Recipes

I return, my dear readers, from the abyss (aka work), armed with a recipe for the popular ensaymada. Ensaymada is the Filipino answer to Puerto Rico’s pan de mallorca. Both are equally sweet, rich, buttery breads and they share the same coiled shape. The Ensaymada I’ve talked about the curious…

When I was a kid, there was a lady who sold arroz caldo every day in her makeshift stall. It wasn’t much to write home about but it made for a good breakfast standby. For 5 pesos, you’d get a bowl of watery arroz caldo and half a slice of…

A mango royale icebox cake. That’s what would be great in this sauna like weather. I recently read a news article on Facebook that said that the Philippines was having tons of surplus mangoes. An unusually warm weather led to a bumper crop of mangoes and farmers were struggling to…

Gyoza are pan fried Japanese dumplings that make for a delicious appetizer or a quick meal. These are filled with ground meat (usually pork) and minced vegetables and wrapped in a thin wheat wrapper.

Gyoza was originally a Chinese dish called ‘jiǎo zi’ but has been widely embraced by the Japanese that it has become a popular side dish in izakayas, ramen stands, and supermarkets. Interestingly, gyoza is similar to the Korean mandu, as well.

For a self-professed rice lover, a creamy, ice-cold rice-based drink like horchata works like Pavlov’s bells on me. I love rice. There really is no other way to describe my fondness for rice but in the most glowing terms. So you can imagine my excitement when I first came across…

Ginataang bilo-bilo is a common merienda (snack) in the Philippines. It is also known as ginataang halo-halo (don’t you just love reduplication in the Filipino language?). I’ve seen this sold on the sidewalks in little plastic cups and served in local eateries.

While I can never lay claim to House Stark’s House Words ‘Winter is Coming’, grapefruits, at least, have come to the grocery aisles of Singapore. And perfectly in time for the seasonal collaboration that I’ve been participating in on Instagram. Just a quick FYI on the state of affairs here…

Tablea tsokolate is the ultimate Filipino hot chocolate. This creamy drink is made from tablea, has a rich chocolate taste and topped with froth.

Chapchae is a popular Korean noodle dish made with glass noodles, beef, and stir-fried vegetables. It is flavored with a sweet and salty sauce and sesame oil.

You would hardly find any trace of Food for the Gods anywhere in the Philippines from January to November. But for some unknown reason, the classic and chewy treat always finds its way to the list of food gifts for Christmas and New Year.