Test Lab: Ginisang Munggo on the Slow Cooker

Ingredients:

mung beans, 1 cup, washed and soaked in tepid water for 30 minutes prior to boiling
1 tbsp cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup pork (sliced thinly about 2 inches long by 1 inch wide)

2 tbsp patis (optional)
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 cup broth (or more; may use water; add acoording to the consistency you want)
salt and pepper to taste
dash of dried basil leaves
2 cups spinach leaves (or amount depends on how much you want)

Instructions:

Boil mung beans for 30 minutes on moderately-low heat. Check from time to time to ensure it does not get dry. Stir occasionally.
When almost ready, sautee the garlic, onion, then pork for about 2 minutes, then add tomatoes and sautee for about 1 minute. Add patis (and tinapa, if using) and let simmer for about 10 seconds.

Add mongo and broth. Cover and simmer (you may lower the heat some more) for about 5 minutes. If you are using shrimp, you may add at this point.
Add the basil, stir and adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and add the spinach, stirring it in.

Place in bowl. Top with chicharon, if desired.
Serve with rice.

For the animal protein, you may substitute shrimps or combine pork with shrimps, or add shredded tinapa (smoked herring). I love adding roughly crumbled (if big) pieces of chicharon as topping for ginisang munggo. I got the idea from my medical school where I got free board and lodging and the kusinera was another Ilokana. If you know how to make good chicharon, they're better (I have not had any luck with my experimentations.)

http://manangkusinera.blogspot.com/2004/12/munggo-guisado.html

Deanna's Sweet-Sour Fried Tofu

I modified the typical soy-sauce vinegar combination and fried my tofu in a drizzle of olive oil. It's a lovely, healthy dish when paired with wild rice pilaf and edamame on a hot summer day.

1. Drain the extra firm tofu of water. Cut in triangles.
2. Fry on low in olive oil.

Marinade:
Toasted sesame seed oil
Marukan rice vinegar
Organic soy sauce
Honey

Mix all ingrediatents to taste.

Add some finely sliced red onion.
Allow the fried tofu to soak in the marinade.

This recipe was inspired by the photo above. To see the inspiration, click HERE.

Soft Shell Crabs Vietnamese Style

We enjoy soft-shell crabs so much and never miss it when it is in season. We tried the Cantonese Style soft shell crabs, which is great, but the Vietnamese style is the best. For more recipes on Vietnamese seafood cooking, clickHERE.

Lab Test: Slow-cooked Moroccan Chicken

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
* 8 oz. baby carrots with tops, trimmed, or baby carrots, halved lengthwise if large
* 1/2 cup pitted dried plums (prunes)
* 1 14-oz. can reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
* 1-1/4 tsp. curry powder
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker combine onion and carrots. Add plums and broth. Top with chicken. In a small bowl combine curry powder, salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over chicken.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Remove chicken, fruit, and vegetables from cooker with a slotted spoon. Spoon some of the cooking juices on each serving. Makes 4 servings.

The photo and recipe came fromHERE.

Salmon Fillet in Honey Lemon-Lime

1/2 lb salmon fillet
1/2 lemon
1 lime
1 t honey (I used dates honey, but any kind of honey will do)
fresh ginger, cut in small and thin slices
olive oil
red pepper in strips for garmish (optional)

Mix the lemon and lime juice and honey in a bowl
Place the salmon in the marinade for a few minutes
Drizzle olive oil in the slow cooker
Place the salmon and pour the honey lemon-lime marinade on the fish
Place the fresh ginger stips and red ginger

Cook on High for one hour

Summer Beef and Vegetable Stew

1 1/2 lb beef bone-in rib steak
3 medium sized potatoes, cubed
medium sized onion, sliced
2 medium-size tomatoes, cubed
2 carrots, cit in strips
red pepper, cut in strips (optional)

worcestershire sauce
cornstarch
olive oil
everyday seasoning
rock salt
1 cup of vegetable bouillon (or one cube)

Marinade the steak in worcestershire sauce for a few minutes
Rub cornstarch and everyday seasoning on the steak and allow to sit

Mix a little bit of rock salt on the potatoes

Place olive oil on the slow cooker, followed by the steak
Pour the 1 cup of vegetable bouillon
Layer the potatoes around the steak, followed by the rest of the vegetables
Cover the steak with the onions and tomatoes
Sprinke the red pepper on the steak

Cook on High for 1 1/2 hours

Escabeche Sietan

This recipe was not planned. As usual, I used ingredients already residing in my ref. The key issue was trying to find an original way of cooking seitan.

1 package of seitan strips
medium-size onion, sliced
medium-size-tomato, chpped corasely
red pepper, cut in julinne strips
worcestershire sauce
olive oil

Combine all ingredients and cook on High for one hour. Cool in room temperature before you store. I recommend you eat this one day later to allow the seitan to sit in the marinade.

I served this with spicy Italian sausage, a medley carrots and string beans with crispy onions and cous-cous. Delicious!

For more info on escabeche, click HERE.

Above photo credit here.