Arroz ala Cubana

(Serves 6)

1/2 k Ground Pork
1/2 k Ground Beef
2 large potatoes, cut into very small cubes
2 large carrots, cut into very small cubes
3-5 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp pepper
3 pcs laurel leaves
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup raisins
6 eggs
3 bananas (Saba), cut thin lengthwise
6 cups rice

In a big pan, fry banana fritters using olive oil until golden brown. Set aside.
Using the same pan, sautee garlic and onion. Add potatoesm carrots. Sautee until potatoes, carrots are half cooked. Add meat, rosemary, thyme, laurel leaf, seasoning, salt and pepper. When meat and potatoes, carrots are almost cooked, pour in the raisins and cook for another 5 minutes.
Assemble by putting a cup full of rice at the center of the plate. Top rice with approximately 3/4 cup of meat. Fry 6 eggs (sunny-side up) and individually put it on top of rice and meat. Arrange 4 to 6 pcs. of fried banana fritters on the side or on top before serving.

Buttered Shrimps

Ingredients:

1 k large shrimps
1/2 c butter
1 head garlic, chopped
1/4 c sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Saute the garlic in the butter. Make sure not to burn the garlic.
Set aside half of the garlic for garnishing.

Add the sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until done. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining garlic. Serve hot with garlic rice.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

4 chicken legs and thighs or 4 chicken breasts (deboned)

Marinade:
1 tsp of coriander seeds
2 stalks lemon grass
6 shallots (peeled)
2 cloves garlic (peeled)
4 tbsp of cooking oil
1 tsp of chili powder
2 tsp of turmeric powder
4 Tbsp Soysauce
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

Need:
Bamboo skewers, soaked in water

Cut the chicken meat into small cubes. Grind the Spices for marinade in mortal and pestle. Add in a little water if needed. Marinate the chicken pieces with the spice paste for 10-12 hours or overnight. Thread the meat on to bamboo skewers and grill for 2-3 minutes each side. Serve hot with Peanut Sauce.

Peanut Sauce:
1 1/2 c dry roasted peanuts (unsalted)
1 c water
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 heaped tamarind pulp
(soaked in 1/4 cup water for 15 minutes, squeeze the tamarind pulp for juice and discard the pulp)

Spice Paste:
6-8 dried red chilies, seeded and soaked in warm water
3 cloves garlic
3 shallots
2 lemon grass (white parts only)
1 inch ginger
1 tbsp coriander powder

Procedure:
Crush the peanuts coursely with mortar and pestle and set aside. Chop the spice paste ingredients and blend until fine.

Heat oil and fry the spice paste until aromatic and smell spicy. Add the peanuts, tamarind juice, water, sugar, soy sauce and stir thoroughly. Simmer in low heat while continue stirring for about 3 minutes until the peanut sauce turns smooth. Serve at room temperature with the satay.

Turmeric and Honey Wings

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken wings (middle section)

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

1/8 tsp chili powder

2 inches ginger, peeled

Prepare the ginger by pounding with a mortar and pestle or grinding with small food processor. Extract the juice by squeezing with your hand and discard the ginger. Marinate the chicken wings with the ginger juice and all the seasonings above for 1-2hours. Grill or bake them in oven (at 375 F) for 20-25 minutes until cooked or golden brown. Serve hot.

**You can pan-fry it first and then grill them over the stove top flame to get that perfectly charred surface. or bake it for 20 minutes in the oven then held the wing with a tong, and grill them over gas stove top (set to medium heat).

Chicken Pandan

INGREDIENTS:
12 pcs chicken wings/drumstick

pandan leaves
oil for deep-frying OR you can barbeque the chicken

PANDAN MARINADE/SAUCE:
1/2 c coconut milk
2 ts. ground coriander seeds
2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 Tbsp fish sauce (patis)
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2-3 cloves garlic
1 thumb-size piece ginger, peeled and sliced
juice from half a lime

1/2 tsp. pandan paste
Optional: 1 green or red chili, minced

PREPARATION:

Place all marinade/sauce ingredients in a food processor, OR simply mince and stir everything together by hand. Note that you should be left with a sauce that is quite green in color.
Taste-test the sauce for salt and spice.

**If not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce. If too salty, add a little more lime juice. If too spicy, add more coconut milk. And if it's not spicy enough, add more chili.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce over chicken and mix to combine. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking, or preferably overnight. Note that the longer the chicken marinates, the more "green" it will appear. This is a good sign, as it means the chicken has been infused with the flavor and color of the pandan.

Pour the rest of the sauce into a bowl or container. This will be used later as a dip (if you plan to let the chicken marinate overnight, cover sauce and store in the refrigerator).

After the chicken is done marinating, take a long pandan leaf in your hand and use it to "wrap" the drumstick or chicken piece. Start wrapping several inches down the leaf to allow enough extra for tying ends together when you're done. The leaf needn't cover the chicken completely. Start and end the wrapping at the end of the drumstick (on the bone).

**If frying the chicken, discard any remaining marinade. If grilling, save the marinade to baste the chicken.
**If Frying the Chicken: Pour 1 cup or more canola oil into a small to medium-size frying pan over medium-high heat (oil should be at least 1 inch deep).

**When oil starts to "snake" across the bottom of the pan, try dipping a corner of one of the wings into the pan. If the oil starts to sizzle, it is hot enough. If nothing happens, the oil needs more time to heat up.

Once oil is hot enough, reduce heat to medium. Use tongs to place the chicken in the oil. If the oil splatters or "pops", try reducing the heat or adding a little sea salt to the oil. Turn the chicken pieces after 5 minutes to cook the other side. Chicken will take between 10 and 18 minutes to cook, depending on the size of the pieces and the heat of your oil. Chicken is done when it turns golden brown and pandan leaves have turned brown and crispy-looking.

If Grilling on the Barbecue: Place chicken pieces over a hot grill and cook until the juices run clear and pandan leaves have turned brown and crispy-looking. Serve chicken together with the pandan sauce you made earlier. This sauce can be served at room temperature or gently heated up (1 minute over medium heat).

Tip: don't overheat or boil the sauce, as you will lose most of the flavor and nutrients .

Cucumber Kani Salad

Ingredients:
crab sticks
alfalfa sprouts or snowpea sprouts
cucumber, julienne
rice wine vinegar
sugar
sesame oil
japanese mayo
fish roe

Directions:
Shred the crab sticks into strips. Mix cucumber, crabsticks, sprouts in a bowl. mix in with a little amount of rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and a pinch of sugaer. then add enough japanese mayo. add the fish roe last. mix it up and serve.

Creme Brulee

It's like our version of leche flan but with its name it made it more classier. and I think this one is much easier to make compared to our own leche flan. I wonder how it taste like. better try one soon.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

vanilla

sugar

heavy cream

salt.

items you'll need:

A whisk, a small bowl, and a medium mixing bowl that's microwave safe. You'll also need a roasting pan, an oven, and a microwave. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Separate the 4 eggs. Put the yolks into the small bowl. Set aside for a minute. Next, put 4 tablespoons of sugar into the mixing bowl. Add 1 pint of heavy cream. Stir gently with a whisk. You're not whipping this, just stirring. Next, put it into the microwave for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar. While sugar is in the microwave, whisk yolks a bit. Just enough to break the yolks up and smooth it out. When your sugar-cream mix is done in the microwave, stir it a bit to make sure the sugar dissolves. Stir in the eggs and whisk it well. Add a dash of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla. After it's well whisked, pour it into ramekins. Put the ramekins into a roasting pan.
Put the roasting pan with ramekins into the oven. Pour in enough hot water to come up halfway on the ramekins. It doesn't have to be boiling, just hot. I normally do it straight out of the faucet.
Bake at 350F for 40 minutes. They should still be jiggly when you pull them out. Don't worry about it. It will set up in the fridge, just like a cheesecake.Let them cool a bit and then pop them into the fridge. It's best to chill them overnight. Before serving, sprinkle some brown sugar on top of the creme brulee and burn it with a torch. If you don't have a torch, you can melt the sugar under the broiler. Let the creme brulee cool for just a minute, and enjoy!