My Foodie Diary

CHEESE AND GARLIC POTATO

This Kenny Rogers-inspired recipe is actually one of my favorites that’s why I decided to try to make it at home and fortunately, it turned out to be like this — at least somewhat close to the real thing.  LOL.

Okay so here’s the recipe:  The first step is to boil the potato marbles in water with some salt (cut in halves) until tender.  Drain.  Set aside.  In a different pan, melt some butter, add some cheese spread, some milk, garlic powder, and some pepper.  Simmer just until all the flavors have blended.  Remove from heat then toss it with the potato marbles.  Shazzam, it’s done then sprinkle with some chopped parsley.

SOME QUIRKY HINT:  You guys can also use fresh garlic but always remember that fresh garlic has stronger flavor than those in powdered form.  So, try to use it in minimal amount to prevent over empowering the garlicky flavor on it.

CORN SOUP

Hello guys! It’s been a while now since my last post because my brain didn’t work well the past few days but don’t worry, I’m now back on track.  Oh yeah!  Okay, this recipe is so perfect for a rainy weather to make you feel warm and I’m gonna tell you my secret recipe.  Okay to start with, boil one or two cobs of sweet corn on water with some salt (just enough to cover your corns) until tender.  Save stock.  After that, remove corn kernels from the cob using your knife and slice potatoes into small cubes.   In a pan, saute onions using butter with some oil until translucent.  Add potatoes and wait until your potatoes are tender.  Then, add your stock and the corn kernels.  Bring to boil then simmer.  Add evaporated milk and season with some salt and pepper.  Simmer again until all the flavors have blended.  Shazzaam it’s done.  Garnish with onion leeks.

The Chicken Rice Shop

Robinson’s Place, Manila

It’s a good thing that this Malaysian restaurant has now came to Manila.  Hooray! We can now finally enjoy authentic Malaysian foods.  So, we were so curious about Malaysian cooking that’s why we decided to visit their resto .  Their rice is basically served with ginger and chili sauce and surprisingly, they taste very good.  The chili sauce is not spicy at all that’s why it’s very good to eat it with roasted chicken.  Their honey chicken BBQ in dry noodles was also great as well as braised tofu.  Overall, this restaurant is highly recommended except for the dessert (although we have tried only one dessert which is the Ais Belanda).  Ais Belenda is a dessert with crushed ice, guyabano puree, some sugar (I think), and coconut milk.  For me, it tastes gross.  I don’t know, may be I’m not a fan of guyabano (soursop) that’s why I can’t appreciate it at all.  But for me, it’s worth it to pay them a visit and explore your tastebuds with different flavors.

SHIN RAMYUN:  Korea’s Popular Instant Noodles

 Nong Shim’s Shin Ramyun has been distributed to roughly 80 different countries all over the world.  Yay, it’s so popular that’s why it’s quite visible here in the Philippines.  In fact, you can see it everywhere – grocery stores or even in convenience stores.  And the price?  In all fairness, it’s reasonable [whispering: just don’t compare it to our local noodles].

 So what’s so special about this noodles that made it known all over the world?  Hmmm… To be honest, I don’t know either.  One pack of Shin Ramyun consists of what every other instant noodles has – the seasoning and the dehydrated vegetable tidbits.  But, I think the spiciness of it really stands out among other instant noodles.  I’ve been looking so hard the pack of Shin Ramyun that I bought from the grocery and it clearly states that it’s a spicy mushroom flavor, but have you seen the orange-y of this noodles?  Omo!  It’s so hot and there is really a taste of kimchi that’s why I’m wondering is it really a mushroom flavor not a kimchi flavor?

But anyhow, I’m pretty satisfied with it.  Cook it with bokchoi (Taiwan pechay) and egg just like what I did to make it more nutritious and you’ll feel the Korean-sphere surrounding you!

PANSIT PUTI

Does it look like pale, dull, or bland?  Well, I guess you’re thinking wrong.  It’s a perfect recipe if you’re thinking of another way of cooking pansit bihon.  Say goodbye to the old and traditional recipe with the soy sauce or oyster sauce, instead let’s try and explore your tastebuds with this new recipe.  It’s very easy and very economical.  What you need is chicken soup pack, bihon, chicharon, onion springs, lots of garlic, pepper, and fish sauce.  Okay, the first thing to do is to boil your chicken soup pack until the chicken is tender and all the flavors have come out from the chicken.  Let it cool for a while and reserve the broth then flake the chicken.  Saute garlic until golden brown and add your chicken broth.  Add your fish sauce then let it simmer.  Then, add your pansit bihon and some pepper and wait until it’s cooked.  After all the flavors have blended all together, it’s ready for plating.  Put it on a serving dish, top with chicken flakes, green onion (chopped into smaller pieces), and crashed chicharon.  Serve it with calamansi on the side and it’s done!  Enjoy!

BIG30 PIZZA AND PASTA

Paseo De. Sta. Rosa

Sta. Rosa, Laguna

Their 30-inch pizza is making me crazy.  It’s bigger than Xtremely Xpresso’s Big Ben which is about 28 inches in size.  From their gigantic pizza, you are free to choose at least three different flavors.  Well in our case, we chose their Big30 Special, the Chicken Supreme, and their Seafood Festival.  Big30 Special and Chicken Supreme were really great but I don’t like that much their Seafood Festival though it tastes okay.  For me, it tastes like a fake seafood flavor (Oh no, don’t be mad BIG30, it’s what my taste buds are saying).  I think it turns out to be like that because of their tuna (from can) and crabstick topping.  For me, it’s not the authentic seafood-flavored pizza.

 But anyways, the two other flavors we had were really really great.  Oh my God, I almost forgot to say something about their crust.  Their crust is so perfect.  You’ll be surprised with the crispiness of it.  It’s thin, crispy, and smooth.  Hooray!  It’s two tumbs up!  And also, don’t forget to try their mango juice.  You’ll feel like you’re drinking sweet mangoes straight from the trees.  It’s so refreshing!

BIGPLATE

BF Homes, Paranaque City

BigPlate Restaurant uses literal “big plate” to serve their food. Yay, that’s what I like about this resto because they serve generous amount of food. Their solo meal can usually be shared by two. Greatness! And the other thing is they serve really good food. BigPlate is known for their modern Filipino cuisines that will surely tickle your interest. Some of their specialties are Bangus Sisig Balls, Creamy Adobo Pasta, Lumpiang Dagupan, Pumpkin soup, and more. Well, if I’m making you curious about this restaurant, you can visit their website over here.

 YAKIMIX

MOA Branch

I’ve been in this restaurant a couple of times and still wanting to go back.  They offer really really good food, I have nothing to say.  They offer Japanese, Korean, and Cantonese foods.  There are lots of variations of food.  The buffet table is divided into five sections:  The maki and sushi table, the main dish table, the desserts and ice cream table, the salad bar, and the raw foods table which allow you to experience to grill your own food right in top of your table.  Yay, it’s a smokeless grill, so don’t worry about smelling like “inihaw na pusit” after dining with Yakimix.  Alright, another great thing about this resto is their ice cream bar.  I really really like it as they allow you to personalize your own ice cream.  There are wide selections of ice cream topping that you can use in making your own ice cream.  So, it’ll boost the creativity in you.

Alright, let’s talk about the price.  Okay, it’s a little pricey (499 pesos for weekdays and 580 for weekends) but come on, you deserve a treat after all.

JAJANGMYUN

I don’t know if you’re familiar with it but if you’re a fan of Korean drama, I’m sure you have seen this noodle a lot.  It’s like of a pansit to us, Filipinos.  It’s basically a noodle with black bean paste sauce.  It tastes like of a “sunog na munggo,” but it goes very well with cucumber.

 Of course, I don’t know how to cook the authentic Jajangmyun but there are lot of instant Jajangmyun pack that are available on the market nowadays and I can’t resist myself to grab a pack every time I do my grocery shopping.  If you want something new, it’s a must try!

MASHED POTATO

I didn’t expect this recipe will be easy as ABC.  I thought, it will need something like an herb to make the KFC-like mashed potato.  Alright, it was my mistake thinking that way.  Anyways, what you need with this recipe is a very good quality of potatoes, look for the starchy one.  Peel your potatoes, wash, slice them in uniform sizes, place them in pot, put some water just enough to cover your potatoes, add some salt, and place them in fire.  Wait until potatoes are tender.  Then, drain and mash your potatoes just right to the texture you’re looking for.  After mashing, place it back in a very low heat, add some butter or margarine, pepper, and some very little seasoning and then mix.  Shaazzaam, it’s done.  Serve it with gravy.