Recipe | Prawn and Pork Wonton Triangles

Every time we have a new culinary magazine at home or whenever I get my hands on any cookbooks, I'd always take the time to check the recipes if there is something easy to do that I could recreate at home. While checking my notebook with a list of the recipes I would like to try, I came across this and thought it would be a good pica-pica dish to serve on Noche Buena.

This recipe was by celebrity chef Him Uy de Baron and was taken from the October 2010 issue of Yummy Magazine, and is also printed on their website.


Prawn and Pork Wonton Triangles
{makes 20 to 24 dumplings}

Ingredients:

• 150 grams pork picnic (kasim), minced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 50 grams pork back fat, minced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 150 grams prawns, minced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 10 grams dried woodear mushrooms, reconstituted in warm water and  minced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• dash of pepper
• 2 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons chopped spring onion
• 20 to 24 pieces wonton wrappers
• 1 egg, whisked, to use as egg wash
• oil for deep-frying
• sweet chili sauce, to serve

How to Cook:

• Place all the ingredients in a bowl except wonton wrappers, egg, oil, and chili sauce; mix together.
• Make wonton triangles by placing a spoonful of the prawn-pork mix into the center of each wrapper. Brush with egg wash and fold to make triangles.
• Heat enough oil to deep-fry the triangles. Make sure that the oil is not too hot that the wrappers blister and brown within seconds. Fry in batches and drain excess oil on paper towels. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Even if I planned for this dish to be a part of our Noche Buena, it wasn't as perfect as I hoped it would be, because I forgot to buy the spring onions and it was already too late when I realized I was missing one ingredient. I also bought the small size wonton wrappers, so I didn't place a full tablespoon of filling, I just placed enough to fold the wrappers and sealing the edges.

This wasn't y first time to cook a related recipe. Back then, I attempted to do a ham and cheese wonton triangle and it was such a disaster. I learned (by cooking this recipe) that the oil didn't have to be so hot so the wrappers won't brown in seconds.

Despite not having the spring onions (which I think would add more dimension to the taste), it still turned out okay. All the wonton triangles I served were eaten so quickly, and my sister even requested me to cook it again because what we left for her (she didn't eat Noche Buena with us as she was already sleeping) weren't enough to satisfy her. Next time, I'd definitely put in the spring onions and would compare the taste.

This Year's Noche Buena

In our household, mom ruled the kitchen. She would always prepare dishes (especially on special occasions) because she wanted to be in some sort of control, but for nearly a decade now, she allowed us (her children) to cook – not just everyday meals, but also during special days. During the holidays, my sister and I would prepare dishes for Noche Buena and Christmas Day lunch, while brother would prepare dishes for Media Noche and New Year’s Day lunch.


I wanted to keep it quite simple for this year’s Noche Buena, afterall, it’s just us four – no relatives visiting us for Christmas.


Chicken Macaroni Salad
I totally forgot when was the last time we prepared this dish at home. Growing up, my parents would serve this for the holidays, but as we grow old and learn different recipes, we kinda let this dish take the back seat. I want to include a feel of nostalgia, hence this dish. A very simple dish to make, I think we all know how to prepare this one... but for this particular salad, I made sure I chopped certain ingredients so it won’t make an overpowering impression. I also added a little condensed milk into the dressing, and of course, I didn’t forget adding finely minced onions, because we just love the hint of onions in our macaroni salad.


Prawn and Pork Wonton Triangles
I was browsing old culinary magazines for easy recipes to try and saw this from an old issue of Yummy Magazine. Cooking this on Christmas Eve was a risk – I have no idea how it would taste like and I don’t know how would the family accept it, but I was so glad that it tasted good. I just felt sad because the wonton wrapper I bought said it had 100 wrappers inside, yet I made below 50 wonton triangles all in all. Needless to say, what I served wasn’t enough to satisfy the family.

Recipe for this dish will be shared tomorrow.


Banana Cupcakes
Noche Buena and Christmas is about celebrating Jesus Christ’s birth, so the cake will always be present at the table during this time. We all know how hectic this time would be – too many shoppers flocking the market as well as different bakeshops, so we decided not to buy cakes. Instead, I opted to go for the ever reliable Maya Oven Toaster cake mix, so we could also give some to our neighbors.

We have different types of the Maya Oven Toaster cake mix at home – Banana Cake, Chocolate Cake, Butter Cake, and Bibingka. The Bibingka was a bit difficult to use and there might be too much chocolate this time of the year, so we used the banana cake mix. A box of the mix yielded 18 mini cupcakes, definitely a great giveaway. As always, we used the steamer to cook the cupcakes, which turned out to be a better choice (than using the oven toaster) because it was moist and had an even color.
It was a different celebration this year. I felt a little sad that it was just us four celebrating it, and sister didn’t even eat with us that midnight. Well, I couldn’t blame her – she’s very tired from work and still has to go to work morning of Christmas Day, but of course I just couldn’t help but feel sad.

How was your Noche Buena?

Gadget Gambit’s Thanksgiving Party

Every year, influential blogs are recognized, and blogger Jonel Uy’s influence in the Philippine blogosphere is once again recognized, as his tech blog – Gadget Gambit was awarded as one of this year’s top emerging influential blogs.

With so much blessings coming his way, Gadget Gambit held a thanksgiving party, which happened at the SM North EDSA’s branch of Greenwich, one of the country’s well known pizza and pasta place.

Food served at the party –


All-Meat Overload Pizza


Hawaiian Overload Pizza


7 Cheese Overload Pizza


Greenwich Special Overload Pizza

Just recently, Greenwich introduced their barkada size – 15” pizza, cut into 16 pieces for barkadas (and big groups in general) to share. This reminds me of the rectangle family sized pizza Greenwich used to have, and although the idea of having a huge pizza for people to share is nice, I somehow didn't like it that much, because the outer four cuts were so small compared the other cuts, and some had the outer crust, while the others had full of toppings. Good thing, Greenwich will cut the pizza to the customer's liking... so if you prefer to have it cut in 8 equal cuts (like the typical pizza) or any other kinds of cut you prefer, all you have to do is to give them your special request.

I liked all the flavors, but my favorites would have to be the 7 Cheese and Hawaiian pizzas.


Crunchy Chicken Glaze
I only had a tiny piece of this chicken (which I took from my cousin Marjorie’s plate) to taste it, and I wasn’t disappointed. When I first heard about this dish, I thought it might be similar to the soy-garlic double deep fried chicken, but I was mistaken. Well, the presentation might be the same, but the taste is definitely different. This one’s slightly sweet and spicy, and perfect to be eaten with rice. Well, I had a piece of each of the pizzas, so I will just go back to Greenwich to order one next time.


Lasagna
This season means parties here and there, and for some, cooking a potluck dish might take more time and effort, so Greenwich is now offering party-size trays for their pastas. I have always liked their lasagna, so I truly enjoyed feasting on this pasta.


Greenwich Fried Chicken
I couldn’t remember the last time I ate Greenwich Fried Chicken (I often go for their pizza and pasta), but eating this one was a surprise. It tasted way much better than the last Greenwich Fried Chicken I tasted – this one’s more flavorful that a gravy isn’t necessary anymore.


Also at the event, Jonel gave recognition to the bloggers who joined his Blogger Apprenticeship Program. Now on its second year, the program is designed for young bloggers (bloggers who are blogging for a year and below) who would like to know more about the ins and outs of blogging. For this day, Jonel awarded the top six and top three bloggers, and the ones present at the event were Athena, Sumi, and Alwin. Congratulations!

Christmastime is truly a time for gratitude, and as much as Jonel held this party to extend his gratitude, I also would like to thank him for inviting me (and my brother) for this event.

Merci Beaucoup, Bizu Patisserie!

Christmas is a day of celebration, and for some, it can be a bit overwhelming. We are a family of four, but my siblings and I make plans what to serve for Noche Buena and Christmas Day lunch because preparing the dishes can take up so much time, hindering us to do certain things related to Christmas.

Gift giving can also be a difficult thing... year after year, it gets more and more difficult to think what to give to our family, friends, and godchildren, which is why at times, I consider wrapping food items, because it doesn’t require much thinking, and I know for sure the receiver will appreciate it.

There are so many food shops where one can buy food items to serve at home, parties, or be wrapped as gifts, and Bizu Patisserie is one of those one-stop-shops where one can purchase pastries and savory treats to satisfy everyone.


This week, I received a goody bag containing certain Bizu Patisserie products. It was a very sweet gesture (because I don’t really receive that much gifts – in general – during Christmas), that I would like to share to you, my dear readers.


Salmon Rillete
Fresh Norwegian salmon slow cooked with butter and dill herbs. Salmon is one of my favorite fishes, so it’s quite obvious that I loved this a lot. It doesn’t require that much spread to make the toast flavorful, but because it’s so delicious, the family nearly emptied the bottle in one sitting.


Belgian Chocolate Cookies
Every bite screams chocolate. It’s very rich and decadent, something every chocoholics would love. The tube contains 10 cookies, definitely good for sharing.


Chocolate Revel Bars
The one on the left is the Dark Chocolate Revel Bar with Pecans, and the one on the right is the White Chocolate Macadamia Revel Bar. Between the two, I loved the Dark Chocolate more because the bittersweet taste of the dark chocolate added more depth into the flavors.


Joie Pretzel (Milk Chocolate & Hazelnut)
Chopped salted pretzels coated with milk chocolate and hazelnut. I am not really into chocolate candies, and I am not into salted pretzels, but I am a big fan of foods with a combination of sweet and salty flavors, so this I liked a lot. I loved how the salted pretzels fights the sweet, milky goodness of the chocolate. I also liked that it was served in bite size clusters, which makes it a good ending to a wonderful meal.

There are so many choices at Bizu Patisserie – from cakes to chocolate bars, even savoury holiday treats that you can serve to your family. It makes thinking and preparing easier, and if you would like to check what Bizu Patisserie has to offer this Christmas, you can visit their website – www.bizupatisserie.com or visit any of their branches – Greenbelt 2, Glorietta 4, Greenhills, St. Lukes Global City, St. Luke’s Lobby Cafe, Alabang Town Center, and One Rockwell Tower.

Thank you, Bizu Patisserie for these treats. Merry Christmas!

Max's Restaurant - Bloggers Got Talent 2012

It was last weekend (08 December) when I, together with my siblings, attended an early Christmas Party for bloggers organized by Max's Restaurant. This was the second time they organized such party for bloggers, as their way of thanking the bloggers for attending their different events, but I am more grateful for their generosity. I really love being part of the Max's Restaurant family as one of their bloggers because every event they organize was truly fun and spectacular. I feel so much at home with them, and being with the people from Max's Restaurant, Bright Ideas (their PR company) and my co-bloggers already established a feeling of all us being in one big, happy family.


Just like what they did last year, they organized a videoke party, but prior to main part of the party, they served dinner at the Greenbelt 1 branch. We had Beef Kare-Kare, Lechon Kawali, Sinigang na Hipon, Boneless Bangus, Max's Fried Chicken, and Buco Pandan for desserts. In the many times I have attended events for Max's Restaurant, I have written different posts about this meal, so no need to repeat it... but of course every dish was awesome, and my favorite for this particular meal was the Beef Kare-Kare because it had a lot of vegetables.


This was a Christmas Party, yes, but co-blogger Alwin was also celebrating his birthday that day, and the staff of Max's Restaurant surprised him with a birthday song and a Toffee Torte cake, which we all shared. (Thanks, Alwin!)


After the dinner, we all walked to RedBox (Greenbelt 3) for the Videoke Party. At first, we were asked who would like to join the singing contest, but for the spirit of fun and camaraderie, we were all asked to sing one song - meaning all of us were part of the singing contest.


Pieces of "Like" and "Unlike" papers were placed at the tables, which we will use to judge each contestants, but there was a different set of judges who graded each performances. Of course, we didn't use the thumbs down paper as we all enjoyed singing our hearts out.



To make it fair, Max's Restaurant and Bright Ideas staff wrote our names on pieces of paper and names were drawn one by one. In between singing and chit-chats, we were served drinks and finger foods - French Fries, Nachos, Buffalo Wings, and Calamares. I wasn't able to taste the Buffalo Wings, but the French Fries I liked because it the cuts were big and it was seasoned well, but it was mushy and oily. As for the drinks, I had a bottle of water and a bottle of Cerveza Negra (my favorite beer).


I was the tenth blogger to sing. I do like to sing, but I never really wanted to perform solo in front of an audience because my voice tends to go shaky, but I wanted to try my luck at winning the cash prize at stake, so I first chose to sing "Stand Up for Love" by Destiny's Child. However, the song would always stop after a few seconds, so I decided to sing "On My Own" instead. I did feel my voice shake, but was super thankful that I won 3rd place, making me two thousand pesos richer. Rain won second prize (he sang A1's "Like a Rose") and Jing was named the overall winner for singing "If I Sing You a Love Song."


There were also a series of raffle during the event, and it was such a great night for brother and I that we won a Samsung DVD player each. During the last event I attended at Max's Restaurant (the launch of the Merienda Meals), I hoped to win the DVD Player (but didn't), so this was a pleasant surprise, making me realize that everything has its own time. Well, we still do have a working DVD Player at home so I don't know what I will do with this player, but I am planning to do a 365 Movie Project next year, and this player might come in handy. Sister won a GC for a facial at Let's Face It, by the way.

As if the meal, the party, and the raffle weren't enough, each of us were also given Christmas Gifts - a box of goodies from Max's Corner Bakery (3 kinds of Polvoron, Caramel Bars, and Chocolate Cookies), a 2013 Max's Restaurant Journal (which I will write about next post), and two GCs for half-sized Fried Chicken.

I am really thankful that I am part of Max's Restaurant family. Cheers to the friendship, and here's to more events in the coming year.