Sunday, June 13, 2010

Fried Lumpia

Fried Lumpia.. growing up its such a staple to see lumpia in every gathering we have and the same for our friends & family.What's not to like..?Its crispy & easy to eat.Nowadays,I have my own twist to this old favorite crispy appetizer.Traditionally,lumpia is made of pork..mine I used ground Turkey instead.You can definitely substitute the meat w/anything you like..even Tofu.

Ingredients:
1 lb.ground or 1/2 a kilo of ground Turkey(or any meat you like)
2 stalks of Scallions,chopped,minced
2 gloves of Garlic,minced
1 sliced of White bread,crust taken out,crumbled
2 Tbsp. of Milk
1 medium size Carrots,minced
3 Tbsp. of Canola oil (i used oil instead of egg as a binder)
2 Tbsp. of Soysauce
1 Tbsp. of Salt
1 Tbsp.of Pepper
4 Tbps. of water ( to enclosed the wrapper)
16 to 20 pcs.Spring roll wrapper
Peanut Oil for frying (Use only peanut oil if, u can because any other oil burned the outside of the wrapper faster before the inside of the Lumpia is cook well.)



How to:

In a large bowl placed the meat ,carrots,scallions,soysauce,salt & pepper.In the meantime in a small saucer place the whitebread and milk.Let the bread soaked for about 5 mins.(the reason for this is to make a panade.It's used to keep moisture to prevent meat from getting dried out.)When the panade is ready & soaked place it together w/the meat.Mixed it together then add the oil.Keep mixing by hand or spatula until all ingredients are well combined.Then let the meat mixture rest for about 15 to 30 minutes in the refrigerator.You can also do this process the night before you going to cook the Lumpia.Use a clingwrap to prevent unused Lumpia wrapper from getting dried up.Place only about 2 tsp.of the meat mixture to the lumpia wrapper.Then fold the two sides of the wrapper then roll it up. Using a brush or your finger dip it on the water to enclosed the end the the wrapper.



Frying: Pre-heat the oil to about 350 degress or u can used a piece of a bamboo skewers.. dip the end of the bamboo stick on the preheat oil when the oil is boiling around the skewer then your oil is ready for frying.Place only a few Lumpia in the pan make sure not to over crowed your pan because this will bring the oil temperature down.Cook the Lumpia until its slightly opague in color this takes about 5 to 6 minutes..then place the Lumpia on a plate w/paper towel to blot the excess oil.Then you going to fry all the lumpia for the second time using the same oil.This will ensure your Lumpia will be Crispy not Soggy.Make sure to used a new papertowel to help get rid of the excess oil.Then serve w/ your favorite condiments..mine is simply banaba ketchup.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Filipino Style Chicken Noodle Soup

Almost every country in every continent in the world have a version of Chicken noodle soup.
This is mine..growing up in the Philippines even though its hot & humid most of the time.. we love our soup anytime of the day.Since I live abroad now..this just bring back a lot of memories to me everytime I make this dish.This is also the best way to used leftover roasted chicken.

Ingredients:
1/2 a box of 14.5 oz of dried pasta ( any shape of pasta is ok)
roasted chicken,shredded (white/dark)
1 quarted of green cabbage,shredded
1 medium size carrots,sliced
2 cloves of garlic,minced
1 cup of 2 percent milk
1 bouillion chicken flavor cube
2 Tbsp. of olive oil
5 cups of water or chicken broth
Salt & Pepper to taste

How to:

Pre-cooked the pasta to prevent pasta from getting soggy(In a large pot boil about 5 cups of water .Once the water come to a boil add a handful of salt and cook the pasta for 6 minutes).Meanwhile in a soup pot put some oil and saute the carrots,then the cabbage and garlic.Then keep it aside on a plate.Place some water or chicken broth on the pot then add the bouillion cube then let it simmer to a boil.Once,the water/broth is boiling add the noodles,chicken and the vegetables stir together then let it boil for about 5 to 10 minutes.Then taste it.Add salt & pepper to taste..then turn off the heat..add the milk stir and let it sit for 5 minutes to cool down & serve.






Pasta Carbonara

This is the first dish I wanted to share Pasta Carbonara. Everyone have their own version of this dish..which is fabulous..anyhow,this is my version of this simple yet elegant pasta recipe.


Ingredients:
1 box of dried pasta 14.5 oz (411g)
1 large clove of garlic ,minced
2 large eggs
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
4 strips of bacon
1/2 cup of 2 percent milk
1 Tbsp. of fresh Flatleaf Parsley,chopped
1/8 tsp.of Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to taste

How to:

Cook pasta according to the packaged directions.Meanwhile,heat the non-stick pan and fried the bacon on its own fat to render.When the bacon is crispy place it on the papertowel to blot the excess oil.Then discard the extra oil in the pan.Saute the garlic on the pan until fragrant then transfer it to a papertowel to prevent the garlic from futher cooking.In a bowl beat the eggs,milk,nutmeg,cheese, garlic,salt & pepper.When the pasta is cooked turn off the stove..drain the pasta and add the egg mixture sauce.The heat from the pasta will help cooked the raw eggs.Add the parsley,crumbled the bacon and toss all the ingredients together.Sprinkle with extra cheese and serve.


Hope you enjoy my recipe..traditionally most recipe have heavy cream..however,I liked mine with milk..it lighten up the dish a bit.