Beef Morcon Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 2 to 3 hours.

Morcon Ingredients:

1 kilo beef, sliced 1/4 inch thick (3 pcs.)
1/4 kilo ground beef liver
200 grams sliced sausages or ham
200 grams pork fat (cut is strips)
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
100 grams cheddar cheese in strips
100 grams grated cheddar cheese
2 onions, chopped
5 bay leaf (laurel)
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1/2 cup vinegar
2 teaspoon salt
2 cups of water
2 meters thread or string (for tying)

Beef Morcon Cooking Instructions:

Spread and stretch the sliced beef on your working table.
Arrange the filling on the sliced beef: sausage strips, cheese strips, sliced eggs, pork fat and some ground liver.
Roll the sliced beef with all the filling inside and secure with a thread or string.
Repeat the procedure for the two remaining beef slices.
On a pot, place the beef rolls and put the water, the remaining ground liver, grated cheese, chopped onions, bay leaves, ground black pepper and salt.
Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for one hour.
Add the vinegar and continue to simmer of another hour or until beef is tender.
Slice the beef morcon, arrange on a platter and top with the sauce/ gravy poured on top.

Cooking Tips:

A spoon or two of flour can be added to water to thicken the sauce.
Instead of boiling in a pot, you can use a pressure cooker for faster cooking.
Optional: Garnish with olives before serving.

Crispy Pata Recipe

Preparation & drying: 4 hours to 1 day
Estimated cooking time: 20 minutes

Crispy Pata Ingredients:

1 Pata (front or hind leg of a pig including the knuckles)
1 bottle of soda (7Up or sprite)
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)
4 tablespoons of flour
Enough oil for deep frying
Enough water for boiling

Crispy Pata Cooking Instructions:

Clean the pork pata by removing all hairs and by scraping the skin with a knife. Wash thoroughly.
Make four to five inch cuts on the sides of the pata.
On a deep stock pot, place the pata in water with soda and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the baking soda and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
Remove the pata from the pot and hang and allow to drip dry for 24 hours. An alternative to this is to thoroughly drain the pork pata and refrigerate for a few hours.
After the above process, rub patis on the pata and sprinkle flour liberally.
In a deep frying pot, heat cooking oil and deep fry the pork pata until golden brown.Crispy Pata Dip Sauce:
Mix 3/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 head of diced onion and 1 hot pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.

Beef Mechado Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 1 hour

Mechado Ingredients:

1 kilo of beef cut into chunks
1/8 kilo of pork fat cut into strips
4 onions, peeled and quartered
5 medium potatoes, quartered (optional: fried)
1 medium sized carrot, sliced in 1/2" sections
2 red bell pepper, sliced
2 cups beef stock or 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in water
3 bay leaves (laurel leaves)
1/4 -cup vinegar
2 cups tomato sauce or 1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Mechado Cooking Instructions:

Cut an incision on the beef chunks and insert a pork strip in the middle (mitsa)
In a casserole, combine the beef (with the fat), tomato sauce, soy sauce, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beef is almost tender
Add the vinegar and let boil for a minute or two
Add the potatoes, onions, carrot, and bell pepper
Let simmer until potatoes and carrots are cooked - occasionally stir to thicken sauce
Serve hot with white rice

Beef Mechado Cooking Tips:

Pressure cook the beef with the beef stock for faster cooking time.
Fry the potatoes before adding to the casserole.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil and stir when the mechado dish is almost done for added flavor.

Rellenong Bangus (Stuffed Milk Fish) Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 1 hour

Rellenong Bangus Ingredients:

1 big bangus (milkfish)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
1 egg
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons of cooking oil
ham, finely chopped
raisins
cooked peas
salt and pepper to taste

Rellenong Bangus Cooking Instructions:

Scale and remove the intestines of the bangus.
With a very sharp knife, slowly remove the meat of the fish from the skin through the opening cavity below the head. Remove the spine by snapping off the bone at the base of the tail and head. Use a long spoon to scrape all the meat from the skin.
Marinate the head and skin in lemon juice, soy sauce and pepper.
Boil in 1/2 cup of water the bangus meat with some salt for 5 minutes.
Sauté the garlic and onions until slightly brown then add the tomatoes and carrots until tender.
Add the chopped ham, cooked peas, raisins and the bangus meat to the mixture. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add a beaten egg to the sauté and mix well.
Stuff the mixture inside the bangus skin and head. Sew the cavity if needed.
Fry in oil until golden brown.
slice slightly diagonal (1 1/2 inch thick) and serve.

Kare Kare Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 2 hours

Kare Kare Ingredients:

1/2 kilo beef (round or sirloin cut) cut into cubes (for a more traditional kare kare, use cleaned beef tripe instead of beef)
1/2 kilo oxtail, cut 2 inch long
3 cups of peanut butter
1/4 cup grounded toasted rice
1/2 cup cooked bagoong alamang (anchovies)
2 pieces onions, diced
2 heads of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons atsuete oil
4 pieces eggplant, sliced 1 inch thick
1 bundle Pechay (Bok choy) cut into 2 pieces
1 bundle of sitaw (string beans) cut to 2" long
1 banana bud, cut similar to eggplant slices, blanch in boiling water
1/2 cup oil
8 cups of water
Salt to taste

Kare Kare Cooking Instructions:

In a stock pot, boil beef and oxtails in water for an hour or until cooked. Strain and keep the stock.
In a big pan or wok, heat oil and atsuete oil.
Sauté garlic, onions until golden brown, then add the stock, toasted rice, beef, oxtail and peanut butter. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Salt to taste.
Add the eggplant, string beans, pechay and banana bud. Cook the vegetables for a few minutes - Do not overcook the vegetables.
Serve with bagoong on the side and hot plain rice.

Chicken Pastel Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 1 hour

Chicken Pastel Ingredients:

One 1 1/2 kilo chicken, cut in pieces
One can (14 ounces) Vienna sausage, sliced
3 potatoes, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 cup mushrooms, cut in half
1 green bell pepper, sliced in strips
1/2 cup sweet peas
1 onion, minced
1/4 cup grated cheese
1 cup margarine
2 cups chicken stock (broth)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 lemon extract (juice)
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Pie Crust
2 cups flour
1/2 cup corn oil or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup of water

Chicken Pastel Cooking Instructions:

In a bowl, marinate chicken lemon juice and soy sauce for an hour.
In a skillet, melt margarine and brown chicken, set aside.
Sauté onion, bell pepper an mushrooms then add chicken broth. Simmer for 15 minutes then add potatoes, carrots, sweet peas, sausages and grated cheese. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Salt to taste.
Transfer to a baking dish.
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
On a bowl, combine the flour, salt, cold water and oil. Mix into a ball.
On a flat surface, roll flat the pastry and cover the chicken pastel mixture and seal the sides by pressing on the edges. Remove excess pastry.
Punch small holes on the pastry to let out steam during baking then brush with beaten egg.
Bake until golden brown (about 15 minutes)

Chicken Afritada Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 50 minutes

Chicken Afritada Ingredients:

1 kilo chicken, cut into pieces
5 pieces potatoes, peeled and halved
1 red onion, diced
1 head garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
2 cups pork or chicken stock (broth)
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)
3 tablespoons of cooking oil

Chicken Afritada Cooking Instructions:
In a cooking pot or wok, heat oil.
Sauté garlic and onions.
Add chicken and slightly brown.
Pour the tomato sauce and stock. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked.
Add potatoes and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
Add the green and red bell peppers, simmer for an additional minute or two.
Salt and pepper to taste
Serve hot with rice.

Chicken Barbeque Recipe

Estimated cooking time:

Chicken Barbeque Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
1 cup soy sauce
1 head garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons of calamansi juice or lemon juice
1/2 cup of sprite, 7up or beer
2 cups of tanglad (lemon grass) for stuffing
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of brown or white sugar

Chicken Barbeque Cooking Instructions:

Marinate the whole chicken in soy sauce, calamansi juice, minced garlic, chopped onions, soda or beer, sugar and pepper.
Let stand marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours.
Stuff the chicken cavity with tanglad (lemon grass).
Cook chicken on grill or in oven until golden brownCooking Notes:
For chicken leg barbeque, follow the same procedure above but omit stuffing the leg with lemon grass. Thread the chicken leg on a bamboo barbeque stick and grill on live charcoal until cooked.
To check if the meat is cooked, slice a small piece of meat off and if there are no juice running off the meat and there no reddish (blood) areas on the inside of the meat, the chicken is cooked.

Pork Barbeque Recipe

Estimated preparation: 20 minutes
Marinating: 30 minutes to 3 hours
Barbecue: 10 to 15 minutes each

Pork Barbeque Ingredients:

1 kg. pork
20 bamboo skewers
1 cup soy sauce
1 head garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup of calamansi juice or lemon juice
1/2 cup of 7up, sprite or beer (optional)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of brown or white sugar
1/2 cup of banana or tomato catsup

Barbeque Cooking Instructions:

Cut pork meat into thin and long slices - 1/4 inches thick and less than 2 inches wide.
In a mixing bowl, marinate the cut pork with the soy sauce, minced garlic, chopped onions, calamansi juice, ground pepper, sugar, banana catsup and the soda or beer (this tenderizes and adds flavour to the pork barbeque)
Mix well and keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (turning occasionally).
Prepare the bamboo skewers by removing splinters and soaking in water to reduce burning during barbeque.
String the pork on the skewers.
Over live charcoals, barbeque the pork on skewers until each barbeque is cooked - turning every few minutes on each side and basting the leftover marinate on the barbeque.

Pancit Palabok Recipe

Estimated preparation for toppings: 1 1/2 hours
Estimated cooking time for sauce & noodles: 40 minutes

Pansit Palabok Ingredients:

Palabok Noodles / Sauce
1/2 kilo miki noodles
1/2 kilo small crabs
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of atchuete seeds or oil
2 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)
4 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in water
1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)
1 1/2 cups of water

Palabok Toppings

Tinapa flakes (smoked fish)
Cooked shrimps, shelled
Squid adobo, sliced into rings
Pork chicharon, grounded
Spring onions, chopped
Hard boiled eggs, shelled, sliced
Fried garlic, minced
Fresh calamansi (lemon), sliced

Pansit Palabok Cooking Instructions:

Extract fat and meat from clean crabs, set aside.
Pound crab and extract juice on 1 1/2 cups of water
On a pan, sauté garlic and onions until golden brown then add crab fat, crab meat, 1 1/2 cups of crab wash, patis and MSG. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add corn starch and continue to simmer while constantly stirring until thick.
Put miki noodles in a strainer and dip in boiling water for 5 minutes or until cooked.
Lay drained noodles on a platter and pour the palabok sauce. Garnish with toppings and serve.

Rellenong Manok Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 2 hours

Rellenong Manok Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, deboned with shape kept
2 tablespoons calamansi juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Stuffing

1/2 kilo ground pork
1/2 cup bacon, diced
1 cup ham, diced
1 can Vienna sausage, drained and sliced
1/4 cup sweet green peas
1/4 cup carrots, minced
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup pickle relish
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
5 whole eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Rellenong Manok Cooking Instructions:

Marinate chicken in calamansi juice, soy sauce and sugar.
In a bowl, mix all stuffing ingredients well.
Stuff the chicken in all parts.
Sew the cavity opening and truss the chicken.
Wrap chicken in aluminium foil.
Heat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake breast-up for an hour or until chicken is cooked.
Open the foil and rub chicken with butter and put back in oven until golden brown.

Fried Chicken Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 45 minutes

Fried Chicken Ingredients:

1 1/2 kilo chicken, cut into pieces
1/4 cup of white vinegar
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cup of water
2 cups cooking oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Fried Chicken Cooking Instructions:

In a pot, simmer chicken in vinegar, garlic, water, salt and pepper.
Remove just before the chicken is fully cooked.
Strain off liquid.
In a frying pan or wok, heat oil and deep fry the chicken until golden brown
Place on paper towel to remove excess oil
Serve hot with rice and sliced cucumber or atchara on the side.

Kaldereta Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Beef Kaldereta Ingredients:
1 kilo beef, cut into chunks
1 big can (350g) liver spread or ground liver
5 onions, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
6 tomatoes, sliced
1 cup tomato sauce
3 green peppers, diced
3 red peppers, diced
4 pieces hot chilli peppers, minced
3/4 cup grated cheese
2 cups beef stock or water
1/4 cup cooking or olive oil

Kaldereta Cooking Instructions:

In a casserole, sauté: garlic and onions in oil. Then add tomatoes, red & green pepper and chilli peppers.
Add in the beef, tomato sauce, liver spread and water or stock. Salt to taste and let simmer for at least 1 hour or until the beef is tender.
Add cheese and olives (optional) and continue to simmer until the sauce thickens.
Serve with plain rice

Cooking Tips:

Instead of beef, goat's meat (kambing) can be used. If goat's meat is used, marinate the meat in vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper for at least 15 minutes.
For a special kaldereta, do not use water or beef stock. Use an equivalent weight of onions to the beef (1 kg of onions : 1 kg of beef). The onions will serve as water to the dish.

Roasted Chicken Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Roasted Chicken Ingredients:

2 kilo dressed chicken (broiler)
2 cups of lemon grass (tanlad)
3 tablespoons of cooking oil
2 tablespoons of salt

Cooking Instructions:

Make sure the chicken is clean with no remaining small feathers and no insides.
Wash thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel
Rub the whole chicken with cooking oil as well as the inside cavity.
Next apply salt all over, again, including the insides.
Fill the cavity with lemon grass
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Place the chicken on an oven rotisserie.
If you don't have a rotisserie put the chicken on an elevated rack on a baking pan - breast side up (so the bottom of the chicken does not touch the baking pan).
Bake for 1 hour or until the chicken is golden brown. When you prick between the chicken thigh and body and the juice runs clear (not bloody) the chicken is done.
Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or corn on the side. Roasted Chicken Cooking Note:
If baking at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the oven.

Pork Menudo Recipe

Estimated preparation & cooking time: 50 minutes

Menudo Ingredients:

1/2 kilo pork (cut into small chunks)
1/4 kilo pork liver (cut into small cubes)
5 pieces chorizo Bilbao (also cut in small pieces)
4 potatoes (peeled, cut in small cubes, fried)
1 green and 1 red bell pepper (diced)
1 cup chickpeas
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup pork or chicken stock
2 teaspoons of patis (fish sauce)
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon atsuete oil (optional)
3 tomatoes (diced)
1 small head of garlic (minced)
1 medium size onion (diced)

Menudo Cooking Instructions:

In a pan or wok, heat cooking oil and atsuete oil.
Saute garlic, onion. Then add the pork, liver, chorizo de Bilabo, tomatoes, bell pepper, paprika, patis and the stock.
Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the pork is tender.
Add the chickpeas, potatoes and raisins. Boil of another 2 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with white rice.

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Japanese Akoya Pearls Sold To Factories

Japanese Akoya pearls are sold only to factories, not to retailers. Farms in Japan sell pearls only to factories, unlike pearl farms in China. These pearls are polished, bleached, matched and drilled. Factories will buy pearls from numerous sources to create finished hanks of pearls. The factories are able to make a handsome profit with a mix of 80% Chinese and 20% Japanese.

Akoya’s Are Not All Japanese Akoya Pearls

When I saw the name Akoya pearl, I thought it was made in Japan. Now, I know that Akoya’s are not all Japanese Akoya Pearl. In fact they are actually Chinese cultured pearls. Then, consumers should not believed or trust pearl sellers claiming that they are selling 100% Japanese Akoya pearls.
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Pearls from China

I bought my Akoya pearls from China. We all know that China has a strong supplies of Chinese Akoya pearls. Factories in Japan are now increasingly turning to China as their main pearl source because of the high price of Japanese materials and the low price of Chinese materials. The pearls are imported from China into Japan, processed, and placed on temporary strands, which are then tagged "Made in Japan".

Japanese Akoya Pearls

Japanese Akoya Pearls is often used as a misnomer to describe cultured akoya pearls. However, this is no longer an industry accepted term as akoya pearls are now grown in China, South Korea, Vietnam and Australia.

Recently I am fascinated of collecting pearl jewelries. As a matter of fact I have bought a new Akoya pearl necklace and an earring. This Christmas holiday I wished I could receive a Japanese Akoya Pearl ring.