My Favorite Childhood Dessert: PALITAW

I remember when I was in elementary, I always buy Palitaw from our cafeteria for snack or dessert. If I remember it right, it costs PHP 1.00 each. Then in high school, we made Palitaw in our culinary arts class but I don't remember a thing on how it was done. Sign of aging eh! :P

Today, I decided to make Palitaw for my dessert since this is the only thing I can cook which I have all the ingredients.

What is Palitaw?

My friend, Wiki, explains, "Palitaw (from litaw, the Tagalog word for "float" or "rise") is a small, flat, sweet rice cake eaten in the Philippines. They are made from malagkit(sticky rice) washed, soaked, and then ground. After excess water is let out from the grinding process scoops of the batter are rolled and the flattened to disk shapes and dropped into boiling water where they float to the surface as flat discs - an indication that they're done. When served, the flat discs are dipped in grated coconut, and presented with a separate dip made of sugar and toasted sesame seeds."

I know, she is pretty smart. ;) You're probably thinking how hard it is to "wash, soak, and grind" the rice. No need to worry because you can buy a package of the ready-to-cook grounded sticky rice. I know, for sure, it is sold in the Asian Store here in Austin. Your local supermarket may have it. I have not checked Walmart, but it's worth a try!

Trust me, this is very easy to make. You only have to look at the recipe once and after that you will have it down the next time. Thanks to my favorite online Filipino Food Chef, Vanjo, for his recipe. Check it out at Panlasang Pinoy - Palitaw Recipe.

Let me know if you have any questions about this recipe or the food itself.

Enjoy!

xo, J.

Mama Sita's Pancit Bihon Recipe

When I am alone and bored at home, I think about food. So when I got hungry for lunch today, I went hunting for ingredients in my pantry and fridge to cook because I cannot go anywhere. Yup, I am stuck at home because my car is in the shop. So, I found ingredients for Pancit Bihon because I have been thinking about it (other foods too!)


Sure there is a whole lot of recipes you can find online and I have my favorites, but this time I am not cooking with an online recipe.Instead, I am using a Mama Sita's Pancit Bihon Recipe mix. It's cheating, but who cares! It is easy and delicious!

PANCIT BIHON (Stir Fried Rice Noodle) Recipe 

Ingredients: 
1 pkg (8 oz) Rice Noodles - I cut mine in half so it can easily fit in the pan.Shrimp - you can also use other meat, of course.
2-3 cloves garlic
1 pc small red onion
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 cup carrots, cut into strips
2 tbps vegetable oil
1 pkg Mama Sitas Pancit Bihon Mix, dissolve in 3 cups water.
Procedure:
1.Saute garlic in oil until golden brown, then add onion, and saute until it turns soft and transparent. Add shrimp and saute for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add Mama Sita's mix and bring to boil. Turn the heat down.
3. Mix in vegetables and simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Add rice noodles and stir until fully covered. Let it simmer until noodles until cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Add more water if necessary.

Enjoy!

xo, J.

Busy Kusina In The Next Few Weeks

So it seems like my Kusina will be pretty busy for the next following weeks . Starting off with hosting a Bible Missionary Presentation on the 16th of February. It will be our first time hosting one. The most important thing about it is to be able to share our Faith to others. But it won't be complete without bunch of foods. I will be cooking and hopefully would be able to share some of the recipes of the food that I will be preparing.

Then on March 9th, I will be holding a Food Sampling at my house for my friends who will be soon to start a restaurant business serving Filipino Foods. At least I am not gonna be cooking for this event. But I will for sure share some pictures of the foods being sampled.

Of course, other than cooking, I will be busy cleaning the house. It will be fun though, that's for sure! Soon I will become a party host guru :D.

Thank you for reading!

xo, J.

Oven Cooked Baby Back Ribs Barbecue

I love barbecues but i hate grilling on the pit because of the smoke and the way i smell after. Thank God there is a way to cook barbecue without using the pit, like this Baby Back Ribs Barbecue and this is one of my favorite. This recipe does not require cooking skills, because it is as simple as boiling water...okay maybe not that simple! :D

Ingredients:
4 lbs Baby Back Ribs
2 tbps Worcetershire sauce
1 cup your favorite Barbecue Sauce (1/2 cup to marinate, 1/4 cup baste, 1/4 cup sauce after it's done)
Salt and Pepper

1. Take the membrane (white thin cover at the back) by cutting the corner a little and pulling it gently. Do not worry if there will be a little left. This is to help the meat to be more tender.
2. Rub salt and pepper on both sides of the ribs and let it stand for 15 minutes. Mix 1/2 cup barbecue sauce and woscertershire. Then brush it on both sides of the ribs. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. Wrap the whole ribs with foil and bake it in the pre-heated oven at 350F temperature for 90 mins.
4. Take the top foil and baste the top part of the ribs. Increase the temperature to 410F and place the ribs back in the oven for 30 mins.
5. Take the ribs out and baste with remaining barbecue sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Let me know what you think! ;)

xo, J.