Martes, Nobyembre 18, 2014

Gone Seoul Searching in South Korea the 2nd Time Around

It's been a friggin' while. I have been so busy planning my life out reason that I was on a pretty long hiatus.

Anyway, I am back and I am hoping to be on regularly. Well I'm finally home after my 2nd trip to South Korea, the country I dub--the land of cuteness (yes, Seoul specifically is a really cute city). Gee the place just never fails to astound me. This time though, we got to experience the Autumn season and it just couldn't be any less perfect, I tell you.

So with no further adieu, I would like to share to you a music video I have edited and shot (pardon the shaky shots). This video basically captured everything that me and my family did during the blissful trip. Thank you so much vimeo for not being such a pain in the butt unlike youtube who kept on flagging us because we used the song Best Day of Our Lives by the American Authors.

Here is the link.
https://vimeo.com/111959048



Enjoy! Thank you. :-)

Sabado, Hunyo 14, 2014

Chinn-ito in Town

Yesterday was the most unforgettable and luckiest Friday the 13th I have ever had. Who would've thought right? Well, this lucky lass, just had the chance to meet, in the flesh, the travelling chef of World Cafe Asia, ehem, drum roll please---Mr. Bobby Chinn! Mahgoodness, it was just last year that I started visualizing meeting and shaking-hands with him, but yesterday, not only did I get to shake hands with and meet him--get this, I got the friggin chance to hug him. Coolness.
How in the world did that happen? Why was he here?

Well, thanks to Facebook, I can now follow my fave celeb chefs. A week ago, I saw his post that he was gonna come over to the Philippines, and just last Thursday, the day before the event, he was at The Farm, San Benito, Batangas. Pinoy fans messaged him and he arranged a meet-up the next day. Next thing I know, I was at Cafe Ysabel with my sister and a friend, waiting for his arrival. I was, as always, filled with anticipation. Needless to say I was giddy and excited. Hahaha!! The event was gonna take place at a basement area that was converted into a cabin-like kitchen of the rustic resto. The waitress advised us that he was already down there so we left our food right away and rushed downstairs. 

And then, bygolly--I saw him there wearing his signature fedora hat. Oh dear. It was surreal. And to make things even more special, there was just a small crowd--it was very intimate. What else could I ask for? 

So I came up to him, introduced myself and asked if I could hug him. He was tall and fit. With arms wide open, he gave me a warm hug. He was the sweetest guy at that very minute. Gee. I was inexplicably happy. I never cared if the moment was very avid-fanny hahaha. What the heck I am a fan after all. My sister too was soo happy. We both were close to shrieking out of excitement. We were literally holding our "shrieks" in. Hahahaha. Bobby was just super nice. So while we were at it, we took the opportunity as well to have a photo with Cafe Ysabel owner and seasoned Chef Gene Gonzalez. The old guy was just as cool as Bobby Chinn. 


From the way Bobby and Gene interacted, they seemed like they were long-time friends. As a matter of fact, Bobby actually has a dish on the Cafe Ysabel menu. 

The night was a complete offering for a cook like me, food enthusiast, culinary student or a TLC viewer [lol] because he had a cooking demo. He made some Seafood Ceviche and Tuna Tartare.




Watching him was more than being entertained. He was just as how I see him on TV--full of antics, animated, very frank, and cool. I had the chance to sample his tuna tartare too. And boy oh boy, it was real good. :)



While Bobby was babbling the night away, I realized that most travelling chefs are great story tellers as well. They get insipiration from people, culture, mundane events of their lives and whatnot. He's got this sense of youthful exuberance when he told his stories as he went on chopping and mixing ingredients. Not bad for a 50-year old man. Made me want to be just like him. But then... of course cheffing is not a walk in the park. That said, he left his eager audience with this--

"A good kitchen is a clean kitchen. It has to be organized. A good kitchen has no waste, the chef is always right and nothing comes to a boil." 

The fan that I am... I just had to let him do that too. Good Bobby. :)

Linggo, Mayo 25, 2014

An Inspiration from Nong

I have always wondered how Hainanese Chicken Rice and its addicting spicy ginger sauce is prepared. I have also told myself several times that I would try making it. You see, I did plan on cooking it one time so I looked up some Hainanese Chicken recipes online and most of them required me to shock the chicken. And because I am a novice cook, I shrugged the idea off--until I saw this Thai lady who owns a food cart being featured on #Andybatesstreetfeasts. Her humble food cart is called Nong's Khao Man Gai. 
Khao Man Gai is actually Thai Chicken Rice. I do think that this was the closest recipe that I could get to be able to replicate that Hainanese Chicken Rice. I was amazed as how she's made the process for this dish 2 times simpler. I wouldn't say it was easy, but it was uncomplicated. It was simple, but I bet was very tasty. Her food cart is actually part of Portland's top 10 must visit food carts. I like her. I like her style, the attitude and the simplicity. That said, I finally did try to make Khao Man Gai. 
The process was a little tedious and meticulous but it turned out real good, says my sister. Haha. The best part of this food was the broth and the spicy ginger sauce. I am not gonna put the recipe on here for the reason that this wasn't really something that I "deconstructed" or anything. Deconstructed wow big word for a novice cook. Now that was funny. Lol. :)

Sabado, Marso 22, 2014

A Taste of Crepe

Man it's good to be back! :)

So for my very first 2014 entry [yeah yeah yeah I know it took me almost 3 months] is a dish inspired by a hot Australian chef, Curtis Stone, the chef you'd want to take home or for this matter, I want to take home. Hehe. Anyhow, every month I seem to favor on a specific ingredient or, specific condiment or an add-on or a part of a dish. I really don't know how you'd call it. For example, last January I was so much into making dips. I would usually put it on every dish I'd make. Now, for the month of March I am dabbling on crepe. Hells yeah. The crepe batter is actually very easy to make and crepe can be a good replacement for rice.

So I did get this from Take Home Chef and I am tweaking this dish making the ingredients Filipino friendly. This is my local version of Prosciutto Crepe with Red Wine Vinegraitte so by local I mean---Bacon Tidbits Crepe with Apple Cider Vinegraitte. :)

Note: When I say local I only mean by ingredients you can easily find and afford in the market. 

Ingredients:
Fried bacon tidbits
Diced Cheddar Cheese
Sweet Basil
Chopped Black Olives
Crepe
Apple Cider Vinegar
Honey
Ground Black Pepper
Lemon Lime
Olive Oil


Procedure:
1. Prepare the crepe batter. You may find some easy recipes for this online. Trust me it's as easy as  making pan cakes.
2. When the batter is ready, scoop it on a ladle and pour it on a non-stick pan.


3. On the crepe, put in your sweet basil, diced cheddar cheese, and olives.


4. Fold the crepe into a triangular shape.

*Apple Cider Vinegraitte:
1. In a bowl, mix in your 2 tablespoons of lemon lime juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, and put some olive oil and a dash of black ground pepper. 
2. Give it a whisk.
3. Pour a teaspoon or two on your crepe.

So here it is, very easy and very delicious. Yeah, coz my sister says so.

Bacon Tidbits Crepe with Sweet Basil, Cheddar Cheese, Olives and Apple Cider Vinegraitte. :)


Wow that was one quick entry just like the recipe. :)