A nice way to end the year

I didn’t expect to be travelling this late in the year and this close to the holiday season. But changes in our Darwin office beyond my control required me to visit that part of the world a few days before Christmas.

I originally planned to use my points to upgrade my seat as a Christmas gift to myself but I was pleasantly surprised to have been given the privilege for free by Qantas.

I’ll let the photos tell the story of what transpired during that trip.

Early Morning on the way to the airport

Organised chaos at BNE

Breakfast: Ham, cheese, avocado croissant

Breakfast on board: cereal and a warm fruit roll

Aerial view of Brisbane

Morning tea: biscuits and water

Re-reading East of Eden

Pre-flight drink

Pre-lunch snack

Lunch: Barramundi

Afternoon Tea: Magnum ice-cream and coffee

Cheese platter



Fish & Chips


Pho (from Saigon Star, DAR) - very average


Vietnamese Spring Rolls (from Saigon Star, DAR) - again, average

Seafood Laksa (from Rendezvous, DAR)

Home made iced tea (from Rendezvouz, DAR)

In-room breakfast: scrambled eggs & bacon

Bugs with Quandong Jam (from The Char Grill, DAR) - superb!

Sights of DARWIN

Holiday Inn Esplanade DAR

Welcoming 2010!

I just love this photo so much I had to write something about it. It looks so vibrant and enticing (for me) I couldn’t help but put it on my blog.

To welcome the new year it is a Filipino tradition to serve a basket of fruits (at least 12 different kinds) to symbolise hope for a prosperous year ahead. We went overboard and bought 13:

Guyabano (Soursop)
Rockmelon
Cherries
Pears
Lychees
Blueberries
Mangoes
Grapes
Lime
Strawberries
Nectarines
Navel Oranges
Apples

I wish everyone a healthy and blessed 2010!

Easy Pineapple Glazed Christmas Ham ala Beancounter

This is a wee bit late for Christmas I know but during the holidays I didn’t have so much of a break to sit down and write a single post.

If there is one indulgence during the season that I never let myself miss out on it would have to be the glazed ham. My Christmas does not feel complete without this traditional centrepiece of my family’s noche buena table.

There are a lot more complicated recipes out there. But I wouldn’t want to be slaving in the kitchen and fail to enjoy the festivities. When I tell my friends how I prepare my ham they are shocked as to how simple it is.

The idea is you make pineapple jam and use this to glaze your ham. If you couldn’t be bothered making home made jam a store bought one could work just as well (I think, but I’ve never tried this). And yes, it doesn’t have to be pineapple.


Easy Pineapple Glazed Christmas Ham ala Beancounter

Half a Leg of Smoked Ham (a whole leg does not fit in my fridge)
1 large can crushed pineapple in syrup
500g of brown sugar
1 cup pineapple juice
A bit more brown sugar

1. Start by preparing your glaze. Combine the crushed pineapple, including all the liquid, and brown sugar in a sauce pan and reduce to about half its original volume. Cool down and set aside.
2. Prepare your ham by removing the rind (I’ve been to some households where they forgot this very important step, honestly). Score the fat to make a lattice pattern. Transfer to a roasting tray.
3. Rub the ham with some brown sugar.
4. Smear (yes, not brush) the jam onto the ham.
5. Pour the pineapple juice onto the tray.
6. Bake the ham in a 180°C oven for about an hour or until the glaze has turned nice and dark. Make sure you place it in the lowest rack so it doesn’t turn dark too quickly.
7. Serve hot or cold.

Australia – the Food Icons – Pavlova

unwhipped cream and pomegranate

Here’s another classic dessert that has dubious origins. By that I mean both Aussies and Kiwis claim this as their national dish. Apparently the dessert was named after the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It was supposed to have been created to honour the artist on one of her tours of Australia and New Zealand.


Pavlova is a meringue based dessert topped with whipped cream and fresh seasonal tart tasting fruits (mainly strawberries, kiwis and passion fruit).



Whenever the wifey makes leche flan, pavlova is sure to follow. It is the perfect solution to the leftover egg white problem after making the classic Filipino dessert.



The recipe below is actually the wife’s.


Cherry’s Pavlova

5 egg whites
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoons cornflour
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
3. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat until soft peaks form.
4. Add the caster sugar a little bit a time.
5. Add the salt.
6. Beat for a few more minutes until stiff peaks form.
7. Add the vanilla and beat a little bit more.
8. Fold the cornflour into the mixture.
9. Form approximately 12 several individual pavlovas or 1 large (approximately 20cm in diameter) pavlova onto the baking tray.
10. Lower the heat to 125°C and bake for 1 ½ hours.
11. Turn off the heat and leave the pavlova to cool down in the oven with the door ajar.
12. Dress your pavlova with whipped (fresh) cream and fruits in season.

12 years…

If I am a comedian I’m literally running out of material…

After 12 years (make that 17 if we include the years before the wedding) together you’d think finding a gift for your spouse would be a walk in the park. On the contrary, I walked and ran and still I couldn’t find the perfect gift for my lovely wife. There’s so much I want to say that one gift was not going cut it.

So, I’m not going to talk about what I got her. This year she’s certainly outdone me in the gift giving area.

For one, what she gave me is something I really want. Another reason is I really want she got me. Did I already say I love what she gave me? In fact, I wanted it so badly I joined a couple of competitions (unbeknownst to her) hoping I wouldn’t have to shell out that much moolah for a book(I’m still waiting for the email notifications to tell me I’ve won).

Yes, it’s a book. It’s actually a food book. I say it’s a food book because it’s more than just a collection of recipes. My newest food book is titled The Songs of Sapa, Stories and Recipes from Vietnam by Luke Nguyen of the renowned Red Lantern restaurant of Sydney. The title says it all. If you’ve been following this blog you know how enamoured I am by that country’s cuisine.

A food journey similar to that of Luke Nguyen (with the Philippines as the setting) is something I hope to make in the future.

Dreams do come true! After all, I’m married to my one true love…

Happy anniversary sweetheart!

Baon – Ginataang Hipon at Kalabasa (Prawn & Pumpkin in Coconut Milk)

In the past I never would have dared bring such delights to work. But after my tuyo and curry lunch barely caused a murmur I feel almost invincile and uninhibited to bring whatever i fancy. I figured there couldn’t be anything worse of an assault to your nostrils than dried fish (there's plenty I know but let’s not get side tracked).

The recipe is a rehash of a previous post with a slight variation. I peeled the prawns before cooking for a less fiddly lunch at work.

I also brought some tuna for another layer of flavour to my lunch.


Ginataang Hipon at Kalabasa (Prawns & Pumpkin in Coconut Milk)

1 medium onion chopped
6 slices of ginger
6-8 medium prawns peeled
Pumpkin (I don’t know how to quantify this. 1 regular size wedge, I suppose)
1 bunch mustard greens (mustasa)
1 can coconut milk
Fish sauce or sea salt
Oil for sautéing

1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Sauté the ginger for about a minute then add the onion. Cook until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the prawns and cook for about a minute.
4. Add the pumpkin.
5. Add a bit of fish sauce or sea salt at this stage of the cooking.
6. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer until the pumpkin is done.
7. Add more fish sauce or sea salt if necessary.
8. Add the mustard greens and cook for another minute.
9. Serve with grilled or fried fish.

Baon – Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich)

The one and only sandwich that truly hits the spot for me is the Vietnamese Banh Mi.

What is Banh Mi?

It is a sandwich composed of a light and crispy baguette (made using a combination of rice and wheat flour) filled with mayonnaise, liver pâté, chillies, coriander, cucumber, pickled carrot and your choice of protein (Vietnamese cold cuts, leftover roasts/barbecues, etc.).

It does sound a lot…because it is. But you only need small quantities of each to create this masterpiece of a sandwich.

For today’s lunch I’ve used leftover lechon (and Vietnamese pork roll) to give it a Pinoy touch and then some beetroot instead of pickled carrots to add a bit of an Aussie element to my sandwich.

Baon - Pork Adobo

Adobo is a cooking style indigenous to the Philippines but is similarly named to a Spanish cooking method. Filipino adobo basically means cooking meat (sometimes fish and seafood as well) in vinegar. The addition of soy sauce and other spices, black pepper and bay leaves in particular, came later when the Filipinos started trading with other cultures (especially the Chinese).

Homemade ensaymadas for breakfast

There are as many versions of adobo as there are Filipino households around the globe. Mine is quite simple and I prefer to use only pork. To achieve a real authentic adobo I suggest you use Filipino branded coconut vinegar (Datu Puti perhaps) and soy sauce (Silver Swan).


To balance the fattiness of my adobo I would normally serve it with a side of vegetables. For my baon today I brought fried eggplant that I topped with caramelised garlic and onion from my adobo.

Pork Adobo ala Kidpawan

1kg pork belly cut in fairly large chunks
60ml coconut vinegar
60ml Filipino soy sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
Black pepper
1 head of garlic chopped finely
1 large onion chopped
Water (just enough to cover the meat)
Bay leaf (optional, I don’t use it in mine)
A bit of oil for sautéing


1. Combine all the ingredients in a pot but set aside a quarter of the garlic and onion for sautéing later.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour or so or until desired tenderness of the meat is achieved.
3. Remove everything from the pot but separate the meat from the sauce.
4. Heat up a bit of oil in the same pot. Sauté the garlic then the onion.
5. Add the meat pieces back in and fry for a couple of minutes. If you prefer a “crispier” adobo fry it a bit longer.
6. Add the sauce back in and simmer for another five minutes.
7. Serve with steaming hot jasmine rice.