Thai Chicken Red Curry

This coconut milk based red curry paste make an irresistible sauce. Flavored with both fresh and dried kaffir lime leaves it is a harmonious chicken dish with carrot, potato and mushroom. Finish the cooking with the addition of fish sauce to taste and serve with steamed fragrant rice. We just love to eat this curry dish along with fresh, spicy and sweet lime juice is made of lime juice, garlic, chili, sugar, fish sauce and chopped coriander. And to cut the creaminess of coconut sauce.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken cut into pieces
200g button white mushrooms
200g potato cut into cubes
1 medium carrot cut into cubes
5 or 7 tbsp red curry paste
3 cups coconut milk
5 tbsp fish sauce
1 lime juice

12 fresh or dry lime kaffir leaves
3 red chilies
cooking oil
2 tbsp sugar or palm sugar if any
Preparation:

1. Put the coconut milk in casserole pan or wok and simmer over medium heat.

2. Meanwhile heat the pan with 2 tbsp cooking oil and fry the chicken and working with batches into pan until skin turns brown on both sides just enough to crisp the outer skin of the chicken.

3. Then fry the potato, mushrooms and carrot into pan and until start to brown, set aside.

4. When the coconut milk start its boiling. Add the red curry paste, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce.

5. Stir well to combine the flavor or until red oil comes to the surface. 

6. Add the chicken and sauteed carrot, mushrooms, potato.

7. Follow by lime leaves, chilies into the pan.

8. Cover with the lid bring to a boil until the chicken is fully cooked. By the way adjust the heat into medium low heat.

9. Turn off the gas, taste then adjust the seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh chopped coriander.
Thai Red Curry Paste
4 dried long red chilies
10 fresh small red chilies
2 lemon grass stalks,
1 inches galangal,
1 teaspoon finely chopped lime kaffir leaves
5 garlic cloves, chopped
5 shallots, chopped
6 coriander roots, chopped
2 teaspoon Thai shrimp paste
Blend all together in food processor or mortal and pestle until the ingredients forms a smooth paste. Refrigerate or freeze and use as required. To avoid thawing the whole quantity, freezing could be done in small packs required for one use each. Note: Just double the quantity of the ingredients to make extra curry paste.

Beef Bourguignon

This classic french dish "boeuf bourguignon" It tasted better after 1 day in the fridge, and is one of my whole family favorite dish is perfect for weekend meal.
Ingredients:
3 lbs beef meat, chunk or cut into cubes
1 bottle Bordeaux red wine
200g chopped leeks
1 medium size carrot, chopped diced
15 pcs white button mushrooms
2 medium size of yellow onions, cut into quarter
1 beef cube
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sugar
125g sliced bacon
1 tsp dried thyme
3 tsp cognac
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
extra virgin of olive oil
garni: mixed of spring sage, parsley, 2 bay leaves wrapped in leek leave
salt and pepper
Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat the copper casserole or Dutch oven at medium heat, add the butter and 2 tbsp olive oil. Fry the beef and working with batches into pan without over crowding, and brown on all both sides. Transfer into a plate and fry the remaining beef and set aside.

2. Add the bacon, fry and until crisp. Remove into a paper towel, set aside.

3. At the same casserole, saute the leek, carrot, then add the tomato paste, flour, cognac and stir to combine.

4. Add the beef back into the casserole.

5. Pour the whole bottle of wine into pot.

6. Then stir with the beef cube.

7. Add the fried bacon, stir everything together. Cover with the lid bring to a boil.

8. Meanwhile, In a small skillet, over medium heat, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and onion, cook until start to brown. When the mushroom and onion heated through. Add the sauteed mushrooms and onion into the pot. Stir with the dried thyme and sugar(if desire) to balance the flavor of wine. Season with salt and pepper then stir well. Add the bouquet of garni, cover with a lid and bring into a gentle simmer. When its start boiling turn off the gas.

9. Place in preheated oven . Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Note that I am braising my beef stew in a Mauviel copper casserole that I can cook than a normal cooking time (3-4 hours in the oven). When the beef is done. Remove the garni and strain some fat oil on the button side of the pot. Stir in fresh chopped parsley. If necessary season with salt again according to your liking.

10. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy with mashed potato. Bon appetit!

Lechon Paksiw

One of my fam favorite Filipino dish is the Paksiw na Pata. There is actually an alternative to cooking lechon paksiw, you don't have to use a leftover meat from a whole lechon/roasted pig. This method is using a oven baked slow cook. Instead of reheating the same dish it bringing freshness to your pork paksiw. The lechon sauce and other condiment just make this dish so wonderfully savory with a touch of sweetness which is just as delicious.
Ingredients:
1½-2lbs pork hock- pork knuckle
2 pcs bay leaves
3 large garlic clove, crushed and coarsely chopped
1 medium size spanish red onion, sliced
1-2 tbsp grapeseed or any vegetable oil
10-15 whole black peppercorn
1 cup Mang Tomas lechon sauce
75ml soy sauce
¼ cup superfine asian brown or black sugar
1 cup datu puti plain white vinegar
2½ cup water
fish sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Wash and dry pork knuckle with paper towel. Cut the skin and meat with a sharp knife or get the butcher to do it for you. Rub salt and freshly ground black pepper into the skin and into the slits, then place in a roasting pan.

2. Bake for about one and a half hours to 2 hours or until meat turns golden brown and crispy. Remove pan from oven.

3. Heat oil in a 26 cast iron casserole, saute garlic and onion until on medium heat. stir occasionally until the fragrant.

4. In the casserole add the roasted pork knuckle, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce bay leaves, whole peppercorn and lechon sauce.

5. Then pour the water into the casserole.

6. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Cover and simmer on low heat approximately an hour or until the meat is tender. So that the fat from the skin and meat gets mixed in with the juices. Add more water as needed.

8.When the meat starting to fall off the bone and the fats from the juice. Skim excess fat from the casserole as necessary, if you are hearty and health conscious.

9. Add around 1 tbsp patis or fish sauce and sprinkle a little bit msg to adjust the seasonings as needed. Turn off the heat and serve with steamed rice.

Dinuguan or Tidtad (Pork Blood Stew)

This dish is one of my number 1 favorite Filipino dish. Dinuguan is a stew made of pork that has pig intestine usually including pig ears and everything in bizzare, cooked in its own blood with vinegar, laurel, garlic, onion and japaleños. It is similar to ancient Greek-Spartan melas zomos called the black soup. It may look disgusting and seems to be complicated bloody recipe, but it's delicious and worth all the trouble!
Ingredients:
800g pork butt or meat part is fine, cut to small pieces
700g  clean pork intestine, cut into chunks
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 laurel or bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped coarsely
5 long green chilies (japaleños)+ 2 red small chili if you like
1 medium red onion, sliced
pig's blood
datu puti plain vinegar or white vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
healthy msg
salt and pepper

Note: Pigs blood its easily find somewhere in supermarkets, ethnic small grocery store or public market here in Taiwan

Preparation:

1. Take 1 pigs blood is equivalent to 100g add some water just enough to make 3 cups, blend it, process it until just  right consistency for the soup base.

2. In a copper casserole or any heavy pot; heat oil over moderate medium heat, saute garlic until lightly brown then add the onion until translucent. Then add fish sauce, stir until it start to sizzle and fragrant.

3. Add the pork meat.

4. Then saute until browned.

5. Add pork intestine into the casserole.

6. Followed by bay leaves, add around 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and stir for 3 minutes.

7. Pour the blood into the casserole.

8. Add some water around 2 cups, stir well.

9. Add 2 cups vinegar, but I will go for 3 cups it helps to eliminate the strong taste from the blood.

10. Stir, uncovered the pan and  simmer slowly for 30 40 minutes or until blood is cooked and colour turn to black and thickens. All this time, the dinuguan should have been stirred occasionally.

11. After 30-40 minutes, add the chilies. I don’t like my chilies over cooked, the reason why I added last.

12.  Season with salt and msg as required, then stir and uncover.

13. Continue to simmer for about 5 or 10 minutes.

14. Once cooked, turn off the heat, cover and let the dinuguan or pork blood stew sit for awhile before serving. The stew gets more and more delicious even the next days!

15. Time to plate up and enjoy with steamed puto or steamed rice.

Beef Kare Kare

This dish is a very popular Filipino dish that we call Kare-Kare stew with a peanut-based sauce. The whole dish is rich and creamy for sure. Usually served on special occasions like barrio fiesta  particularly in the province of Pampanga.
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs beef stew meat or shin beef, cut into big chunks or tripe (optional) ox tail
2 litres water
¼ cup rice
4 tbsp annatto or atchuete powder
1/2 cup peanut butter
4 tbsp roasted peanut for extra nutty flavor
3 tbsp vegetable oil
pinch of salt
fish sauce
2 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 medium onion, chopped
160g eggplant, sliced 1 inch thick
1 small banana blossom, cut similar to eggplant slices
1 bundle pechay (bok choy)
150g long beans, cut to 5 cm (2 inch) length
1/2 cup cooked bagoong alamang (fermented shrimp paste) or barrio fiesta shrimp paste
Preparation:

1. In a copper pot or heavy pot, boil beef in water over medium heat. When the water is boiling, skim and discard all the floating scum. Once the meat is cooked and tender, transfer to a plate on a slotted spoon and keep the both.

2. Mix the achuete powder with ¼ cup water, stir and let the color bleed through. Annato powder needs to be mixed in a little water before adding because it is water resistant and will clump if you just add it straight to the pot. Place the rice in a skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring constantly, until lightly browned for about 5 minutes. Let it cool, then finely grind in a mortar and pestle.

3. Grind the roasted peanut in a mortar pestle similar to the rice.

4. Heat oil in a saute, wok or deep pan. Sauté garlic and onions until lightly browned and aromatic. Add the meat and stir with 2-3 tbsp of fish sauce for 1 minute.

5. Then add the broth, peanuts, annatto, rice and stir to blend the ingredients.

6. Bring to the boil, then cover pan and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

7. While boiling the kare kare stew, blanch the banana blossom for about two minutes in boiling water and drain.

8. When the gravy gets a bit thick (not too thick but not too soupy) just the right consistency then season with salt. Add the long beans, eggplant including the blanch banana blossom and pechay.

9. Cover and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Do not overcook the vegetables. Once the stew is cooked, turn off the heat and serve with rice and bagoong.