Failure To Lunch

First entry after five (!!!) years - I've been busy with...stuff (i.e., "accidental" government work!). I'd even forgotten I had this blog. But anyway. It's been meatless most days in our omnivorous household recently, mainly for health reasons. But it's really no biggie, as I secretly enjoy the texture and versatility of tofu, seitan, and "Magic Meat," and I'm up to the challenge of cooking up as many dishes as I can sans meat. Good thing that Manila is beginning to embrace the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, so it's relatively easy to find places that sell cooked vegetarian meals and meat substitutes. I found seitan (gluten) in the frozen section of Assad Indian Mini Mart (branches in Timog, Quezon City; Jupiter in Makati; and U.N. Avenue in Paco, Manila); they also sell frozen and canned Ve-G-Meat. Here's my first experiment cooking seitan, and it turned out pretty good. It probably would have turned out better with snow peas, b

Rule of thumb: when in Rome, New York, or Tokyo, do as the locals do. Or, more specifically, eat where they eat! This simple approach has saved me many many francs, lire, euros, dollars, yen...and has allowed me to experience gastronomic adventures unavailable to tourists on the beaten trap , er track. Hee. I've been in Tokyo almost every year for the last half-decade, and the Japanese capital is no exception to my very handy rule. Granted, eating like a local may mean grabbing a bento from the nearest Maruetsu or slurping down piping hot soba/udon from one of those "espresso" (read: standing room only) noodle shops that sell tickets from vending machines, but hey, if it's good for the がちょう, it's good for the gaijin! Some of the most spectacular (non-fast food/carry-out) meals I've had have been with locals/semi-locals: early morning chirashizushi at Tsukiji; overflowing sake, Kirin, yakitori, and all sorts of delectable delights at rowdy izakayas; and

A Chinese meal without fried rice is just about as unthinkable as french fries without ketchup - you'll live through the experience, but there's something just wrong. One of my biggest frustrations about Chinese lauriats is that fried rice is served as the penultimate course, if at all (I am not Chinese, so kindly forgive this philistine); it would have gone sooo well with everything else that came before it. But anyway. Of all the variations of Chinese fried rice, Yang Chow (as popularly spelled in the Philippines, but elsewhere known as Yeung Chow, Yangzhou Chow, Yung Chow) is my go-to favorite. And because it is so easy to come by in these parts, I never really quite bother making it, partly because of the required day-old rice (cooked rice runs out very quickly in my household), and mainly because a 24-hour Kowloon House is conveniently on the way home/delivers in less than half an hour (best deal ever of PhP32 for a half order which feeds two + a short order of

Cream dory ( Pangasius ) has quickly become a favorite ingredient of mine - I first discovered it a few years ago in the now-defunct Makro, and it has since lent itself well to a variety of recipes, from fish and chips to Hap Chan-style steamed fish in garlic sauce. I whip this quick dish up when I have a hankering for something kinamatisan : season cream dory fillets with salt and pepper; steam until cooked (10 minutes or less). In a frying pan, saute garlic, onions, and lots of tomatoes. Season well, and spoon over the steamed fillets.

Anything beef can do, fish can do better. Well, not really. But this is a fishy alternative to Tagalog bistek , and prepared in almost exactly the same manner. Marinate some blue marlin steaks in soy sauce, kalamansi , and freshly ground pepper. Slice up some onion rings, fry in oil and set aside. Heat up some butter in the same pan, introduce the fish steaks sans the marinade, and cook until done. Remove the steaks from the fire, and return the marinade into the pan, cooking until slightly thickened. Pour the resulting sauce over the fish, and top with the onion rings. Move over bistek, istek has arrived.

When I was in the third grade many moons ago, we learned that fish and rice is to Filipinos as bread and butter is to Americans. The modern day translation (mutation?) of these traditional diets would be spaghetti and fried chicken (PHL)/burgers and fries (US) - and if I had more than but a small voice, I would let there be fish, frosferity, and love for all mankind. Our fine finned friends are not only good for us, but are available in such variety beyond the wildest imagination of any pig, cow, or fowl. One of the more familiar species in the Philippines is Chanos chanos , otherwise known as the milkfish or bangus . While I love bangus in all its many shapes and manners of preparation, this particular recipe lends a little bit of class to the humble fish that Filipinos know and love the most. Chop up a head of garlic and fry in oil until golden and crispy - drain off oil (I use a sieve) and let dry on paper towels. Deep fry a deboned daing na bangus (milkfish marinated in