“Comal” and “Tortilla Warmer” a must.

It is of utmost importance for you to have the necessary utensils and cook ware when cooking, specially when it comes to Mexican food.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 to 2 teaspoons of salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup of lard or vegatable shortining
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup of milk

Preparation:
In a bowl mix flour,salt, baking soda, lard or shortning and sugar and knead with your hands and fingers until it looks and feels flakey.

Gradually add warm water and milk while continuing to mix or knead untill the dough becomes thick. When finished kneading, pinch a small amount of dough and it should feel thick and sticky.

Wrap dough in a plastic and then in a lightly humid towel and let it sit for a minimum of five minutes.

Then proceed to make the dough into small balls, (size of a golf ball or to your liking) and roll with a rolling pin. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, sprinkle dry flower on the pin and continue rolling, rotating the flower dough clockwise as you roll making the tortillas circular shaped. (It takes practice. Don’t worry if the tortilla shape looks like the map of Texas. The tortillas will taste the same and with practice your tortillas will start looking better.)

Pre-heat a medium size “comal”*( or non-stick griddle) between medium and medium high tempearture. When the “comal”* or griddle are hot, place the extended tortilla dough on the ”comal” and leave for about 30 seconds until the first side is medium cooked, turn the torilla over and fully cook the 2nd side (aproximately 30 to 60 seconds,) then turn back over to the first side and complete the cooking by pressing lightly on the tortilla with a kitchen towel until fully cooked.

Place the cooked tortillas in a ”tortilla warmer”* until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

* If you don’t have a “comal” or “tortilla warmer,” I am more than happy to send these to you at a special price.

Technorati Tags: Flour tortilla, Mexican flour totilla, Mexican food, Mexican recipe

Giniling or ground meat is a popular recipe for small eateries along the street sides as well as in cafeterias and small restaurants. There are many reasons why it is well-loved by many Filipinos, topmost is the satisfying blend of ingredients that would surely fill an empty stomach. It can be taken any time of the day especially lunch when Filipinos are known to eat to their hearts desire.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 4 cloves of garlic (peeled and smashed)
• 1 small tomato (diced)
• 1 small onion (diced)
• ½ yellow bell pepper (diced)
• ½ red bell pepper (diced)
• ½ cup frozen green peas
• ½ cup carrots (diced)
• 1 cup of potatoes (diced)
• 2 tbsp Annatto seeds (atsuwete)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (Rufina brand) Patis
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• corn oil
• ½ tsp MSG (vetsin), optional
• ½ tsp black pepper (ground)

Cooking Procedure:

• Place 2 tablespoons of corn oil in a small pot and add the Annatto seeds. Heat until the oil becomes dark red then take out from the heat. Avoid burning the seed.
• Cook the ground beef in a pan then drain.
• Sauté the garlic for 3 minutes then add the tomatoes, onions, black pepper, fish sauce and MSG. Cook on medium high heat for about 2 minutes.
• Add the green peas, carrots, potatoes and soy sauce. Stir to mix ingredients and cover while simmering for about a minute or two.
• Add the colored corn oil prepared earlier from the annatto seeds using a strainer and mix well. Cover again and cook over medium low heat for another 5 minutes.
• Add bell pepper and mix ingredients well. Add salt and pepper if you want to adjust the taste. Cover and go on cooking for 2 more minutes.
• Serve as toppings for plain white rice.

Jasmine is a native Filipino with a passion for cooking and gardening. Her love of Pinoy food has lead her to create a website to share her favorite Filipino recipes with the world. Come and explore and enjoy a true taste of the Philippines with these authentic Pinoy recipes and stories of the Philippine culture.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jasmine_Enerlan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Filipino-Recipes—Giniling-Recipe-(Ground-Beef)—Pinoy-Food&id=4669323

Technorati Tags: Beef Recipe, ethnic recipes, filipino recipes, Giniling Recipe, Ground Beef, ground beef recipes, pinoy beef recipe, pinoy food, world recipes

When I came across this video for Korean Steamed Pork Buns it reminded me of a Dim Sum restaurant I visited in Toronto. These are SOOOO tasty! I am going to make them this weekend.
Maangchi is one of my favorite cooks on YouTube so I just had to make sure I included her video on this site. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Technorati Tags: korean bun recipes, korean recipes, Maangchi video, steamed pork buns recipe

Gather all ingredients and equipment for the Paella

The photo shows a well-used paella pan that has been maintained by cleaning immediately and rubbing with vegetable oil after each use. Don’t worry if your pan looks “used” after your first paella. Make sure to maintain it and it will last many years.

Before you start preparing paella, it’s best to check you have all ingredients and gather the equipment that you’ll need.

Gather the following equipment:

• 17 inch (144cm) paella pan
• Round charcoal BBQ
• Medium sauce pan
• Sharp knife for chopping meat and vegetables
• Meat cleaver (if you use a whole chicken)

You’ll need the following ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 whole chicken or 8 chicken drumsticks
• 1 1/2 lbs pork loin (fat trimmed), cut into ¾ inch pieces
• 1/2 lb calamar (squid) cleaned and sliced into rings
• Medium grain or “pearl” rice*
• 4-6 cups chicken broth
• 1 large pinch Saffron
• 1 1/2 lbs raw mussels in shell (frozen or fresh)
• 1 lb small clams (frozen or fresh)
• 1 1/2 lbs raw shrimp, medium or large – shell on
• 1 red pepper seeded and sliced
• 1 10 oz. pkg frozen peas
• Olive Oil, Salt to Taste

* The exact quantity of rice will depend on the size of the pan, so have at least 1 lb of rice on hand.

Cut the Chicken into Serving-Size Pieces

You’ll need one whole chicken, cut into serving-size pieces or 8 chicken drumsticks.

If you use a whole chicken, use a meat cleaver to cut the chicken into pieces small enough to easily mix while sauteing.

Cut the Pork Loin into 3/4″ Pieces

With a sharp knife, cut the pork into 3/4″ pieces.

Clean and Cut Squid into Rings

Clean the squid and remove the tentacles. Make sure to remove the innards and the “spine” and discard. Then, cut the squid into rings.

Tip: Try to buy fresh squid whenever possible. If it is not available in your area, look for packages of squid already cut into “rings.” It will probably be in the frozen food section of your supermarket. The squid should NOT have batter or coating on them, since that type is used for frying.

Slice Pepper and Chop Vegetables

Start the BBQ & Begin Cooking

Now that you have the ingredients cleaned and chopped, it’s time to start the BBQ and begin cooking. When the coals on the BBQ are covered in white ash, cooking can begin.

Assemble all the ingredients on a table near the BBQ, so that you can stay in the area and monitor the cooking.

Place the paella pan on the grate and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom and allow the pan to heat up. When hot enough, saute the onions and tomatoes in the olive oil. Add olive oil as needed to prevent sticking. Once the onions are translucent, add the chicken and cook, stirring constantly – about 15 minutes. Add pork and squid and cook, stirring often.

Add the Rice and Stir to Coat

Add the rice in the form of a cross, as shown in the photograph. (You should have at least 1 lb of rice on hand, depending on the size of the paella pan.) Stir for 2-3 minutes to thoroughly coat the rice with oil and mix with the other ingredients.

Add Shellfish and Broth – Simmer Rice

Add saffron to the chicken broth and stir. Slowly pour broth into pan until pan contents are covered. Spread ingredients evenly over bottom of pan.

Arrange mussels around outside edge of pan. Place clams and shrimp distributing them around pan. Add slices of pepper on top.

Allow to simmer, cooking rice. Add more broth if necessary. When rice is almost cooked, sprinkle peas over the pan.

Remove from Heat and Let Paella Rest

When rice is cooked, remove from heat and cover with aluminum foil, allowing paella to “rest” for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy this authentic Mexican recipe of Paella.

Technorati Tags: authentic Mexican food, authentic Mexican recipe, Mexican food, Mexican Paella, Mexican recipe, Paella, Paella Mexicana

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 chili pepper, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1 carrot, peeled and grated

1 16oz can baked beans

1 tsp curry powder

salt to taste

Directions:

Saute onion and peppers in pan with oil until soft. Add remaining ingredients, mix thoroughly and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm.

Serving suggestion: Chakalaka is excellent when served over warm pap. Pap is the South African version of polenta, or even grits.

Pap:

Mix 2 cups of corn meal (yellow is fine, although South African corn meal, or “mealie meal” is white) with 4 cups of boiling water and simmer while stirring often. Allow to simmer until mixture is thick and desired consistency to be served under the chakalaka.

Technorati Tags: chakalaka and pap, chakalaka recipe, pap recipe, south african recipes

Many curry recipes will call for onion pastes. It is very easy to make and speeds up the cooking time of most recipes as the onions are precooked. Below are two videos for two different types of onion pastes. One is regular onion paste and the other is brown onion paste.

Pastes can be stored in containers in the fridge so you will always have some on hand for your favorite curry dish. Another trick is to pour them into ice cube trays and freeze. Then store in plastic freezer bags. When you are ready to cook, just heat the cubes up and you are ready to cook.

Brown Onion Paste has a wonderful rich flavour. If you want to take a shortcut, you can buy deep fried onions in a can and just blend them up with a bit of yogurt to make the paste. But as with anything else, pastes made from scratch will always taste the best.

Technorati Tags: curry paste recipes, fried onion paste, how to make onion paste, onion paste recipe

Gosht is goat or mutton, which is most often eaten by the people of Pakistan, but can be substituted for ground chicken or ground turkey if that is your preference. Kofta means spicy deep fried balls and Korma is a rich yogurt based gravy. Combined, they make a deliciously spicy dish traditionally served with rice. Give this dish a try. I think you will want to add it to your list of favorites once you taste it.

Ingredients:

Minced meat 600 mg
Cardamoms 4
Cinnamon 1” stick
Cinnamon powder 2.5 grams/ ½ teaspoon
Cloves 6
Coconut, grated 7 grams/ ½ tbs
Coriander leaves, chopped 10 grams/ 2 teaspoon
Coriander powder 15 grams/1 tbs
Egg white 1
Garlic paste 10 grams/2 teaspoon
Ginger, chopped fine 5 grams/ ½ “piece
Ginger paste 15 grams/3 teaspoon
Green chillies, chopped fine 6
Melon seeds (magaz) 7 grams/ ½ tbs
Oil 90 milliliter/6 tbs
Onions, chopped fine 160 grams/1 cup
Onion paste 120 grams/ ½ cup
Onion paste, browned 10 grams/2 teaspoon
Poppy seeds (khus khus) 7.5 grams/1 ½ teaspoon
Red chili powder 10 grams/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Turmeric (haldi) powder 2.5 grams/ ½ teaspoon
Yogurt 240 grams/1 cup

Directions:

1. Mix egg white, salt, red chili powder, cinnamon powder, half the ginger and garlic pastes and all of the browned onion paste with the mince. Mix together chopped onions, green chillies, coriander and chopped ginger.
2. Form walnut sized balls of the mince, stuffing a bit of the onion, chili, coriander and ginger mix in the centre. Set aside. Make a blend of the grated coconut, poppy and melon seeds in a blender with 30 milliliter/2 tablespoons water.
3. Heat oil in a flat pan and crackle cloves, cinnamon and cardamoms. Add turmeric, coriander powder, the remaining ginger and garlic pastes, onion paste and the blended seed paste. Stir-cook till the fat surfaces. Add whisked yogurt. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add 500 milliliter/2 cups water and bring to boil. Gently slide in the meat balls (koftas), a few at a time, keeping the gravy boiling. When all the koftas are in, reduce heat and simmer.
5. Turn koftas over and cook till firm and tender. Let gravy thicken.

Recipe courtesy of Pakistani Recipes

Technorati Tags: ethnic recipes, Gosht Kofta Korma, korma recipe, meatball recipes, pakistani recipes

Technorati Tags: authentic Mexican recipes, Baked Chicken Casserole, Mexican chicken casserole recipe, Mexican recipe

Technorati Tags: authentic Mexican enchiladas, Authentic Mexican Recipe-Red Enchiladas with Chilacate, authentic Mexican red enchiladas, Enchiladas, Enchiladas with Chilac, Mexican enchiladas, Mexican food, Mexican recipes, Mexican red enchiladas, Red enchiladas with chilac

Unlike Americanized pesto sauce, authentic Genovese pesto contains no garlic. It is not thick and chunky but rather a nice, slightly thin sauce with the most delicious taste imaginable. You could do it the way Italian grandmothers do and make it in a mortar and pestle, but it is just as tasty and super fast whipped up in a blender.

Ingredients:

Large bunches of fresh basil leaves(about a cup)

1/2 cup pinoli (pine nuts)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (good quality)

Directions:

Place basil leaves in the blender. Add pinoli, water and oil. Blend until very smooth.

Poor over hot pasta, top with Parmigian or Pecorino cheese and toss well to coat pasta with the cheese and sauce.

This is true Italian comfort food!

Technorati Tags: authentic italian pesto recipe, green pesto sauce, Italian Recipes, pesto sauce