ARROZ VALENCIANA FILIPINO CLASSIC

Filipinos are truly rice lovers, we cannot end our day without eating rice at least once in a day. And with so much love for rice, we Filipinos has adapted a lot of rice recipes from our neighboring region as well as from the other parts of the globe. Today, I am sharing my inexpensive rice recipe called Arroz Valenciana which basically consist of glutinous rice, regular rice, chicken meat, Spanish sausages and veggies. Please check out the ingredients and try one for your family.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup glutinous rice

2 cups regular rice

Chicken breast meat - you can actually use left over meat available in your fridge

Spanish Sausage or Chorizo de Bilbao

Hard boiled Egg

Shitake Mushroom

Black Fungus

Green Onions

Garlic and Onions minced

Belle peppers

Carrots

Green Olives for garnishing

Green peas

Saffron (optional)

Tomato Sauce

Chicken Stock 1 liter or more depending on the texture of rice that you will use, you can adjust the liquid if needed

Annato Seed for coloring

PROCEDURE:

1. In a pan, saute garlic and onion, add in the glutinous rice and regular rice season with salt and pepper.
2. Add in the stock and let it simmer until the rice is cooked and tender, adjust the liquid if needed.
3. In another pan, saute another set of garlic and onions, chicken meat, sausage and all the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. 
4. Once the rice is cooked, transfer the sauteed ingredients from another pan and add in anatto seed extract to color.
5. Garnish with hard boiled eggs on top and some green onions and green olives.
6. Serve and enjoy!

PORK MENUDO FILIPINO CLASSIC

A festive season is coming and food, a lot of food will be flooding our tables this season. It's a year of gift giving, loving and eating. Today's featured dish is almost always present when it comes to traditional Filipino cooking. This dish is cooked and served along with other famous dishes such as adobo, kaldereta to name a few. Check out the ingredients and see my version of this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

1 kilo pork belly (sliced/Menudo Cut)

1/4 kilo pork liver

3 medium size potatoes sliced

2 medium size carrots

Bell peppers

minced garlic and onions

soy sauce

fish sauce

bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste 

tomato sauce

water

calamansi

PROCEDURE:

1. Marinate pork in soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste, calamansi and bay leaf.
2. While the meat is marinating, fry the potatoes and carrots until cooked and tender. This procedure allows the vegetable to stay firm and not saggy for a better food presentation.
3. When the meat is ready to cooked (30 minutes of marinating over seasoning could be enough time but you can always do this ahead like marinate it overtime) saute it with garlic and onions.
4.  Add a little amount of fish sauce to taste, water and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until the meat is tender. 
5. Once the meat is tender, add the pork liver and allow to cook. Remember not to over cook the liver as it will tend to be hard and chewy. 
6. Add the tomato sauce immediately and other remaining ingredients.
7. Serve and enjoy!