Coconut Pudding with Sweet Corn (Maja Blanca)

One of my favorite Filipino "kakanin" or dessert made from coconut milk, which i think was introduced to us during the Spanish era. This delicacy is usually served during fiestas and during Christmas season. Hope you'll like it.




Ingredients:



4 cup fresh coconut milk

1 cup rice flour

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoonful of sweet corn kernel

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup of evaporated milk

vanilla or langka (jack fruit) extract



For the latik:


1/2 to 1 cup thick coconut milk (first extract)

Boil thick coconut milk in a saucepan until the oil is extracted. It will slowly turns into a dark brown color. Be careful not to overcooked it. This is called Latik.

** Save a little coconut oil to be use for your containers.







Procedure:




Grease all your "llaneras" or any desired containers with the coconut oil. Set aside.


In a saucepan or "kawali" mix all the above ingredients. Mix it well until everything's blended well with the coconut milk.

Now, Boil it over in low heat. Stir constantly to prevent lumps until it slowly turns into a thick paste. Be careful not to overcook it. This will take for about 3 to 5 minutes of boiling and stirring.

Pour hot mixture into the prepared containers and allow to set.

Sprinkle the Latik on top. Best served chilled. Bon Appetit!





**Optional

--You can toast your rice flour for at least 1 to 2 minutes before mixing it with the other ingredients.

--You can use grated cheese instead of latik.

Beef with Bitter Gourd and Shitake Mushroom (Ampalaya Con Carne)

Here is another delightful recipe. I'm not sure where this dish original came, all i know is that this dish is the most popular and the "El Presidente" of all Amplaya (Bitter Gourd)recipes. This is my version of Ampalaya Con Carne. Hope you'll like it. Ingredients: 1/2 lb beef sirloin, sliced into thin strips 1 large bitter gourd (ampalaya) cleaned and sliced into squares 1/2 cup soy sauce 1 tablespoon Brandy 1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced lengthwise 1 small thumb ginger, julienned 6 cloves garlic, minced a cup of Shitake mushrooms, (if you buy the dried Shitake soaked it for at leas an hour before cooking) (i recommend the canned Shitake mushrooms if you are in a hurry) 1 stalk of leeks, slice into small parts 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup water (add more if you like more sauce) 4 tablespoons cooking oil Procedure: 1. Combine beef, soy sauce, salt, ground black pepper, cornstarch, and brandy. Mix all the ingredients evenly and marinade for at least 30 mins or 1 hour. 2. Heat a frying pan and pour-in 3 cooking oil. 3. When the oil is hot enough, pan fry the marinated beef in medium heat until the outer part turns medium to dark brown (about 3 to 4 minutes per side). Do not over fry it! 4. Add water and simmer until the beef is tender. 5. On a separate pan, heat it then pour in another small amounts of cooking oil. 6. When the oil is hot, sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger. 7. Add the sliced bitter gourd and stir fry for 5 minutes. 8. Add the beef and mushrooms and simmer for another 5 minutes. You can add a little water if you like. Add leeks. Season more a little of salt and pepper according to taste. 9. Serve hot! Actually, i don't measure my ingredients and i seldom taste it while cooking... If it smells good then it is done! ^_^