Kulinarya - September and October Filipino Spaghetti

This month’s Kulinarya theme is Filipino Style Spaghetti. Thanks to Gio (www.thehungrygiant.net), Kyle and Bea (www.ratedkb.blogspot.com) for coming up with one of my favourite dishes as the theme for September - October.

Filipino Style Spaghetti is something that most Filipino Families serve at parties. Its sweet and sometimes a little spicy and normally made with pork mince.

Below is Mama Eugenio’s version:

Filipino Style Spaghetti  

Ingredients

4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

500 grams pork mince
1 small onion (diced)

4 cloves of garlic (crushed and chopped finely)

1 small red capsicum

4 American hot dogs (sliced diagonally)

½ cup of spaghetti sauce (I used Del Monte Filipino Style spaghetti sauce. You can get this at any good Asian stores)

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of pickle relish

¾ bottle of UFC Banana Ketchup (You can get this at any good Asian stores)

½ a teaspoon of chilli flakes (optional)

2 to 3 cups of penne or spaghetti (I chose to use penne because I find it a lot easier to eat.)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic is just cooked but not golden brown.

2. Add the mince pork and brown. Stirring occasionally to break up the meat.

3. Once the meat is brown, add the hot dogs and the capsicum.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the spaghetti sauce, UFC and soy sauce. Add this to the mince and stir until combined. This will be a very thick consistency. You can add a few tablespoons of water to make it a little runny.

5. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes before adding the pickle relish and chilli flakes.

6. Set the sauce aside and cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water till al dente.

Serving Suggestion

In a medium size ovenproof dish, combine the pasta with the sauce. Sprinkle with a combination on ricotta and tasty cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted.

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture & its colourful cuisine. 

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

For more information regarding the Kulinarya Cooking Club or if you are interested in joining, please leave a comment or visit http://kulinaryaclub.wordpress.com/. Make sure to take the time and visit our members blogs for inspiration.

Read more...

Mini Mallomars

Yes I know I’ve been missing in action. I haven’t updated A Cupcake or Two since my Australia Day post. I have a good explanation for the absence. I lost my groove just like Stella did. I am going through some changes at the moment, and it’s made me lose my passion for all things food related. But I’m back. 

I have some exciting post coming up and even a competition that I am hoping you will all love. To get myself back into the groove, I decided to make some Mallomars. Mallomars are basically a biscuit with fluffy marshmallow innards and coated with delicious chocolate.

As you all know, I am a big fan of the express way. I decided to use good ol mini chocolate wheatens instead of making the biscuit base.

I found an easy egg free marshmallow recipe from Kids Spot. It takes a little whipping, but the marshmallow is fluffy and not too sweet.

Chocolate Mallomars (makes approximately 30)

Biscuit Base

1 bag of mini chocolate wheatens

You can also use digestive biscuits or shortbread.

Marshmallow Topping

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon gelatine
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Food colouring (optional)

Chocolate Coating

2 cups of milk chocolate
10 grams of copha or vegetable shortening

Method

Make sure to use a big pot so that the mixture doesn’t boil over. It’s extremely hot and can get very messy.

1. Pour the sugar, gelatine and water into your pot. Stir until combined. Slowly bring to the boil, reduce the heat so it doesn’t boil over. Keep this on low for 10 minutes without stirring.

2. Remove from the heat and cool a further 10 minutes. You can also use a bowl full of ice to cool down the mixture quickly.

3.  Place the mixture into a clean heatproof bowl, add the food colouring and vanilla essence. Mix on medium with a stand mixture until it becomes light and fluffy.

4. Spoon the marshmallow into a piping bag and slowly pipe the marshmallow on each individual mini chocolate wheaten. Allow to set for 10 minutes on a cooling rack.

5. Melt the chocolate and the copha in the microwave for no more than 2 minutes. I did this in 20 second intervals to prevent the chocolate from burning.  Dunk each mallomar into the melted chocolate and allow to set on a cooling rack.

This is super simple treat to make and perfect for a party. An alternative is to make it into a Mallomar Slice. Simply crush some digestive biscuits with some butter and put this into a a lined baking tray. Pour the prepared marshmallow onto the biscuit base and allow to set. Top with some melted chocolate.

ENJOY...

Read more...

Xinjiang Lamb Kebabs for Australia Day

First of all I just wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone. I can’t believe we are now in 2012. Time sure does fly when you are having fun.

For my first post, I wanted to share a fantastic recipe, for Xinjiang Lamb Kebabs, which I will be making for an Australia Day picnic. These lamb kebabs are just one of the delicious dishes that Uighur cuisine has to offer. (The Uighur people are from Central Asia between Mongolia and Kazakhstan).

My friend Anna introduced me to these skewers years ago, in a Uighur restaurant near Sydney’s Chinatown. When she came back from Amsterdam for a visit last Christmas, she told me that she found a recipe for them. I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to make them myself.

Xinjiang Lamb Kebabs (recipe from Food Buzz)

Ingredients

1 kilo lamb leg (cut into 3cm cubes)

4 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili flakes

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns

2 teaspoons ground ginger powder

4 garlic cloves (very finely chopped)

2 teaspoons sea salt

10 to 15 bamboo BBQ sticks that have been soaked in water

Method

1. In a large tray, mix the spices together and add the oil. Add the lamb pieces and stir to coat. Set aside in the fridge to marinade. I left mine for 24 hours but a minimum of 5 hours is ok.

2. Once the lamb is marinated, thread 4 to 5 pieces onto each BBQ stick. BBQ the lamb skewers until they are slightly pink in the middle. There is nothing worse that over cooked lamb leg. Don’t be tempted to overcook them.

3. Serve with a green salad and some Tzatziki.

These lamb skewers are delicious hot or cold. It’s simple to prepare and only takes minutes to cook. It’s the perfect dish to kick-start your Australia Day celebrations. Our Lambassador Sam Kekovich would be proud.  

Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie readers. I hope you all have a safe and fun filled day… If you haven't already seen it, make sure you watch Sama Kekovich in the hilarious video below.

Read more...