Browsing Category Meat

I am no expert when it comes to gardening but one thing I know about water spinach AKA kangkong — It grows wild and it thrives on the presence of water and lots of it. You know how I figured that out? Because the name says “water spinach.” Gosh, I’m such a genius! I’m brilliant! [...]

Pork sinigang is one of many traditional Filipino dishes.  It is a comparable but simpler version of Thai’s famous sour soup — Tom Yum Goong.  Sinigang is often eaten with rice as well as fish sauce on the side as a condiment.  I remember during my teenage-smart-Alec-big-mouth years asking my mom during dinner, “Why do you like [...]

Tocino means “cured meat.” Back in the old days, people used to cure meat because refrigeration wasn’t available and folks have to resort to preservation by using salt, herbs, and spices.  How do I know this? I looked it up on “Google.”  No, I’m just kidding. I know because of living with generations of meat [...]

Oxtail Kare Kare (kare kareng buntot) is a stew type of dish that is always present in every Filipino party.  I’m not talking about ordinary parties, but rather important ones like baptisms and weddings.  It is one of the centerpieces of feast table — meant for special occasions and special guests.   Today, I am very excited [...]

  It was cold out in the backyard when I was grilling these pork chops. That just shows you how much of a sucker I am for grilled foods, huh?  But let me tell you — it is worth it!  The flavor is just out of this world.  I adapted this recipe from one of [...]

  Sweet and Sour dish — particularly sweet and sour pork is a Cantonese dish that was introduced by Chinese migrants to the West in the early part of 20th Century.  Since then, it evolved into variety of dishes with the same basic ingredients — sweet and sour sauce. Some are prepared with chicken and [...]

  Kulinarya Club’s August and September challenge coincides with the celebration of two national holidays that is patriotic in nature.  And since the theme was inspired by these events, it calls for the use of four colors of the Philippine national flag.  From plate to garnish, colors red, white, blue, and yellow have to be [...]

  Beef Caldereta AKA Kaldareta is one of those Filipino dishes that become more flavorful as you keep reheating it.   I remember when I was growing up, my dad used to purposely cook more of this delicious dish so he can have leftovers and he would keep reheating it until the meat would fall apart.  [...]

    Corned Beef is one of the favorite canned foods in our house along with Spam and Vienna sausages.  When I was growing up in the Philippines, corned beef and spam were served only on special occasions or for special guests because it’s very expensive.   When I moved here in the U.S., I [...]

In the Philippines, Tortang itlog simply translates to omelet or fried eggs with ground meat and some diced potatoes. It is one of those quick and easy, yet delicious, foods. This dish is usually eaten with rice and banana ketchup as a condiment. The original and simple version of tortang itlog is small portion ground [...]

This is one of those dishes that we order and eat from our favorite restaurant every time we visit Chinatown here in Los Angeles. The flavor of the ribs and the mild saltiness of black bean sauce counter the bitterness of the melon. By the way, there are several techniques that you can use to [...]

Beef Stewed Vegetable Soup, also known to Filipinos as “Nilaga” is a popular and one of the favorite dishes among Filipino families. Perhaps it is because of its simplicity, and versatility where one can use either beef, pork, or chicken as the main ingredient. I prepared this dish because this is my late dad’s favorite [...]

Adobong Sitaw or String Beans Adobo or Long Beans Adobo is a very simple dish to cook. It is usually done in a traditional way of cooking the meat — adobo style, then just cook it again with the string Beans AKA Sitaw. Here in the States, string beans are readily available in most Asian [...]

I learned from my parents especially from my dad (God bless his soul) not to make fun of food by giving it funny names because according to him, food is a grace from God. Some may disagree with that statement and belief but I do agree and I do believe. Well, this dish that we [...]

Chinese Style Pork Barbecue AKA “Char Siu” is one of my favorite Cantonese dish. It is succulent, tender, and savory. It can be found in many Chinese dishes like Fried Rice, Chow Mein, and Soups. We can also find this yummy gem on most of the popular Dim Sum joints and of course my favorite [...]

I cooked this barbecue this morning for my wife who needs it for potluck at her work in the hospital. I actually cooked about 10 lbs of this spareribs, so there will be extra for me and my son to eat after we drop off the food. Make sure you have lots of paper towels [...]

This recipe was inspired by the popular Vietnamese Food Truck – Nom Nom where ingredients are the fusion of Asian and South American origin. It’s a great backyard party kind of food especially with ice-cold lemonade (check out our recipe for Basil-Mint lemonade) or cold-foam-dripping beer. The only thing about this dish is you gotta [...]

I dug up this recipe from one of my collections of cookbooks and it’s from one of my favorite Chinese chefs – Martin Yan. He said “Braising is one of the most popular cooking techniques in many parts of China” and after cooking this dish, you’ll see that Mr. Yan is absolutely right. In my [...]

Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year, we will always have this main dish leftover that we don’t know what to do with. It can be Chicken, Turkey, or Ham. If you have this dilemma every year, why not make a Filipino style macaroni soup out of it. In this recipe we will use Ham [...]

Bulgogi is a dish that we always order every time we visit our favorite Korean restaurants. It is best eaten right after grilling while it is still sizzling hot and served with hot steamed rice and side dishes like Kim Chee or pickled veggies like carrots, and cucumbers. The main thing about this dish is [...]

Whenever I get a chance to go to my favorite Asian Supermarkets like 99 Ranch Market or Seafood City, I usually pick up a pack of Steamed Chow Mein noodle. The one that I always use is the semi-dried ones with small strands. Most of the time half of the package is all I need [...]

I adapted this recipe (with some variation) from one of my favorite Chinese chef and uncle – Martin Yan. Okay he’s not my uncle; he’s actually my auntie hahaha! Just kidding. I just wish he is my uncle but I’m sure he doesn’t share the same wish. Hey wait a minute!!! Let’s just imagine if [...]

This dish is very easy to prepare and best eaten with a concoction of vinegar and garlic dipping sauce. Some folks like to eat this delicious barbecue with pickled shredded papaya (AKA achara) on the side. During my high school days in the Philippines, way back when (Ok it’s a statement and not a question, [...]

Popularly known in Spanish language as Albondigas, meaning “meatballs;” In the Philippines it is called Almondigas. My question is . . . where are the almonds? Okay just kidding. It also means meatballs or in Tagalog, it means bola bola. Almondigas is a soup dish that has meatballs and noodles. Some cooks use misua AKA [...]

Flavor of many Filipino dishes get better as they are kept in the fridge safely for few days and Paksiw na Pata is one of them. I remember my dad making this dish then stored it in the fridge for days before serving. I was just a little boy back then and I thought it [...]

Beef Mami is a very popular dish served in most Chinese Restaurants in Manila along with Chicken Arroz Caldo, and Goto (Porridge with Beef Tripe).  First time I tasted this delicious noodle soup is when I was in high school when my dad took me to this hole-in-a-wall Chinese Restaurant called Cho-Nam. Here in Los [...]

I got introduced into eating tofu, especially Tokwa Baboy (Braised Tofu with Pork), during my teenage years when my parents used to take me to see movies in Manila.  I remember always having dinner in this hole-in-a-wall Chinese restaurant called Cho Nam near Quiapo Church. This dish is one of their specialties along with Pata [...]

I don’t usually eat Hot Dogs but when I do, I always go for Nathan’s Hot Dogs because of great quality.  We had these babies for dinner last night.  Ok I only called it dinner because I dressed them up and when I say dress up I mean make it meatier that will fill me [...]