Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Chili con Carne looooooooooooove

Just cooked a delicious chili con carne on top of a cup of steamed rice.

 

All you need are: ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, cayene (and paprika if you want a redder color), cloves, green chili, green bell pepper, garlic, onion, salt, bay leaf (and I added a tad bit of oregano for fragrance I hope I did not bastardize recipe or anything).

Nom nom guys! Perfect with rice or buns or with hotdog!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Chicken Curry for the Nth Time! -- The BEST so far!

Hi folks, g'day!

I guess I finally perfected my curry cooking thing. Split sauce anyone??? LOVE IT!

This curry dish is inspired by Alysha of Junior Masterchef Australia very easy to make btw (read: kid friendly).

I had to tweak her recipe because of some pantry and supermarket "issues". Yeah, had to live within my means AND I had to adjust according to my taste/craving too. 

It appears that the curry I have made from scratch since I mixed and matched spices instead of getting started with a pack of store bought curry powder.

Ingredients

boneless chicken thighs

snow peas

chick peas 

lime wedges (optional; to add kick to the dish)

Curry paste

tumeric

cumin

cayene

paprika

anise seeds

water

tad bit of lime juice

salt

Curry 

cooking oil

garlic

shallot

tad bit of sugar

salt

coconut milk

Should try this! YUM! enjoy!

PS Nth time yes? see I did not bother to hyperlink all those crazy, crazy curry recipe mishaps! ha!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad

Yeah! Vietnamese Salad FTW. Vermicelli, blanced veggies (basil, napa  cabbage, bean sprouts), chopped leeks, peanuts, pan fried chicken (seasoned with curry, cayene and a tad bit of salt) for the dry components. Fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, red chilies for the dressing/wet components. Goodness!!! Whatta lunch! 

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Baked Spinach Mushroom Ziti

Tada!!! My first ever baking endeavor!

Baked Ziti with Spinach and Mushroom

Ingredients

ziti (cooked according to package direction, do not cook well, leave some job to your oven)

for the filling

spinach

mushroom

garlic

onion

salt

ground beef

for the bechamel sauce

EVOO (because I got lazy to buy butter)

flour

salt

milk

cheese

T'was a little bland (and my sister Joyce said: para ka namang Italiano magtimpla, ate!) but still good! My two brothers loved it.

Enjoy!

Who wants Beef Broccoli?

Come join me!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Workfood - Fish Fillet and Stir Fry Veggies

G'day everyone!

How's everybody doing?

So far... I am back on my game! Was a bit annoyed the other day but I think I am all good now.

Trying to eat "as healthy as possible", check out what I had for lunch!

Ingredients

cream dory

salt, pepper, tad bit of flour (for the fish)

snow peas

string beans

garlic

ginger

canola oil

bell pepper

oyster sauce

hoisin sauce

sriracha sauce (optional)

sugar

sesame oil 

sesame seeds (garnish)

Just toss everything in a pan! I like my veggies half cooked... Got a "rave response" from my mother! Perfect for the Lenten season too!!! ENJOY!

Green Salad

I LOVE LOVE LOVE GREEN SALAD

that's my dinner last night (it's partnered with mayonnaise+EVOO+honey)

#YUM

(not on a diet, I just find it delish)

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Workfood - Back to Back Beef (Easy Peasy)

Hi there!

I've eaten beef for the last two work days off this work week and I am sharing with you the easy peasy meals I have done with the beef strips.

This is Honey Mushroom Beef. You just have to have beef stock, garlic, honey, sugar, salt and chili flakes (optional). Too bad I think I put a little more sugar to the dish, it's kinda sweet. A bit of a boo boo but there's nothing that a little more beef stock, salt and reduction can't do.

This is the legendary bistek tagalog which I have not cooked for quite a long time. Ingredients are soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, calamansi, onions and potato. This one is delicious the Hybrid Cha way. One thing though, wish I put more sauce to the dish because it was a bit dry for my me and my steamed rice.

Enjoy y'all! XOXO Hybrid Cha

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Gravy Love

My first time to make gravy turned out as a disaster. While my chicken was a success it was all over the place, for sure. 

Not yesterday!

I received raves for my gravy YES! Aside from the wonderful texture it did taste amazing! My dad said: parang KFC tong lunch natin!

chook tenders cooked by the sister

my plate

Just make a roux from butter and flour then add chicken stock. Bring to a boil then season with salt and pepper.

YUM! 

2011 is a year of eating yummy!: The Hybrid Cha Year Ender

Two thousand eleven. Is over. Soon.

Heck, I think I watched waaaaayy too many cooking shows this year! It seems that I had too much of it, my whole year basically revolved around MasterChef, Hell's Kitchen, Iron Chef America, Chuck Hughes (well he's a crush), Tyler Florence, Ina Garten, Giada de Laurentiis, Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray, Adrian Richardson, Bill Granger, Ben O'Donoghue... yes, all those celebrity chefs! And this list is almost endless! Like love, endless love!

With this said, absolutely, what follows is that, I would be inspired to practice (and practice...and practice) cooking and... yup! post my finished products here on my blog (applause!).

Cooks however, have good days and bad days. Bad days? I had heaps of 'em. Like this. This... This one too... and this as well! 

Of the 100+ (yeah, a hundred plus! Damn!) recipes filed under "Cooking Assignment", a bulk of it from 2011, for sure, I have missed out on a couple more "bad days". But hey! I did cook some wonderful food this year! It was still a yummy year after all! 

Since 2011 was a blessing to me and my family, I am sharing with you 11 recipes that I handpicked to be (re)featured here. I hope you try them as well! My dish are simple, straightforward and yummy. Enjoy!!!

1. My Bangus Sisig -- who can ever, ever go wrong with this classic Filipino dish? What makes me proud of it is that I tried it for the first time and boy was it sooooooo good! My recipe could be dry and crispy (like what my colleagues want) but I suggest to try the "wet" version (with mayonnaise and gizzard). Up to now, the idea of cooking this wonderful dish again makes me uber giddy.  

2. Chicken balls in a Thai stir fry -- sweet, salty and spicy anyone? If you are like me, hundred percent you are a fan of some amazing Thai flavors. By getting a little inspiration, I was able to whip up a dish that entices the Thai woman in me. Lovely! (and did I say it was really fragrant when I was cooking it?)

3. Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and fresh green salad -- I love peanut sauce. It's one of the sauces I really tried learning since I know no one at home is interested at learning this. I love chicken satay too because it's a curry based dish and yeah, it's chicke3 en. My love for green salad is likewise huge. I love the crunch of iceberg lettuce, the succulent cucumber, the freshness of tomato and the edge a dressing brings to everything. To combine everything in one plate is just love. 

4. The Healthy Pasta (Pasta in Coconut Milk) -- another celebrity chef inspired dish, it's a twist to the traditional pasta that you either load with tomato sauce, ground beef, cream, pesto, olive oil and cheese. It has a super Asian flair to it -- definitely, a must try! 

5. My Potato Salad -- let me borrow SMART's former tagline: SIMPLY AMAZING. #nuffsaid

6. Tuna Inasal Rice -- Gosh! A dish I got from... a fashionista! Another inspiration! Bam! This is one of the most precious times that I rocked some pantry ingredients (and the meatballs were yummy too but the real star of the plate was the rice, hands down). I just love this rice meal. I am Filipino like that!

7. My Skinless Longganisa -- ahhh, the Filipino sausage. Who would thought that I made one this year?  First time and I nailed it that my parents and sister could not believe it was actually homemade??? Next time I'd do it, I will make it bigger. Yes, the bigger the better. Plus the performance, yes... bigger longganisa that performs better... on the taste buds. Oooopppsss! No pun intended *wink wink*

8. Anything TOFU -- tofu is a family fave! Hands down! Oh maybe you would like to cook your tofu with oyster sauce, or maybe with the classic tausi or maybe something with loads of spice. 

9. Sausage with Tainga ng Daga Pasta -- an offshoot of my boss's blockbuster three sausage pasta, this dish is really a winner for it is easy and quick to make... not to mention that it's delish! Heck, was I really surprised! Even no-cook folks will find this dish a lifesaver! (an epic pantry ingredients thingy there!)

10. Pasta Marinara with Meatballs -- an early Christmas treat! Yummy yummy yummy pasta there!

11. Beef in Thai Red Curry -- end the year with something sizzling hot! Without a doubt, the best curry dish I cooked for 2011! Oh by the way, did I tell you that I made the curry from scratch? Now that's some extra lovin'...

I guess 2012 is still going to be yummy, don't you think? As for me, I will not stop learning and learning. I will experiment and try. I will seize any opportunity to explore a pantry, kitchen, supermarket and my own taste buds. I can hardly wait...to cook and eat! Happy New Year everyone! ♥

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: REDEMPTION! Beef in Thai Red Curry

At last!

After the horror that was this, I can proudly say that I have redeemed myself! And it feels good! The family gave an approval, YES!

Too bad I will not be making Thai Red Curry anytime soon, I was heaps naumay!

garnish with basil and lime for an extra punch... yummy!

Ingredients (curry)

shallot

lemongrass

garlic

ginger

cumin

coriander stems

coriander seeds

fish sauce

sugar

chili

chili powder

tomato paste

lime

Ingredients (for frying curry)

coconut milk

cinnamon stick

bay leaf

lemongrass

EVOO

Veggies

spinach

basil

sweet peas

eggplant

I hope you replicate this one too! Fairly easy peasy! 

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Pasta Marinara with Meatballs (a prelude to Chrsitmas! #delish)

Gidday world! 

For the past few days, mom and I have been busy "planning" our Noche Buena menu. I was excited by the suggestion! And hell yeah, I'm the cook! My mom entrusts the dish to who else but me? I am stoked! But hopefully, no Christmas anxiety anymore, pretty please.

One of the requests I received from mom was pasta with red sauce. What red sauce shall I prepare then?

Surprise, surprise! Pasta marinara! And since there is a kilo of ground beef inside the fridge, I might as well put some meatballs too! YUM!

Had I known that my dad wanted the authentic "sour" taste of fresh tomato on his pasta, I would omit that "tad bit of sugar" to kill this asim. Haaayyyy...anyhow, the mom and the dad were a bit bitin -- I told them, especially dad that it's only a "sample" so I did not cook a lot. Glad to receive a go signal from them to prep this on Christmas!

Ingredients (meatballs)

ground beef

flour

egg

salt

pepper

Ingredients (marinara sauce)

tomatoes

basil

oregano

salt

pepper

tad bit of sugar

Very simple ingredients indeed, but loads of yummy-ness! Of course I will post what I just made for Noche Buena! you just wait! And hopefully in January... hmmm... I will embark on something. I hope I get that something right.

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Daredevil Wings a la Hybrid Cha

Not for the faint of heart.

If you are not a fan of spicy food but would love to try these wings, hahaha, eat this after a couple of hours so the spiciness decreases (my mom was the best example, kinaya niya yung anghang; she went some place and we had to keep two wings for her).

Very easy to make! All you have to do is marinade overnight then... fry the next day! I made coleslaw to accompany this hot dish. Om nom nom!

charred spicy wings yum!

fresh off the pan

Ingredients

chicken wings

paprika

cayenne powder

sugar

honey

garlic

salt

white pepper

ENJOY!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Green Mango Shake

Refreshing!

If only my blender was cooperating it will be more puree'd. Yes, there were mango tidbits, no fuzz though, it was still good. I love it!

'kala mo summer!

Ingredients

green mango

ice

water

milk

sugar

Enjoy! slurp-slurp-slurp!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Workfood - Sausage and Wood Ear (Tainga ng Daga) Mushroom Pasta

Gidday everyone! Greetings from the gloomy, stormy and abnormally rainy December here in Manille! Absolutely, not the best way to rock December. Should be sunny and cold! Not rainy and (therefore) cold!

For work, I cooked this easy peasy pasta dish -- yep! pantry ingredients to the rescue! I must say this is good and fragrant! The oregano and basil did wonders. YUM! Can hardly wait for lunch.

see the steam? yum at 5 o'clock in the morning

share tayo!

Ingredients

pasta

EVOO

garlic

CDO bologna sausage (with a drizzle of honey)

wood ear mushroom
lemon juice (just for a hint of acidity)

dried basil

ground oregano

salt

white pepper

chili powder or paprika (optional; garnish)

parmesan cheese (optional; garnish)

I promise, this was amazing. Very simple yet very tasty...and smells soooo good too! Hope you replicate this dish at home, share it with your friends and colleagues as well!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry

Another pantry ingredients parteeeeyyy!

I just whipped up a wonderful beef dish. Haaayyyy... forever pantry ingredients ang peg ng lola n'yo.

Ingredients

beef strips

garlic

shallots

ginger

carrot

zucchini

hoisin sauce

salt 

pepper

sugar

fish sauce

chili powder

sesame oil

sesame seeds (garnish)

spring onion (garnish)

Optional

iceberg lettuce

 basil

coriander

Enjoy!

"Remember me this Way" gift

Per our Monito Monita organizer Alainey: it's not necessary that you buy a gift for this MM session.

My plan A failed. Epic fail talaga!

I was supposed to give my baby a wonderful photo (with matching frame) but when I had the picture printed, it absolutely did not give justice to the photograph. Baka sakalin ako ni *toot* pag nalaman niyang 1. I kinda "stole" one of his photos (but he would not mind I am sure, malakas ako ro'n eh) 2. the print out of the photo was super chaka. 

So, plan B tayo. Here it is!

You may get the ingredients here. I just added beet root to today's recipe (hence the colour).

Enjoy enjoy enjoy! PAK!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Apple Salad

Hiyahhh!

This recipe I learned from Chef at Home himself, Michael Smith. I do not know if I got all the ingredients right but most likely, I got the dish right!

The smurfs (nephews and niece) freaked out a bit with the smell of the apple cider vinegar but the sisters and the dad (and the father dear consumed the entire salad kalurky) enjoyed it! YUM! I had a wonderful appetizer.

Ingredients

apples

bacon (drizzled with honey before frying)

shallots

apple cider vinegar

EVOO

salt

pepper

tad bit of sugar

Enjoy this simple but delish salad! :)

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Workfood - Pesto Pasta with Ham Bits

My gosh! I was a bit in the mood today to cook my food. My shift starts 8AM but I woke up around 4:30 AM to prep and to eat a portion of it too (hahaha).

Ingredients 

pasta (cooked according to package directions)

EVOO

basil

garlic 

peanut

ham

salt

pepper

tad bit of sugar

cheese (optional)

Nothing so special about this dish but it's good. Oh by the way, my blender is such a loser! Am an epic fail on blenders! I was not able to 1. crush the peanuts very well 2. get the consistency I wanted for the pesto. Anyhow, it was still fun consuming the entire thing -- half for breakfast, half for lunch at work *burp!*

Orange Chicken a la MasterChef Australia

One of the dishes I wanted to replicate since I started my MasterChef Australia addiction is Claire Winton-Burn's Fried Masterstock Chicken with Chili Caramel and Orange Salt. I had the recipe printed out and tweaked it just a bit. The result was awesome! The family loved it! And I loved it too! I nailed the masterstock and the chili caramel I guess. Awwww... Up to know, the chicken dish still lingers on my mind and I want a sequel to it!

Ingredients (masterstock)

water

soy sauce

star anise

cinnamon stick

ginger

garlic

sugar

(two) oranges (zest and segments)

Ingredients (chili caramel)

water

sugar

chili flakes

tad bit of salt

Ingredients (orange salt)

rock salt

orange rind

gosh I want this again

An easy dish that you can serve on a super fun Sunday afternoon with the family, if not on special occasions. Have a blessed day to y'all!