Fats, Vitamins and Minerals

Steamed cabbage sprouts
Steamed broccoli
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Laing
Fried saba strips
Fresh mustard leaves
Fresh leeks

Steamed cabbage sprouts
Steamed
Breaded pork strips
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Fried saba strips

Sinigang na baboy
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)

Chicken curry (coconut milk, turmeric, ginger, green chillies, cheese)
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)

Bicol express
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Ginataang gulay

Crispy Galunggong with oatmeal batter
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Steamed cabbage sprouts and tauge

Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Lettuce, onions, tomatoes and vinaigrette with cream cheese

Crispy Pork patties with oatmeal
Finely chopped cabbage, dry shrimp and chillies thin pancake
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Lettuce, onions, tomatoes and vinaigrette with cream cheese

Sautéed asparagus with baguio beans, garlic, onion and finely sliced cabbage (with cornstarch and water)
Thin Ham Slices
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Papaya shake

Beef brisket slices crispy fried in garlic and cracked pepper, with baby potatoes, carrots
Romaine lettuce salad with vinaigrette and dried basil
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Melon shake

Thinly sliced chicken breasts with baguio beans, garlic, onion, cauliflower, dried basil, cracked pepper and cheese
Romaine lettuce salad with vinaigrette and dried basil
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Melon shake

Battered fish filet with chips (and apple cider vinegar)
Fried battered oyster mushrooms
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Apple Juice

Deep fried tilapia
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Honey dew melon shake

Chicken breast with soy sauce, bay leaf, apple cider vinegar, shiitake mushrooms, ginger and sweet peas
Boiled rice (sticky and Sinandomeng)
Orange juice

I finally made some truffles!

I made these using our very own Batangas cocoa.

The Batangas cocoa is melted and mixed with some heavy cream, butter and muscovado sugar. With some olive oil, I rolled teaspoonfuls with a pistacio nut and then covered them with cocoa powder.

Invented in 1625 by John Labarge, chocolate truffle is a type of chocolate confectionery, traditionally made with a chocolate ganache center coated in chocolate or cocoa powder, usually in a spherical, conical, or curved shape. Other fillings may replace the ganache: cream, melted chocolate, caramel, nuts, almonds, berries, or other assorted sweet fruits, nougat, fudge, or toffee, mint, chocolate chips, marshmallow, and, popularly, liquor.

They are named for their resemblance to the truffle fungus.

To get the general idea of making truffles, below are some truffle recipes from The Recipe Goldmine.

Basic Chocolate Truffles with Variations

Truffles should always be served chilled, placed in paper or foil cups. Serving them on a tiered cake plate is nice if you have several varieties. You can refrigerate the truffles, wrapped well, for up to 1 week or freeze them in an airtight container for 1 month. Remove from the freezer 5 minutes before serving.

1/3 cup heavy cream
6 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate,
such as Lindt or Tobler, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
About 1/4 cup cocoa

Bring cream to a boil in a small heavy-bottom saucepan over moderate heat or in a bowl in a microwave. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate and butter, whisking until smooth. Pour the warm chocolate mixture into a shallow bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Using a spoon, scoop 24 rounded teaspoonsful of the cold chocolate mixture onto a sheet of wax paper. Coat your palms with cocoa and roll each mound between your palms to form a ball. Dredge the truffles in the cocoa, tossing them gently from one hand to the other to remove the excess cocoa. Chill the truffles, covered, for at least 2 hours before serving.

Almond-Amaretto Truffles:
Add 2 tablespoons Amaretto the warm chocolate mixture before chilling. Toast 45 whole almonds, reserving 24 and finely chopping the remainder. Mold each truffle around a whole almond. After dredging the truffles in cocoa, roll them in the chopped nuts.

Brandied Apricot Truffles:
Soak 1 rounded cupful finely chopped or diced dried apricots in 1/4 cup brandy in a covered container for at least 1 hour. Add this mixture to the warm chocolate mixture.

Cappuccino Truffles:
Make a paste of 1 tablespoon boiling water, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder. Add the paste to the warm chocolate mixture.

Frangelico-Hazelnut Truffles:
Reduce the butter to 1 tablespoon. Add 2 tablespoons Frangelico and 1 cup toasted and skinned chopped hazelnuts to the warm chocolate mixture before chilling.

Grand Marnier-Sweet Orange Rind Truffles:
Use a zester to remove strips of rind from 3 oranges. Put the rind in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Drain and repeat process. Bring 1 cup water and 1/3 cup sugar to a boil. Add rind and boil 5 minutes. Drain. When the rind is cool enough to handle, chop it fine and mix with 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier. Add the rind and liqueur to the warm chocolate mixture.

Hazelnut-Frangelico Truffles:
Reduce the butter to 1 tablespoon. Add 2 tablespoons Frangelico and 1 cup toasted and skinned chopped hazelnuts to the warm chocolate mixture before chilling.

Kahlua-Pecan Truffles:
Reduce the butter to 1 tablespoon. Toast and chop 1 cup pecans. Add 2 tablespoons Kahlua and the nuts to the warm chocolate mixture before chilling.

Rum-Macadamia Truffles:
Add 2 tablespoons dark rum to the warm chocolate mixture before chilling. Reserve 24 whole Macadamia nuts and finely chop 5 Macadamia nuts. Mold each truffle around a whole Macadamia nut. After dredging the truffles in cocoa, dip the tops in the chopped nuts.

Scotch-Raisin Truffles:
Soak 1 cup raisins in 1/4 cup Scotch in a covered container for at least 1 hour. Add this to the warm chocolate mixture before chilling.

Chocolate Truffle Hearts

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
4 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Sprinkle-on cake decorations

Put confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, cocoa powder and chopped nuts in mixing bowl. Mix well. Place mixture on smooth surface and pat flat until 1/2 inch high. Use heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Decorate hearts with cake decorations and place in a paper candy cup holder.

Chocolate Truffles

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons milk
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon brandy (optional)
Chocolate shot, nonpareil decors or cocoa

In top of double boiler melt chocolate chips with milk. Beat with electric beater until smooth. Continue beating the chocolate as the egg yolks are added, one at a time. Continue beating the chocolate as the egg yolks are added, one at a time. Remove pan from hot water and beat in butter, a few pieces at a time, until completely blended. Continue beating 2 or 3 more minutes. Add brandy, if desired. Let chocolate sit for 4 to 5 hours to cool.

Chocolate may be cooled more quickly by placing in refrigerator. When workable, roll into balls about the size of large marbles. Roll in chocolate shot, colored candy dots or cocoa to coat. Refrigerate. Serve in tiny paper cups.

Yields 50 truffles.

Mocha Truffles

1/4 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chopped nuts or semisweet baking chocolate, grated

In small saucepan combine whipping cream, sugar, butter and instant coffee; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture boils.

Remove from heat; immediately add chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Add vanilla extract. Pour into small bowl; chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to set. Cover; chill several hours or overnight to allow mixture to ripen and harden.

Form small amounts of mixture into 1/2-inch balls, working quickly to prevent melting; roll in nuts or chocolate. Cover; store in refrigerator. Serve cold.

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen truffles.

Truffles

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped,
or 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

Place chocolate in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

Warm cream in a small saucepan over low heat. As soon as you start to see bubbles around the edges of the pan, turn off the heat and pour the warm cream over the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is completely smooth. Add the butter and stir until it is completely incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until it is firm enough to shape into balls.

Scoop out a heaping teaspoonful of the chocolate mixture and roll it into a ball between your palms. Roll the ball in cocoa until it is completely covered. Roll it lightly in your palms again to make sure the cocoa sticks, then re-roll the truffle in cocoa. Repeat with the remaining chocolate mixture. If the mixture gets too soft to hold its shape, place it back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, until it can be handled easily.

Store the truffles in layers, separated by wax paper, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They are best served at room temperature.

Almond Truffles:
Add 3 tablespoons almond liqueur (such as amaretto) with the butter. If desired, you may also roll the truffles in 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds instead of cocoa powder, or push a whole toasted almond inside the rounded truffle before rolling it in the cocoa.

Irish Truffles:
Add 3 tablespoons whiskey with the butter.

Orange Truffles:
Add 3 tablespoons orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier) and 1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind with the butter.

“Talangka! Puros babae!”

It must’ve been a side-effect of the recent typhoons and floods. Assortments of seafood are now being peddled in the city. Someone selling female crabs just passed our apartment. Several days ago in the streets I heard someone selling mussels. A week earlier we bumped into a wooden cart with three plastic pails of fresh fish in ice.

Earlier, a woman has started plying the streets selling papaya and pineapples. This is in addition to the regular peddlers of roasted or boiled peanuts, suha (pomelo), red watermelons, mangoes…
I kind of like the way the city is transforming into a public market, especially a market of fresh produce - from the small farms, the sea, the ponds.

Flying fish from the sea in Baclayon, Bohol.
I miss life in Baclayon already, quite unexpectedly, it wasn’t easy. But there was so much more to learn and enjoy.

There I taught myself how to debone a bangus (milkfish). On full moon days, when there is less catch from the sea, the market sells plenty of bangus. I love bangus but the tiny bones are quite a nuisance, so I learned how to remove them, marinate and then fry. It wasn’t so difficult after all. I also had to do it in a dark mosquito-ridden kitchen with no running water. Oh, but I love that house …

It was also there that I learned to like flying fish - there are two varieties, as shown in the photo above, and some people there say that the winged one is male and the slender ones with the slightly long noses are female. I haven’t had the chance to ask the fishermen about it, but I suspect they are actually different types of fish. I see smaller version of the slender ones whenever we go swimming in the sea… People say that they are actually dirty, because they eat all the stuff that other fish wouldn’t. Someone said they eat sputum and shit. Sounds horrible, but whatever, the fish actually tastes very good … perhaps why they taste very good!

Nevertheless, I have to learn how to dry and salt these inexpensive fish. The fishermen have a special net for the flying fish too. Next time, when we return to Baclayon, it would be nice to see how they catch flying fish … we’ve already done the dilis (bolinao in Bisaya, anchovies in English).

I’ve finally found something good to do with the slow cooker (Trevor is the one who often use it). I made some Spanish-style sardines (tawilis) in olive oil. It turned out pretty good.

At 3PM I set the slow cooker to “auto”, then at 5PM set it to “high” and finally by 7PM set it back to “auto.” By 9PM it was ready.

The result was very soft tawilis with fairly soft heads and bones, but the central bone was still a bit tough - eatable but a bit tougher than your usual tinner sardines.

So perhaps next time what I should do is start with the “high” setting. What I’d like to have is a fairly firm fish with eatable soft bones.

So, two days later I started another batch of Spanish-style tawilis. We got the tawilis from Landmark Supermarket for about PhP90+ per kilo. I bought less than half a kilo, just about enough for us and to give to my mom.

The tawilis turned out slightly better than the last ones. This time, they were a bit more firm, although the heads and tails still had the tendency to fall off. Nevertheless, it was a success.

Afterwards, I immediately set off to make another batch, this time using dried herring (tuyo). I set the slow cooker to “auto” and kept it there for about 6 hours.

This time, I used corn oil. I also washed the tuyo with water to remove excess salt.

After six hours - Spanish-style tuyo in corn oil!

Today mom gave me some fresh salmon. I am hinking of making some salmon in brine with capers. Of course, I put the capers in after the fish is cooked, otherwise, I’d end up with disintegrated capers.

Spanish-syle ingredients are: olive oil (or corn oil), salt, pepper, red chillies (siling labuyo), vinegar (I used pinakurat original flavor), olives, laurel leaves, carrots, and optionally, cucumber, tomato and capers.

February nearly went by without a single blog post! Suddenly, there was just too much to do - after getting my new Crochetology.net website sorted, new immigration and medical duties had to be dealt with. Luckily, I’ve been able to do some crocheting in between and have been updating Crochetology.net more often.

Also, Eric just rang and reminded me of my blog posts on Malaysia and Singapore - which I never finished… and now I started thinking about those again… Sometimes, one takes for granted such experiences that simply get lumped under the category “tours and travel abroad.” Indeed, staying in Seri Kembangan isn’t just “tours and travel abroad…” - it gave me a kind of reference for experiencing differently what normally constitutes “tours and travel abroad.”

The Petronas Twin Towers, KL’s jewels.

I never went near KL’s jewels but did get to see blue fern at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia. The trek into the FRIM’s forest really wore us out but it was worth the visit. I’m not very fond of forests, but when I’m there I can’t help but just enjoy it. Trevor is more fond of forests - he was the one who convinced me to visit Forêt de Finges/Pfynwald in Switzerland several years ago, and I’m glad we went there.

The blue fern, Microsorum thailandicum, at FRIM.

Chuyuan asked me to take this photo of these amazing trees at FRIM.

There is always something new, something different to see and experience in the forest. Unlike cities where it is always the same shopping malls and restaurants, in KL or Manila or Singapore.

But there was one really strange city we visited - Putrajaya.

The Prime Ministers Office in Putrajaya.

We took the bus from Seri Kembangan to the Mines Resort and then another bus into Putrajaya. Chuyuan said it was a surreal place. When we got there, it was surreal and utterly depressing. It was the future of cities in Asia.

Facade of the Ministry of Finance complex in Putrajaya

We passed along what were called “precincts” which were basically residential spaces - large blocks of look-alike houses, rather reasonably designed, in bungalow, two, three or four storeys. They had gardens, common playgrounds, balconies and small commercial centers.

The precincts surrounded the city center where all the government offices, business establishments and foreign embassies are located. Spaces were enormous, buildings were enormous, the streets were paved with marble and street corners even seemed gilded. Street lights and traffic lights looked like creatures from outer space.

I cannot really express the sight and experience of Putrajaya - it was just beyond my expectations of opulence, surfeit, overwhelming order. It seemed I have experienced in a single state, the stages of civilisation - from the secondary forest at FRIM, the “new village” of Seri kembangan, the chaos of Petaling street and the booming mall-cities of KL, and the “abundant sterility” of Putrajaya.

We did pass one place in Putrajaya that seemed alive with humanity - a place near something called Diplomatic Road, a place which resembled so much Little India in Singapore. The bus drive stopped there for a drink - Indian tea most probably - and we saw that the small buildings had business going about, mostly food, and there were people, many of them of Indian descent, walking about, talking, eating.

Our favorite tea drink.

I suddenly missed Seri kembangan, and Kedai Roshidha, the Indian food stall near the house we stayed at.

Kedai Stall Roshidha in Seri Kembangan - our fave Indian place

There I realized how special small villages were, and also felt that they are probably endangered. Perhaps civilisation dictates that they evolve into cities, into malls and into prosaic high-tech prisons.

Market in Seri Kembangan

Chickens at Seri Kembangan Market

But if one is not used to markets and chaos then one could just as well be unhappy in the village, always craving for the concrete jungle or the marble pavements. It must be conditioning, simply conditioning…

Until civilisation collapses. And then people will just move one or two of the remaining structures to a museum or a park.

A beautiful ancestral Malay house, one of several transferred from their original locations. This house is now at FRIM.

December 26
Kuala Lumpur

After several days in and around the village, it was time to check out the big city, Kuala Lumpur. Jay drove us there and instructed us how to get back to Seri Kembangan via bus. The drive would normally take 20 minutes but with the traffic, it could take 45 minutes or more. This was what happened to us on the way in. Just like home in Manila!

Jay dropped us off at the Central Market, and from there we walked around the Indian part of the area and then crossed over to Jalan Petaling, the Chinese district famous among backpackers.

(Left photo) Jalan Petaling in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

What country bumpkins we were!

I certainly got dizzy and confused. Well, I should surely be used to city chaos but after being in Kerala for nearly 3 weeks, the sensory assault of KL was quite a big leap from the laid-back setting of Koliyoor.

Anyway, Trevor and I did mange to roam about  Chinatown, not really knowing what to look for - well except maybe for some crocheting threads. Unfortunately, because we took so long in traffic, it was already 5PM and the shops were starting to close. The street markets were just starting to open up, though, so the streets were getting more and more crowded.

So we decided to cross to the other side and visit a mall near Kota Raya.

Dinner was at an Indian restaurant from across Jalan Petaling. Quite good and certainly very filling. It was quite late when we took the bus back home. It got dark after 7PM, so one didn’t really notice how late it was…

Back in Seri Kembangan, I felt that familiar comfort again. We walked down Jalan Pasar several blocks to the house. It was a pleasant evening. Many of the village kedai kopi were still awake, but things didn’t feel harried or rushed - it was still very laid back.

Surely KL has its charms too. Especially that lively diverse part of the city. For some people, the anonymity of living in the big city is the attraction, and for others, it is the familiarity, intimacy and connection. Perhaps KL offers both. But in Seri Kembangan, like old Baclayon Town in Bohol, everybody knows everybody…

December 23, 2008
Singapore and Malaysia

We arrived at Changi Airport early morning, around 5:30AM. It was roughly a 4 hour flight from Trivandrum to Singapore. We got our luggage and headed to the Singapore Tourism Desk to ask how to get to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by bus.

While my friend Jay advised us to take the local Singapore bus to Johore’s Larkin Bus Station and take the bus there to KL, the Singapore Tourism Desk advised us to go either to the bus station along Beach Road or the bus station near Queens Street. We thought that the station near Queens was Johore’s Larkin, but it turns out that taking the bus near the border was much cheaper which was what Jay was advising. Ah, our misinterpretation!

Anyway, it wasn’t too difficult getting the MRT to Bugis Station and walking to the bus station. Two tickets to KL cost a little over 60SGD. The bus leaves at 9AM - there was still time for breakfast at a food court nearby.

Our final destination wasn’t really KL, but rather Seri Kembangan, which means stopping at Kawasan Rehat Serdang where our friends will pick us up. It was just 10-15 minutes drive from their house to the rest stop, a much better meeting point than KL which can be over 45 minutes drive because of the traffic.

Our bus driver was very good - a small jolly fellow from Malacca. He was so kind as to let us use his mobile phone so I could contact my friends and let them know that we’re on our way, and to lend us 50 RM (Malaysian Ringgits) so we could have lunch at our second rest stop. A funny driver too, with the task of a sheepdog herding a bus full of sheep through Singapore immigration and then Malaysia immigration. After we passed all the immigration, he told everyone to “stop talking, talking, talking.” It was so funny. Anyhow, he did manage to shut everyone up by running a DVD of Mel Gibson’s film Apocalypto.

The four-hour drive into Malaysia was mind-boggling: all we could see were acres and acres of manicured lawns, plantations of palm, interspersed with rows and rows of identical flats. Everything looked so amazingly clean and ordered, a fantasy land for the landscape artist.

Although I haven’t seen Jay and Chuyuan for almost 5 years now, I recognized them immediately as our bus drove into the rest stop. They haven’t aged at all it seems! It was so good to see them again, and of course, so good that finally they got to see Trevor.

We dropped by a bakery to get some bread and pastries, then had a bit of a look around the village until finally reaching Chuyuan’s family home. We got introduced to Chuyuan’s parents - quite a shock when I saw her mom because she looked so much like my own mother! Then we got introduced to the family cat and dog. After tea, Trevor decided to join Jay for a swim at the nearby recreation center. I joined them just to see what the place was like.Quite nice, actually, lots of kids swimming in the kiddie pool with their families, all enjoying themselves.

The family cat, Cheeky. A real tortie cat which reminded me of our own Kitty Kitty, a tortie calico cat.

Dinner was at a kind of food court nearby - a place where there are numerous food stalls and a common eating space. Quite good food and a lot of choice.

Hearty Hakka food. Hakka refers to a subgroup of the Han Chinese people.

Then finally, some rest! Tomorrow will be more time to explore the village.

(Photo below) View outside our window in the morning and (below) nighttime.