My ChicLollipop

I was amazed when Jamie Oliver used honey and mustard as a coat in baked chicken lollipop. I thought mustard is just for dressings. Well, now I know I am wrong.

One weekend, Mr. Romantiko and I went to a supermarket to buy the ingredients for this new cooking adventure. The idea was to mix the honey with mustard making it kind'a soury sweet. First, we look for a mustard and luckily we found Honey Mustard in a sachet (well, i forgot the brand but you will find it on the shelf where dressings are). Since we dont know how will the chicken taste with the honey mustard, we only bought the small pack.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo   Chicken Wings
1 pack     HoneyMustard Dressing
   2pcs     egg
1/4 kilo   flour

Here's how we do it:

1.  Divide the wings into three parts; slicing thru the joints. [a single bone wing, two-bone wind, and wingtip] Wingtip will not be used.

2.  Separate the meat from the bone by sliding a knife around the tip of the bone where meat is still connected (do not cut through the bone). Note: For the two-bone wing, remove the smaller bone before pushing the meat to make a lollipop.

3.  Gently push downward while gripping the bone until the meat slides down and form a lollipop

4.  Put the honey mustard dressing on a bowl

5.  Whisk the 2 eggs on another bowl

6.  Prepare the flour on a plate and add salt/pepper for tasting

7.  Dip the chicken into the honet mustard dressing, make sure that the meat is well coated.

8.  Dip the chicken into the beaten eggs

9.  Dredge in chicken into the flour (You may also use bread crumbs, but you have to make 2 coatings: 1st with flour then with breadcrumbs.)

10. Heat oil in a pan

11. Deep fry chicken until they turn golden yellow

12. Remove the chicken and drain on paper towels.

Note: Ideally, when you use honey-mustard, it is recommended to bake the chicken. Yes! You read it right, BAKE it. But since we dont have an oven, which I wish we have, I used the magical wok! ;)

We just use the sweet-chili sauce locally found at supermarkets. ;)

Pulutan Combo #2: Drunken Shrimp

If there is a very famous drunken master, there is also a so-famous Drunken Shrimp.

I got curious how to make Nilasing na Hipon (Drunken Shrimps). When we got home from Tagaytay, we passed by on the first Dampa in Manila (somewhere near Baclaran Church).

Aside from the pasalubongs we bought from Tagaytay and the plants I bought for my grandma, we went into the market and check the price of the shrimps (if its comparable with the price in Farmer's market-Cubao). We were looking for a live shrimps, and there was only one vendor who sells live shrimps. Although tired, we were so excited to try to cook this dish.

Ingredients
1/2 kilo     Shrimps, medium sized (preferrably live shrimps)
1/4 kilo     Flour
  2 cups     Rum, Wine, Vodka (we used Gin)
    2 pcs     Eggs

1.  Remove the rostrum and antenna of the shrimps using scissors.
2.  Wash the trimmed shrimps.
3.  Marinate the shrimps in wine/ rum/ gin for 30 minutes (I used Gin).
     Note: The shrimps might turn red, because they were drunk.. literally =))
5.  Beat the eggs and dip shrimps
6.  Add salt and pepper into the flour for seasoning
7.  Dredge in shrimp into flour.
8.  Heat oil in a pan
9.  Fry shrimps by batches until they turn golden yellow
10.  Remove the shrimps and drain on paper towels

For the deep, you will need:
1 cup   vinegar
1 pc    calamansi
2 pcs   garlic cloves, peeled, minced
1/2     onion, chopped
1 pc    chilly pepper


Note: You may use white wine instead of Gin, the gin has a very strong taste unlike Wine that is somehow subtle.

Pulutan Combo #1: Calamares

Been busy for a couple weeks... work work work.. no time for cooking only for eating.. hahaha! But Im back.. I will share to you three dishes.. Hhmm.. should i call it dishes? In Filipino term, "pulutan".

Let us first with Calamares, it more of a breaded squid. Its worth a crave! And there are a lot of sidewalk vendors that sells calamares (specially near schools). The idea of cooking home-made calamares is because of Hepa.. We are afraid getting hepa.. So we tried it at home.. Its very simple.. You should try it yourself ;) 

Here is how:


Ingredients:
1/2 kilo Squid
1/4 kilo Flour
1 glass Sprite (marinade)
2 pcs Egg
Salt and Pepper


1. Clean the squid and remove the tentacles from its body.

     Note: Removing the inc sacs is kinda messy :D

2. Peeled off the outer purple skin of the squid (body)
3. Slice squid into 1/2 inch rings
4. Marinate in sprite for about 25 minutes. You may also use calamansi juice.
5. Beat the eggs and dip squid rings into it
6. Add salt and pepper into the flour for seasoning (You may add Magic Sarap)
7. Dredge in squid into flour.
8. Heat oil in a pan

9. Fry squid rings by batches until they turn golden yellow, approximately 1 minute.

Note: Do not overcook as this will make the squid tough.

10. Remove the squid rings and drain on paper towels

11. Serve with mayonaise/catsup

Enjoy!

Super Maki

I just want to try to create blog. I dont have a particular topic to talk about. What do I like most? Well, I love cooking.. Specially if I have the budget.. I love playing Plants and Zombies.. I guess everyone knows this game. Let me just start with the last cooking adventure I had... How to make california maki...

I have numurous encounter with California Maki several years ago.. Not a good one.. During college days, two (Rommel and Francis) of my barkadas thought of eating at Tokyo in Robinson's Manila... We ordered the so famous Pork Tonkatsu, then Francis ordered 4-pc Maki.. It was our first time to eat on that resto... We got curious on the wasabi.. So, we tried eating it alone... I bet you know what happened... We almost died laughing.. Then finally, eating the Maki.. I really dont eat maki, I dont like its texture when its on my mouth but I was forced. After eating the rice-ball-like maki, I immediately drank my tea.. I was like a kid who forced their food to their stomach when their mom fed them.. Yikes!!

A few years laters, after my younger sister came home from Japan, we always eat at Tokyo Tokyo. Because she loves Japanese food and specially the Maki.. I really hate it.. Ewwww...

Then one day, I caught myself buying the food I hated at Tokyo Tokyo.. Ooopppsss... Its not for me! I bought it for the person who loves eating it.. As he prepared the sauce, I realized how fool we were years ago (not putting the wasabi on the sauce).. Hahahaha! Then he gave my very first Maki to me.. "Oh God! what I'm going to do", I thought that time.. But again, I dont have a choice.. I ate it and try to make bites of it... Trying to show him, I like it but I dont love it.. But as seconds pass-by...Hmmm.. And it tasted good.. Then I got one more.. And one more... After a while, I thought... Was it because of the sauce with wasaabi or was it because of the person who gave it to me.. Until now, I cant figure it out..

So much of the story.. Last saturday, that Guy taught me how to make Maki.. And I call it "Super Maki"

Ingredients needed:
Japanese Rice, Maki wrapper, Crab sticks, thin slices of mango and cucumber, cane vinegar, sugar, ebiko, Sushi Nori, wasabi

Materials needed:

Maki mat, cling wrap

Steps:

1. Cook the Japanese rice the usual way

2. Put a half cup cane vinegar to a bowl and add 4 tbsp of sugar

3. Boil the sugar/vinegar mix for 3 minutes then set it aside

** While waiting for the rice to be warm, prepare the following:

- Make thin slices of mango and cucumber (about 5mm thick)

- Slice the Crab stick to half

- Wrap the a cling wrap on the maki mat (so that the rice wont stick to the mat)

3. Put the warm rice on a bowl. Slowly pour the sugar/vinegare mixture into the rice bowl.

4. Place the Sushi Nori on top of the Maki Mat (coated with cling wrap).

5. Make a 3-mm-thick rice on top of the Sushi Nori

6. Turn the sushi nori upside down (rice facing the maki mat)

7. Put the mango strips 1 1/2 inch from the edge of the wrapper

8. Put the cucumber strips beside the mango strips

9. Put the crap sticks on top of the mango/cucumber

10. Roll the the mat slowly making the maki round.

11. Cover the roll with ebiko

This is how it looks like:

12. Cut the roll to make bite sizes (at least 1-inch thick)

Note: For the sauce, you can use any soy sauce, add some calamansi extract then add wasabi depends on your taste.

For people who don't eat Maki, better try it your self... Goodluck!