steam
definition | To cook food over (but not immersed in) a small amount of boiling/simmering water in a tightly closed vessel.
equipment | Large pot or wok; steaming rack (if you don’t have a steaming rack, anything that raises the food above the water will do just fine … you could try the Asian method of laying two wooden chopsticks crosswise in the bottom of a wok, for instance), collapsible metal steaming basket, or bamboo steaming basket; stove (you can also steam in a rice cooker).
advantages | Best method for preserving the vitamins, minerals, flavor and texture of foods; cooks food quickly and with no added fat.
best used for | Vegetables, poultry … great for low-fat diets.

– Taken from Digs Magazine

I used to think that steamed food would taste bland and watery. Uh-uh. It’s time to dispel that thinking.

	My Mom & I used this Moulinex steamer. It’s novice-friendly and has a manual that shares recipes and tips on steaming. From top to bottom we’re steaming (1) sliced carrots and sliced baguio beans, (2) spinach leaves and sliced garlic and (3) a tilapia pre-seasoned with salt and pepper. There’s a device beneath the fish that holds water and the herbs or spices that can help make your food more aromatic and flavorful. We placed some lemon juice and ginger slices for this meal.
	Ta-da! The finished product. We steamed the fish for about 20 minutes or so. The kitchen did not smell like we were cooking fish at all. No fishy smell! When fully cooked, my Mom then placed it on a plate and sprinkled it with a bit of sesame oil, Kikkoman and some ginger slices. Drizzling it with really hot oil is a great Chinese touch to it too. I’m not a big fan of that though since it defeats the steamed goodness of the fish! The veggies were steamed for about 5-7 minutes and then arranged prettily around the tilapia.
	Our side dish was steamed spinach with garlic. This was also steamed for 5-7 minutes. Guess whose idea the spinach was? Dumdeedum.

The great thing about steaming is that the flavor of the veggies is still very much intact. When I bit into the carrots, spinach and baguio beans, I could still savor their sweet juices and they tasted very fresh! I’m not a big baguio beans fan but after tasting it steamed, I became a convert. A healthy one at that! The fish also tasted so scrumptious. There was a full and malinamnam taste to it and I wolfed down my share without feeling guilty at all. No oily aftertaste!

Mama said she’d give me my own steamer as an anniversary present. Right, Mama?

Why don’t you try steaming your food too? It’s a much healthier option to frying and if cooked the right way, your dishes will still be flavorful and yummy.

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For more on steaming, visit Hot Tips on Steam Cooking, Veggie Asia and of course, the Moulinex site (You’ll find the Steamer under Products > Culinary Pleasures > Cooking). Enjoy!

If I had the time to have a leisurely breakfast, this would be my ideal menu: tinapang isda, diced tomatoes on the side, brown rice and an egg cooked sunny side up. I’d wash that down with a glass of O.J. and have some fresh fruit for dessert. Yum.

Sadly, weekday mornings make my home resemble a grocery when people are panic-buying. I’m all over the place stressing myself out on why I had to press the snooze button so many times. But breakfast is a must and so here’s what I usually have when I’m in a morning rush:

I grab a box of cereal, pour about a cup of it into a plastic container. And if I have bananas, I slice some up very quickly and place them in with the cereal. I take with me a disposable spoon and a tetra pack of skim milk. When I get to the office, I take a little bit of time to enjoy my morning cereal.

There’s no escaping breakfast. If there’s a will, there’s a way!

This is mine:

Sinigang na Baboy

Whenever I’d come home from a trip abroad, this would be one of my immediate requests. “Mama, I want Sinigang when I come home ha.” Or when I’m feeling really down at work, I’d rush over to the food court and get myself a bowl of Sinigang. I’d feel significantly better afterwards.

I like the kick of Sinigang. A warm bowl of Sinigang comforts me heart and soul, then kicks my senses up a wee bit with that delicate sourness. I love munching on the kangkong, tomatoes and onions, feeling little bits of gabi melt in my mouth, nibbling on the pork ribs, mixing a bit of rice in my soup and being delighted with this hearty spoonful… ah, Sinigang na Baboy is one of the best Pinoy dishes ever.

I finally learned to cook the dish last weekend. I did cook Sinigang na Hipon before but iba pa rin ang Sinigang na Baboy. It’s a fairly easy dish to prepare that yields magnificent results. Here’s what I did:

1. I simmered the pork meat/ribs in pork broth for about an hour and a half. You can simmer the meat in plain water but the broth makes the dish even more flavorful.
2. When the meat is tender, slide in the chunks of gabi, sliced onions and sliced tomatoes.
3. Stir in a packet of Sinigang mix. I used (and recommend) Knorr Sinigang sa Sampaloc with Gabi.
4. 5 minutes before serving, slide in the sliced kangkong.

Serve steaming hot with rice.

Sinigang is best enjoyed with family and good conversations as I did last weekend. I enjoyed watching my family sip on the soup and give their approval. H was the proudest of them all. “Marunong na magluto asawa ko!” (My wife now knows how to cook!”) Uh… I wanted to tell him about all the other dishes I’ve cooked in the past but realized that apparently, his standard for me knowing how to cook was cooking a good Sinigang. Hahaha!

Kain na!

I visited my folks over the long weekend and couldn’t resist looking into their pantry. I did spy some leftovers! Now what can you make with a leftover pack of fresh basil leaves, an unused pack of pizza sauce, a block of Mozzarella and a bunch of sliced bread? This!

I first made pesto out of the basil leaves — mash chopped basil leaves, olive oil, some walnuts, 3 cloves of chopped garlic and parmesan together in a mortar and pestle… or use a blender.

Grab a slice of bread, spread pizza sauce (or tomato sauce) on it, top with sliced mozzarella, the sprinkle with pesto. Pop it in a toaster oven for 5 minutes or till the cheese melts. Voila! Easy pizza merienda. I’m telling ya, it’s yummo.

P.S. Interesting things are happening the blogosphere. I will be moving to a new home soon. Will keep you posted.

When I was a kid, I loved watching Popeye squeeze the spinach out of a can, gobble it up, then grow muscles. Because I wanted to be strong like Popeye, I asked my Mom if I could have spinach some time since I’ve never tasted it. In my mind, I was thinking that spinach was very tasty since Popeye seemed to enjoy munching on it.

And when that fateful dinner came, my Mom put a plate of dark green vegetables in front of me. I remember the dish being a bit runny and the greens looked slimey — not appetizing at all. “What’s that?” I asked. “That’s your spinach!”, Mama said. A single thought ran through my mind, “Popeye ate that?!” After a taste of the slimey vegetable, I figured I could be strong in other ways. Goodbye spinach.

Fast forward around twenty years later.

	This is now one of my favorite helpers — spinach in a bag. The spinach dish I cook is very simple and easy to follow — saute lots of garlic in oil, pour in the spinach, sprinkle with nutmeg powder, some salt and pepper to taste, sometimes I add a bit more garlic powder, stir around in the pan and voila! Yummy sauteed spinach. One bag is just right for me and H.
	And here’s what the dish looks like. It tastes better than it looks, promise. It’s not a dry dish but it’s not runny either. Cook it till the leaves wilt but not turn to mush (which was my spinach case 20 years ago). I like having my Sauteed Spinach with Sardines in Tomato Sauce or even plain ol’ vienna sausage.

Spinach is good for your health! Read the benefits of spinach here.