Monthly Archives: September 2005

pork estofado, version # two

estofado II
i don’t remember having estofado except as a version with beef tongue. my mom called it just lengua. it takes a lot of work to boil and peel the outer membrane off, delicious as it is….so when i cooked chef suplada’s estofado with pork belly, i was instantly smitten and my kids were enthralled. it was a big hit! especially when we paired it with buttery mashed potatoes.
i saw this other variation using pork shoulder and with fried plantains (my children’s current most-asked for after school snack) in the recipe, i just had to try it. for now i prefer suplada chef’s sauce (is it the onions or is it the quickmelt cheese?), but this one is very good too: tangy and sweet at the same time. (hers is darker and deeper in flavor). this recipe is from Filipino Homestyle Cooking. i did not use the pan de sal pieces that the original recipe called for, presumably to thicken the sauce?
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce (preferably Filipino brand such as Pinya or Silver Swan)
1 cup water
vegetable oil for sauteeing
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 pound of pork shoulder, cut into chunks
1 peeled carrot, sliced thinly
1 bay leaf
peppercorns, if you like
1 stalk of scallion, cut into shreds w/ a vegetable peeler or finely julienned
3 plantains (saba if you’re lucky) sliced into thirds cross wise then halved lengthwise, fried in vegetable oil, drained in paper towels

combine the sugar, soy, vinegar and water and whisk very well until sugar is dissolved.
heat the oil in a stew pot and fry the garlic until golden brown. remove from the pan.
brown the pork pieces well in the same oil. pour in the sauce mixture and browned garlic bits and bring the pot up to a boil without stirring. add bay leaf and peppercorns. turn heat down and simmer until pork is fork tender. add carrots during the last five minutes of cooking time. garnish with scallions.
serve with fried plantain bananas and hot rice.
platanos

chili lobster

i’d heard about this dish from many people who have traveled to Singapore and from the blogworld.
my old and jaded tastebuds needed a jolt. there was a coupon for a supermarket chain that just took over a local store…so husband went out and “caught” two medium priced (but little-sized) live lobsters.
i found the recipe for chili crab from shiok! and thought it would be perfect for our favorite crustaceans.
i tweaked it a little bit with the addition of tamarind extract (sold in cans or jars at Asian grocers).
chop up the lobsters er…while very fresh. or, plunge them first into briskly boiling water for a minute before chopping.
crack the claws just enough to ensure the sauce can penetrate.
have a lot of napkins and hot rice on hand because this is a fiery spicy dish.
warning! you end up licking your fingers.
(the leftover sauce we are planning to use for extra large shell-on head-on full-on shrimps!)
chili lobsta
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsps. ginger, finely minced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 tbsps. tomato catsup
4-5 tbsps. hot chili sauce, preferably Thai Sriracha type
1 tbsp. tamarind liquid
1 & 1/2 cups hot water
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 medium lobsters (or crab, chopped up, fibrous bits removed)
1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp. water

heat 5 tbsps. oil and add the onions. cook until softened, about 3 minutes. add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. add the lobsters and cook until they turn a very bright red, about 5 minutes. add the rest of the ingredients and stir-fry over high heat until well-mixed. turn heat down to medium and add the cornstarch solution.
stir until sauced is thickened and lobsters are well coated.

lobsta chili

food on the road

we thought we’d take the kids out for one last “hurrah” before the school year. we picked New York City because well, just because: there’s always something new to see, no matter how many times you go back. we left on a Friday morning hoping to beat the long-weekend traffic.
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