Southern Style Barbecue Ribs

Since I've post my roast beef recipe, I decided to post a barbecue recipe. This is not like what we Filipinos are used to and the ingredients are not what we commonly use. This is a great comfort food with mashed potatoes and other fix-ins. Of course, it's best served with rice. I love this very much as much I love my daughter. It used to be a secret recipe of mine but now I'm sharing it with you.

Southern Style Barbecue Ribs
What you'll need:


11/2 kilo baby back ribs, whole or divided into portions

For the marinade:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 3 tbsp sherry or brandy
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced

For the rub:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, dark
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp white pepper
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp cayenne

For the sauce/basting sauce:

• 2 cups tomato ketchup
• 1/2 water
• 1/2 apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp chili powder

How to:

1. Boil ribs in salted water for 2 hours or until tender. Drain and let cool.
2. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Marinate ribs for at least overnight.
3. Remove ribs from the marinade and drain. 
4. Combine all rub ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Rub ribs with the mixture lightly.
5. In a sauce pan, combine the sauce ingredients and let boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and then remove from heat.
6. Heat up the spit and grill the ribs. Baste the ribs with the sauce occasionally.
7. Grill the ribs until done. 
8. Serve with the remaining sauce and enjoy!

*Tip: Remove the membrane of the ribs (as shown below) to let the marinade and rub penetrate the meat. 

Oven Roasted Beef

The key here is timing. Knowing when to take it out of the oven is the way to make this one perfect. I decided to keep this recipe simple and easy to do. The ingredients are simple too so that you will have no problems finding them. Most of it you already have, I guess. I wanted to give you guys the best I have and this is one of them. I haven't included any sauce or gravy in this recipe mainly because the juices of the beef will serve as the sauce but it is an option I will leave for you to decide.

Oven Roasted Beef
What you'll need:

• 1 kilo boneless chuck roast
• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 1/2 cup onions, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup celery stalks, sliced
• 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 pc bay leaf
• salt
• cracked black pepper
• olive oil

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Rub chuck roast with salt and pepper.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pan and sear chuck roast until deep brown in color. Sear all sides.
4. In a ceramic baking dish, place all of the remaining ingredients to make a bed for the roast.
5. Place the chuck roast on the bed and cover with aluminum foil.
6. Put in the oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until done. Remove foil halfway through cooking time.
7. Remove from the oven when done and let cool for 10 - 15 minutes before slicing.
8. Serve with your favorite side dish and serve. Enjoy!

Ginisang Munggo

It's Thursday at the time of this writing and tomorrow I'll cook this dish. I don't know why the Filipinos have this tradition of cooking munggo on Fridays but it's one of my favorites and I'm craving for it. My version is like any other recipes out there but instead of focusing mainly on the munggo, I made a few adjustments in which you will soon learn shortly. I use the type of munggo beans that have been previously cracked. It's readily available in markets and groceries. This lessens the cooking time and the task of mashing the beans. I'm getting hungry, so let's cook!

Ginisang Munggo

What you'll need:

• 1/2 kilo pork belly, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 kilo prawns, shelled
• 1/2 kilo cracked mung beans, pre-boiled
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 med onion, sliced
• 3 med tomatoes, cubed
• 3 cups ampalaya leaves 
• 3 cups pork stock
• 2 cups shrimp stock
• 1 cup crushed chicharon

How to:

1. First, boil pork in salted water until tender. Drain and reserve the stock. Let cool.
2. In a separate pot, boil prawn shells for 10 minutes to make stock. Mash to unlock the flavor. Strain and set aside.
3. Fry pork in oil until golden and add garlic, onions and tomatoes.
4. Sauté in medium high heat until tomatoes are crushed.  
5. Add prawns and mung beans. 
6. Pour in the pork stock and shrimp stock.
7. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. 
8. Season with salt and pepper according to taste. *Note: Try using patis instead of MSG but it's up to you which do you prefer.
9. Add the remaining ingredients and remove from heat.
10. Serve with rice and enjoy!

Atomic Burger Steak

This is the ulam version of the Labuyo Burger which I have previously posted (http://roelskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/09/first-stop-labuyo-burger.html) Again, you can omit the chilies or lessen it to your liking. You can also substitute it with much less spicy chilies like the green chili. It's a party in the tummy when you try this baby. So, let's start cooking!

Atomic Burger Steak
What you'll need:


For the patty:

• 1/2 kilo ground chuck
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tbsp yellow curry
• 1 tbsp cayenne 
• 2 tbsp red chilies, chopped
• salt & pepper

For the mushroom gravy:

• 4 tbsp flour
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp liquid seasoning
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1/2 cup button mushroom, sliced
• salt & pepper

How to:

1. In a bowl, combine all of the patty ingredients and mix well.
2. Grill or fry in small amount of oil until cooked.
3. In a sauce pan, brown flour in medium high heat and add butter to make a roux.
4. Mix well using a whisk and gradually add the stock and liquid seasoning.
5. Add the mushrooms and simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Top patty with the gravy and serve with rice. Enjoy!

Chili Con Carne

The number one rule in making a chili is never to use any fresh ingredient except for the beef, of course. Using dried herbs and powdered spices have been the key in making the best chili. I, for example, uses siling labuyo in making a chili but I dried them first in the sun. This particular chili recipe has beans. You can use any kind of beans like pinto, kidney, navy, etc. Just make sure that it's well cooked and the texture should compliment the beef. I'll let you in a little secret... Adding dark chocolate or a sprinkle of cocoa powder will boost the flavor up a notch. It may sound odd but it is being done all over the world. Chocolate has been the secret of a great chili. It's up to you if you'll use it or not.

Chili Con Carne
What you'll need:
1/2 kilo ground chuck
11/2 cups red kidney beans, pre-boiled
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp of each:

• cumin
• cayenne pepper
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• ground cinnamon 
• dark chocolate or unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup dried red chilies
1/2 cup grated monterey jack cheese

How to:

1. Brown meat in a little oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
2. Simmer for 1-2 hours in low heat.
3. When it gets a little dry, add a cup of beef broth or water. Continue to simmer.
4. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
5. Top with cheese and serve. Enjoy!

Beef Asado

This recipe I'm using is the basic of all basic asado recipe. I used to made this in large batches for our small noodle house in Valenzuela. This is what they call "pares" if you top it on garlic rice. Make it saucy and add it to a bowl of noodles, it's beef mami. I love this for the reason that it's so easy to prepare and so delicious on almost everything. Heck, I use to eat with fries. So, here it is...

Beef Asado
What you'll need:
1 kilo beef, cubed and pre-boiled
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 pcs star anise
11/2 cup beef stock
1/2 tsp dried oregano
spring onions, chopped
1/4 cup cornstarch, dissolved in
1/2 cup cold water (slurry)

How to:
1. Combine all ingredients except for the slurry in a medium sauce pan with a lid.
2. Boil and simmer for 20 minutes in medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to even the cooking process.
3. Add the slurry to thicken the sauce.
4 Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
5. Remove from heat and top with spring onions. Serve and enjoy!

Lemon Buttered Chicken

This is Chinese restaurant inspired dish. A local restaurant in our area sell this for P100/half chicken and it doesn't taste anything like the Chinese restaurants are famous for. It's bland and it's hard as a rock after only a few minutes. The best one is made by Boy Ching Woo, also here in Caloocan. They are also famous for their noodles and other entrées. I didn't know at first that buttered chicken actually originated from India. It's loaded with spices and herbs. I haven't actually tried it myself but I will sure do!

Lemon Buttered Chicken
What you'll need:
1/2 kilo chicken breast, filleted
1 cup flour
1/2 stick butter
4 tbsp lemon juice, reserve 1 tsp for the butter sauce
1/2 cup leeks, sliced diagonally (optional)
salt and pepper
oil for frying
lemon slices for garnishing

How to:
1. Marinate chicken in  lemon juice, salt and pepper for at least 4 hours in the fridge.
2. Dredge marinated chicken in flour and fry until golden.
3. In a separate pan, melt butter in low heat. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the remaining lemon juice and chicken.
5. Stir fry until chicken is fully coated.
6. Remove from heat and garnish with leeks and lemon slices.
7. Serve and enjoy!