Reinvented Yakisoba

I was scanning my folders and I ran across old pics I never had the chance to upload on my old blog here. Well anyway, it's worth sharing.
I purchased a pack of authentic yakisoba noodles and even though I am missing a lot on some ingredients, I made use of what is available... and in this case - Chinese Fried Tofu and Garlic Sausage.

Yakisoba is often considered as "junk food" in Japan because of it's grease content (Bah! Wait till they see pansit ni Aling Nena!) It literally translates to "fried buckwheat noodles" and is originally from China and a lot of variations can be found in several Asian countries. It's basically vegetables, stir-fried with noodles and sauce is added.

So here's what I did:
Those tofu were already fried when packed, so I don't really have to fry them for a long time. The garlic sausage went well with the noodles, too. Delicious!

Nasi Lemak

My Malaysian friend and I were talking about breakfast this morning and he said he just ate Nasi Lemak. I was like - "What the hell is that?". Good thing I was able to see it with the help of a "once a college project" innovation called Google.

Photo from wikipedia.

I was amazed when I saw the photo, it reminded me of our local tapsilog. Nasi Lemak is a dish sold in several South East Asian countries like Brunei, Singapore, Southern Thailand and is considered as a national dish in Malaysia. My friend referred to it as "coconut rice" because rice is soaked in coconut milk, then the mixture is steamed.

Pretty much like the different "cousins" of tapsilog, it's a rice meal and basically from what I have read so far from the internet, anything could be paired along with the rice as long as it has roasted peanuts, slices of cucumber and anchovies. The dish could also be served in wraps.

Take that, burrito!

I'll be on the look out for this dish. Oh well, maybe I'll just follow this recipe if I can't find an authentic Malaysian restaurant.

Kimchi Sandwich!

I was scanning the fridge, and I was thinking of a meat-free breakfast (excluding eggs). So I made an omelet and boiled a large potato.

That's stir fried lettuce with onions and garlic. I also added a tablespoon of oyster sauce and a pinch of sugar. Did you know that potatoes are best eaten with their skin on? You just have to wash them well.

I was hesitant if I should open this bottle of kimchi since I hate anything spicy but my curiosity took over and I ended up with a Kimchi sandwich!

Lucky me, this particular brand is not so hot! You should try this! Very flavorful!

Corned Beef v.s. Corned Tuna

Move over corned beef, here comes corned tuna! Corned tuna is widely promoted here in the Philippines as an alternative to corned beef. If you check google for "corned tuna", it's likely that you will get results from the Philippines. In Yahoo! Answers, some people (obviously outside of the Philippines) are not even familiar with the term "corned beef" (see "other answers"). Which brings me to a conclusion that this phenomena started in the Philippines considering that google corrected me when I asked who invented corned tuna. So anyway...

So What's the Difference?
Brands like this, claim that corned tuna has the same taste of corned beef but has all the benefits of canned tuna which includes - Omega 3 DHA which is good for the heart, low in cholesterol and high in protein. With the wide campaign of corned tuna brands as a healthy alternative, (not to mention Derek Ramsey) more and more people are trying it out!

Even for Corned Tuna, sex sells...

And the list gets longer...

So is it the end for corned beef? Not quite! Argentina corned beef came up with a vengeance.

It's so true, it doesn't taste like corned beef I have tried it myself. If they do, then there must be something in it that makes the taste similar because tuna will never taste like beef on its own. The feud will never end, both had the word "corned" but that doesn't mean there should only be one. Corned beef is delicious and so is corned tuna... but I don't like the fact that corned tuna is marketed as "I taste like corned beef". Why not just embrace the natural taste of tuna?

Mikuru Random Cooking: Cabbage Omelet

I cook my own food most of the time and grabbing whatever I see in the fridge is fun! So here are the stars for today:

Cabbage, eggs, a large onion and cloves of garlic and an edible plate.

Note that I didn't boil the cabbage, I stir fried it right away with the onion and garlic and added a few oyster sauce. I saw leftover meats so I decided to add them up to add flavor, so I added bits of grilled pork. Let it cook for a while and mix in the eggs and stir everything then let it set and I topped everything with grated cheese and pizza sauce.

The grilled pork chops and oyster sauce gave it a barbecue kick while the cheese and sweet sauce gave it a pizza twist! Delish!

House Blessing

I was checking on my folder and I realized I haven't shared our house blessing party. Our house was renovated a few months back so we had friends and family over and had lunch party. Here are some of what was served:
Fish fillet topped with peppers, swimming in some sort of soy soup. An all-time favorite - liempo. It was really good. The only thing that I hate about it is it's too oily. Baked mac, buko pandan salad, and I can't remember what that is... I think it's pork.

It was a simple gathering at our garden area. Where am I, you ask? I was busy trying out different cocktails at the bar. Oh, I love the bar! Always open! ^^