Batchoy Tagalog

Last week, my best partner in kitchen (read: my husband) visited one of their projects for a site inspection. It was almost lunch time when they finished the inspection so he decided to have lunch with some of the workers at a nearby canteen. He ordered a noodle soup with pork blood and found himself sipping the soup to its last drop. When he arrived home, he told me about his dining experience on that eatery and brought up the idea of duplicating the dish. 

At first, I thought he was referring to La Paz Batchoy, but when he said it has pork blood and uses misua, I realized I don’t have any idea what he is talking about. Hence, I made my research and learned that the soup he had for lunch is called Batchoy Tagalog. Don't make any mistake! Although both dishes use noodles, pork strips, and pork innards, Batchoy Tagalog is very much different from La Paz Batchoy of Iloilo. 

So, how do they differ? A philosophical answer would be “The name!” Well, obviously… But seriously, I see three basic differences. First, Batchoy Tagalog uses misua noodles while La Paz Batchoy uses miki noodles. Second, pork blood is added in Batchoy Tagalog, which La Paz Batchoy does not have. Lastly, La Paz Batchoy is garnished with spring onions and toasted garlic before it is served. 

Here is how to prepare Batchoy Tagalog. Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients:

1/4 kg. pork tenderloin
1/4 kg. pork liver
2 cups fresh pork blood
2 tbsp. cooking oil
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, peeled and julienned
1 medium onion, sliced
3 medium-sized finger chilis, sliced
3 cups water or pork broth
3-4 bunches of misua noodles
3 tbsp. patis (fish sauce)
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

Procedure:

1. Slice pork tenderloin, pork liver and pork innards into strips.
2. Heat oil in a pan.
3. Saute ginger, garlic, and onion.
4. Add pork tenderloin and pork innards. Cook until meat changes its color.
5. Pour the broth. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until pork is tender.
6. Add pork liver. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Pour the pork blood. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.
8. Season with patis and pepper.
9. Add finger chili and misua nodles. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
10. Serve while hot.

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"Mom, what's for lunch?"

"Mom, what's for lunch?" This is the text message I received this morning from my eldest son, Romnuel. I was surprised that he was able to send a text message during school hours. Looking at the clock, I realized it was already break time. It also means that I have to stop working and start preparing for our lunch because I myself do not know what to cook! 

I am trying to reduce, if not eliminate, pork and beef in our diet. Hence, our meals are usually composed of chicken, fish, seafood, fruits, and vegetables. We had Sweet and Sour Tilapia last Monday, Chicken Tinola last Tuesday, and Yellow Fin Tuna in Coconut Cream yesterday; therefore, we should have vegetables today. 

Sweet and Sour Tilapia

I have been craving for Sweet and Sour Lapu-Lapu since December. It is one of the traditional dishes I prepare for my family for the New Year's Eve dinner. However, I was not able to cook it because I could not find any lapu-lapu in the market. 

Based on my research, sweet and sour originated from Canton, a province in China. The Cantonese thought of combining two different flavors, though others claim that it was invented by Chinese who migrated in America. 

Sweet and Sour Lapu-Lapu 

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When we went to Tondo last week for the Feast of Sto. Nino, we passed by Binondo and stopped over at Eng Bee Tin to purchase a few boxes of tikoy and hopia. It was believed that family ties will be closer when you eat tikoy during the Chinese New Year. 

Left: Ube Tikoy, Right: Buko-Pandan Tikoy

The kids could not wait for January 31st to have a taste of the flavored tikoys. They kept wondering if it will be more delicious than the plain ones. Hence, my husband and my eldest, who is learning to cook, fried some ube tikoy for our morning snack yesterday. Then, we had the buko-pandan tikoy in the afternoon. They all agreed that both flavors tasted great. They even wanted to go back to the store and try the other flavors! 

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Do you often see this ad on the sidebar when you browse your Facebook account? I do and I have always wondered why it often appears on the sidebar whenever I am logged on to my Facebook account. I know I can use my Globe Rewards points as I have used it last year in exchange for a USB flash drive. But it is also good to know that I can use my Globe Rewards points to purchase my favorite chicken meal. And I never realized I will use it on my very special day. 

Use Globe Rewards for KFC Facebook Ad

On my birthday last Monday, I promised a special dinner for my family. However, I was too busy with work that I cannot anymore find the time to cook. Besides, it was my birthday so why should I stress myself? After all, they only requested for chicken and spaghetti. I can still cook spaghetti but not he chicken anymore. Hence, I decided to go to the nearest fast food chain and order my family's favorite fried chicken!