Finally, I know that my blog is being read by someone else that my relatives and friends, even though it is just one person who has identified himself ... (yes, I mean you Bas ... HAHAHA!!!).
When I started this blog, I as just wanting to be able to share what I have thought was one of the greatest achievement of my life (aside from moving totally on the other side of the world where I did not know anyone; learning a new language and the culture, something one has to understand that language is more than expressing the words but more exhibiting the culture of the means of communication that you are using; learning to do household chores, like mastering the art of ironing a work shirt in less than 7 minutes; knowing how to drill a hole in a wall without making a bay window etc etc), wherein my Mom, my Godmother, my aunts were all experts in their own rights (one having a uni degree in Home Economics, that is Mommie; another who once owned her own bakery, my Godmother & aunt; another catering business, my late aunt who looked like a famous Filipina actress).
Food would always be the centre of our culture. We would always say that "We LIVE to EAT & not EAT to LIVE". This was even more enforced when I visited after being away for around 12-13 years. Being away for more than a decade, a good 3rd of my life, I decided to meet up with a few friends who have chosen to "hunt me down" knowing I was in town.
When you finally plan to meet up with friends, the most common questions were, "What do you want to eat?" or "Where do you want to eat?", "Are you missing any Filipino dishes?". I think this is all familiar to every Filipino "Balik-Bayan" (literal translation: Balik=return & Bayan=Country), then it would be followed up by, "Has your bf/gf/husband/wife/parner/spouse tried ... adobo, balut, pancit canton etc etc?". We actually, were even planning to tape the response, as it became like a usual question and answer by the immigration counter ... HEHEHEHE!!!
However, this is no different from when I moved here in the Netherlands. They would always start by asking how you like the country and the weather, then followed with the language ... how hard it is ... then knowing why you moved etc etc.
Guess, everyone is just inquisitive ... or Dutch people just the Euro version of Filipinos?
Back to Filipino food and having a total stranger reading my blog ... !!!
It was interesting when he started asking me about Filipino food. Then first thing came to my mind was adobo, but the only draw back was adobo is an oily dish. We just do not eat too oily dishes anymore (on a regular basis), but this does not mean that we never ... it is just not a common thing. Also, the chicken in the Netherlands are too soft that to be able to achieve the adobo taste the chicken meat would break up to a form that only a abstract artist would find meaning in it. I know, it can be with pork, but pork adobo is just so good with the skin and the thick fat ... yes, the bf would look at me and say, "You got to be kidding!?".
Why would he say that? Well, let me tell you another story when I first visited the Netherlands (back in 1998). I wanted to make pork adobo, and the basic ingredient is pork adobo is pork (wow isn't that obvious ... hehehe), but it has to be a fatty pork meat with skin. When I went to the butcher to buy one, they gave me one stripped off all these glorious flavour parts ... the skin & fat. So, I have learned that when I want something, I have to be specific (and I tell you, not only with buying ... in EVERYTHING).
Back to Filipino food, take 2 !!!
So, when I was asked, I had to think of the dish that I loved ... there was the Caldereta (Spanish Beef Stew, which I have finally made my own recipe and the bf & I have cooked it in the US & AU for relatives & friends), but it was summer ... who cooks & eats stew when it is so warm outside. Then, I remembered one comfort food that I loved, that I would sneak in the middle of the night to open the fridge and eat it even cold ... yes, it tastes good warm & cold ... it is the CROQUETTA!
And I expect you to say .... WHAT? That is not Filipino, that is Spanish!
A short lesson in Philippine history.
The Philippines, more commonly known to Filipinos as Pilipinas (or to the foreigners Filipinas ... For Americans, Philippines ... HAHAHAHA), was formerly a colony of the Spanish kingdom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines#Hispanic_Period), which is why unlike any other Asian dishes, I would say that the Philippines' dishes are the original Asian Fusion dishes ... it is a mixture of the East & the West !!!
What is MY CROQUETTA made of:
- Potatoes, I used 3 fist-sized (Asian man, for Causasians, I would say 2-2,5);
- 2 regular-sized ready made hamburgers, with a thickness of 2,5cms (I did not have any mince meat, and this was the only one available in the fridge), if you have mince about 250 to 300 gms;
- 50 gms of carrots, cut in Brunoise (http://m.wikihow.com/Do-Formal-Vegetable-Cuts), not strictly but as small as possible;
- spices (in this case, the hamburger was tandori flavoured. so, I used a pinch or two of cumin powder, garamassala, Indian curry powder, sweet paprika & a half a pinch of chili powder - in the Philippines, we would only use salt & pepper, or even some Worcestershire plus a bay leaf);
- half a cup of frozen green peas (just have to incorporate that vegetable & frozen to add moisture, not in the original Filipino Croquetta);
- an onions, finely chopped &
- half tsp of crushed garlic.
There are three parts of this dish. Yes, it is a bit tedious, but you will find it interesting. Seriously, there were times, I was almost finished eating the cooked ingredients before I had a chance to make a single croquette ... hehehe ... be warned!!!
Potato Mash Procedure:
- Peel the potatoes and cut in equal cubes;
- Put in a pot covered with water, just enough to have them under it;
- Set to boil, until they break when you put a fork through them (it took me only 5-10 minutes);
- Drain & mash them. Don't season it, cause the taste would come from the filling;
- Set aside to cool, it makes it easier to form the croquettes.
Meat Filling Procedure:
- Choose a pan that would fit all the ingredients and enough room to be able to mix it;
- Heat the pan under high with around 3-4 tablespoons of oil;
- Sautee the onions, garlic, then add the spices (if you are using the Worcestershire sauce wait until you have the meat). If the mixture becomes a bit too dry, add a tablespoon of oil (or butter) & lower the fire to medium-high;
- Throw in the hamburger meat & break it apart (if you have not yet done it). If you are using mince meat, let the sauteed onions, garlic and spices mix into the meat, mixing it once in a while;
- When the meat has all changed colour add the carrots, and cook for about 3-5 minutes on medium heat and cover with a lid;
- Then throw in the frozen peas, and mix it every 30 seconds to a minute, cover and cook until the mixture looks drier;
- Taste (this is where I usually end up finishing the dish ... hehehe) and add more spices and seasoning as desired (Remember that your potato mash is not seasoned, the filling is the soul of this dish).
- Keep cooking until the mixture is dry, then set aside to cool too ... Same reason!
Forming the Croquettas:
- In the Philippines, we ball the mash and stuff the filling in it. In my version, we just mix everything, and form balls or (in this case) tube like forms (like the Kroketa in the Netherlands);
- After forming them, roll them in flour.
- Dip the mash & meat filling in a lightly beaten egg ... Didn't do this cause it was just tedious, and it can be skipped, but need to differentiate what I did to the procedure back when I was a kid;
- Roll the croquette in a bowl of bread crumbs ... Another step, that I didn't do, but they did back when I was a kid too;
- Rest it, or you can just pan fry them light brown the outside, rolling them on each side (this is when you can freeze them and cook it some other time);
- Fry them on a open pan with a good enough oil, but not too much that they are "skinny dipping". Roll them on their sides (a minute each side);
- Take them out of the pan, and let them rest for a couple of minutes on a kitchen paper towel ... Warning you, that you wouldn't want them fresh from the pan, unless your wish it to have blisters in your tongue. A good 4-5 minutes, depending on how cold or warm it is in the place you let me rest.
- Eat alone or serve with a sauce ... When I was a kid, I used tomato ketchup, but now I have the sweet chilli sauce, which I would say is heaven in a bottle (if you buy the one that suits your taste ... Or else it is FIRE in a bottle ... HEHEHEHE).
Ok Bas, this the Filipino dish, which I love ... Next one would be the beef stew (caldereta), when it gets a bit more like mid-autumn, which is getting closer by the day. Have to wait, for a while, to be able to make the photos ... HEHEHEHE!!!
