Food Corner Wednesday #1

Here is the butter cake with chocolate icing that I made for his 2nd birthday. I can't find any icing decorations in Qatar so I opted for some candles just to make a birthday greeting. It turned out not bad at all. The important thing was, they enjoyed candle blowing and the cake so much.

Chicken Sotanghon Soup (Vermicelli soup)

Who does not love sotanghon and who says it is only served on special occasions? Sotanghon is very affordable just like the pancit bihon and canton and can be cook anytime we want and not for special day only.

Leftover Soup

Don't let your left over food turn into a waste.You can do something about it for another delicious meal that your kids are going to like. When I say left over, it means that the food is still safe to eat, been left in the fridge for  not more than 4 days. Make sure to check first if they look or smell unusual or when you are in doubt about the freshness or safety of any food, dispose it.

Ingredients:

• left over mashed potato
• left over  shrimp
• left over cooked spaghetti noodles
• salt and pepper to taste
• powedered or cubed chicken bouillon
• water or chicken stock
• parsley for garnishing

Directions:

• Boil water or chicken stock. Once boiled, add all the ingredients.
• Stir well. Let boil  for another 2 minutes.
• Season with salt, pepper and other seasoning  to taste.
• Serve hot

Chef Ed's Sushi and Sweets

Last month, I was craving for sushi. Luckily, I found a store near the hospital where my husband had and eye operation selling sushi. While he was in the operating room, I decided to stop by the store to get me some breakfast. The grocery store sells pastries and sushi in one area. I grabbed  a cup of coffee, sushi and cinnamon roll, pay at the cashier, without looking at the items that I picked up, then head back to the hospitals waiting area for a quick breakfast. I excitedly open the plastic bag but to may dismay, no sushi,and  got me a baklava instead.

Nutritious Tessway Sandwich

A sandwich is a quick way to make a meal.for breakfast,  lunch and even dinner. This recipe is inspired by Subway Sandwich that I really like. Since my husband and I like Subway sandwich , we decided to make our own version at home. He called my sandwich "Tessway Sandwich" and made his own with white bread and his choice of fillings.

Vegetable and Chicken Spring Rolls

All Filipinos love spring roll, and who doesn't? Any special occasion is not complete without meat spring roll (lumpiang shanghai), vegetable spring roll ( pritong lumpia) or fresh spring roll (lumpiang sariwa) on the table. My husband loves the meat egg roll so he went looking for a wrapper at the grocery store for me to make him some. I am  a vegetable person so I made two version, vegetable and meat.

I added chicken to my filling instead of diced tofu but you can omit or add any of the vegetables like mung beans sprout, turnip, sweet potato, bamboo shoot, ginger, green onions, fresh mint. Soy sauce, oyster sauce and vermicelli noodles can be added too.

Filipinos don't usually put mushroom on vegetable spring roll, but as a mom who was raised in the Philippines, worked in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar for 10 years and now living in USA for good, I learned to cook what is available in the store and in my pantry.

Spring rolls or egg roll can be keep frozen, single layer in a freezer bag. Just cook them unthawed whenever you feel like eating. Remember cooking is an art, you can add any ingredients you like and cook it according to your taste. 

 

Vegetable and Chicken Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

• spring roll wrappers 
• 1/2 Chicken breast, cooked and shredded
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup carrots, julienned cut
• 1 cup shredded cabbage 
• 1 cup potato, julienned cut
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, cut thinly/julienned.
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder or 1 bouillon cube, just for added flavor
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2  tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• oil for deep frying 
• spring roll drippings to seal the wrapper

Directions:

1. Boil half chicken breast in 2 cups water, 1 tbsp salt and 1 tsp ground pepper. 
2. When cook, transfer chicken to a plate, let cool. Shred, and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add chopped onion and minced garlic. Let it cook to release the fragrant and the sugar in the onion. 
5. Add chicken and the chicken bouillon. 1/2 cup chicken broth. Stir well.
6. Add all the vegetable except parsley, stir well until half cooked. They will cook further when the spring roll is fried.
7. Season with salt, pepper and parsley. 
8. Transfer to a colander to drain off excess fat and liquid. 
9. Set aside and let cool.
10. Separate the wrapper. Cover with wet clothe to keep from drying.
11. Arrange spring roll wrapper on a plate or any flat surface. 
12. Top each wrapper with an equal amount of vegetable mixture.
13. Roll, tuck in both sides and roll up tightly. 
14. Seal edge with drippings.
15. Deep fry until golden brown. 
16. Remove from fire and place on a paper tower to drain off excess oil.
17. Serve with vinegar, sweet and sour or chili sauce.

Lumpiang Shanghai

Spring Roll ( Lumpiang Gulay) 

How to Wrap Egg Rolls