my bro's grilled pork tenderloin

my brother made this really flavorful grilled pork tenderloin. he marinated the pork in cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, ground oregano, dried marjoram and dried sage with melted butter for an hour. Grill both sides around 5 minutes on each side depending on the size. served with grilled asparagus and hoisen sauce...paired with a good glass of wine...ahh... so perfect!

lengua de sarsa

i went to the wet market today. i wanted to buy pork belly since i'm craving for kimchi chigae. however, since today is All Soul's Day...a very big holiday here in the Philippines in commemoration of our families, relatives and friends who have passed away. it's a time for gathering of families to visit the graves of our loved ones. naturally, where there is gathering, there is always lots of food...somehow, most of the meat were sold out already...darn it! i got this pig's tongue instead and envisioned something to do with it...

Slice the pig's tongue into bite-size pieces. Saute onions and garlic in canola oil. Stir fry the pig's tongue. Add 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the liver spread. Blend well. Add 1 cup of sarsa (i used Mang Tomas, however, you can still make this dish without it). Add a dash of sugar. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper. Cook until the meat becomes tender. Garnish with tarragon leaves.

yey...so yummy! my dad super loves it! even the sauce alone would just be enough...really a MUST TRY recipe..*wink*

grilled porkchop with sweet and spicy hollandaise sauce

this has got to be the easiest grilled porkchop i ever made. just marinate the porkchop with kalamansi juice (lemon) and kosher salt. although i tend to be big on marinades mixing different sauces but i remembered my brother suggesting with simply using these two ingredients brings out the natural taste of the pork...so i gave it a shot...he was right!...the simplicity of this dish made me appreciate the true flavor of the pork although i made a quick hollandaise sauce with sweet and spicy ketchup on the sides to give it an extra kick~

menudo

this is again a classic filipino recipe. my mom absolutely love this. there is never an ocassion in our home without this dish...my mom just wouldn't allow it. i guess this dish was influenced by the spanish colonizers in the philippines a decade ago?hmmm i'm not sure when exactly i'm not so good with memorizing history and stuff. Well anyway, spanish regime brings a lot of very good influences in this country. among the many is this menudo which has evolved from a simple stew into this rich and colorful dish that we have today.
my mom specifically marinates the cubed pork in kalamansi juice (lemon juice) and soy sauce for an a hour or so before cooking. and you can really tell the difference when you take a bite there's this citrusy taste in the pork with the sweet and a little bit of tangy flavor from the sauce~a definite must try!

500 gms pork
200 gms pork liver
2 pcs potatoes,cubed
2 pcs carrots, cubed
2 pcs water chestnuts, cubed
raisins
hotdogs
250 gms. tomato sauce
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped

Saute onions and garlic in a saucepan. Add the marinated pork. Stir-fry for 5-10 minutes before adding the liver. Add the pineapple juice. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add all together the rest of the veges. Simmer. Add the tomato sauce, red and green bell pepper, raisins and hotdog. Add the sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning according to your taste. Simmer until the sauce has become syrupy in consistency.

spicy pork tenderloin~korean style!

this is the second dish that i have prepared for lunch...i was suddenly inspired to eat something korean and i wanted something new that i can post here *grin* i was browsing stuff from my fave korean food blogs to check out what possible dish i can replicate but just couldn't decide which one since i don't have the ingredients required. so i just went on with what's in my pantry...what could go wrong as long as i have the gochujang and sesame oil, right? well, i made this pork tenderloin...spicy and hot~korean style!!!

250 grms pork tenderloin, cut into strips (marinated in fish sauce for 15mins.)
2 tbsp. gochujang
1 tbsp doenjang
1 yellow onions, minced
5 cloves garlic, mincec
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
olive oil
2 potatoes, strips
1 carrots, strips
spring onions

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil. Add the marinated prok, stir fry for 5 minutes.
Mix in the gochujang and doenjang. Add the carrots and pototoes. Blend well until everything is covered with the sauce. Add the brown sugar and sesame oil. Stir fry for another 5-8 minutes. Add the spring onions. SERVE.

adobo to the next level!

this is a dish with "filipino" written all over it... what is a celebration without adobo?...naturally this is a mainstay in philippine cuisine~basically, adobo makes up for pork belly, soy sauce, vinegar, peppercorns and a little sugar. however there are lots of variations you can make depends on your creativity...i make mine simply, stew style, like putting all the ingredients all together and simmer until done. that's it. no fuss and very convenient. however, if i want it really special...i marinate the pork belly overnight with coarse peppercorns, balsamic vinegar and a little soy sauce. i then deep fry the pork belly with enough oil until it's done. next i put the cooked pork belly in a pot added again with balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, pineapple chunks with juice (reserve some for garnishing), a little gin, onions, garlic, bay leaf ( lately i've been using morton & bassett bay leaves which is 100% organic), and star anise.simmer over low fire for 30 minutes and add spring onions. garnish with pineapples. this method really intensifies the flavor of this dish. and the smell is just oh so heavenly!...i have to admit that using morton & bassett herbs and spices took it up the notch. for those of you who is watching out for their weight like me this is totally a comfort food...i told myself im just going to have a bite but ended up with more than a few *groan* how the heck will i lose weight when i'm making dishes like this...well, might just as well enjoy it!!!

craving for samgyeopsal~

first of all, this is not samgyeopsal...this is a dish i whipped up which is close to samgyeopsal...or so i thought it would be *grin* i was kinda craving for it but i'm not in the mood for grilling so i opt to make it this way...i sauteed minced onions and garlic in sesame oil added the pork belly which is marinated for 10 minutes with a little salt, anchovy sauce and black pepper. i then added 1/4 cup of soju (or gin), let it simmer for awhile before adding the sliced pears, a tablespoon of sugar, fair amount of gochujang (or more..) and red pepper flakes. simmer for 30-40 minutes in low fire. add the sliced cabbage. simmer for another 3 minutes...and it's good to go..it's spicy with a little bit of sweetness in it. i ate this in the manner of eating samgyeopsal with the pork wrapped in a lettuce...and with some soju perhaps?! it's surely the best!!!

kimchi chigae!!!

i just love traditional korean foods!!! although i'm not korean but this stew, i would say is my ultimate favorite among their dishes...whenever i go to a korean restaurant i never miss out this stew. kimchi chigae is a mainstay in all of korean household. i was so happy when a friend introduce me to this site:maangchi.com , it shows how to make superb korean foods ( gomowoyo ejangnim!)~ here's my own version of kimchi chigae, i hope you'll love it the way i do...

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. olive oil
200 gms. pork belly, sliced thin
3 cups pork stock
1 medium size onion
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
3 tbsp. red pepper flakes (or you can add more if you want it really spicy!)
1 tbsp gochujang ( red pepper paste)
6 tbsp. anchovy sauce
1 cup kimchi
1 pack soft tofu
sesame oil



1. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add the sliced pork belly and fish sauce.
2. Stir in the red pepper flakes and gochujang.
3. Blend in the kimchi.
4. Add the pork stock. Let it boil for 5-10 minutes or until bubbly.
5. Add the soft tofu. Drizzle with sesame oil.

Best served with japanese rice..or any sticky rice~masisseoyo!!!...really delicious!!!