remove some of the oil, leaving only about 1 tbsp.
Saute garlic and onion until translucent.
Add the chopped peppers (or chili flakes), the shrimp paste, and then the tomato and saute until tender.
Stir in 3/4 cup coconut milk and fish sauce.
When coconut milk is simmering, add the seared pork. Let it cook over medium heat until pork is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Stir in the remaining coconut milk, then add brown sugar and season with salt according to taste.
Let the coconut milk simmer again for about 3 minutes.
Add the whole serrano peppers, then turn off the heat.
Serve with rice.


*You can also use pork spare ribs, pork boston butt-roast, or pork country style ribs.
** You can modify the amount of peppers or chili flakes depending on the desired spiciness. To make it mildly spicy, either use one serrano pepper only or remove the seeds of the pepper or reduce the chili flakes to 1/2 tsp.

Hawaiian-style Pork Roast

My husband got a slow-cooker from one of the "white elephant" exchange gifts we had this holiday season. He's been wanting to get one, and he finally got it. So for the Christmas party we attended the following weekend, the slow cooker was out of the box and ready to make some succulent dish. He found a good slow cooker recipe from the Martha Stuart magazine "Everyday Food" which I'm going to share here. However, we used pork Boston butt roast, instead of the beef short ribs in the original recipe. We did not alter any measurement or cooking time, and it still worked well. The other modification my husband made was he made some gravy out of the liquid that came out of the roast. For those who do not have a slow cooker, you can still cook this using your oven.

Ingredients:
2 red onions, cut into 1-inch wedges
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 medium sized carrots, sliced about 1-inch
4-5 lbs. bone in pork Boston butt roast
(if using short ribs, divide the ribs in 3 to 4 inch-pieces)
1 1/2 cups dark-brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce
6 tbsp vinegar (rice or coconut)
1 tbsp chili sauce
1 can pineapple chunks or slices
2 tbsp flour dissolved in ¼ cup water (for gravy)
cooked rice for serving

Place onions, garlic, ginger, and carrots in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with butt roast (or short ribs) in a tight layer. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili sauce and add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until roast are almost tender, about 4 hours. Add pineapple, including the juice, and cook until pineapple is tender, 1 hour. For oven cooking, pre-heat oven to 200 degrees F. Follow above instructions, placing all ingredients in a deep roasting pan. Cover the pan with foil and roast until tender, about 4 hours. Add the pineapple, and cook for 1 more hour.

With a slotted spoon, transfer roast and pineapples to a platter and cover with foil. Using a ladle, skim fat from cooking liquid. Transfer cooking liquid to a medium-sized sauce pan, straining the remaining solid ingredients. Bring the liquid to a boil on medium-high heat, reducing to about half. Bring the heat to medium-low. Stir the dissolved flour and pour into the reduced liquid, stirring constantly until thick. Season with salt and pepper (and a little bit more sugar, if desired). Slice the roast, arranging the pineapples on top, and then pour over the gravy. Serve with cooked rice.

Chicken cordon bleu with mushroom sauce

For our Thanksgiving potluck, I was hoping to do a turkey version of this dish, but could not find turkey breasts in our local grocery store at the last minute. So I just made the usual chicken cordon bleu, and it was still a hit. This recipe looks complicated, but it wasn't actually. The only tricky part for me is the rolling & sealing because the chicken pieces could get slippery to the hands and you do not want the cheese to ooze out of the rolls while cooking.



4 boneless chicken breasts, skin removed
salt
pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
4 slices cooked ham
4 slices Swiss cheese
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
toothpicks or butcher's twine for sealing
vegetable oil

Mushroom Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup heated milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
salt
pepper


Make a horizontal cut down the length of the thin side of each chicken breast using a sharp thin knife. Open the breasts up like a book so the cut-sides are exposed facing up and the skin-side is down, with the "spine" of the chicken horizontal on your work surface. Place each piece of chicken between 2 sheets of wax paper or in food storage bag. Pound gently to flatten, using a rolling pin or smooth side of meat mallet. Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a deep dish, combine beaten eggs with milk. Place chicken pieces in mixture, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Put panko in a food storage bag and seal. On a flat surface and using a rolling pin, crush the panko until slightly fine. Set aside. Place a piece of ham in the center of each flattened piece of chicken. You may trim the edges of the ham so it fits the breast, with a small border around the chicken. Fold the cheese slice in half and place on top of the ham. Fold ends over the ham and cheese; rolling tightly away from you. Secure rolls with toothpicks or butcher's twine. Dredge chicken with flour then dip in remaining milk mixture; roll in crushed panko to coat well.

Heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry chicken rolls for 3-4 minutes each side. When browned all over, place the chicken rolls in a baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with mushroom sauce.

Mushroom Sauce
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute mushrooms in 2-3 batches until browned (Sauteing in batches would properly brown the mushrooms). Set aside. In the remaining butter, add flour and stir until mixture is well blended. Gradually stir in hot milk, chicken broth, and mushroom. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to boil and thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, stirring frequently, over very low heat for 5 minutes. Makes about 1 cup of medium thick sauce.

I'm back!

I cannot believe that it has been one full year since I last posted in this blog. I have been meaning to add more recipes here, but I guess some busy days and what-nots kept me from it. Anyway, it's that time of the year again. Christmas season means parties, parties, and more parties! Thus, Jaemi's kitchen has been busy again since Thanksgiving. My husband and I did some old and new dishes this year, so I will try to keep this site updated with more recipes... And I hope a few more people will read this :P

Happy Holidays & enjoy the kitchen!

Pinoy Spaghetti

A friend, who also lives here in the States, asked me if I know how to cook Filipino-style spaghetti. That sweet spaghetti sauce, made from ketchup and garnished with hotdogs. Yum! I know Italians would raise their eyebrows with this kind of pasta recipe, but that's the way we Filipinos like our spaghetti -- simple and sweet. I don't usually cook Pinoy style spaghetti back home. Well, not after I got acquainted with oregano and basil. So I made some last week, and my mouth was watering while I was cooking it. I suddenly missed the Jollibee spaghetti. Anyway, here's my Pinoy spaghetti. Enjoy!

Filipino Style Spaghetti

1 lb spaghetti
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb ground pork
3 hotdogs, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste (abt 3 oz)
1 bottle (12 oz) banana ketchup (I prefer Jufran)
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup water (from boiling pasta)
1/4 cup Velveeta cheese, shredded (plus more for toppings)
1 small carrot, shredded (optional)

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Save 1 cup of water from cooked pasta.

In a medium sauce pan, heat oil then saute garlic and onion. Add pork, salt, pepper & soy sauce. Cook until pork is brown, stirring occasionally.

Add hotdogs, tomato paste, banana ketchup, water and sugar. Stir and let simmer. You can adjust the salt and sugar measurements according to your taste.

Add shredded cheese and carrots. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Pour sauce over pasta and top with cheese.