Filipino Recipes – Sapin-Sapin (Dessert) Recipe – Pinoy Food

Sapin-sapin is a very old Filipino delicacy which is handed down from generation to generation. It originated from Abra, a province in the northern part of the Philippines. Because it has been around for years, it is self explanatory why several versions are already spread throughout the country.

At present, you will find sapin-sapin almost everywhere, from school canteens, to Filipino restaurants and cake shops. This version that I’m sharing with you is a recipe given by my Grandma to my Mama. And yes, my Mama shared it with me. So enjoy cooking. sapin-sapin!

Ingredients:
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Food Writing Tips: Dos and Don’ts for Writing Recipe Intros

I’m convinced that all recipes should have introductions, or as editors call them, “recipe hednotes.” I just finished 200 hednotes for my next cookbook, so I’ve thought a lot about their purpose. I see each one as a special chance to connect with readers: These individuals are right there at the top of the page ready to see what I have to say. So, I’ve got a great opportunity to tell them why I care about food in general and this recipe in particular.

Here’s an intro I especially like for a peach cobbler recipe. I hope it makes readers hungry to read further, and maybe even tempts them to rush to the kitchen and ready the dish.

“When I asked around Mountain View, Arkansas, for the best home bakers, Jean Jennings’ name kept popping up. People would look heavenward, sigh blissfully and mention her cobbler. One musician friend of hers even told me, “Lordy, eatin’ her peach cobbler is better than sinnin’!”

I’ve also thought a lot about the dos and don’ts of writing hednotes. If you’ve ever considered writing a cookbook or food articles, read on. Even if you just love food, you may find the info here interesting.

Don’t start every recipe with “This recipe is…” There’s nothing wrong with introducing an occasional dish that way, but both editors and readers will want to scream if every page of a cookbook or every recipe in an article starts with this same phrase.

Do: Start with your personal take: “I really like this dish because….” Or at least invert your sentence order and begin with: “The perfect thirst quencher on a muggy day, this recipe is….” Or better yet, tell a story-how you came upon the dish, or what inspired it, why it’s unusual, what’s wonderful about it, etc.

Example: “The buttery, mildly yeasty taste and melting, float-away texture of these home-style rolls remind me of ones that were the pride of several gray-haired ladies who baked for the frequent fund-raising church suppers of my childhood. Neatly aproned and hair-netted, they would stand in the back of the parish kitchen deftly turning out dozens of sheet pans of rolls, which were whisked straight from the ovens and devoured by eager tables of diners. For me (and probably for many other customers) the highlight was not the featured ham, or oysters, or turkey, but those amazing, all-you-could-eat rolls!”

Don’t use “mouthwatering” or “delicious,” to describe your dish. I’m tempted to say never, but certainly almost never. I never, ever use mouthwatering because Atlanta-Journal-Constitution writer John Kessler did a search and found that it was the most common food adjective used. I don’t want my writing to be that ordinary. Plus, the word “mouthwatering,” just doesn’t sound appetizing to me-sorry, but I picture drooling! As for delicious, I allow myself one per cookbook; it doesn’t tell the reader what is appealing about the food, which is really what I think a hednote should do.

Do: Think about how the dish is delicious: Is it juicy? Tender? Fragrant with spices? Silky on the tongue? Warming? Refreshing? There are hundreds of food adjectives and innumerable ways to say what a recipe tastes like; use them.

Example: I adapted this boule from a terrific recipe shared with me by Craig Ponsford, founder of Artisan Bakers of Sonoma, California. Craig brought some of his gorgeous multi-grain loaves to a baking conference, and, though I’m not normally a great fan of multigrain breads, I was bowled over by the unique earthy flavor, light but hearty texture, and handsome look of his loaves. The secret is the combination of nine different whole and ground grains and seeds, which adds a wonderful graininess and crunch, yet doesn’t hurt the teeth and completely avoids that earnest “it’s good for you so eat it,” character of some multi-grain breads.

It’s true that crafting tempting recipe hednotes takes time and effort, but I think these bits of text are probably the most carefully read parts of any food article or cookbook. Don’t pass up perhaps the best opportunity to engage readers and win them over to your writing and culinary wares.

Source by Nancy Baggett

8 Restaurant Style Indian Food Recipes

We all want to know the secret behind those delicious dishes served at Indian restaurants. But most of us feel pretty reluctant to try those recipes at home. We have got for you 8 restaurant style Indian food recipes that are super easy to make at home. With these recipes, you’ll be able to recreate all of those Indian restaurant favorites without stepping out of the house. These restaurant style Indian dishes does not require long cooking hours and taste super good. All you need to do is follow these Indian food recipes to the tee.

1) Dal Makhani – You will be surprised to know that it is very easy to make restaurant style Dal makhani at home. And the one prepared at home is not overtly loaded with cream and artificial flavors. This dal makhani recipe yield perfectly creamy, thick and luscious dal without spending hours near the gas stove. Serve it with home style lachha paratha or naan for a complete Punjabi restaurant style meal.

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Healthy Chicken Recipes – 4 Tips For Awesome, Flavorsome Food

As we enter the beginning of a New Year many people will have resolved to lose weight and with this in mind I am going to give you some tips to cook healthy chicken recipes that will flood your taste buds with amazing flavor but also help as part of a calorie controlled diet.

But first of all, here are a few fun facts that you may not know about the chicken.

There are more chickens on earth than there are human beings

A chicken bred with a turkey is called a “Turken” which has the head of a turkey and the body of a chicken.

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Filipino Recipes – Puto Cheese Recipe – Pinoy Food

Puto cheese is just like the regular puto or rice cake. But this version uses flour instead of ground rice so the texture is a whole lot smoother. And the cheese added as topping is the reason why it is named as such. Puto cheese and hot chocolate is a great combination for breakfast. Because it is very easy to prepare, you don’t have to be a seasoned chef to cook this recipe to perfection.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cake-flour
1/2 cup all purpose-flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup white sugar (divided)
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup water
2 pcs egg yolks
2 pcs egg whites
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
cheese (sliced into small strips)

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Filipino Recipes – Binagol (Dessert) Recipe – Pinoy Food

Binagol, also called binangol, is a sweet delicacy originating from Leyte, an island in the Visayas. There are several versions of this recipe, some uses chocolate flavors and some with nuts and butter. This recipe is the simpler version, though.

The Taro root mixture is contained in polished coconut shells, thus the name binagol from the root word “bagol”, a visayan term which literally means coconut shells. Because of the abundance of coconut trees in this tropical country, you will surely find many kinds of delicacies using coconuts as packaging. Cooking this recipe may be a tedious process but the finished product is worth the effort.

Ingredients:

1 cup rich coconut milk (from 2 medium coconuts)
¾ cups raw gabi or Taro root (shredded)
¾ cup brown sugar
½ can full cream condensed milk
4 egg yolks
wilted banana leaves
4 medium coconut shells (cleaned)
string for tying

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Filipino Recipes – Champorado (Dessert) Recipe – Pinoy Food

Champorado or chocolate-flavored rice porridge is a favorite breakfast among Filipinos, especially for families with kids. I haven’t met a child who don’t like chocolates and that explains why champorado is very famous in almost all households in the country.

I remember passing a can of evaporated milk around the table way back when I was a little girl. And my sisters and I would try to beat each other out with the designs we make using the milk on top of our bowls of hot champorado. Papa and Mama would judge our designs and we would all be declared winners in our own right. How carefree life was back then.

Going back to cooking, there are several champorado mixes available in the market today where you only have to pour hot water and leave it to cook for five minutes or so and your breakfast is ready. But for me nothing beats this special champorado recipe made even richer with the addition of coconut milk. And in my experience, coconut milk has never failed me in the numerous recipes that I’ve tried. Go ahead and taste the difference.

Ingredients:
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Quick and Tasty Healthy Food Recipes

Eating good is something more people are trying to do these days. Just because you want to eat healthy food, it does not mean you have more time. You find yourself looking for dinner ideas which will include quick recipes that are still healthy. It is easy to find dishes you will want to make over and over again.

It does not even matter what kinds of foods you like to eat, you can find the dinner ideas which will meet your needs. Everything from quick recipes to get food on the table right away to healthy food recipes which might take a bit more time to prepare is available. All you need to is decide which ones you would like to try first.

You can even find great dinner ideas for a vegetarian. There are so many great healthy food recipes to choose from, even those who enjoy meat may choose to try these dishes on occasion. Best of all, since so many of the dishes include quick recipes you will be able to prepare them no matter how hectic your schedule might be.

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Filipino Recipes – Kilawin (Pork Liver) Recipe – Pinoy Food

Kilawin is always mistaken for raw fish cooked using vinegar only. That is a common misconception. For those people who need to know the difference, raw fish in vinegar is kinilaw while pork and liver cooked using vinegar is kilawin. Kilawin is a dish that originates from Pampanga, one of the provinces in Luzon.

Kilawin is not only good for ordinary meals but it is also highly favored during sessions of beer drinking. The tangy taste is a perfect beer match and my male cousins say it helps keep drunkenness away. But of course, they just say it to tease me and it is their way of sweet-talking me into preparing the recipe for them. Continue reading “Filipino Recipes – Kilawin (Pork Liver) Recipe – Pinoy Food”

5 Healthy, Delicious and Low-Calorie Weight Loss Recipes

These recipes for healthy living need not to be bland and expensive; here is a list that can help you create the healthy foodie in you.

1. Light Entrees

Let’s begin with low-calorie entrees. One popular healthy recipe for weight loss that is both tasty and below 300 calories is, Grilled Chicken Pineapple salad. This healthy food recipe is a combination of all the nutrients you will need but on a minimal calorie intake. Use skinless chicken breast, get some spinach leaves, pineapple bits, and plate with bell peppers. Dress it with orange juice to give that sweet-spicy twist. You can also add onions for an extra surge of spice. Continue reading “5 Healthy, Delicious and Low-Calorie Weight Loss Recipes”