Grilled Squid Stuffed with Lemon Grass and Ginger

I had a dish similar to this when I went home to the Philippines in July. It was fro a very famous resto in Bacolod, the place where I am from. They stuffed their squid with tanglad (lemon grass) and ginger then it was grilled. If I remember correctly, they basted it with annatto-infused oil, which is commonly used in pork and chicken barbeque. This dish can either be grilled on a gas grill or stovetop grill. I used the later since I was not about to step outside in the heat and deal with more heat...lol...at least if I do it inside the house, I can just turn on the exhaust and have to air-conditioner running to counteract the heat coming from the stove :)Be careful when using a stovetop griller as it could oil from the basting medium to splatter. The lemmon grass gives the dish a nice aroma and flavor. You can eat this "as is" or you can dip it in soy sauce-kalamansi (philippine lemon) mixture or spiced vinegar. I do not like dipping it in anything but I like to eat with rice and a side of Atchara (Pickled papaya)...yum!



Ingredients:

squid, cleaned with tentacles removed and discarded (or you can save it for another dish)
Lemon grass (enough to stuff all your squids, bruised
Ginger (use enough to stuff squid), sliced thinly
sea salt and freschly ground pepper, to taste
bamoo skewers, soaked in water for about 15 minutes

Basting medium:

1/2 cup oil
1-2 tsp annatto extract (or if using powder, use about 1 tsp)

1. Heat sauce pan to medium and add oil with annatto extract.
2. Mix well. Heat until annatto is well incorporated into the oil.
3. Take one squid and stuff with lemon grass and ginger. Do this until all squid has been stuffed.
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the squids.
5. Skewer squid using bamboo skewers.
6. Turn on the grill and grill squids. After 3-4 minutes, turn squid over and baste with prepared basting medium.
7. When the other side is half way cooked, turn it over and baste that side also.
8. Continue to grill squids until cooked.
9. Remove from heat and transfer to serving platter.
NOTE: You are only supposed to eat the squid and discard the lemon grass and ginger

Sweet and Sour Tilapia

As the name suggests, this dish is a combination of two flavors. The fish that I used is tilapia but you can use other variety of fish, pork, or chicken. This is a Filipino-style sweet and sour dish. I have to admit, I cheated a little bit when I made this dish. I got the fish from the Filipino market and as a service to their customers, they clean and fry the fish in the store. Ha! a real time and energy saver because it takes frying out of the equation. This is good for me since I hate being splashed on with hot out while frying. I also had the butcher cut the fish in half which makes it easier to manuever while transfering in and out of the pan.

Ingredients:

1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup tomato catsup
1/3 cup sugar, you may add more or less depending on your preference
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 small bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 small can of pineapple chunks
1small carrot, julienned
2 inches ginger, julienned
1 Tbsp flour, dissolved in water
2 Thai chili pepper, sliced thinly annd diagonally
3 cloves garlic, minced finely




1. In a bowl, combine vinegar, sugar and catsup. Set aside
2. Heat sauce pan to medium heat. Place the catsup-vinegarr mixture,ginger, onions, and garlic. When it starts to boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 3-4 minutes.

3. Add carrots, pinneapple, and bell pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes.

4. Add the dissolved flour a little bit at a time. Cook untile it thicken slightly.

5. You can either pour the sauce over the fish, or you can add the fish on the pan and coat with sauce well. Remove from heat and serve.

Sizzling Squid

I bought some squids from the Korean market when I went there to pick up some supplies. It has been sitting in the refrigerator for a couple of days but I was not sure how I'd like to cook it... adobo? nah, too salty... bokkeum? too small...sizzling squid? why not?...darn I must really be feeling homesick since this is another dish that I ate about 2-3 times when I was in the Philippines last month. I tweaked it though to suite my taste... which means spicy...hahaha



Ingredients:

1 Lb squid
1/2 cup butter (or less, if you prefer)
1Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp paprika
1-2 tsps red chili flakes
1 kalamansi, sliced thinly
1 tsp lemon rind
1 tsp lemon juice
1 bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, coarsely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste




1. Clean Squid by removing tentacles and insides, clear cartillage, and outer tissue. Rinse and drain well. Slice into 1/2 inch size.




2. Heat cast iron pan in medium heat. Add olive oil and 1/2 of the butter. Be careful not to burn your butter. Add garlic and onions. Cook until translucent.




3. Add shrimp, salt, and pepper. Stir to mix.


4. When the juice starts to come out, add paprika then chili flakes. Mix, mix, mix. Cook until almost all of the juice evaporates.





5. When almost all of the liquid has evaporated, add the rest of the butter.

6. Add lemon zest and parsley. MIx and cook for about 30 seconds.



7. Add lemon juice and adjust seasoning according to taste.



8. Garnich with kalamansi and parsley. Serve in cast iron pan immediately. WARNING: Be careful, pot is extremely hot.



SIDENOTE: The aroma of freshly baked bread is starting to fill the house...I cannot wait to see and share the result of the no knead bread recipe that I tried...

Buttered Shrimp, cooked my way...

Here is another recipe that has been inspired by my latest trip to the Philippines. As my friends and I were making our rounds of the usual favorite and famous eateries in Bacolod, I noticed that a lot of them serves different versions of buttered shrimp. They all tasted really nice which inspired me to try and recreate the dish. I wanted to do it my way though so I added ingredients that gives it a little bit of a kick. The result is a tangy, zesty, spicy, and finger-lickin' dish...




Ingredients:

1 lb jumbo shrimp
1/2 stick butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
juice of 1 kalamansi
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 bunch parsley, coarsely chopped
1/2 to 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.



1. Clean shrimp but leave the shells on.
2. Heat pan over medium low heat. Melt butter.
*** watch carefully so as not to burn the butter.
3. Add olive oil and garlic. Cook until garlic is done.
4. Add shrimp and cook until it turns orange in color.




5. Add paprika, parsley, red pepper flakes, and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.



6. Add kalamansi juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
7. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately.

Crab Rangoon

Ingr:

1 pkg ( 14 oz) wonton wrapper
8 oz. cream cheese ( softened)
6 0z canned crabs, drained and flaked**
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp chives, finely chopped***

1. Combine softened cream cheese, crabs, garlic powder, chives, and paprika. Mix well.
2. take about 1 tsp of the filling and place on wonton wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper and seal well.

refer to the picture on how to wrap the Crab Rangoon:








3. Heat oil in a pan over medium low heat and fry a few crab rangoon until golden brown. Make sure you keep a close eye because it will only take a few minutes to fry them.

Alternative to frying:

You can bake these instead of frying them. To bake, preheat oven and set the temp to 350 degrees Fahrenheit . Arrange the crab rangoon in a baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges turn brown and crisp.

5. Serve with sweet and sour sauce.

** If you are allergic to crabs like me, you can use imitation crabs instead

*** you can substitute chives with sfinely chopped scallions.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

Ingr:

1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp catsup
1 inch ginger, juliened
1 jalapeno pepper, optional
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp cold water

1. Combine cornstarch with cold water and mix thoroughly. set aside.

2. In a separate saucepan, mix vinegar, water, sugar, catsup and ginger and let it boil on medium heat.

3. When it starts boiling, lower the heat to low and add cornstarch mixture 1 tsp at a time until the desired consistency ( about the consistency of a pancake batter) is achieved.

NOTE: If the sauce becomes too thick, you can add a little bit of water to thin it out.

4. Remove from heat and add jalapeno pepper if desired. The jalapeno gives it a nice kick

Baked Tahong ( Baked Mussel)

Ingr:

2 lbs frozen tahong ( mussel) in half shell
1/2 cup butter, softened
4-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano ( Parmesan cheese), grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs ( plain )
1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

1. Thaw mussel in the refrigerator then discard the juice.

2. 3. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Combine softened butter, garlic and parsley in a small bowl.

*** If you want, you can saute the garlic lightly before mixing it with butter and parsley

4. Brush butter-garlic mixture on each mussel, top with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

5. Arrange in a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

*** do not overcook because it will turn dry.

6. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.

Japanese Style Deep Fried Shrimp

Ingr:

Shrimp, preferably jumbo size, shelled and deveined
all Purpose flour or cornstrarch, if you prefer
Panko bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste, added to the flour or corn starch

Sauce:

1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp catsup
1 inch ginger, juliened
1 jalapeno pepper, optional
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp cold water




1. Rinse shrimp and pat dry.
2. create an assembly line for your shrimp ( one bowl with flour mixed with salt and pepper , another with the beaten egg and last bowl with the panko bread crumbs)
3. COat the shrimp with flour then dip in egg and lastly coat with Panko. Do this one shrimp at a time.

TIP: I use bamboo skewer to dip the shrimp on the flour, egg and panko...less messy that way.

4. heat oil in a deep fryer or pan. Set the heat to medium low to low so as not to burn your battered shrimp. Fry until light golden brown then tansfer to a paper towel lined dish to drain excess oil.

TIP: If you are making a large batch, line your plate with Saran plastic wrap then assemble the battered shrip in such a way that they are not touching one another. when you run out of space, place another layer of saran wrap on top and put another battered shrimp layer . when you're done, place in the freezer for 2 or more hours to let the battered shrimp harden then you can transfer them to a ziplock bag. Following this method will help prevent your battered shrimps from clumping together.

5. Combine cornstarch with cold water and mix thoroughly. set aside.

6. In a separate saucepan, mix vinegar, water, sugar, catsup and ginger and let it boil on medium heat.

7. When it starts boiling, lower the heat to low and add cornstarch mixture 1 tsp at a time until the desired consistency ( about the consistency of a pancake batter) is achieved.

NOTE: If the sauce becomes too thick, you can add a litte bit of water to thin it out.

8. Remove from heat and add jalapeno pepper if desired. The jalapeno gives it a nice kick

9. Serve with deep fried shrimp.

Jjampong ( Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup)

Ingr:

Soup Stock:

10 dried anchovies ( guts removed)
1/4 cup dried shitake mushroom
1/2 sheet dried kelp
1 small onion, sliced

50 grms pork, thinly sliced
5-6 shrimps, shelled
5-6 mussels
squid, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch size ginger, minced
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp Kanari ( korean fish sauce)
1/2 tsp kochukaru ( korean pepper flakes)
1 tsp vegetable oil
ground black pepper to taste
3 scallions , sliced about 3 inches in length
1 small carrot, julienned
button mushroom
shitake mushroom
enoki mushroom
5 pieces napa cabbage, sliced










1. In a pan, combine 8 cups water, anchovies, kelp, dried shitake mushroom and onion. Bring to a boil on medium low heat for about 20-30 minutes. then set aside.

2. Mix Kochukaru and 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a small bowl and set aside.

3. In another pan, bring water to boil and add noodle. Cook for about 3-4 minutes or until noodle is done **. Then drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.

** noodle should have chewy texture

4. Heat oil in a pan and saute garlic and ginger until light brown.

5. Add pork strips and cook until pork is slightly cooked.

6. Add veggies ( except enoki mushroom) and stir fry for a few minutes.

7. Add kochukaru mixture and seafood. mix well.

8. Add soup stock ( Make sure you strain it to remove kelp, anchovies, etc) and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

9. add kanari, oyster sauce and ground black pepper ( to taste) Add Enoki mushroom just before removing from heat

10. Put noodle in a large bowl and add soup mixture. Serve.

*** you can add as much or as little kochukaru as you want depending on how spicy you want it to be.

Nakji Bokeum (Korean Spicy Octopus)

Ingr:

1 Lb octopus, cut legs into 2 inch strips and head cleaned and cut into strips
1 small onion, sliced thinly
3 scallions, sliced diagonally and into 2 inch length
1 small carrots, julienned
2 green chili pepper, sliced thinly and diagonally
4 shitake mushrooms, sliced

sauce:
3 Tbsp Kochujang ( Korean red chili paste)
2 Tbsp kochukaru ( korean red chili flakes)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, minced

1. mix ingredients for sauce.
2. add the rest of the ingredients, mix well.
3. marinate for 10 minutes.
4. heat pan on medium high heat*** and cook marinated octopus mixture for about 8 minutes or until done.

*** too high a heat would burn the dish
*** too low heat would make the dish soggy

Gul Muchim ( Seasoned Raw Oysters)

1 lb schucked oysters, washed gently and drain well.
3 scallion, thinly sliced
1 red chili pepper, sliced thinly and diagonally
1 green chili pepper, sliced thinly and diagonally
2- 3 Tbsp Kochukaru ( korean crushed red pepper flakes)
3 cloves garlic
1 small onion
2 inch sized ginger
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. In a blender, mix garlic, onion and ginger.chop to make a coarse paste.

2. transfer to a bowl and mix in kochukaru, vinegar and sugar. mix well.

3. add oyster, scallions, sesame seeds and chili peppers. toss gently.