Just a short break from the banana festival.
Way back 2000 something with a few good friends (if they can still remember!), we pigged out in the wee hours of the morning in this resto along Wilson St. in San Juan called Hap Chan.
Why did we pig out? :P Don't even ask!
One of the best orders we had was their famous Steamed Fish Fillet (Hong Kong style). After that night, I came back for it in every opportunity.
For the past years, I have been trying to make it at home using lapu lapu or gindara fillet. My dad loves it! He loves fish!
I tried it again this time using Cream Dory, and I think this is best fish by far for me to use in this recipe because of its softness and flakyness. Melts in your mouth!
Here's what you need:
For the steamed fish:
3 cream dory fillets, sliced in serving pieces
a pinch of salt and pepper for rubbing the fish
1 tbps of sliced ginger strips
water for boiling
- rub fillets with salt and pepper, put them in your steamer and place the ginger strips on top and on the sides of the fish and steam for a good 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside
For the light soy:
1/4 cup light soy sauce
2 1/2 cups of water (or more if you still find it salty)
1 tsp grated ginger
more or less 4 tsps brown sugar
1 tsp oyster sauce (optional)
about 1/2 tsp of sesame oil to taste
- in a saucepan put all ingredients together, mix well and simmer to a boil.
For the garnish, just prepare:
about 1 bulb of garlic, chopped finely (the more the merrier! i love toasted garlic!)
about 1/2 cup of chopped spring onions
- saute the garlic in cooking oil until golden brown or toasted if you like. Then set aside.
To assemble the dish: put steamed fillets in a serving platter or shallow bowl, pour the sauce and garnish with toasted garlic and chopped spring onions, as seen on the photo and as served in the resto :)
TO my bloggy: Ok, now I am making up for so much lost time with you. I hope you are happy, my dear bloggy! 'Coz I am. *lol*
Have a wonderful Saturday! :)
OR Minatamis na Saba at Sago with Gata...
I was too curious and eager to make this since I laid my eyes on its recipe page. I have been eating sweetened bananas with the usual evaporated milk or condensed milk or fresh milk, so why not try something new?
The original recipe and procedure can be found in Good Housekeeping's Easy Everyday Meals vol 6. Page 122.
For this version, I used:
8 ripe saba bananas - sliced horizontally as seen on the photo
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
more or less 3 cups water
1 cup Cooked Sago Pearls
2 stalks pandan leaves
1/2 cups fresh or canned gata (coconut milk)
First make the sweetened banana:
In a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Stir, add the bananas and stir well, bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Simmer until bananas are tender and the liquid is somewhat thick and syrupy.
Feel free to add sugar and/or water (little by little) to achieve your desired amount of sweetness and consistency.
Then add the sago pearls, and the pandan leaves, simmer for about 5 more minutes so the sago will also absorb a little sweetness from the syrup.
In case cooked sago pearls aren't available you can use:
1/2 cups small sago (the packed ones from the supermarket)
3 cups water
2 stalks pandan leaves
To cook the sago pearls:
Boil sago with pandan and water until cooked, this may run for more or less 30 minutes, depending on the size of your sago pearls. When done, wash sago and add them to the sweetened bananas, then same drill as above, simmer for about 5 more minutes so the sago will also absorb a little sweetness from the syrup.
***If you have access to the market, I'm sure there are stalls selling cooked Sago Pearls (together with other Halo halo ingredients). It's good to use the cooked ones to save time, effort and gas. Just wash them carefully with water and drain well before adding them to the bananas et al.
To serve, put bananas and sago pearl on a bowl, pour the syrup, some crushed ice (optional) and lastly, pour over the coconut milk.
This is one of the many versions of our good ol' saba con yelo that I love to make and eat (oo naman!). Indeed it's a great way to appreciate Gata (Coconut Cream) in your dessert!
Thanks to Good Housekeeping! :)
Happy banana festival! Happy weekend! :)
My blog has been appearing in my sleep, talking to me, saying how irresponsible I have become. No single entry for the past 4 weeks? How could you??!
How could I?
I felt like I left another baby in the middle of nowhere. Sorry bloggy. You see, I have been busy, but it doesn't mean I forgot about you. No, I think about you all the time! :)
I have been trying to write drafts in my notepad however I couldn't finish them just yet. I have been praying for second winds at night but they never came to me.
But anyway, I am here now! :)
And so the quest for the banana festival continues!
Banana Choco Nutella Cream Pie --- Long title? :) ChocNut is even supposed to be in there!
This version is inspired by Ross' recipe (whom I have been convincing to make her food blog as she loves to cook too!) and another version from Pauline. Thank you ladies!
Some time ago, Nestle All Purpose Cream came up with two flavors of their All Purpose Cream: Chocolate and Mixed Berries. Given this recipe, I grabbed the Chocolate All Purpose Cream (luckily, it was buy 1 take one then for only 50.00 Php) and made this cream pie.
As done here, it's best to make the cream filling first so that you can chill it. It's easier to assemble your cream pie if the filling is chilled.
For the filling:
6 ripe lacatan bananas - sliced (about 1/4 inch and will look like thick coins)
2 packs of Nestle Chocolate all purpose cream
about 3/4 cup of Nutella (or any other hazlenut spread available in the market)
4 tbsp of white sugar (you can put less, depending on your sugar level)
a small drop of vanilla essence
Beat cream, nutella, sugar and vanilla and if they are totally mixed well, fold in the sliced bananas and chill for about 1 to 2 hours.
For the crust and toppings, I used:
about 1 cup to 1 and a half cup of crushed MY San graham
about 2 to 3 tbsps white sugar (you can put less, depending on your sugar level)
a small pinch of salt
about half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder
about 3 to 4 tbsp melted butter (I used Magnolia's Baker's Best)
about 16 pieces crushed ChocNut (Pauline says to crush it with your fingers!)
Mix crushed graham, sugar, salt, cinnamon in a bowl then create a well in the center, add the melted butter. make sure the butter is evenly distributed and as much as possible try to achieve a kind of "slightly wet and sandy" kind of crust.
Put half of the crumbs on the bottom of a rectangular container and press it down and set aside or put it in the fridge. Set aside the other half but do not put it in the fridge. The butter will harden and it will not be easy to loosen the crumbs for your topping.
After 1 to 2 hours, pour the chilled filling onto the crusted container and smooth the top with your spoon or with a spatula. Top it with the remaining crumbs and the crushed ChocNut and chill it one more time for at least an hour before serving.
Note: Nestle Chocolate all purpose cream is not available anymore in the market (unless they bring it back, that will be great!) So in this case, you can use the regular all purpose cream about 1 and a half pack and mix it with 1 cup of melted chocolate.
I like to add more ChocNut on top however, my body says DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. Heeheehee! Hope you'll enjoy this!
Ooops, it's almost time to go now!
It's nice to be back!
Until the next KusinaSerye and banana festival entry! :)
