Baon (Packed Lunch) – Home Made Pizza & Pasta

A lot has been said about the rising power of the Aussie dollar but to be perfectly frank I do not see it translating well to my day to day living. AUD might be sitting at USD$0.92 (it was USD $0.50 early this year) but the price of “my essentials” are moving at a similar rate and direction. Rice, for example, has actually doubled in price!



So, in an attempt to “simplify” my life I decided to bring “baon (packed lunch)” to work most days of the week. Not only is it beneficial to my pocket my lunch choices is now not anymore at the mercy of my local deli.

I thank God for our new open-air lunch area. I am now also basically free to bring anything I like even those “assault to the senses of my colleagues” type lunches. Binagoongan anyone?

For today, I’m having a slice of home made pizza and bow pasta arrabiata. Just click on the link for recipes.

Hot Chocolate (using Dumaguete Tableas)

It's not a well known fact but the Philippines has got a rich chocolate culture that is believed to date back to the 1600s. Hot chocolate made from native chocolate tablets called tableas is the beverage of choice for breakfast, during Christmas or when simply enjoying rice cakes and other traditional desserts.



I’ll be honest I did not grow up on this thing. I’m more from the Milo and Ovaltine generation. My earliest memory of having Filipino hot chocolate was as a grown up at Café Adriatico. Sad but true.



So it pleased me to no end when we were gifted with Dumaguete tableas by my wife’s childhood friend - and now ninang to Eia. Thank you very much Thennie and advance happy birthday! It was very thoughtful of you!


Now, what do I do with it?

Water feature prominently in most recipes I’ve read. But since I like mine rich, thick and creamy I opted for milk and cream instead. To take the edge off the bitterness of the tableas I’ve added some Cadbury drinking chocolate.


Blogs and cookbooks recommend the use of a batidor (wooden chocolate beater) and a slender pot called tsokolatera, both of which I do not have (note to self: get some on next rip). I ended up using a saucepan and a regular whisk. The end result wasn’t too bad at all.


Hot Chocolate ala Kidpawan

1/2 cup cream
1 cup fresh milk
2 tablets of Dumaguete chocolates
2 teaspoons Cadbury drinking chocolate
2 teaspoons brown sugar


Combine the cream and the milk in a saucepan and heat until just boiling.
Add the chocolates and sugar and whisk until completely dissolved.
Top each cup with cream before serving if desired.

Paksiw na Pata – Braised Pork Hocks

“Paksiw” is a Filipino cooking method of braising meat or fish in some sort of a sour broth. Usually with “meat paksiw” soy sauce is added and vinegar is the souring agent of choice.

Among all the paksiws there are Paksiw na Pata would have to be my favourite. It’s shockingly easy to make but don’t cook it too often as your “bad” cholesterol levels will probably shoot up quite literally. It is extremely high in fat but that should not put you off. If you choose your hocks well there should be lots of lean meat to be had as well. Connoisseurs recommend the front legs.

What makes this paksiw unique is the combination of dried banana blossoms (or lily flowers) and bay leaves that give this dish a distinct flavour.

Paksiw na Pata is best cooked over low fire for at least 2 hours. I don’t recommend using a pressure cooker as you need this dish to “age” properly rather force it. It is best eaten the day after it has been cooked when all the flavours have seeped into the meat.

Paksiw na Pata ala Kidpawan

2 pork hocks
1 cup vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar
6-10 whole garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons peppercorn slightly crushed
1 cup dried banana blossoms or lily flowers soaked in hot water
1 cup pineapple pieces
Water

1. Combine all the ingredients together (except the water) in one big pot.
2. Add just enough water to cover the hocks.
3. Bring to a boil then reduce to low to medium hit and braise for 2 hours. Skim off the muck that forms on top.
4. If you want to reduce the sauce further after two hours of cooking I recommend you remove the hocks first. This will keep your hocks intact. Return the hocks to the cooking liquid when it reaches your desired amount.
5. Serve with steaming hot rice.

Crispy Fry Fried Chicken (ChickenJoel TM)/Pork Chops

If you want that “take-away” (“take out” for those in North America) taste in your fried chicken/pork chops it’s pretty hard to go wrong with Ajinomoto’s Crispy Fry Breading Mix. Yup, Ajinomoto! Probably the most well known MSG (monosodium glutamate) manufacturer in the world. So, if you’re MSG sensitive or want nothing to do with MSG at all please look away now.

Well, I don’t know if Crispy Fry has some MSG in it but just in case…

I do want to make it clear though that I was in no way paid by Ajinomoto to promote their product. I’m including it in my blog purely for taste reasons.

There are days when we just feel like eating take away food (take out” for those in North America). Unlike in the Philippines where you can get almost anything delivered right at your doorstep (yes, including McDonald’s), here down under the quickest way would have to be the drive-thru. But sometimes I couldn’t even be bothered to drive. It’s times like those when Crispy Fry comes really handy.

If you like your fried chicken with gravy you’ll be glad to know that each Crispy Fry packet also comes with a gravy mix.

I was introduced to this product by Mister J. He’s also showed me some tricks he’s learned during his stints at fast food restaurants to make your chicken extra crispy.

The recipe below, once again, is Mr J’s very own (in his own words):

Really Krispy Pork Chops (Also applies to ChickenJoelTM)

Rub a small amount of salt & pepper on thinly sliced pork chops (about a kilo or nine pieces).
Let stand for a few minutes. Meanwhile...

Mix about 200 grams all purpose flour, a teaspoon or less of fine salt and pepper. Or just mix the flour with commercially prepared breading mix such as Ajinomoto Crispy Fry or magic seasonings like Knorr Real Sarap.

Break an egg and manually cover the chops. In a separate bowl, bread the chops with the flour mixture, pressing with your hands to make sure the flour sticks to them.

Transfer the breaded meat to a sieve and dip in a bowl of water or wet it a little under a running tap for about 5 seconds. Shake vigorously.

Do the breading for the second time this time without dipping in the water. Be sure to eliminate excess flour by sifting.

Deep-Fry until golden brown.

Turon (Banana Spring Rolls)

Turon (banana spring rolls) would have to be my all-time favourite Filipino dessert. I literally had it everyday during a recent trip to the Philippines (thanks to Mr J). At the end of it I still wanted more.

Making turon is a simple enough process. You wrap slices of banana in spring roll wrappers. You then fry them in medium hot oil. There’s really nothing to it.


But what makes this such a unique dessert is the type of banana used. Saba bananas (Musa x paradisiaca) is not that uncommon in Australia. You can get packs of par-boiled frozen sabas from your neighbourhood Filipino food purveyor. There you’ll also find jars of sweetened sliced saba used for halo-halo (mixed fruit/bean iced dessert). Fresh saba though is seasonal and very rare. You have to be in the know to get a hold of them as I’ve never seen them sold in major Asian shops. We get ours from Mom who sources hers from a tiny shop east of Brisbane. Apparently, their flown in from Darwin when in season.



In a lot of recipes I’ve read plantains are always recommended as a substitute. I’ve never actually used plantains so I can’t really tell you if it’s any good. You might still be better off using the frozen variety for a more authentic taste.

Saba is starchier and less sweet than other bananas. Brown sugar is commonly added for sweetness and texture as it also coats the dessert with crunchy toffee.

Slivers of jackfruit are also added as its taste complements that of the saba banana.



Turon (Banana Spring Rolls)
6 Saba bananas (halved or quartered lengthwise)
Spring roll wrappers
Oil for frying
Brown sugar (optional)
Slivers of jackfruit (optional)

There are several ways you can add sugar to this dish. You either mix the sugar and the sliced bananas together or sprinkle them before wrapping. You also melt sugar in oil halfway through or after you’ve fried the banana spring rolls.

1. Heat up lots of oil for frying. Keep this at medium level.
2. Wrap the (sugared) bananas and jackfruit (optional) in spring roll wrappers.
3. Fry them.
4. Add some brown sugar to the oil (half-way through the cooking process or after cooking the spring rolls). You then spread this melted sugar onto the spring rolls to create that crunchy toffee coat.

Trang, West End

I love Vietnamese cuisine. I like the balance they have in their dishes. Fresh herbs and salad go together with rich soups and stews. But there’s a lot more to the Vietnamese gastronomy that I’m yet to explore. The rest would just have to wait when I get the opportunity to visit the country itself. For now I’m limited by restaurant offerings.

I Love Food Awards finalist

Whenever I get a hankering (7 days a week that is) for Vietnamese food I only go to one place, Trang at Brisbane’s West End. Among all the Vietnamese restaurants I’ve tried Trang stands out for several reasons:

Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Beef & Pork Soup)

1. Food is delicious & consistent

We tend to order almost always the same menu items. Naturally, we expect the food to taste like the last time. Otherwise, we might as well select something else.

It annoys me a whole lot when a dish tastes different from one day to the next depending on who’s manning the restaurant. This is never an issue at Trang where food is consistently delicious.

the classic pho (beef soup)

2. Food is authentic

A Vietnamese friend introduced me to Trang. That says a lot about the authenticity of the food on offer. You don’t get a “watered-down” version which is pretty commonplace in Australia.

com chien (fried rice)

3. Family Friendly

With four kids in tow it’s quite a challenge to find a restaurant where one feels “welcome”. Trang has established itself as a “family-friendly” restaurant where everyone goes away satisfied.

mi ga chien don (crispy fried chicken noodle soup)

4. Warm and friendly service

The staff are friendly but not in your face. As “regulars” we’ve done away with the menu as the staff know exactly what we want.

sam bo luong (mixed drink)

5. Price is reasonable

To top it all Trang’s prices are exceptionally reasonable. They’ve recently pushed them up but for what you get you’ll be willing to fork out more. A satisfying bowl of pho, for example, will still only set you back less than $10.

kem chien (deep fried ice-cream)

My original intention was to include Trang in my “cheap eats” series. But that would be doing them a disservice.

Spaghetti with Broccolini

Broccolini looks like a cross between the regular green broccoli and the Chinese vegetable kai lan. The florets are similar to that of broccoli (although much looser) while its slender body is very much akin to kai lan. The three are related but are totally distinct vegetables.

It is currently in season. I use it to make a simple pasta sauce that is healthy (vegetarian almost if you take away the anchovies) and quick to cook. Orecchiette (small ear pasta) is what’s commonly used to make this but I think spaghetti works just as well. And instead of broccolini the Italians prefer rapini which has a similar but stronger flavour than broccolini.

Spaghetti with Broccolini

350g spaghetti (cooked al dente, reduce packet instruction by a minute or so)
1 bunch broccolini
Extra virgin olive oil (lots of it)
2-3 cloves garlic chopped finely
5 anchovy fillets
Chilli flakes (to taste)
Sea salt
Black pepper
Parmesan cheese grated

1. Prepare the broccolini by removing the florets and discarding the woody parts of the stems.
2. Cook the spaghetti al dente. You probably need to reduce packet cooking time instruction by a minute or so.
3. Heat some olive oil in a large pan. Add the garlic, chilli and anchovies. Sauté for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the broccolini. Season to taste.
5. Drain the pasta and add to the pan. Coat the pasta well. Add a bit of the pasta cooking water for a saucier result.
6. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Gladstone and its hidden Gems

In the past I have been quite unfair to the city of Gladstone by making remarks about it that were less than complimentary. Being an industrial/mining town you go to Gladstone for one thing alone. As a result the population is largely itinerant. After you’ve done your time you head to a more “beautiful” destination.

But during a recent trip I made it a point to find something that is both beautiful and possibly unique in this harbour city. And I didn’t have to search far and long to find what I was looking for.

I’ll let the photos tell the story.