PokPok Wings

I wanted another "meat" to go with our salad dinner tonight because I just knew we needed to be "full" until breakfast. I ran across this type of Vietnamese wings purely by accident when I was surfing online. Reading further, it seemed easy enough to do.

The original version takes the marinade and cooks it down as a glaze, but I prefer my wings dry. They still came out nice!

Needed (to marinate):
2 lb chicken wings
1/4 c fish sauce
1/4 c white sugar
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 1/2 t garlic powder

For frying:
Cornstarch
Oil enough for wings to be submerged in pot/frying pan

1. Marinade washed wings in the above for approximately 2 hours, turning occasionally so that all chicken is coated. Ensure that the sugar is melted through and blended well with the fish sauce.
2. When ready to cook, drain the chicken so that it's almost dry when ready to cook.
3. Coat wings in cornstarch and fry in heated oil approximately 5 minutes if submerged. Cook until light brown.
4. Drain on paper towels.

This recipe is super easy. I worried that the wings would taste and smell fish - but they didn't! There's hint of both the saltiness of the fish sauce but more noticeable was the touch of sweetness. The wings came out super juicy and crunchy.

Enjoy!

Vietnamese Grilled Pork

It's a Saturday night and I usually try and cook something "not ordinary" (different from extraordinary, LOL). Tonight, as requested by my sister, I cooked Vietnamese Grilled Pork. We usually eat it salad style with lettuce. With help from other bloggers and recipes found online, I tweaked my version:
Needed:
1 1/2 lb thinly sliced pork butt (anything other than pork butt will be tough once grilled
1 stick lemongrass, top layer removed, and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 c white sugar
5 T Vietnamese fish sauce (I didn't use Filipino patis for this recipe)
1 T ground pepper
half a head of garlic, peeled
half a shallot, peeled
5 T sesame oil
2 T dark soy sauce

To make:
1. Place in a blender, all ingredients except for pork, to make marinade. Ensure it's smooth enough that the lemongrass is broken down.
2. Place blended marinade in a Ziploc bag with the pork. Massage the pork to ensure all slices have been coated well with the marinade.
3. Leave in marinade for at least 2 hours. It's okay to leave the marinade on the counter on a cold day. Otherwise, I recommend putting it back in the fridge to pull out when ready to cook.
4. When ready to cook, heat a cast iron grill with a little oil. Please pork slices opened on the grill until cooked. Eat immediately.

Like I mentioned above, we like to eat it salad-style:
For salad:
1 package Vietnamese thin noodles (vermicelli), cooked according to package instructions. Vietnamese vermicelli is opaque white when cooked.
1 head lettuce, sliced thinly
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
1/2 carrot, peeled and julienned
few sprigs cilantro
Picked carrots and daikon (optional)
Thai mint (optional)
Bean sprouts (optional)

Dressing:
Store-bought Vietnamese fish sauce with chili
or make your own by adding some chili oil to fish sauce according to taste.

1. Arrange on a plate or large bowl, starting with the bottom: lettuce, vermicelli, cucumber, carrots, and cilantro.
2. Add grilled pork and top with chopped peanuts (optional).
3. Drizzle with dressing.

Mix thoroughly and enjoy!

I think this meal provides a healthier alternative and break of routine for rice-loving Filipinos like us. it's quick and easy. It's something you can let marinade without fussing too much over it until you're ready to grill the pork. The cutting of the veggies take some time, but not much. The veggies are also not cooked and provide a good source of fiber.

Japanese Coffee Jelly

Japanese Coffee Jelly is one of those things that just takes me back directly to my childhood. Growing up in Japan, this was a "staple" and then when I went to visit Japan again when my sister lived there when I was in my twenties, I made sure I had some of these. Coffee Jelly, you say? Yes! It's coffee in jelly form. Some Japanese (not just Asian) markets carry them, but since the closest one is several miles away from home, I decided to make my own:

Needed:

2 cups room temp water

3 cups boiling water

2 envelopes of Knox unflavored gelatin powder

12 T white granulated sugar

4 T instant regular coffee

1 T Kahlua coffee liqueur (Optional)

Half and half or unwhipped cream

1. Start by boiling the 3 cups water. While waiting to boil, dissolve the 2 envelopes of gelatin in the 2 cups room temp water. This step is important because you must create the gelatin granules first to ensure a nice set texture for the product. You will get a texture like cold semi-soft jelly. Add the 3 cups boiling water and dissolve.

2. Add the coffee and the sugar. Dissolve well. Then add the Kahlua, if using.

3. Transfer the liquid into individual ramekins and take care not to fill to the brim. 

4. Let set overnight.

5. To serve, pour a little (or a lot) of half and half or cream over the jelly.

6. To eat, you can cube the jelly (like I usually do) or merely scoop the jelly with cream on your spoon. Enjoy!!

Notes: This recipe yielded approximately 12 servings in small ramekins above. The number of servings will depend on the size of the ramekins, but best to keep small as this is coffee.

French Toast Casserole

On special occasions (like my wedding day) and on holidays, our someone in our home makes it a point to make a special breakfast. Mommy made this one many Christmases ago and it just reminds me that the holidays are here. This Thanksgiving, I gave it a go and it was simple! I found the recipe here. We love Paula Dean here at home and we hope you will like this recipe, too.

So delicious! If you don't finish all for breakfast (like we never do), it's still good quickly re-heated up in the microwave to go with that afternoon coffee.

Buko Pandan Salad

Buck Pandan Salad is a type of fruit salad not typically made with canned fruit cocktail but of "buko" meaning young coconut in Tagalog, and "pandan" an aromatic leaf used in Filipino cooking. It mimics the holiday fruit salad with the use of cream and condensed milk.

Having had some recently at a friend's house, I was again intrigued on how to make this dessert salad and finally gave it a go. After researching on the internet on ways to make it, I've put my own spin on it. In a good way. I tried it with tapioca pearls and "kaong" and while it is really a personal preference, it does not change the end result much.

The main requirement for this recipe is an Asian grocery store for most of the ingredients (with the exception of Knox) can be found in the Asian grocery store.

There are several ways to make it, but I've found the following works best for me:

Needed:

1 box of Knox gelatin (you will use all 4 small envelopes in the box)

3 c water, room temperature

1 c boiling water

1 1/2 t pandan flavoring (can be found in your local Asian grocery store or Amazon!)

8 drops green food coloring

1 large can Nestle table cream (approximately 13 oz)

1 can condensed milk (approximately 13 oz also)

1 bag shredded buko or young coconut (frozen from the Asian market)

1 c cooked small tapioca pearls, optional

1 large bottle kaong, optional (see link above; also found in your Asian market)

1. Make the gelatin. Place the contents of the 4 small envelopes into a bowl and mix with the 3 cups of room temp water. Mix until you start to form a soft gelatin. Then, pour in the 1 cup of boiling water and mix thoroughly.

2. Add the pandan flavoring and stir. Add the food coloring and add more, if needed, to suit your liking of green-ness.

3. Refrigerate overnight for best results. I found that it is not enough to just wait until the gelatin hardens. It's best if it's hardened overnight because the mixing of the other ingredients will make a soft gelatin break.

4. While waiting for the gelatin to harden, drain the buko from the packaging. Also, if using kaong, drain from the bottle. Mix the kaong occasionally to ensure most of the syrup is drained. If using tapioca, cook according to package instructions and drain.

4. Once the gelatin has hardened, cut into small squares. I like my squares about 1/4 inch square. Transfer the cut up green gelatin squares into a large bowl.

5. Add the table cream and condensed milk to the gelatin squares. Also add the drained buko and if using, the tapioca pearls and kaong. Mix thoroughly.

6. Let chill in the refrigerator and then enjoy!

Homemade Hamburger and Melon Ball Juice

Fourth of July suggestion! Juicy hamburger and refreshing melon ball juice!

We tried this combo a few weekends ago when we just wanted to lay back and relax. It was wonderful. As a matter-of-fact, I believe it was last holiday--Memorial Day Weekend!

The hamburger is 80/20 ground meat because we like it juicy like that. Just a few minutes before cooking, I salted and peppered the ground meat taking care not to over knead. Then, I grabbed a handful for the patty, but without forgetting to put a thin slice of butter in the middle of the patty. Grilled up on the stove then placed on a toasted bun. Housemates got to put whatever condiments (mayo, garlic aioli, lettuce, cheese, lettuce) they preferred. It was a hit!

For drinks, we had Melon Ball Juice. To make it, I got:

1 bottle of 25.4 oz sparkling white grape juice (near the Martinelli's sparkling apple cider at the grocery store)
4 cups regular Sprite
3 cups lemonade, not the powder, but already the juice in the bottle
4 cups each of balled watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe
few sprigs of mint leaves
slices lime, optional

The original recipe was from Divas Can Cook, but I tweaked it to my liking because I felt that the original recipe yielded too little. You can actually customize this to your liking as I did, adjusting the Sprite and lemonade to taste. The sparkling juice provides a great bubbly feel as did the Sprite.

To make, mix all the liquid ingredients together, then the secret is to let the melons infuse in the refrigerator to chill. The longer the chill and infusion, the better. Add the mint leaves and lime upon serving. Why? Because I found that the mint and lime give it a sour taste and not too appealing.

You can also chill a small portion of the melons to act as ice and keep the drinks cool. You've got your drink and fruit serving all in one!

Delicious!

Imitation Crab Salad

So yummy inside a buttery croissant or on a lettuce leaf, this one is just perfect for a quick Summertime meal or any season meal. LOL! Very easy to make, I made this in less than 15 minutes.

You will need:
1 lb imitation crab (approximate)
2 stalks celery
1/2 onion
3 sprigs dill
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3 T milk
1/2 of a lemon's juice
2 T white sugar
salt and pepper to taste

How to make:
1. Coarsely chop the crab into 1/4 inch cubes. Put in a large bowl.

2. Cube celery and onion, small enough to provide crunch, but not too small that it disintegrates. Add to crab in bowl. Chop dill and also add to crab in bowl.

3. In a separate smaller bowl, prepare the dressing. Mix together the mayonnaise, milk, lemon juice, sugar until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste according to liking. Adjust with sugar, if preferred to be more sweet. (I like my dressing to be on the sweeter side and brings out the flavor in the artificial crab.)

4. Pour the dressing over the crab mixture in the large bowl. Toss but do not over mix that the crab breaks up.

5. Place in a sliced croissant or eat with lettuce. Yum. You can wait to chill in the fridge as it is best served chilled, but I did not/could not wait.

Not the best photo, but it's delicious, so what are you waiting for?