This Rugged JoyFull Home: THE POWER OF A COOKING WOMAN

Showing posts with label THE POWER OF A COOKING WOMAN. Show all posts

Let's Talk About The Laing

(Note:Pls. keep scrolling to the end to watch a fun video clip of our laing preps.)

Trying to frame a perfect view for a windy-rainy morning here on this side of the planet. It's a perfect day to cook a family favorite ulam which is none other than the delectable laing. And because I hail from the province of Oriental Mindoro, I also call it pinangat or pangat for short. The main ingredient of this well-loved Filipino dish is the lowly dahon ng gabi that propagates in your swampy backyard or in your neighborhood's unkempt vacant lot. If you have a friendly neighbor — reword, if you are friends with your neighbor that grows a gabi patch, you can score it for free. The same situation applies to your malunggay and dahon ng saging cooking needs.

Gabi, or taro in English, is primarily a starchy root vegetable that has huge green leaves and tuberous stalks. It is loaded with essential nutrients and vitamins B, C, and E, iron, calcium, phospohorous; it is low in sodium, low in saturated fat, low in cholesterol but rich in dietary fibers. The list goes on and on. It also has a long list of medicinal uses but that is for another day.

It is the perfect ulam to warm the cold and rainy season as the kakang gata and the little dynamites of green siling haba, red hot chillies, and diced ginger are added to complete the laing DNA. Crunchy liempo and dilis are also added to the ensemble of laing ingredients which made it filling and comforting at the same time especially when you eat it with steaming rice. I call it a marriage made in heaven.

The big schools just culminated their celebration of Nutrition Month of July last week. And for the month of August it is the Buwan ng Wika. Tiny schools like ours, which we fondly call The De Chavez Family Homeschool (established in 2005 with two enrolees to wit, one 5th grader and one senior high on the 11th grade), we try making it big by cooking a large batch of laing which is enough to feed an entire village😉 We will store the batch in quart-sized ziplocs and stick them in the freezer to preserve the flavors of freshly cooked laing. Then we will just thaw and heat a portion in the microwave anytime our cravings kick in. Mas masarap pag nabahaw ang laing. Is this Filipino enough?

But let me warn you that this green-leafy Pinoy dish is not for the impatient and fast-food oriented brood of foodies. Timing plays a crucial role in achieving the perfect texture and luster of the laing. It is a labor of love as Tita Bebs describes it. You have to keep stirring it every so often for at least an hour, eye-balling it to avoid any hint of burning while the kakang gata cooks it through. Although it is such a simple recipe, patience has been put to good use here in order to achieve a certain laing luster. According to Tita Bebs, that was what she was looking for, kailangan may kaunting kislap. I can not argue with her in terms of why her version of the laing is one on the pasty consistency side. She is a true-blue Romblomanon but have lived in Occidental Mindoro for the most part of her life. Two provinces in Southern Luzon which are both rich in agricultural resources like coconuts and of course chillies. So, she has my full trust on this laing recipe and among many other things.

The biko with latik for dessert is perfect with coffee or tea. Back in the days when it was time to eat and we had to call everyone to the family table, we hollered "hayin na!!! or on some days "dulog na kayo dine!!!"...Is this Filipino enough?😉

(Video Note: The small blue pot to the left is boiling kapeng barako, our natural kitchen deodorizer and you would know what I'm talking about if you liked frying crunchy dilis on rainy days. The aroma of kapeng barako neutralizes the fishy odor that would otherwise stick to your kitchen walls. And of course, fume hoods are too noisy and they are just there for show. )

To Buy or Not to Buy, That's the Question

I finally gave in... to this nagging idea of buying an additional kitchen tool for our baking needs at home away from home. For weeks I held on to disciplining myself by not buying extra kitchen implements sa ngalan ng pagtitipid knowing that as expats in Moscow our tenure here has an expiry date. We want to economize on purchases as much as we can. And we will try our very best to refrain from buying duplicates the fact that whatever kitchen tools we decide on purchasing here, we already have them back home in the Philippines. We don't wan't to create a pugad here. A pugad as most of us Pinoys know is a Tagalog word for nest, a bird's nest, that is. But this kind of nest is a different kind of nest in that it is our cunning way of naming kalat slash sukal slash clutter build - up in our home. Well, it's a family thing, a sarcasm on ourselves as a reminder to keep clutter at bay in a joking way.

After some weeks of weighing the pros and cons of buying a dough mixer, I braved asking my dear Hunny if we can buy an inexpensive dough mixer; one that's durable and sturdy and, one that can work wonders for us in the amount of below 5,000 Russian rubles ( PhP 3,600 / USD 77 ), if this is even possible as I thought to myself. Having asked my husband for it, I know I have placed myself at the risk of being the subject of derision for the next few days for causing the proliferation of pugads at home:) Thank God it didn't happen, it will never happen because that's not how we treat each other, it was just me being presumptuous with our family sarcasm pricking like small needles! Sarcasm at its finest serves as the abrasive little voice to help us apply restraint instead of acting on our impulse. But... when sarcasm fails, because we're still growing in this area, that's when we try to be more gracious to ourselves and try to move on. We win some, we lose some. We're getting there. Thank God that He has a funny way of teaching us how to apply restraint and how to avoid impulse buying!

My husband of course said 'yes' without batting an eyelash. He's loving the outcomes of our banana breads lately with its perfect sweetness and freshness and softness. Next up, we agreed to tackle the uncharted territory of corn bread and pandesal baking. I bake the corn bread and he bakes the pandesal, our take on 'divide and conquer' approach. He has been seeing a vision of himself baking our own pandesal at the kitchen while we all wash them freshly baked in coffee or milk. He is a changed man. You see, after awhile, your taste buds sort of get tired of eating sosy European sour dough breads that you're loving in the first place, but three months later, you see yourself gravitating back to the puppy love of your youth which is in fact, truly the humble pandesal, your bread love story in that order.

On the more serious note, the purchase of an inexpensive but durable and sturdy dough mixer will do wonders for us by enabling us to do batch - baking to stock up on our breads for the coming autumn; by giving us the freedom to limit the amount of sugars and fats that would go in our doughs as opposed to getting our loads of them from store - bought breads. So, come dough mixer, home - baking is healthier in many proportions. As for the supplies and ingredients needed, the cost of wheat flour is 50 rubles ( PhP 36 / USD .78 ) for a kilo; some of the ingredients like bananas and sugar and some kitchen tools are pricier here. But if you take a little adventure on the math calcs, take a look ahead: our electric and water bills have a monthly cap of 2000 rubles ( PhP 1400 / USD 31 ). These utilities are included in our monthly apartment rent with all the appliances running on electricity such as the oven and the stove tops, four running A / C units, ( yes, we have aircons here because Moscow has a continental kind of climate, meaning when it' s summertime, the mercury could rise up to 30 degrees - Celcius in July and when it's winter time, it drops to negative 30 ) ; not to mention the unlimited heated water supply provided by the Russian Federation government all over Moscow for a very minimal cost. I know, too cheap, right? I hi - five myself.

Surely, for OFWs like us purchasing appliances on a foreign country has its pros and cons, but in the end, the former outweigh the latter. It is still more cost efficient, and therefore, more chachings can be saved for the long haul. Moreover, we bond closer and the kids learn how to cook and bake and economize the homeschooling way. They help in measuring the ingredients, they learn to specialize on a certain dish that became their favorite. They also learn to be more thankful for every food that is prepared at the table because of the amount of preparation and effort that had been exerted in every dish. You can't be pihikan, lest you be hungry! They learn to take the responsibility of handling the aftermath which is washing the dishes. They also learn the virtue of patience because at the kitchen arena, everything has a timing. In fact, timing is key and not a secret ingredient.

Learning life skills is taking place in an organic way because they get to be hands - on at every pace. The kids observe us, their parents, how we're handling and managing kitchen affairs. We're not perfect. As adults we still make boo-boos and owies, too. Like the other day, I cut my left thumb by a centimeter long for cutting up kartoshkas ( Russian for potatoes ) on our wooden chopping board that I inadvertently placed on an uneven surface by the sink. I messed up. I had to clean - up the blood that trickled from my left thumb, sanitize the affected kitchen area, bandage my sore thumb real quick and head back to cooking as if nothing happened even if my left thumb was hurting. Yikes! I miscalculated that slippery stainless steel surface because I was rushing to get done, and that could have been avoided! They also learn from their mistakes like the consequences of miscalculating the amounts of ingredients to be added in a bread recipe, or adding too much water in the rice. We're all learning from those simple kitchen activities which can be applied to the bigger life arena as a whole- when they have their own families to take care of.

So, we pegged a budget of 5000 rubles for the dough mixer. As we got nearer the appliance store destination, my heart beated faster than the usual. We looked around for different brands and models, we looked and compared prices, Germany, Italy, I almost forgot we're in Europe. Japan surplus shops where are you? when I needed you? My heart beated faster even more. My emotions were mixed at this time for the feeling of excitement and the feeling of defeat because I wanted to stick to my commitment to the amount 'five thousand'; and then there's the feeling of a little pride there on my part not wanting to ask my husband's permission for an additional cost to pay the item at 6000 rubles ( PhP 4000 / USD 90 ). But I decided to stop the drama there and to just buy it. Remember that it's like a little investment we're making here for our family's home - baking needs and not just wants. Don't be too hard on yourself, forgive yourself, be thankful for God's provision, and move on... I thought I saw my husband with his devil smile as he said these words and then walked away to do some more window - shopping. That devil smile that left you feeling defeated on the amount of 'five thousand', and in my mind I saw him saying pugad pugad pugad. But then again, it didn't happen, it was just me and my wild imagination. You know, our family sarcasm :)

Nothing beats home - baking and cooking because the prevailing atmosphere at home is always charged with excitement as every family member awaits in expectation. Kainan na! In Puerto Galera, we'd say, dulog na kayo! or, hayin na! So, to answer that question, 'To Buy or Not to Buy', the answer is obvious, 'To Buy' for now but not always.

A robotic electric mixer? Made in Poland? Mura - mura...Couldn't get any better than this!

Super Easy Banana Bread Recipe, That's a Promise

Baking banana bread is not rocket science. All you need are the basic wet and dry ingredients such as eggs, butter, over-ripe bananas, flour, fast acting yeast, salt, and sugar respectively. These ingredients are readily available at supermarkets anywhere in the world. So, it's really not a problem finding your supplies because they are actually your kitchen staples. You may not have to leave the house to buy them because it is likely that you already have a stash of them in your pantry.

What I've found a bit tricky though was measuring each ingredient in the exact amount as we would have done back home in beloved Philippines. Although we're grateful for our tiny, yet homey kitchen here in Moscow, where there's an old but well-maintained electric stove-top and a good-sized oven, it does not have the luxury of your kitchen baking implements like measuring spoons and cups, baking pans, mixing bowls, sifters, or an electric mixer. And I have been disciplining myself sa ngalan ng pagtitipid by not purchasing those extra kitchen tools. Most of these items are quite pricey here. Say, a good quality stainless steel set of measuring spoons is priced at Rub 2000 / USD 31 / PhP1440. But that must not hinder one's penchant for baking a basic home-cooked banana bread. Especially when you don't want to throw away over-ripe bananas seating at your kitchen for days. Decide to be so brave and face your fear of failing in this by just doing it. Improvisation and a little flexibility would come in handy.

We've always loved baking banana breads at home. It has become a family tradition of ours that at summer's end, when we get confined at home for the rainy days, we bake banana breads as an indication that we're welcoming the alternating season. We only stopped baking them a few years ago when we found out that my sister - in - love from Mindoro does it better than us! We immediately conceded as she spoiled us by sending us boxes of freshly baked banana breads to Batangas every so often.

We would store them in the fridge wrapped in aluminum foils which kept them fresh for weeks. Her secret recipe, which is not secret anymore as of this writing, is on the type of bananas that she used to bake with. The saging na saba ( ! ) which were locally grown in Mindoro, the province which is billed as The Fruit Basket of the Philippines. I took this picture 5 years ago to wit, I wash the bread in a cup of coffee for afternoon merienda, a ritual to most Pinoys.

Here in Moscow, it's still the summer season but we're counting the days till autumn. It's our banana breads season again just like when we're home, only this time, we will have to bake them again by ourselves, no boxes of banana breads will be sent to us for now, because ate Syl is million miles away. We will have to make the most out of what we have here like these frozen bananas from Ecuador. Wait. Don't judge these frozen bananas by their appearance. They're equally sweet and nutritious. I had to freeze them in order to benefit from all the natural oils that they will yield in frozen temp especially their peelings. The best time to take them out of the freezer is at night time so you'll get nice and soft, helpless bananas the next morning.

See the natural oils that oozed out of the banana peelings? We are after that because that will give the bread its natural sweet flavor and aroma that's distinctly banana-ish. How about the banakal that The Boy was too careful to include in the mixture? That's for added flavor and fibers as well.

Super Easy Banana Bread Recipe Ingredients:

Wet:

4 pieces of over-ripe bananas, frozen then thawed overnight

2 medium - sized eggs

1 stick of softened butter

Dry:

1 cup of brown sugar

2 cups of flour

2 tsps of fast-acting yeast
1/2 tsp of salt

Now, for the Procedure as shown in photos.

Mash the bananas.

Add the cup of brown sugar.

Add the 2 eggs, one at a time.

Add in the softened butter. Allow me to share one tip when using softened butter in this recipe. Do.not.soften.it.in.the.microwave. I've been warned by The Daughter several times not to do it in that manner because she had a bad experience with this before. She told me to just let it soften on its own for about an hour in room temp. But I am an awesome mother and the microwave oven was beckoning.

Add in 2 tsps of fast-acting yeast in the flour...

... then mix them with a whisk like so... The Son told me that he was extra cautious in handling the powdered yeast because they're alive. They are actually a type of fungus that gives out carbon dioxide making the dough rise. Most fungus give out oxygen but not yeast.

Add all the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Do not over stir.

Coat your pan with a thin spray of any cooking oil you may have.

Pour the batter into your pan.

The stove was pre-heating while The Boy assembled the batter.

The oven was set at 180 degrees C for an hour.

And then an hour later...with much patience and hard-work...

Let the divine banana bread rest to cool for another hour... then slice...then smell the aroma...presenting...

Drum roll.. the banana bread that looked like a banana pudding!!!

Nice try, my Boy. If not for the butter that I stubbornly softened in the microwave because of my excitement to see you bake. Your sister said, "Mom, you've been warned about the butter." So, again, my tip for this recipe is to just let the butter soften in room temp for an hour. Have patience and stay away from the microwave oven. I am awesome. You've been warned.

Don't be intimidated by what you see on Youtube or Pinterest where some celebs would tend to complicate and over-do a rather easy recipe. Just get the inspiration, copy the ones that will work for you, or perhaps even do it a little better, but be sure to keep it real, simple, doable, and authentic. Must I forget that I am talking about prepping a banana bread and not about our own homeschooling, haha. The same principles may apply!

We're living in a glorious information age when anyone can be adept in many different things with just a click of a finger. The word "original" had taken on a whole new meaning. So, I can't say this is my own original recipe. This banana bread recipe has been the outcome of our gleanings on the internet. We've copied the ones that would work for us, tweaked some on the sugar and fat contents, we kept it simple, doable, and authentic so much so that even a 10 year-old boy can single-handedly do it! While The ~~stage~~ Mom sat on the sidelines to take pictures, quietly. Then comes the "ownership" part. We own the experience. We own the memories. We own the afternoon merienda of freshly baked banana bread which we hope to share our loved-ones back home, even so with just words and pictures. And guess what? You can own it, too. And I bet you can do it even better. Have fun!

Something Sweet and Something Salty

I am torn between my two loves, Russia and my beloved Philippines. And although Russia's ginormous land area is 17.1 million square kilometers which is about fifty times the size of the land area of the Philippines at 300,000 square kilometers, I see from my mobile phone's eyes plenty of commonalities that these two great nations have. After all, isn't this a natural tendency of ours as OFWs peppering the world? to find the connections in things and see the similarities in people that we meet, no matter how diverse we are as individuals? and then gradually, and eventually making yourself at home, away from home? You sense that you've reached a moment in this process of uprooting and re-planting that your roots are steadily growing, until you can't tell the difference between your two home-countries any longer. You tell yourself, "this is my Father's world. I am on a bent posture in awe of His Omnipresence - the ALL - Present - GOD. Where are You not?"

So, cozy up. He's got everything covered. I hope you enjoy the photos=)

Muelle Bay, Puerto Galera, Philippines