Buttered Veggies

I usually fail in cooking veggies especially if there a lot of kinds on it. The fear inside of me na baka hilaw pa cos to ended overcooked.

Yesterday, I was in cue in our office pantry to use the microwave. I saw the packed lunch of my colleague parang ang sarap sarap ng buttered veggies. It looks pleasing talaga as in yung hindi talaga overcooked kainin parang tama lang yung pagkaluto and maintained pa rin yung crunchiness ng veggies.

Kaya naman when we take our snack break, I ended up bringing veggies from the store - cauliflower, carrots, ampalaya, tomatoes, onion spring, etc. I have few recipes on my mind pero mas malakas talaga ang craving ko kay buttered vegies kaya naman....

Usually hindi ko tinitikman ang niluluto ko or kung tikman ko man basta may lasa ok na for me. But this one to my surprise yehey at last hindi sya overcooked, tama lang yung lasa hindi maalat, hindi matabang and lasang-lasa mo pa rin yung natural taste ng mga veggies!This is my first try of buttered veggies and dahil ok sya for sure na may next time pa.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Carrots

Potato

Garlic

Chicken breast

Butter

Salt

Pepper

1. Wash all the vegetables and cut it

2. Cut the chicken breast into cubes

3. Put butter in pan and heat in low fire

4. Wait for butter to melt, then put garlic and chicken breast cubes. 

5. If the chicken turned brown, add potato and carrots then add water (small glass)

6. Add salt and pepper, wait until simmer

7. Add cauliflower, wait for 5 minutes then add broccoli

8. Let it on fire for another 8 minutes.

9. Serve it.

Orange Chicken ni Jen

Since the time I was back from my vacation last week of October I decided to take a healthy living as much as I can and it includes being picky on what I will put on my plate. I tried and continue not to take red meat though last holidays temptation haunted me. Whenever I buy food boneless chicken breast is always present on the cart. As research proved chicken breast is the healthiest part of the chicken kasi nga walang masyadong fat and skin. 

Every night is a challenge for me to prepare new dish using chicken breast minsan paulit-ulit na lang or minsan I do "pacham" which means "pachamba", creating my own dish and using whatever available ingredients we have in the kitchen.

Yesterday I browsed on the net what dish can I try and found the Orange Chicken recipe. I'm familiar to the taste of it since its available in some food chains and restaurants here.

"Orange Chicken ni Jen"

Ingredients:

Chicken breast

Egg

Flour

Cooking Oil

Pepper and Salt

Orange Juice

Brown Sugar

Honey

Ginger 

Garlic

Cornstarch

Chicken

1. Cut the chicken into cubes

2. Beat the egg, add pepper and salt

3. Marinate the chicken for 5-10 minutes

4. Roll the chicken into flour until its fully coated

5. Fry it deeply into hot pan with oil

6. Set aside after cooking

Sauce

1. Put 1 cup of orange juice (amount depends on the amount of your chicken), let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.

2. Put one table spoon of brown sugar (depends on how sweet you want)

3. Add 1 table spoon of honey.

4. Continue to mix until boiling

5. Add grated ginger and garlic

6. Add a pinch of pepper and salt.

7. Combine a little cornstarch solution. Pour into the sauce.

8. Whisk it until combine and thicken.

9. Toss the chicken into the sauce and make sure that it all coated of sauce.

Hope they will like it and sana next time I can improve its taste more, so it will be pleasing to everyone's taste bud and not only to mine ..hahaha

Cooking 101 with Jen

I am not a kitchen person. Cooking nor baking is not really my passion but I know how to cook. I am from a family who loves to cook and bake pero ewan ko ba hindi ko yata namana yon sa kanila. But don't get me wrong guys even I don't cook often I know how to cook naman. I remember after I graduated college that I try to learned different recipes and while I'm cooking I'm holding cooking book with me or sometimes I will call my friends and ask them what menu can I cook on the available stuffs on our ref.  Sabi kasi ni Mommy baka daw ibalik ako ng magiging in laws ko if hindi ako marunong magluto ...hahaha

When I was in Philippines I never cook talaga, magaling at masarap magluto si Mommy at Daddy kaya hindi ako napressure na magluto para lang may makain. When I started to work here abroad lahat ng mga pinsan ko masasarap at magagaling magluto, maybe its one of the reason din kung bakit di ako nahilig or napilitang magluto, nakakapressure in a way na ang gagaling ng mga kasama mo sa house magluto then if you cooked tapos what if hindi masarap sayang lang yung ingredients di ba?

Hindi ko naging problema ang pagluluto even I am away with my parents especially kapag may work ako, mas magiging problema ko siguro kung maubos ang mga tinapay sa tinapay sa mga grocery stores. I don't have packed lunch with me since we have canteen in the office, yun nga lang nakakasawa din minsan its good thing I have office mates who shared their passion in cooking with us.

Since my brother lived with me here in Doha, one of my worries is paano sya papakainin hehehe I mean what to cook for him since I don't cook nga talaga. Thanks to my cousins, the B2 F12 family who loves to cook, bake and eat as well. Hindi rin sila nagpapacked lunch, bread lang ok na rin sila. Kung ako hindi nagluluto kasi hindi ko talaga hilig guess what mas lalo ang brother ko, and take note of his course. He graduated in HRM (Hotel and Restaurant Management) course pero hindi talaga sya nagluluto except sa specialty nya ang magprito. 

When we were in Philippines sa bahay namin hindi naguulit ng menu within the day, kung ulam na yan sa lunch for sure iba na yan sa dinner, pwede namang ulitin basta hindi on the same day. My brother and my Dad mas gusto nila my variety within the day. Kapag tumatawag ako kay Mommy one of his question lagi is about sa pagkain. At first, nung hindi pa nagwowork si brother ok lang kahit ano and anytime pwede naman syang magluto ng as usual fried pero nakakasawa din yon di ba.
Since I am at home na by 8:00 pm compare naman sa dating schedule ko na 10:30pm or sometimes 11pm pa nga, I have time to cook for him. Sabi ng konsensya ko "Ikaw ba yan Jen magluluto ka sure ka ba sa mga pinaggagagawa mo?" Well, let me try kung hindi maging ok then back to fried si dear brother.
This is the life of being OFW, ang bawat minuto at oras mahalaga, ewan ko nga ba kung bakit ang bilis ng oras dito kaya naman gabi pa lang magluluto na ako para sa baon ng kapatid ko kasi kung sa morning ko pa sya iluluto good luck naman sa 7:15 a.m na pick up time ng service ko. After kong maluto papalamigin ilalagay sa ref at sya na bahala magpainit the next day.
First menu I cooked for him is Adobo. This is the first recipe I've learned talaga nasa Pinas pa lang ako. And just the other day B2 F12 are requesting me to cook adobo again for them. Yes! it seems na masarap hehehe. That's one of my attitude, kapag ako ang nagluluto I asked someone para tikman kung ok na ang lasa.
Last night I tried my first ever Sweet & Sour Meatballs...
Its very easy and affordable ^__^ You want to know how? Well here it is.

For Meatballs:
Ingredients: minced beef, onion, pepper, egg, flour,salt
Mix the minced with diced onions, put pepper and salt to taste. Add 1 egg and a spoon of flour to stiffen the mixture and then form it into a small like ball. And deep it into a boiling pan of oil.

For Sauce:

Ingredients: vinegar, sugar, sweet chilli sauce (optional), carrots, bell pepper, ginger and pineapple (optional)

In your pan, put vinegar, sugar and water. Let it simmer for few minutes. Dissolve a half spoon of flour into tap water, make sure the flour (powder) is dissolve completely before you pour into your mixture (sauce+sugar and water). Put the sliced onions, and after a minute put the meatballs and let it simmer for 5 minutes. You can add sweet chilli sauce to attain color and taste more.

That's it...ang dali lang di ba? 

Ready nang pang baon....

O ayan Mommy marunong na akong magluto and I will try to improve pa through other recipes, siguro naman hindi na ako ibabalik ng in-laws ko este magiging in-laws pala.

Till next cooking blog!