Taste N See Toasted Pastillas

I joined a mommy forum since giving birth to Tidus. And the mommies there were raving about these toasted pastillas for the longest time. Finally, I gave in to my cravings last week and my two pouches of Taste N See Toasted Pastillas came in the mail. I ordered them from a mom in Marikina, who orders the lot from Bulacan. I was a bit surprised when it came in an itty-bitty package. I thought one order was big, like the size of the usual chichiria pouch in the supermarket.

 But when I took a bite of the pastillas, I realized why it came in such a small package. It was yummy and super sarap, it would be hard to stop eating and you'd have a major sugar overload.

It tasted like the usual pastillas from Bulacan made from goat's milk but the toasted sugar coating added that extra bitter-sweet punch. I asked my officemates to taste it too, and they all hated me for making them 'bitin.' They now want to order from that mommy too. :))

Hello Kitty -- Mister Donut Japan

Here I am still dreaming of the Pon de Rings and Bear donuts of Mister Donut Taiwan and Korea when I stumbled upon a friend's post (she lives in Japan) on Facebook about Hello Kitty donuts. They are absolutely adorable and I'd probably take pics of my orders before taking a bite in it. Would I even dare? I hope it reaches Philippine shores (cross fingers) like that of the Pon de Rings which are now available in the Mister Donut Cafe in Greenhills. Aren't they such pretties? ^_^

Sweet Catch

I've passed by Sweet Catch's kiosk at the SM Megamall Food Court a dozen of times already but I thought of finally buying one of the fish-shaped waffles when I went shopping one day with my niece Gaby.

The waffle reminded me of Korea, where the fish-shaped cakes with red mung bean paste fillings are famous. Sweet Catch's fish waffles had fillings like that of the ordinary waffles we have here.

I wasn't too impressed with my ham and cheese-filled fish waffle. The waffle was obviously cooked hours before and it was a bit on the rubbery side already. And at P25, I could have gotten a cheaper and more satisfying waffle from Waffle Time or it's counterparts. Anyways, I probably paid for the fishy shape and the reminiscent feeling of being in Korea. LOL.

Kozui again

My friends and I love eating at Kozui. It's a quaint cafe located along Tomas Morato in Quezon City and we first ate there wanting to eat their green tea anmitsu. However, over the years they have expanded their menu and we have been eating there now for lunch or dinner. And Pia likes it there because of the wifi.

Last Thursday, my pick was our favorite spinach soup. I also ordered the Korean chicken wrap for the first time and although it was spicy, I really enjoyed it because of the fresh lettuce and they had my favorite pickled radish like the ones we ate in Korea. Their menu is a bit expensive (the chicken dish was worth P195) but if you want a healthy splurge, then go to Kozui.

There wasn't any space left in my tummy for anmitsu this time. Maybe next week :)

Oishinbu at Little Tokyo

I'm too lazy to write something lengthy at the moment but my friends brought me to this Japanese restaurant in Makati inside Little Tokyo and was I really full after. The best for me were the gyoza and tempura. The gyoza was juicy yet slightly crispy while the tempura had the fattest shrimps I ever ate. LOL. We are going to try the other restaurants beside it next. Gotta save though for the food was a bit on the expensive side. But definitely worth it.

Easy Sundubu Jigae

I was craving for Sundubu Jigae (Soon Duboo Chigae to some), a Korean tofu stew, for sometime now and even though my friends and I ate at Yedang (Korean restaurant in Ortigas) my tongue seems to be yearning for the dish every week!

So at the grocery store, I realized maybe I can replicate the dish again, but with some revisions since I don't have all the ingredients at hand. I looked up some easy Sundubu recipes on Youtube and bought stuff this afternoon. It tasted close to the real thing :)

I hope you find this easy to do too.

Easy Sundubu Jigae

1 block silk tofu, chopped into huge blocks

1/4 cup onion leeks, chopped thinly

1/4 k pork strips or menudo cut

1 white onion, minced

1 big clove garlic, minced

1 small pouch of Dae Kimchi

2 tablespoons of red pepper paste

2 tablespoons of patis or fish sauce

1/2 pouch of Del Monte Caldereta sauce

2 eggs

mushrooms (can be button, shitake or whichever you like)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 1/2 cups water

Saute garlic and onion in sesame oil. Add the pork and fish sauce. Saute until brown then add the water. Let it boil for 10 minutes then add the kimchi and red pepper paste. Put in the tofu then let it simmer. Add the caldereta sauce, mushroom and leeks. Let boil then crack the two eggs. Do not stir. Turn off the stove and let the remaining heat cook the egg. Serve with steamed white rice.

Sangchu Geotjeori or Korean Lettuce Salad

I saw this Korean recipe being made on 2 Days, 1 Night (shown on KBS) the other week. My sis said maybe I can replicate it. I found a recipe similar to the one on TV and some of the ingredients were a bit hard to find. So I decided to do some variations, available here in our supermarkets in Manila.

Sangchu Geotjeori or Korean Lettuce Salad

Ingredients:

1 bunch romaine lettuce

2 tbsps. of red pepper paste

1 tbsp corn syrup

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

green onion leaves, chopped

Chop lettuce into bite size pieces. Add chopped green onion leaves and minced garlic. Add corn syrup and sesame oil. Add red pepper paste and soy sauce. Mix. Then sprinkle sesame seeds. Serve.

Good healthy stuff. Hope you like it.