Canned Tuna is a great option for delicious, yet effortless meals as there are a number of energy-conserving and time-saving recipes that you can do with it. Not only budget-friendly, it is also a healthy pick that is always readily available in the kitchen cupboard. The handiness of canned tuna may make it seem like a prime choice for obtaining Omega 3 – an essential fatty acid that can help decrease the risk of cardiovascular disorders such as arrhythmia and high blood pressure. Along with some herbs and spices (which also, most of the time, are just sitting in the shelves), you can already get a quick access to a hearty, tasty and tummy-filling trouble-free dish. This is so appropriate when your fridge is scarced but want to get rid of the pain of getting a quickie to the grocery and all you need is just convenience.

This recipe is a classic Filipino version of chicken in yellow curry sauce. It is a very tasty main dish cooked by sautéing the chicken bone-in slices with garlic, onions and ginger - seasoned with pre-mixed curry powder and spices, and simmered in pure coconut milk until the meat has tenderized and absorbed all the flavors. A variety of vegetables, commonly potatoes and carrots, is also added. It is a must-have in the menu during celebrations like fiestas, weddings and birthdays, and best partnered with hot steamed rice. Having been invited by my good friends – Princess and Jason into their home during the feast day of Sto. Niño in a small barangay in Quezon City, I was so lucky to get a taste of their own adaptation of the curry dish. Theirs is packed with more veggies like chayote (pear squash) and sliced fried eggplants. Hence, I am calling it Chicken Curry Overload. Another thrilling part is that they used baby potatoes, with skin on and cut into halves, instead of the usual peeled and quartered big potatoes. Until then, I never realized that this dish could both be as appetizing and as hearty.

 

It is believed that curry recipes originated in India some 8000 years ago.

Chicken Curry is not only famous in the Philippines. In fact, a number of variations can be found in other parts of South Asia, Southeast Asia as well as in the Caribbean. A wide range of additional strong spices may include turmeric, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, peppers and chilies; depending on the geographic location, cultural tradition, religious practices and even family preference. It is believed that curry recipes originated in India some 8000 years ago. During the early centuries, Indian spiced dishes were evidently carried eastward by Buddhist monks to Burma, Thailand and China, and southward by coastal Indian traders to Indonesia and elsewhere, including the Philippines. From then on, curry-based delicacy continued to evolve and increasingly become part of international fusion cuisine. With all its hot and flavorful ingredients, would you believe that curry is also one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs? Very interesting, isn’t?

Chicken Curry Overload

INGREDIENTS:

PROCEDURE:

TIPS FROM ENZ:

A favorite authentic Filipino dish, Tinola is a soup-based recipe with typically chicken as the main ingredient, stewed to tenderness with ginger, onions and some seasonings, and best complimented with green papaya wedges and leaves of siling labuyo (chili pepper). Though traditional tinola is more well-known with chicken, other variants use pork, fish or mussels as alternative. Depending on the geographic location, some may also choose chayote (vegetable pear) as substitute for green papaya, and other greens like malunggay (moringa) leaves, spinach or bok choy instead of chili leaves. In this particular recipe, I picked squids, along with green papaya and chili leaves, as the main component. 

The cooking procedure is basically the same except that this one yields a blackish broth because of the ink from the squid. This is quite a twist from the famous tinola soup we have known as a comfort food during cold or rainy season. Nevertheless, this remains a soothing and tasty dish that would never fail to satisfy our appetite.

Squid soup, perfect for the cold season.

Tinolang Pusit (Squid in Ginger-based Soup)

Number of servings: 4

(Printer-friendly recipe)

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 lb. fresh squids, cleaned and sliced into rings 
• 1 small green papaya, peeled, deseeded and cut into wedges 
• 1 bundle siling labuyo (chili pepper) leaves, washed and trimmed 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 small onion, finely chopped 
• 1 inch ginger, sliced into strips 
• 2 – 3 cups water 
• 2 tbsps. cooking oil 
• 1 tbsp. patis (fish sauce) 
• salt and pepper

PROCEDURE: 

1. In a saucepan, heat the cooking oil and sauté onion, garlic and ginger over medium heat. 
2. Add squid rings. Stir frequently until the squids slightly turn opaque. 
3. Pour in the water and fish sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. 
4. Add papaya and simmer for another 5 minutes or until the papaya becomes tender. 
5. Add the siling labuyo leaves, and season with salt and pepper. 
6. Serve hot with steamed rice. Enjoy! 

TIPS FROM ENZ: 

1. Do not overcook the squid as the meat may get tough or rubbery, 
2. This dish is best consumed with squeezed calamansi (calamondin) and patis on the side.

Fish Sarciado is a fried fish sautéed in garlic, onions and tomatoes, simmered until become saucy and topped with beaten eggs. It is added with some seasonings to make it more flavorful, and garnished with some chopped spring onions if desired. The fishes that are commonly cooked for this recipe are tilapia, bangus (milkfish), galunggong (mackerel scad) or dalagang bukid (fusilier). There is no specific kind of fish required for this dish as you are free to use any fish that best suits your taste. I personally chose matambaka or bigeye scad not only because it is cheaper compared to other fishes that you can buy from the wet market but also I find it tastier and more delicious. 

This simple, yet appetizing viand is one hearty dish that could be rooted from Pinoy’s sense of innovativeness and resourcefulness. No more worries of thinking how you can put a twist on your leftover fried fish from tonight’s dinner as you can easily convert it to a delectable sarciado meal the following day. Try for yourself this yummy and easy-to-follow recipe!

Sarciadong Matambaka (Bigeye Scad Stewed in Tomatoes and Eggs)

Number of Servings: 4  

(Printer-friendly recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

PROCEDURE: 

TIPS FROM ENZ: 

1. Make sure that the fish is fresh and cleaned, with all the guts, intestines and scales removed. 
2. Instead of the bone-in fish, you may opt to use slices of fish fillets (especially if you are the type who is kind of impatient when it comes to picking the bones from the fish meat). 
3. Avoid the fish from getting overcooked or it will break apart and the dish may look not so instragram-ish. 
4. Let the eggs coagulate before stirring the sauce mixture so as not to ruin the appetizing appearance of the dish.

Bulalo Steak is a dish made from beef shanks and bone marrows still inside the bones, boiled until meat softens with some garlic, onions and scallions, and topped with cream of mushroom sauce and button mushroom slices. It is a derivation of the native Filipino recipe known as bulalo soup, except that the latter is a clear soup with the beef shanks, boiled for hours until much of the collagen and fats have melted into broth, mixed with some spices, green vegetables and potatoes. Bulalo is very popular and one of the favorite main dishes in the Southern Luzon Philippines, particularly Cavite and Batangas, where you can drive through the finest “Bulalohan” in town or the eateries specializing in bulalo. You can also order this famous dish in many of the high end restaurants as this is actually not the cheapest meat choice available in the menu.

Tuna Linguine Pasta is a simple Mediterranean-inspired pasta dish oozing with rustic Italian flavors. It is very tasty and hearty yet very easy to make, perfect as a quick Friday night recipe. It is also ideal as potluck for any special gatherings or simply as mid-afternoon snack during family picnic. 

Whenever I feel the need to treat my friends or loved ones to a fine dining restaurant but short of budget, I would just cook some pasta for them with whatever available ingredients I have just sitting inside the fridge. It has been my habit to reinvent dishes with anything my four-cornered kitchen could humbly offer. I love to have myself cook for the people very dear to me as in this way, I could give them my special care and add a personal touch to my cooking. It is a service with no equivalent price. Besides, they could hardly distinguish the difference, at least when it comes to the taste. It is still as if I have treated them to an expensive Italian Restaurant but minus the fancy tables and service crews in uniform. I am a believer that nothing can really beat a true home-cooked dish. Also, I find it more heartwarming being at home with the closest people around as I watch them all together swarm over the large tray of the dish I prepared with all my heart just for them.

Chocolate, considered a multi-billion dollar industry, is today's one of the most popular confection products in the world and across all ages. This has known to be a symbol of love and oftentimes, given as a gift to another person as an expression of affection and sweetness. Chocolate is also known to increase one’s happy hormones, known as endorphins, and believed to be an effective anti-depressant. Today, chocolates of all sorts have already proliferated in the market – liquid or solid form, different shapes, some loaded with different sorts of nuts and raisins, and come in different colors such as white, brown, dark brown and even red.  This has become a common grocery item in our food cart. But before getting some munch of your favorite choco bar, have you ever wondered where did these goodies really originate?

Chocolate syrup is commonly used as toppings to favorite desserts.

HISTORY AND ORIGIN 

The term “chocolate” is believed to be derived from the Nahuati word xocoatl or cacahuatl, meaning “bitter water.” Some etymologists believe that it is a combination of Mayan words, “choco” and “haa” and the Nahuati term “atl.” More recently, linguists theorized that it originates from “chicolatl,” from the word for the frothing stick, "chicoli," which means “beaten drink.” The generic name of the cocoa plant is “Theobroma cacao,” derived from the Greek words θεος (theos), meaning "god," and βρῶμα (broma), meaning "food," which when literally translated means, ”food of the gods.”

HEALTH BENEFITS  

Cacao is a type of tropical tree, part of the evergreen family, which produces the world’s chocolate in raw form, before fat, sugar, and other “sweeteners” are added. The cacao tree grows in a few specific regions of the world naturally, including Mexico and South America, where most of the cacao or chocolate beans come from. Cacao trees only grow in tropical areas with the right combination of climate, temperature, and environment factors. Cacao trees range from 13 to 26 feet tall, sometimes reaching 32 feet. It takes five years to produce its first cocoa beans (pods). Flowers can blossom on cacao trees all year around, However, the cocoa flowers will die within 24 hours if not pollinated.

If consumed in moderation, chocolate is known to contain many qualities that are beneficial to health that it is almost treated as a super food. Here is an overview of its health benefits:

After getting amused by the facts related to the history and health benefits of chocolate, on the New Year’s Eve of 2014, I felt just so ecstatic to treat my family members to a home made chocolate sauce dessert. It was only the four of us who were present to celebrate - me, my youngest brother Udong, his wife Gissel and daughter Alexia. Very least to say, we were out of budget to buy some fireworks so we felt not as competitive (as our neighbors) to brag and pop our own New Year aerial show. I would rather shell out to put something on our media noche table than figuratively burn the meager amount of money I had on my purse. But then I really did not want us to just sulk in one corner, so with a few hundred bucks at hand, off I went to the supermarket to get the things that I need - some ingredients for my pasta recipe and a few chocolate tablea for my chocolate sauce. Quite a stretch, I was still able to obtain a few more stuffs like vanilla ice cream, wafers, marshmallows and some fruits despite the limited budget. It was a matter of meeting the necessities with minimal opportunity costs (Oh yeah, accountant mode on!). After paying my items, I went home carrying three loaded grocery bags. With no words but just curiosity on, the guys paved my way to the kitchen and just let me man it for a couple of hours or so. I knew then that somehow they felt excited because that was actually the first time I was going to prepare something unusual for them.

Everything else just went smooth. After cooking the pasta dish, I eagerly grabbed the saucepan for my chocolate sauce. It was very easy to make as it just took me around 15 minutes to get it done and it turned out to be as rich and even better than the commercialized (and sometimes overpriced) chocolate sauce we used to buy in the supermarket. I arranged some bananas and mallows on the plate, topped them with ice cream and wafers, and poured on some well-blended chocolate syrup. My three-year-old niece just so loved her dessert and went on for another serving. I was really glad that everyone was satisfied. No need to spend too much as there are very simple, yet special ways of enjoying this Aztec-old dessert. All you need is some imagination and a little effort. You readers may try to be more creative and innovative, just like the Spaniards (no matter how odd or rare, who knows?) by incorporating other ingredients, adding more distinction to this classic chocolate syrup dessert. 

So here it is, from the ancient bitter drink to a more delectable concoction and pastries version - chocolate lovers will surely never run out of ways to delight themselves as chocolate by any name tastes just as delicious and rich as the name goes.

Chocolate syrup is perfect as dip for wafers, marshmallows, strawberries and even for suman.

Pancit Palabok is a tasty Filipino noodle dish, well-known for its rich yellow-orange shrimp sauce and appetizing garnishes such as shrimp, tofu, crushed chicharon, tinapa bits, chopped onion springs and sliced eggs. Its closest local variations are Pancit Malabon and Pancit Luglog. They only differ on the way they are garnished and on the type of noodles used. Palabok uses thin strands of bihon (rice noodles) whereas Malabon and Luglog use the thicker variants. 

Our local carinderia (local eatery that serves home made dishes) always serves this dish in the morning and since childhood, this has been a favorite meal for breakfast. My younger brother and I would even fight over whose plate has more toppings on it and so my dad would have to request the crew to give us additional shrimp sauce and chicharon just to pacify us. We just loved the gooey sauce and the colorful garnishes - the fancier, the better - and I think this dish is way better than spaghetti (no offense meant to spaghetti lovers). Some palabok enthusiasts have even gone overboard to experiment on the ingredients by substituting shrimps with crab meat and putting other flavorful toppings and sauces like garlic paste, aligue (crab sauce), mussels, clams, squid slices and a lot more. This is so perfect as potluck to events and parties or just a snack to share with your familes and friends. In the Philippines, this dish has already established a tremendous market in the fastfood industries along with its equally popular Italian and American counterparts such as pasta, burgers and fries. It is surely a distinct dish that anyone can easily fall in love with. 

Home-made Pancit Palabok

Number of servings: 6

(Printer-friendly recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. bihon (rice noodles)

For the sauce 

• ¾ lb. ground pork 
• 2 tbsps. cooking oil 
• ¼ cup atsuete (achiote or annatto) extract or 1 tbsp. annatto powder 
• 3 to 5 tbsps. cornstarch, dissolved in ½ cup shrimp broth 
• 4 to 5 cups shrimp broth 
• 5 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 3 tbsps. patis (fish sauce) 
• ½ tbsp. salt 
• ½ tbsp. ground black pepper 

For the toppings 

• 2 pcs. fried tokwa (tofu), cubed 
• ½ cup tinapa (smoked fish) flakes 
• ½ cup chicharon (cracklings/ deep fried salted chicken skin or pork rin), crushed 
• ½ cup shrimp, boiled 
• ½ cup spring onions, finely chopped 
• 3 tbsps. fried garlic 
• 2 pcs. hardboiled egg, shelled and sliced 
• 3 pcs. squid, fried and sliced (optional) 
• 8 pcs. calamansi (calamondin) 

PROCEDURE:

1. Soak the rice noodles in water for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain and dip in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked. Drain and set aside. 
2. Sauté garlic and onion. Add the ground pork. Stir fry until brown. 
3. Add the atsuete extract or the dissolved annatto powder and the shrimp broth. Bring to boil. 
4. Gradually pour in the dissolved cornstarch while continuously stirring until the mixture is well-blended. 
5. Season with patis, salt and pepper then simmer until the sauce becomes thick. Set aside. 
6. Place the cooked noodles in a serving plate. Pour the palabok sauce on, garnish with tokwa, eggs, tinapa flakes, shrimp, fried garlic and squids, and then sprinkle with chicharon and onion springs. Just add more toppings according to your liking. Serve with squeezed calamansi. Enjoy!

TIPS FROM ENZ: 

1. I love to drown my noodles in sauce (good enough to keep my mouth slurpy while devouring the richly flavored thin strands of rice noodles). That is how I enjoy the dish to its maximum potential. If we share the same thing, you do not want to run out of shrimp sauce so you better reserve extra shrimp broth and annatto powder. 
2. You may add crab meat if desired. (PLUS: Aligue added to the palabok sauce mixture is just heaven but beware if you are on a strict diet as it is loaded with additional calories, fats and irresistible delightfulness.) 
3. If you love some crunchy texture, you may deep fry the tofu until it becomes crispy and not crush the chicharon too much.

Burger Steak, one of the favorite dishes found in the menu of most Filipino fast foods, is usually made of juicy pan-fried beef burger patties topped with savory gravy sauce and sliced mushroom buttons. Instead of the usual cheesy macaroni or mashed potato side dishes, it is commonly served with hot steamed rice, making it more Filipinized and a delectable meal among Pinoys. 

Though it is not really an original Filipino delicacy (as it is more similar to American Salisbury Steak, they only vary in some ingredients), it has gained a huge following and popularity along with other food chain choices in the likes of spaghetti, pancit palabok, fried chicken, lumpia and sandwiches. It is also no wonder that it has established a good position in the Filipino fast food industry owing to the excellent marketing strategy, and affordability and accessibility to the greater mass. Here is a nice and simple recipe that you and your loved ones can enjoy.

Burger Steak in Mushroom Gravy Sauce
Number of servings: 6 to 7
(Printer-friendly recipe)

INGREDIENTS:
For the burger patties

For the mushroom sauce

PROCEDURE:

TIPS FROM ENZ: