Summer Cooler: Mio gelati

It's the end of summer but it still gets hot outside and ice cream/gelato never really gets old. At the SM Light Mall, there is a weekend gourmet corner where Mio Gelati shares a spot with other vendors like Custaroonery.

I tried their Avocado ice cream one afternoon. I think I paid Php 89 for one scoop. The avocado ice cream was good, creamy with bits of Avocado. You can really taste the Avocado in there. Yes, it is a little bit expensive for a small cup if you ask me, especially since the stall is beside the grocery where you can get cheaper tubs of ice cream. If you are in to gelato or artisan ice cream, you can go for Mio Gelati.

They have a lot of other different flavors to choose from. 

Adobo, ang pambansang ulam. Bow!

I'd say Adobo is one of the first dishes I learned to cook. It's a pretty easy recipe to follow and each household would have a different version of it. My mom's is pretty straightforward and on the sweet side. My mother-in-law boils her meat is the sauces, fries them then adds the sauce again. A little bit time consuming but really tasty.

Of course, I've tried both recipes time and again. I thought of adding another version under my arsenal and it is a hit. My version of adobo sa gata. I remember having tried this dish back in college at an Adobo Republic branch along Katips. My version has a little bit more sauce because my family loves sauce so I adjust to make them happy. Cooking, after all is another way to say how much I love them.

Here's my recipe.

1 kg of pork belly (about two inch slices)

1 kg chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks)

1 niyog

1 cup red cane vinegar

1 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 pieces siling haba

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 potatoes

1 kamote (optional)

6 cloves garlic

I used that kamote because it has been in the fridge for weeks. I didn't want it to go to waste. It was my first time to put kamote in adobo and it turned out ok. I put in the pork at the bottom of my pot, then the chicken, garlic, potatoes and kamote. Then I put in the seasonings, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, sugar, oyster sauce then let simmer. I held the salt towards the end to make sure I only put enough since I already have soy and oyster sauce in the mix. After about 20 minutes of simmering, I then put the milk from one mature coconut (niyog) and let the sauce reduce, which would take another 10-15 minutes on high. I throw in the siling haba in there too.

My version of adobo sa gata

The picture does not look as appetizing but my family likes this recipe. I also normally remove the chicken skin to reduce the fat in the dish. This is as easy as your normal adobo. The only "hard part" for me is squeezing the milk out of the shredded coconut meat. If you buy your niyog in the wet market, some could sell you the coconut milk with extra (minimal) cost for the labor. I prefer doing it myself though. You can also buy in the canned coconut milk/cream in the grocery store. But I tell you, it's different if you use the canned lot. Fresh is better.

So what do we do with 2 kgs. worth of ulam? We keep some in the freezer. Ang adobo, habang tumatagal, lalong sumasarap ;) We just pop it in the microwave on days when I don't feel like cooking.

Here you go. Another fast and easy twist to your usual go to dishes. Enjoy!

NAV Modern Thai Cuisine turns 5!

Our favorite Thai restaurant just turned five and is celebrating the week (June 6-12) with huge discounts and freebies. 

Here are some of our favorites.

Fresh spring rolls (Php 195)

You can add chicken and shrimps to the spring rolls and price bumps to Php 250 for 8 pieces. There are two dipping sauces. The brown one is a peanut sauce while the greenish one is a sweet-sour sauce. They are both good. You might want to combine sauces for a different taste.

Crab fat fried rice (Php 250)

The crab fat fried rice is new and is not yet on the menu. The recipes are rotated in the Kapitolyo branch and is written on the chalk board near the stairs. This is good for about 2 persons. You can really taste the crab fat here, so sinful yet so delish!

Penang curry (Php 380)

The Penang curry is NAV's version of beef curry. The meat was tender. It's like kare-kare with a curry twist, really delicious but a little bit salty.

Morning glory (Php 250)

Morning glory is kangkong with tofu and bean sauce. This is hubby's favorite. I tried copying this at home but I used hoisin sauce instead. Nav's version is better than mine, sad to say. Haha! I'll probably try again with bean sauce.

Nav's chicken curry (Php 295)

Fried chicken in house curry. This is the best chicken curry ever! Crunchy and saucy at the same time. By the way, it is great that none of the curry dishes are spicy so that we can share with the boy. If you do like it spicy (like me), there is a bottle of chili flakes provided in each table. Win-win for everybody :)

Pad Thai (Php 295)

And of course, there's the Pad Thai. I say this is one of the best Pad Thai's in Manila. Until recently, it was number 1 but my fans (hubby and ate) say my Pad Thai recipe is better. Haha!

Thai Laksa (Php 350)

The Thai Laksa is my other favorite. It has beef, rice noodles, crispy egg and curry broth. This warms your heart and soul very good for a rainy day.

If you are in Megamall, you can also visit them at the 5th floor SM Mega Food Hall.

NAV Modern Thai Cuisine

Address: 16-C United St, Pasig, 

Metro Manila, Philippines

Phone:+63 2 655 8395

Hours: 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM

https://www.facebook.com/NavModernThai/

Homecooked: Pasta con Sarde and turmeric chicken

Every now and then, I would be inspired to whip up some new recipe in the kitchen. This is mostly inspired by something that is expiring in the pantry that I need to cook creatively. Hahaha! I had some parmesan cheese and linguine that has been in the cabinet and fridge for the longest time. I checked, they weren't expired yet but I do need to use them soon to avoid wastage.

I bought some cherry tomatoes and fresh basil at the Sunday market, then cooked this simple pasta with sardines dish.

Here are  the ingredients.

about 400 g of linguine cooked according to package instructions

butter

olive oil

6-8 cloves of garlic (more if you like), chopped

bottle of Spanish style sardines

about a cup of fresh basil leaves

8-10 cherry tomatoes cut in two

So I asked my husband to buy the sardines at the nearby grocery. He asked me what kind, in oil or the Spanish style. I got a little bit confused since I cooked a similar dish in the past (minus the vegetables) so I thought he should know. I said Spanish style, in the bottle. 

He said he didn't hear me say the last part (bottle) because he brought home 555 Spanish-style sardines. He says he didn't see the bottled kind. Sure...mostly likely, he didn't really look since he didn't hear me say bottled, right? I would have gone myself but I was already starting with the noodles and preparing the other ingredients since it was almost lunch time. Anyway, he did offer to go back and look for the ones I requested originally. I said I will just work with what we have since it's already there. In fairness, it turned out ok. I feel though that the bottled sardines are more tasty and packed compared to the canned type though of course it is more expensive. I still prefer the bottled kind for this recipe.

Here's how I made do with the sardines I had. I sauteed the garlic in butter and olive oil. I probably used 1/4 cup of the butter and oil (combined). You can add some more olive oil later if you feel the pasta is too dry. I then added the cherry tomatoes and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Next, I added the pasta. Make sure to mix everything well. Then add the basil leaves.

Pasta con sarde

Pasta con sarde with a side of turmeric chicken

I thought of cooking something on the side to pair with the pasta. I didn't really have too much time to think about it so I thought turmeric chicken would be fine. I just fried chicken thigh fillet that I rubbed with salt, pepper, turmeric and garlic powder.

Simple and fast recipe that can be enjoyed by the young and old :)

Bun Appetit and La Cuisine Francaise at Salcedo Weekend Market

From time to time, we'd visit the Salcedo Weekend Market (Saturdays) to buy my son's favorite garlic sticks. We also buy fresh produce we don't normally get in the grocery stores like kale and herbs. Then, we check out new stalls if any. We've been going to the market since 2004 and have watched it grow to what it is now.

Anyway, so we saw this new stall called Bun Appetit.  They sell 3 types of sandwiches, lobster, crab and shrimp roll. They have a pretty simple menu with these 3 as the stars. They also have crab cocktail claws, grilled corn and garlic noodles.

Bun Appetit Stall

Crab roll (Php 395)

The rolls are pretty expensive for a sandwich if you think about it. But once you get a bite, ohhh...it was heaven and so worth it. I got a crab roll. They definitely did not scrimp on the ingredients. That's probably more than a cup of crab meat on one sandwich. The buttered roll was really good too. I will buy just that bread if they sold it. Needless to say, it was a filling meal that can last you until lunch.

Grilled corn (Php 120)

I also tried the grilled corn. It looks good but it lacked the umami taste of the grilled corn you can buy at Bad Bird or No Reservations. It had lime, cayenne pepper and some cheese. It was a bit of a let down as I was expecting it would be the same level of delicious-ness as the sandwich.

The Tiramisu is not from Bun Apetit but from the La Cuisine Francaise stall. They sell (yes, you guessed right!) French food. This tiramisu slice is about Php 250 a piece. It was a big slice. It would probably be equivalent to 2-3 servings at most restaurants. What I used to like about this tiramisu was that it was indulgent and had a good amount of mascarpone and cream on it. I say "used to" since the cake I bought that Saturday was not the same as I've had in the past. Also, the lady fingers seemed like it was overly-soaked in coffee since the bottom part of the container would be drowned in liquid after a few minutes. Putting the dessert inside the fridge didn't improve the state. 

Though not as good as it was before, I'd say that this tiramisu is still one of the better tasting versions I've tried.

Tiramisu

Side view of the Tiramisu :)

Salcedo Saturday Market
Jaime C. Velasquez Park, Salcedo Village,
Makati, Metro Manila
Saturday 6AM–2:30PM