Qantas B747 Business Class

Salt & Pepper Mud Crab ala Beancounter

Over the weekend my dad got hold of these massive mud crabs. Guess who he called first to share the experience? No surprises there. Ahh, the benefits of a foodie’s son… My being a “foodie” I owe a lot to him. He doesn’t refer to himself as such but he definitely is one. We don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things but when it comes to food we almost always agree.

By the way, there’s no exaggeration in the word “massive.” These crabs (claws closed and folded) were longer in length than a Pringles (potato chips) canister. I took several photos comparing the two to give you some perspective but I wasn’t happy with them so I decided not to post any. You just have to trust me.

I would normally head the Singapore style Chilli Crab direction but somehow it did not feel right on that occasion. I wanted to make the most of such excellent produce. Heavy sauce I thought would mask all that fresh crab goodness. So instead, I went the Salt & Pepper route.

I’ve only done this recipe using prawns. Crab is not that much of a deviation I figured.

Because of the size of these mud crabs I only used one in this recipe. It was enough to keep two people happy.

Salt & Pepper Mud Crab ala Beancounter

1 large mud crab cleaned and quartered.

Seasoned flour (cornflour or plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper)

Lots of oil for deep frying

1 onion chopped

2-3 cloves garlic chopped

1 chilli chopped

1 tablespoon salt

½ tablespoon sugar

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Spring onions chopped

1. In a hot pan dry roast the salt, sugar and pepper. This should probably take less than 5 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside.
2. Heat up lots of oil for deep frying.
3. Dust the crab pieces in seasoned flour. Deep fry these till cooked. The timing depends on how big the pieces are. Set aside.
4. In a large wok, heat up a bit of oil. Sauté the onion, garlic and chillies for a couple of minutes.
5. Throw in the crab piece and toss for a couple more minutes.
6. Sprinkle your pre-prepared salt/sugar/pepper mixture and toss a bit more. Add the spring onions just before serving.

Fish for Lent - Pritong Galunggong (Fried Yellow Tail Scads)

There is no better time to post about fish than during Lent. And there’s no better fish for Lent than the humble yellow tail scad.

Although widely available in Australia it is conspicuously absent from most restaurant menus. The yellow tail’s wide availability I suppose accounts for it being less “desirable.”

To the Filipino yellow tail scads or galunggong is more than just a fish. Although outwardly maligned it is in fact highly valued by Pinoys. Associated with the less affluent it apparently is the fish of choice if you have no money. In actual fact though, it is sometimes more expensive than other fish varieties.

Presidential elections have been won and lost on account of galunggong. Nothing speaks more to a Pinoy about the “real” state of the nation than this fish. No rhetoric direct from the President’s mouth can match what the price of galunggong tells the people. The Cosumer Price Index is nothing but an arbitrary number.

So, in the observance of Good Friday I decided to prepare a simple meal for the family. We shared fried yellow tail served with a side of fresh tomato salsa.

The recipe below couldn’t be simpler.

Fried Yellow Tail Scads

6 Yellow Tail scads gutted and cleaned

Some sea salt

1. Lightly salt each fish.

2. Heat up some oil.

3. Fry the fish to desired crispness.

4. Serve with some freshly cooked rice and a side of fresh tomato salsa.

Pinoy Barbie (Filipino Style Barbecue)

And I do not mean a variation to the popular fashion doll. Rather, “barbie” is how Aussies affectionately refer to one of the favourite pastimes downunder, barbecue/barbecuing. Hence it is the cooking method of choice every Australia Day celebration (I meant to post this on that day for that particular reason…but just did not find the time). Large pieces of marinated meat/seafood are “thrown on the barbie” for a quick and tasty summer meal in the great outdoors.

We Filipinos have our own barbecue tradition if you like. Instead of large chunks of meat we like them bite size and skewered (using bamboo) much like the more well-known Southeast Asian satay. But rather than a spicy peanut sauce we Pinoys favour the smoky savoury sweet taste not too dissimilar to the style of our North American brothers.

There is another stark difference between the Aussie and the Pinoy barbie. Rather than cooking over charcoal the preferred antipodeans’ method is the use of a gas heated hot plate or a grill. You will not get the smoky barbecue finish doing it this way so I still revert back to using coal (or heat beads).

Barbecuing is meant to be easy. That is why I do not bother concocting a complicated alchemy of ingredients. The main component of my marinade is a pre-made mix made by Mama Sita’s (a popular Filipino food manufacturer). I add pineapple juice for some fruity freshness and some tomato ketchup for a right sweet and sour balance.

The marinade works well with other kinds of meat but my preference is pork. You do not have to skewer the meat if that’s too much of a chore. I tried this using pork chops and the result was still fantastic. It’s best to use cuts with a little bit of fat to keep the barbecue moist. Otherwise put a bit of oil in your marinade and use it to baste the meat as it cooks.

Grilled eggplants to make an Asian style salad

Quick & Easy Pinoy BBQ ala Beancounter

1 packet Mama Sita’s Barbeque Marinade

¼ cup soy sauce

1 cup pineapple juice

¼ cup tomato ketchup

Chillies (optional)

1 kg pork (belly strips, chops or any pork cut you prefer)

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients.

2. Pour the marinade on the meat and set aside for at least an hour.

3. Prepare your barbecue using charcoal or heat beads.

4. Length of cooking time depends on the thickness of your meat. Baste it from time to time to avoid drying out.

5. Serve with rice and some grilled eggplant salad.

My de-glamorised BBQ assistant

A Foodie's Worst Nightmare

The bright lights in the fresh section of the supermarket are almost blinding. There were not enough produce to filter the otherwise bearable fluorescent rays.

My heart sunk looking at the empty bread aisle. I humoured myself, “Good thing I know how to bake my own bread.” But even that is virtually useless if there is no power.

Moving on to the bottled water section and the tale was pretty much the same. What’s left in the shelves are luxury European sparkling water brands. I’m in no mood to splurge nor to celebrate.

Spam and canned corned beef, much maligned products in this society, suddenly became popular.

Aisle after “essentials” aisle tell the same story.

But it’s not all bad news. Take heart my foodie mates. Bulbs of fennel and bunches of rhubarb are still on hand. Get your MasterChef’s hat on and dazzle us!

The Great Deluge of 2011

I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all. - Ecclesiastes 9:11

With a heart full of gratitude I am writing today. In the midst of the great deluge the city I love, Brisbane, is experiencing my family has been left unscathed. We’ve remained dry. Clean water is still running from the tap. And our power was never cut, not even for a few seconds.

Spare a thought though for those who are less fortunate than us, those who have experienced the full brunt of the flood. Despite all the planning and preparations lives were still lost. Uncertainty is what’s awaiting evacuees on their return to their homes, if they still have homes to return to.

How easily did we forget? It was 37 years ago when Brisbane last went under water. The city rebuilt itself like it would never happen again. Seemingly impenetrable million dollar homes started lining the banks of the river only to be swallowed by the water they so desperately want to be close to.

“Time and chance happen to them all,” says the wisest man that ever lived.

By today’s estimate it will take at least two years to recover from this environmental crisis. The city needs all the help it could get. If you are moved to do so please do not hesitate to lend support. Follow the link below:

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge Patrick Mendoza, a very good friend of mine who’s responsible for all the photos on this post. He and his lovely wife Pilar tried to go to work yesterday only to be halted by all this water. The photos definitely bring home to us what my city is going through.

Perth Visit - Part 1

I've got a busy week ahead of me. In the meantime, please enjoy a collection of photos on my recent trip to Australia's west coast (or visit my archive).

the bag

the destination

the ride


departure from my usual toast

proper hot breakfast on this 5+ hour flight

the evening's entertainment

one of Perth's newest and innovative restaurants (watch out for a future post)

King's Park at night

King's Park during the day

King's Park at Night 2

King's Park during the day 2

Cafe by the office

flight home