Puto Cake

I was craving for puto(steamed rice cake) tonight. But I don't have rice flour or puto mix in my pantry. And it was too late to go to the store. Oh alright.... I don't wanna go out to get rice flour because it's already dark and cold outside. Besides, I suddenly thought of making a little experiment. I was thinking of using pancake mix instead. Weird right? But hey, it might taste good. And since I'm using pancake mix for my puto recipe, I thought of renaming it as 'puto cake'.

Puto, or steamed rice cake, is a popular 'kakanin' in the Philippines. It is served as snack or breakfast. Topped with cheese, butter or coconut flakes. It could also be eaten with dinuguan. There are several varieties of puto. White puto is most popular. There is also puto kutsinta, puto bumbong, puto pao etc. It is steamed on a puto mold. But if you don't have a mold, you can use muffin baking pan.

Below is my recipe for puto cake.

1       cup       pancake mix

3/4    cup       2%milk

1/2    cup      white sugar

1/2    tsp        salt

1       tsp        baking powder

2       tsp        vegetable oil

1       pc         egg

1       pc        american cheese

Procedure

Mix all the ingredients except for cheese. Transfer the batter in muffin mold with cupcake lining. Steam for 20 minutes. 

Cut the cheese in small squares. Place on top of the puto cake.

Makes 6 puto cakes..

I guess my puto cake turned out good. Sophie finished 3 pieces in one sitting.

Crock-Pot Chicken Chili

So I have been standing in front of my pantry and couldn't decide what to cook for dinner. I have a lot of canned goods I wanna get rid off. I'm not really a fan of canned goods, I like to cook ingredients that are either fresh or frozen fresh. But my canned goods have been in the pantry for so long that I have to either cook them or get rid of them.  Too many canned kidney beans, pinto beans etc etc.  And I thought , hmmm, might as well make chili.  I haven't tried cooking chili before. I like it but then I never tried experimenting on it.  I recently had the turkey chili of Panera Bread and it was so good!!!.  But when I looked at my freezer, I don't have ground turkey, or ground chicken. But I have whole chicken. So why not use it right? It's still chicken anyway!!

And since I have to go somewhere and couldn't stay for hours for chili to simmer, I decided to cook it in my Crock-Pot. So how did my experiment go? Awesome!!! I think it was good! Sophie even had it for lunch and dinner until the next day.  I topped it over a pasta ( I used rigatoni, although penne or mostaciolli also pairs nicely with chili). So that was our last night's dinner ... and today's lunch.. and I'm sure chili is for dinner tonight..

Chili, is a stew that mainly consists of chili peppers, ground beef, tomatoes and and beans. It is also called chili con carne, which means chili peppers with meat. Some seasonings like cumen or paprika is used for added flavor. It is the official dish of Texas. Several versions have been done in the dish. Vegetarian chili uses vegetable meat or tofu. White chili doesn't have tomatoes, and uses turkey meat. Chili verde, or green chili uses tomatillos and roaster green chili peppers.

Below is the recipe for my Crock-Pot dinner.  But hey,.for those of you who doesn't have slow cooker, no problem, you can cook on stove top.

Ingredients

1        whole   chicken ( or 2 lbs ground turkey/chicken)
3        pcs        carrots, peeled and cut into small squares
3        stalks    celery, chopped
3        cans      beans (kidney beans, pinto beans or navy beans)
3        pcs        bayleaves
1        pc          medium onion, chopped
3        cloves  garlic, chopped
2        cans      tomato sauce
3        tsp         ground pepper
2        tsp         salt
1        tbsp       cayenne pepper
2        tsp          dried oregano leaves
1        cup         water
1        lb            cooked pasta (rigatoni, penne or mostaciolli)

Procedure

1. In your Crock-Pot, arrange the carrots, celery and onion and garlic.
2. Place the whole chicken on top.
3. Add the salt, pepper, bay leaves and dried oregano.
4. Add the water.
5. Simmer for 4-6 hours on high.
6. When the chicken is cooked, transfer to a big bowl and pull the meat from the bone. Shred the meat and transfer back to the pot.
7. Add the canned beans, tomato sauce and cayenne pepper.
8. Simmer for another 2 -3 hours on high.
9. Serve over rice or cooked pasta.

Stir Fry Tofu and Brocolli

There is nothing faster to cook than stir fry. In 10-15 minutes you will have a decent meal. It is fast and easy to make. I would cook stir fry most of the time, especially if I'm in a hurry and only have less than an hour to cook.

I have tofu and brocolli in the fridge. And thought of cooking stir fry tofu and brocolli. It only takes less than 20minutes to make. I always get the firm tofu, it is good for frying (the silky ones are good for soup).

Tofu, also called bean curd, is chinese in origin. It is made of coagulated soy milk. It has a distinct taste and is often used in chinese cuisine. It is like soymilk "cheese". In the Philippines, fresh soft tofu is mixed with sugar syrup and sago for breakfast. We call it 'taho'. Oh how I miss taho.  There is nothing like it. So yummy. In the morning, I can't wait for the taho salesman to shout "Tahoooooo!". It is one of the food I miss back home. The firm tofu is usally included in a dish. Most vegetarian would substitute tofu for meat.  Some vegetarian restaurant would use tofu to imitate meat dishes, so vegetarians will not miss the taste of the dish.

I'm not a vegetarian anymore ( I eat chicken and fish), but once in a while it would be nice to be vegetarian for a day or two...or more.. and stir fry tofu and brocolli can be an alternative dish to beef and brocolli or chicken and brocolli. Below is the recipe for my stir fry tofu and brocolli..

Ingredients

1    pack     Firm tofu, fried and cut into squares
1    lb          brocolli
1/2 cup       oyster sauce
1/2 cup       soy sauce
1/2 cup       cornstarch
1     pc         small onion, chopped
1     tbsp      ginger, chopped
1     tsp        ground pepper
2     tbsp      vegetable oil
2     tbsp      toasted sesame seeds

Procedure

1.  Mix soy sauce, cornstarch and oyster sauce. Set aside.
2.  In a sauce pan, sauté onion and ginger in vegetable oil.
3.  Add tofu and brocolli, stir fry for 5 minutes.
4. Add the sauce that was set aside. Sprinkle the pepper and toasted sesame seeds.
5. Stir fry for another 3-5 minutes, or until brocolli is cooked.
6. Serve with rice.

Crock-Pot Chicken Curry

Once in a while I would crave for chicken curry. It's a dish that some people would stay away from. I guess because it has coconut milk and the curry powder, which has strong taste and odor.  Today I will be cooking chicken curry on a Crock-Pot. So easy to make.

Chicken curry is a dish from South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Carribean. Different countries have their own version of chicken curry. In the Philippines, it consists of chicken, potatoes, carrots, bell pepper, coconut milk and curry powder. Some countries would also use cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and chili powder. I like to use the curry powder because the smell and taste is not too strong.

Today I will be attempting to cook this dish on my Crock-Pot. My slow cooker has been my favorite cooking buddy these days. Lol. The recipe is just the same as any Pinoy chicken curry that is cooked in a stove top.

Ingredients

2           lbs             chicken legs
2           pcs            medium sized bake potatoes, quartered
2           cups          baby carrots (or 4 pcs medium carrots, cut)
1           can            coconut milk
3           tbsp           curry powder
3           tbsp           fish sauce
3           cloves        garlic, minced
1           pc               medium onion, chopped
2           tbsp            canola oil
1/2        cup             water
2           tbsp           ground pepper

Procedure

In your Crock-Pot, arrange the chicken, potatoes and carrots. Add the garlic, onion,oil, water, fish sauce, ground pepper and water. Cook for 4-10 hours, depending on how fast you want it cooked. On the last hour, add the coconut milk and curry powder.

Serve with white rice.