I'm Sweet On Sour Kamias

For me, one of the downsides to living far from the Philippines is I never get to enjoy my favorite Philippine fruits such as the greenest Indian mangoes, unripe guavas, kamias, semi-ripe green tamarind, and santol. They all have one thing in common, they are all sour ranging from the extreme to moderate and sweetish. I was reminded of my love for these pucker-inducing fruits when I read Marvin's recent trip to the Philippines. Staring at the photos of green mangoes and the kamias with sea salt had me salivating and wanting to pluck them right from the computer screen. One of my favorite snacks was kamias freshly picked from the tree, dipped in rock sea salt. I used to stand in front of the tree and ate them until I had my fill. Kamias is used in the Philippines as a souring agent for soups and for stewed mackerel (tulingan). My mother also chops or slices them as condiment for noodles. Although I prefer eating these sour fruits as they are, I also love them candied.

kamias photo source TopTropicals.com

dried kamias

Spanish mackerel ready for stewing in dried kamias, sea salt, and fried pork fat

Stewed Spanish Mackerel
2 medium-size whole Spanish mackerel, cleaned and slashed lengthwise
hydrated dried kamias, reserve liquid
sea salt to taste
a very small piece of pork belly with fat, sliced and fried crisp
banana leaf, optional

• Line a skillet with banana leaf, sprinkle with half a T of sea salt, half of the dried kamias and half of the fried pork fat. Place fish on skillet, sprinkle with another half T of sea salt, top with the remaining dried kamias and pork fat. Pour the reserved liquid in the skillet and add enough water to cover fish. Let boil, cover the skillet and cook over medium heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Serve with steamed rice.

I'm sending this post to this week's Lasang Pinoy Sundays

Fried Green Tomatoes

When I first saw the movie with the same title many years ago, I thought it was an anomaly to eat tomatoes that are not bright red, let alone fry them dipped in corn meal batter. I didn't think this southern delicacy would taste good. I have never made nor eaten them before and I have yet to see them in restaurants around here.

Yesterday at the farmer's market I spotted some very green tomatoes in one of the produce tents and bought three pieces to try out this side dish. I have chicken wings marinating in the fridge, the idea and recipe for Chicken Wings Africana I got from [eatingclub] vancouver and thought of preparing lunch with a mix of different flavors from several regions of the world. The combination is not bad at all, in fact it's great and I love them together. The tomatoes are slightly tart but sweetish and I love the crunch of the corn meal. I think fried green tomatoes will pair very well with just about any type of cuisine, they are tomatoes after all. Red or green, the tomato is still one of my most favorite vegetables/fruits.

slightly tart but sweetish fried green tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes
3 large green tomatoes
1½ C flour
½ C corn meal
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
milk
olive oil for frying

• Mix flour, corn meal, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add enough milk to make a thick batter. Cut tomatoes into ¼ inch thick slices. Heat 2 T oil in a nonstick skillet. Dip tomato slices, one at a time, in the batter and fry in oil until golden brown. Drain excess oil on paper towels. Serve immediately.

super yummy Chicken Wings Africana

Tamalos

tamalo: peanuts, sesame seeds, rice flour, and pork belly in a parcel

While searching in my cookbook Flavours of the Philippines for the Bam-i recipe, I came across the tamalos, a specialty from the same region in the Philippines. These annatto colored, meaty, nutty, and slightly spicy cousins of the Mexican tamales are made with rice flour and wrapped in banana leaves. I've never had this kind of tamale before although I once made another Filipino version that also has peanuts but flavored with coconut milk and shredded cooked chicken.

The preparation of tamalos is quite tedious as there are several steps, not to mention kitchen tools and pans, involved. But I couldn't ignore the yummy ingredients such as peanuts, roasted sesame seeds, and the adobo style pork belly and started imagining what they will taste like. I am not disappointed and although they came out a little bit softer than I would have liked, they are otherwise fantastic! I love the combination of the different flavors of peanuts, sesame seeds, and savory pork belly and the fragrance of banana leaves. Simply delicious.

Tamalos
adapted from Flavours of the Philippines: A Culinary Guide to the Best of the Islands
by Glenda Rosales-Barretto

2 pounds pork belly, skin on
2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
1 cup vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
200 grams toasted peanuts
100 grams roasted sesame seeds
2 hot red chili peppers, chopped
4 tablespoons annatto oil (warm 4 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespons annatto seeds, then discard seeds)
200 grams rice flour mixed with 500 ml water
16 pieces banana leaves, cut into approximately 10-inch square

• Place the pork in a casserole together with 1 tablespoon garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, and 2½ cups water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes, then remove pork from the broth and allow to rest. Slice into 16 portions, return to the broth, cover and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Remove pork and set aside. Discard the bay leaves and reserve broth.
• In a food processor, grind peanuts, sesame seeds, and chili peppers. Add broth in a slow stream to produce a smooth paste.
• In a saucepan, heat the annatto oil and saute briefly the remaining 1 tablespoon garlic, then add peanut sesame seed paste and cook, stirring continuously until thick. Add the rice mixture and stir well, then immediately remove from heat.
• For each tamalo, place 2 pieces of banana leaves on a flat surface. Spoon or pour about 170 ml of the rice mixture in the center, add 2 pieces of sliced pork and top with another 100 ml more of the rice paste. Hold the 2 sides of the banana leaves and fold together to secure, then clasp both ends to form a compact parcel. Using kitchen twine or strips of banana leaf, tie a knot at both ends and another crosswise around the middle section. Steam for 45 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

I didn't mind the time and effort to make tamalos, they're yummy!

Lobo: A New Addiction

I blame Raissa for introducing me to this highly addictive (at least for me) TV series about werewolves (lobo) and a group of military-trained people and scientists determined to exterminate them. The series is shown in the Philippines and in the DirectTV Filipino channel as a daily 30-minute episode which began in January of this year. To date there are 116 episodes and the teleserye (TV series) will have its finale this month, and in my rough calculation there will be a total of 128 episodes on 16 DVDs, that's 8 episodes per DVD. I bought the first 16 episodes on DVD vols. 1 and 2, vols. 3 and 4 arrived yesterday, yay! another 16 hours of viewing. 96 hours more to go, oh boy.:D

When we were in the Philippines I barely watched local TV except for sitcoms and late night talk/variety shows, nothing during the day because I was at work. But I love werewolves movies no matter how cheesy they are, one is the awesomely cheesy 70s British movie THE BEAST MUST DIE. Another of my favorite werewolves movies is DOG SOLDIERS which is rather gory and of course a bit cheesy which is why I like it.

LOBO is part action, part comedy, part drama, part romance, well a little too much romance IMHO, but it's okay. My favorite scene: when the 2 main characters were still kids, they each have a necklace broken in half that when they connect together the girl utters "magic embrace!", I laugh my head off, my daughter and I have endless fun saying it to each other. So cheesy yet so lovable, my kind of TV show. Favorite expression: claro? (is that clear?). Just like Raissa I'm hopelessly addicted*sigh*.:D

For the synopsis and episodes click here.