Mikuru Eats

Tofu Tortilla Wrap

2011-08-14T17:54:00.002-07:00

Hey! Remember my Tofu Tacos? If you have flat breads like pita, naan, tortilla or a tasty bread you sat on then here's another fun way to enjoy tofu!

This is the Tofu Tortilla Wrap!

The sticks I used to hold the wrap in place are from a hospital ear bud. Don't worry, I washed them.

Here's how I did it:

1. Follow the instructions on how I did the tofu here.

2. After heating your flat bread on a skillet, from an oven or from a fire type pokemon...

Char! Char! Char lang, teh! Haha XD

... place a good leaf of lettuce and your favorite spread. It could be tuna, cottage cheese, liver spread, whatever. Lay out the tofu and drizzle a good amount of extra virgin olive oil.

3. At this point, you can add whatever you like. You can add shredded cheese, veggie strips like cucumber, plain or flavored yogurt, etc.

I used tortilla and they are best served cold. Chill them in the fridge for about 5 -10 minutes before serving! Best with iced tea or lemonade!

Potato Pancakes

2011-05-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

Potato pancakes are usually shallow-fried pancakes of grated potatoes but I did a different method and added other ingredients. For this one you need:

1 regular can of corned tuna (drained really really well)
4 medium-sized potatoes (boiled to perfection)
1 medium-sized onion (put it whole..... lol just kidding... finely chop it)
1 egg (the one that came from a chicken)
grated cheese (lots and lots of 'em)

So basically, this will be a mashed potato pancake. If you have leftovers from last night's barbeque party or if a potato stand in a nearby market is rammed by a truck... you could use 'em for this recipe.

So there, put everything in a bowl and mix it well to the tune of Ke$ha's "Tiktok". By the way, you can add flour to the mixture if you want. I seriously forgot to add some in mine, haha.

When it's all mixed up, scoop about a tablespoonful then roll it into a ball and pretend that you are a pro - juggle the ball to remove the air pockets inside. By the way, make sure you washed your hands before doing this. I seriously forgot to wash mine, haha.

Then fry away!

Nice, huh? You can eat it on its own or with your fave dipping sauce. Ketchup is nice, too!

Tofu Tacos

2011-03-18T02:35:00.000-07:00

So I had this crazy idea of replacing ground beef with tofu. I thought it would never work but to my surprise, it did! So I'm gonna share this delicious recipe!

By the way, I tweaked the traditional taco recipe so if you're looking for authentic tacos, try Google. So here are the ingredients I (unfortunately) used. ^^Of course, taco shells, onions and tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, firm tofu, McCormick Pesto pasta mix, Maggi magic Sarap seasoning, olive oil, Italian seasoning, pepper and other seasonings that you think will add flavor... the gayer, the better!
Mince the onions and tomatoes and sit fry them in olive oil... when they become soft, add in your seasonings. I added Italian seasoning, it made the onions and tomatoes very aromatic! Then continue stir frying for about 5 minutes then set aside.
Crumble the firm tofu until you achieve the texture as shown above and with a good amount of oil, fry them. Stir occasionally. Basically, this will be your meat and since i don't wanna change the natural and subtle taste of tofu, i just added Maggi seasoning and a little bit of soy sauce. Add a bit of oil when it runs dry. Repeat the process until you achieve this:
Tadah! See how it resembles ground beef? Cool huh? In doing this one, I suggest you use a non stick pan... if you notice i changed pans LOL!

And for a really tangy dressing...
Look for this:
Add 1 tablespoon of this to 1/4 cup mayonnaise and add a splash of lime and a pinch of salt and pepper. This is the real deal, baby! You can also use this dressing for sandwiches or use it as a dip! ^^

OK now we have everything ready...
Let's assemble a taco! Hmm... it doesn't really matter which one should be placed inside first, it's all gonna go down anyway! Haha!
So there you go... tacos... Mikuru style! Let's eat! ^_^

Corned Tuna Kimchi Sandwich

2011-03-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

Everyone in our family loves corned tuna and kimchi so I decided to share my Kimchi sandwich recipe made healthier with San Marino Corned Tuna!

So what do we need here:
2 tablespoonful of San Marino Corned Tuna
1 small fresh cabbage leaf (boiled or as is)
1 tablespoon of Chinese Cabbage Kimchi
sandwich spread
mustard
salt or sugar to taste (optional)

Okay so let's get started! =)
Spread one slice of bread (or both) with sandwich spread then arrange the cabbage as shown above. Make sure that your cabbage is drained very well if you had them boiled.
then top the cabbage with San Marino corned tuna and on top of that, arrange your favorite Chinese Cabbage kimchi brand. Make sure they are also drained very well, otherwise you will end up having a soaking wet sandwich! =)
Then finally drizzle a good amount of mustard, salt and/or sugar to your desired taste!

Protein from corned tuna, vitamins and cholesterol-lowering benefits from cabbage and kimchi, etc. This easy to make and healthful sandwich is definitely an energy booster!

Pinoy Scramble!

2011-02-24T18:57:00.000-08:00

Ice scramble, ice crumble, i-scramble, iskramble... whatever you call it as long as the schwa is there and a wonderful sight of this amazes you:

They say this delicious treat originated from Iloilo. It's basically shaven ice mixed with either artificial or natural flavours and topped with a variety of sweets like - chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup, powdered milk, chocolate chips, colorful sprinkles, mallows, rice crispies, etc.

It is very popular among kids and adults alike, specially during the summer! Iskrambol is now enjoying a makeover since 2010 - affordable food franchises and food carts are taking this unique pinoy treat from the streets to malls, amusement parks, cinemas, etc. and nostalgic patrons line up for a cup of their childhood memories.

Bulalo in Tagaytay

2011-02-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

There's something about Tagaytay's bulalo.

This is a soupy dish that consists of boiled marrow-rich cow's leg bone (preferably that of the foreshank or hindshank) with cartilage and few meats still attached on it and also has some potatoes, whole onions, string beans and cabbage.

Not all that glitters is gold. Sometimes, it's bulalo. =)

My brother said Tagaytay's bulalo has a distinct and unique flavor compared to other bulalos and indeed it is! I don't know if the cool weather and other living conditions of cows have something to do about it, but this is a very hearty dish!

Nature's cannon ball is definitely refreshing!

I ordered Buko (coconut) juice immediately when I saw it on the menu (I need a break from iced tea) and to my surprise it was served with the jelly meat in the shell! So cute!

We also had tawilis, it is more or less the size of your middle finger. Sardinella tawilis (sometimes obscurely referred to as the Freshwater Sardinella) is a freshwater sardine found exclusively in the Philippines. It is unique in that it is the only member of the family Clupeidae that is known to exist entirely in freshwater.

It was lightly battered then fried and served with achara. My brother taught me how to eat it the right way - hold it by the tail, dip in soy sauce (or whatever) and eat it whole!

Mikuru Soup

2011-01-23T23:03:00.000-08:00

I went back on my healthy eating track so I bought these:

2 large packs of cabbage kimchi, blocks of tofu, frozen seafood cakes (crab, fish and squid), sweet corn on the cob and Chinese cabbage

I decided to make soup!

I prepared the ingredients

And cooked them in chicken stock seasoned with a little bit of salt and pepper...

I call this "Mikuru Soup"! So what makes it different? It's pleasing to the eye, colorful, healthful, delicious and it's made with love by yours truly! So here, have a taste of my love. =)

Homemade Chicharon

2011-01-18T05:51:00.000-08:00

Healthy eating is my game! And like in every other game - I cheat! And I cheat a lot! LOL

Mom has this habit of trimming off excess fat on meat every time she cooks em. So the other day we had Sinigang na Baboy and I used the cut off fat and skin to make chicharon!

So I had these babies washed, seasoned with McCormick, a little salt and ground pepper.

... and deep fried 'em!

and after about cooking for 20 minutes on medium flame...
... calorie bombs that will surely blow you away!

Good stuff, and I mean really really goo-ood! Best with rice and sweet 'n sour sauce! Pig out!

Burned Lumpia

2011-01-13T05:23:00.000-08:00

Controlling temperature is a challenge every time I cook in this electric stove
That's the aftermath

and this is the finished product
Yes! I burned my lumpia. Our electric stove's "deep fry" setting has 80 degrees for it's minimum temperature. Tried that, but it took forever to cook my bangus lumpia but the next temperature setting is at 180. a 100 degree difference! Next time, I'll use the conventional stove. =) I still ate this though... with kimchi, of course.

Kimchi Stew and Pancit with Kimchi

2011-01-08T01:07:00.000-08:00

I love kimchi! I eat it with anything!
So my dad brought home 2 of this:
Kimchi Stew! Just heat it (you can add tofu) and it's ready to be served!
It was too spicy for me! So I added 3 tablespoons of sugar to the whole package and it turned out tolerable.

But when I checked the label...
It's already expired! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
Good thing we stock up on kimchi... so i used a store bought one and topped it on pancit!
A filling merienda! Let's eat!

Kanin Club

2010-10-18T02:12:00.000-07:00

After a mass one sunny Sunday morning, we headed to Kanin Club in WestGate, Alabang. We usually eat out for lunch every Sunday so my brother suggested this place.

The place is just small, pretty much half of a basketball court in size but there's a second floor. The first thing that you'll notice upon entering are these...
Paintings by Filipino artists (I suppose), stained glass, native handicrafts and there is even native music being played to complete that Filipino vibe. That staircase by the way leads to the second floor. Nice ambiance overall, though it is almost claustrophobic but anyway... the food... ah yes, the food...
Their vegetable curry was a hit! I was a bit worried that the vegetables will be too soft but it turned out just fine, I liked it a lot! I also love their "Sinigang na Baboy sa Miso". (Pork in Miso Soup) The soup was rich and not too strong. The meat was also tender, I had no difficulty scraping all the goodness off the bone.

Ordering Tokwa't Baboy (Tofu and Pork) was not really part of the plan. You see, why would you order something that you can eat elsewhere? I mean, we went here to try different stuff we don't usually get to eat at home but something tells me this dish is special so I went ahead and ordered one. Then it came in a deep bowl, it usually has a dipping sauce comprised of soy sauce and other stuff but this came with none so I asked the waiter for some but he told me it is already IN the sauce. I dug deeper and yeah, hidden under this mountain of crispiness is a spring of delectable sauce! I mixed everything up with a spoon and 3 words - "OMG!". Okay, three letters. Haha! Very delicious!
I got excited with their brown rice, I immediately ordered it when I saw it on the menu. It is said that 2 cups of this is equal to 1 cup of rice so if I'll be eating a lot getting this would be a wise choice.

They offer bottomless iced teas. My family ordered the regular one but I opted for the green tea. They are refreshingly good!
That one on top is a very interesting dish. They call it "Sinangag na Sinigang". Two methods of cooking - "sinangag" and "sinigang". Think about it this way - a sinigang dish that is stir fried. Some of the veggies like the lettuce and okra were lightly battered and fried so they were crispy which reminded me of crispy kangkong. There is also a pork cutlet and it was soft and chewy.

Below is Seafood Karekare! Squid, shellfish, veggies and an unidentifiable sea critter make up this orgy of goodness! It looked too oily for me but it didn't taste like and I assume they used healthy oils. It came with bagoong or fish paste but you don't really need it, trust me.
Above is Pad Thai. I had my first Pad Thai a few days before going here and I like it a lot so I ordered a plate for the whole family to try! This stir-fry is Thailand's most famous noodle dish. It contains cooked rice noodles, tofu, shrimp, crushed peanuts, nam pla, bean sprouts, garlic, chiles and eggs. Unfortunately, it's not their cup of tea so I ate most of it.

And finally, Crispy Dinuguan! This, I have to say is the star of the day! Imagine - lechong macau in pork's blood coupled with spices. Ah! This is heaven! I liked it a lot! You could really hear the crunch and the pork's blood is flavorful!

We had a lot of fun here @ Kanin Club. A lot of dishes were unexpectedly good! We will definitely go back here! The only thing we didn't like is their slow service. We waited for almost 45 minutes! It's worth the wait but mom is unhappy. Just look at her face. Haha!
Kanin Club, Westgate Mall

Commercial Ctr., FAI Admin Bldg., Alabang

Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila

Philippines

(02) 771-1400

Seafood Ball Stew with Eggs & Noodles

2010-05-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

Seafood Ball Stew with Eggs and Noodles.... well that's how I would call it. Fish balls, Squid balls and Kikiam were stir-fried with onions, tomatoes and garlic. Then simmered in tomato sauce.

I added raisins too. And being the crazy chef that I am, I also added a pack of instant noodles and hard boiled eggs. Though it looks really odd, it's great with rice! Not to mention all the lycopene you need for a day.

Call me insane, but this stuff is good!

Summer at Batangas

2010-05-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

Destination: Munting Buhangin Beach Resort, Nasugbu, Batangas

It's a looong ride but the thrills brought by sight-seeing is worth it. We stopped over Tagaytay for a quick lunch on these rent-a-table place. We had roasted chicken and liempo while enjoying the breath-taking view of Taal Lake. Taal Lake is the 3rd largest lake in the Philippines and it serves as the throne for Taal Volcano a not-so-active volcano situated in an island which is called Volcano Island.
After almost 3 hours of travel time and a gruesome downhill trek, we finally made it! It's not white sand though, but the water is nice! Not too salty even though it's salt water.
And on our way home, the next day, we grabbed some of the best fruits of summer!

English Breakfast

2010-04-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

After being exposed to English Culture for almost 2 months, I was inspired to fix myself an English breakfast. A typical English breakfast consists of an assortment of eggs, toast, bacon, mushroom, beans, sausages and sometimes served with black pudding (a type of sausage made from pig's blood). Just fry them all, butter your toast and serve in a large platter with coffee.

I don't have all the ingredient I need to make this so all I can do is to make something as close as possible.

I stir-fried chopped button mushrooms and onions, then caramelized them with sugar. I made french toast and almost turn it into a grilled cheese sandwich. Lastly, I mixed corned beef and boiled potatoes with a little flour and eggs, shaped into patties and pan-fried them.

I just added beans and there you go! I forgot the fried eggs, but this looked good enough, ye?

Clay Pot Ramyun

2010-04-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

I'm loving spicy food! Today, I had Clay Pot Ramyun. Ramyun is Korean Ramen by the way. I bought this one together with the Neoguri noodles from 7eleven. I only placed half of the chili powder packet because I want to add kimchi. I don't want to burn my tongue so it's better to be safe than sorry.
I saw some left-over tempuras and pork spring rolls so I tossed them in the boiling saucepan. I love the sound while it boils and the smell is nice, too!
Oh, and just to share, since I've been talking about kimchi for quite some time now...
Fish Spring rolls and kimchi served on yellow rice, FTW!

Neoguri

2010-04-16T23:41:00.000-07:00

After a stressful day at work, I always visit a nearby 7eleven convenience store. Every time I do, I kept looking at one shelf to another endlessly because I can't decide what to eat until I realize people are giving me weird looks. So after 5 minutes of going around, I decided to grab a pack of instant noodles and this particular pack is begging me to pick him up.

I see it's an Udon type of Ramen (and I see kamaboko slices) but the "Nong Shim" and korean characters part made me confused if this is Japanese or Korean noodles.

Btw, just to share, Koreans are everywhere around my neighborhood! It's either they are here on vacation or enrolled in a nearby English Language learning center. Anyway, I hate it when they talk to each other so loud as if they don't really care since locals can't understand what they are talking about. The bigger the group - the louder! I swear!

It's actually cool because there is a bonito flake included in the package where you have to boil it first with water before adding the noodles. It's just a little bit disappointing because it's not what I expected it to be.

Just look at what I have compared to what is pictured above but it's okay, it tasted good with a little bit of kimchi. I swear, I'm getting addicted to kimchi. Well, on to the next instant noodle pack!

Hallaca, Empanada and Arepa

2010-04-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

I love meeting friends online! I have a Venezuelan friend, his name is Luis, and we were talking about - food! (Whatelse would I be interested in? XD) So every time I make friends with another person from a different country, I always ask: "What's the famous food there?". So here you go:

Hallaca (Hayaca)

Although it resembles our native suman, hallaca is not made of sticky rice. Instead, it is made with cornmeal dough. The traditional hallaca is made by extending a plantain leaf, greasing it with a spoonful of annatto-colored cooking oil and spreading on it a round portion of corn dough (roughly 30 cm), which is then sprinkled with various fillings. The filling is basically a mixture of various meats, raisin and olives then bound in strings withing plantain leaves then boiled. Hallaca dates back to history when Spanish colonizers throw leftover food during Christmas to slaves, then slaves collect them and reassembles them thus giving birth to this awesome delicacy. Which is also the reason why Venezuelans traditionally eat this at Christmas.

Empanada
I was baffled when I found out that in the list of Empanada making countries from wikipedia, the Philippines and Indonesia are the only Asian countries. The rest are Latin and Hispanic countries. Well anyway, Empanada ocame from Spain and since Spain colonized several other countries, a lot of variations were born.

Venezuelan empanadas, like the hallaca use corn flour based dough and are deep fried. The stuffing varies according to region; most common are the cheese and ground beef or chicken empanadas. Other types use fish, "caraotas" or black beans, oyster, clams and other types of seafood popular in the coastal areas, especially in Margarita Island.

Arepa

Arepa is another bread made from... guess what... thats right - corn! Corn is really a big thing in Venezuela. It can be grilled, baked or fried, can be eaten on its own or with various fillings. Making the dough requires a lot of hard work! The traditional, labor-intensive method requires the maize (mais) grains to be soaked, then peeled and ground in a large mortar known as a pilón. The pounding removes the pericarp and the seed germ, as only the cotyledons of the maize seed are used to make the dough. The resulting mixture, known as mortared maize, or maíz pilado, was normally sold as dry grain to be boiled and ground into dough. But we don't want to go through all that, won't we? Good thing pre-cooked cornmeal is available today!

Look on the bright side, flour- You're famous in Asia!

The arepa is split after cooking, and filled with ingredients such as cheese or deli meats. although the latter term is not commonly used today. An arepa can also be dressed with toppings such as cheese and eaten open-faced. Venezuelans prepare arepas depending on personal taste or preference and the region in which they are made.

Venezuelan food really interests me, they tell so much about the country's culture and history. This will definitely be in my to-try-before-I-die-list! Special thanks to Luis, my Venezuelan friend!

image sources:
buencomer.com.ve
www.panoramio.com/photo/6658605
http://fuentejuncal.org/
http://foodinhouston.blogspot.com/2009/08/venezuelan-empanadas.html
http://faerys-kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/04/venezuelan-empanadas.html
http://blog.cookingwithtraderjoes.com/2009/06/04/street-food-in-venezuela.aspx
http://www.latinmenu.com/tag/empanadas/
http://www.venezuelareport.com/?paged=2
http://epicurejenn.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/venezuelan-arepa-bar-caracas/
http://www.theyoungandhungry.com/1237478767/caracas-arepa-bar/

Menudo with Kimchi

2010-04-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

I really hate anything spicy. I don't like the burning sensation in my mouth because it makes me uncomfortable. But you know what, I think I am getting the hang of it. Since I tried making my own kimchi sandwich, I always find myself looking for ways to make something with kimchi.

Mom had to go somewhere so I took over the kitchen. *Evil grin* A big mistake, mama, a big mistake. The ingredients were already prepared and she was about to cook Menudo when a man, talking through a speaker box asked for urgent back-up. Btw, for those who are not familiar with Menudo... it is a stew dish of diced pork, chicken, sausage, potatoes, carrots, peas, and tomato sauce usually eaten with rice on the side. Not everything mentioned should be present, just as long as any meat, carrots and potatoes are cooked in tomato sauce, you can drop the technicality.

Saute garlic and onion then add pork cut into cubes. let them brown a little then add water and let it boil.

Froth starts to appear once it boils, just scoop them out with a spatula. Add tomato sauce, ketchup, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a little sugar. Let it simmer a bit then toss in your diced carrots, potatoes and green or red (or both) bell peppers cut into strips.

As an added twist to the traditional Menudo, I added a can of corned tuna, button mushrooms and murdered a bottle of kimchi.

You know it's already cooked if the veggies are already soft. And as usual... delicious!

Reinvented Yakisoba

2010-03-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

I was scanning my folders and I ran across old pics I never had the chance to upload on my old blog here. Well anyway, it's worth sharing.
I purchased a pack of authentic yakisoba noodles and even though I am missing a lot on some ingredients, I made use of what is available... and in this case - Chinese Fried Tofu and Garlic Sausage.

Yakisoba is often considered as "junk food" in Japan because of it's grease content (Bah! Wait till they see pansit ni Aling Nena!) It literally translates to "fried buckwheat noodles" and is originally from China and a lot of variations can be found in several Asian countries. It's basically vegetables, stir-fried with noodles and sauce is added.

So here's what I did:
Those tofu were already fried when packed, so I don't really have to fry them for a long time. The garlic sausage went well with the noodles, too. Delicious!

Nasi Lemak

2010-03-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

My Malaysian friend and I were talking about breakfast this morning and he said he just ate Nasi Lemak. I was like - "What the hell is that?". Good thing I was able to see it with the help of a "once a college project" innovation called Google.

Photo from wikipedia.

I was amazed when I saw the photo, it reminded me of our local tapsilog. Nasi Lemak is a dish sold in several South East Asian countries like Brunei, Singapore, Southern Thailand and is considered as a national dish in Malaysia. My friend referred to it as "coconut rice" because rice is soaked in coconut milk, then the mixture is steamed.

Pretty much like the different "cousins" of tapsilog, it's a rice meal and basically from what I have read so far from the internet, anything could be paired along with the rice as long as it has roasted peanuts, slices of cucumber and anchovies. The dish could also be served in wraps.

Take that, burrito!

I'll be on the look out for this dish. Oh well, maybe I'll just follow this recipe if I can't find an authentic Malaysian restaurant.

Kimchi Sandwich!

2010-03-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

I was scanning the fridge, and I was thinking of a meat-free breakfast (excluding eggs). So I made an omelet and boiled a large potato.

That's stir fried lettuce with onions and garlic. I also added a tablespoon of oyster sauce and a pinch of sugar. Did you know that potatoes are best eaten with their skin on? You just have to wash them well.

I was hesitant if I should open this bottle of kimchi since I hate anything spicy but my curiosity took over and I ended up with a Kimchi sandwich!

Lucky me, this particular brand is not so hot! You should try this! Very flavorful!

Corned Beef v.s. Corned Tuna

2010-03-13T04:30:00.000-08:00

Move over corned beef, here comes corned tuna! Corned tuna is widely promoted here in the Philippines as an alternative to corned beef. If you check google for "corned tuna", it's likely that you will get results from the Philippines. In Yahoo! Answers, some people (obviously outside of the Philippines) are not even familiar with the term "corned beef" (see "other answers"). Which brings me to a conclusion that this phenomena started in the Philippines considering that google corrected me when I asked who invented corned tuna. So anyway...

So What's the Difference?
Brands like this, claim that corned tuna has the same taste of corned beef but has all the benefits of canned tuna which includes - Omega 3 DHA which is good for the heart, low in cholesterol and high in protein. With the wide campaign of corned tuna brands as a healthy alternative, (not to mention Derek Ramsey) more and more people are trying it out!

Even for Corned Tuna, sex sells...

And the list gets longer...

So is it the end for corned beef? Not quite! Argentina corned beef came up with a vengeance.

It's so true, it doesn't taste like corned beef I have tried it myself. If they do, then there must be something in it that makes the taste similar because tuna will never taste like beef on its own. The feud will never end, both had the word "corned" but that doesn't mean there should only be one. Corned beef is delicious and so is corned tuna... but I don't like the fact that corned tuna is marketed as "I taste like corned beef". Why not just embrace the natural taste of tuna?

Mikuru Random Cooking: Cabbage Omelet

2010-03-13T03:43:00.000-08:00

I cook my own food most of the time and grabbing whatever I see in the fridge is fun! So here are the stars for today:

Cabbage, eggs, a large onion and cloves of garlic and an edible plate.

Note that I didn't boil the cabbage, I stir fried it right away with the onion and garlic and added a few oyster sauce. I saw leftover meats so I decided to add them up to add flavor, so I added bits of grilled pork. Let it cook for a while and mix in the eggs and stir everything then let it set and I topped everything with grated cheese and pizza sauce.

The grilled pork chops and oyster sauce gave it a barbecue kick while the cheese and sweet sauce gave it a pizza twist! Delish!

House Blessing

2010-03-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

I was checking on my folder and I realized I haven't shared our house blessing party. Our house was renovated a few months back so we had friends and family over and had lunch party. Here are some of what was served:
Fish fillet topped with peppers, swimming in some sort of soy soup. An all-time favorite - liempo. It was really good. The only thing that I hate about it is it's too oily. Baked mac, buko pandan salad, and I can't remember what that is... I think it's pork.

It was a simple gathering at our garden area. Where am I, you ask? I was busy trying out different cocktails at the bar. Oh, I love the bar! Always open! ^^

Mikuru Random Cooking: Sardine Spaghetti

2010-02-28T07:29:00.000-08:00

I was hungry so I took a visit to our pantry and rounded up ingredients that could possibly go well together and I came up with this bunch:
An opened spaghetti pasta, sardines in tomato sauce, instant carbonara sauce, tomato sauce, spicy mustard and left-over fish hotdogs. They are just begging to be cooked. So do you know what time it is? It's - MIKURU RANDOM COOKING TIME! Uhuh, no recipes to follow, random ingredients, just pure cretivity and a little bit of insanity, haha.

So I placed the fish hotdogs in my ever-faithful oven, separated the sardines from its tomato sauce. I squeezed the sauce out, I don't know why but I just felt like doing it and cooked the pasta as per label.

Chop some onions and garlic, saute and mix in the sauces... let them simmer for a bit and add the drained pasta. Mix again to coat evenly and top it off with the fish hotdogs...

Although it really looked ordinary, it's delicious, I swear! It surprised me...really.

Can't Get Over Pizza

2010-02-26T06:29:00.000-08:00

I usually crave for pizza, but instead of ordering, I made my own. Good thing there are a lot of instant ingredients available to cut your preparation time in half! So I sliced up a few hotdogs, onions, garlic and green peppers.

I preheated the pizza crusts so it will be a little bit crunchy.

It turned out really nice and the pizza sauces were flavorful. I had a lot of left over pizza sauce so the next day I experimented on pork tonkatsu... I made it into a pizza! I just added bits of spam on top of the cheese. It was good! I ate it over a bowl of rice.

Saisaki, Kamayan and Dads

2010-02-21T22:08:00.001-08:00

The power of three... and I'm not referring to 3 sisters living a life of endless demon banishing related activities, I'm talking about three restos where you can eat all you can for just less than 600 php! It's a great bargain actually, considering there is a wide range of food selection - from Japanese to Filipino to European and American cuisine!
It's like a food bazaar! Everywhere you look there are stations serving a certain kind of cuisine. It's like a festival of delicious food!
On top is the ramen station where you can order ramen, cold Japanese nodles, sukiyaki, etc. Ingredients are laid out in front of you, just tell the chef what you want and how you want it then he'll prepare it for you. There is also a grilling station where Japanese style skewered meats and salmon (and corn, too) are displayed, just grab a plate and put in everything you want and they will grill it for you... or if you don't want to wait, there are already-grilled meats on a platter.
On top, there's the fried rice and next to it are different kinds of tempura (pork, chicken, crab, shrimp and vegetables). The sushi is a blockbuster, when I went to that station, a lot of people are just grabbing what they see so I ended up with that pick. We had sukiyaki, ramen and they also have kimchee. I also love their tofu topped with crab stick, it's so delicious!
So there's my plate, I got a lot of gyoza, fancy sushi and for dessert, I got a lot of creampuffs, blueberry squares, some random unidentified sweets and chocolate coated apples and mallows via chocolate fountain.
You can create your own nachos or taco salad at that area and on the left are several custards and candied coconuts for dessert, those are cakes served in small squares, they also have pudding and on its left is the salad bar. Fruit, potato, macaroni, veggie... you name it, it's there! Several ingredients are also available so you can customize your salad the way you want it.
Those are french breads with fancy spreads and they even have an oven toaster! And there is the roasted chicken and ham station, the chef carves out a slice or two then just stretch out your plate.
And for the win, there is also a bibingka station where a chef cooks bibingka on the spot! It's really fun to watch him. He even posed when I took a picture. There are a lot of Filipino rice cakes and jellies in this station.
They also have a pasta section. Different kinds of pasta and sauces are up for grabs... I was wondering though why this station is empty. And to complete the fun atmosphere, there's a band!

It's a long stretch of food! I believe I only tried 20% of what's being served there. I am planning to go back. This is definitely a place where you get value for your money! The food is great, too!

2nd Level, Glorietta 3 Ayala Center, Makati

Telephone nos.

(02) 892-8897
(02) 892-8908 to 09

The Truth About Eggs

2010-02-21T05:23:00.000-08:00

My mother always tell me that we should only eat 2 eggs in a week. Why? because they say eggs are high in cholesterol which may lead to heart related diseases. One egg has roughly around 200 mg cholesterol and 5 grams of fat, so consuming a lot means taking in high amounts of cholesterol and fat. Convinced? Ye? Well...

What Studies Showed
On an article by Graham Butler a consumer and market place author:

People who consume one or two eggs a day show no effects on serum levels. (This relationship might not hold for those with elevated LDL/HDL ratios.) Researchers have discovered that saturated and hydrogenated fat intake, particularly the latter, are the real culprits in LDL/HDL elevation and remain sources of worry regarding heart disease.

This is also supported by Reader's Digest in this article.

By the way, in layman's term HDLs are good cholesterol and LDLs are bad cholesterol. Our body NEEDS cholesterol. According to this site, an egg only contains 1/3 - 1/6 of what your body can produce and this is essential for hormone production and the repair of cells.

Nutritious and Delicious
Eggs contain significant amounts of vitamins: A, D, E, B₁, B₂, B₆, B₁₂, folate and pantothenic acid (B₅) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc. Even though an egg is 71 calories and five grams of fat... isn't it worth it?! Hell yeah! And did I mention it has no carbohydrates?

Eggs are versatile food, you can eat them alone or as an ingredient to your favorite dish or as a side dish! The possibilities are endless. Now, are you feeling the urge to cook? Check this egg-citing recipes from allrecipes.com.

It Doesn't Stop There
Farmers today, produce "designer" eggs... I'm not referring to a diamond "CK" studded on an egg. I am referring to "omega-3 rich" eggs. Farmers achieve this by adding flaxseed to chicken feed. Isn't that great? Now, it makes me wonder what the future holds for eggs?!

In Japan, pinkish "sakura eggs" are achieved by adding sugar cane and marigold extracts to the chicken feeds, though it didn't affect the taste but I'm not sure if there is an additional value to nutrition.

Conclusion
Parents are stupid.... just kidding. Facts today might be proven wrong tomorrow, but we should not turn a head from recent studies. So how many again? Personally, I'd stick with one since I get cholesterol from other sources. Anyway, anything in excess is bad, right?

Bring Out the Kid in You at KidzWorld!

2010-02-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

Kidz World is becoming a regular celebration place for me. I featured it before here in my other blog. Who wouldn't love the place? I mean come on, take a look at the place!

Quoting from their website:

KidzWorld is for the exclusive use of its members, their families and guests. It is not open to the general public (where no one can be truly accountable for any damage made on the premises). This members-only policy is designed to protect the members’ investment and to ensure that KidzWorld will continually be able to provide the kind of quality amenities and services.

Makes perfect sense and since it's not open to the public, you can enjoy the peaceful and quiet ambiance... sweet privacy!

They have small huts where you can enjoy a relaxing full body massage!

I could describe the whole place as a huge zen garden with lush greens and diverse flora and fauna ecosystem.

And of course... the food! Take a look at the menu below.

We had: Pork barbecue (love it!), Pork Liempo, Sinigang na baboy and roasted chicken served with java rice and atchara or pickled papaya. That day, the breeze was chilly and the pool water was really cold (now, I'm starting to think that global warming is a lie ^^), so the Sinigang na baboy was very enjoyable to eat.
That's pancit canton with lots of veggies... and I mean A LOT! (I think the vegetables are more than the noodles, even if you dig at the center, you'll still findveggies). It's best eaten with toasted bread (Yup, carbo loading for more energy to swim!) and although it was a cold afternoon, I could resist ordering ice cream, that's chocolate, strawberry and... another chocolate ice cream scoop. And it gets more exciting...
Hamburger - with a really meaty patty, tuna salad sandwich (love it!), cheesy hotdog, nachos with diced tomatoes and cucumber, sumptuous ground meat topped with sour cream and cheese, it's oh-so-divine! And the last one's called KidzClubhouse sandwich served with fries.
Top must-try: Fries and Pork Sisig! Their fries is the ultimate comfort food and sisig is so delish! I am loving it! I can't wait to go back here. Next time I wanna try playing golf here.

You can find KidzWorld at:
Aguinaldo Highway corner Governor's Drive, San Agustin 1, Dasmarinas, Cavite, Philippines
Tel No: (63 46) 416-3110, 416-3081,416-2996

Email: fun@kidzworld.com.ph

Celebrating Valentines with Jugno's Monster Pizza

2010-02-14T03:46:00.000-08:00

How's your Valentine's? Don't throw back the question at me... I'd rather eat! So on a lazy Valentine's afternoon, my brother ordered Jugno's, which is famous for their 20" pizzas that come with a range of interesting toppings, they also serve 12" pizzas by the way. Take a look at their website or check the menu here.

You can mix and match the flavors and the partition, as far as I can remember we had Cheeze Garlic, Italian Sausage, Mexican Amigo and Pepperoni Pork Monster. It came with 4 small tubs of dips... I think those were barbecue, sour cream, salsa and another sour cream which tastes a bit different from the other.
The pizza is really big, the look overwhelmed me, it really is monster in size... but is it also monster in taste? The verdict - Regardless of the flavor, the overall taste was lacking a punch. I am not really sure where but the first bite should leave an impression of wanting more but this failed, although it wasn't that bad at all. The toppings are all there alright, you got your money's worth on the physical aspect, it just... lacked flavor even though the dips were awesome, except for the barbecue dip which tasted like fermented whatever. On a positive note, it was filling. Yes eating the whole thing by yourself is really filling, no doubt about it.... silly. Plus, just for 520 php I think it's not that bad at all! This will be a good addition to your party food table. Try it out, who knows, you might prove me wrong!

Delivery Hotlines:

Makati - Ortigas - San Juan - Pasay - Mandaluyong
Baclaran - Pasig - Quezon City
531-37-56 / 534-05-73

They are open 24 hours... that's cool.

Mikuru Bakes: "Mikuru Butter Cookies"

2010-02-10T23:27:00.000-08:00

So I had nothing to do the whole afternoon so I decided to look around our pantry and fridge to check and see what ingredients I could "experiment" on. Unfortunately, mom hasn't done her grocery so we barely have anything... I just saw some eggs, butter, etc. and it immediately occurred to me - Butter Cookies!!!

I searched online for the easiest butter cookie recipe and I found one. Just to share, there is this site - www.cookingbynumbers.com where you just have to click on what's in your fridge and/or cupboard then the site will come up with a list of recipes indicating the percentage of the ingredients you selected. The concept is nice but I came across a funny recipe: Fried Egg. Take a look below, I don't know if this is a joke or what.

We surely do! ^^

Okay, so here is what you'll need:

1 cup of butter, 1 cup white sugar ,2 eggs, 2 2/3 cups flour, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. If you think something's missing or something's too much, it's because I really made it that way. Moving forward...

Cream softened butter and sugar and on a separate bowl, mix eggs and vanilla then gradually pour it over the butter mixture while beating lightly.

REMINDER: It ain't Mikuru Butter Cookies if you will not do it my way!

I was busy mixing the ingredients and reading the instructions I wrote down on how to prepare the cookies then I thought... when would I add the flour? So I read the instructions again and I found out, I didn't wrote it down... "Ah, what the heck." I just added it to the batter and mixed it with my bare hands, adding love, sweat and tears... love it! ^^

I was able to make 22 pieces out of the batter (I can't believe I counted them in the picture above thrice, to be sure!). Make sure your oven is pre-heated and set at 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celcius (Damn, these guys are so famous, Mikuruheit sounds good too, right?)

And there you go! Since I only used an oven toaster some parts are crunchier than the other, but hey, it gave a nice variety of texture and color to the finished product. It's so flavorful, dad liked it so much and bro enjoyed it by spreading chocolate on top. Yummy! Mikuru Butter Cookies is the best! Hahaha!

Sakae Sushi: Sushi Heaven!

2010-02-09T05:33:00.000-08:00

If you are a sushi lover and want to experience eating in a sushi bar where sushi is served in a conveyor belt, then SM Mall of Asia's Sakae Sushi is the best place to go!

And the first thing you'll notice:

I love it!!!

You can get anything that you want and as you can see on the first picture above each plate color has a corresponding price and since I got the buffet promo, I can eat anything I want for a fixed price! The best deal on earth, right? ^0^Just seeing those 'heaven on a plate" makes me wanna live here! I got so excited I immediately grabbed the first plate that passed by ^^. Everything was so good! Okay, picture dump time!

They also offer rice meals, if you don't want sushi but still want something with rice. We also had Katsudon, Sukiyaki, Ebi Ramen, Green Tea (they will ask you if you want it hot or cold) and I had, correct me if I am wrong but I think it's called Hiyashi Chuka. This is Japanese cold noodles served with ice, traditionally served during summer and has a complementary dipping sauce. This one was also served with super soft boiled quail egg placed on a wasabi platform. Isn't it cute?! Sakae Sushi is definitely a sushi heaven!

Manila, Mall Of Asia
Unit 2145-2146 Main Mall
SM Mall of Asia
CM Central Business Park
Bay City, Pasay City
Tel: 632-556-0150

Manila, The Fort
26th Street Crescent West Park
Global City, Taguig Philippines
Tel: 632-843-4891

They have a website, too!

Barbeque Night! Featuring: Alligator Meat!

2010-02-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

Ever since our house was renovated, we sometimes have this what we call "Barbeque Night" on weekends. So, we had a couple of meats - remember I mentioned about the alligator meat that we bought here in my previous post? I seasoned it with salt, pepper and a little bit of powdered lime as you can see below in a white bowl.
My brother also made burger patties which were too thick (I already warned him) so it was unevenly cooked inside. He sliced them in half and it turned out good! We also had chicken teriyaki on a stick, 2 medium-sized stuffed squid. It was stuffed with chopped onions and tamatoes and there were other meats on sticks which I never knew or asked what those were but anyway, they taste awesome all the same. With regard to the alligator meat... I forgot to take a picture (I was already busy eating at that time ^^). I found this site about alligator meat and it says.

Alligator meat is considered to be healthier than domestic chicken, especially when it comes to cholesterol and fat content. The most common alligator meat product sold in stores is the tail section. Alligator tail meat is very similar to veal in texture, but is said to taste like chicken, rabbit, fish or frog's legs. Some also compare the tail meat to the white portions of pork. There is also a tenderloin portion of alligator meat, located in a tubular section of the tail.

I don't know if we got the tail, the package didn't say anything but it did taste like chicken to me, but it's a bit harder and tougher to chew compared to chicken. It was okay but it's not something that I would like to have everyday... and it's pricey, too!

I also made some mashed potatoes!
I am such a potato lover! I boiled 4 medium-sized potatoes, added about 2 tablespoons of butter and grated cheese over while it's still steaming hot. I love it!

Nueve Cafe at Wilcon Depot?!

2010-02-08T04:01:00.001-08:00

There's a Wilcon Depot close by my neighborhood. Since I was in1st year highschool, it's already there and it was my first time to actually get inside and to my surprise there is a small cafe by the entrance. That's a bit odd, don't you think? No? If that's not odd enough for you, take a look at this:
Across the cafe, which is just a stone throw away is a magnificent display of toilet bowls. Cool, huh? Is Wilcon Depot introducing the toilet-themed restaurant to the community? Anyway, the cafe seems nice and I got to try some of their pastries.
Caramel Walnut cake, hot chocolate, which looked like melted McFlurry, huge chocolate chip cookies and a blueberry cheesecake. I'm not really into sweets but it's nice to have some once in a while, just don't look the other way. ^^ And oh, believe it or not, you can order alligator meat from this cafe, you could have it fried and served with rice (a full meal) or you can buy a 250g frozen pack and cook it in whatever way you like. They say, alligator meat is much better than pork or beef since it's low in fat content and it only had 1 calorie per gram. Sounds inviting to hear that but it's kinda hard to believe though. Finally, we bought the frozen pack, just out of curiosity and we grilled it that night.

Oh Boy, It's Teriyaki Boy!

2010-02-07T08:13:00.001-08:00

For lunch our family craved for Japanese food, so we decided to go here, at Teriyaki Boy! Japanese food is something I could live with until I die, really! I never get tired of Japanese food... so as soon as we were seated and the lady was handing out the menu, I was like - "Gimme, gimme, gimme!" and the first thing I browsed for - Ramen, so I had Teriyaki Chicken Ramen in rich shoyu sauce!!! Their "Crazy Rolls" menu was also interesting. Here you can see "unique" rolls that I never knew they exist.
The rolls are perfect! I ordered The Saigon roll which is vegetable sushi with cilantro and Sumo Roll, which is actually 1.5x bigger than the Saigon roll, hence the name.

The chicken Karaage was served with chips which I think, is seasoned with powdered nori. That's mango shake served in a tall and slim glass. We also had Katsudon and Agedashi Tofu, Ebi Ramen and more Ramen... Amen!
Although the shoyu in my ramen lacked a bit of richness and the buckwheat noodles were lumpy, the rolls made up for it. I want to go back and try their other rolls. If you guys wanna check out their full menu, you can check out their website here.

Allow Me To Introduce Myself

2010-02-07T07:42:00.000-08:00

Hello there! Thanks for stopping by my blog! My name is Mikuru Hirai and that's me in the picture above (and my cat ^^). To start off, I am not Japanese. "Mikuru Hirai" is just an alias I use... sort of like an internet nickname. I am from the Philippines, young and fresh! Haha. I love Asian food ( who doesn't?!) I am starting a quest that involves tasting all the flavors of Asia (and some other stuff in between, of course ^^). I hope you could join me and witness my adventures (and misadventures) through this blog - www.mikurueats.blogspot.com! I had an old blog here don't ask me why I didn't continue on posting in that URL... long story ^^. All I can say is - I am starting a new life and I am very enthusiastic in my future endeavors.