To Cook
Heat oil in a small pan over low heat. Gently cook the garlic until lightly golden. Dish out onto paper towels to drain off excess oil. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pot over medium heat and throw in onions, garlic and ginger. Stir constantly and cook until softened and fragrant.
Put in the chicken pieces and continue to stir-fry until lightly browned. Pour in fish sauce and let it cook for 2 mins.
Pour in uncooked rice and stir constantly until lightly browned. Then, add in water and allow to boil. Remove any froth on the surface of the water.
Drop in bouillon cubes and stir until dissolved. Bring the fire to a simmer and cook until the porridge has thickened. Stir occasionally to keep the porridge from sticking to the bottom. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to serving bowls and top with boiled egg, spring onions and fried garlic bits. Serve with a side of calamansi lime or lemon.
Chicken
Baked Filipino Chicken (Lechon Manok)
To Prep
Rub salt and pepper all over the chicken, both skin side and cavity. Then rub garlic, ginger and soy sauce over the skin side only.
Fill the chicken cavity with stalks of lemon grass and bananas. Using aluminum foil, wrap the chicken firmly.
To Cook
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celcius and roast the whole chicken for 1 hr. Once ready, carefully remove the foil and allow to roast for about 30 mins or until golden brown.
Serve chicken with sweet chilli sauce or dipping sauce of your choice.
Filipino Stir Fried Noodles (Pancit Bam-I)
To Prepare
Boil 2 cups of water with a pinch of salt. Add the chicken breast and cook until fully done. Remove the chicken and reserve the cooking water. Let the chicken cool, then shred it into thin slices.
Place the pork in a small bowl and marinate it with soy sauce and vinegar for 15 minutes. Heat some oil in a wok, stir-fry the pork for about 3 minutes, then remove. Allow to cool and slice thinly.
Slice the Chinese sausage into small pieces. Stir-fry in the same wok over medium heat until cooked through in its own oil. Remove and set aside.
Add 1 tsp of oil to the wok and stir-fry the shrimp until pink. Remove, leaving the remaining oil in the wok. Chop the shrimp into smaller pieces and set aside.
To Cook
In the same wok, sauté garlic and onions in the leftover shrimp oil over medium heat until soft and fragrant.
Add the shredded chicken and sliced pork, stir-fry for 1 minute, then add bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, snow peas, and cabbage. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
Pour in 1 cup of the reserved chicken broth, add soy sauce and brown sugar. Mix well and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, soak the rice noodles in cold water and cut them in half. Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 2 minutes, then slice. Add the rice noodles and mushrooms to the simmering broth and cook for 5 minutes.
Finally, add the canton noodles, stirring constantly, and cook for 10 minutes until softened.
Return the Chinese sausage to the wok. Season with ground black pepper and soy sauce to taste. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Filipino Meat Spring Roll (Lumpiang Shanghai)
To Prep
Put together chicken, spring onions, water chestnuts, carrots, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Then, place single layers of spring roll wrappers on a flat surface in the shape of a diamond.
Scoop roughly 2 tbsp of the meat mixture and place them on the centre of the spring roll wrapper.
To fold the wrapper, start off by folding the bottom pointed end of the sheet towards the filling. Then, fold both side edges of the wrapper inwards. Tightly, roll from the bottom up into a log. Dab the top pointed end of the sheet with water to seal. Repeat until all spring roll wrappers and meat mixture are used up.
To Cook
Heat about 3cm oil in a pan and fry the lumpia in batches, turning when needed until crispy and golden brown.
Dish out the fried lumpia and drain excess oil by laying them on a tray or dish with paper towels.
Pork Sisig
To Cook
Add water into a pot. Bring to a boil and add in salt and pepper. Then, add in the pork belly and pig’s ears. Simmer for about 45 mins until the meat is tender. Once ready, take them out of the water and drain.
Place the boiled pork belly and pig’s ears on the grill until browned. Then, cut the pork belly and pig’s ears into small pieces.
Melt butter (or margarine) in a large pan, add in onions and saute until translucent and soft. Then, throw in ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 mins.
Put in chicken liver and break them up while stir-frying. Once browned, mix in the pork belly and pig’s ears, stir well for 10 mins. Then, stir in the chilli flakes, garlic powder and soy sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Finally, add in the mayonnaise and stir well. Garnish with some chopped spring onions and top with a raw egg. Squeeze in lemon or calamansi juice and serve hot.
Ayam Panggang Kecap and Karedok
To Prep
Place chicken in a bowl with the tamarind paste and salt. Massage into the chicken and set aside.
In a food processor or mortar & pestle, grind the birds eye chili, shallots, garlic, white peppercorns, candlenuts and ½ tsp salt into a paste.
To Cook
Heat the oil in a large and deep pan, fry the spice paste for a minute or until fragrant.
Add chicken pieces, ABC Kecap Manis, palm sugar and 1 tsp salt. Cover with 650mls of water and stir.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook without the lid on until the liquid has reduced by ⅔ and has become sticky, turning the chicken occasionally.
Remove chicken and reserve the cooking marinade. Cook on BBQ or under the grill brushing with the marinade until caramelized.
In a mortar & pestle, grind together the ginger, chilli, garlic, belacan and ½ tsp salt into a paste.
Add the crushed peanuts, lime juice, brown sugar and Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce. Stir to combine.
Using a bean slicer, slice the beans and cut into 3 cm lengths.
Peel the cucumber slice in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut into ⅓ and julienne.
Top & tail the bean sprouts.
Drain the Valcom Bamboo Shoot Slices.
In a large salad bowl, add all the prepared vegetables and pour over the peanut dressing. Toss to combine.
Banh Xeo
To Prep
Combine and whisk all pancake mix ingredients. Leave to rise for two hours.
Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients. Mix well until sugar dissolves.
Keep refrigerated until serving.
Prepare fillings by browning onion and chicken separately and set aside.
To Cook
Preheat a well-oiled non-stick pan.
Ladle pancake mix to thinly coat entire pan.
Making sure that the mix is thoroughly stirred before each ladle.
Place one serving of the onions, bean sprouts and chicken onto one half of the pancake.
Cover for three minutes until pancake mix is cooked through. Remove lid and continue cooking until pancake becomes crispy.
Once crispy, fold pancake over to make semi-circle and remove to plate.
Eat wrapped in a lettuce cup with plenty of garnish and sauce.
Chicken Satay
To Prep
In a food processor, blend lemongrass, garlic, turmeric, coriander powder, chilli powder, sugar, salt and oil. Add 2 tbsp of water if needed.
Marinate chicken pieces. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hr, if time permits.
Cook rice according to packet directions. Use a fork to separate the grains.
Place satay sauce and coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 mins or until heated through.
To Cook
Preheat a barbecue grill or chargrill on medium. Brush with oil to lightly grease. Thread a few pieces of chicken onto the bamboo skewers. Grill for 2-3 mins on each side until cooked through and nicely charred. Drizzle with satay sauce.
Serve with rice, cucumber, onion, chillies, lime and garnish with coriander leaves.
Chicken Noodle Bowl with Peanut-Ginger Sauce
To Prepare
Process all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.
To Cook
Stir rice wine vinegar and salt into boiled water. Add noodles and let stand until softened, about 5 mins. Drain noodles.
Divide noodles, chicken, cabbage, cucumber, carrots and capsicum among 6 bowls.
Top each bowl with 1 tbsp peanuts and 2 tbsp of Peanut-Ginger Sauce. Serve remaining sauce on the side.
Chicken Massaman Curry
To Cook
Heat oil over low heat and stir fry curry paste. Allow to simmer for 1 min. Add 1 can of coconut milk and cook for 3 mins. Then, add chicken fillets. Cook for 7 mins until cooked through.
Add in fish sauce and sugar and bring to boil. Then reduce to a simmer for 8 mins. Meanwhile, stir fry cashew nuts in a little oil until browned.
Add diced onion and potato/sweet potato and simmer until veggies have softened. Then add in roasted cashews and stir to combine.
Remove from heat and serve with jasmine rice. Garnish with coriander.
Chicken Thai Green Curry with Fresh Pineapple
To Cook
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Stir fry chicken pieces with onion until browned.
Throw in green beans and stir fry 5 mins. Then throw in the rest of the veggies and cook until soft.
Add in curry paste and cook on low heat for 10 mins. Pour in coconut cream and stir until hot.
Dish out and serve with rice.
Chicken Laksa
To Cook
Prepare noodles as per packet instruction – drain and set aside. Heat oil in wok over low heat and stir fry Laksa Paste until fragrant. Then, add coconut milk and water, bring to a boil.
Add vegetables and heat through. Put in chicken fillet and cook to tender. Then turn down to a simmer. Pour in fish sauce. While cooking, place noodles in serving bowl and top with bean sprouts.
Spoon laksa soup on top of noodles and garnish with shallots and coriander.
Serve with a wedge of lime if preferred.