As my interest has grown around the ideas of Korean style cooking, I stumbled across an image a few years back of a Korean style pancake that was loaded with green onions. I knew how to make pancakes, the non-savory type of course, but these savory type of pancakes sparked my interest, and grew to what became my version of a Korean pancake.

Let’s get started. (Makes approximately 5-6 pancakes)

Ingredients for pancakes: [Print this Recipe]

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups of water, approximately
• 1 whole bunch of green onions, half of them thinly sliced, the other part sliced thinly lengthwise
• 1 shallot, minced
• Generous pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup of canola oil

Ingredients for Dipping Sauce:

• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1/2 cup of soy sauce
• 3 Thai Bird’s Eye Chilies, smashed

Begin by adding everything but the oil, green onions, and shallots to a mixing bowl. Mix really well until you have a light pancake batter. The goal is to not have a thick batter, almost like a crepe batter, if you have ever made those.

Fold in the green onions and shallots, mixing along the way, then let the batter sit, at room temperature, for about ten minutes.

During this time, make the sauce. Combine all of your ingredients, mix well, and set aside.

When you are ready to cook the pancakes, heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

Ladle on the pancake batter, enough to almost fill the pan. Let these cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side. When the pancake is cooked on the bottom side, much like you would check for a classic, American pancake, flip, and cook on the other side for the additional amount of time.

When the pancake is cooked, remove and place on a paper towel lined plate.

Repeat, until the pancakes are cooked.

When you are ready to serve, slice the pancake into quarters, stacking them nicely on a plate, and serve with the dipping sauce.

The result is a pancake that is out of this world in flavor. Texturally, the pancake is loaded with green onions, but oddly enough, not over powering, and the pancake itself is a bit crisp, yet spongy. When dipping it into the sauce, the bite is just balanced with a great soy and vinegar spice.

Explore, and talk to random people about food. You might be glad you did. Enjoy.

After trying one of their banh mi which they make fresh on site, I went to the meat department and the pork belly quickly caught my attention. My coworker and I have been talking about pork belly for some time now. We have both been wanting to make our own bacon, but what I also have been wanting to make is that awesome crispy pork that you often find in Chinese restaurants, if you are lucky that is.

The Chinese make their version of crispy pork belly, as do the Filipinos. The Filipino version of crispy pork belly is known as lechon kawali, however, I wanted to get a crispy pork without having to fry anything. After all, there is  plenty of top fat on the pork belly, allowing you to roast the pork to perfection. If yo have never tried this at a restaurant, now is your chance. Not only is this recipe really simple, but it is a great snack that almost anyone who likes pork is going to love.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of pork belly
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp sea salt
• 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice
• 1 tbsp Chinese Black Bean Chili Paste

Begin by scoring your pork belly. With a sharp knife slice into the fat, making cross marks, just deep enough to not cut through the pork. Poke the bottom and side of the pork, making incisions throughout the pork.

Mix the all of the ingredients, with the exception of the salt and vinegar. Place the pork in a large ziplock bag, and pour in the mixed ingredients. Seal and begin massaging the pork, getting the mixture rubbed into the pork. Rub it well. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but overnight if you can.

When you are ready to cook the pork, remove it from the bag and place fat side up on a large baking sheet covered with foil and lined with a grated baking rack.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Take some paper towel and completely dry or remove any moisture from the top fat. Sprinkle with the salt and brush the vinegar on top of the fat.

Place the baking sheet with the pork in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. The time pretty much begins to brown and crispy up the pork while some of that goodness drips down onto the pork itself, adding more flavor.

After the 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and cook for one hour.

Remove the sheet from the oven and let cool. When you are ready to serve, cut into bite sized pieces and serve with the following:

Dipping Sauce:

• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• pinch of red chili flakes
• pinch of black pepper

Not only are these crispy pork belly nuggets addicting, but they are so delicious. I had a whole table of kids gobbling them down, they were that great! Enjoy.

As my wife’s cousin says, one of the first things he thinks about when getting off the plane in the Philippines, is sisig, hence why I decided to try out the seasoning package. After all, “Mama Sita” was known for her cooking in the Philippines, and her products must be good right? Well, I had to know, and so I picked up the packet of seasoning mix for sisig.

Sisig is basically a sour and spicy dish in the Philippines that consists of pig parts. To be blunt, much of the pig’s face, including ears, snout, and cheeks, but let’s face it, much of that does not fly if you were to serve it at a table in the states, hence my version of sisig. A simple pork tenderloin, or pork shoulder will work. The end result is a perfect balance of sour and spice, with crispy, yet tender pieces of chopped pork. Enough said, the packet of Mama Sita’s Sisig spice worked, and brought out the sour that you need to have, but hard to find in the states, as the sour comes from the calamansi.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin, minced
• 2 large shallots, diced
• 1 package of Mama Sita’s Sisig seasoning
• 2 tbsp chives, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 2 Thai bird chili peppers, diced
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup of water

Prepare all of your ingredients in advance. To a large skillet, add the canola oil and bring it to a medium-high heat. Add the minced pork, and give a good stir. The goal while cooking the pork is to get a nice crisp on the pork, but not over cooking it. Keep mixing the pork until you have reached this consistency, as in the Philippines, they serve sisig on a sizzling plate, building that texture you are looking for.

Mix the packet seasoning with the water, and mix well.

To a bowl, add in the remaining ingredients, top with the sauce and the cooked pork, and mix well. Taste. Taste again.

The packet did the sisig justice and I have to say that I was sold on Mama Sita’s seasoning packet. The result is a sour, spice, and texture, that is so addicting that you will come back for more. A perfect snack, and a perfect dish to serve up with some nice cold beer. I brought this to a party where our cousin’s mom just flew in from the Philippines. She said she loved it, and actually had some for breakfast the following day. I guess Mama Sita did it right. Enjoy.

It was not too long ago where I was contacted by a marketing firm to see if I was interested in marketing some product by a ranch in Texas. After doing my research, I was more than happy to sample some really fantastic product by Branch Ranch. I had a handful of ideas to use their delicious cuts of meat, and in particular, a great Filipino dish that I know everyone would enjoy, and especially my wife.

The Filipino dish is called giniling. Don’t let the name intimidate you. Consider giniling as being ground beef mixed with a handful of vegetables and spices that is served on top a bed of rice. Giniling is one of those dishes my wife loved when growing up. It was one of those dishes that once served, would be left out on the stove for her siblings to return to as a snack throughout the day. I will admit, I did the same, and this is a dish that is hearty, and full of great flavor, and is definitely worth returning to throughout the day, whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of premium ground beef (I used, and recommend Branch Ranch Ground Beef)
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large roma tomato, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large potato, peeled, and cubed
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Cooked rice

Begin by adding your potatoes to a pot of water, bring to a boil, and set aside for about 5-10 minutes. During this time, brown your ground beef, and once fully browned, drain any access fat. Place the ground beef in a large bowl.

To the same pot you cooked your ground beef in, add in the oil and bring to a medium heat. Toss in your carrots, cooking for about 5 minutes. Next add in your onion and your garlic. Give a good stir, and continue to cook for a few minutes or until the onions become translucent. Drain your potatoes, and toss those into the pot along with the bell peppers, tomato, and the peas. Add in your cooked ground beef, the fish sauce, the soy sauce, and the cracked black pepper. Give this a good stir, cooking for a couple of more minutes.

To serve, scoop some rice into the bottom of a small bowl, pressing down to form a mold. Quickly turn the bowl over onto a serving plate and top with the giniling.

This Filipino ground beef dish is a must try. It packs some really great flavor from the array of vegetables alongside the taste of the fish sauce. This dish is great any time of the day, and is one of my favorites to be used at breakfast time. I hope you enjoy.

So this week has been rather hectic and quite stressful at work, and I wanted something comforting to make to help reduce the stress, while at the same time having a nice, presentable meal that both my wife and I could enjoy. I came up with the duxelles and craisin stuffed chicken breast. I made the duxelle the night before as I thought that chopping and dicing down a bunch of mushrooms would lift the spirit, and it did. This saved me some time as I could quickly pound out some chicken breasts, stuff them, and brown them in a saute pan. This is a really great weekday meal, that is somewhat fancy, but can be served in no time at all.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb of cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, and finely chopped or placed in a food processor (stems and all)
• 2 tbsp of unsalted butter
• 1 medium shallot, finely diced
• generous pinch of salt
• generous pinch of pepper
• 1/4 cup of sherry wine
• pinch of dried thyme
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup of craisins
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• toothpicks
• 1 cup of white wine
• 1/4 cup of heavy cream

Begin by getting a large saute pan out and bring it to a medium, to medium high heat. Add in the butter, and let it melt. Add in the chopped mushrooms, shallot, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring on occasion. After about 10 minutes or so, add in the sherry, and cook until the sherry evaporates. Remove from the heat and let it cool.

To a small skillet, add about 1 cup of water and bring it to a light boil. Add in the dried craisins,  and remove it from the heat. Let them hydrate for a few minutes before removing them with a slotted spoon. Add them to the duxelles, and stir.

Now the fun part. Get a large ziplock bag out. You have a couple of options here. You can take a chicken breast and slice through it horizontally, yielding two pieces, or you can take your knife, and open it up a bit. I cut mine, horizontally, yielding two pieces. Place one piece in the ziplock bag, and lay it flat in there. Take your meat mallet, and pound it lightly, from the center outwards, being careful not to go too thin.  You simply want to get it to about a quarter inch thick, just to tenderize it.  Repeat with the remaining breasts.

Now that you have all of the breasts flattened out, take one and add a heaping spoonful near the back of the breast. The goal is to roll these up into a log shape, sealing in the sides, and then take two or three toothpicks to secure the chicken from unfolding. Repeat the process.

Next get your your large saute pan out, or in my case, I used a large cast iron skillet. Add the oil, and bring this to a medium heat. Add in the secured chicken rolls and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until golden brown. This will take about 10-12 minutes as the chicken is pretty thin from being pounded out.

Remove them from the skillet and set on a plate to let it rest for a couple of minutes. During this time, get the skillet back on the stove on medium heat. Add in the white wine (careful as it might flame up), stirring the bottom to remove any of those great chicken bits, then stir in the cream. Turn off the heat. Remove the toothpicks from the chicken, and with a sharp knife, cut them into bite sized pieces for presentation. Plate, and drizzle the pan sauce over the chicken, and on the plate for a nice design.

This one is super easy, and allows you to try something new. Enjoy!

Everyone was on their own when it came to fixing their breakfast and lunch, we dedicated a team for each night of the week for dinner. There was a level of excitement around dinner, as everyone had their own spin on their favorite dishes. I recall mine being chimichangas, Mexican rice and beans, along with guacamole and other sides; one of my wife’s favorite dishes. Sure, there were pasta dishes, some grilled chicken, and some fancy salads, but there was one comforting dish that I will always remember, and that was the torta, and he made this feast for breakfast.

Our cousin, Marlon shared a passion for food, just like me. He was good in the kitchen as well; knowing his way with the knife and ingredients. Calm, collected, and quick, he showed no signs of panic when it came to cooking for 12 adults. The foodie I am, I was always in the kitchen, either prepping, or cooking, or asking questions of others. I watched Marlon prepare this torta, a word I was not too familiar with 7 years ago. As he prepared simple ingredients, he brought out some eggs, and plenty of them, as we were finishing up our vacation and attempting to use as many ingredients as we could before flying back home.

This torta, a Filipino omellete, if you will, is so diverse that you can probably use whatever ingredients you want, however asking other family members how they remember the torta, it was pretty much the standard response, making it Filipino in my eyes. This is really easy to make, and truly comforting. You might laugh and think this is a standard omelet, and you are probably correct on that, as it is dealing with eggs, however it is stuffed, and not just tossed together and cooked.

Enough said, lets get started on this comforting recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb of ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 medium shallot, finely diced
• 2 small russet potatoes, skin removed, cut into small cubes
• 2 small tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup of peas, optional
• salt, generous pinch
• black pepper, generous pinch
• 4 eggs, beaten with 3 tbsp of water
• 1 tbsp of butter
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• cooked white rice, optional

Begin by browning your ground beef. About half way through the cooking process, add in your cubed potatoes, diced onion and shallot, and mix well. The fat from the ground beef cooks well with the potatoes and onions. Stir, and stir often to prevent any sticking. Add about 1/2 cup of water, and continue to cook on medium to high heat. Cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. The water should make the potatoes tender, and slowly evaporate. If you have some water left, uncover, and bring the heat up. Add the salt and pepper. Once the potatoes are tender, add in the diced tomatoes, remove from the heats, and set aside.

Get another skillet ready. I like to do these in batches, however if you have a large skillet and want to cook all four eggs, feel free. I take a smaller skillet, add in half of the olive oil and butter, and warm on medium heat. Let the oil and butter get nice and warm. Add in half of your beaten eggs, and let them do their thing, but lower the heat a bit. You do not want to scramble the eggs, but you just want them to cook half way through.

As the eggs cook half way through, take your meat and potato mixture, and place a couple of spoonfuls on one of the sides of the egg. Carefully fold the other side of the egg over the meat mixture and continue to cook for another minute or so on medium-low heat.

Now you are ready to plate. Slide the torta onto your plate and serve alongside a small cup of rice.

Trust me, this is comforting, and as my wife will attest, this is something she will always remember growing up. Marlon did it right that day, using simple ingredients to make a really wonderful dish.

Typically lechon is served at around the holiday festivities, or possibly a birthday party, but this past weekend was special. A gathering of brothers three brothers. One from the Philippines, one from Los Angeles, and one from Wisconsin. One who is a bit eclectic, another very lazy, and one on the move. One thing they have in common is knowing what laid back means. Taking life easy, and enjoying everything. Respectful, intelligent, generous, and loving. Qualities that I attempt to achieve, and excellent role models for not only their kids, but also their grandchildren.

Weeks prior, excitement filled the room when there was a discussion about family coming into town. The gathering of the brothers, however one missing, Ben, the majority as there, and sufficient to throw a party, and a party at that. A “small” pig was part of the discussion. I will admit, I was excited, truly excited. My high school graduation party was celebrated around lechon, not delivered, but setup by my Dad, and others. I remember that clearly, and I think for many of us out there, it is hard to forget about a pig roast. There is something about it, and there is something about this past weekend.

Fun, lechon, and mahjong. A party starting at 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon, and ending at 2:00 in the morning, is something to be said. Conversations surrounded the pig, and as I was honored to butcher the pig, I asked many questions regarding the lechon, and in particular, how they (my Filipino relatives) would use this pork for leftovers.

I heard the word Paksiw throughout the evening. Every time I heard it, there seemed to be smiles in the room. Smiles of comfort. Smiles and thoughts of those remembering this dish, either growing up, or something that is not made often, but smiles of comfort and joy. As soon as I latched on to that, I prompted those smiles with questions. Ingredients, spelling, pronunciation and meaning of that famous word; Paksiw.

I got it. I could almost smell it. Vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, and leftover lechon. Slow cooked and served with rice. A stew that is so amazing, and one that is great as you can make it your own, meaning, a bit sour, a bit sweet, a bit spicy. This is one that you can make, and make again, and tweak along the way. Make it your own.

Mine, listed below is a bit sour on the vinegar side, but packed with hints of garlic, cinnamon, and herbs. I can smell it now, and taste it as well. The picture does not sell it, but trust me, it does prove to be comfort, true comfort, and a great slow cooked meal for any occasion.

Ingredients:

• Leftover lechon, or pork shoulder from your roast, rough chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1 bottle (approximately 2 cups) of Mang Tomas Sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 1/4 brown sugar
• 1 cup of white vinegar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp of black pepper
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• Salt to taste
• Cooked rice

Get a large pot ready, and place the stove over medium heat. Add in everything. Mix, and cover. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to low, cooking for approximately 3 hours. Taste. More pepper? More salt? More sugar? Well, you know.

Once you are ready to serve, plate up with a pile of rice, and a heaping spoonful of paksiw lechon. You will have flavors that are going to rock your socks off. You will get notes of vinegar and garlic to bat. Take your time and you get the notes of the oregano, the thyme, and the cinnamon. Slow cooked, delicious, and comforting. A great meal, and one that really reminds me of Filipino adobo.

Not too long ago, I asked Christel if she would not mind sharing her recipe with me, and she responded with the ingredients. What I love about the response is that there were no measurements; no pound of this, no tablespoon of that, just the listing of ingredients, which is perfect for me, as I was able to experiment on many guests this past weekend.

Our other cousins, who recently moved down the road from us and who have been having dinner parties pretty much every weekend, had a dinner party to celebrate a visiting from Sunny, a lifelong friend, and relative. As I got word of the meal plan, I thought shrimp would be a nice offering for their guests. They all loved this shrimp dish, and it really brought back the great memories we had with everyone during that trip to Canada.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of medium to large shrimp, fresh, shell on, deveined, and slit down the back
• 2 lemons
• 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp of unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp of fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp of paprika

This is super simple, and goes quick which is great for any party.

Start by heating a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil, and wait until the butter is fully melted. Toss in the garlic, and onions and cook for a couple of minutes. Toss in half of the parsley, and all of the paprika, and mix. Toss in the shrimp. Get your skillet wrist ready and give them a good toss to try and mix everything. Try the skillet toss again as it never hurts to practice that. Cook the shrimp until the flesh becomes opaque. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the shrimp, toss, and plate. Sprinkle a bit of paprika and the remaining parsley on the top, and serve with lemon wedges.

The other reason for giving the dish the name Filipino shrimp was due to the fact that when my wife thinks of the food of the Philippines, she thinks of all of the great shrimp she had there, and this really reminded her of that. Enjoy.

This dish is really easy to make, almost too easy, and the results is a stew that served alone, or with rice, is not only a great family style meal, great any time of year, but one that is perfect for leftovers. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp of olive oil
• 3 potatoes, peeled, and cubed (I use Yukon Gold)
• 2 lbs lean pork loin, cubed
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 vidalia onion,  chopped
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• salt, generous pinch, to taste
• pepper, generous pinch, to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 1/2 cup of spanish olives
• 8 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 large red bell pepper, rough chop
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 3/4 cup of water, or more
• Cooked rice, optional

So based on the ingredients, you might already begin to sense how this is going to taste. The olives, peas, tender pork. You get it. I’m hungry just typing about it. Anyway, begin by heating a few tablespoons of the oil to a larger pot. Bring it to temperature before adding the potatoes.  You will want to keep the potatoes moving around until they become tender and brown, roughly 10 minutes or so. They will continue to cook later when we bring everything together. After they are brown, and somewhat tender, remove them onto a plate and set aside. Add more oil, and toss in your onion s and garlic, and cook until these become tender, being careful not to overcook the garlic.

Toss in your pork cubes, and begin to cook until you brown all side of the pork. You goal is to get a nice tender bite of the pork, and the loin, generally tender as is, can get tough on you if done wrong. Cook it nice and slow at this point, lowering the heat to medium low, and continue to cook. Season with salt and pepper and give it a good stir. Next add in your tomato sauce, the oregano, leaves, vinegar, and 3/4 cup of the water. Give a good stir. Toss in the olives, and return the potatoes back into the pot, continuing to stir. Cover and reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 45 minutes. Uncover and add in the peppers and peas, cooking for about another 15-20 minutes on simmer. Check the sauce. You want plenty of sauce, but not a soup, and you want it to be on the thinner side. Use your judgment, and add more water if need be, continuing to come to temperature.

Now you are ready. You can plate this family style on a bed of rice, or on a large platter with rice on the side. Seriously guys, a great take on a stew, and if you have never tried a Filipino dish, give it a shot.

While shopping at my favorite Asian mart, I came across a package of canton noodles. Dry, and much thicker noodles that I was used to, almost Chinese style. Well, you know what I was thinking right? I’m going in and making this pancit bihon, and see what it was really about, and thankfully I did. This dish, as the ingredients are similar to how I make my pancit bihon, is really comforting and delicious. The great thing is that you can make this with whatever vegetables you want. Want cauliflower? Bell pepper? Broccoli? Go for it, but if you want a standard pancit canton, then try mine.

Ingredients:

• One package of Canton noodles
• 2 ribs of celery, sliced
• 2 carrots, cleaned, sliced
• 1/2 yellow onion, course chopped
• 2 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb of uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 cup of water, approximately
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• cracked pepper, to taste
• soy sauce, to taste
• 3 tbsp of olive oil

Begin by heating a large wok, or big pot on high heat. Add the oil, and let it come to heat. Toss in your garlic, and enjoy the smell for about 30 seconds before adding the chicken. Cook for a few minutes until cooked through. Now, toss in your onion, celery, and carrots, and continue to wok and roll for a few minutes. Add your pepper (I like about 1 tbsp or more), fish sauce, soy sauce, and about 1/4 of the water. Continue to cook. Add your shrimp. Just before turning a light pink, add in your dry noodles.

Now here is the trick. You have to be careful, as you want the noodles cooked, but not overcooked. You don’t want overcooked noodles. Once the noodles are added on the top, break them down with your wok utensils, add a bit more water, and try to add a cover, only for a minute, to build a steam. Now you can begin to wok and roll again as the noodles begin to soften with the steam. Cook, and continue to mix through the vegetables, chicken, and noodles.

Plate and serve. Feel free to top with chili flakes, more soy sauce, or scallions.

Now I know why pancit canton was a big hit in their house. One word. Yum.