Pandesal (Filipino sweet bread rolls)

So.  I have been amiss with the blogging and the writing. And in my last post, I forgot to mention the newest addition to our family!  We got a dog!

Late last year we got an 8 week old Labrador Cross and it has changed our lives immensely - from our daily routine to everything we eat at home.  The puppy was from an office colleague who's pet Labrador gave birth to 9 puppies!!  Of course, when she asked if we wanted one, it was a big fat YES please!  Eleven months on and our home is now double the activity - noise, mess and everything in between.  Lucky is a bundle of mess and joy! We've lost shoes and slippers and towels and old toys from biting and gnawing and every little budding plant in the backyard dug up, twigs and branches scattered about and the smell of stinking poo and pee!  But....... we are happy.  He brings us unconditional love and the happy yapping and tail wagging that welcomes everyone at the door every day is just priceless.  When you get a pet, I think there's that extra dose of tolerance, patience and generosity that comes out of you. Walks have turned into running because we're chasing him more, and play time at home has become more frequent.  Hubby is happy he's got a running buddy and an extra testosterone in the house and the girls are loving the play time - a much needed break from their gadgets and laptops.

I read one of those memes circling around my social media feeds - when you have teenagers, get yourself a dog. It seems apt with the girls now donning high school and teen hats!

Back to food and this pandesal.  This has been a fave recipe of ours since I started experimenting on making bread at home about 6 years ago.  Pandesal is a Filipino bread roll, it has subtle sweetness and saltiness and is a staple in most Filipino breakfast tables - even afternoon tea, really. Pandesals are sold by every corner bakeshop in the Philippines and they are delicious warm with slathers of butter or margarine.  This can be made by hand, using a stand mixer, and most recently, I converted the recipe for the Thermomix (recipe is in the Recipe Community), if you're interested in that method. But here is the traditional one with pictures to guide you along the way.

Ingredients

500 ml luke warm water, 37*-38*C 

2 teaspoons dried active yeast

1 teaspoon caster sugar (to activate the yeast)

75 grams (or 1/3 cup) caster sugar (for the dough)

55 ml sunflower oil (or any neutral smelling oil)

 

900 grams (6 cups) strong bakers flour

1 adn 1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes*

 

1-2 cups bread crumbs (store bought or homemade for coating the rolls)

 

 

Method

 

In a medium sized bowl, combine the water, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar and stir with a spoon until the sugar is dissolved.  Rest for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast.  It should appear bubbly.

 

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the remaining sugar and oil and mix until smooth.  

 

Replace the attachment with a dough hook, then add 1 cup of flour first, and the yeast mixture.  Turn on the mixer to combine.

 

Add the salt, and the remaining flour, one cup at a time, and knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3-5 minutes.

 

Take the bowl, cover with cling wrap and set aside to prove.  Minimum of 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

 

Prepare and line two baking trays with parchment paper. 

 

Place the breadcrumbs into a medium sized bowl and set aside. 

 

Sprinkle some flour onto a clean kitchen bench and take the dough from the bowl. 

 

Divide the round dough into quarters.

 

Roll each quarter into a log and cut using a sharp knife or dough scraper into 5-6 cm pieces.

 

Dip each pandesal/roll piece into the bread crumbs bowl to coat.

Place the pandesal/roll onto the prepared baking tray, leaving about 2cm in between each piece.  Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Cover the tray with a tea towel and place in a warm spot to prove further - 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the pandesal/rolls have doubled in volume.

Preheat the oven to 180*C.

Once the pandesal/rolls have rested and doubled in size, place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Serve with butter or margarine!

 

 

Tips!

 

* when using iodized or fine salt, just use 1 teaspoon

 

* for the second proving, the longer you rest the dough, the more you'll get fluffier and soft rolls when baked

 

* the pandesal/rolls are best eaten while still warm, but can still be served the next day toasted or warmed in the oven. 

This will be your dough, resting and risen after proving.

Divide the dough into quarters, then roll each quarter into logs then cut into pandesal/rolls.

The pandsal/rolls cut into 5-6cm pieces.  The size will depend on your preference. 

Coat the cut pieces with bread crumbs, then place onto the tray with the cut side up. 

The pandesal/rolls will have doubled in size after second proving, and they will be touching each other, side by side like here.

The pandesal/rolls baking in the oven.

And this will be your freshly baked pandesal!

As with all baking experiments, there will be times when the bread will have unexpected results - bread too hard, or burnt or doughy.  It always pays to try again.  We have had numerous fails before we nailed this recipe.  One version was even so tough the birds visiting our backyard were not even half interested in the crumbs we put out for them.  Just try until you get the results you want.  And if you have any questions, just let me know.   I'm doing a sour dough project at the moment, experimenting on starters and baking artisan sour dough breads.  I have posted photos on my Facebook page and will write a post about my sour dough adventure in upcoming posts.


And going back to our much loved Lucky, who will be turning 1 next  month! We are looking at making a special savoury birthday cake - meatloaf! What do you think?  Should we make something sweet?  Do you have pets at home who have overtaken your lives in the most joyful way?  Share your stories here!

Bottle gourd stir fry

Filipino cuisine is making waves around the globe which makes me proud.  Just recently, I wrote a post about a pop-up afternoon stand up event in Sydney delighted the palates of the locals with the introduction of classic savoury and sweet Filipino dishes. There's quite a few of these Filipino restaurants now in Sydney and it's getting a good following from locals, not just fellow Filos or Pinoys as we usually called ourselves. 

The well known amongst the community is La Mesa along Goulbourn Street, Haymarket.  It has been around since 2002 and previously located in Dee Why.  In 2012 they moved to Haymarket and have since created a good following of locals and tourists.  The decor is reminiscent of an old fashioned Filipino home - a mix of contemporary and classic Filipiniana decor.  The serving platters are all home-grown Filipino vessels flown from the Philippines. Sizzling Fillo in Lidcombe boasts of authentic Filipino dishes served in big portions enough to share amongst 3-4 people. The place invites locals and those who will travel a few kilometres to partake of the generous servings and Saturday night karaoke.  Eating and singing - two of Filipinos favourite things to do.  Sizzling Fillo also boasts of a regular "boodle feast"- a buffet of selected classics served on "your" table on a bed of banana leaves.



My favourite is Cafe Manila in Kirribilli - a small cozy cafe serving traditional Filipino dishes suited to the western palate - leaning away from traditional starchy dishes and the portions are just right. The interior is very minimalist and the tables are quite small creating an intimate experience for the diners. Chef Ricky Ocampo is always in the house serving up dishes with a smile as if you are a guest at his home. The menu is lean and the food is well presented on the plate.  Chef Ricky is one of local Filipino featured in the SBS Food Safari Filpino Food.


Another one in north shore is Pamana Cafe and Filipino Restaurant in Chatswood.  The place is cafe style with tables for two, up to ten.  The menu is more extensive with a range dishes from breakfast to dinner, entree to desserts -  a variety of traditional Filipino dishes both savoury and sweet.  They also offer "boodle feast" on select days. Although the location is quite away from pedestrian traffic, it has since opening in 2013 gathered a local following.


Now this dish is not something you'd see in any of the menus from these restaurants.  This is a super simple dish that's not worthy of a restaurant feature but definitely worth the 30 minutes that you spend to cook it. The thing with Filipino dishes is, if its easy enough to cook at home, you won't find it at restaurants.  We (Filipinos) when at these restaurants, usually order dishes we seldom cook at home, or not at all.


Bottle gourd is an indigenous vegetable in the East Asian region.  It is commonly called "upo" in the Philippines or calabash in some western countries.  The bottle gourd has a lot of health benefits and in some countries, they juice is used to encourage weight loss.


I love the simplicity of this dish.  Almost pedestrian.  You only need 5 basic ingredients.  And can even make it vegetarian by omitting the pork.


Here goes.

Ingredients

250-300 grams pork, cut into cubes

1 piece bottle gourd, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 cup water

1 tablespoon cooking oil

salt and pepper to taste

fish sauce (optional)

Method

In a medium sized skillet, heat the oil and cook the pork pieces until crispy.  Set aside.

In the same pan, saute the onions and garlic and cook until fragrant, not burned.

Add the tomatoes and stir until soft.

Add the bottle gourd slices and water and bring to boil.

Season with salt and pepper, or fish sauce is using. Season to your taste.

Turn down heat and simmer until the goured is soft and cooked.

Add the crispy pork slices on top.

Disclaimer: The feature on the mentioned restaurants is a simple feedback from the writer's experience dining at these establishments.  Dining at the restaurants were to the writer's own expense.  This is not a paid feature.  The feature is written to assist locals and tourists who may be looking for Filipino restaurants within Sydney metropolitan. 

Pork and beans

Growing up a few decades ago compared to today, there were so few choices when it came to food.  The cereal variety was maybe about less than ten.  There were no gluten free pasta or bread, no dairy free butter, no sugar free muffins.   Coffee was coffee, no soy, light, chai, etc.  A steak was usually T-bone, no varieties such as Wagyu, Angus, or labels such as corn fed, grass fed, aged, dry aged, etc.  Food was food.  There were no unnecessary labels.  Whether it was fresh - from the ground, from a tree/plant or packed - cans, boxes, plastic packaging.   Today, it's an entirely different story.  Whatever happened to simple food?  

In his 2009 book Food Matters, Mark Bittman mentioned modern agriculture, global warming, sustainability and the change towards conscious eating. These days, we don't look at calories anymore. Consumers are conscious about where their food comes from, the carbon footprint, whether its organic, grown locally or imported from half way around the globe.  This kind of mentality creates a good set of consumers. Smart consumers.  But then we also create a lot of waste.  In Australia alone, consumers waste an estimate of 4 million tons of food each year!  Because what happens is we tend to shop more than what we can actually consume.  (How not to waste food shall be for another post!)

I'm not a fan of food fads but I do believe in simple good food. Seasonal cooking is always how we plan our menu at home.   Simple food prepared at home. With love.  For family and friends.

Now growing up, we were fed with lots of food I wouldn't normally buy these days. Our parents back then fed us with what they knew best.   Powdered orange juice (Tang), canned vienna sausages... including a favorite breakfast fare a million years ago.  Canned pork and beans.  A mixture of beans covered with sweet tomato sauce and about 1 to 2 pieces of pork.  We used to eat it on toasted white bread and loved it for breakfast and even after school snack. And sometimes ate it with rice too.  It's a Filipino thing (rice with everything).

Now this is my take on the canned pork and beans I grew up eating.   A simple dish made of 2 basic ingredients:  pork and beans! 

Ingredients

200 grams pork belly, cubed

300 grams French beans, cut into 2 inch pieces

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

vegetable oil 

chilli flakes (optional)

Method

Heat a shallow pan and add cooking oil.

Fry the pork pieces until crispy.  Set aside.

Using the same pan, add the garlic and cook until soft and fragrant. Do not overcook or burn.

Add the beans, and stir to cook the beans until bright green, about 2 minutes.

Add the cooked pork and stir to mix through.

Add the chilli flakes (if using) and stir.  Turn off heat.

Serve with steamed rice.

Pilyo Sydney - Pop Up Afternoon Delight

Last weekend, I went down memory lane on an afternoon degustation of classic Filipino dishes I miss from home. To be honest, it was like physically whirling back into select moments of my life and waking up with a sweet (and savoury) bite into reality.  You know that movie effect, when the actor looks like he’s rapidly floating backwards and the screen looks like everything comes to a slow motion?  Yep, that bit.  It was fabulous! It was cheeky!

If you haven’t heard, this new cheeky Filipino degustation popping up in the North Shore area since early this year is PILYO (or cheeky in the English parlance).  PILYO has been challenging your traditional Filipino dish with its own cheeky twist.  PILYO’s concept is “putting the bold and saucy into Grandma’s cooking using a playful approach whilst paying tribute to traditional flavours.”

The crew behind this modern take on the Filipino cuisine are Chefs Inigo Castillo and Morris Baco, both experienced chefs in Sydney who work passionately in an effort to bring Filipino food into Sydney’s mainstream food map and Chrissie Ablaza-Castillo, who handles the management and social marketing side of the brand.

 “I think Australians will be very surprised that our cuisine is an amalgamation of Asian, American, Latino-American, and Spanish flavours, ingredients, and methods of cooking,” says Spanish-Filipino Chef and Co-Owner Inigo Castillo. “This makes our food familiar and unique at the same time. For example, it’s interesting to have a Philippine-ised chorizo with an Indian style achar, which is what we Filipinos know as longganisa at atsara. And this is something we as Filipinos should know and be proud of. Our influences come from the four corners of the globe.”

PILYO is not new to the food scene in Sydney.  Operating the Purple Yam Cafe umbrella at the Cammeray Golf Club, co-owner Chrissie Ablaza-Castillo says, “We thought it’s about time we share a little bit of our heritage, so PILYO is here!

“As Filipinos, we are proud of our cuisine and are very particular about food. It is not uncommon for a Filipino to quip ‘di ganyan adobo ng lola ko! (that’s not like my grandmother’s adobo!)’, says Chef and Co-Owner Morris Baco. “We respect these recipes that are part of our tradition but at the same time we apply cooking techniques that make the dish, including its presentation, current.”

With two successful pop-up dinners, the team introduced a stand up afternoon weekend pop-up event showcasing delightful classics “merienda” (afternoon fare) presented in modern proportions which appealed to all the senses. 

The batchoy tonkatsu was just as close to the classic “batchoy” one might partake from any eatery from back home.  It was as traditional as it gets, with handmade noodles, chicken strips, a soft boiled quail egg, drowning in pork bone broth with lots of depth. Topped with pork crackling crumble and lots of garlic, this soup swept me off my feet!  

Batchoy Tonkatsu

The naked lumpiang betel leaf was two bites of heaven.  We needed more!  The classic lumpia of prawn and pork crepe with crushed peanuts was lifted up a notch with puffed rice, powdered seaweed and peanut sauce, wrapped in fresh betel leaves.   

 Atsara (pickled papaya/carrots) which is a Filipino style chutney balanced the flavours of the Lechon Kawali Bao – an open sandwich of steamed bun and crispy pork belly.   

Naked lumpia in betel leaf and Lechon kawali bao

Chorizo de Pilyo with coleslaw, cream cheese and mango-sultana chutney was one of the highlights, served with a piece of fried cassava – which I loved! 

Add caption

The empanada made of sweet and savoury beef, tomato, green olives and sultanas with a piece of fried plantain and a vinegar sauce served in a pipette got everyone at our table giddy.  A playful take on serving sauces!

Empanada ni Lolo O

Empanada ni Lola O

The big finish was a Filipino classic sweet brioche (ensaymada) filled with coconut jam, with three cheese ice cream and a parmesan crisp.  The ice cream was sweet, salty and creamy!  It was divine!  I actually wanted more!

Ensaymada with coconut jam filling and three cheese icea cream with a parmesan crisp.  Sweet, salty and everything nice!

The queue to get some of that ice cream!

You scream. I scream.  We all scream for ice cream!

 

The portions were perfect – not too small, not too big, presented in a style that paid homage to the Filipino heritage of simple and traditional.  Classic Filipino dishes with a modern take.  Now that’s cheeky! 

For more information on PILYO SYDNEY events, you can follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

Disclaimer:  The writer was invited to attend the afternoon stand up event as a guest.  The post is written based on the writer’s experience.

Coconut tapioca with mangoes

So.  I made this for an office birthday lunch Thai cuisine theme.  And everyone fell in love.

I have made this at one of our street BBQ parties and it was a hit.

Hubby loves this and eats portions of it every day when its in the fridge, slowly partaking of the sweet dessert controlling himself.  Otherwise he could eat it in one sitting.

I posted this on FB and was asked the recipe.

Sometimes, what seems easy can be complicated when specific details are amissed.  For example. A friend of mine in Manila asked me for the recipe and so I told her what I did - boil and cook the tapioca, warm the coconut milk and add sugar, mix the tapioca with the coconut milk, pour into pyrex or tray, chill then top with mangoes.

Seems easy, right?

Of course, I didn't realise that she buys the tapioca from the markets cooked already.   

Was she suppoesd to boil and cook them again?  

Of course, this will make things a little less starchy as cooked tapioca bought from the markets has been washed.

Nor did it occur to me that of course absolutely, fresh grated coconut is available and that she will squeeze the milk out of them to come up with, say... 400ml.   

How many cups per squeeze can you get from one whole grated coconut?  Does she use the first extraction or the second extraction?

If she had followed what I said, she would have missed a few points.  Lost in translation. Or in this case, lost in ingredient translation.

And in other news - we are on our way to a new parenting challenge in the guise of the HSC.  As migrant parents, we obviously did not go through the High School Certificate (HSC) in Australia and now that our oldest daughter is going to take it next year, there's a lot of learning and understanding that is going on in my head and hubby's.  With all the media attention during HSC and the unnecessary stress that is highlighted in the news, kids can get easily swayed into the axiety parade.  HSC is somewhat similar to the NCEE that hubby and me took in high school going to college.  This is now known as NSAT (National Secondary Achievement Test) which is a goverment initiated as well.  The difference is that the NSAT is a test based on all general subjects taken during high school which becomes a factor when applying for a place in university.  Whereas the HSC is a test for subjects which the students have chosen from a list by the Board of Studies including general subjects, and which they are preparing for from Year 11 to Year 12.  The HSC exams result per se, is not the be all and end all of the assessment.  The results is a 50/50 mark of 1) school based assessments tasks, and 2) examination marks.  It seems pretty straightforward, until they introduced another acronym called the ATAR - Australian Tertiary Admision Rank which is a basis for acceptance into some universities.  Or so I think....  as you may already noticed, we are still learning.  And HSC is part of it... learning to be Australian.

If you're a migrant like us, or a Filipino family with young kids, I'll keep you updated on what have we learned from the HSC as a family.   And if you're a parent who went through HSC, please send me some encouraging thoughts. 

For now, here's a fool proof recipe for this sweet and easy dessert.

Ingredients

1 cup mini tapioca pearls

10 cups water

 2 cans 400ml coconut milk

1 1/2 cups raw sugar

1 mango, sliced into thin strips

Method

Boil 10 cups of water.  When rapidly boiling, add the tapioca pearls and continue to boil.

Once the tapioca pearls are half way through cooking - the outside part of the pearls are transparent but the middle part is still white, turn the heat to low and simmer the pearls until cooked through, stirring occasionally to prevent from sticking to the bottom.  This can take from 30-45 minutes on simmer.

Drain the cooked tapioca pearls through a sieve under cold running water.  Set aside.

In a medium sized pot, boil the coconut milk then add the sugar, stirring to make sure the sugar has dissolved.  Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly.

Add the tapioca pearls and stir distribute the pearls throughout.  

If the sauce looks too much, scoop some of the sauce into a bowl and set aside.  The pudding should have enough sauce to tapioca pearl.  Reserve the extra coconut milk mixture.

Transfer to a pyrex or dish and chill in the refrigerator overnight, or 8 hours.

Top the pudding with the mango strips and served.

 

Tips and tricks:

*If you are using already cooked tapioca, simply drain the store bought pearls before adding to the thickened coconut milk.

* If using freshly extracted coconut milk, use the first extraction and about half a cup of water added per whole coconut.

* If after chilling, you find that the pudding is too thick, add a half cup of the reserved coconut milk mixture at a time until you get the desired consistency and thickness.

* These can be served in individual cups or serving glasses like my previous post with papaya, topped with any fruit you prefer.

* Fruit topping should be tropical like mangoes, papaya, purple yam or pineapple to suit the dish.  As coconut works well with tropical fruits.

* I have prepared this before in individual cups for my mom's 75th birthday party and topped them with purple yam / ube jam.

Chicken curry - Filipino style

About three months ago, we went back to Manila to attend a much awaited wedding in the family.  The wedding was beautiful and everyone, and I mean every single person,  was in tears - (actually bawling-like-a-baby is a better description) as the doors to the church opened and the beautiful bride started her slow walk to the altar.  Right then and there, time seemed to have stopped and the march down the aisle happened like in a movie - slow motion and the camera focus is on the bride and the rest are just a hazy background.  My girls were part of the entourage as junior bridesmaids, and my oldest was one of the readers in the mass.  We knew of the wedding months back, but originally hubby was the only one attending purely for economic reasons.  He was booked for months ahead.   A week before the wedding, we took out the credit card and booked the whole family.  What the heck!  Weddings only happen once and family is important and this is a big day!  It was a magical day.


Fast forward to the trip, we also booked a few days to HK  (Disneyland included) and the girls were thrilled.  We don't often get to go on holidays because of hubby's work schedule and it was a welcome energizer to relax and just enjoy the trip.   Of course while in Manila, we ate all the food we missed, went to historical places for the girls' benefit, caught with family and friends.  A grand time doing simple things.  


Don't you love it when spur of the moment decisions become real?  Sometimes, we don't need to plan too much.  We just go with the ebb and flow of where our emotions take us and trust that everything will turn out magical.


Back to this simple recipe for a Filipino style chicken curry.  This is one that we always eat at home.  I've brought this to potluck lunches and at work and they are always a hit.  Another dish which people ask the recipe for.  So here it is.
 

Ingredients

1k chicken thigh fillets, sliced into portion sizes

2 teaspoons turmeric powder

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any cooking oil)

1 onion, sliced

2-3 knobs ginger, finely jullienned

2-3 teaspoons curry powder*

1 can 400ml coconut milk

2 medium sized potatoes, cubed

2 carrots, cubed

1 red capsicum, cubed

fresh corianer for garnish

Method

In a large bowl, coat the chicken thigh fillets with the turmeric powder.  Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.

 Using a large shallow skillet or pan, heat the oil then cook the onions and ginger until soft and fragrant.

Add the chicken fillets and sear until slightly brown.

Add the curry powder and stir to coat the chicken fillets.

Add the coconut milk, stir and bring to a boil.

Add the vegetables, stir and then bring to a boil.  

As soon as it boils, turn down heat to a LOW simmer, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, take off lid and continue to simmer for another 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.

Tips and tricks:

* You can use other chicken parts (breast, wings, drumsticks), but adjust cooking time.

* Option to add dried chillies when serving or fresh chillies for a spicy and hot version.

* Add more or less curry powder to suit your liking.  I have used Keen's and Hoyts both Australian brands and the tastes is always the same.  Please note that the curry powder for this recipe is the not the Thai yellow curry paste. 

* You can completely make this vegan / vegetarian by omitting the chicken and just use purely vegetables.  You can add sweet potato, cauliflower, eggplant or zucchini.