Create Pinoy Blog
The first thing I often miss when I am out of the country is the Filipino food. Many times, it is difficult to look for ingredients, like tanglad, nangka, batong , or ubod and can only be found in specialty stores. And Ethnic stores are hard to come by especially if you‘re in the midwest. Even eating Chinese food such as the ‘pancits’, lumpia shanghai’s or sweet and sour ‘whatever‘ is not even as close to satisfy the craving for real pinoy food.
However, we Filipinos are creative and we try to improvise just to satiate our palate. I make my fresh lumpia with jicama, ham, and coleslaw veggies and my friends wonder where I get my ubod from. Or that I flavor my puto bisaya with orange zest. Or I make my own bagoong by sautéing lots of garlic and anchovies, and eating it with plain rice.
Tools, equipments and appliances, and not only ingredients also play a major role in the preparation of delicious and hassle-free pinoy recipes. Having said that, let me enumerate a ’must have’ for every OFW who just loves ‘home cooking’ and I mean the ‘PINOY HOME’.
1) RICE COOKER - Rice is the staple diet in the Philippines therefore a rice cooker is a must. We have a National brand Rice Cooker that is turned on 24 hours a day. Any member of the family who comes home at any time can enjoy a bowl of hot rice with leftovers or canned something. The only time the cooker is turned off is when it is being replenished by a new batch of rice.
2) SLOW COOKER - time constraints often hinder us from cooking favorite dishes like nilaga, kari-kari, tinola caldereta and other pinoy stews. By placing all the ingredients of your recipe in the morning (without the leaf greens) and having it ready when you come back after work, makes you feel like you’re in the Philippines sans the maids.
Using the slow cooker to Boil beans without having to check on it every now is so convenient as well as nutritious since you will have the liberty of chosing your own protein and flavor it with your own seasonings.
3) TURBO BROILER - This is the best invention for those yummy to make lechon kawali, crispy pata and my favorite ‘bisayang lechon manok’ without the hassles of deep frying or grilling (and even takes away those deadly cholesterol coming from the oil when frying). You can even make bibingka and other rice cake recipes by using the turbo.
Whether you are just having your own meals at home or planning guests over, the three appliances are a must have especially for the on-the-go OFW.
I can’t think of anything more convenient than that...….Can you?
