Classic Pinoy Food at Sentro 1771

It was quite a hot day when we went to have lunch at Sentro. So it was such a welcome relief when I saw they have a classic Filipino cooler, Sago’t Gulaman, in their menu. It wasn’t overtly sweet, as most sago’t gulaman tend to be. The best
part? It’s refillable!

fried kesong puti
Fried Kesong Puti Php 250
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Fried Lumpiang Ubod (Fried Palm Heart Spring Rolls)

lumpiang ubod

Lumpiang ubod is one Filipino food I definitely love to eat. Be it sariwa or fried, this delicious food is readily available at most Filipino restaurants, eateries, canteens, and even from peddlers on the street.

Here’s a very simple recipe if you’d like to make some yourself.

Fried Lumpiang Ubod (Fried Palm Heart Spring Rolls)

Ingredients:

2 cups ubod (palm heart), cut into thin strips
1 chicken breast, boiled and flaked
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
Dash of chicken powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Lumpia (spring roll) wrappers
Cooking oil for stir frying
Cooking oil for deep frying
cornstarch diluted in water

Heat oil in pan. Saute’ onion and garlic until onion is translucent and garlic is golden brown. Add in the ubod. Next, add in the chicken. Season with chicken powder, salt and pepper. Stir fry until ubod is cooked. It should be tender but still has a bit of crunch. Allow to cool.

Lay out one lumpia wrapper on a plate. Place two tablespoons of the filling mixture on one end of the wrapper. Fold flap over the filling and fold the left and right sides in. roll until you reach the end of the wrapper. Seal the end with cornstarch diluted in water.

Deep fry in cooking oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with vinegar and crushed garlic.

lumpiang ubod

Pork Adobo Recipe

The other thing I cooked for my birthday was pork adobo. I know it’s a simple ordinary Filipino dish, but just weeks ago, I was able cook great adobo in Batanes, and I wanted to replicate it for my family. Besides, it’s not everyday we eat adobo in the house.

Pork Adobo

My sister taught me this recipe years ago, and I’m so glad she did.
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Easy Roast Chicken

One of my favorite things to eat while in Australia was roast chicken. Every time my sister and I go to the supermarket, we always pick up a tray of seasoned chicken that’s ready to roast. The roast is always a huge hit in the house, and the kids that are normally hard to feed have chicken bones piled up their plates. I wanted to replicate the chicken, so I tried my hand at making them from scratch, using the roast chicken seasoning she sent us in one of the balikbayan boxes.
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Lobster and Coconut Crab in Batanes

Batanes cuisine is very simple. Its remote location meant that most of the ingredients must be sources from within the islands, or it’s going to be really expensive. A trip to the market was rather uninteresting. There was only a small selection of vegestable, and an even smaller, though more exotic selection of fishes. Pork and beef are available, while chicken is near scarce and expensive — Php 190 per kilo!

However, eating out in Batanes can be quite exciting: lobsters are cheap and coconut crabs are available!

Lobster!

Frustrated by our failed attempts to dine on lobsters during our trip to Coron, Palawan, Gail and the rest of the group are hankering for lobster. Hearing that lobsters go as low as Php 300 per kilo, we know we just have to have lobsters in Batanes! The odds were in our favor, and we were rewarded with a very generous helping of lobster. With help from Tita Remy, our housekeeper at Novita House, she sourced out three kilos of lobster for our dinner on our first night in the island. Cooked simply by steaming, the lobsters were juicy and very meaty.

Next to the lobster, we were also looking forward to trying the tatus, the local parlance for coconut crab. Again, through Tita Remy’s help, we were able to arrange for a lunch picnic at Sabtang’s white beach. For Php 250, we dined on fried fish, steamed sigarilyas and the highlight of the meal: coconut crabs.

Yummy coconut crab

The tatus is unlike any other crustacean I have ever seen. Rather than being err, wide like other crabs, the coconut crab has a longer body, with a sac at the rear end housing the aligue that is reminiscent of a spider’s. The crab was meaty, with a distinct flavor. Though it was only steamed, the meat has the faint taste of coconut milk, the effect of its penchant for coconut. It is said that coconut crabs can climb coconut trees to get the coconuts, and using its large pincers, it tears off the coconut husk and uses the smaller pincers to pull out the coconut’s flesh. Apart from coconuts, the tatus also feeds on fruits and organic materials.

Priced at Php 600 per kilo, the coconut crab is a rather expensive treat. But never mind the cost; the delectable taste of this crab is worth every peso.

RCJ’s Food Hut
Romy Cielo – Manager
Sabtang Island, Batanes
Email : romycielo_55@yahoo.com
Mobile Phone : 0916-854-8285 / 0921-715-4919 / 0916-674-2344

Thanks for sharing the contact info, Melo!

Lunch at Kawayan Cove

I miss summer. Not the heat , but the bright sunny days that are characteristic of the season. It’s just perfect for a day at the beach! But, it’s the rainy season here. So it was such a welcome treat to be invited to go and have lunch at Kawayan Cove.

IMG_2332copy1a

Kawayan Cove is a 68-hectare high-end seaside residential resort community in Nasugbu, Batangas which is just a two-hour drive from Makati. There, we were toured around the property after dining on a very lavish feast prepared by our very gracious hosts, the Puyats. We dined at the Bamboo Beach Club on Bamboo Beach, the centerpiece of the Kawayan Cove development.

got crabs?

We feasted on seafood like crabs, shrimp kabobs, grilled fish; and on lechon (roast suckling pig) and chicken barbecue.

singkamas salad

There we’re also side dishes of salads, atchara and vegetables. And to cap off a wonderful meal is a dessert spread of fresh fruits and native delicacies like kakanins and leche flan!

barbecued chicken and salted egg ensalada

A delicious feast on a beautiful beach, shared with friends and gracious hosts. It truly is such a wonderful experience.

Click here to see more photos from Kawayan Cove.

Kawayan Cove
Bamboo Beach, Nasugbu
Batangas, Philippines

For more information about Kawayan Cove, call Edge Properties Development Corp. G/F Bldg. A, Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City, Philippines Tel. 843-9136 to 38 and 843-8820. Or visit their website, www.kawayancove.com.

Congratulations to the winner!

I did a Toni and went to Random.org to pick the winner of my contest. And the lucky girl is…

Kainpinoy-Contest-Winner

DYANIE!

Congratulations Dyanie! Your prize will be sent first thing next week. I hope you and your mom enjoy it 🙂

And for everybody who joined, thank you SO much! Watch out for other contests here in Kainpinoy.com. Or, you can join the contests I’m running over at my travel blog. Get a chance to win a Wii Night package from Redbox or a Jansport bag from Bratpack!

Mother Earth Bags are available over at their Multiply store. Flour sack bags starts at only Php 65, while printed canvas bags starts at Php 95. Perfect for the holidays!

Chowking's Chao Fan (Fried Rice)

chow fan sampler

Good news to all Chao Fan lovers like myself!

Chowking now has four variants of Chow Fan: Spicy, Beef, Pork and Yang Chow. I love all four, but I have to say that the Yang chow– with Chinese chorizo, shrimps, chopped vegetables and fried egg–, and the Beef Chao Fan–packed with a rich, beefy flavor, beef bits and chopped vegetables–are my faves.

chowking's siomai

Do you want even more good news? Even though there’s a rice crisis, they still managed to make it affordable. Chowking Chao Fan goodness starts at PHP 39.00.

chowking's lumpiang shanghai

I’ve always loved Chao Fan. It’s something that I order whenever I eat at Chowking. Already great on it’s own, I often pair it with a plate of sweet and sour pork, or a serving of either siomai or lumpia.

http://www.chowking.com/global/

The Freshest Picks At PICK Manila

Two weekends ago, I was invited to this weekend market out in Manila. I love going to the market, especially weekend markets because of the wide selection of products available. There’s cooked food, fresh meat and fish, poultry, produce, clothes, home ware, even pets on sale.

pika-pika

At the back of SM San Lazaro in Manila is Celadon Manila, a leisurely residential community by ALVEO Land Corp. Every Sunday for the month of September, Celadon Manila plays host to PICK Manila– the first lifestyle weekend market in city.

LCRV (Leche Flan)

If you are a foodie like myself, you’ll be able to go on a food trip with the big mix of culinary delights they have to offer– form Filipino staples like embotido, relleno, aligue (crab fat)–which I had to stay away from (a bit hard, but I managed)- leche flan and other native delicacies to international fare like Japan’s sushi and Italian sodas.

IMG_1952copy

They even sell organic products like organically-grown brown rice and herbs. Gourmet items, foreign and local, like honey and coffee are also sold by some stalls. Fresh fruits and baked products like breads and cakes are also available.

i am the queen, you are the bee.

For the fashionistas and home make-over lovers, PICK Manila also offers a showcase of some of the most novel and exciting finds. Shoes, bags, tops and fashion jewelery for the stylish urbanite and intricate home decor made of glass, wood, and fabric inspired by different cultures for the interior-savvy. I spotted a little wooden decoupaged case and a nice big lamp, both of which were just screaming for me to take them home.

HBA (Pillow)

Though I wasn’t able to take home the box and lamp, I did manage to snag myself a bag of Kalinga coffee which everyone has been raving about. I also bought some fruit and baked goods.

Fudge cookies 2

If you’re not doing anything tomorrow, why not check out PICK Manila. Head on over to Celadon Manila and experience it yourself.

PICK Manila is open on Sundays from 7AM to 2PM.

CeladonManila is a development by ALVEO Land Corp. Please visit: www.celadonmanila.com.ph for more information.

* Promotional photographs were provided by the concessionaires through ALVEO Land Corp.