funny side up

Okonomiyaki This Japanese dish is simple to make, delicious, and very filling! Non-batter ingredients : 1/2 head cabbage julienned then cubed scallions / spring  onions Spam / bacon / thin pork belly slices (optional) Bonito flakes (optional) Batter ingredients : 1 cup plain flour / cake flour 1.5 tsp baking powder 1 cup dashi (or 1/2 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water 1 cup fresh milk  + 1tsp baking powder (or  cup  japanese  mountain yam2) 4 eggs lightly beaten Whisk together all batter ingredients except eggs        (do not  overwhisk ). Cover and put in  fridge  for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, whisk in gently the beaten eggs. Add scallions / spring onions (leave some for garnish). Add cabbage. Mix well. Like coleslaw - but  pancakey  cabbage. Okonomi sauce ingredients : 1 tbsp white sugar 3.5 tbsp  worcestershire  sauce 2 tbsp oyster sauce 4 tsp ketchup...

Biko is a sweet rice cake in the Philippines. It is made from glutinous rice, brown sugar and coconut milk. To me, when it is topped with latik (coconut caramel), then it is an extra-special kind of biko. 😍 I love it served warm during merienda time, paired with a glass of kalamansi (Philippine lime) juice. It brings to mind happy memories, of simple times with family, when we all have this afternoon delight in my mom's garden, a welcome treat after hours of chores (well, seemed to me like the chores took forever, then 😅).  I have fond memories of my Auntie Meling bringing a platterful of biko whenever she makes one in her home across our own.  In Cebu, it was my first time to have it served together with ripe mango.  Oh, what a heavenly pairing that was! As my experience with biko has always been to eat it, I was so happy that my hubby once tried making this Thai Sticky Rice version, inspired by our favorite Chef John of Food Wishes. I found it reminiscent of biko ...

"Pansit for loooooong life!" is how we say it in my country, drawing a parallelism to the length of the noodle to the length of one's life. 😎 Pansit or pancit means noodles. The origin of noodles in Filipino cuisine can be traced back to the era in Philippine history when the early Chinese migrants, traded and then settled in the archipelago.   According to Wiki, the word pansit is derived from the Hokkien word "pian i sit" meaning convenient food, attributing to the ease and speed of preparing this dish. Since its introduction, noodles has been adopted and has evolved into its many variations islands-wide that are a staple today. As such, growing up, pansit was part of my family's tradition, as is typical in most Filipino homes. It is a regular in the family's menu. And how can a fiesta, party or special get-together be ever complete without it? It is just one of those dishes that someone in the family or clan prepares for sharing. Pansit canton...