Baked tahong

Baked tahong (mussels) is a yummy yet easy dish to make.  My friends back in Manila would serve baked tahong whenever there is a celebration and it goes well with beer.  Although, of course you do not need to have a drinking session to enjoy this dish.

This was the first time my wife and I tried to prepare this dish. Obviously, the photo above says we need to place more cheese on it. The tahong should have a nice cheese coating, which effectively seals up the meat as it gets cooked in the oven.

In this instance, we used mussels that have been pre-cooked and sealed. If you have fresh mussels, that will do nicely as well. You just need to take some extra steps to prepare it.

Place the tahong (1kg) in a tub of water for about an hour to remove the dirt. A bit of scrubbing and cleaning is also in order. Then, place the tahong in a thick-bottomed pan over medium heat. The shells will then open up. Discard those that did not open.

Pork Binagoongan

Pork Binagoongan is one of those wickedly delicious dishes that makes you wonder how a combination of pork (with fat) and fish paste can work, and yet it does! It obviously has a strong flavour thanks to the latter ingredient so I cannot imagine this being eaten without hot, steaming rice. This recipe is made even special with the addition of coconut cream.

My wife cooked this yesterday, intending to have a bit for lunch and then we will bring the rest over to a weekend gathering but we ate too much that not a lot was left to bring!

Buttered broccoli

We had a head of broccoli that overstayed its welcome on the veggie tray. As you can see, its florets must have thought it's safe to come out and bloom! Indeed, I saw a few yellows here and there before I decided I should do something about it. It would be such a waste for the broccoli to end up in the bin but we did not have any dish on hand that needed this green veggie. And so I thought of doing a buttered broccoli side dish instead.  Of course, you don't have to wait for your broccoli to turn yellow before doing this dish.  The fresher the veggie, the sweeter it is.

Ham and Vegetable Stir-fry

Sliced ham can be bought at the local supermarket but if you do not have it ready, Spam or Luncheon meat chopped into cubes or strips will also do nicely.  If you have other vegetables on hand, add it in as well.  I especially love cauliflower (which we did not have at the time of cooking).  We also added in some sweet peas fresh from the garden.

And while you do not add water to this recipe, you will be surprised at the amount of water mushrooms hold, with the dish ending up with a bit of water in it.  And for that distinctive, slightly sweet taste, we add hoisin sauce.

Tortang Talong (Grilled eggplant omelette/fritters)

Some years ago, I had this most wonderful tortang talong in a restaurant and posted about it here (many thanks to the establishment for sharing the recipe).  I had been meaning to replicate the recipe in my kitchen but never had the chance... we always end up doing this simple version which I also love.

When I cook my tortang talong (grilled eggplant fritters), I like pressing down the edges so that it becomes thin and gets completely fried, ending up in a crispy edge.  The part I do not like is near the stem.  This is where the eggplant is least cooked through.  But that does not stop me from enjoying a good tortang talong.  I just give the portion with the stem to someone else! haha

This dish is so easy to cook.  All you need is some oil, salt, pepper, eggplant, and eggs!  Give it a try.

Ampalaya with egg

Ummm... yeah... the photo above is Ampalaya (bitter gourd) with egg(s) alright. Not much we can do about the pair, however with a bit of spices and oil, we can come up with one of my favourite ways to cook this bitter vegetable (first on my list is pinakbet).

I remember that like most kids, I also did not like the taste of ampalaya in my day (decades ago), but our parents would say it's good for the blood. In some cases, like pinakbet, I'd steer clear of it (including okra, which until today I am not fond of) but by high school I found a liking to this vegetable!