FOODIEO: Pandesal (Filipino Sweet Bread Roll)

Homemade pandesal, (Filipino sweet bread roll). Maliknamnam!

Whenever we visit the Philippines, before dropping off our luggages at my mom's childhood home in Cubao, Manila, we make a pit stop on route from the airport to the famous Megamelt Muhlach. They are best known for their ensaymada (Filipino cheesy butter pastry) but our guilty pleasure is their pandesal. We pick up a dozen of their fresh pandesal, a Filipino classic sweet bread roll. This batch of pandesal barely lasts us 24 hours. 

Foodieo Fact: Pandesal is Spanish for "salt of bread" but they're slightly sweet! Lost in translation;)

The national bread of the Philippines, these golden rolls are soft, airy and slightly sweet with a light crust for crunch, yum! They are best consumed warm, spread with a layer of salted butter, topped with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese then dipped into hot strong coffee. They melt in your mouth like pillowy biscotti. For most Filipinos, it's tough to live through a day without our fix of pandesal.

Foodieo Fact: Commonly known as "poor man's bread", pandelsal was a cheaper alternative for rice during the world war times. Now, these ubiquitous buns can be found throughout the world in variety of flavours like whole wheat, cheese, raisin, ube (purple yam) and much more!

Whenever we crave these little oval loaves back in Canada, we can easily find them at local Filipino stores. However, it's nothing like have them hot-out-of-the-oven, watching steam gently evaporating when you pull the loaf apart and seeing the butter liquify before your eyes. Then immediately devouring a 3-4 pandesal rolls at once! Not that I've experienced that but can imagine the temptation;)

So happy the pandesals turned out, yay!

Here's an easy, a little time consuming recipe (believe me it's worth it!) pandesal recipe that is foolproof. At least it was for me. This FOODIEO shows me making pandesal for the first time and nailing it! They turned out exactly how I remember eating them in the Philippines. Hope you will give it a try and bring some pinoy comfort food into your home.



Ingredients:
2 cups warm water (110°F)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
5-6 cups organic, unbleached all-purpose flour + 1/3 cup for kneading
1/2 cup bread crumbs (sprinkle on top of rolls)
Butter (optional)

Directions:
1) Fill small bowl with warm water, add yeast and 1 tsp of sugar, stir to dissolve. Let sit until mixture becomes bubbly and creamy, about 10 min.
2) In large mixing bowl, combine 1/3 cup of sugar and oil, mix until smooth. Add salt and 1 cup of flour, mix until combined. Add yeast mixture. Add remaining 4-5 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3) Turn dough onto slightly floured surface and knead until smooth, supple and elastic, 10 minutes. Oil a large mixing bowl, turn dough in it until coated with oil. Cover with a damp towel and let sit in warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4) Turn dough onto floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Form each piece into
log and roll until 1/2" thick in diameter. Using a sharp knife, cut log into 1/2" roll pieces. Place the rolls, flat side down, onto 2 baking sheets. Gently press each roll down to flatten. 
5) Preheat oven to 375°F.
6) Sprinkle pandesal rolls with bread crumbs, cover them with a damp cloth and let rise until double in volume, about 30 min.
7) Bake for about 10-15 min or until golden brown. Then immediately eat with lots of butter, masarap!!

Enjoy spread with butter, cheddar cheese, jam, coffee grinds...anything would be good in pandesal!

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.

Que Pasa Spicy Tortilla Soup

Candice having fun at the Que Pasa cooking demo at the Gluten Free Expo

Happy 2016, que pasa (what's up)? Well, the past few years I've been blessed being able to combine my passions of cooking, eating and promoting organic foods at my job as Marketing Events Manager for Nature's Path Organic Food and Que Pasa. My role has me travelling often so that's why my posts haven't been frequent but I hope to change that this year. My new year's resolution is to try and post a recipe or a culinary story at least once a month, definitely doable (I will keep reminding myself)!

With January's cold rainy weather, it's nice to cuddle up to a bowl of warm and hearty soup. So last weekend I did a cooking demo on a Spicy Tortilla Soup topped with Que Pasa chips at the Gluten Free Expo Vancouver.  This one pot wonder is quick and easy to make, satisfying the healthy and tasty requirements while being vegetarian and gluten free. I especially like it because it's a nice meal if you want to entertain after the holidays without needing to spend too much time or money.

I'm not gluten free but working in the food industry, I've realized that not all gluten free foods are created equal. A gluten free label doesn't mean it's healthier and better for you. It's considering the quality of the ingredients in the gluten free products.  Not only are the Que Pasa chips third party certified gluten free, they are also certified organic and Non-GMO Project verified. Meaning the ingredients in the Que Pasa corn chips are not genetically modified, sprayed with synthetic chemical pesticides and herbicides or have artificial colours or preservatives. They are void of the artificial stuff but packed with lots of flavour, yay!

Good thing because Que Pasa are my favourite tortilla chips, and those end of the bag broken pieces are perfect to be topped on soups or salads of just plain snacking. I love the whole grain corn textures and satisfying crunch of each lightly salted chip, delicioso!

Que Pasa Spicy Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, medium chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped (1" thick)
2 tsp Mexican chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cups gluten free vegetable stock
1 can (14oz) black beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup organic corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 cup gluten free salsa (canned diced tomatoes)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp brown sugar (optional)
1 avocado, peeled, pitted & chopped
2 cups broken Que Pasa Tortilla chips
2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley
Optional:
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:
In a large sauce pan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat; cook onion, garlic & red bell peppers, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until vegetables are soften. Add chilli powder and cumin, cook and stir for 1 minute.

Add stock, black beans and corn to saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in salsa, season with salt & pepper. Divide among bowls and garnish with avocado, tortilla chips and cilantro or parsley.

Recipe adapted from Que Pasa Foods.

Gluten Free Lumpia (Filipino fresh spring rolls)

Happy it's summer and enjoying some healthy lumpia!

Lumpia, is a Filipino version of Chinese spring rolls filled with meat and veggies. This highly addictive finger food, usually made in mass quantities, was a staple at our family's parties and usually served fried. 

Here's my version of a light and healthy gluten free lumpia. It's influenced by the Vietnamese fresh rolls but with all the delicious flavours of the Philippines without the task of frying or guilt of indulging. 

I first prep and cook the filling, ground pork, carrots, water chestnuts and green onions, then use thin rice paper to wrap the savoury goodness into a white roll. This lumpia is easy to make while being light and healthy, a perfect appetizer to enjoy during the summer!

Gluten Free Lumpia, so easy to make!

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion (1 cup), finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves (1 tbsp), minced
• 1 lb lean ground pork
• 1 cup carrots, shredded
• 1/2 cup green onions, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup water chestnuts, finely chopped
• 2-3 tbsp Tamari Soy Sauce (wheat free soy sauce)
• Pinch of salt & pepper to taste
• 15 dried rice paper wrappers
• 1-2 cups lukewarm water
• Optional: sweet chilli dipping sauce 

Preparation

1. Pre-heat a large frying pan over medium. Add oil, onions and garlic then cook for 2 minutes, stirring periodically. 
2. Add the pork, carrots, 1/4 cup green onions, water chestnuts and soy sauce, cook for another 8-10 minutes or until pork is cooked through, stirring periodically. 
3. Remove from heat and and transfer to a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup green onions, salt and pepper and toss to combine. Set aside. 
4. Fill a shallow bowl with lukewarm water. Dip one rice wrapper into the water for a few seconds until it softens. Lay the wrapper flat on a clean, damp towel. 
5. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling toward the one-third of the wrapper nearest to you. Gently fold the bottom wrap over filling. Fold the 2 sides inward over the filling then tightly roll up the wrap. Seal the edges with more water and place on a plate with the seam side down. Do not stack the lumpia on top of each other or they will stick. Repeat until all the filling has been used. 
6. Serve immediately with sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Masarup!

Turon (Fried Banana Spring Rolls)

Turon with ube ice-cream

One of my favourite Filipino desserts is turon, a fried sweet snack made with boiled saba bananas, slices of langka (jackfruit) then encased in a lumpia (spring roll) wrapper. To me, it's best served warm with a scoop of cold ube (purple yam) ice cream.

I love the combination of the crunchy wrapper and the soft banana centre, a delicious contrast of textures. It's easy to make and adaptable to various tastes with endless filling variations like sweet potato, mango, coconut, mung beans, cheddar cheese, caramel, etc.  Turon is a snack often eaten as a finger food.  No wonder this sweet spring roll is a popular Filipino street food among kids and adults throughout the Philippines!

Boiled saba bananas

Jackfruit

I've tried using regular bananas in the recipe but it's best to use boiled saba bananas. Saba bananas are able to hold their texture and shape when you deep fry them. They're a hybrid of two different banana types and is usually used for cooking, though it can be eaten raw. Saba bananas are an important source in Filipino cuisine and has similar nutritional value as potatoes.

Though the name sounds Spanish, the origin of turon is likely influenced by the Chinese prior to the Spanish colonization. Similar to other dishes like pancit (Chinese noodle dish) of fusing traditional Filipino foods with Chinese cooking techniques. Turon is a tasty combination of Chinese spring rolls with Filipino bananas.

Did you know: Turon is a Latin word and rooted to mean "to toast". It's known as lumpiyang saging (banana spring roll) in Tagalog.

Turon is highly addictive so encourage that you may need to make a little extra as they get eaten up easily and quickly!

Tasty Tip: Make extra uncooked turon and keep frozen until you are ready to eat. No need to thaw either.

Ingredients
6 boiled saba bananas, peeled and sliced in half (or can be bought frozen in 1lb bags, defrosted and sliced in half)
12 small lumpia wrappers (5.75"x5.75" square wrappers)
4 pieces of jackfruit, sliced into 12 1/4" strips
2-3 tbsp brown sugar
1 litre organic canola oil

Preparation
1. Place sliced banana on lumpia wrapper, sprinkle with brown sugar then add a slice of jackfruit. Fold bottom and sides of wrapper over banana and roll. Seal wrapper over banana by dipping your fingers in water and running them along edge of lumpia wrapper. Repeat process with the rest of lumpia.
2. Heat oil cast iron skillet or a heavy bottom dutch oven. When water sizzles across the top of the oil, it's ready to fry the turon. Add 2-3 pieces, be careful not to over crowd the pot, and fry for 3-5 minutes or until turin is golden brown. Drain on paper towels and let cool for 5 minutes before serving with cold ube ice-cream, masarup!

Tasty Tip: Other fillings like sweet potato, mango, coconut, mung beans, cheddar cheese or caramel partner well the saba bananas in the turon. 

Place saba banana & jackfruit on lumpia wrapper

Fold lumpia wrapper over banana

Seal banana in wrapper with water 

Repeat process for the rest of the bananas

Fry bananas over medium heat for 3-5min or until golden brown

Mini Buko Pies (young coconut)

Mini Buko Pies

I was lucky to have grown up having fresh buko, young coconut, in all its glory when we'd visit the Philippines. Street vendors would roam the streets selling fresh buko and it's juice for less than 10 cents a coconut.

When we visited my Dad's family coconut farm in the Philippines last winter, a brave young boy climbed up the tree in his bare feet, twisted the fruit off by hand and dropped it below for us to catch. He expertly sliced open the coconut with one swoop of a machete! The best part was scrapping out the tender buko meat with our handmade coconut husk spoons.

It was coconut heaven every time we were in Philippines.  It seemed like the past 5 years, the rest of the world also discovered the love for buko and it's nutritiously refreshing water. You can easily find coconut water in grocery and local convenient stores throughout North America.  The difference is it costs about $3-5 a bottle, much more than 10 cents for a fresh buko like it is back in the Philippines.

Coconuts are known to be the "tree of life" as it's valued for it's amazing flavour, nutritious benefits and versatility being a good source of water, meat, milk, and oil.

Did you know: Coconut water from buko is a natural source of electrolytes, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

This recipe is slightly easier than my last buko pie post because it calls for less ingredients to make the dough and it's great to make into smaller individual portions. I actually prefer making the dough by hand, this gives me more control so I don't over work the butter and shortening into the flour ensuring the pastry turns out light and flaky once it's baked! Masarup!

Mini Buko Pies

Buko Custard

Buko Custard:
2 cups young coconut meat (2 x 454g frozen buko packs, defrosted & drained)
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup young coconut water
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together in a sauce pan over medium heat. Watch carefully, stirring constantly until buko filling has thickened into a custard, about 5 minutes.

Pastry in muffin cups

Buko Pastry:
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening, chilled and diced
1/4 cup butter (1 stick), chilled and diced, plus extra butter to grease muffin tray
3-4 tbsp cold water
1 egg beaten, for egg wash
Optional: palm sugar to sprinkle on top of pastry

1. Mix flour with salt in a large bowl.
2. Cut shortening and butter with a pastry knife or by hand until flour mixture resembles cornmeal texture.
3. Sprinkle cold water on flour mixture until dough starts to form. Gather dough until it cleans the bowl then tip it onto a floured counter top.  Do not handle too much or dough will become tough. Press into a ball then divide into 16 even pieces and let rest in fridge for 30 minutes to allow the gluten in the pastry to relax.
4. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease 8 muffin cups with soften butter butter or oil spray.
5. Press each piece of dough into 8 muffin cups, making sure there is a tiny rim of pastry sticking out at the top. Prick small holes at the bottom of pastry with a fork to allow steam to escape.
6. Fill each pastry with buko custard until filling nearly fills the muffin cups.
7. Roll out the other 8 pieces of pastry into a round disk that will fit over the buko pie. Carefully place pastry over each pie and use your fingers or a fork to gently press the top pastry to the bottom pastry until they stick together and no gaps remain. Prick small holes on the top pastry then brush with egg wash and sprinkle with palm sugar.
8. Bake for 40 min, or until pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 20 min before serving with cold ube (purple yam) ice cream!

Buko pies topped with egg wash & palm sugar

Baked Buko Pies

Sweet Cassava Cake

Baked cassava cake with coconut custard topping

I grew up eating my Mom's cassava cake, a classic Filipino sweet treat that is enjoyed all-year round for dessert or as a merienda, a light afternoon snack.

This yummy gluten-free cake is densely packed with grated cassava and delicately sweetened with creamy condensed milk and coconut. Noshing into a slice of room temperature cassava cake, the best way to enjoy it in my opinion, has the consistency of soft and sticky-gelatinous texture similar to having cooled rice pudding.

Did you know: Cassava is a gluten-free starchy root vegetable grown in the tropics like South America, South East Asia and of course, the Philippines. 

Grated cassava pouch, you can buy frozen in oriental grocery stores

Raw grated cassava

It's more common to find frozen grated cassava in your local oriental grocery store (comes in 454g pouches) than the fresh long and firm starchy white root encased with a rough brown skin. I'd recommend that you to get the frozen grated cassava as its brown skin has already been removed, good that it is because it has some races of cyanide. Do not worry, the cassava flesh is very safe to eat and delicious!

Did you know: Cassava is the third largest source of carbs in the tropics after rice and corn.  

Baked cassava cake with coconut custard bubbling fresh out of the oven!

As a kid, cassava cake seemed to magically appear on our kitchen counter like dessert fairies had quickly whipped it up while we were busy elsewhere doing chores or homework.  Later I found out that my Mom just nuked the whole dessert in the microwave and the cake was done and ready to eat in minutes. Sorry Mom, your secret is out. She'd finish off her cassava with a thin layer of melted matamis na bao, a dark brown sweet coconut jam, to amplify the cake's coconut flavours.

The more traditional Filipino cassava cake is baked in the oven then topped with a creamy coconut custard which gets broiled to give it that spotty charred golden surface, similar to how you'd finish a creme brulee. It's really easy to make and hope you'll try this recipe at home for your next anytime snack.

Did you know: Other Filipino recipes that use cassava are sweet pichi-pichi (colourful gelatinous rounds topped with sugar and fresh grated coconut) and suman (cassava cake steamed while wrapped in banana leaves then eaten with sugar)

Cassava cake before the oven

Baked cassava cake base

Baked cassava cake topped with coconut custard and grated cheese

INGREDIENTS (serves 12)
Cassava cake base:
- 2 pouches (908g) frozen cassava, defrosted
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 can condensed milk (reserve rest of can for topping) 
- 1/2 can evaporated milk
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup medium cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp lemon zest, finely grated

- 1 can coconut cream

Cassava coconut custard topping:

- 2 tbsp granulated sugar

- 2 tbsp tapioca flour (or cornstarch)

- 1/2 can condense milk

- 1 can coconut milk

- 2 tbsp medium cheddar cheese, grated (optional: extra grated cheese when serving) 

PREPARATION

Cassava cake base:

1) Preheat oven 350 F. Grease an 9"x13" baking pan or 12 4oz porcelain ramekins.

2) Combine cassava, melted butter, condensed milk, evaporated milk, sugar and beaten eggs in a large bowl. Mix well.

3) Fold in cheese, lemon zest and coconut milk, mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Pour the batter in the prepared pan or porcelain ramekins, leaving about 1/4" room for coconut custard topping.

4) Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the cassava cake is just set. You know the cake is done when you wiggle the pan or ramekin the cake will jiggle slightly and evenly over the whole surface, not just at the centre. Remove from oven and set aside.

Cassava coconut custard topping:

1) Preheat oven to broil at 450F.

2) Combine sugar & tapioca flour (or cornstarch) in a sauce pan over medium heat. Toast for 3 minutes.

3) Pour in condense milk and mix thoroughly.

4) Add cheese and coconut milk, stirring continuously for about 10 minutes, until mixture has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

5) Pour topping over cassava cake and spread evenly with an offset spatula.

6) Place cassava cake on the middle rack until top turns golden brown, about 15 minutes. Make sure to keep a close eye on the cake as it can easily burn.

7) Cool down to room temperature (if you can resist!) before cutting and serving. Optional, sprinkle more grated cheese on top before serving.

A slice of heaven, baked cassava cake with coconut custard & grated cheese

Baked Adobo Chicken Wings

Candice's Cusina Adobo Chicken Wings

Adobo is one of my favourite Filipino dishes so I fused it's signature tangy garlic-packed flavour into snackable treats for you to enjoy, Adobo Chicken Wings! 

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 12 (500 gms) chicken wings, washed and patted dry
• 3/4 cup toyomansi (soy sauce with calamansi juice)
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 4 (3 tbsp) garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Marinade:

1. Mix all ingredients (except chicken wings) together well in a medium size bowl. Add chicken wings to adobo mixture until fully coated and immersed in marinade.
2. Cover with cling film and marinate in fridge overnight (8 hours).

Marinate Adobo Chicken Wings overnight (8 hours)

Bake:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Oil a baking sheet then place marinated adobo chicken wings, equally spaced, onto baking sheet. 
3. Bake for 22-25 minutes and until chicken has a dark golden colour. Option to serve with some ice cold Red Horse beer!