Kulinarya - September and October Filipino Spaghetti

This month’s Kulinarya theme is Filipino Style Spaghetti. Thanks to Gio (www.thehungrygiant.net), Kyle and Bea (www.ratedkb.blogspot.com) for coming up with one of my favourite dishes as the theme for September - October.

Filipino Style Spaghetti is something that most Filipino Families serve at parties. Its sweet and sometimes a little spicy and normally made with pork mince.

Below is Mama Eugenio’s version:

Filipino Style Spaghetti  

Ingredients

4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

500 grams pork mince
1 small onion (diced)

4 cloves of garlic (crushed and chopped finely)

1 small red capsicum

4 American hot dogs (sliced diagonally)

½ cup of spaghetti sauce (I used Del Monte Filipino Style spaghetti sauce. You can get this at any good Asian stores)

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of pickle relish

¾ bottle of UFC Banana Ketchup (You can get this at any good Asian stores)

½ a teaspoon of chilli flakes (optional)

2 to 3 cups of penne or spaghetti (I chose to use penne because I find it a lot easier to eat.)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic is just cooked but not golden brown.

2. Add the mince pork and brown. Stirring occasionally to break up the meat.

3. Once the meat is brown, add the hot dogs and the capsicum.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the spaghetti sauce, UFC and soy sauce. Add this to the mince and stir until combined. This will be a very thick consistency. You can add a few tablespoons of water to make it a little runny.

5. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes before adding the pickle relish and chilli flakes.

6. Set the sauce aside and cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water till al dente.

Serving Suggestion

In a medium size ovenproof dish, combine the pasta with the sauce. Sprinkle with a combination on ricotta and tasty cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted.

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture & its colourful cuisine. 

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

For more information regarding the Kulinarya Cooking Club or if you are interested in joining, please leave a comment or visit http://kulinaryaclub.wordpress.com/. Make sure to take the time and visit our members blogs for inspiration.

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Mini Mallomars

Yes I know I’ve been missing in action. I haven’t updated A Cupcake or Two since my Australia Day post. I have a good explanation for the absence. I lost my groove just like Stella did. I am going through some changes at the moment, and it’s made me lose my passion for all things food related. But I’m back. 

I have some exciting post coming up and even a competition that I am hoping you will all love. To get myself back into the groove, I decided to make some Mallomars. Mallomars are basically a biscuit with fluffy marshmallow innards and coated with delicious chocolate.

As you all know, I am a big fan of the express way. I decided to use good ol mini chocolate wheatens instead of making the biscuit base.

I found an easy egg free marshmallow recipe from Kids Spot. It takes a little whipping, but the marshmallow is fluffy and not too sweet.

Chocolate Mallomars (makes approximately 30)

Biscuit Base

1 bag of mini chocolate wheatens

You can also use digestive biscuits or shortbread.

Marshmallow Topping

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon gelatine
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Food colouring (optional)

Chocolate Coating

2 cups of milk chocolate
10 grams of copha or vegetable shortening

Method

Make sure to use a big pot so that the mixture doesn’t boil over. It’s extremely hot and can get very messy.

1. Pour the sugar, gelatine and water into your pot. Stir until combined. Slowly bring to the boil, reduce the heat so it doesn’t boil over. Keep this on low for 10 minutes without stirring.

2. Remove from the heat and cool a further 10 minutes. You can also use a bowl full of ice to cool down the mixture quickly.

3.  Place the mixture into a clean heatproof bowl, add the food colouring and vanilla essence. Mix on medium with a stand mixture until it becomes light and fluffy.

4. Spoon the marshmallow into a piping bag and slowly pipe the marshmallow on each individual mini chocolate wheaten. Allow to set for 10 minutes on a cooling rack.

5. Melt the chocolate and the copha in the microwave for no more than 2 minutes. I did this in 20 second intervals to prevent the chocolate from burning.  Dunk each mallomar into the melted chocolate and allow to set on a cooling rack.

This is super simple treat to make and perfect for a party. An alternative is to make it into a Mallomar Slice. Simply crush some digestive biscuits with some butter and put this into a a lined baking tray. Pour the prepared marshmallow onto the biscuit base and allow to set. Top with some melted chocolate.

ENJOY...

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Xinjiang Lamb Kebabs for Australia Day

First of all I just wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone. I can’t believe we are now in 2012. Time sure does fly when you are having fun.

For my first post, I wanted to share a fantastic recipe, for Xinjiang Lamb Kebabs, which I will be making for an Australia Day picnic. These lamb kebabs are just one of the delicious dishes that Uighur cuisine has to offer. (The Uighur people are from Central Asia between Mongolia and Kazakhstan).

My friend Anna introduced me to these skewers years ago, in a Uighur restaurant near Sydney’s Chinatown. When she came back from Amsterdam for a visit last Christmas, she told me that she found a recipe for them. I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to make them myself.

Xinjiang Lamb Kebabs (recipe from Food Buzz)

Ingredients

1 kilo lamb leg (cut into 3cm cubes)

4 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili flakes

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns

2 teaspoons ground ginger powder

4 garlic cloves (very finely chopped)

2 teaspoons sea salt

10 to 15 bamboo BBQ sticks that have been soaked in water

Method

1. In a large tray, mix the spices together and add the oil. Add the lamb pieces and stir to coat. Set aside in the fridge to marinade. I left mine for 24 hours but a minimum of 5 hours is ok.

2. Once the lamb is marinated, thread 4 to 5 pieces onto each BBQ stick. BBQ the lamb skewers until they are slightly pink in the middle. There is nothing worse that over cooked lamb leg. Don’t be tempted to overcook them.

3. Serve with a green salad and some Tzatziki.

These lamb skewers are delicious hot or cold. It’s simple to prepare and only takes minutes to cook. It’s the perfect dish to kick-start your Australia Day celebrations. Our Lambassador Sam Kekovich would be proud.  

Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie readers. I hope you all have a safe and fun filled day… If you haven't already seen it, make sure you watch Sama Kekovich in the hilarious video below.

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Butterscotch Madeleines and a New Hand Mixer

How often do you replace kitchen appliances?? In the Eugenio household, we tend to buy new gadgets but use the old ones until they stop working. A great example is our hand mixer. My mum bought our hand mixer back in 1988. It was one of the first things she bought when we moved into our house.

Thanks to Kitchenware Direct, I had an opportunity to review one of their new products. I chose the Red Kitchenaid Hand Mixer.  It was time for the old mixer to retire and for the new one to make it’s debut. What better way than with these simple Butterscotch Madeleines from Bill Granger’s book Bill’s Basics.

Butterscotch Madeleines

Ingredients

100 grams unsalted butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

2 eggs

60 grams caster sugar

75 grams plain flour sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Pre-heat the over to 170C. Grease a madeleine tray and dust with flour, shaking of the excess.

2. Melt the butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat, stir in the syrup and leave to cool.

3. Using a hand mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar and a pinch of salt, until pale and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder and syrup mixture. Fold everything together until well combined.

4. Spoon the mixture into the madeleine tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar before serving.


The Madeleines are delicious on it's own or served with lightly whipped cream . They are also a fantastic idea for a homemade Christmas present. The recipe makes close to 20 madeleines.

The Kitchenaid Mixer is a delight to use. It has 7 speeds and the attachments are extremely easy to clean. Although stand mixers are all the rage, this hand mixer is ideal for people who don't have the room for a massive stand mixer. If you are looking for an affordable and attractive looking hand mixer, then the Artisan mixer is perfect.

For the best prices on a range of fantastic Kitchenware Essentials, make sure to check out Kitchenware Direct. They currently have some fantastic offers such as free shipping, cash-backs and bonus gifts with selected items...

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Japanese Cooking At Kei’s Kitchen

This would be my third class at Kei’s Kitchen. The class we are doing is a Large Platter Class, which Kei and Masako normally do at the end of the year. The dishes you make at this class are normally dishes you would see at big parties.  They are all designed to feed 10 or more people.

On the menu is Ocean Trout Kenchin Style (Stuffed with Tofu), Chicken Rolls with Smoked Salmon, Asparagus with a Tomato and Egg Jelly, Beef Shabu Shabu Salad and two types of Sushi Rolls.

The first thing that Kei teaches the class is how to make the Dashi. She always says at the beginning of every class “No Dashi, No Japanese Food”. After the Dashi is made, we begin by de-boning the 2.5 kilo Ocean Trout which we will later stuff with a Tofu mix.

Kei shows us how to carefully de-bone without damaging too much of the flesh. What took 15 minutes will probably take me an hour to do. She cuts across the back bone without damaging the outer skin and proceeds to take the bones of almost in one piece. One of the students made a comment that its almost as precise as a surgeon.

The fish was later stuffed with a tofu mixture and sewn back together to be baked in the oven. Masako points out that we should always use black thread so its easier to take it off the fish once cooked.

I was assigned to cook the beef for the Shabu Shabu Salad. The meat was thinly sliced Wagyu Beef which I quickly dipped in hot Dashi. This was then served on a bed of salad greens, blueberries, kiwi fruit, radish sprouts, cucumber, oranges and witloof. I have never thought of putting fruit in a salad but it certainly worked and took away from the richness of the thinly sliced meat.

When you think of Japanese food, you don't really think of Chicken Rolls stuffed with Smoked Salmon and Asparagus. I certainly changed my mind after my first bite. The chicken was lean and full of flavour from the smoked salmon and asparagus. The panko crumbs added crunch and even though we fried this dish it was light.

The Chicken Roll was served with a Tomato and Egg Jelly which was made by using Agar Agar. I must admit this was a challenge for me to eat. I found the texture odd but the flavours were amazing.

Each of us had to make a Sushi Roll. We made two Sushi Rolls. A Tuna, Sprout and Wasabi Mayo Roll and a Prawn and Avocado Uramaki. The sushi rice was carefully weighed and we were each shown the proper way of rolling.

After all the preparation, we set the table, ready to eat what we have all made. It was certainly a massive spread, that was beautifully presented. There was so much food that the whole class managed to fill containers with food to take home.

It was a fantastic day, I learnt so much. Kei and Masako have certainly taught me a lot about Japanese Cuisine and I cant wait to go to another class in 2012. 

If you are interested in learning about the art of Japanese Food, make sure you check Kei's Kitchen for their 2012 class schedule.

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