Thanks cci, got much better now with the cold… husband got back to the sick mode again though, he ate too much, too often. Doh!
take care
I took a whole pork loin out, sliced it, to make sate babe ( I think you know what it is) Filipino version of Indonesian BBQ pork on a stick
Left a piece to smoke using kentucky bourbon but discovered my bourbon is gone as usual ( only used it once, but in the alcohol drawer, it gets consumed when guest are around,so, no smoked loin per Rachlin’s in’s recipe and am wandering what is for lunch or dinner? Cannot go to store as it is too hot and am expecting contractors . I live in a rural area and hate to drive!
Naf, thanks. Cambodia is costly these days then. Vietnam’s dual pricing system is notorious and now seems to have gotten worse from what you’ve described. I made a photo of a menu with the word “foreigner” on it, with different prices of course. I know because I compared 2 menus! Asia holds little interest for me now (high temperatures, dual pricing, haggling, too touristy etc). I still love Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan etc. Korea… we shall see soon enough. The people are not like Japanese but I won’t touch it with a barge pole here.
CCJ, do tell us more about Philippino food. I have never had it and appears it’s not popular. But why? It can’t be that bad, can it? More than 300 years of Spanish occupation must have left its marks on the cuisine.
Although born and raised in the Philippines, I am of Chinese descent. Filipino food is a conglomeration of mostly Chinese food, and some Indonesian food. The Chinese food have Filipino names but the root word is always Chinese.
I think Kenji Lopez’s wife is Filipina and you can see his version of some of Chinese and Filipino food .
ie Lumpia is spring rolls ,Lumpia being a chinese word meaning soft cookie, tofu is also a chinese word, the root word being TO or TAO means bean, Siopao ( hot roll which can be steamed with savory meat or sweet mongo beans etc)
True Filipino food would be Sinigang, Pinakbet , and their Adobo
I wrote about their adobo in a blog once in Hungry Onion. It is delicious. It is chicken or pork or a combination of both cooked in lots of cider vinegar, peppercorn and bay leaf. There are many versions depending on the provinces of origin. I use bone in thighs, and pork chop with bones. I sear and brown my meat, then cook them in cider vinegar, tons of garlic, peppercorn, bay leaf, caramelized onions and some hot pepper. My son always complain I do not have enough sauce, so I acquired a 14 liter tin lined copper daubier for cooking adobo or spaghetti sauce. I can put lots of extra pork and marrow bones for thick delicious gravy, simmer for hours without fear of ruining the sauce even if I spend hours outdoor gardening as I burnt my adobo once. Using a Le Creuset French oven never gave him enough gravy for satisfaction.
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One very popular Indonesian food adopted is SATE BABE. I just took out a whole pork loin from Costco, sliced it thin with a n electric slicer, and am marinading it to grill after it is skewered in bamboo stick. Most Filipinos eat that with peanut sauce ( I do not use peanut sauce as I think my version is delicious without the sauce ) The typical accompaniment is a sweet sour spicy relish called Achara ( Atsara) which is really really good , but I never attempted to make it . it is pickled fresh green papaya that is grated, with carrots, garlic , pepper, ginger raisin etc)
Sate Babe is pork loin, sliced long and thin marinaded in lots of garlic, hoisin sauce, cider vinegar, peppercorn, bay leaf, pineapple juice, and of course sesame oil until I can smell the fragrance of sesame. I typically marinade it for no less than 48 hours, tasting it after 24 hours and adding spices as needed. I wander if SV will tenderize the meat even more. My husband loves a little burned fat but my son absolutely will not eat the burned fat so I spend a lot of time trimming it off. Sometimes, I will add rum to the marinade. This is skewered so that maximum surface is exposed the heat( I use an infra red grill) , grilled slowly while basting it .
Another adaptation of Indonesian food is Singapore noodle ( which the Chinese restaurant in the US adopted using rice sticks and curry.
The Filipinos have their own version of filipino style noodles.( See Kenji’s version in SE)
Of course, Filipinos use a lot of coconut in their cooking such as curry. My version, I add coconut and vanilla yogurt towards the end to counteract the bitter taste of curry.
Another of my favorite filipino dish is TAMARIND SINIGANG SOUP if you like hot (temp) , sour, and heat .
I typically use rockfish when in season, or Costco’s tilapia fillet fish, ( we do not use farm raised seafood except Costco’s tilapia ) , a handful of shrimp cooked with tamarind, vinegar, hot pepper , tomatoes and a vegetable called KANGKONG. You can buy the tamarind soup base at most Asian store,( Knorr’s or Mama Sita tamarind soup base,.50 cent when on sale. I grab 10 at a time) add some hot pepper, tomatoes ,smashed ginger , extra cider vinegar to my taste as I like mine sour and spicy. Kangkong ( water spinach can be substituted with spinach) served with rice. It is a wonderful meal esp when one is sick, opens up your sinus too!!
@naf IT WILL BE GOOD TOWARDS YOUR RECOVERY.
PANCIT PALABOK is a hallmark of filipino noodle dish — fried pork belly, fried shrimp, fried tofu, crushed chicharrón, smoked fish, hard boiled eggs, and green onions — everything that’s laid on top of the bed of rice noodles doused with shrimp-flavored achuete-colored sauce. http://blog.junbelen.com/2012/02/22/p-is-for-pancit-palabok/
PINAKBET is a filipino dish using pork with or without shrimp cooked with vegetables, usually bitter melon, squash, eggplant, string beans
I love their dessert though esp since my husband was a coeliac ( gluten enteropathy) . Leche Flan ( my husband and other thinks it is better than the french flan because mine is firmer filipino way, fruit salad using different canned tropical fruits ( I wrote about that too once in HO ), Sans Rival, and of course, their delicious sticky rice cooked in coconut called BIKO which Americans that served in Vietnam loves served with ripe mangoes.
Cassava cake is another dessert which I used to cook for breakfast and for dessert, I would add a topping of Leche Flan occasionally.
Offhand, this is what I can come up with now for a synopsis of Filipino dish.
Sorry if there is any typo
I can send you my sate babe recipe if you like but I typically do not measure when I am cooking. I have a rough measure of ingredient for people who ask for my recipes. but ultimately, I would adjust by tasting after 24 hours of marinade. If you do SV, perhaps you can try and see if marinading it in SV with spices lessen the marinading time. I used to store my marinade and meat in a vacuum canister which hastens the time of marinading but nowadays, I try shortcuts and am still wandering if I have patience for hours of simmering in a SV prior to cooking. If you frequent Asian store, you can buy bottled achara ( atsara) and the bamboo skewers which has to be presoaked for 30 min. Fro presentation, you can wrap a piece of foil at the ends of the skewers. I know you are a great photographer and your presentation is excellent.
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Ohhhh, I 
the combination of marinade ingredients - I need to make this very soon! Could you approximate the marinade quantities for serving 4? I can then figure out amounts since I’m just cooking for myself. Thanks!
Many thanks for the interesting info. I do read Philippino food magazines sometimes and see many dishes with Chinese (and other countries) influences. Maybe one day Philippino food will be as popular as Thai or Malaysian.
some of the recipes are quite good
I forgot lechon which is spit roasted pig over charcoal.
We have had a few of parties whereby we buy a small suckling pig from a farmer, just weaned from its mother, raise it until it was no more than 50 pounds by just feeding them corn and soybean.
I often ask Filipinos who work with me to spit roast it unlike the Hawaiians who roast in a pit.
The skin comes out very very crispy with very little fat at all. The meat is tender, and delicate, bursting with sweet, sticky juices.
It is unbelievable how that pig disappears as it is being sliced.
My husband used to say the pig disappeared by magic!
I do roast pork belly to the same degree of crispness using a turbo broiler after pre simmering it on top of the stove
It is very good with a sauce made from roasted liver, garlic and vinegar.
I just acquired another turbo broiler ( mine broke ) but have not had the chance to use it ( again time limitation and only cook when my son is here)
It does Peking duck pretty well too.
I believe the Filipinos were the ones who started the concept of turbo broiler bec I have had one since the 70’s when it was unheard of in the US. It came from a Filipino store.
But, the cholesterol!!!
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I have been real busy getting my house ready for sale since July 1st working on it everyday . Since everyday is Monday . I stop and shop for either a piece of fish every other day and in between those days I pick up a veal chop . The sides are always yellow crookneck squash cooked in butter , and a couple small new potatoes that are boiled . Simple cooking that hits the spot . And always wine to drink . 
Cheers .
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Decided to cook using Steve Raichlin’s Bourbon smoked pork loin recipe whereby the loin was split in half, added Bourbon, then coated with dijon mustard, followed by a layer of brown sugar, another layer of tennessee dust ( my favorite rub using recipe from Meathead ), then some more bourbon, piece back together , rubbed all over with more tennessee dust, bacon then smoked in my MAK pellet smoker for 90 min till temp was 160. In the meantime, had to spread glaze every 15 min consisting of equal amount of butter, mustard, bourbon. Finally, moved it and grilled medium heat just for a few min to crisp the bacon in the infra red grill. Served with Bok Choy and cauliflower rice .
The flavor is good but I wander if I use SV , would the loin be more tender and juicy?
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A new Sprouts grocery store opened up this week
I stopped in for some amberjack they had on special
Picked up two whole sides of fish and some multicolor carrots and beets as well as brussel sprouts
The ends of the fish went on the smoke for a fish salad. Two chunks got seared on the stove for dinner
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my husband and I love to have a little fat on each piece of pork as when the fat are slightly burnt, they are absolutely delicious but alas, he passed away and my son who is paleo so to speak, does not like fat! I cut away all the fat when I am cooking for him.
I usually use pork loin, I slice them semi frozen thin with my slicer, and do it in such a way that they are elongated, about 3" by 1"
This is my estimate but you ultimately have to taste it for preference. Do not mistake of cubing the pork.
Pork Loin- 2 or 3 pounds- cut in thin flat strips which can be threaded onto bamboo skewers with as much surface exposure as possible.
MARINADE :
Lots and Lots of garlic (at least 2 full heads, maybe 3 ) minced
1 tablespoon of ground black pepper
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup soy sauce
8-10 tablespoon of Hoisin sauce ( you can start with 6 tablespoon but I had to add 2-4 tablespoon yesterday when I adjusted my seasoning)
1 cup sesame oil
lastly, 3-4 cups of pineapple juice (enough to submerge all meat in your pan in the marinade
hot chili pepper optional
rum optional
Cut the pork in thin strips less than a quarter inch thick, approx 1-1.5 inches wide, 2 to 4 inches long. Be sure to cut perpendicular to the grain of the meat, this makes it more tender.
Marinade for a minimum of 24- 48 hours. Be sure that the marinade covers the pork entirely , turn the pork every 12 hours to ensure even absorption of the marinade . Alternatively, place them in a zip lock bag and turn them . Often, after 24 hours, I will cook a slice on my plancha to correct seasoning.
Soak your bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes (so that the skewers are moist and will not burn on the grill) Remember the sesame oil creates flare ups.
Thread pork strips onto bamboo skewers. Be sure that the pork strips are flat and spread out across the skewers (not bunched up)
Grill over low - medium coal, brush marinade while grilling. They cook fast because they are very thin strips of meat with occasional flare ups from the sesame oil.
Left overs that are not grilled gets better after 48 hours of marinading
I will cook some today and hopefully, I can take pictures before my son starts eating them.
If you are cooking for only one person, you can add all your marinade to the pork, then, freeze them into individual portions with marinade, thaw them for 24 hours before grilling in the future.
I cook for two, and often do so if we have no guests.
Bon Appetit! Let me know how it turns out.
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Thanks so much, ccj! I don’t have an outdoor grill, so it would be an indoor grill pan on the stove. Pre-slicing the pork and freezing in the marinade seems like the way to go for me. Very much appreciate you writing it all out for us!
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I hope I can grill it tonight as I still have that piece of smoked pork loin with bourbon that has not been completely consumed
Son is leaving again tonight to visit friends and wander if I get around to cooking them
He suggested I freeze them for next weekend ( I freeze them after I marinade them for 4 hours or more or marinade them, freeze then thaw for 24 hours ) serve with paella as his friends are coming again next weekend .
Tomorrow, he has guest coming, he promised them crabs and oysters from our dock. They are also staying overnight. We harvested 10 gallons of oysters last week before he left for West Coast, end up giving his friends 2 dozens each. I only kept 2 dozen to eat with a neighbor as I do not shuck them. I just steam them for 6 min but I refer them cold!
I am leaving possibly Sunday for Va to do some shopping at Costco and Asian store.
Will arrive late but if I have the chance to cook a few sticks, I will send u pictures.
Keep me posted.
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I might give these a try…about how many regular size burgers (grocery store bun size) would the recipe make?
It makes about a dozen not too fat burgers. I often do some as patties and then some of the mixture baked in a muffin tin for meatless loaf muffins (which take longer to bake)
Very important! No matter what the veg burger recipe says refridgerate the mix for at least two hours before shaping and baking or doing stove top- makes a huge difference and helps patties stick together
The lentil olive mushroom burgers from isa are another all time favorite for me, and yes really do use canned lentils. (Gasp!) with some i cooked myself they didn’t stick toguas well. I usually add 1/3c or so nuts in here too, and i swap in quick cooking oats blitzed some to chop up or quinoa flakes instead of the breadcrumbs. The olives are key so if you hate olives then use a different recipe all together
http://www.isachandra.com/2010/12/olive-lentil-burgers/
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My new favorite chicken. Cooked in the pellet smoker. Basted with butter, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, garlic, black pepper and salt.
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Very nice! I would have liked it, too.
I want to keep the house almost empty but the partner is a hoarder. I say one day I’ll sell the house and fck off travelling, perhaps with (imaginary) hot girl. Partner says “Omg, omg!”.
Hope you get a good deal for the house!
I’ve been curious about your dishes. I like them more each time I see them! Can you tell us a little about them?
This last chicken dish. I decided to cross hot wing sauce with smoked chicken. Melted some butter, added some pureed garlic, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, black pepper and salt. Put them on the smoker for about two and a half hours. Basted them throughout cooking. Garnish with chopped green onion, and one red jalapeno. This dish came out fantastic.
Thank you. The food looks wonderful!
But I was actually inquiring about the china/pottery. For awhile I thought you were placing a plate on a gold colored charger then realized the golden yellow edge was part of the dishware.
