Pan Fried Carp in Sweet & Sour Mango Sauce

Mymy Suajico – Santiago 蔡马安

Sweet and Sour is stereotypically an element of standard Chinese cooking. Said to have originated in the Chinese province of Hunan, Sweet & Sour sauce then was in the form of a dipping sauce ( mixture of vinegar & sugar ) rather than what resembles now as “sweet & sour” cooking in westernized chinese cuisine. The style of using sauces is popular amongst Chinese who tie certain sauces to particular meats such as chili-soy shrimp and vinegar-garlic goose.

The traditional Chinese sauces are made from mixing sugar or honey with a sour liquid such as rice vinegar, soy sauce, and spices such as ginger and cloves. All of these, rooting from their concept of Yin-Yang as complementary forces interacting as one dynamic whole. Thus, the need for sweet to balance the sour giving rise to an exceptional flavor.

This recipe therefore is a fusion, following the way it is served in western Chinese restaurants with the meat battered & fried, the sauce poured over. I have added mango syrup as the ‘sweet’ element and to zest the sauce.

Ingredients:

1 whole           Carp (or any white fish) gutted, scaled & cleaned
1 teaspoon       Salt (for fish rub)
1 tbsp.            Ginger & Citrus mix (liquid or dry-for marinade/rub)
1 tbsp.            red pepper flakes (rub)
½ cup            Corn Flour (for dusting)
2 cups            Canola Oil (for Frying)

Scouring

Marinating

Dusting

Frying

Scour the carp and marinate/ rub in marinade –allow to sit for 1 hour or longer.

Dust with flour and fry well done –set aside

Clockwise L-R: Celery, Garlic, Onions, Jalapenos, Ginger, White Vinegar, Mango Nectar, Stewed Tomaotes Red & Green Bell Peppers, Chives (center)

4 cloves          garlic, minced
1 small           onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp.            ginger, minced
2 stalks           celery, sliced
1 whole           green & red pepper, sliced in strips
2 large           tomato, quartered ( or canned stewed tomatoes)
1 pc.             Jalapeno, for heat (optional)
¼ cup            white vinegar
½ cup            mango nectar
1                 cup chicken broth
½ cup            chives (roughly cut)
1 tbsp.            dark sesame oil
Canola oil for sautéing
Salt & pepper to taste
For thickener: 2 Tablespoons cornstarch dispersed in 1/4 cup cold water

Sautee onions & garlic, cover and allow to sweat
Add celery ginger, jalapeno, tomatoes & bell peppers, cover and cook for 2 minutes
Add in white vinegar, mango nectar and chicken broth simmer until all flavors are blended
Salt & pepper & drizzle in sesame oil, stir lightly and pour over fried carp.

Garnish & top generously with chives
Serve over hot steamed rice

Okra & Shrimp Gumbo with Crab Paste

Mymy Suajico – Santiago 蔡马安

Gumbo is the official cuisine of the state of Louisiana. It typically consists of the trio branded in Cajun cuisine as the “Holy Trinity” which are celery, onion & bell peppers.

A gumbo recipe is generally categorized as to the thickener used: the African vegetable Okra, the Choctaw spice filé powder, or roux, the French base made of flour and fat.

This recipe is a Seafood Creole Gumbo, most popular in New Orleans. I have incorporated an Asian twist of using crab paste to enhance the ‘seafood’ flavor and opted to use Sriracha (Korean Chili spice) than cayenne pepper.

Ingredients:

1 pounds                              shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup                                      Extra Virgin Olive oil

4 cups                                    sliced okra

2 cups                                    thinly sliced onions

1 cup                                      chopped celery

1 cup                                      chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup                                  diced garlic

2 quarts                                 shellfish stock (shrimp)

1 quart                                   tomato sauce

1 cup                                      chopped tomato

2 tbsp.                                    crab paste

                                                Sriracha for spice (or Cayenne)

                                                Salt & pepper to taste

Garnish with chopped celery leaves

Procedure:

Heat EVOO in a pan. Drop in onions and garlic to caramelize
Spoon in crab paste & blend
Add chopped tomatoes, celery & bell Pepper  
Mix in Okra and cover to cook for 2 minutes or until slimy & sticky (that’s how Okras should be)
Incorporate Shrimp,shrimp stock, tomato sauce, salt, pepper & sriracha, simmer for another 2 minutes & serve over hot steamed rice.

Nice with light beer or sangria!

Arroz a la Cubana

Mymy Suajico – Santiago 蔡马安

Also known as Arroz Cubano ( Cuban Style Rice ), Arroz a la Cubana is a Spanish Dish consisting of rice, fried banana, fried egg & tomato sauce. This Dish found its way to Peru & the Philippines, as both used to be under Spanish colony. The Peruvian & the Philippine versions are very much similar to the Spanish way save for the addition of sausages on the former & ground beef with mixed vegetables & spices on the latter.

This is my Arroz Cubano recipe. I have replaced and added ingredients particularly with the ground beef to almost resemble a ragu to stay in touch with the essence of the Spanish way of serving the dish with sofrito.

Ingredients:
                        Steamed or boiled rice

1/2 kilo                lean ground beef (use sirloin)
2 stalks                 celery cubed
1 large                 potato, cubed
1 large                 bell pepper, chopped
2 tbsp.                 Craisins (or raisins, craisins render subtle sweetness unlike the strong flavor of raisins)
2 tbsp.                 minced garlic
1 large                 onion, chopped
2                       tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c.                  tomato paste
                                                      olive oil (for ragu)
                        Canola oil (for frying plantains & eggs)
¼ cup                  Worcestershire sauce
                        salt and pepper to taste
                        eggs, fried sunny-side-up
                        Plantains cut vertically & fried

Clockwise R to L : Craisins, Onions, Celery, Plantains,Tomato,Bell Pepper Garlic

Procedure:
Heat Canola Oil in a nonstick pan. Drop in cubed potatoes and fry until light brown.
Remove & transfer in a paper towel lined dish to remove excess oil and set aside.
On the same pan, drizzle olive oil and drop in ground beef, cook until well done
Add the garlic, celery, onions, bell peppers and craisins.

Sautee & simmer until vegetables are cooked. Add the tomato & tomato paste, Worstershire, salt and pepper.
Blend the mixture as it simmers and drop back the potatoes.
Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Arrange the steamed rice, ground beef & plantains on a dish; top the rice with the fried egg.

Sukiyaki 鋤焼

Mymy Suajico – Santiago 蔡马安

The literal meaning of sukiyaki is "grilling (焼, yaki) on a plowshare (鋤, suki),” referring to the time when meat was grilled outdoors in deference to Buddhist customs.

Best eaten during winter, Sukiyaki is commonly found on the menu of Japanese year-end-party. Traditionally prepared & simmered on a shallow iron pot and dipped in raw beaten eggs before eating.

This sukiyaki recipe is a variation from the traditional way; leafy vegetables of choice were utilized than the usual Chinese cabbage. Can’t be too square, after all cooking is an art…use what’s in your fridge.

Ingredients:

2 lb.                   beef flank steak, sirloin tip or tenderloin, sliced paper thin

5 Pcs.                 Shitake, softened
½ lb.                  Kale Greens
3 cups                Romaine Lettuce
1 bundle             Enoki Mushrooms
1 square             tofu cut into 1” cubes
1/2 can               sliced bamboo shoots
1/2 bunch           scallions
1 cup                  snow peas
1 cup                  celery stalks, chopped thinly
1 pack                cellophane noodles
                          Kikkoman or any soy sauce
                                    Sake or any white wine
1-2 cups             Beef broth
2 tbsp.                brown Sugar
                                    Sesame oil
Eggs – 1 per person (optional)

Procedure:

In a pan drizzle sesame oil until hot, stir in light brown sugar until caramelized. Add in beef slices and stir-cook until brown. Pour in ¼ cup of wine and simmer. Remove beef from heat and set aside.
Arrange vegetables, noodles, fungi and meat attractively on large shallow pan to cook, (In my case, I used our paella pan). Pour in beef broth, ½ cup white wine & Kikkoman to taste. Cook at the stove on medium heat until boiling. Have ready individual bowls with beaten raw egg (optional), into which hot sukiyaki will be dipped.

Sukiyaki is one of the easiest viand to cook. It’s as simple as cutting, dumping all in the pan and simmering. The umami factor rest on the art of flavoring & savoring.

Fried Calf Liver & Bacon In Celery Roux

Mymy Suajico – Santiago 蔡马安

1922 French epicures claimed that Liver & Bacon to be French in origin but the recipe has long been a classic in America way back 1857. For many years, liver was quite inexpensive in the United States, as many Americans were not interested in it. As Americans became more cosmopolitan in their tastes, they learned to appreciate new dishes. This trend, combined with the discovery of the health benefits of iron-rich liver, caused an increase in demand for, and the price of, liver.

 This is my reinterpretation of the American classic. Deviating from the traditional gravy smothered liver cuts, for this recipe the calf liver is served over a light celery roux so as to counter the rich flavor of the liver.

Ingredients:

1 lb.                   Calf Liver, cut into quarters (1/2 inch thick)

½ Cup                Flour
2 tbsp                 Lemon & Pepper dry Spice
1 tsp.                 Red Pepper Flakes (optional, for heat)
6                        bacon slices
½                       White Onions, diced
2 stalks               Celery, diced
2 Tbsp.               Light Butter
1 Tbsp.               Flour
1 cup                  Beef broth
½ cup                 White Wine
To Taste              Salt & pepper

Procedure:

put the bacon in the microwave to cook until crisp.

Set aside the bacon, separate & save fat drippings
Combine Flour , Lemon-Pepper spice & red pepper flakes in a dredging bowl
Dip liver in white wine & dredge in flour
Prepare pan for frying, heat olive oil & add in bacon fat
Brown calf liver ( do not overcook as it will turn hard & dry)
Set aside

On the same pan with the drippings sauté & sweat onions & celery in butter

Add in left over white wine. Dilute flour in beef broth & pour in to simmer until roux thickens. Remove from heat & salt & pepper to taste.
Pour in sufficient sauce in dish. Arrange calf liver on top
Garnish with chopped celery leaves & crumpled bacon bits

Serve with an earthy Zinfandel

Beef Tongue with Portabella in White Wine & Mushroom Sauce

Mymy Suajico – Santiago 蔡马安

Beef Tongue or Lengua is widely used world over, most notably in Mexico often seen in their tacos & burritos. This particular recipe is most popular in the Philippines, actually a fusion dish strongly influenced by Spanish and reinterpreted thru the years by locals. This dish is rich & comforting. Resembling stroganoff, but in this case using beef tongue which if properly cooked and prepared  could be more tastier than a fine steak.  

Ingredients:

1 pc                            beef tongue

6 pcs.                         Portabella Mushrooms (or any woody mushroom)

1 can                          Cream of Mushroom

1 cup                          beef stock

2 tbsp.                        Caramelized Onions

¼ cup                        White Wine

2 tbsp.                        Minced Garlic

½                                Jalapenos (optional for spice), thinly sliced

¼ cup                        salted butter

Olive Oil for sautéing

Fish Sauce & freshly ground pepper to taste

Procedure:

In a stock pot, boil water, add salt and immerse the whole tongue to cook until tender (This is the longest part of the process- best to do the day before)

Remove the meat & slice crosswise. Peel the outer skin membrane, if cooked right, this should be as easy as peeling a Band-Aid, set aside

In a pan, sauté garlic in Olive Oil until brown, add in portabella

Deglaze pan with white wine and simmer for 2 minutes

Add in beef tongue and cook for 5 minutes

Pour in beef stock & stir in the mushroom cream until dissolved

Simmer for another 5 minutes, savor with fish sauce & pepper

Serve topped with caramelized onions or garnish with jalapeno peppers

Asian Burger Steak in Lime & Soy Gravy

By    :      Mymy Suajico - Santiago 蔡马安

The original American hamburger was first served back in the late 18^th century, since then it has never left the American menu. In fact it has earned for itself a worldwide popularity most readily served in fast food restaurants. A high quality burger patty is made entirely of ground beef and seasonings to distinguish them from inexpensive burgers incorporated with “fillers” not only to decrease their cost but to flavor the minced beef as well.

This recipe is a variation of the all-beef patty with ingredients to suit the Asian palate. So, forget the bun and steam the rice…

Ingredients:                        Patties
1 lb.                                        lean Ground beef
½                                            white onion, minced
4 cloves                                 minced garlic
1 tbsp                                    Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp                                      Sriracha-Korean hot sauce (optional), or to taste
1/4 cup                                 Goat’s cheese, crumbled   
1                                             egg,lightly whisked
1 tbsp                                    Hoisin Sauce
1 tbsp.                                   Soy Sauce
Salt & ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbs                                      Canola oil  
Ingredients:                        Gravy
1 tbsp.                                  Corn starch
2 tbsp.                                  soy sauce
2 cups                                  water
1 tbsp.                                  lime or lemon
Salt & pepper, to taste
                                               Garnish
1 tbsp.                                 spring onions

Procedure:

Mix all ingredients except for the oil for frying, sit for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to fuse

Heat the cast iron grilling pan, add oil to cover the surface evenly
Form patties by hand and grill on both sides
Arrange in a dish and set aside

In a sauce pan boil a cup of water
Dissolve starch in a cup of cold water, add in sauce pan
Incorporate soy sauce and citrus
Simmer in low heat until thick
Add salt & pepper

Pour gravy on the patties & garnish with spring onions
Serve with hot steamed rice