Minatamis na Saba with a twist

Bananas. We, Filipinos love them. Every part of the Banana tree is useful. Some we can eat and some we can use for cooking and other stuff. Today, we decided to cooked the traditional minatamis na Saba or Sweetened Cardaba banana with a twist. Funny that I have to Google Saba for the benefit of other readers. This dessert  is very simple and I bet you and your lovely kiddies will love it. You can even serve this for snack.

To cook, again, I’m not a fan of measurement so you can just decide how you will measure depending on the number of people who will eat.

Ingredients:

10 Ripe Saba – cut into wedges, Brown or Muscovado Sugar, Water, Butter and Cinnamon powder. I used 1 cup of sugar and the same for the water. Feel free to experiment on your desired consistency if you want to add more water or sugar.

How to cook:

On a medium heat, put the banana, water and sugar in your pan and cover. Bring to a boil or until the the banana is soft when you stick a fork in  it. Once you have that consistency, add the butter. I used about 1/8 cup and then lastly, put 1 tbsp. of cinnamon powder. Let it sit for a few minutes and then serve. I suggest that you don’t put ice because the butter will solidify and this dessert is best served hot.

Here’s the actual photo. Can you see the cinnamon and the buttery syrup with sugar is just delicioso! Making Dora happy! :D

So there, regular Filipino dessert with a twist. Our version of Minatamis na Saba with a twist. Enjoy!

Filipino-style Buko Steak

Yes, you read it right. This dish is about coconut meat or Buko in our native tongue. Buko bistek, Buko steak or Coconut stew, as I might call it.

We all know the many benefits our lovely coconut can give us.  I think, this is the only tree where every part of it is consumed without fail. From the coconut juice, to its trunk, and its dried husk. No wonder this is also known as the Tree of Life. 

Fast forward to my dish, this was an improvisation made by my partner. He’s been cooking for several years now and this dish never fail to give that “what’s this” impression.  To start with this dish, you have buy at least 2 coconut. Make sure that you let the seller pick the young ones and they are very good at it. It seems that they can decipher the coconut just by merely knocking on it using their knife or machetes. You can drink the coconut juice and I would recommend that you do for many health reasons.

Ingredients:

2 whole coconut meat, cut into thin strips. Garlic. Soy sauce. Vinegar. Sugar and pepper to taste. Parsley for garnishing.

How to cook:

Basically, combine the thin strips of coconut in soy sauce, lemon juice or vinger, garlic, and ground pepper. Marinate for a few minutes. For the marinate mixture, you just have to measure accordingly as you wish but it’s a combination of soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and a dash of sugar. I really suggest that you do this first so that the coconut meat will absorb the flavor and no one will ever find out that this is actually a coconut. :)

Once done, you have to fry the coconut meat and drain the oil after. Over medium heat, be ready to sauté some garlic in a skillet. Add the fried coconut milk and immediately add the marinated mixture.  Let it simmer until you can smell the aroma. This is like that of our Adobo. Wherein, the Filipinos are very famous of.

And the product. Tara, Kain tayo! (Let’s eat)

Meet Flera

I love plants. But getting them indoors without making them wither is almost impossible.  I tried to buy those 3 for P100 mini potted plants but after a few days, they’re gone. I guess putting them on my table is not a good solution after all.

On a recent trip to one of the largest malls here in Manila, it’s been ages since I’ve been to one. I stumbled upon this lovely and enticing store or should I say outlet. The name is Miura and they sell indoor and hydro culture plants.  It seems that the store is calling me so without any further ado, I found myself asking and asking for these little beauties cutely potted in those little ceramics. I waited for my cousin, who like me, is very much interested to get one. We looked and looked for every corner, stand and layers to find the perfect little buddy for our tables. I found mine and he found his.

Ladies and gents, meet my flera. Yes, flera is her name.

I named it like that so that I will remember that it is somehow related to her scientific name being Schefflera arboricola or the Dwarf Umbrella Tree. Not bad for the price of P150.  The plant is soilless except those pebbles that I think is a substitute and can live with very little water.  Very little dirt and housed in those pastel colored ceramics. I think they have a branch in those major malls so you can’t miss them. They have lots of plants and you can’t miss finding the right plant for you.

The challenge now is to see how long flera will last. I heard that some have their indoor plants for almost a year. I hope flera, my mini tree will and maybe longer. With some tender, loving care, I know that we will come a long way.

Happy World Vegetarian Day

Better late than never. I know I am uber late. To all my veggie-lovin friends, readers, and visitors, may this put a smile on your face and heart.

I saw this poster, modified it a bit and I thought that this is worth sharing.

The world vegetarian day last until the 1st of November and thern after that, it is World Vegan day! More info here.

Organic in Manila deal

I’ve been an avid fan of coupon sites and have always been tempted to buy one but, for some reason it’s taking me forever to decide whether to buy or not. Most of the time, not. :)

So fast forward, I found this really good deal and as of writing this will expire in 4 days. I you have friends in the Philippines and would like to send this coupon as a gift, I’m sure they will love it.

The deal is now offered by Ensogo. I am hoping that I can avail this but will have to check my dough first. :) Anyways, without any further ado, here’s the deal.

Organic Manila at Ensogo

So, if you are looking for an organic fix. This is worth trying.

p.s This is not an advertorial post and how I wish I can get some of their goodies by blogging about it. haha! I’m kidding!  Enjoy!