Pancit Lumpia (Egg Rolls)

Filipino Egg rolls filled with Filipino stir-fried noodles served with lemony savory dipping sauce. Oh, la la!  So tasty.  🙂

Eggplant Quiche

Filipino-inspired, crowd-pleasing, budget-friendly quiche that will surely impress your family, friends or guests because of its exotic, flavorful, and delicious taste.

This recipe and How To Roast And Peel Eggplants came about when Liz from My Favourite Pastime had asked me what she could substitute for bitter melons on the Bitter Melons and Eggs recipe I posted a while back. She reminded me of the eggplant omelet, one of my mother’s specialty for breakfast.

Cassava Cupcakes Frosted Two ways

Filipino-inspired, drool- worthy, fluffy, moist, so easy to make and perfectly sweetened cupcakes made and frosted two ways. A great recipe for those who love semi-homemade and everything homemade. ❤

After a few days of gloomy weather, the glorious sunshine was finally out on Tuesday. It was a beautiful day.  The skies were clear and there was a touch of coolness in the air that reminds me winter will soon be here. I couldn’t help but take a picture of the beautiful sky and sunset when I went to drop off my children at church for their Religious Education class despite being sick.   I opened the sunroof of our vehicle and enjoyed it for a full hour. 😀

Turmeric Ginger Chicken

A flavorful  Tinolang Manok (Ginger chicken) 

It’s always nice to reminisce the good old days. The time when all the family gathered at my late grandparents table to enjoy a scrumptious meal together and listened to my grandfather recount tales of their past and experiences during the war when Japan tried to conquer Philippines.

It just so happens that their favorite dish to prepare whenever we visited them was the Tinolang Manok (Ginger Chicken). My late grandfather would ask my cousins to catch a chicken. It was always fun to watch them having fun and their desperate chase to catch one. 😀  My mom would then help out clean the chicken.

Cassava (Yucca) Fritters

Updated August 5, 2015

Asian-inspired fritters so moist, fluffy and delicious you would definitely want to keep with your recipe collection.

Anna’s Cuisine

Hello! I hope you are having a great summer.  It has been a very hectic summer for me.  I have so many appointments and adventures coming up.  But before I get busy again, I want to take advantage while I have the time by sharing one of the many new recipes I came up with.

I made some Cassava cupcakes, which I will be sharing in my future post, and I have about a cup of leftover cassava, so I thought of this recipe.  These fritters are like marshmallows, especially while you cook them.  They’re very soft then become dense as they cool.  My children and I really love them.

Buko Pandan Cupcakes (Coconut Screw Pine)

Super moist, melt-in-your mouth, exotic flavor cupcakes made with coconut sport strings and screw pine (pandan) frosted with coconut cream cheese buttercream; perfect for any occasion, especially St. Patrick’s Day!

Ube Palitaw (Dila-Dila)

Hello again!  Here’s the third from the four recipes I mentioned in my previous post.  Another childhood favorite of mine.  A very popular dessert served during holiday season, especially during Christmas and New Year’s Eve.  It’s sweet rice flour cooked in boiling water then dipped in cinnamon sugar and Sesame seeds and served with freshly grated coconut.  This is the authentic way of preparing this childhood treat.  But, I wanted to give this classic favorite a makeover or a twist by adding my favorite purple yam and different coating.  This delicious treat derived its name from a Filipino word litaw, which means float or surface.  The “Pa” in “Palitaw”  is a prefix indicating support that means “to” Hence, Palitaw (to float).  The Ilocanos call this Dila-dila, which means tongue because they resemble the shape of a tongue (oval shape).  They’re chewy and sticky, but ooh…so delicious! ❤

Meatless Pancit (Filipino Stir-fry Noodles with Vegetables)

Hello!  I thought I tap into my roots and give one of my favorite comfort foods a change and go meatless.  This classic Filipino pancit vegetarian style is sure to please your palate and make you feel good about eating it.  It is popular among Filipinos and one of the many favorite comfort foods and party foods.  When you go to a party hosted by Filipinos, anticipate pancit being served.  It is believed that pancit is a symbol of long life since the strand is long.  The birthday celebrant has to serve and eat it.  Almost all Filipinos know how to cook this recipe.  However, this pancit noodle stir-fry has evolved and some people from all over the globe have adapted the recipe and cook it differently.  I am cooking this pancit the same way my mother taught my siblings and I.   The only changes I’ve made to my mother’s recipe were I substituted the meat with tofu.  Hence, meatless pancit.  I also used different vegetables instead of the typical green beans, carrots and cabbage my mother used in her recipe except the red bell peppers.  It’s my mother’s signature ingredient in making this pancit original and Ilocano style.  So, I must leave it alone.  Sometimes, she added tomatoes too, but the pancit spoiled easily, so she would only add tomatoes when we ate it right away.   I also added some  Flax seeds and Sesame seeds to give this dish more nutritional values besides protein and fiber.

Pancit is very easy to make and it’s ready in 30-45 minutes (cooking time varies depending how much pancit you will be cooking ) including preparation. This recipe is good for only 1/2  lb. of rice noodles.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. tofu, cubed in small bite pieces
• 1/2 lb. (1/2 of the bag) of rice noodles
• 3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 of small onions, chopped
• 1/2 of red bell pepper, cut lengthwise
• 1 cup Brussel sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
• a handful of snow peas
• 1 medium organic carrot, julienned
• 2 heads baby bok choi, separated
• 1 teaspoon Sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon Flax seeds
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water mixed with 1 teaspoon loose chicken bouillon
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil; divided
• 1 stalk green onions, cut for garnish
• lime wedges as garnish

Directions:

Rice noodles (Bihon) available at Asian stores

Immerse 1/2 of the the rice noodles in a foil pan with cold water until soft about 10-15 minutes.

Drain and place the noodles in a large bowl; set aside.

Heat a skillet with a lid over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil when hot. Add the Brussel sprouts leaving the cut side down and cook until lightly brown. Turn over and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and place on a plate; set aside.

Add Garlic and onions. Saute until translucent.

Add the carrots and stir-fry until somewhat tender.

Add the tofu and vegetables. Stir then cover. Let cook for 30 seconds.

Add the water mixture and soy sauce at this point. Cover and bring to a boil.

Add the rice noodles

Turn heat to low at this point and stir-fry the pancit until well incorporated. keep stirring until the sauce is absorbed.

Add the flax seeds and Sesame seeds. Stir-fry until well combined and rice noodles are tender and the liquid is completely absorbed.

Done. Take a picture.

Transfer to a platter and serve it family style.

Bon Appetit!

1. Prepare all the ingredients.
2. Immerse the rice noodles in a foil pan with cold water until soft about 10-15 minutes.  Make sure all noodles are immersed in water.  Do not leave the noodles for long or it will be too soggy to cook. Be mindful about the time.  Check the noodles in 10 minute mark.  If the noodles are soft and pliable, drain the water and place the noodles in a large bowl; set aside.
3. Heat a skillet with a lid over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil when hot.  Add the Brussel sprouts leaving the cut side down and cook until lightly brown.  Turn over and cook the other side for about 30 seconds.  Remove from the pan and place on a plate; set aside.
4. Add the remaining oil, garlic and onions.  Saute until translucent. Add the carrots and stir-fry until somewhat tender.
5. Add the tofu and vegetables. Stir and cover.  Let cook for 30 seconds.
6. Add the water mixture and soy sauce.  Bring to a boil then add the noodles.  Stir-fry until well incorporated.
7. Turn heat to low at this point and keep stirring the pancit until the sauce is completely absorbed.
8. Add the Flax and Sesame seeds.  Stir until well combined.
9. Serve warm and garnish with lime wedges.

My family loves pancit served with their favorite lumpia  (crispy egg roll)   How about you?

If you like this post or enjoy my blog, don’t forget to Subscribe to get the latest recipes.  Thank you for stopping by.   Have a great day!

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Cassava Cake with Coconut and White Chocolate Sauce

You are going to love this cassava cake!   It’s another childhood favorite snack that was made with yucca root (root crop) modernized by adding white chocolate then drizzled with coconut and white chocolate sauce.  Mm…

This is my original recipe that I created a long time ago, but I decided to give it a new flavor without sacrificing it’s originality.  Unlike the Pandesal recipe, this one remains its original flavor.  Since quinoa has a pungent flavor and smell, it took away the Pandesal’s authenticity.   The great thing about this Cassava cake recipe is you will never know that it’s made with white chocolate.   The white chocolate made this classic recipe even more flavorful and addicting.  A friend of mine and my children said so and I agree with them.  My youngest son, Andrew requested it for his dessert for lunch today.  He was so worried that it would be eaten before he could get another slice that he immediately gave me a container.  It made me laugh and I had to convince him that he would definitely get another piece.  🙂

Filipino Tropical Sundae (Halo-Halo)

Summer is here.  The weather yesterday was extremely humid and warm.  The heat index was in the 100′s. Our air conditioning system was blowing non-stop.  It could hardly keep up cooling down our entire house. So, I planned on making halo-halo for dessert to cool off.  To those of you who don’t know what halo-halo is.  It is a Filipino dessert that is a  mixture of shaved ice and evaporated milk added with fruits, beans and ice cream, served in a tall glass or a bowl.

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Juliet Shirey, a friend of mine came to visit, and she wanted to eat some Filipino food. So, that’s what I prepared for lunch. It was just the two of us, so I served it family style like the way we do it back home. I cooked Pinakbet a la pobre, Caldereta with pineapple (my brother Ronald’s recipe), and Tortang Talong (eggplant omelet where you soak the peeled, roasted eggplant  in beaten egg and fried) and steamed white rice.   I called  the dish “a la pobre” because I added sardines instead of meat in the ingredients. It’s for people who can’t afford meat.  The meat in Caldereta is normally cut  larger than what you see in the picture but I wanted it cut in smaller pieces.

I haven’t had steamed rice since I changed my eating habits, but today was the exception. I can’t eat food prepared this way without rice; di pwede!

After lunch, I requested my friend to be a food critic.  I made her try the mango cake.  Yes, the mango cake!  Remember?  The cake I made for our anniversary.  I had three slices left. First bite, she said “oh!”  She said it melted in her mouth and the icing was perfect.  The cake is dense and I wanted to make some changes, but she said not to do it because it really goes well with the icing.

While my friend was enjoying the cake, my children reminded us about the halo-halo (mixed fruit dessert with ice cream) we were supposed to be having.  It would be the most refreshing dessert since it was very warm outdoors.  Sure, but I couldn’t find the ice shaver machine, so I used a blender as an alternative.

There are many different recipes for halo-halo out there. I always like to make my own with tropical fruits, such as Macademia nuts, coconut strings, mango, and pineapple.  Then, sprinkle it with toasted coconut and toasted pounded rice (pinipig).  Garnish it with fried banana and drizzle with chocolate syrup.  Oh, my! What an ultimate treat!  I call it  ”Filipino Tropical Sundae”. Sounds good doesn’t it?  I forgot to drizzle some chocolate syrup on mine, so don’t forget to add it when you make one.  Here’s a photo of my Tropical sundae.  Have a great summer!

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A special thank you to Venus Bowen for providing the halo-halo ingredients.  Thank you so much, Venus Bowen.

FILIPINO TROPICAL SUNDAE

My version of the halo-halo dessert

• 1/2 cup Almond Plus milk (has 5 grams of protein and less sugar content)
• 4 tablespoons Evaporated milk
• 1-2 scoops of protein powder (optional)
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1 tablespoons sweet tapioca pearl (sago)
• 1 tablespoon pineapple tidbits
• 1 tablespoon red sugar palm fruit (kaong)
• 1 tablespoon green sugar palm fruit (kaong)
• 1 tablespoon azuki beans
• 1 tablespoon cooked plantain
• 1 tablespoon coconut sport strings
• 1 tablespoon fresh ripe mango
• 1 tablespoon jack fruit
• 1 scoop of purple yam ice cream (or vanilla ice cream)

Toppings:

• 1 teaspoon cooked pounded young rice
• 1 teaspoon Macademia nuts; coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon toasted coconut
• 1 teaspoon coconut sport strings
• Maraschino cherry with stem
• chocolate syrup
• Fried plantain for garnish

Instructions:

• Put all the above ingredients except the toppings, Almond milk, and ice cubes in a tall glass or a sundae glass like you see in the picture. Set aside.
• Add almond milk and ice cubes in the blender and blend until smooth.
• Scoop the milk mixture and add in the fruit mixture.
• Add one scoop of purple yam ice cream (or vanilla) on top of the milk mixture.
• Sprinkle with the toppings and drizzle with the chocolate syrup.
• Garnish with Maraschino cherry and fried plantain.
• Mix and enjoy.

Note:   You can add sugar if you prefer.