BUSOG! SARAP!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!

Wow, can’t believe that it has been 2 years now since Busog! Sarap! started…. but to tell you the truth, if you’re finding my posts/recipes useful…I’ve also learned so much during this 2 years span.  From a point and shoot camera to getting a proper dslr camera for taking pictures.  Answering queries from comments and emails from Busog! Sarap! followers…being invited to foodie events here in Brisbane, which by the way I’ve missed most of them as I have something unexpected “going on” this year.  Don’t worry you’ll soon find out by next month=)

But what a journey!  During my first 2-3 months, I was already jumping for joy when my views were 50 a day and receiving my first comments from people I didn’t know.  I remember chasing Mr. H with my bear hugs (almost strangling him) every time my viewing numbers rise up.  Don’t be alarmed, he appreciates my weirdness which is what I love about him.  But the best feeling that never disappears and would never change is the warm fuzzy feeling and excitement I feel every time somebody leaves a comment that one of my tried recipes works wonders for them and how their family/friends enjoys their creation.

I’ve have encountered so many wonderful and supportive people through this blog of mine and even though most of you I haven’t met in person, we are connected to one similar passion….food/cooking/eating.  So, thank you for following this little blog of mine and please tell your friends about Busog! Sarap!  Spread the word (actually its two words, hehehehe)…….more years to come, I’d say!

The TRIBE went for a quick trip to Good Food and Wine Show 2011 on the 5th November (Saturday).  I was excited to drop by….as I was expecting it would be much bigger and better than the previous year.  But something was missing, can’t put my finger to it, we’ve strolled a few times throughout the whole exhibit and all I’ve purchased was the Good Food and Wine Show Trolley and my supply of Grove Garlic Avocado Oil.  I want to spend more but most of the products there you can easily obtain from your suburban grocery stores or delis but then maybe it’s just me….nothing lighted my foodie fire, sorry to say that day.

To make up from my lack lustre spending spree in the stalls department, we just concentrated on the food on offer at Oxford Landing Estate Restaurant.  The menu on offer this year was from two Masterchef Past Contestants, Marion and Poh Ling Yeow.  As previous years, each entree and mains were paired up with Oxford Landing Estates Wines….

MARION

My First Mussels

Miss Picky Eater choose this dish first thing on the menu list, I’ve tasted 1-2 of the mussels…nice and tender but a bit on the salty side.  My little Missy finished the rest and said it was very nice.

Sweet Pepper Chicken Drummet’s

The Chicken Drummet’s were so-so, Mr Adventurous ate most of it…. I was expecting a moreish marinate sensation but it was just average.

Sumac Crusted Scotch Fillet with Chimichurri Sauce

From all the dishes we’ve tasted, this was the good one out of the rest.  The Scotch Fillet was tender and the Spices were not overpowering.  The whole TRIBE loved this and polished off the meat in no time.

Confit Duck with Star Anise Sauce & Mash

I didn’t like the duck, it didn’t fit…..I love the sauce, the creamy mash and the asparagus combo but the duck flavour/taste is too strong.  Sad to say we left most of the duck on the plate as it was too overwhelming to our taste.

Kaffir Lime Panna Cotta with Strawberries & Lime Syrup

Mr Adventurous favourite for this year, he ate all of it…the yummy slightly tart wedges of strawberries and the creamy Panna Cotta with that hint of Lime Syrup goes so well together.  I was really surprise for him to finish one serving of this dessert.  It was refreshing and at the same time….light.

POH LING YEOW

Malaysian Beef Satays with Fruit & Vegetable Skewers with Satay Sauce

The Satay Sauce was nice but the Beef Satays were a bit chunky and on the dry side.

*Kingfish Carpaccio

Dong Do Pork with Chop House Fried Rice

There’s too much components on this dish that it came too strong for me.  I only ate the slices of pork and some of the vegetables.

Classic Chinese Steamed Fish – Cantonese Style

If the Dong Do Pork with Chop House Fried Rice was too overwhelming in taste, this one the exact opposite.  To describe…..it was so straight forward simplified dish, health freaks would love this, steamed fish and bokchoy over steamed fluffy white rice with soy/oil dressing.  I only ate a few bite-size pieces of the fish.

Sago Pudding

Okey, this dessert sounded good while I was reading it off from the menu list.  I want to love this creation but that middle layer (coconut/brown syrup) was too strong and sweet to my liking.  Even mixing the whole thing to blend the flavours, it was still too cloying sweet.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“TOBIE’S TOP 3” AT THE CELEBRITY THEATRE

We watched Tobie Puttock’s 2:15-2:45 show that Saturday….and did another lap on the entire exhibit before going home, hoping to buy something interesting…but ended up just buying a couple of soft serve ice cream cones for the kids.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY:

• Help yourself free bottled water stations scattered throughout the exhibit.

• Buying a couple of Grove Garlic Avocado Oil.

F.Y.I~  I’m not related or connected to this event, the purpose of this post is to give you a sneak peek on our TRIBE’s eating out adventure.  We paid with our own TRIBE money for our foodie purchases.

Kulinarya’s theme for the month of November 2011 is ARROZ CALDO (Filipino Chicken Congee).

I’ve previously featured ARROZ CALDO (Filipino Chicken Congee) for the month of May 2011 for Kulinarya.  So to make it different for this month’s Kulinarya theme, I’m featuring another Filipino Congee which is Goto (Filipino Beef Congee).  “Goto” means “Beef Tripe” in Tagalog and it is one of the main ingredients for this Filipino Congee.  This is another popular Filipino street food that can be serve for merienda (snack) or a “pick me upper” after a hard night drinking session.

I’m a bit vague about this dish as I always thought that “Lugaw” (Filipino Congee) are all the same, some are just tastier then others.  But thanks to my high school classmates at ILHS 1987-1991 in Malabon and through the power of Facebook, they gave me some ideas on how to make my first “Goto” and what tasty side dishes you can team it up with.

What I did with my Goto (Filipino Beef Congee) is to make it purely more in the Beef side of things so that it is not to be confuse with Arroz Caldo (Filipino Chicken Congee).  I didn’t do half and half…like use chicken stock instead of beef stock, as this is my first try on making this dish and I want the Beef flavour to shine.  I’ve made my own Beef stock from the free beef bones (about 3kg) my Inala butcher gave me and simmered my Beef Brisket, Tripe and Tendons on it till tender.  What came out of this wonderful broth was a very tasty and flavourful Goto….. to tell you the truth, I love it more than Arroz Caldo.

So here’s my recipe and I hope anyone who tries it will love it too…

GOTO (Filipino Beef Congee)

INGREDIENTS:

300g cooked beef brisket, sliced

250g cooked beef tripe, sliced

1 1/2 cup glutinous rice (malagkit)

5 cloves garlic, finely crushed

50g ginger, sliced

1 large onion, sliced

5 tbspn cooking oil

2 litres of homemade beef stock

500ml water

1/4 tspn ground turmeric

1/4 tspn ground black pepper

50ml fish sauce

*used AUS. Measuring Cups & Spoons

~  You can separate a handful of the Beef Brisket and Tripe for “Toppings” if you want to.

~  Rinse your glutinous rice a couple of times over cold water, drain well and set aside.

COOKING PROCEDURE:

~  Heat your cooking oil and deep fry your garlic till golden brown.  Remove the pot from heat to avoid burning your garlic.  Scoop your fried garlic with a ladle and drain well before placing in a bowl lined with kitchen paper towels, set aside for “Toppings”.  Leave the hot oil in the pot and put back to your stovetop.  Sauté  your ginger and onions till translucent in medium-high heat.

~  Add in your sliced Beef Brisket and Tripe, stir it a couple of times and then place in your turmeric and pepper.  Stir in your fish sauce and let the mixture simmer for 15 seconds.

~  Stir in your rinsed/drained glutinous rice.  Make sure the rice soaks up the liquid in the pan.  Pour in your beef stock and water.  Stir to evenly disperse the rice and brisket/tripe, make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot to unstuck anything that is stuck.  Bring to boil, then lower the heat to simmering stage,  dispose the scum that accumulates on the surface.  Keep stirring the sides and bottom of the pot to prevent burning your Goto.

~  It’s done once the rice starts to crumble and blend with the liquid.  Turn off the stove and let the pot sit there for awhile, while you prep for the toppings.

RECOMMENDED TOPPINGS:  Fried onions/garlic, , Chopped Fresh Chives or Shallots, Sliced Cooked Beef Tendon/Brisket/Tripe, Whole Boiled Eggs and crushed Chicharon (Pork Crackling).  Crispy Fried Tofu Cubes would be great as a topping too to add more texture to your Goto.

BEST WITH:  Tokwa’t Baboy, a good squeeze of half of a calamansi or a small wedge of lemon and for good measure, fish sauce & ground pepper on the side for individual seasoning.  In Malabon, we traditionally order a side plate of 1-2 pcs of Sumpia (Vegetable Medley Spring rolls) along with our Congee.

NOTES:

• I’ve made my homemade Beef Stock a couple days ahead as I refrigerated the cooled/sieved liquid stock to make the oil on top solidify so it is easier for me to remove it the next day.

• After removing the solidified oil on top of my beef stock, I then use the stock to simmer my Beef Brisket, Tripe and Tendon (optional) till they become tender….1 to 1 1/2 hour.  Once cooked to my desired softness, I then remove/let it cool and then refrigerate.  They are easier to cut into thin slices after refrigeration.

• Once you start boiling/simmering the Goto you have to constantly stir the mixture to avoid parts of it sticking to the bottom.  Burning the bottom is not the ideal thing you want in the end, imagine bits and pieces of burnt parts floating around…not really appetising!

• Skimming and disposing the floating scum while the Goto is simmering will give you a clean overall congee with no brown bits floating around.

• Ground Turmeric will give you that distinct yellow tinge that most Filipino Congee have.

It’s the time of the year to celebrate another fun filled Halloween!  Here is a simple Halloween drink to serve to your special little ghouls for the day…..

BOO-LICIOUS VANILLA MILKSHAKE adapted from  Martha S. “Boo-Nilla Shake”

INGREDIENTS:

500ml fresh milk

3-4 cubes of melting chocolate

4-5 big scoops of vanilla ice cream

whipped cream

3 medium glasses

3 orange bendable straws

small paint brush

ASSEMBLING:

~  Melt your chocolate in short bursts inside your microwave.  Be careful not to burn your chocolate.  Using your small paint brush apply your melted chocolate inside your glass to create  your personalized ghost expressions.  Set it aside to set, if you want you can chill the decorated glasses inside your fridge.

~  In your blender jug, pour in your milk.

~  Add in your scoops of vanilla ice cream, cover the blender jug with lid and whizz it till well combine.  Fill up your glasses leaving a 1 inch clearance on top.

~  Pipe in your whipped cream on top, it’s up to you what hairdo style you want for your ghosts.

~  Place in your bendable straws and immediately serve to your awaiting little ghouls!

NOTES:

• You can transform this to a thick shake by having more vanilla ice cream than fresh milk.

• It is cheaper to make your own whipped cream, here’s my own version of Vanilla Whipped Cream Recipe.   Just use a big round tip piping nozzle when you pipe your whipped cream on top of the glasses

• You can drizzle some strawberry topping syrup on top to have that bleeding effect.

• Using different shaped glasses give the ghost milkshakes more individual personalities.

This Easy Mushroom Sauce Recipe belongs to my shortcut (lazy) collection.  It is so easy to assemble and no complicated ingredients to buy, but still possess that right seasoning/flavour and creaminess  that I want my Mushroom Sauce to be.

EASY MUSHROOM SAUCE OVER FRENCH FRIES

I love this sauce drizzled over a plate of freshly cooked French Fries.  This is one of my simple homemade combo guilty pleasure I love to eat while watching TV.

EASY MUSHROOM SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 tbspn butter

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced

1 tspn chicken stock powder or 1/2 Knorr chicken cube

1/2 kg button mushrooms, sliced

200ml thickened cream

good pinch of coarse ground pepper

*used AUS. Measuring Cups & Spoons

COOKING PROCEDURE:

~  Heat your deep frying pan in high and drop in your butter, lower the heat into  high-medium and once the butter is melted, stir in your sliced onion.  Wait till your onion slices turns translucent and then add in your chicken cube/powder and let it melt with the butter.  Add in your sliced mushrooms.