Ginisang Ampalaya with Egg

I’ve always had fond memories of this dish because this is a favorite of my maternal Lola.  I saw her cooking this almost every week to pair up with fried fish.  I don’t want to be a hypocrite and say that I liked this back then. There are a lot I didn’t like before and eventually appreciated them as I mature. My Lola and Nanay always used juice from heads of shrimps in sautéing. Unless you have some shrimps just freezing away in your freezer, I use shrimp bouillon instead.

Ginisang Ampalaya with Egg

Ingredients

• 2 pcs medium sized ampalaya, seeded and sliced thinly
• Wash the inner part of the ampalaya in running water. 
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 shrimp bouillon cube
• 3 eggs

 Cooking Procedure

1. In a shallow pan, sauté garlic and onion until soft on medium heat.
2. Typically, especially in Bulacan, we sauté the garlic first until brown and then we add the onions. The reason I sauté them together is because there’s a tendency for the garlic to burn and I really don’t like the bitter taste of burnt garlic. 
3. Add the tomato.
4. Once the tomato has softened as well, add the shrimp bouillon until dissolved.
5. Add the ampalaya and cook for a few minutes.
6. Do not overcook the ampalaya.  The texture should maintain a bit of crunch.
7. Whisk eggs and add a bit of salt.
8. Add the eggs until cooked.

Arroz a la Cubana

This dish was taught to me by my Nanay.  This became one of my hubby’s favorite even without the fried saging na saba and egg.  It’s very practical for budget conscious people.  

Arroz a la Cubana

Ingredients

• 250 grams ground pork
• 3 pcs calamansi
• 4 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 tomato
• 1 medium sized potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium sized green pepper, seeded and cubed
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ c water
• Salt to taste

 Cooking Procedure

1. Marinate ground pork in calamansi, soy sauce, pepper and bay leaf for 30 minutes.
2. Fry potato until brown. Set aside.
3. Sauté garlic and onion until soft.
4. Add tomato and cook until softened.
5. Add the marinated ground pork and cook until brown. This is what we call in Bulacan “sangkutsa”.  We fry the meat until brown and oil is coming out from the meat. Do not skip this method.  This what makes the dish really flavourful.  For me, this is a natural umami instead of using msg.
6. Add water and Worcestershire sauce. 
7. Cook until the liquid evaporates but don’t leave it too dry. 
8. Add potato and green pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
9. Serve with rice.

Carol's Kitchen

The concept of this blog started in my kitchen. My husband and I love food.  I started was forced to learn to cook after hubby got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and hypertension.  Most of the time before the diagnosis, we just ate out or had take-outs.  When we were home, I usually did what a typical newlywed wife would do. Buy anything that you can fry. I mean thaw and then fry.  I don't know if you can call it a blessing (I don't wanna be blessed with a disease) in disguise and I know this may sound cheesy but it was really a life changing experience.  

My husband's ever discriminating taste started to perk up again because I had to prepare healthy meals that still tasted good.  I know that sounds impossible.  But with the help of cable tv (cooking shows) and internet (Google), I started to appreciate food much better.

And tasty isn't synonymous with unhealthy.  But don't get me wrong, we still eat steaks, isaw, chicharon, taba ng talangka and everything that you know is bad for you.  But we do this once in a while and in moderation.  And to even lessen the guilt, we follow it up with cups of hot green tea (as if there’s a medical basis that it can lower your cholesterol). 

My modus operandi: to post recipes/meals I typically prepare almost everyday for my husband and son.  I hope this will inspire moms, wives, single ladies and gentlemen, stay home dads, household helpers and everyone including me to prepare food that you can enjoy at home.