Pako Salad (Fiddlehead Ferns)

As I walk going to church one Friday morning, I happen to pass by the new wet market in Angeles City. It's my second time to pass by that market and I was so overwhelmed with the veggies and fishes. And one thing that catch my attention was the pako (fiddlehead ferns) I used to buy from my neighbors morning store it's like a little market inside our subdivision that only sells fresh stuff only in the morning. Since they closed their store I wasn't able to make some salad for me and my hubby. That's why I suddenly thought of making this pako salad because we missed it that much.

This is just an easy recipe so there is no reason you can't do this at home.

1-2 bunch of pako (take the heads and set aside)
2 salted duck eggs (sliced or shredded)
1 medium purple onions (shallots) minced/diced whichever you prefer
2 tomatoes
3 tablespoons apple cider or vinegar
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Procedure:

1. Wash the pako well and keep it inside the fridge while mixing the other ingredients.
2. Mix the vinegar and onion with the dash of salt and pepper.
3. Mix the vinegrette with the chilled pako and top with sliced salted egg and sliced tomato.

Serve while it's chilled! Enjoy!

Yummy ArozCaldo!

It's stormy season once again here in the Philippines... and it's best to just stay in the house and eat some hearty congee to comfort you in these cold rainy day. I'm sharing to you today my version of Arozcaldo.

My hubby and I love to eat something we seldom eat during rainy days. And this recipe I just cooked last Thursday because it’s still raining due to a storm. This is supposed to be our early dinner menu but we ended up eating all of it for a snack.

Ingredients:

1-2 cups sticky rice

1 lb. chicken parts (a cut your choice)

2 thumbs ginger (julienne)

1 medium onion (minced)

1 head of garlic (minced)

2 pcs barks of lemon grass (crushed)

2 tablespoons fish sauce (the amount actually depends on your taste)

2 teaspoons of Salt and

1 teaspoon black/white pepper

Spring onion/onion leeks

1-2 cups chicken stock or 2 chicken cubes is just fine

Procedure:

1.       In a deep pan, brown all of the garlic and set aside some of it for garnishing.

2.       Sauté ginger, onion and lemon grass.

3.       Put in chicken parts until well cooked then add in salt and pepper. Simmer until cooked.

4.       Add in washed sticky rice and chicken stock. Simmer until cooked. Stir constantly though to avoid rice from sticking onto the pan.

5.       Add in fish sauce and pepper according to your taste.

6.       Garnish with fried garlic and onions springs. Serve hot and enjoy.

Learning More about Spice Freshness

This is actually a continuation of my previous article Spices and Herb 101. This is more about the freshness of your spices, like how long you should keep them in your shelves. You may wonder why your spices stored on your shelves is caking and seems not that good when you put them on your recipes... worry no more... these tips and ideas will give the best answer you've wanting to know... read on right here  Learning More About Spice Freshness.