Tonkatsu

When I was in Japan as far as I remember it was back in 2001, I have noticed restaurants and fast foods have this specific dish on their menu and do you know what it is? Yes, it is Tonkatsu. Tonkatsu is a very popular dish in Japan and as popular as Sushi, Maki and Gyudon. Tonakatsu is a dish consist of pork cutlets deep fried in a breaded coating. It is originated in 19th century and is serve as a main dish which has 2 types, the hire and rosu and is served with cabbage. Before, this typical dish is named katsuretsu or cutlets and was usually beef until the pork dish was invented in 1899 by a restaurant in Tokyo named Rengatai and later coined Tonkatsu or Pork Katsu in 1930's. There are lots of variation for this dish including sandwich filling katsu, katsudon which is served in a bowl of rice with an egg, ka-re katsu or curry katsu, Chicken Katsu, and a lot more. So if you want to have a taste of this crunchy and yummylicious Japanese dish, just follow this recipe and I am sure you will enjoy it.

Ingredients we will be needing:

Pork:
6 Pork escalopes, around .5mm thick and weighing 130-150g each
120g plain flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
200g dried breadcrumbs
oil for deep frying

To Serve:

shredded cabbage
boiled rice
Hot English Mustard or Japanese Mustard
(prepackaged hot English mustard)
Tonkatsu sauce or mixture of 50/50
Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce

Using a mallet or meat tenderiser flatten out the pork fillets evenly.
Season the flour with salt and pepper in a bowl.

Place the beaten eggs and breadcrumbs on separate plates or bowls.
Coat the pork in the flour then eggs and finely the breadcrumbs shaking off any excess crumbs.
Set aside until ready to cook.

Heat some oil in a deep fryer or wok to 180-190E C.
Cook 1 or 2 fillets at a time in the hot oil for around 5 minutes until they are golden brown.
Remove them from the heat and drain them on kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the
remaining fillets.

Place a bed of cabbage on each plate.
Slice the pork fillets into 6-8 slices and place them on the cabbage.
Accompany each serving of pork with a bowl of rice, mustard and Tonkatsu sauce or a mixture
of Worcestershire sauce.

Paella

I am so excited to introduce to you my featured dish on this article since it is one of my favorite and definitely an all time favorite of mine because it has a lot of ingredients in it. I am a meat lover, not all kinds of meat but don't get me wrong I also love eating vegetables but on this article, I will be featuring Paella. Paella which is originated in Albufera in Valencia, is discovered in the mid 19th century. During the Spanish colonization in Philippines, most of the Spanish had influenced Filipinos their culture including food and of course that includes this recipe.  Most of the non Spaniards thought that Paella is Spain's national food but actually they (Spanish) only recognize it as Valencian's regional dish.  This dish has a lot of versions too but the traditional Paella are composed of land meat that includes rabbit, chicken, land snail and duck but in this article we will be trying to cook a mixed Paella.

The ingredients are:

12 black mussels
125ml/4fl oz white wine
11⁄2 small red onions, chopped
125ml/4fl oz olive oil
1 small skinless chicken breast
fillet, cut into bite-size pieces
12 raw prawns, peeled and
deveined
100g/4oz cleaned squid rings
100g/4oz skinless cod fillet, cut
into bite-size cubes
1 rasher smoked back bacon,
finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red pepper, seeded and finely
chopped
1 tomato, peeled and chopped
75g/3oz chorizo, thinly sliced
pinch of cayenne pepper
200g/7oz long-grain rice
1⁄4 teaspoon saffron threads
500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
75g/3oz fresh peas
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley
salt and ground black pepper

The procedure:

Scrub the mussels with a stiff brush and pull out the hairy beards.
Discard any broken mussels or open ones that do not close when tapped
on the work surface.

Heat the wine and onion in a large pan. Add the mussels, cover and
gently shake the pan for 4–5 minutes over a high heat. After 3 minutes,
begin removing any opened mussels and set aside. At the end of
5 minutes, discard any unopened mussels. Reserve the cooking liquid.

Heat half the oil in a large frying pan. Pat the chicken dry with kitchen
paper, then cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the
pan and set aside. Add the prawns, squid and cod to the pan, and cook
for 1 minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. Add the bacon, garlic and red
pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the tomato, chorizo and cayenne.
Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid, then
add the rice and mix well.

In a heavy saucepan, blend the saffron with the stock and mix well.
Bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for
15 minutes, without stirring.

Put the peas, chicken, prawns, squid and cod on top of the rice. Using a
wooden spoon, push pieces into the rice, cover and cook over a low
heat for 10–15 minutes until the rice is tender and seafood cooked. Add
the mussels for the last 2 minutes to heat. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Special chow mein

Chow mein is a dish from China as we all know that the main ingredients is noodles. This dish has different versions including, Yakisoba of Japan and Pancit from Philippines. The word Chow Mein or Chao Mian is actually 2 words, Chow means to fry and Mein means noodles so basically it is Fried Noodles. Cantonese style are usually boiled or soaked noodles then fried to crisp after they are wet cooked and then stir fried meats, sauce, and veggies on top of it. Here in Philippines, we call this Pancit and there are lots of version of this dish here like, Pancit Bihon, Pancit Canton, Pancit Palabok and so on. But in this article, I would like to introduce you my way of cooking this easy-to-cook dish in a special way.

We need ingredients like: 

50ml/2fl oz vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh root ginger
2 fresh red chillies, seeded and
chopped
1 skinless chicken breast fillet, thinly
sliced
16 raw tiger prawns, peeled and
deveined, with tails left intact
450g/1lb egg noodles
100g/4oz green beans
225g/8oz beansprouts
50g/2oz garlic chives
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

The procedure is:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large frying pan, and stir-fry the
garlic, ginger and chillies. Add the chicken, prawns and beans. Stir-fry
for 4–5 minutes over a high heat until the chicken and prawns are both
cooked. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Cook the egg noodles in a saucepan of slightly salted boiling water for
2–3 minutes until tender.

Heat the rest of the oil in the same wok used for the chicken and prawn
mixture. Add the beansprouts and garlic chives. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes.
Add the noodles and toss to mix. Next, add the soy sauce and oyster
sauce, and season with salt and pepper.

Return the prawn mixture to the wok. Reheat and mix well with the
noodles. Stir in the sesame oil, and serve immediately.

Calamari

Calamari is a plural form, from Italian word Calamaro which means squid used as food. Fried Calamari is one of the most popular restaurant food, it can be finger food or starters/appetizers depends on how you treat it. Most of the people eating calamari have no idea that they are eating squid. Why? Not so long ago, I ordered on a restaurant a calamari. I was surprised when I got my food, it actually looks like some sort of onion rings and there is no tentacle in sight. I called the waiter and insist that I ordered a calamari and not onion rings and he said that it was really a calamari but without the tentacles. So, why do we need to know that calamari is squid? That's because compare to onion rings calamari has a low fat, high in protein and is excellent source of vitamin B12. It is very important that we need to know what we are eating, and if you agree with me why don't we try cooking one for ourselves today.

The ingredients that we will be needing are:

100g/4oz plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
175ml/6fl oz soda or sparkling
mineral water
600ml/1pt vegetable oil for
deep-frying
450g/1lb cleaned and prepared
squid, cut into rings

The procedure:

Sift the flour and salt together into a bowl. Add the eggs and half the soda or 
mineral water, and whisk together until smooth. Gradually whisk in the remaining 
soda water until the batter is smooth.

Fill a deep heavy saucepan about one-third full with oil. Heat the oil until a cube 
of bread browns in 30 seconds.

Dip the squid rings into the batter, a few at a time. Carefully drop into
the hot oil. Fry for 1–2 minutes until crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen
paper, and serve immediately.

Enjoy! 

Soy-braised chicken

Another popular Chinese dish is Soy-Braised Chicken. This dish is originated from Dezhou in Shandong Province in China, is a traditional dish of Dezhou which is also called Dezhou Braised Chicken or Dezhou Five Fragrant Boneless Braised Chicken. This typical dish is created by the Deshunzai Restaurant in Dezhou in the time of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. The finished product of this dish is tender, more fleshy and savory that the more chewy it gets, the more it's appealing. It became popular and nationally knowned in the past 100 years or more and this dish has become a favorite by domestic and international visitors.

The ingredients we need for cooking are:

1 chicken, about 1.4kg/3lb
1 tablespoon ground black
peppercorns
2 tablespoons minced fresh
root ginger
75ml/3fl oz light soy sauce
3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
vegetable oil for deep-frying
600ml/1pt chicken stock
2 teaspoons salt
25g/1oz crystallized sugar

The procedure:

Rub the chicken both inside and out with the peppercorns and ginger.
Marinate the chicken with the soy sauce, rice wine and brown sugar for
at least 3 hours in the refrigerator, turning it several times.

Heat a wok until very hot. Add the oil and, when the oil is hot enough,
remove the chicken from the marinade (reserving the marinade), and
deep-fry for 6 minutes or until brown all over. Remove and drain on
kitchen paper.

Pour off any excess oil, add the marinade with the stock, salt and
crystallized sugar, and bring to the boil. Return the chicken to the pan,
cover and braise the chicken in the sauce for 35–40 minutes, turning
once or twice.

Remove the chicken from the wok and allow it cool a little before
chopping it into bite-size pieces. Pour the sauce over the chicken and
serve immediately.

Tofu with mushrooms

Tofu - This is one of my favorite meat substitute and has a lot of recipe variation to choose from. Tofu or Bean Curd is made from soy milk by pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. Tofu have different varieties such as fresh tofu and processed ones. It is originated in China which they called it "doufu" about 2000 years ago and production was introduced in Korea and Japan. It is a good source of protein and has low calorie count which is good for people who likes to slim down their waist. Also high in Iron and calcium which all of us know makes our bones stronger. One thing I like with tofu is, it blends on the taste of a certain dish that you wanted to cook that is why it is hassle-free to introduce it to people who doesn't really into vegetable dishes. The dish for this article is called Tofu with mushrooms and we will be needing the following ingredients. 

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon grated fresh root ginger
1⁄2 teaspoon five-spice powder
225g/8oz firm tofu, cut into
2.5cm/1in cubes
6 dried Chinese mushrooms
1 teaspoon cornflour
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
6 spring onions, sliced into
2.5cm/1in lengths, white and
green parts separated


In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, garlic,
ginger and five-spice powder.

 Put the tofu in a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over, toss well and
leave to marinate for about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the marinade.

Meanwhile, soak the dried Chinese mushrooms in warm water for
20–30 minutes until soft. Drain, reserving 75ml/3fl oz of the soaking
liquid. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the mushrooms, remove the
stalks and slice the caps. In a bowl, blend the cornflour with the reserved
marinade and mushroom soaking liquid.

Heat the oil in a wok or large heavy frying pan until hot. Add the tofu
and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until evenly golden. Remove from the wok
using a slotted spoon, and set aside.

Add the mushrooms and white parts of the spring onions to the wok, and
stir-fry for 2 minutes. Pour in the marinade mixture and stir for 1 minute
until thickened.

Return the tofu to the wok with the green parts of the spring onions.
Simmer gently for 1–2 minutes. Serve immediately with rice noodles.

Classic Caesar salad

When I was a kid, I used to love all fried dishes and finger food not knowing if I continue eating those kind of meals everyday, it may turn bad for my health. I don't hate eating vegetables but I love eating hotdogs, burgers and some processed meat stuff, and then I found this salad. At first I was hesitant to eat this since I always told myself that the taste is bland, sometimes bitter, but what makes the caesar's salad special is it's healthy combination of vegetables. On to its origin, the caesar's salad was created by a man named Caesar Cardini who is an immigrant from Italy and runs a restaurant in Mexico. His daughter Rosa allegedly saying that his father invented the dish when a Fourth of July in 1924 depleted their kitchen's supplies. Some of Cardini's staff are saying that they invented it. In my opinion, it won't be called as Caesar's salad if it was invented by their staff, don't you think? 

The ingredients that we will be needing:

1 small baguette
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, halved
4 back bacon rashers, trimmed
of fat
2 Cos lettuces
10 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
and halved lengthways
100g/4oz Parmesan cheese,
freghly grated
For the dressing
1 egg yolk
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
175ml/6fl oz olive oil
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

To make the croûtons, cut the baguette into 15 thin slices, and brush
both sides of each slice with the oil. Spread the slices out on a baking
tray, and bake for 10–5 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool
slightly, then rub each side of each slice of bread with the cut edge of a
garlic clove. Cut each slice into small cubes.

Cook the bacon under a hot grill until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper until
cooled, then break into chunky pieces.

Tear the lettuce leaves into pieces, and put in a large serving bowl with
the bacon, anchovies, croûtons and Parmesan.

For the dressing, put the egg yolks, garlic, mustard, anchovies, vinegar
and Worcestershire sauce in a blender or food processor. Season with
salt and pepper, and process for 20 seconds or until smooth. With the
motor running, gradually add the oil in a thin stream until the dressing is
thick and creamy.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad, and toss very gently until well
distributed. Serve immediately.