Minatamis na Kamote (Sweet Potato in Rich Syrup)

A bad kamote (sweet potato) experience as a youngster put me off this tuber for a long time. I would naturally substitute regular potato for any savoury recipe that calls for kamote.

I was re-introduced to it when my wife craved minatamis na kamote and asked me to prepare some. I willingly obliged, of course, consequentially resurrecting a dead and buried taste for this root crop.

I like my minatamis chewy and stretchy. By this I mean I want the kamote almost candy like. I prefer it to have a bit more bite resulting from engorging each piece of kamote in the rich syrup. This is not hard to achieve. NEVER ADD WATER!

The recipe is actually quite simple and needs only 3 ingredients. I use the purple skinned/white fleshed sweet potato variety. This strain of kamote, I find, is able to hold its shape well even after a long cooking process.


Minatamis na Kamote

1-2 kamote (sweet potato) cut into cubes
1-2 cups brown sugar (depending on how much syrup you want)
A bit of butter

1. In a thick based pan combine the kamote and the sugar. Use low to medium heat. There is no need to put any liquid as the water in the kamote should suffice to melt the sugar. Using water will boil the kamote and not result in the chewy texture that I’m after. Let this simmer for about an hour.
2. Add a bit of (real) butter at the end then turn the heat off. This is a personal preference. The butter turns the ordinary syrup into something like creamy caramel.

Baon – Spaghetti Bolognese with Meatballs

Who doesn’t like spaghetti? We might not agree on what is the best but everyone knows about it making it quite a “universally accepted” dish to have for lunch at work.

Spaghetti is quite popular among Filipinos (albeit, a version catered for the sweet-toothed). Evidence of this is found in all the popular fast food places. I might be wrong but I think it is only in the Philippines where you’ll find spaghetti at McDonald’s and KFC.

Brioche & Coffee for breakfast

I usually don’t make my Bolognese sauce from scratch. Getting home close to 7pm just does not give me enough time to pick tomatoes from the garden and simmer my sauce for hours and still be alive at the end of it. I use bottled pasta sauce (que horror!) and just tweak it to suit my taste. To give the sauce more body I add homemade meat balls.

Brioche w/ Nutella

Easy Meatballs

500g beef mince
1 bread slice torn to pieces then soaked in milk
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1 egg
Parsley

1. Squeeze the excess milk out of the bread pieces.
2. Combine all the ingredients together
3. Form into your preferred size balls.
4. Cook half-way through by frying in olive oil.

Quick Bolognese Sauce

1 onion chopped
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
1 carrot chopped finely
1 celery stick chopped finely
500g beef mince
1 jar Raguletto Romano Cheese Tomato Pasta Sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive Oil

1. Heat up some olive oil.
2. Sauté the onions until soft.
3. Add the garlic, carrots and celery.
4. Add the beef mince and cook until the meat changes colour.
5. Add the pasta sauce.
6. When the sauce starts bubbling add the meat balls. Simmer until the meat balls are thoroughly cooked. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste.
7. Serve with spaghetti or whatever pasta you prefer.

Coffee at Work

One thing I don’t understand is why my workmates insist on getting coffee outside when at work we’ve been provided with first-rate espresso machines that produce decent coffee.

Coffee made using these machines are not inferior substitutes but rather equal if not better alternative. We’ve got at least five Delonghi Magnifica Espresso makers that allow you to make coffee that suits your taste. The machine uses whole beans (that it grinds itself) rather than ground coffee (plus for freshness!). You are able to regulate the strength of your coffee by adjusting the machine controls (unlike bought coffee which is normally set for one and all). The added bonus…it’s FREE!


I’ve got nothing against dairy (I consume milk in more delectable forms like cheese, cream, butter, yoghurt, ice cream, etc…) but I prefer soy milk in my coffee. This I buy myself but I do not mind it at all. There’s a plethora of choice in soy milk but the one that suits my taste best is the one in the photo.



To make my soy latte I heat up about ¾ of a cup of soy milk in the microwave (I could use the machine frother but this would take a while). I then set the machine at 2 shots of espresso and water mark 2. Press the button and voila, soy latte!

Baon – Singapore Chicken Curry

If you’ve been following this blog for a while you’ll probably realise how much I love curries. It’s easy to make, keeps for long, and very tasty. Also, the variety of curries available guarantees a lunch that is not going to be mundane.

Toasted Ham & Cheese Croissant and Soy Latte

The other bonus, it is an “acceptable” meal to have at work…even inside the office. Some of my workmates might not squeal with delight when their nostrils are hit with the aroma of curry but no one protests as it is not an unfamiliar scent.

One of the easiest curries to make would have to be Singapore Chicken Curry and this is what I brought to work today.



Singapore Chicken Curry

2-3 Desiree potatoes (one potato cut in 4)
½ a free range chicken cut up in large pieces
2-3 tablespoons Singapore curry paste (depending on how spicy you want it)
Water or coconut milk (if you prefer a creamier sauce)
Salt to taste
Oil

1. Marinate the chicken pieces in the curry paste for at least half an hour.
2. Fry the potatoes until golden brown.
3. Heat up a little bit of oil and sear the chicken pieces a few at a time. Set aside.
4. Add the chicken pieces back in the pan. But if you prefer a spicier curry, sauté some curry paste on the same pan used to sear the chicken then add the chicken pieces.
5. Add the desired amount of coconut milk or water.
6. Simmer until the chicken is cooked.
7. Add the potatoes.
8. Adjust the taste by adding salt or fish sauce.
9. Serve with roti and/or steamed rice.

Baon – Open Face Tuna Sandwich

A sandwich is not my idea of a meal. It could be a precursor to a meal but never the main event. I am always left unsatisfied even after gobbling down conspicuous amounts of these sliced bread concoctions.

But there are days when I’m left with no choice. I spent most of the weekend outside the house. There are therefore no yummy leftovers to speak of.

If you’ve been following this blog you know how much I can’t stand soggy bread. That is why I prefer my sandwiches open faced. The bread and the filling only have a few seconds to get acquainted before they get devoured.

For today I am having an open face tuna sandwich. I could have brought some cucumber to liven up this grey mass a little bit but I also did not have time to shop.

To make the tuna filling you basically drain a can of tuna, add a bit of mayonnaise and white pepper and mix together. I had it with lightly toasted wholemeal bread (only because we’ve run out of white).

Baon – Thai Green Chicken Curry

Now that I’ve decided to post about my packed lunches I make that extra effort to actually plate my food, nicely. I the past, like fellow blogger Julie (of Mama at Home to Two) I didn’t bother. I’ll heat up my lunch and eat it straight out of whatever csontainer I brought that day.




Also, to solve my “sauce-infused rice” issue I’ve decided to start bringing my lunch in at least two containers. The rice would always have its own. I’ll put it in a plastic bag if I have to.



Today’s lunch is Thai Green Curry Chicken. I also brought tuyong biya (as a challenge) which I like having with Thai curries. There you go Edik (of The World According to Melchizedik), I’ve done it! No more kaluoy!

Extra treats for today included leftover pancakes for breakfast and a pink muffin for morning tea as part of the Pink Ribbon Breakfast to help breast cancer research.

Baon – Leftover Steak Dinner

I like my rice plain. But one thing that is almost unavoidable when bringing baon to work is soaking it in whatever ulam I’ve brought. Unless I’ve got separate compartments in my baunan my rice is bound to be infused. The rice and the ulam will go together later on anyway so what am I fussing about? Well, I like to do it in my own terms…

For today, I’ve brought left over steak and vegies. My workmate also gave me some home made bola-bola siopao (Vietnamese style) which I had for breakfast.

Baon (Packed Lunch) – Home Made Pizza & Pasta

A lot has been said about the rising power of the Aussie dollar but to be perfectly frank I do not see it translating well to my day to day living. AUD might be sitting at USD$0.92 (it was USD $0.50 early this year) but the price of “my essentials” are moving at a similar rate and direction. Rice, for example, has actually doubled in price!



So, in an attempt to “simplify” my life I decided to bring “baon (packed lunch)” to work most days of the week. Not only is it beneficial to my pocket my lunch choices is now not anymore at the mercy of my local deli.

I thank God for our new open-air lunch area. I am now also basically free to bring anything I like even those “assault to the senses of my colleagues” type lunches. Binagoongan anyone?

For today, I’m having a slice of home made pizza and bow pasta arrabiata. Just click on the link for recipes.