Crispy Kangkong

A few months ago, my husband Edward started planting Kangkong from a few stalks bought from the grocery. We use the leaves for tinola, sinigang, and adobong kangkong. Just recently, they’ve become so abundant that we started feeding them to the goats. So I tried looking for other ways so that our family could enjoy them more. One of our all time favorites to order in restaurants is the crispy kangkong. This is my recipe for it.

Ingredients:

1 bundle kangkong leaves

Batter:
1 cup sifted all purpose flour (very important that it’s sifted)
1 whole egg
2/3 cup cold water
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/8 tsp baking powder (this makes it crispy)
corn oil for frying

Dip:
1 cup Mayonnaise (lite if possible)
2 tbsps fresh milk
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp white sugar
1/4 tsp fine salt

1. Wash the kangkong leaves carefully and wipe them dry individually. They have to be as dry as possible.
2. Prepare your dip by combining all the ingredients together and keep chilled.
3. Prepare the batter by mixing the ingredients in a bowl and with a wire whisk until no lumps are formed. It’s very important that your flour is sifted to get an even crispiness. If you don’t sift it, it will be crispy at first but after a few minutes it will become soggy.
4. Heat up a lot of oil for deep frying. Don’t worry because you can always set aside the used oil for re-use.
5. Dip a leaf in the batter one piece at a time and deep fry until the color becomes light brown.
6. Drain each in a plate lined with paper towels.
7. Serve hot with your dip and enjoy!

Chicken with broccoli and mushrooms

I got this recipe from Quickfire but I adjusted it a bit to suit my family’s taste because the original recipe was spicy. This is the kid friendly version.

Ingredients:

1 kilo chicken breast fillet
1 kilo broccoli cut into cubes
1pc red bell pepper
1pc green bell pepper
1 sachet aji ginisa mix
1 can button mushrooms cut in half
cornstarch slurry
2 chicken broth cubes
1 tbsp sesame oil

1. Saute the green and red bell peppers.
2. Add the chicken fillet and season with aji ginisa mix.
3. Add the broccoli and button mushrooms.
4. Dissolve the chicken cubes in 1 cup water and add in 1 sachet cornstarch. This will be your slurry.
5. Once the chicken is cooked and your vegetables are done, add your slurry.
6. Add in 1 tbsp of sesame oil and mix well.

Baked Macaroni

One of my favorite comfort foods is baked macaroni. It’s very easy to make and the ingredients are not that hard to find. All you need is a conventional oven and VIOLA!

Ingredients:

1 pack Elbow macaroni (400grams)
1 500ml Tomato and Cheese sauce (any brand of tomato sauce will do)
1/2 kg ground beef
1 small pack tomato paste
1 egg
onions
garlic
red bell pepper
salt
pepper
dried thyme
quickmelt cheese
brown sugar

1. Cook your elbow macaroni al dente. This means that when you bite into it, it should be firm but not hard. In cooking pasta, boil enough water and add 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon salt. Add in your pasta. Once the pasta is done, wash it under running water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
2. Saute your onions, garlic, and red bell pepper.
3. Add the ground pork.
4. Season with a little pepper, salt, and a dash of dried thyme.
5. Once the ground beef is cooked, add in your tomato sauce.
6. When it boils the first time, add in your tomato paste. Season with a little brown sugar.
7. When it boils the second time, turn your fire off and add 1 whole beaten egg.
8. Pre heat your oven at 250degrees for 10 mins.
8. Add in your elbow macaroni and mix well.
9. Transfer your dish to a Pyrex baking dish that will fit into your oven.
10. Grate a whole bar of quickmelt cheese on top of your pasta and cover it with aluminum foil.
11. Bake for 15 minutes.
12. Uncover and bake again for 5 minutes.
13. Serve hot with toasted bread. Enjoy!