CHEFangga!

Our Place of Zen

2008-07-04T19:36:00.006+08:00

I heard from a very wise person (my wife!) once that a married couples bedroom is a place of Zen. A place where harmony of the yin and the yang converge, where sleep and somber happens, where tranquility and calm resonate, where DO-ing is supposedly for, where wee-hour ideas, dreams, and plans of the couple are formulated, where sweet nothings, oohs and ahhs are shared, and eventually the home of gaga's and goo-goo's of your little one(S)!

So in light of these things we decided to get our room updated. I consulted my good pal architect Franco Vicente (Yehehess!) Franco has been an architect for many years now and very good at that! He has worked with the best in the industry and has been in numerous awesome projects!(to know what they are and if you want to get him to do designs for you contact me I'm his manager!! heheh).
Here is what he has in mind for our room.
bleached white parquet floors, turquoise accents for raya's (our coming baby) corner, mocha accent on the headboard closet , and white everything else! I love it! the room will be like me and mavie combined! We hope to get this project started plus vit! so better get our funds in order and start contacting people to realize our place of ZEN!

My trusty Menudo

2008-07-04T23:08:00.007+08:00

COMFORT FOOD -noun(part of speech) home cooked food or dishes or those associated with ones childhood

It's 11:30 p.m. Mavie and I are having our usual chat in bed before bedtime in our soon to be renovated place of Zen. She was somewhat making fun of me starting my own blog, but she quickly countered when she noticed I was starting get teary eyed by her relentless teasing(hehehe), she told me that It's great to put my thoughts onto paper in this case the net ! During our chat we stumbled on the topic of "comfort food" and what food or dish would pick us up and put a smile on our bloated faces. Food that will make us wipe your tears and "umo-onseng"(dad's favorite term of runny nose hehe)sipon away? Food that you never get tired of eating for 10,000 years 3 times a day, 365 and 3/4 days a year? Mavie was so quick

to answer banana split! or brownie ala mode! Then all of a sudden she stood up and went out of the room, then came back with a plate of peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread(naks health buff!! hehe) and half a bottle of tropicana apple juice. This inspired me to write another blog this blog: My Trusty Old MENUDO-my ultimate comfort food.

MENUDO-is a Spanish inspired Tagalog dish. It's a pork, liver,and potato stew that has lots of variations to prepare. You can have it with liver, you can also add: peas, carrots, raisins, bell pepper, hotdog and even chick peas...but the best menud

o for me, the menudo I never get tired of eating is the simplest one my late lola goya's(my mom's mom) recipe..just plain cubed pork kasim , crushed garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, calamansi, toyo, and laurel.

GOYA's MENUDO RECIPE

(THIS IS AN APPROXIMATE OF THE ORIGIN

AL RECIPE..MY LOLA NEVER USED TO MEASURE HER STUFF . )

1 KILO PORK KASIM OR DE-BONED LIEMPO (CUBED 1/2 IN)

4 LARGE RUSSET POTATOES (CUBED 1/2 IN)

12-15 PCS. MEDIUM SIZED TOMATOES (CHOPPED)

2 TBSP GARLIC (CHOPPED)

3-5 LAUREL LEAVES

3 PINCHES OF PEPPER (GROUND)

10-15 PCS CALAMANSI (SQUEEZED)

3/4 CUP SOY SAUCE

PATIS (TO TASTE)-OPTIONAL

1- 1 1/2 CUP WATER.

*MARINADE PORK WITH CALAMANSI JUCE AND SOY SAUCE AT LEAST 30 MINS BEFORE COOKING.

*MAKE SURE TO SAUTE EVERYTHING WELL ..

My first memories of having menudo was more than 26 years ago! I was a 4 yr. 0ld little boy in my fit sando and fit shorts(not because it was trendy at that time but because I was a bit big boned when i was a kid!heheh) sitting on my favourite wood and iron chair my

lola had in her dirty kitchen.I remember her on a rainy weekday after we have watched sesame street, preparing her mis-en-place for the dish. I'd usually help her wash the potatoes and place them in a bowl with water after she cut it for it not to discolor . I will then set up my plate sit on my chair and wait for the menudo to cook. I'd usually fall asleep on the dinning table and be awakened by the smell of perfectly cooked menudo. My lola will then scoop me a heaping serving spoon of steaming white rice and smother the potatoes and sauce on the rice. She would then cut the pork chunks to smaller pieces which I always stop her in doing because i like to have big pieces of meat to chew(i don't know why..heheh).I would then hold on to just my spoon and shovel away! From then on I knew I fell in love with MENUDO!

I love menudo ! I can eat it everyday! heck! I can even eat menudo on

a full stomach! When me and my siblings were younger I remember having a menudo day for dinner. Every wednesday night was menudo night at home. I will make sure there would be leftovers for the next morning and hopefully for next day's lunch.

It was just recently when I made my first menudo on my own. Weird huh?! knowing that I'm a chef and I don't even know how to make my favourite dish! I know how to prepare it, what's in it and all but I really didn't want to learn to cook it on my own.Maybe I was scared that if I learned how to make it I'd end up eating nothing but menudo everyday, or I might be serving nothing but munudo to all my clients at the restaurant! hehehe. Well, maybe I just really wanted to remember my menudo as my lola's menudo my mom's menudo...simple, full of love, warm, always comforting, and always hitting the spot...You, what's the story of your favourite

comfort food?

OUR ULTIMATE!!

2008-07-07T14:22:00.004+08:00

Have you ever asked how a masterpiece dish is made? How a specialty dish is made? How something could be a "why did'nt I think of that?" thing? How a dish becomes the creme de la creme, the best, the ULTIMATE? I have this hunch, that the ULTIMATE dish is obtained by gathering bits and pieces taken from ideas of different people who experimented on the same dish. Then, you combine all the great components of each experiment add in your own personal touch, paired with love, passion, dedication, and a touch of luck...you'll arrive at the ULTIMATE!

In thispart of the blog I would like to hear and ask for help from all of my numerous readers and fans (all 5 of you! hehehe). What dish would you want to make ultimate? You tell me for example you want to make the ultimate cheese burger (If you have a certain recipe for that cheese burger that your great grand mother's cousins neighbor passed on to you then better!). I will then do my own research, gather data, experiment then come up with "OUR ULTIMATE"! complete with pictures, ingredients, and procedure, and the dish named after you! What do you think??Are ready to make "OUR ULTIMATE" dish? Get those creative juices flowing, your palates and gastronomical urges ready... It's time to make "OUR ULTIMATE" dish!

ULTIMATE SUNDAY feat. LIZZA's KOREAN BEEF STEW

2008-07-09T12:33:00.007+08:00

After searching high and low, after swimming the seven seas(or was it just 6 and a half?) in my dream last night(nevertheless it was still tiring ha! heheh) After days of hard work, research, and late night binges(shhhh! baka mainggit si MAVIE!) We... Yes... WE! have created "OUR ULTIMATE" LIZZA's KOREAN BEEF STEW! and WE will launch it at PONZO's CAFE this SUNDAY 8pm...

(this is not the ultimate picture of "OUR ULTIMATE" LIZZA's BEEF STEW but it's surely a great picture! heheh)

So to my gazzilions of readers and posters, mark it on your PDA's and Laptops (if you are still using traditional calendars I welcome you to the 21st century !! heheh joke!) It's on Sunday July 13, 2008 8pm at PONZO's. I warn you, the streets are going to be packed and people will be "tail gating" at PONZO's for this launch! So please reserve your seats now!!!!Be hungry and be ready to taste "OUR ULTIMATE" !!!! SEE YA!

"OUR ULTIMATE LIZZA's KOREAN BEEF STEW" UPDATE!

2008-07-10T23:56:00.009+08:00

I just got home from Ponzo's it's 12a.m.. I'm so tired from 2 caterings today, lunch and dinner service at the resto....and from finishing a whole plate of buffalo chicken wings, half a plate of quesadilla, a side order of celery sticks with ranch dressing, and 2 large glasses of Mug Rootbeer from Hooters!hehehe! Yes, Hooters!! And NO I don't go there for their BREAST but their WINGS!!

Anyhoo, I'm almost done with "OUR ULTIMATE LIZZA's KOREAN BEEF STEW!" and I must say, I'm quite satisfied on how the dish is turning out! (dapat lang!!! nakaka 8kls. of beef and 10 hours of experimentation na ako on the different ways,styles and secret recipes people use to make beef stew!).To the multitude of readers who are avidly waiting for our masterpiece, I'm letting you in on exclusive info. on "OUR ULTIMATE LIZZA's BEEF STEW". After much deliberation and research, I have finally decided on how to attack and construct "OUR ULTIMATE LIZZA'S KOREAN BEEF STEW". I really love Korean food(heck! I love ALL FOOD types and groups!) particularly how Koreans make their BBQ's. All the flavours I like are in their "GALBI (KOREAN BEEF BBQ)"-SWEET,SALTY, AND A BIT OF HEAT. Just like me in real life SWEET-(after taking a shower!), SALTY-(after playing basketball!), and SLIGHTLY HOT-(which I'm just oozing with! diba BABE?! you said! you said! hahaha!)... Well , enough with me and back to the dish...I decided to mix (2) dishes together ...The smokey and spicy flavour of "GALBI"(Korean Beef BBQ ribs) and the subtle, sweet and salty flavour of the "GALBI CHIM"(traditional Korean beef stew). I have taken and incorporated in this dish secret ingredients like...(SECRET NGA E!! heheh), traditional components like..(carrots, toasted sesame seeds,and boiled eggs!), partnered with our own personal touch, and several cooking techniques. I took some pictures earlier while I was preparing and experimenting on the dish. I hope you'll find this adequate for the meantime ! And again , the launch will be on Sunday July 13 8p.m. at PONZO's. Let's keep our fingers crossed that "OUR ULTIMATE LIZZA's KOREAN BEEF STEW" would be a hit! See you there !

THE ULTIMATE ELIZZA KOREAN BEEF STEW

2008-07-22T17:43:00.014+08:00

Korean cuisine is highly in

fluenced by Chinese, Buddhist, and Confucian cultures . The subtle mix of flavors, the simplicity of

preparation, and the use of humbly available ingre

dients that produce a very intricate, and distinct flavour is something inherently found in Korean food. (Galing! Parang pang commercial ang writing ko ha!!! Haha!).

(THE GOLDEN AND MESTIZANG BUDDHA!)

Interestingly, Korean cuisine's flavour is very close to ours -- the melange of sweet, spicy, sour, and salty are present in both Korean and Filipino dishes. AND the most famous of all Korean dishes that knocks the socks off the Filipino's is their Korean Beef Stew or "Kalbi Jim," as it's traditionally called. This stewed beef dish has always been a constant culprit of my family's overeating episodes in our numerous parties and gatherings.

So because of my family's love affair with Korean beef stew, I was compelled to search High and Low to bring you the ULTIMATE BEEF STEW. I also thank Ate Elizza for suggesting to "ultimatize" this dish.

Before we begin , I would like to share to you a story (no, its not another "when RJ was younger and less overweight story!" Hehehe). In the process of my experimentation and research for this dish, I came across different ingredients, cooking styles, and secret ingredients. I tried them all, and 10 kilos of short ribs of beef after...I, we (Ate Lizza and her family) still found something missing from my supposedly "ultimate korean beef stew."

We still thought that our family's Korean beef stew recipe was still way more flavorful and really packed a punch (which usually landed on our belly's hehe!)! We just cannot stop comparing this new beef stew from our old family recipe ( Naks! This only means that our family has good taste!! Aba syempre!!! Just look at our spouses!!! O diba!!) and it just wouldn't win!

This brought me back to the old drawing board and made me concentrate with our own recipe and just tweak it a bit..

So here it is fans! all 5 of you!!! And to the millions who just flood my blog without leaving a comment! (I know who all of you are!!!) Hehehe...

OUR ULTIMATE ELIZZA's KOREAN BEEF STEW!

INGREDIENTS:

(SERVES 5 IN OUR FAMILY PROBABLY 8-9 WITH YOURS! HEHEH)

1.5 KLS. BEEF SHORT RIBS CUT 1.5 INCHES

1 CUP BROWN SUGAR

1/2 AND 3 TBSP. DARK SOY SAUCE

8-10 CUPS WATER

2 TBSP. SESAME SEED

3 STALKS LEEKS SLICED

2 TBSP SESAME OIL

*3TBSP CHOPPED ROASTED PEANUTS(TOPPING)

PROCEDURE:

1. SAUTE BEEF,LEEKS,SESAME SEEDS, AND LEEKS IN A HEAVY POT

2. ADD SOY SAUCE,SUGAR, AND WATER

3. BOIL THEN SIMMER FOR AT LEAST 3 HOURS OR UNTIL MEAT IS TENDER.

*CONTINUALLY SKIM OFF EXCESS FAT AND SCUM

4. SPRINKLE * PEANUTS, REMAINING SESAME SEEDS AND LEEKS

5. SERVE WITH STEAMED JASMINE RICE AND KIMCHI

When is the next practice?

2008-07-27T23:29:00.005+08:00

I still can't believe practice is over!!! Margot's a-purpose-driven-life-like speeches, Kuya Boydee's sensual dance moves!!! Hehe! Kuya Rondic's antics! Ate Rona shouting, "LISTEN! ANNOUNCEMENT!," or either one of our names, or more often, her personal favorites, "ZHAR!!! BOYDEE!" Hehehe!!!

Oh, how I miss practice may it be on a Wednesday, Friday or Saturday! The cool moves, the great food every time, the cheers, jeers, the energy of the kiddos and Mavie bouncing around! Hehehe! Also, the hidden talent of Tito's and Tita's (some of them should be kept hidden nalang talaga. Hahaha! Joke!) the energetic moves of the Papa's este the Priests, the Dancing Qu

eens, Staying Alive, Grease Lighttningggg tadadadadada!!! Hehe!!!

Hay...well, it's all over na talaga! We just had our show last week and it was a great hit! The celebrants loved it!!! Tito Boy and Tita Shalene were obviously so happy...JOB WELL DONE guys!!! Before we go back to our everyday lives, I just want to thank the Dizon's for including us in this dance extravaganza! Hehehe! Thank you for making us dance away, for making us a part of that very special occasion and for always making us feel a part of your FAMILY.

Till the next production! Or it could just be a cook-out...really. :)

RAYA THE GREAT!!!

2008-08-29T11:43:00.003+08:00

HERE SHE IS OUR PRIDE AND JOY ...OUR LOVELY DAUGHTER,YOUR PAMANGKIN,YOUR COUSIN, YOUR APO, YOUR TITA,YOUR LITTLE FUR BALL...

RAYA VICTORIA ALMEDA UNGCO

I JUST GOT TAGGED!!!

2008-07-09T13:30:00.004+08:00

The Rules: Answer the questions using only one word. Then tag four others.

1. Where is your cell phone? misplaced (again!! heheh)
2. Your significant other? MAVIE!!!
3. Your hair? THINNING!(AHHHHH!!!)
4. Your mother?AGING(BEAUTIFULLY!)
5. Your father?BALDING
6. Your favorite thing?LAKERS
7. Your dream last night?FOOD
8 Your favorite drink?SUPERDRY!
9. Your dream/goal?HAPPINESS
10. The room you’re in?DINING
11. Your hobby?EATING(OBVIOUS BA?!! HEHEH)
12. Your fear?DEATH
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?SANTORINI!!!
14. What you’re not?FAT(haha)
15. Muffins?BLUEBERRY
16. One of your wish list items?LAPTOP
17. Where you grew up?MILAN(HEHEH BICUTAN LANG ANO!!)
18. The last thing you did?EAT
19. What are you wearing?NOTHING(BUT BOXERS AND A SHIRT!! KALA MO HA!!!)
20. Favorite gadget?PSP!!!!
21. Your pets?CHEWBACCA!(OUR MINI PINCHER!)
22. Your computer?MAC(OF MAVIE HEHEH)
23. Your mood? HAPPY
24. Missing someone?MAVIE(SHE'S IN THE BANYO EH!)
25. Your car?SORENTO
26. Something you’re not wearing?PANTYHOSE!(HAHAHA!)
27. Favorite store?NIKE!
28. Like someone?RAYA!
29. Your favorite color? VLUE!(its blue with a V! its has a slightly darker hue! hehhe)
30. When is the last time you laughed? TODAY
31. Last time you cried?FORGET!

I TAG...

MARGAUX SALCEDO
TWINKLE LEGASPI
ZHAR CARBONELL
MAVIE UNGCO

To BLog or Not To Blog

2008-07-04T14:46:00.005+08:00

" It's a waste of time reading or writing a blog!", "It's so Corny!" ," I don't know what to write about?!" , " I can't type and spell even if my life depended on it?!"......and the list of my lines go on...I really don't know why people want to blog?! What kick do they get out of it?! Do they really want other people to know how great the kebabs and buttered saffron basmati rice in Behrouz tasted after shoving a keg of beer onto their throats with celebrity friends we wished we had too? Or is it to show off those new digital photos you took form your last trip to the heaven on earth island of Maldives and Santorini on your brand new Canon D-SLR 450 camera that we wished we all had?! Do they think I even care about how they change their cute little baby's "poopie chamber"? Or how angelic she and her beautiful mother look when their baby sleeps on top of her mothers' bare breasts?! You think I give a "hoot-nanny" on how you prepare your 10 layered dismantled bagnet and steamed veggies topped on tom yam and coconut broth base perfectly on a plate? Do you really think I care to see you evolve to what you are now after posting 50 glorious years of family portraits and family gatherings?! I DON'T!........ but damn man!!! what a great LIFE and HEART you have to share all of those EXPERIENCES to all of us who have "BLOG-O-PHOBIA!" Well, here I am now , I am "BLOGGING?!"( eeeewww!!! that reeks of morning breath!!!) I'll take a shot at it... I know I wouldn't like it.... but who really cares right?! nobody really reads these BLOGS ANYWAY! hehehe!!