Lukban Hardinera

Please welcome Jun Avila as my guest blogger for this post...Everything below is his own words...I got his permission to share this recipe. While I am too busy at the moment, I figure I'd post recipes shared by my online friends (with their permission, of course!) and probably blog about some gadgets of mine.  Bookmark it for your next handaan with your Pinoy friends because this one sure sounds like a winner!

Description:
WHILE most meat loaves have ground meat as base, there’s a kind of meat loaf in Lucban that instead uses diced pork. Called hardinera, it’s unique in other ways as well. For one thing, it’s cooked in a llanera, an oval pan commonly used for leche flan. For another, it is not baked in an oven, like most meat loaves, but is instead steamed.

What also makes it different is the garnishing of hard-boiled eggs, bell pepper strips and pineapple slices that go into the bottom of the pan. When inverted onto a serving platter, these garnishings form a colorful topping. The beaten raw eggs poured into the llanera form a coating that gives the hardinera the look of an aspic.

Ingredients:

¼ c cooking oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 kilo pork kasim, diced into cubes
(See tips.)
1 tbsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1-2 c pork broth (See tips.)
1 c tomato sauce
1 c finely diced sweet mixed pickles or pickle relish
½ c diced frankfurters
1/3 c raisins
1 c canned pineapple tidbits, well drained
1 small can red pimiento, drained and diced
1 85-g can liver spread (1/3 c)
½ c grated Cheddar cheese
1 c bread crumbs
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
3-4 canned pineapple slices, each cut into 3-4 pieces
1 small green bell pepper, cut into fine strips
1 small red bell pepper, cut into fine strips
3 uncooked eggs

Directions:
Grease 3-4 small llaneras and line with banana leaves or with nonstick baking paper. Set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan and sauté onions and garlic about one minute (do not let garlic burn).

Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil and add pork. Season with salt and pepper and stir-cook pork until brown.

Pour in pork broth and tomato sauce and simmer until pork is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, mix together pickles, frankfurters, raisins, pineapple tidbits, red pimiento, liver spread, cheddar cheese and bread crumbs. Add the cooked pork. Do not include the sauce in which it was cooked. (See tips.) Mix until well combined.

Arrange slices of hard-boiled eggs, pineapple, and green and red pepper strips on the bottom of the prepared llaneras. Beat the 3 eggs and pour into llaneras, dividing equally. Spoon the pork mixture equally among the llaneras, pressing top to smoothen.

Cover tops of llaneras with foil and steam in a large steamer for about 45 minutes or until firm. If the four llaneras do not fit into the steamer, cook them in batches (two at a time).

To serve: Run a spatula or the dull edge of a knife along the sides of llaneras to loosen the jardinera. Invert onto a serving platter and tap llaneras lightly to release the jardinera. Remove llaneras and peel off banana leaves or baking paper before serving.

TIPS

Llaneras are small, oval-shaped aluminum pans often used for making leche flan. This recipe makes enough to fill four small llaneras.

If llaneras are not available, you can use loaf pans. The recipe can probably fill two loaf pans.

The pork should be diced into pieces slightly smaller than that used for menudo.

To make pork broth: boil one pork broth cube (or one pork bouillon cube) in 2 c water until cube dissolves. Use as per direction above.

Instead of pork broth, you can use plain water.

If desired, use the broth and the tomato sauce in which the pork was tenderized as sauce: Simmer in a small saucepan. Dissolve 1 tbsp cornstarch in ¼ c water and pour into sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper and liquid seasoning. Simmer until slightly thick. Add one to 2 tbsp butter and heat until butter dissolves. Serve with the hardinera.

Drain the canned pineapple tidbits and the canned pineapple slices very well so mixture doesn’t become soggy.

Thanks for sharing this recipe, Jun!

Pork Sesame Siopao (Pork Sesame Steamed Buns)

Pork Sesame Siopao

I have long posted about how I turn leftover beef pares into siopao or the baked version beef asado roll. Now I made use of leftover pork roast (the one with Mang Tomas Sarsa, but if you plan to do the same, you can also use the simple pork roast with just salt and pepper, or leftover meat from a whole lechon, as long as you remove the fat first).

I got the sauce ingredients from Gary Lee's WOK Appetizers and Light Snack cookbook. It has wonderful flavor! I brought these to my friend's birthday (along with Pandan Chiffon Cake) and our kids just gobbled them up in no time!)

Ingredients and Procedures:

2 cups leftover roasted pork (fat trimmed off, then meat chopped roughly)

-Sauce-

1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1 tbsp oil (optional)
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 cup water
2 tbsp oyster sauce

Trim fat and chop the meat, then set aside.
(optional) On medium heat, sautee onion in oil. [Since I had onions in my leftover pork, I skipped this part)
Mix all other ingredients and whisk well. Add to pan and whisk to cook until thick.
Add sauce to meat and mix well. Chill overnight or until cool enough to feel solid.

Dough (I used my favorite siopao dough for Parker House Rolls, as I posted in previous siopao entry)

4-3/4 to 5-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 envelopes RapidRise Yeast (1 env has 2&1/4 tsp)
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 large egg

Directions
In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat milk, water, and 1/4 cup butter until very warm (120o to 130oF). Stir into flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg and 1/2 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover;* let rest 10 minutes.

Instructions to assemble:

Cut or pinch off dough into just a tad bigger than a pingpong ball and lay on greased baking sheet. Let rest for further 10 minutes to develop the gluten some more and give you more volume to play with as you fill each piece with the meat mixture.

Flatten each piece using your palm, making the edge thinner than the center. Scoop out roughly a tbsp of the filling and place at the center of the dough. Pull the edges to envelope the filling and pinch to seal. Place seam side up (if you want it smooth like I do), of you may want to do it the same way the Chinese make them (turn them into graceful pleats that are positioned at the top). Place on coffee filters cut into squares (cut in half, then fold and cut again, then trim off the rounded sides to come up with squares).

Boil about a cup of water with 1 tbsp of vinegar (I used distilled). Position the buns about 1-2 inches apart on the bamboo steamer lined with either flour sack or parchment paper. Spray with some oil to lessen possible sticking to the side of the steamer or to one another. Cover and steam on briskly boiling water for 12 minutes.

Transfer to wire rack to cool before storing in ziploc and refrigerating if not consuming right away. You can also freeze at this point (lay on pan first before stuffing them all into plastic bag. To reheat, microwave each piece for 30 seconds for chilled and 1 minute for frozen while still in its ziploc bag or use a covered plate (the idea is to let it steam again with its own juice, without drying it up). It will be piping hot, so let it sit at room temp for about 1 minute before you eat. If reheating a big batch, steam again, or you can try microwaving them in a covered container for about a minute then check for hotness/coldness and heat some more in increments of 30 seconds until you are satisfied that they are hot enough.

Squash Kutsinta

From squash kutsinta

Last week I tried making kutsinta using the recipe posted by JMom. However, I used the regular white flour (not sticky sweet) that I got from Spice of Life, a health food store. As what she implied as she referred to her basis for the recipe, there really is no standard rice flour, that's why results can be expected to vary. She used mochi. Mine was not branded. Probably that was the reason why I ended up with rock hard solid bottomed-liquidy top kutsinta, which I first mistook as undercooked after 20 minutes of steaming, so I extended the time to reach 1 hour, and I gave up at the end of that. I tried one and threw them all away, not because of the taste but because of the consistency as I described above.

So I looked around again for another recipe I could try so I could bring kutsinta to our Filipina get-together (yesterday, actually). I would have tried to make the same recipe using the sticky sweet (glutinous) rice flour, but thought better of it..."What if it does not turn out the way I wanted it to be" So I looked again for another recipe not out of a homemaker's experimentations, but from a nationwide publication, the DOST's Tekno-Tulong website, using all purpose flour (can't go wrong with that!) and guess what? SQUASH! "This sounds insteresting!," I thought. Not only do I make use of my extra squash sitting in the freezer for more than a year now, but I also make my kutsinta more power-packed. Well, we know how nutritious squash and other yellowish-orange-ish veggies are.

The final verdict was made, of course, by my Filipina friends.

From lye solution

Although the recipe only gave me several kutsinta, we all decided it was good!

The only issue I encountered was that some of them was too liquidy at the top, that I resorted to microwave them one by one to further cook, but still ended up with soft solid bottom and a liquidy top. I guess that is because of sedimentation problems, with flour going more to the bottom and making that part more solid when cooked. But this won't stop me from making this again in the future. I might end up cooking it the same way I microwave-cooked pichi-pichi, but I will double or even triple the recipe. Or I might try using the double-boiler method, where I will boil water in a deep 10-in saucepan, place the cups there and pour the mixture; that way, the mixture will start cooking right away and not have time for sedimentation. Then as soon as I have poured into all the cups I will just cover then cook 20 minutes (I remember my ex-MIL using this technique for her lech flan and it worked good!)

Materials:
1 cup mashed boiled squash
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1 cup water
1 teaspoon lye solution (potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate solution)

Procedure:

1.Dissolve the sugar in water and boil, allow to cool.
2.Add the flour little by little.
3.Add the squash, keep on stirring until it becomes fine in texture.
4.Strain using two layers of cheesecloth (wring to extract the most out of the mixture).
5.Add the lye, stir.
6.Put the mixture in muffin cups, with allowance of a little space from the rim. (Photo in slides shows the second layer, I ended up probably with 12 cups, 3 of which had super liquid-y tops.)
7.Steam for 20 minutes.

Boiling Water Canner and Bamboo Steamer

I have posted during my earlier blogging days about

From boiling water canner & bamboo steamer

canning, and this is where I use my boiling water canner primarily (It was a birthday gift from my mother-in-law after I have borrowed hers several times to can my produce during my first year of garden harvest). But through years now of using the canner and with my bamboo steamers also now available whenever I want to prepare steamed pinoy goodies such as puto, siopao, or siomai, I resort to this, especially if it requires oven-like environment as in the case of puto or siopao, which requires the high moist heat of steam. Leche flan can also be prepared in this way, if you cover the llanera with foil, place in the bamboo steamer atop the canning rack, steamed in MODERATE heat for 30 minutes for the typical llanera size, or longer for 8x8 round pans (if you try using high heat, it will result to big holes; less heat will take longer cooking time).

Although the bamboo steamers can be used on top of a
wok for siomai and dumplings, which do not require sudden rising of dough, the canner provides a better effect of sudden heat to assist in rising of dough for such recipes as puto or siopao ("ginulat" kumbaga). The canning rack allows for proper elevation so you don't boil the goodies, and the handles also provide an easy way to place and remove what you are cooking. Of course you can use these for the individual purposes they were intended to be used for. I am just showing here how I marry the use of some distinct tools to prepare some Filipino favorites. The bamboo steamer I use is a 10-in size. If larger, it won't fit in my canner. There are larger sizes of bamboo steamers available, though.

To properly care for bamboo steamers, spray with oil after each use and thoroughly dry when storing.

To properly care for your boiling water canner, just promptly remove the water after each use and wipe to avoid rusting.

Puto

I don't have an authentic recipe for puto to share with you. What I am showing here is puto that I made to go with the dinuguan that I usually serve during the Filipino gatherings. Although I want some authentic recipes and actually found some online, I simply do not have the time to make it. Since I have been working and have less time now to cook and bake, I want a quick-fix, so I resort to the following:

Ingredients:
1 box classic white cake mix (I used Pillsbury)
egg whites, oil and water as directed on the package
(optional toppings: cheese or salted egg)

Procedure:
Prepare your steamer (will post about this later) and make sure the water level is low enough so it does not touch your puto, yet high enough not to get dried up before your puto is done.

From puto't dinuguan

Prepare wet ingredients in a bowl.

Mix the dry with the wet ingredients ONLY when your steamer's water is boiling briskly already.
Spoon the mix into muffin cups supported by silicone cups (or other small cups that fit in your steamer). (This is a good time to place slices of salted egg on top if using.)
If you have two layers of muffins, steam for 10 minutes then exchange the top with the bottom and steam for further 2 minutes.
Remove cover and let steam for further 2-3 minutes. (This is a good time to put cheese topping if using).

This is traditionally served with dinuguan.

A bonus surprise was that hubby and all the kids loved this puto! So, although this is not an authentic puto recipe, who cares? What matters is it gets eaten, especially by the family, right?

For those looking for puto molds, a good substitute would be the tartlet pan on the right, which are like shorter muffin tin cups without the ridges. As mentioned on amazon,com, "SPECS: Diameter 2 1/2", height 5/8", pack of 25 - Description: Made of tin-plate. "

Drunken Steamed Shrimps (Nilasing na Hipon)

I think I overcooked these drunken steamed shrimps (you can tell by the shrinkage of the shrimps compared to the shells).

From drunken steamed shrimp

I was trying to cook a lot of things at the same time. I was baking boxed scalloped potatoes and the spinach-feta cheese chicken rolls, and making fried rice (for my sons and I). Since I had only 4 chicken breasts and there were 5 of us, I was worried there might not be enough to feed my

From drunken steamed shrimp

family, so I steamed some shrimps as a back-up. I was sure I was not going to eat a whole chicken breast, nor would my stepdaughter and husband, but each of my two sons eat like big men (more than my husband does) so to make sure they would not be bitin, I prepared steamed shrimps. This steamer comes in handy on such occasions because I just throw the shrimps in after tossing in some sesame oil, sprinkle some spices (parsley, pepper, paprika, ground basil), add some white wine to the water, and set the timer. The whole bag of shrimps was frozen, and I set the timer for like 20 minutes, although my other dishes took a while longer to cook, so I extended the steaming time just to make sure the shrimps stayed warm. I think I overcooked them, but they still turned out not rubbery (thank God!)

Here is my plate with a little of everything.

From drunken steamed shrimp

Steamed shrimps, scalloped potatoes, SFC Chix roll, and fresh baby spinach. I tried not to put a lot on my plate as I did not want to gain too much weight. My husband and stepdaughter do not eat shrimps, so these are mainly for my sons and I.

Everyone was full at the end of mealtime.

Pork Siomai (Shu-Mai)

This is a re-post from my old kusina.

I got this recipe from The Book of Chinese Cooking by Jasper Spencer-Smith.

(Karen also has a post on the basic recipe for siomai here, including the recipe for the wrapper.)

My sons and I love these. Also a good finger food to bring during Pinoy get-togethers.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound ground pork
1/4 pound raw shelled shrimp, ground
(Believe me, I used a scale to measure these, but of course, you can approximate.)
1-1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp sugar
Dash of pepper
1 egg white
1-1/2 tsbp cornstarch
won-ton skins (I buy Nasoya brand)
green peas or chopped hard-cooked egg yolks for garnish

(Note: I usually buy pork chops then grind them using my Kitchen Aid attachment, since I can't find ground pork for sale here. I grind other ingredients as well, like the shrimp. when making lumpia, I also grind the garlic, onions, and other veggies.)

Procedure (I revised according to how I made it):
To make filling: Mix together ground pork, ground shrimp, soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, sesame oil, sugar, pepper and egg white until mixture is well blended and smoth. Stir in cornstarch.

Place filling in a storage bag and cut one corner big enough for the content to squeeze through. Place about 1 tbsp or so of filling in the middle of wonton skin and gather the skin around the filling. Alternatively, you can use a cookie scoop. Dip a spoon in water and use to smooth the surface of the meat. Garnish by placing a green pea or chopped egg yolk on top of meat.

Repeat with the rest of the wonton/filling. Line a steamer (or bamboo steamer) with a damp cloth; place each siomai about 1/2 inch apart so they don't stick together; steam over high heat 5 minutes or until done (do not overcook). Serve with your fave dip (I use soy sauce/kalamansi juice as a dip. When I was in PI, I used to like it with chili paste.)

Beef Asado Siopao

When I was still in PI, during college days I used to buy siopao from Kowloon. I like their siopao because it had lots of filling, although the dough is not too well distributed - quite thin on one side, and thick on the other. However, I am not really a big fan of siopao dough made with rice flour. I prefer the ones made with all-purpose flour.

When I was a mother already, there was this aisle in SuperSale where I would get my beef asado siopao. They came in packs of 6, and must be chilled or frozen right away, and steamed to reheat/consumed. I liked its dough, but the filling was rather skimpy and had more starchy sauce than meat, although tasty.

Of course, since coming to the US, I have been experimenting. At first I made beef asado roll with the leftover beef pares and the Basic Egg Bread recipe. But that was baked. I had the theory that the same dough used for baking in the oven, when steamed, would give me siopao. The first how-to I found online was Sassy's post on pork asado siopao. (Update as of 3-7-2010: Latest siopao I have is pork siopao, which is sooo yummy! Check it out! Kids gobbled them up quickly!)

However, this time when I experimented, I made use of the dough for Parker House Rolls recipe, which has become one of my favorites, and I have made it my Master Dough for such things as pan de coco, pan de lemon, pan de sal, and anything where I use fillings. It is just so airy and light, and I like its taste. But you may want to consider other classic bread recipes featured in Breadworld.com, like Basic Egg Bread, Old-Fashioned Bread, etc.

What I used, of course, was the leftover from beef pares. I chopped it coarsely (not ground). I heated the excess sauce, seasoned it with sugar, soy sauce, salt, and pepper, then thickened with water-cornstarch mixture. Then I mixed the chopped beef, and chilled in the fridge until I was ready to use it. (Please see my siopao using leftover pork roast here.)

Than I prepared the dough using Parker House Rolls recipe as per intructions UP TO THE INITIAL RISING. The reasons why I like this dough, aside from those mentioned above, was that I could make this at night and refrigerate it for use in the morning or the next supper time. That means I can divide it in half (two birds with one stone), and it is suitable for get-togethers in that I only have to shape and bake them on the day of the party.

PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

Makes 36 Rolls

4-3/4 to 5-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 envelopes FLEISCHMANN'S RapidRise Yeast
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 large egg
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Directions
In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat milk, water, and 1/4 cup butter until very warm (120o to 130oF). Stir into flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg and 1/2 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover;* let rest 10 minutes. 

Source: Breadworld.com

From hereon, I divided the dough into about 20 pieces (roughly 2 oz each).  I placed them on a greased pan, covered with greased plastic and lest rest 10 mins further. Then I filled with meat mixture, placing coffee filters cut into squares (divide each filter into four and cut the sides off to have squares). I let them rise for 10 minutes before steaming. I used 1 tbsp in about 2 cups water for every batch of siopao steamed. I never have had luck steaming several stacks of siopao steamer, so I do them one at a time.

Then I proceeded as depicted in the following slideshow:

DETAILED PROCEDURE: 

1. Prepare the dough and let rise for 10 minutes. (Note: For my rolls which I fill with something like siopao or pan de coco, I have found that handling and filling the dough is easier when it is cold. The same goes for the filling, especially for siopao and empanada. Do not try to fill the dough with lukewarm, runny filling. It will be frustrating.)

2. Cut the dough using a dough scraper/cutter into 2-inch wide logs, then cut further to make approximately 2x2 cubes. You may use your hand to just pinch off, as long as you don't squeeze them flat.

3. Lay them on a lightly greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart and let rise for further 10 minutes. Not only will this give you more airy buns later, but also allow for easier manipulation when filling them.

4. Using your hands, flatten each piece to about 1/4 inch thickness, thinnest at the sides.

5. Place about 1 heaping tbsp of the filling at the center.

6. Gather the edges and pinch together to seal. Place the dough on the paper with the seam under.

7. Arrange on the steamer pan about 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise 10 minutes.

8. Steam for 12 minutes. Prepare the next batch while waiting.
Notes: (1)I read in another blog to add vinegar to water to help make buns come out whiter. (2) It was advised to put clean dish towel (I used flour sack here) above the siopao doughs to prevent water condensing beneath the cover to drop onto the buns and make them soggy. (3) I tried to steam the first batch for 30 minutes with only a layer of flour sack under the cover, but I had a poor outcome as shown in the photo. Compare the wet bun on the left with the smooth and spongy bun on the right. So I also placed flour sack under the pan of buns, and those two covers gave me the smoothest spongy buns.

9. Cool for about 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack, then proceed with making the next batch.

10. You may eat this now, or let cool completely then place in freezer bags for future eating. (I covered with one coffee filter to help absorb moisture and lessen freezer burn). While I am not in a position to tell you how long it will last in the freezer, I am sure it won't reach one month before you (or family or friends) will consume them. When frozen, reheat for about 1 minute in the microwave. If it is just chilled in the fridge, reheat for 30 seconds.

I made some with chicken-mushroom filling (just shredded chicken mixed with cream of mushroom) because out of the 36 pieces, I had 10 more when I ran out of beef filling. My older son loved the beef, my younger preferred the chicken. Then I offered both types to my in-laws, and they loved the beef as well (It's their first time to try steamed buns). I had hubby try the beef, and he said (in his usual unenthusiastic way) it was good. Oh well, he really prefers plain yeast rolls, especially ones made with wheat.

Special thanks goes to my friend Ana for lending me her steamer (sa uulitin!).

If you do not have enough beef fillings for all the dough pieces, you may keep them refrigerated covered with cling wrap and then bake the next morning at 350 F for 12-15 minutes (depending on the size; watch out as it browns) to enjoy plain buns, or roll each piece first on a plate of breadcrumbs to have pandesal.

UPDATE [1/25/09]
For those who want a recipe for siopao sauce, here's one shared to me by an online friend (and a good singer) Jen. I have not tried making this because my siopao does not usually need additional flavor; the filling is already tasty. So, if you feel like experimenting, here it is.

sio pao sauce

1 T oyster sauce
1 1/2 t dark soy sauce
2 t catsup
2 1/4 t white sugar
pinch of ground white pepper
2 1/4 t tapioca starch
5 T chicken broth

1 T vegetable or peanut oil
1/2 c dice onion
3/4 c thinly cut Barbecued Pork
1 1/2 t gin
1/2 t sesame oil

1. In small bowl, combine sauce ingredients and reserve.
2. Heat a wok and add oil. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add pork, gin, reserved sauce mixture and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until sauce thickens. Add the sesame oil and mix well. Turn off heat and transfer filling mixture to a shallow dish. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to use.

TO BAKE SIOPAO instead of steaming:
Well, after I tried steaming in small batches, I thought it would be easier to bake them, which I have tried (although no pics of those here). Baking the siopao instead of steaming (though by definition, siopao is steamed) , you will come up with rolls which has meat filling instead (sort of like those sold in red ribbon if you shape them like triangles), almost like Hot Pockets. Just flatten them a bit to achieve a more browned look. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter right after baking. Refrigerate the leftovers (for the sake of the filling, as that cooked meat will spoil if left in room temp for a long time).