Vegetarian Chop Suey

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons oil 1/2 cup carrots, sliced thinly 1 cup coarsely chopped onion1/2 cup bamboo shoots 1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped celery2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 cup sliced mushrooms1/2 cup water 1 cup gluten, cut in pieces Soy sauce to taste Salt to taste2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1/4 teaspoon paprika1/4 cup toasted cashew or peanuts 2 cups hot water6 cups Chinese fried noodles 2 cups bean sprouts

How to cook vegetarian Chop Suey:

Sauté onion, celery. mushrooms and gluten in oil. Add next 6 ingredients and simmer
for about 15 minutes.
Mix cornstarch with 1/2 cup water; add soy sauce and stir into hot mixture to thicken;
simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve over chinese fried noodles. Garnish with cashew and parsley.
Variation: You may substitute 1/2 cup carrots or 1/2 cup cauliflower for other vegetables.
Yield: 6 servings.



Carrot Drumsticks

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons melted margarine Fine dry bread crumbs 1-l/2 tablespoons onion, minced1 egg, well-beaten l/2 cups cooked carrots, mashed 1-l/2 tablespoons pimiento, chopped 3 cups soft bread crumbs Salt to taste

How to make Carrot Drumsticks:

Mix margarine, carrots, soft crumbs, egg, onion, pimiento and seasonings.
Form in shape of drumsticks. Insert a wooden skewer or a short piece of macaroni in end of each.
Cover with crumbs and bake at 350 °F for 25 minutes.
Place a paper frill on each skewer. Serve with white sauce if desired.
Yield: 6 servings.

Pinangat na Laing

Ingredients:

1 kg. gabi or taro leaves50 grams ginger, chopped5 cans sardines2 cups vinegar10 grams garlic, minced6 cups coconut milk50 grams onion, chopped salt and pepper to taste

How to cook Pinangat na Laing:

Stuff gabi leaves with sardines and tie with their own vein. Heat a little oil in a pan, and saute garlic, onion and ginger until golden brown.
Pour in vinegar, then add the stuffed gabi leaves. Add coconut milk. Simmer until mixture is reduced significantly. Adjust taste by seasoning with salt and pepper.

Candied Pineapple

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugarPineapple juice, drained (reserve 1/3 cup)2 tbsp. light corn syrup1 (20 oz) can pineapple slices

How to make candied pineapple:

In casserole, combine sugar, reserved juice and corn syrup. Arrange five pineapple slices in single layer over sugar mixture.
Microwave on HIGH 8 to 12 minutes or until sugar dissolves and slices are glossy and transparent on edges, turning over and rearranging every 4 minutes.
Remove slices to wire rack and cool to become more transparent. Add remaining slices to hot syrup and repeat procedure.
When slices have cooled completely, coat with sugar. Cover with wax paper and let stand on wire rack to dry. Re-coat with sugar. Slices will be slightly sticky.

Jackfruit Balls

Ingredients:
4 cans (300 ml) condensed milk2 cups jackfruit or langka preserves (finely chopped)1 cup cornstarch dissolved in1/4 cup water

How to make Jackfruit balls:

Add condensed milk to langka preserve. Cook in low heat. Halfway, remove from heat, add cornstarch (dissolved in a little water).
Blend well, then, continue cooking while stirring constantly. Cook until it thickens and mixture separates from pan. Cool.
Note: When using bottled preserves, before shaping into balls, set aside cooked mixture for 4-5 hours (or overnight), covered with a cheese cloth. This would present your balls from becoming watery in a short time.

Macapuno Balls

Ingredients:

4 cans (300 ml) condensed milk2 cups macapuno (mutant coconuts) preserves1 cup cornstarch1/4 cup water

How to make Macapuno balls:

Add condensed milk to macapuno preserves. Cook in low heat. Halfway, remove from heat, add cornstarch (dissolved in a little water).
Blend well, then, continue cooking while stirring constantly. Cook until it thickens and mixture separates from pan. Cool.
Note: When using bottled preserves, before shaping into balls, set aside cooked mixture for 4-5 hours (or overnight), covered with a cheese cloth. This would present your balls from becoming watery in a short time.

Mangoes Preserve

How to make mangoes preserve

Select ripe firm mangoes. Cut into halves.
Scoop the pulp with a measuring spoon and drop in cold water.
Pack scoops in clean 12-ounces jars. Pour water and then drain well.
Fill with hot syrup made up of one part sugar and one part water.
Remove air bubbles.
Half-seal and sterilize jars for 6 minutes in boiling water.
Seal completely.


Sweetened Nata de Coco

Ingredients:

1 kilo diced natawater 3 cups white sugar3 cups water

How to make sweetened nata de coco:

Cover nata with water and boil 10 minutes.
Repeat 3 times and rinse every time.
Boil sugar and water until syrupy. Put in nata and cook 10 minutes.
Let stand overnight. Next day, boil again in its syrup, reduce heat and continue cooking until syrup is absorbed by nata.
Make another syrup ( 1 part sugar to 1 part water ).
Cook nata in 2nd syrup 10 minutes.
If you are going to preserve this, pack nata in sterilized bottle, then pour hot syrup ( 2nd syrup ) and seal tightly.
Cool Culinary Tips - Nata de Coco To remove sour taste and smell of nata, boil or rinse with water several times.

Macapuno Preserve

How to make macapuno preserve

Cut open the coconut and discard the oily portion. Scrape the meat and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes.
Drain. Cook in enough syrup of two parts sugar and one part water.
Cook the macapuno until it gets transparent.
Pour while hot in 12-ounces preserving jars.
Half-seal and sterilize jars for 25 minutes in boiling water.
Seal completely.

Mango Jam

Scrape the pulp from ripe mangoes and mash.
Use stainless utensils to prevent discoloring. Measure.
To every cup of pulp, add 1/2 cup sugar.
In case of sour mangoes, increase sugar to 2/3 cup.
Stir while cooking until it thickens.
Pour while hot in sterilized jars and seal tightly.

Papaya Jam

Select mature, half-ripe papayas. Wash thoroughly and slice thinly without peeling.
To every part of the papaya, add 2 parts water. Boil for 30 minutes.
Strain. To every cup of the extract, add one-half cup of sugar and 2 teaspoonfuls of kalamansi juice.
Heat to dissolve sugar. Strain.
Cook under strong fire of 110 °C. Pour into sterile bottles; remove the scum
and seal immediately.

Papaya Jelly

Combine 8 cups of ripe papaya and 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons kalamansi juice and 1 tablespoon citric acid.
Boil for 15 minutes.
Pour into sterilized glass jars.