Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura

My daughter and I have been craving for tempura for days now. She suggested we try to make it ourselves to make it more fun. I'm all for it because you know me, I love to experiment. It turned out good and we were satisfied. We had tempura for lunch and dinner. And since we loved it so much, we are planning to have tempura at least once a week now. Will we get tired of it? We'll find out in a few weeks!!

So I googled different recipes for tempura batter. There is a lot of versions out there. But I will be using the one similar to my onion ring batter. One thing I noticed though, it gets soggy after an hour, so it is best to eat it right away after cooking. For our leftover that we ate for dinner, i warmed it up on toaster oven to make it hot and crispy again.

And by the way, some good news my beloved readers. I finally have my own YouTube channel. This is so exciting. This way you will be able to see the videos on how I cook all those recipes I experimented on. Please visit me at my channel below. Cristina Kitchen

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtftGG0cWO9bWipFlsQ_H7g

Here is my own version of shrimp and vegetable tempura

Batter:

1     cup      all purpose flour, sifted

1     pc        egg

1     cup      ice cold water

1     tsp       baking soda

2    pcs      carrots,  peeled, cut in half then quartered

1    cup      brocolli

1/2  lb       shrimp, deveined and shell removed

1/2  cup    cucumber, cut into 3" long

1/2   cup   green beans, cut int0 3" long

Dipping Sauce

1    cup    water

1   tbsp     soy sauce

1   tbsp     vinegar

1   tbsp     brown sugar

1   tsp       minced ginger

3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

Procedure:

You can choose what vegetable to use. We just used carrots, green beans, brocolli and cucumber because those are what I have. Sweet potato, cauliflower, onion and spinach may be used to if you prefer them.

Wash and prepare the shrimp and vegetables. They should be like juliened shaped although its 3" long. Set aside.

Batter

Sift the flour. Set aside. Beat the egg in a bowl, add in the cold water, beat then slowly add the flour and baking soda. Set aside

In a deep pot, add the vegetable oil for frying.

Dip the vegetables in the batter then deep fry for a few minutes or until golden brown.

Dipping sauce

This is my own version of dipping sauce. We loved it so I will be using this recipe for my my tempura.

Mix all the ingredients for dipping sauce in a small pot. Let boil for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Serve the tempura with dipping sauce and steamed rice.

Don't forget to visit me on my YouTube channel. Hit the like button and subscribe!!

Diaper Cake

I had a few days to come up with a diaper cake for an upcoming baby shower we were invited to and I was panicking. I may be creative in food but was never crafty. I didn't know what to do. I was thinking, will anybody accept a last minute order? But I might have problems and so I decided I will just make it myself. My daughter encouraged me and volunteered to help me out. We watched some YouTube videos on how to make diaper cakes and thought, well, this might be easy.

I spent two days buying all the "ingredients" and went to several stores. I would need anything Minnie Mouse. I end up getting almost all the stuff I need at Walmart. When I searched diaper cakes on Facebook Marketplace, I was surprised how expensive they are. But adding all that I bought, I was shocked that they really cost a lot and the prices in Marketplace were actually reasonable.

I'm not claiming that I came up with a square diaper cake. I have seen the style on YouTube. Common diaper cakes are the round ones, usually three layers, but I like the square ones better. What I can claim is that, I designed the cake myself, with the tremendous help of my daughter, of course. 

So here is the "recipe" for my square Minnie Mouse diaper cake.

Ingredients

1     box      Walmart diaper #1 (160pcs) or 

3    packs    Walmart diaper #1 50 pcs each pack

1    pc          Minnie Mouse stuff toy, small

1   pack       wood dowel

1   pc           red gift wrapper

1   pc          board, or any carboard box you can use as base

1   pc          pink polka dot silk ribbons

1   pc          black silk ribbons

1   pc          Minnie Mouse pacifier

1   pc          Minnie Mouse magic towel

1   pc          Minnie Mouse art kit

1   pack       scotch tape

1   pack      rubber bands

pink plastic flowers

pair of scissors

Procedure

Cover your cardboard base with red gift wrapper. Set aside

First layer of cake - you will need 75 pieces diapers, 5 pieces per group with rubber bands. 5 groups per column, to come up with 3 columns of diaper that is shaped like a square.  Wrap each column vertically with black silk ribbons. Then wrap the whole three columns horizontally with pink polka dot ribbons. Place on the cake base, securing it with scotch tape at the bottom.

Second layer - you will need 40 pieces diapers, 4 pieces per group with rubber bands, two columns with 5 groups each column. Wrap each column vertically with black silk ribbons. Then wrap the whole layer horizontally with pink polka dot silk ribbons. Place on top of the first layer.

Third layer - you will need 24 pieces of diapers, 6 pieces diaper per group with rubber bands, 2 columns with 2 groups each column. Wrap each column vertically with black silk ribbons. Then wrap the whole layer horizontally with pink polka dot silk ribbons. Place on top of the second layer.

Fourth layer - you will need only 10 pieces of diapers, I made it 11 to make an even 150 pieces of diapers all together. 5 pieces of diaper per group with rubber bands. 2 groups in one column. Wrap the column with black silk rubber bands vertically. Then wrap horizontally with pink polka dot silk ribbons. Place on top of the third layer.  

Secure the four layers with wood dowels, place in between the diapers. 

Place Minnie Mouse stuff toy on top of fourth layer. tape it then secure with wood dowel at the back.

Place pacifiers, magic towel and art kit in between the pink polka dot silk ribbons.

Place some pink flowers for more decorations. I also made some bowties out of the black silk ribbons left overs.

Hopefully the mom-to-be will like my first diaper cake!

Adobong Pusit

I haven't posted in a while and there is no excuse. I set aside my love for writing and that is something I never thought I would do again. But anyway,  I'm back and that is all that matters.

Today , I went to a local market and found some squid on sale. It usually is very expensive so I'm quite surprised it was cheaper than usual. It's been months since I cooked this dish and I am excited to share the recipe with you. I usually make chicken adobo, but then I get tired of eating it all the time. So today when I saw the cheap frozen squid, I couldn't resist but buy it and make adobong pusit.

Adobo, as we all know, is a very popular authentic Filipino dish. It is one of the dishes shared with non-Filipinos and they all liked it. In fact, Giada de Laurentiis cooked chicken adobo in her show years ago. I liked her more after that. Different meat can be used for adobo. Pork, chicken, beef, squid and other seafood and even vegetables are made into adobo. It is a dish that can last for days. In fact, some people like their adobo a day after it was cooked.

Below is my version of adobong pusit. 

Ingredients

2         lbs         squid, cleaned

2         pcs        plum tomatoes, diced

1         pc         onion, chopped

2         cloves   garlic, minced

1/4     cup        soy sauce

1/4     cup        vinegar

1/2     cup        water

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

In a saucepan, sautè onion and garlic. When the onion is translucent and the garlic brown, add tomatoes.

Sautè for another 2 minutes. Add the squid. Cook for another 2 minutes.  

Add soy sauce, vinegar and water. Salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until squid is tender.

Serve with rice.

Turkey Meatloaf

I try to make my daily menu for a few days so I don't have to think about what to cook when I'm busy and only have limited time to prepare dinner after work. I always ask my daughter to help me with meal planning so she can eat meals that she lives. She has requested for this dish a few days ago. And I said I will do some groceries today and will be getting ingredients for this dish.

Meatloaf is a dish composed of minced or ground meat with minced vegetables and a binder, usually egg and flour or breadcrumbs. It's origin is in western and northern Europe particularly Germany, Belgium and Scandinavian countries (Norway, Denmark and Sweden). Countries all over the world have their own version of the meatloaf. In Philippines, we call it embotido. In the US, it is baked with tomato sauce on top to form a crust when baking. It is often eaten with mashed potato and gravy or cream of mushroom.

I usually steam my embotido (meatloaf), but to be different and to achieve the crust on top, I opted to bake it instead. And since I stay away from pork, which is usually the main ingredient in meatloaf, I substituted it with ground turkey. I have used ground turkey several times in my embotido recipe and so far there were no complaints that the taste is different.

So my recipe for turkey meatloaf is almost the same as my embotido recipe.

Ingredients

1          lb           ground turkey
1          pc           onion, chopped
1          cup         cheese
1/2       cup         flour
2          pcs          hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges
1          pc           egg
1/2       cup         sweet relish
1          cup         dried cranberries or raisins
1/2      cup          tomato sauce
1         pc            carrot, finely chopped
1         tsp           salt
1         tsp           pepper
butter to coat the baking pan

Procedure

In a bowl, combine all ingredients except for boiled eggs and butter. Refrigerate for a few hours.

Pre heat oven to 350 °F.

Coat the pan with butter, add half of the meatloaf.

Layer the boiled eggs evenly, then add the rest of the meatloaf.  For crust, add tomato sauce on top.

Bake for 50 minutes.

Serve with mashed potato and gravy.

Ginataang Gulay (Sauteed Vegetables in Coconut Milk)

I have been cooking this dish for years. Some of you know that I eat mostly vegetables. I am not a vegetarian. I still eat chicken, fish, seafood, egg and milk. Perhaps you could say I'm semi-vegetarian. But when people ask me why I stay away from beef and pork and other meat, I just say, I try to eat healthy by eating more vegetables and less meat.

One vegetables that I wasn't really fond of growing up is okra ( aside from ampalaya). I don't know, I wasn't really into it. Perhaps because it becomes "slimy" when cooked. But eating okra has a lit of benefits. It is Rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. It is also said that it promotes good heart health and can fight against cancer.

Funny thing is, my daughter would only eat okra if I cook it with other vegetables in Coconut milk. So I make sure I cook this as often as I can.

Here is my receipt for Ginataang Gulay

Ingredients

2       cups   okra
2       cups   green beans, cut in half
1       cup     ampalaya, cut diagonally
1       cup     kalabasa, cut into cubes
1        lb       shrimp
1        pc       tomato, diced
1        pc        onion, chopped
2        cloves garlic, minced
1         tbsp    fish sauce
1         tbsp    ground pepper
1          tsp     chili powder
Vegetable oil

Procedure

In a saucepan, saute garlic, onion and tomatoes.

Add shrimp, saute for a few minutes.

Add all the vegetables. Cook for 20 minutes.

Add coconut milk, fish sauce and pepper. Simmer for another 5minutes.

Serve with rice.

Lentil Soup (Ginisang Lentil)

For so long now I have been thinking of substituting lentil whenever I cook "ginisang mungo" or mung bean soup. Never had a chance until now but it was always at the back of my head, So finally today I was able to do it. And it turned out good, I feel like there was little difference. Maybe because they are both legumes.

Lentils and mung beans are both healthy and nutritious. They are typically low in fat, high in minerals like potassium and magnesium and both are also high in fiber. Lentils are actually more nutritious than quinoa because it has more amount of protein and fiber. It is know that lentils are beneficial for your health, especially heart health. It can be a substitute for meat when it comes to protein content for vegetarians.

So the recipe for my ginisang lentils is almost the sane as your typical ginisang mungo, but with a little twist. Below is my recipe

Ingredients

2         cups        lentils
1         pc            onion, chopped
1         pc            tomato, chopped
2         cloves     garlic, minced
6         cups        water
1          tsp          ground coriander
1         tsp          chili powder
1         tbsp         fish sauce
1         tbsp         ground pepper
2         cups        spinach
2         tbsp         vegetable oil

Procedure

Unlike mung beans, lentils doesn't need to be soaked for a few hours before cooking. It typically cooked within 30 minutes. Lentils are to be washed only before cooking.

In a pot, saute garlic and onion. Add in tomato. Cook for a few minutes.

Add the lentils.Saute for a few minutes.

Add the water, fish sauce, chili powder, coriander, salt and pepper. Let it boil for 5 minutes then lower heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until lentils are cooked.

Add the spinach. Simmer for another 3 minutes.

Serve with rice or crackers.

Onion rings

My daughter and I just love onion rings. We always order it at Portillos whenever we crave for it. And since you all know how I love to experiment, I planned that one day I will try to make home made onion rings. That day came a few days ago, and I have since then made onion rings three times. (Yes, I wasn't kidding when I said we just love onion rings).



The secret is always in the batter. I have to admit, Im still trying to perfect it. And have some ideas on making a different kind of batter for future experiment. But for now, here is my recipe for my version of home made onion rings


Ingredients

1        pc        large onion
1        cup      all purpose flour
1        tbsp     baking powder
1        tsp       salt
1        tsp       pepper
1        cup     breadcrumbs
1        pc       egg
1        cup     milk
vegetable oil for frying

Procedure

Peel the onion and slice across around 1 cm to make rings. Set aside

Mix flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add milk and egg. Mix thoroughly.

Dip the onion in the batter. Let the extra batter drain from the onion. Then dip the onion in breadcrumbs

Fry the onion rings until its golden brown. About 4-5 minutes.

Serve with your favorite sauce. My daughter and I like to dip it in ketchup.

Sweet and Sour Popcorn Chicken

Eating just chicken and fish (and vegetables of course) can be limiting sometimes. I tend to cook almost exactly the same dishes over and over. For chicken, it is either fried, barbecued, baked, or curry. My daughter is not fond of afritada or tinola so I don't cook them. Recently I posted a blog about my orange chicken recipe. And been cooking it since, at least once a week. To cut it short, my daughter got tired of it too. So I thought, maybe she will like sweet and sour chicken. I bought a frozen dish at Walmart and she seems to like it. But I don't plan on buying frozen meal on a regular basis. So guess what, this is my next experiment.

As usual I googled the recipe and tweaked it a bit to make my own version. I made some mistakes but im sure I will be able to correct it the next time I cook it. My daughter loved it! Although she said she wants more sauce.


Here is my recipe for sweet and sour popcorn chicken

Ingredients

2        pcs        chickeen breasts, cut into squares
2        pcs         egg
1        cup        all purpose flour
1        tsp         salt
1        tsp         pepper
Oil for frying

Sauce

1         cup        pineapple chunk
1         cup        pineapple juice (juice from the chunk)
1/2      cup        green and red bell pepper, cut into squares
1/2      cup        carrots, cut into small pieces
1 1/2   tbsp       conrstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsp water
3         tbsp       brown sugar
2         tbsp       vinegar (I used Datu Puti vinegar)
1/2      cup        water
1         pc          medium onion, chopped
1         tbsp       chopped ginger

Procedure

Dip the chicken in flour, then egg then flour again. Fry until golden brown. Set aside.

In a saucepan, saute onion, ginger and carrots for 5 minutes.

Add bell pepper, pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar and water. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the cornstarch mixture and chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Serve over rice.

The recipe above was already revised. Originally I only used 1/2 cup pineapple juice. But since my daughter wanted more sauce, I thought of doubling the amount. As for sugar,  I used white sugar, it came out pale, so I added 1 tbsp soy sauce for color. But then i thought if I used brown sugar then the sauce will turn to shiny brown color due to its caramalization.  Aside from carrots and bell pepper, you can add diferent veggies like green beans and onion leaks. Otherwise, this recipe is already perfect, well, in my opinion! Happy cooking!!

Breakfast Egg Muffins

Yesterday my daughter requested that I make her breakfast egg muffins for lunch and dinner today. She was watching You Tube and saw one mom serving it for lunch. Okay, I aim to please. Breakfast egg muffin it is.

I googled some recipe and was able to come up with my own version. I am making two different kinds of egg muffins. One is with bacon and cheese only, which my daughter prefers. And the other with spinach, bell peppers, cheese and bacon. When she came from school and had early dinner, she actually ate both kinds of muffins. You can add any ingredients to your egg muffins. Cherry tomatoes,  mushrooms, corn kernels, green peas, pepperoni and whatever you like.

Below is my take on breakfast egg muffins

Ingredients

1        dozen       egg
1        cup          cheddar cheese
1/2     cup          spinach
1/2     cup          green bell peppers, chopped
1/2     cup          cooked bacon, choppped
1        tsp           salt
1        tsp           pepper
cooking spray

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a bowl, beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

Scoop 1/2 cup of egg into muffin pans. Add bacon and cheese on six muffins and the rest with bacon, cheese, spinach and bell pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with dried parsley if preferred. Serve.

Tamale Making at Local Library

I recently attended a program at our local library. It was tamale making. I have always wanted to make one and this was a good opportunity to do so. My daughter and I love tamales and we were so excited to attend the program.

Our local library has a lot of free programs for kids, teens and adults. The tamale making was the first one I attended in adult program. It was popular as there was more than 40 participants with over 300 varieties of tamales made that night. Great job to all the participants including me and my daughter and thank you to our local library for providing us interesting program throughout the year.

Tamale is a Latin dish made up of masa or dough, usually corn-based with fillings and wrapped in corn husks or banana leaf. It is steamed for at least one and a half hour. Fillings can include beef, pork, chicken,cheese, fruits and vegetables. The fillings as cooked first before it is added to the masa. At the program, we used three different fillings. These are chicken with salsa verde (green sauce), beans and cheese, and rajas (sliced poblano pepers) with corn and cheese. Out of all the three fillings, our favorite was the rajas. I have tried other tamales that I bought at different store, my daughter and I prefers the chicken in red sauce fillings.

We were given all the ingredients for the tamale making. These are the following:

 A big container of La Guadalapana, original masa for tamale preparation. It comes in a 5 pounds container that can be bought at your local store ( there is one at Walmart). This can make at least 40 pieces of tamales.

Corn husks that was soaked in warm water.

Three different kinds of fillings.

We simply fill the corn husks with a tablespoon of masa, spread in the middle of the husk. Then went to filling stations. Filling should be at least a 2 teaspoons. Then the husks is folded on each side first then folded at the bottom. Each participants are able to make at least 6 tamales, 2 fillings each. We were instructed to steam our tamales at home, which my daughter and I did the minute we came home because we were excited to try it right away. Instruction for cooking were given to us by the library.

Again, I would like to thank our local library for this program. My daughter and I and our friends had fun!

Fried Ham and Cheese Bread Roll

I have been cooking the same dishes for weeks now and can't seem to find a recipe to experiment. Browsing through internet looking for something to do today. I was on Facebook, checking my feed when I saw this recipe on a group that I am a member of. I tried to think of a way to experiment on it but I was thinking this is a very simple dish and there is no need for a "revision".

This bread roll can either be served as a snack or a meal, especially for your kids. It can also be served as a party food, an appetizer or for your kids "baon" for school.

Below is the recipe for fried ham and cheese bread roll.

Ingredients

1     pack      Bread loaf, white or honey wheat
1     lb           Sliced ham
1    pack       American cheese slices
2     pcs         Egg, beaten
1     cup         breadcrumbs
Toothpicks
Oil for frying



Procedure



In a flat surface, flatten the bread covered with cling wrap. Cut the crust on all sides.

Place cheese, ham and mayonnaise on the bread. Roll

Dip in egg then roll on breadcrumbs.

Fry until golden brown. Serve.




As I write this blog, I have come up with some ideas to make a different version of this recipe. Instead of ham, I can use spam, because my daughter likes it. And instead of mayonnaise, I could use cheese spread or sandwich spread. Or instead of rolling it, I can make it into squares by folding it in half. Let me know how you like this recipe.

Green Goddess Mango Float

So I said on my last blog that I will make another twist on peach float recipe. I love green goddess dessert and I was thinking when I first made my peach float that I want to change the Nestle cream/condensed milk layer to green goddess. Why? Because why not? And because it will be heaven!!! Imagine two desserts into one? Irresistible!!!

So the recipe is quite simple. Instead of mixing Nestle cream with condensed milk, I used whipped cream with pistachio pudding mix powder and condensed milk. Then added some marshmallows. Yummy!! If you want my recipe for green goddess, please visit my blog. I published this recipe I think summer of last year.

I used mango this time because, first, I ran out of peaches already. And second, mangoes are on sale at Jewel for 5 pieces a dollar! So go grab those mangoes at Jewel before they ran out!

So here is the recipe for green goddess mango float.

Ingredients

2      pcs               mangoes, cute into small cubes
1      box              Honey Maid graham crackers
1      can               condensed milk
1      container     whipped cream
1      box              Jell-o pistachio flavored pudding mix
1      cup           small marshmallows

Procedure

In a big bowl, mix the whipped cream with just half the can of condensed milk, add the Jell-o pistachio powder. When thoroughly mixed, fold in the marshmallows.

Take two pieces graham crackers and make into crumbs for toppings later. Set aside.

In a serving dish. layer in the ingredients. First, graham crackers on the bottom, then the green goddess mix, then mangoes. Make at least three layers.

On the top, after putting the green goddess mix, sprinkle first with graham cracker crumbs before adding the mangoes on top.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, Serve cold.

As usual, this dessert was a success. My daughter loved it!! I wonder what else I can do to twist this recipe? Hmmm...

Peach Float

My friend has a peach tree in her front yard and every summer we always look forward to its fruits. It never disappoints. It always gives sweet and delicious peaches year after year. My first share was more than two dozens!! Believe me the tree bears dozens of fruits, a lot has already fallen on the ground because it was too much. And my friend told me to please get the rest from her tree. So I went a few days ago, more fruits are already on the ground, but I was able to get at least a dozen.

My daughter loves peaches, and I thought of making peach float, a recipe similar to mango float or fruit float. My daughter loved it! She almost finished everything!! That's how good it was!!

Mango/fruit float is a Filipino dessert. It is sometimes called crema de fruta, mango royale or icebox cake. It consists of layers of graham crackers, fresh fruits and a combination of Nestle Cream and condensed milk. It is very easy to make. And a good dessert on this hot summer.

Below is the recipe for peach float


Ingredients

1       box         Honey Maid graham crackers
1       can          Nestle cream
1       can          condensed milk
8-10  pcs          peaches

Procedure

1.  Skin and cut into cubes 6 pieces of peaches. Set aside.

2. For toppings, skin and cut into wedges the rest of the peaches

3.  Mix Nestle cream and 1/2 can of condensed milk.

4.  Pound one or two pieces of graham crackers into crumbs. Set aside

5. In a serving pan. Place graham crackers on the bottom.

6. Add in the cream/condensed milk mix.

7.  Add the cubed peaches.

8.  Make at least three layers. On the top layer, after adding the rest of the cream mix, sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs then arrange the peach wedges to make a nice decoration.

9.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  Serve cold.

I made this dessert a few days ago and it was all gone, Time to make a new one because my daughter is requesting for more. But I will surprise her by making a few twists on the recipe. Care to guess? Send me a message!! I will be making the recipe today and will be posting the new recipe with a twist in a few days! In the meantime, enjoy your peach float!!

Orange Chicken

My daughter just love orange chicken. She never gets tired of it. The only food she orders whenever we eat at Chinese  or any Asian restaurant. Even when home she would crave for it. I have been thinking of experimenting on it, but never get the chance to do it. But today, I thought why not do it. Because all morning I can't decide what to cook for dinner, i got my sauteed upo squash. But my daughter is not crazy about that so when I check I have all the ingredients for orange chicken, I got excited and did it in less than an hour!

So I searched online about the origin of orange chicken and i was surprised to find out that there is rarely any orange chicken dish in restaurants in China! The orange chicken we have here in USA are variations of the original sweet and sour dishes in China. Panda Express claims to have introduced the original orange chicken dish in USA. Anyway, it really doesn't matter where it originated, what natters is that, its so good we can eat this dish with rice everyday!!

Here is my recipe for orange chicken

Ingredients

2         lbs       chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1         pc        whole egg
3        tbsp      flour
3        tbsp      vegetable oil
2        tbsp      sesame seeds

Sauce

1/2     cup     orange juice
1        tbsp    soy sauce
1        tbsp    vinegar
1        tbsp    brown sugar
1       tbsp     cornstarch
1       clove   garlic, minced
1       tsp       ginger, minced
1       tsp       salt
1       tsp      pepper

Procedure

In a bowl, beat the egg, add the chicken, make sure all the meat is coated with egg.  Add the flour, set aside

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan, boil then simmer for a few minutes until it thickens. Set aside

In a pan, fry the chicken until golden brown. Pour over the sauce. Mix well, Add the sesame seeds.

Serve with rice.

My daughter loved the dish!! She said it could pass as a restaurant quality dish. This is tonight's dinner!!