Holiday Treat: Polvoron

Polvoron, a soft and powdery dessert, is traditional candy from the Philippines. It's adapted from the Spanish shortbread cookie made with flour, lard or vegetable shortening, powdered sugar and cinnamon. The Philippine version is made with a combination of toasted flour, powdered milk, sugar, and melted butter. The mixture is then molded into oval or round shapes with a polvorera, a special mold or press which allows the formed sweets to be discharged easily without crumbling. Once molded, polvoron is wrapped in cellophane or parchment paper.

Did you know: Polvo is Spanish for "powder".

Polvoron is one of my favorite desserts growing up and I nostalgically remember helping my mom mold and wrap her homemade renditions. If you're new to the Philippine polvoron, it's sweet and milky and when you bite into it, the powdery dessert slowly melts into a thick pool of creamy goodness in your mouth.

You can find polvoron at Filipino markets and bakeries but I've recently learned it's super easy and cheap to make at home. There are only four main ingredients plus no baking involved! A huge time saver especially during the busy holiday season. So add polvoron to your holiday dessert tray, your family and friends who will sure to love this tasty dessert. Masarup!

Did you know: Traditionally polvoron is milk flavoured but sometimes nuts like cashews or peanuts and pinipig, toasted and flattened glutinous rice, are added.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered milk
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preparation:
1. In a large skillet over low to medium heat, toast the flour until light brown. Remove from heat and add the sugar and powdered milk. Add the melted butter and mix thoroughly in skillet.

2. Transfer flour mixture to a plate and compact mixture with polvorera or a polvoron press. Place moulded polvoron onto a flat baking tray/cookie sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. To wrap, cut tissue or soft parchment paper into 5" x 5" squares. Place polvoron piece onto the middle of the paper and fold over top and bottom sides, tuck in edges into the middle and twist.

Try this: Make chocolate polvoron by adding 2 tablespoons of your favorite hot chocolate milk powder into the mix.

Sweet Bulgur Wheat Salad

Bulgur, a traditional ingredient found in Middle Eastern or Greek cuisine, is a quick-cooking form of whole wheat that has been cleaned, parboiled, dried and/or ground into particles. It's commonly used in tabbouleh, a traditional Lebanese salad, made of bulgur, chopped parsley, mint, tomato and spring onion then seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil.

In this version, there's a splash of sweetness from the sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red bell peppers. Try this recipe as a healthy lunch or hardy side dish for dinner.

Did you know: Often confused for cracked wheat, bulgur is ready to eat with minimal cooking and after soaking in water or broth, can be mixed with other ingredients without further cooking.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup bulgur
- 1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes soaked in olive oil, chopped (reserve 2 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
- 2 cups baby spinach

Preparation:

1. In a small saucepan heat 1/2 cup oil over medium-high. Working in batches fry chickpeas until golden brown and lightly crispy, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain and season immediately with salt.
2. Meanwhile, soak bulgur in 2 cups boiling water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh sieve to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Transfer to a bowl; stir in roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, spinach, oil from sun-dried tomatoes and lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy, darlings!!
   

Did you know: Due to its high nutritional value, bulgur makes a good substitute for rice!

• 1 cup of bulgur contains 25.6 g dietary fiber, 17.21 g protein and 574 mg potassium.
  
• 1 cup of rice contains 0.6 g dietary fiber, 4.2 g protein and 55 mg potassium.
  

Recipe adapted by Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

PanDa Fresh Bakery

Candice's Cusina visited PanDa Fresh Bakery, a cute yellow school bus converted into a mobile bakery, serving stuffed, freshly-baked croissants. Owned and operated by the Ip brothers, this little slice of golden baked heaven sits on the heart of Yaletown, the east corner of David Lam Park.

When we asked how they came up with their innovative food vending concept, Michael Ip said they were influenced when his brother, Derek, visited Japan and was inspired by the Japanese' creative approach to food. Derek found a shop in Japan that served soft serve ice-cream in waffle cones with a freshly baked croissant tucked inside the cone. This sparked their much loved green tea ice-cream croissant.

There are many stuffed croissants to satisfy your food cravings from recognizable comfort foods like turkey dinner, ham and cheese, PB&J, and mac and cheese.

Michael suggested that I try his favorite, the cheesecake croissant, stuffed with a crispy lady finger and a slice of vanilla cheesecake. It was delicious! The croissant was warm and buttery while the cheesecake was delicate and creamy. An easy favorite and would highly recommend that you visit PanDa to try it for yourself!

Panda Fresh Bakery
South East corner of Drake Street and Pacific Blvd.
Open 11am-6pm, everyday
Follow PanDa at http://twitter.com/pandabakery

Cucina Manila!

I visited Surrey's Cucina Manila last week and enjoyed a huge almusal (breakfast in Filipino) consisting of two meat dishes with rice, at 10:30am! Traditional almusal features:

• Sinangag (fried rice with salt and garlic)
• Egg (fried or scrambled)
  
• Desired meat: pork tocino (sweet cured pork), longganisa (sausage), sauteed corned beef, fried spam (yikes!), well the list goes on.
  

A light almusal traditionally consists of homemade hot chocolate with toasted ensaymada (cheese-topped pastry) or pan de sal (small Filipino bread roll) with butter.

It was a rainy morning so I opted for my favorite childhood comfort foods, kare kare (ox tail stew in peanut-based sauce) and caldereta (spicy beef stew) on white rice. These dishes are usually for a heavier lunch or dinner but I was treating myself and there are no time restrictions when eating Filipino food! The moment I sat down and started drizzling the sauces on the rice, the fragrant aromas reminded me of my mom's home cooking and immediately started digging in.

Did you know: Caldereta is derived from the Spanish word caldero (cooking pot).

I enjoyed the caldereta, which in my opinion, the boeuf bourguignon of Philippine cuisine. It’s made from simple ingredients, but the way they come together elevates simple beef and vegetables to tasty new heights!

One of my favorite Filipino blogs is Burnt Lumpia by Marvin where he features a recipe for spicy beef caldereta (scroll down half way down the page). In this version he adds chicken livers but if you're not a fan of livers, like I'm not, feel free to use a more subtle liver pâté that will give the added richness in the stew.

Stay tuned for my mom's recipe for kare kare in an upcoming blog post. So, what's your favorite comfort food?

Simple Grilled Asian Salmon

It's been proclaimed the biggest Sockeye salmon run in 100 years for B.C. with salmon spawning all the way to November! So here's an Asian twist on a delicious and easy meal that can be enjoyed all year round.

Did you know: The name sockeye comes from an attempt to translate the word suk-kegh from B.C.'s native Coast Salish language. Suk-kegh means red fish.

Ingredients:
- 1 side fresh salmon, boned but skin on (about 3 pounds)

Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons good soy sauce
- 6 tablespoons good olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
-1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds (option garnish)
- 1/4 cup of chopped green onions (optional garnish)

Did you know: Ginger is an amazing power food that helps to boost our immune system. Since we're nearing the cold and flu season, ginger root tea (mix 1 tsp fresh ginger root in hot water) is a good natural way to combat chills and fever as well as ease soar throats.

Directions:
1. Lay the salmon skin side down on a cutting board and cut it crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle half of the marinade onto the salmon and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

2. Place the salmon skin side down on the BBQ or a greased cast iron grill pan; discard the marinade the fish was sitting in. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Turn carefully with a wide spatula and grill for another 4 to 5 minutes. The salmon will be slightly raw in the center, but don't worry; it will keep cooking as it sits.

3. Transfer the fish to a flat plate, skin side down, and spoon the reserved marinade on top. Allow the fish to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the skin then garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Enjoy over rice or a lightly tossed olive oil and vinegar green salad!

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Tibetan Beef Momo

Momo, a tasty Tibetan delicacy, usually enjoyed home cooked or as street food in regions like West Bengal (predominantly Darjeeling), Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya. Typically, these dumplings are made in the round shapes, patterned neatly into folds, then steamed to perfection.

I was invited to my good friend, Shenpenn's Thanksgiving dinner where I was lucky to have tasted authentic momos handmade by his Mom, Tenzin. Her momos are delicate, juicy, rotund beef dumplings best eaten steaming hot and dipped in chili sauce. Try this scrumptious finger food at your next cocktail party!

Did you know: Momos originated as hardy food fare consumed after a long day of meditation or long hikes up steep mountains.

Ingredients:

Dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups water

Preparation:
1. Mix the flour and water very well by hand and keep adding water until you make a smooth ball of dough.

2. Knead the dough very well until the dough is flexible. You can keep your dough in the pot with the lid on while you prepare the rest of the ingredients or on the counter with a damp kitchen cloth. This will prevent your dough from drying out and making it hard to work with.

Filling:
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup chives, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp grated ginger
1-2 tbsp water
salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Mix all your filling ingredients together. When your dough and filling are both ready, it is time for the best part, making those cute round dumpling shapes!

2. Place the dough on a chopping board and use a rolling pin to roll it out thinly. After you have rolled out the dough, you will need to cut it into little circles for each momo. The easiest way to do this is turn a small cup or glass upside down to cut out circles about the size of the palm of your hand. This way, each one will be the same size and shape.

Try this: You can also make the dough circles traditionally by pinching off a small ball of dough and rolling each ball in your palms until you have a smooth ball of dough. Then, use a rolling pin to flatten out the dough into a circle, making the edges thinner than in center. The thicker center allows the momo dough to hold more filling!

3. Place one circle of dough in your left hand, and add a tablespoonful of filling in the middle of the dough. With your right hand, begin to pinch the edge of the dough together. You don't need to pinch much dough in the first pinch -- just enough to make a small fold between your thumb and forefinger.

4. Continue pinching around the circle little by little, keeping your thumb in place, and continuing along the edge of the circle with your forefinger, grabbing the next little piece of dough, and folding and pinching it down into the original fold/pinch being held by your thumb. Basically you will be pinching the whole edge of the circle into one spot.

5. Continue folding and pinching all around the edge of the circle until you come back around to where you started and then close the hole with a final pinch. Make sure you close the hole on top of the momo, so you don't lose the juicy part of the momo!

Did you know: The little crowns on the momos help hold the filling inside the dough while giving the dumplings they're unique shape.

6. Repeat until you have used up all your filling and dough.

7. Boil water in a large steamer. (Tibetans often use a double-decker steamer, to make many momos at one time.)

8. Oil the steamer surface lightly with non-stick spray before putting your momos in, so they won't stick to the surface. Then place as many as you can without touching each other. Add the momo's after the water is already boiling.

9. Steam your momos for 15-2o minutes. Serve them pipping hot, with soy sauce or hot chili sauce of your choice. Enjoy!!

Try this: The filling in momos can be made with a variety of ingredients but it is traditionally made with yak, Tibetan wild ox. You can try this same recipe with pork, shrimp or vegetarian (substitute meat with tofu and mushrooms).

Spice Curried Wontons

This fusion recipe of Indian flavours delicately wrapped in Chinese wonton cups, make the cutest little appetizers. They're easy and take no time make but will surely be an instant hit with your family and friends at your next house party.

The background to the recipe's key spice, curry powder, was developed by British manufacturers in an attempt to provide a ready-made spice mixture similar to the kari podi (podi means “powder”) that British colonists became accustomed to in southern India. Essential to the fiery cooking of southern India, kari podi is the combination of spices that evolved into British-style curry powder.

The other star ingredient, wontons, are Chinese dumplings made from wheat flour and eggs. There are many variations of wontons but the most common type of wonton, known to North Americans, is the Cantonese version made with a minced pork filling and served boiled in soups. So try making these tasty bite-sized treats, they will be your new go-to "appie" for many parties to come!

Did you know: Cantonese wontons were introduced to Hong Kong after World War II as street food and later to indoor eateries.

Ingredients
- 24 wonton wrappers (Preferred brand: Double Happiness Foods Wonton Wrappers)
- canola oil
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/3 cup mango chutney (or any chutney of choice)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped green onions or cilantro (optional)

Did you know: Curry is actually a mix of spices and commonly includes ground coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, dry mustard, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black pepper and red chili peppers.

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. To make the wonton cups, press wonton wrappers into mini muffin cups, pressing any folds firmly to the sides. Bake for 5-8 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

3. For the filling, heat a teaspoon of canola oil in a frying pan and saute the onions for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and ginger, cool for another minute. Add the chicken, curry, coconut milk , chutney, lime juice, salt & pepper. Cook, stirring often, until filling is bubbly and thickened. Cool slightly or chill before spooning into wonton cups and sprinkle with chopped green onion or cilantro. Now, put on your party dress and serve to hungry guests!!

Try this: For a lighter version, use light coconut milk or 2% evaporated milk.

Recipe adapted by Julie Van Rosendaal's Grazing