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We have been spotting a number of liquorice confections in the grocery store but have generally avoided the stuff because, well, it sounded like it's an acquired taste, like Marmite (even if Harry Potter and friends did have the occasional liquorice wand). I mean, is there liquor in it? Tee-hee.

Well, curiosity got the better of me when somebody dropped by the office during morning break selling a number of liquorice delights with samples on the side. I had one itty-bitty sample and found that I like it! So I bought a couple of packets.

A quick research that the liquorice confection's main ingredient is derived from the root of the liquorice plant Glycyrrhiza glabra (a legume related to peas and beans). The sweet extract is then combined with sugar and a binder (which can be starch/flour, gum arabic, or gelatin, or a combination thereof). The full description can be found in Wikipedia.

I also learned that liquorice is the British English spelling of licorice (American English).

The multi-coloured liquorice were sweet and obviously catered more for kids, while the dark one at the right has a more distinct taste. I think I like it because it reminds me of a number of two types of sweets back home in the Philippines: the orange-coloured jelly candy shaped like orange segments for texture, and the round, dark cola-flavoured candy for taste. Plus, the dark liquorice is also infused with mint. It's really good.

It's no longer a mystery why the liquorice is a popular sweet in these parts. They have an irresistible flavour. There are lots more varieties of this confection so I am sure to try out the others.

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It blooms into the prettiest bunch of yellow flowers!

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Well, not exactly our backyard, but in a couple of pots sitting happily in the sun room and protected from the rather strong Wellington winds. I bought the plants last September. Soon enough white flowers bloomed, then the petals dropped and the berries began to form: from the small, dark centres of the flowers into light-green halfway-theres, and finally into bulging reddish goodness! And of course, it reminds me of my hometown of Baguio, famous for strawberries and jams.

Can't wait to have a taste of these!

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One of the restaurants we frequent in Manila is El Pollo Loco. What made visits special is that once upon a time, El Pollo Loco can only be found in SM Megamall. But it has since branched out to other malls. Loosely translated, the name of the establishment means crazy chicken! El Pollo Loco specializes in Mexican food and chicken is their specialty (which you might have already guessed from the name of the place). Their chicken, I must admit, is primarily the reason why my friends and I keep coming back for more. It has a distinct taste due to their special marinate and it's not coated with batter. Accompanying the chicken is the salsa, which you can have mild or hot. I think, though that the hot variety is not the "burn your mouth and run for water" variety. It's sufficiently spiced up for me.


















The chicken and salsa is accompanied by Spanish rice and some tortilla. The tortilla is a round, flat piece of bread which we tear up in to, open up to resemble a taco, then stuff in the chicken and salsa and spanish rice.


















Absolutely divine. Wouldn't you say so, Pauline? We always enjoy dining at El Pollo Loco and will surely be in my list of must-visit places when we go on vacation in the Philippines.

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This is one of my favorite dishes. Whenever ginisang monggo (mung beans) is being cooked at home, I always ask for around half a cup or so of the freshly-boiled monggo and some of the water it boiled on, then I mix some sugar on it and presto! A sweet concoction I think noboby else does but me. It tastes like hopia monggo (another favorite!) without the flaky bread crust. My Nanay had gotten so accustomed to my request that she would usually add more than the usual monggo beans to boil. And of course, the ginisang munggo is truly the perfect dish on a cold rainy day. Paired with some dried or smoked fish and you have a wonderful wonderful meal!

Ingredients:
2 cups monggo (mung beans)
4-5 cups water
cooking oil
a couple of cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
pork, chopped into small pieces
talbos ng ampalaya (bitter gourd leaves) which I prefer, but you can also use talbos ng malunggay (whose english name escapes me right now)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
Wash monggo beans, then place in a pot an pour water in. The rule of thumb is to have around twice (or a bit more) as much water as the beans. In the process of washing and submerging the mung beans in water, you will notice some of the beans will float. These are empty, so just discard these. Bring to a boil then simmer for half an hour or so. You can add more water (preferably hot) in case the mung beans absorb much of the water; just keep the beans slightly submerged. Try to squish a bean against the side of the pot with a spoon to see if it's already soft and cooked.

(It is at this stage where I get my cup of sweet mung bean goodness! Give it a try!)

Set aside.

We like cooking the pork bits in a bit of water so you can also try this. In a deep frying pan / wok, place the pork bits and just barely submerge it in water. Set to medium heat. The water will soon boil and evaporate from the pan. Occasionally stir the pork bits so it won't get burned. The pork will release its own oil (the saying "getting fried in your own oil" comes to mind). At this stage, you can add cooking oil to push the frying process along.

When the pork bits are done, move these to one side of the pan and saute the garlic, onion, followed by tomatoes. Then mix in the pork, followed quickly by the cooked mung beans. You can add in some of its water if you want your ginisang monggo to be soupy. Mix a bit, then turn off the heat and add the greens (malunggay or ampalaya).


















Serve with hot, steaming rice and some dried or smoked fish. I can smell the tuyo just by looking at this photo!

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