Thai Chicken Pineapple Curry

via: http://www.spiciefoodie.com/2009/09/07/luscious-thai-chicken-pineapple-curry-and-the-5-flavors-of-thai-cuisine-2/

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

1 cup fresh pineapple, diced

½ c bamboo shoots, sliced

12 red cherry tomatoes

1 Tbsp red curry paste

1 Tbsp ginger, grated

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ T fish sauce

1 tsp sugar (if using canned pineapple, omit)

½ c chicken broth

1 cup coconut milk

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp ground turmeric

Fresh cilantro or basil leaves to garnish

Procedure:

Heat oil. Saute ginger and garlic. Brown chicken. Add curry paste to coat chicken. Then add chicken broth, sugar, turmeric, bamboo shoots, fish sauce and pineapple. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add coconut milk and cherry tomatoes. It is ready when coconut milk starts to separate and the cherry tomatoes are soft.

My notes:

The original recipe called for 2 tbsp red curry paste and 1 sliced red chili pepper. Since red curry is the spiciest among the curries, I decided to use only 1 tbsp of Panang curry paste and omitted the red chili pepper. Looking at the ingredients at the back of the packet of the Panang and Red curry paste, the red curry paste had more chilis. Thus, I opted for the Panang curry paste. Even then, the dish still had a lot of kick. My husband loved the heat and reminded me to keep the recipe. I thought that I would have some left over sauce for a fish curry. But my husband gobbled it all up. My son was not home for dinner which was good. He will find this dish too spicy.  Next time, I’ll try it with green curry for my son.

This recipe is a keeper if like us, you like spicy food.

After two days, my husband requested this dish again. I omitted the chicken broth but added a quarter of  the chicken bullion. It tasted better and not as soupy. I also used canned pineapple instead of the fresh one. The fresh pineapple was definitely better. It gave a well balanced flavor to the dish and still had that crunch when you bite into it. I also used coconut cream instead of coconut milk. For some reason, my dish was not as spicy. I wonder if the richness of the coconut cream absorbed some of the spiciness of the curry paste. But, I'll go back to coconut milk next time because my husband wanted that extra kick or maybe use 2 tablespoons of  the red curry paste. I also used a handful of cilantro and torn basil which I had on hand.

Chicken Pineapple Curry with canned pineapple tidbits and no chicken broth. Fresh pineapple is definitely the way to go.

I only used this small pack of coconut cream for this dish. It only sells for Php 9.95 compared to Php 50 if I have it freshly grated. I use the Pantai brand because the other brands available at Unimart are too mild. The curry paste also comes in small packets.

Pineapple Shrimp Curry. I added red bell peppers and used fresh pineapple and some chicken broth to tone down the taste of the coconut creme. 

Beef with Broccoli

Ingredients:
beef
broccoli
6 1/2 inch pieces green onions
6 slices of ginger
1 shallot, chopped
dried shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, rehydrated and sliced

Marinade:
1 T cornstarch
1 T soy sauce
1/2 T sherry or cooking wine
1/2 T water

Sauce:
3 Tbsp water
1 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp sherry or cooking wine
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp sugar
dash of pepper, sesame oil
2 Tbsp oil

Procedure:
Cut the beef across the grain in thin, bite-sized pieces. Mix with marinade for at least one hour. Before frying, add 1 Tbsp oil and mix so that the pieces of meat will separate easily when stir-frying.

Separate the flowerets of the broccoli from the stem. Slice the stem. Cook in boiling water for 1 min. Remove, drain and set aside.

Heat the wok with 1-2 Tbsp oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions, ginger and shallots. Add the beef. Add the sauce. Toss in the broccoli. Remove to a serving platter. Serve.

Note:

I use 2/3 lb beef tenderloin or rib-eye steak for this recipe. Add onions if shallots not available. Sometimes, I also sub broccoli with corn and snap peas.

Preparations for the Mooncake Festival 2011

My friends and I can never pass up on a good deal. When two deals are scheduled on the same day, no worries, we do both.Yesterday was such a long day. We planned to shop at S&R Commonwealth for the dice game prizes since it was the first day of their annual sale.Then we intended to proceed to the Manila Pen for their 35th Anniversary Promo. Unfortunately, when we got to the S&R Commonwealth branch at 10 am, the crowd was already 3 people wide and snaked around two sides of the building. Looking at the chaos, we decided to try our luck at the Manila Pen and then proceed to S&R, the Fort, after lunch. We figured that if we arrived at Manila Pen before 11 am, we would be seated by 12 noon. Then, arriving at The Fort at an iffy time of 2:30-3:00 pm might also work to our advantage. Great plan only if the Universe will also decide to make it easy for us.

Wonder of wonders. When we got to Manila Pen at 11 am, we thought that we had our dates mixed up. There was no line at all. We signed up for a table, went to wash up and by the time we returned, the people in front of us were already being led to their tables. This was great. To kill time, we started with a plate of pancit luglug which was not included with their promo this year. Oh my, it was really good. The noodles, shrimp and squid were cooked to perfection.Their offering this year was for the Schueblig and Halo-Halo for 35 pesos each from 12 nn to midnight. I didn't think that they would include fries with the Schublig but there it was...all for 35 pesos and they did not limit it to one order per person either. You could order as many as you wanted but no take out.

The Halo-Halo usually sells for 420 pesos. But today, it was offered at 35 pesos. I'm not a halo-halo fan but at 35 pesos, why not? I loved the leche flan and the pinipig topping though.

Manila Peninsula even had their mascot for a photo shoot. Jane Sy, Ruth Cezar and I enjoying our halo-halo at the Lobby. Unfortunately, Lucy could not join us because the XS PTC was also scheduled the same afternoon.

After a satisfying lunch, we then proceeded to S&R, The Fort. Once again, we were shocked to see a line that was really short. The end of the line was just before the parking garage. I guess the Makati crowd would rather pay full price than join the throng of people. The only problem was the shortage of pushcarts and so Ruth lined up while Jane and I followed shoppers to their car to unload so that we can use their carts. We were allowed to enter after about 30 min. which was not bad at all. Once in, Jane lined up for the checkout counter. Once again, luck was on our side. The couple who lined up after us only had a few items and did not have a cart. They were Chinese too. So, Jane spoke to them in Chinese and asked if they were willing to watch our cart while we shopped. In exchange, they could put their stuff in our cart. A win-win situation for all of us.

We were able to buy almost all of our prizes for the dice game and the above photo shows some of the items I bought for the home. Once again, they had the 2-liter EVOO on sale. We bought one carton and intend to offer 2 bottles as a prize. I bought the corned beef from Australia. I'm trying to figure out if this is the same brand I use to buy from the Australian Consulate when I lived in NYC. I use a lot of peanut butter for my dishes and so that large bottle on sale was a God sent. They also had the Sriracha rooster brand that I normally buy at Pho Hoa. The reduced fat mayo with olive oil was also on sale. My friends said that the Prem brand of luncheon meat is just as good as Spam so I bought a can to try out. So many things on sale. If only I had tons of money to buy all the things I wanted but then again, I didn't buy a lot of junk either.

P.S.
My family didn't like the Friday's chicken wings. The Prem luncheon meat is pretty good. My son loves the Reese's ice cream. The Blue Bunny cherry with chocolate ice cream tastes like medicine and is a far cry from Ben and Jerrry's Cherry Garcia.

Chef's Table, The Fort

When the idea of eating at the Chef's Table was brought to our attention last year, we turned it down because only set menus were available then at 1500 pesos per head. So, we were so excited when a discount voucher was offered at 750 pesos for a 5-course meal just in time for Ruth's birthday. This restaurant is owned by Chef Bruce of the TV Show fame and so we expected to have a lunch that we will savor much like our experience at The Establishment.

Service was impeccable. The food was served at a leisurely pace which was perfect for a ladies lunch out. We practically had the restaurant all to ourselves except for a couple who were seated three tables away from us. But alas, the food was such a disappointment. After each course, we hoped that the next one would be better but course after course after course brought nothing but worried looks on our faces.

The first course was Roasted Tomato Halaan Soup. This tasted like a warm Bloody Mary with 3 pieces of baby clams...make that preemie baby clams. I've always associated a Bloody Mary as a tonic for a hangover and so this dish gave me bad vibes. My friend described it as canned tomato puree with minute clams.

The next dish was a Chef's Salad with a roasted garlic calamansi vinaigrette. Actually, this was not so bad after we asked for more dressing on the side. The dressing looked like Caesar salad dressing and so maybe I was looking for the kick of the anchovies and garlic. The serving was ample though.

The Calamansi Tuyo Spaghetti came next. I liked the flavors of the calamansi and tuyo but the dish was dripping with oil. You also have to squeeze the calamansi, flake the tuyo and toss it into the spaghetti to enjoy this dish.

The main entree was the Chinese Style Steamed Lapu-Lapu on a bed of mashed ube. Some of my friends complained that the Lapu-Lapu was not so fresh. Yup, it tasted like frozen lapu-lapu steaks. Since all my friends were Chinese, we all agreed that it tasted like fish that we cooked at home. You know, the one with light soy sauce, ginger, scallions and a splash of hot oil. So, paying for something that we can have at home did not sit well with us.

Finally, something to rave about...Buko Pie Martini. We all loved this dessert. It was creamy with bits of buco for some crunch, tiny sago pearls for a chewy texture and not sweet. Perfect finale to an otherwise forgettable meal. It was not a wasted trip after all. The good news is that we only paid half price for the set meal. The bad news is that we didn't think that it was worth 750 pesos. Oh well, you win some, you lose some...Urghh, I really wanted to like this place.

The Chef's Table
25th Street between 10th and 11th Aves.
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig