Hailing the new year with renewed vigor, spirit, enthusiasm and promise of a new beginning, I decided to post an entry as an offering to the blogging spirit. I am slowly coming out of my so called hibertnation and eventhough I know not when I can post again, it is safe to say that I am proud and excited to share with you what I created. Plus there are other things which I would like to share but would rather not (yet). I believe that this new year is going to bring in some tidal wave of blessings and I hope and pray that they are what they seem to be.
I cooked up this dinner for my husband who is going away on a trip. It's the much loved Chinese pinsek frito (or crispy wontons), stir-fry bean sprouts with Spanish chorizo and pan fried Tilapia fillet with garlic, butter and coriander leaves.
For the pinsek frito, you would need:
90 grams ground pork (or chicken)
1 whole onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 whole carrot, grated
1/4 c of cheese, cubed
3 Tbsps flour
salt
pepper
wonton wrappers
1 egg white
Mix together the first eight ingredients using your hands. Believe me it would taste a whole lot better rather than using a spatula or fork. Make sure that you season it considerably well since there's no way for you test its taste once you've mixed everthing together.
Crack one egg. Separate the white. Place it in a small bowl. You would need this to seal the wrappers. Depending on the size of your wonton wrappers (mine was the smallest) pinch a few amounts of your ground pork mixture and place it in the middle of your wonton wrapper. Dip your index finger in the bowl with egg white and smear on the sides of the wonton. Fold it such that you will make a small triangle with the filling in the middle. Use more egg whites as necessary to seal the edges.
Repeat with the rest of the wonton. Deep fry wontons for about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve with sweet-sour chili sauce.
For the stir fry bean sprouts with Spanish chorizo you would need:
25 grams Spanish chorizo, sliced thinly
about 25 grams of bean sprouts, washed
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, slivered
1/2 carrot, julienned
coriander leaves
salt
pepper
Saute garlic and onion until onions become translucent. Stir fry the Spanish chorizo for about 3-4 minutes. Its going to give out red juices. Push the onion chorizo mixture to one side of your frying pan, lower down the heat then scoop out the juice as much as you can and transfer to a different container. Reserve.
Add the bean sprouts and carrots, turn on the heat once more and stir fry for about 4-5 minutes, being careful not to overcook the bean sprouts. Pour one scoop of the reserved red juice into the bean sprout mixture then mix well. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with slices of carrots and coriander leaves.
For the fried Tilapia with garlic and butter, you would need:
1/2 a kilo of tilapia fillets
5 cloves of garlic, minced (more to your taste)
butter
cooking oil
salt
pepper
flour
Season the fillets with salt and pepper (both sides). Lightly coat the fillets with flour. Pan fry for 3 minutes per side until considerably browned and crispy. Fry the galic in the remaining oil. When toasted, remove from the pan. Lower down the heat and transfer much of the oil to a container. Melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in the same pan. Throw back the garlic and coat with melted butter. Pour sauce over the tilapia fillets. Serve right away.
For the sweet sour chili sauce:
about 1/2 cup of sweet chili sauce
about 2 Tbsps of good vinegar
pepper
salt
Mix everything together. YUM!
For the stir fry bean sprouts I used soy-chili sauce:
about 1/2 cup of kikoman soy sauce
about 2 Tbsps of sweet chili sauce
salt
pepper
Mix together. Another yum!
Come to think of it, all three dishes should be served right away because one way or another one of them is going to go soggy. In my case since I cooked the pinsec first, it lost some of its crispiness. Nevertheless, I received acolades from my number one fan, my husband :D
Dinner was served with our household favorite - RC cola. I know I know...its not a healthy softdrink at all..but hey..it was a Saturday and I just had that feeling... ;D
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