vegan chili

bongga!  yah, that’s the word.  bongga ka day! goes the (title and) refrain of a 1970’s song by the hot dogs, which in all probability thrust the term bongga! into currency and popular usage.  ahm, it’s use (then) is similar to the way the word sosyal! is used (now) - flashy, show-offy, flaunty, high profile, high brow lifestyle, or pa-style.

buhok mo’y budji, talampaka’y gucci, suot mo’y gawa ni pitoy, di nanggaling kay eloy, goes a line in the same song.  ahm, budji (for the uninitiated) is short for budjiwara, the hairdresser of manila’s haves - the elite; gucci, well, ahm, gucci is still around as a fashion icon; pitoy, well, ahm, pitoy moreno yah, he’s still around also as a fashion icon; but eloy, (for the uninitiated) ahm, eloy is eloy's, the buyer of used clothing; if you needed (extra) money, gather some used clothes and sell them at eloy’s.  ahm, but they also re-sell them second-hand, much like today’s ukay-ukay but slightly different.  so if you were bongga (then) the words from the song fit you, sosyal ka! ahm, in other words.

but then again, ahm, the spoken language is easily subjected to revision through the vicissitudes of social change.  bongga and sosyal (today – thanks to language anarchy) have taken on dimensions of expression such as exclamations of like, approval or excitement.  much like the word astig! or the more emphatic asteeeeg! which is often used as an exclamation of wonderful surprise, amazement and great approval, much in the same way that, ahm, cool! is used.  i once heard a reformed pastor, having preached about the wonderful grace of JESUS CHRIST, end his sermon – astig si LORD!   in the 1970’s an astig (tumbled from tigas) was either a tough guy or a bully – yah, never a wonderful surprise welcomed with great approval!

well, ahm, bongga! has taken another hit and struck a new chord and has just recently been subjected to its latest social revision.  bonggang-bongga! took on new meaning meaning thanks to miss universe 2010 4th runner-up miss venus raj-raj-raj. 

bonggang-bongga now (also) means MAJOR, MAJOR!

here’s what you major, major need: see that?

2 Tbsp olive oil

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped fine

3 red chili peppers, cut coarsely

1 can (450g) sliced mushrooms, drained

1 can (250 g) whole kernel corn, drained

500 g red kidney beans, cooked

2 pouches (200 g) tomato sauce

2 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp italian herbs

¼ tsp cayenne

½ c water

salt and pepper

leeks, sliced coarsely

here’s what to do:

1- one night before, soak 250 g dried red kidney beans in a basin, in ample amount of water to allow for expansion.  (this will give you the equivalent of about 500 g of cooked red kidney beans that you will need for the recipe.)

2- the next morning, boil 1 – 1-1/2 liters of water in a pot.  when the water boils, add the red kidney beans.  boil and simmer for about 1 hour or so.  remove from heat and leave in the pot until it cools down.  drain.

in a stainless steel wok:

1- heat olive oil

2- saute garlic, onions and red chili peppers for a couple of minutes.  WARNING: exposure to or inhalation of chili pepper fumes may cause mild to severe irritation of the eyes, nostrils or lungs

3- add mushrooms and saute further

4- add soy sauce and saute further

5- add corn, kidney beans, tomato sauce and water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally

6- add chili powder, italian herbs and cayenne

7- simmer in low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

8- add salt and pepper to suit your taste

9- serve in bowl or plate topped with sliced leeks

10- pour chilled cabernet on a glass and...

let’s drink to that!

ensaladang labanos

here's what you need:

2 pcs large or 500 g white radish (labanos)

1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped coarsely

1 medium or 2 Tbsp ginger, chopped finely

2 large or 3 medium tomato, sliced coarsely

1 red chili pepper, cut coarsely

6 kalamansi or 3 Tbsp kalamansi juice

2 Tbsp sugar, washed or brown

salt and pepper

rock salt

vinegar

here’s what to do:

the white radish.

1- peel radish  

2- slice lengthwise into paper-thin slices.  (you could use the peeler for this purpose, or if you have anything else by which to do the job, e.g. your husband)

3- rub sliced radish with rock salt and leave for a couple of minutes.  (5 minutes is still a couple of minutes if you ask me)

4- press out or wring off all the water (which has now come out) from the radish

5- soak the radish in vinegar, just enough to cover everything about 1/4 – 1/3 cup, for a couple of minutes.  this cold-cooks the radish

6- press out or wring off all the vinegar-wash from the radish

the ensalada.

1- loosen and disentangle the radish and place in a bowl

2- add onions, ginger, tomato and chili peppers

3- dissolve sugar in kalamansi juice, then add to radish mixture

4- toss together until well combined

5- add salt and pepper to suit your taste

6- serve on the side or top with fried immortal tofu

7- now, open a bottle of your favorite chilled fermented fruit, hops or malt beverage :)))

so, ahm, hope you enjoy the ride!

kilawing labanos w/ fried tofu

one of the reasons (i think) diets fail is because diets entail subjecting the mind and body to unbearable suffering through food deprivation.  ahm, it's sort of like punishing your mind and body.  and in some cases it borders on torture, self-torture.   yah, don't you just cherish the thought?  the thought of self-torture?  who in his right mind doesn't, eh?!  kamaan!

yah, and it's your mind and body, not just your body.  and it’s more of your mind than your body.  but, isn't dieting just for your body?, you might ask,  to lose weight and all, to take off all that flab and have a slimmer figure.   well, if that's all you think it is, better think again.  the hard-to-swallow-truth is: you are going on a diet because you have made up your mind!  but your body cries out, “eat!  eat!  eat!” and, boy-o-boy, do you love to eat!

ricky hatton takes a left hook to the jaw

it's like a left hook and a right uppercut.  one or both punches can knock you out!  and most of the time people give up - the fact that a person gives up makes it a matter of the mind, ahm, that is, unless you find your jaw on the receiving end of the glove of a certain manny “pacman” pacquiao, then it’s no longer a matter of the mind but, really, of the body, as ricky hatton *smack* found out, but that’s just about it; other than that, i think, a person’s giving up on a diet is much a matter of the mind than many failed dieters would admit.  and, ahm, refusing to admit it is a matter of the mind as well, which is more popularly known as “denial - most of the time people give up because they could no longer take the punishment, which was self-inflicted in the first place.

ricky hatton knocked-out by the left hook

others play a mentalist sleight-of-hand game by calling a diet a lifestyle change.  you may heave heard of the south beach lifestyle.  well, ahm, true, it is a lifestyle change - and a diet.  conventional wisdom says, “diets don’t work!” so go for a lifestyle change, which is nothing more or less than going on a diet, albeit, in a different size, shape and form, but no less, a diet.  i do not deceive or delude myself, as others happily do.  i am on a diet and a lifestyle change. 

the challenge in going on a successful diet and lifestyle change is in understanding its dynamics.  now for a better understanding of its dynamics, nah, joke...  but for the kilawing labanos...

you will need:

1 pc radish (approx 400-500 grams)

1 block tofu (approx 250-300 grams)

2 Tbsp oil (canola or olive)

2 Tbsp chopped ginger

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 medium size onion, sliced

2 red chili peppers, cut coarsely

1/4 - 1/3 c water

3 Tbsp vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar, washed or brown

fish sauce (for pinoys and non-vegans)

salt and pepper

the tofu:

1- slice the tofu into medium rectangular blocks

2- deep fry in hot oil until golden brown

3- drain and cool a while

4- slice fried tofu into smaller rectangular pieces

the radish:

1- peel the radish.

2- slice thinly along a diagonal axis.

the kilawin:

1- saute ginger, garlic, onion and chili peppers in oil.  WARNING: exposure to or inhalation of chili pepper fumes may cause mild to severe irritation of the eyes, nostrils or lungs.

2- add fish sauce (optional for vegans, mandatory for pinoys), radish and tofu and saute for a couple of minutes

3- add water, vinegar and sugar and boil for a couple of minutes

4- add salt and pepper to suit your taste

5- remove from heat and serve with an ice cold bottle of your favorite frothy beverage

so, ahm, how about that?!

4 easy steps to homemade seitan

2-chili seitan shitake saute

seitan.  i dread how that sounds however you pronounce it.  it’s like voldemort.  ahm, anyway, seitan, which was more popularly known to us long, long ago as TVP (textured vegetable protein) and long ago as vege-meat, is referred to in vegan blogs sometimes as wheat meat, meat substitute, or vital gluten.  it is a very common meat substitute in many vegan recipes since it is believed to supply a good amount of protein which purportedly is lacking in a vegan diet.

i coined the tagalog word harne from harinang karne (wheat meat).  very suitable word, ano?  it is a phonetically softened down form of the harder guttural karne (animal meat).

ok, to make seitan, you will need:

½ kilo hard flour (bread flour)

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp cayenne

300-350 ml tap water

(this recipe will yield ¼ kilo seitan enough for a dish or two of stir-fry or saute w/ or w/o accompaniment.)

note:

- if you can buy vital gluten flour, or vital wheat flour, just follow easy steps #1 & #4. 

- all-purpose flour will do but it contains less protein.  it also absorbs less water, so reduce the amount of water by about 50-100 ml.

- whole wheat flour contains too little vital gluten so it isn’t ideal to use in making seitan.

ok, here goes...

easy step #1 - mix flour, spices and water. 

mix the flour, spices and water.  could anything be easier?  you could even ask your 3-year old child to do this step for you.  

use a wooden spoon (initially) to mix the flour and spices with the water.  as the mixture forms into a dough it gets heavier and harder to mix with the wooden spoon.  scrape everything that stuck to the wooden spoon with a spatula or rubber scraper back to the dough mixture. 

ok, time to use your hands and fingers.  massage (knead) the entire dough all round for about 3-5 minutes.  yah, it could be sticky.  note: if you have a heavy duty (e.g. 4qt, 5qt or 6qt) table-top electric mixer with a dough hook, like i do :))) just dump all the ingredients in the bowl and crank at low to medium speed for about a minute or two.  

ok, this is needless, but you could use some lard, margarine or oil on your hands so the dough won’t stick.  ahm, that was needless because you could rinse and drop all the dough that stuck to your hands right back to the mother dough, underwater.

go to easy step #2.

easy step #2 - soak the dough in water.  

place the dough in a deep bowl or basin, or a small gallon or pail (1-2 gallon capacity) and fill with water.  this step is for dummies!  leave it for a couple of hours and forget all about it for the meantime. 

no, it won’t froth and overflow the bowl and fill your house.  and no, it won’t climb out of the bowl and gobble up your dog and all your furniture. 

soaking in the water takes away the hi-carb starch from within the dough leaving you with the hi-pro gluten that you need.

go to easy step #3

easy step #3 - rinse the dough in water. 

before you throw the soak-water away, gently handle the dough (which has now softened into a gooey, slimy blubber gum) from the bottom of the basin with both hands, making sure that all the blob bits that have loosened away are reunited to the mother blob.  this is child’s play! 

pour out all the soak-water, making sure no more loose amorphous blobs pour out with the water.

now, fill up the basin again with water.  turn the gooey, slimy blubber gum inside out under water, gently pressing, rolling and stretching the blubber with your fingers and palms.  similar to what you do with bubble gum, chewing it with your teeth, rolling it in your mouth and stretching it with your tongue; only, you do this with your hands and fingers.  more fun and exciting than play-dough, right?!  you are now beginning to feel sleepy... ahm, where was i?  i mean, your are now beginning to feel how soft, smooth and elastic your gluten is.

repeat easy step #3 about 3-5 times or until the rinse-water becomes clear or slightly clear.  this is where you shape your future, ahm, i mean your seitan.  underwater.  wow!  could you really do that?  ahm, slowly and gently (at every repeat) bring the mass of blubber gum (less gooey and slimy now but still very elastic) to the shape you would want your seitan to take final form. 

seitan slabs (after simmering)

i shape my seitan like an elongated burger patty, ½ in. flat, 4 in. wide and a foot long (like a thin slab of sirloin beef) then cut it in the middle before simmering.  this way, after it’s done, i can easily slice it into strips for stir-fries and sautes. 

you see how much hi-carb starch you have removed from your dough?  i haven’t tried it yet, but this step had gotten me to thinking – can i use all that rinse-water to starch my levi’s?

go to easy step #4.

easy step #4 - simmer the dough in water. 

simmer the dough in, ahm, flavored water.  fill a saucepan with about 1 liter of water mixed with 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp catsup and 1 clove garlic (and 1 Tbsp of whatever vegan-friendly powder or liquid flavoring you use.)  well, almost everybody who makes seitan and has a blog will invariably tell you to do this.  so why not i?  ok maybe not almost everybody, but almost everybody of the 3 blogs i read, awright?  :)))

bring the soup to a slow simmer using low heat.  now, gently lower the gluten slab in the simmering solution with your hands or with a slotted spoon.  simmer for about 5-15 minutes or until the gluten slab floats. 

will it float?  will it float?  yah, it will float!  and when it floats, your seitan’s done!  that easy! 

now, download a recipe that uses seitan and you’re on your way to an exciting adventure in seitan cooking!

about me

i am not a chef. this is the first thing i need to get across to whoever – accidentally or intentionally – reads or follows this blog.  i never took any course in culinary arts, fine arts, or theater arts, so you (probably) can identify with me. 

i am not a gourmet either.  whatever that is.  ok, i think i know what a gourmet is, just don’t ask me.  i remember when i was in school, in the good ole days of yore, i would slouch in my desk and hide behind the head of the person sitting in front of me, so that i would get out of sight of my teacher who was about to ask a question whose answer i didn’t know.  ahm, i didn’t know the answer to much of what my teachers would ask in class, except probably if it was in math.  math i was good at.  but, yah, just don’t ask me.  ahm, of course, these days all you hafta do is google-it any thing under the sun that you don’t know about, and then open your mouth and “say aah”. 

my friends

no, i just love to cook for myself, my wife and my kids, (yah, my friends too, who happen to drop by uninvited, self-invited or otherwise) and i needed to make a catalog of the various dishes i have prepared over the past few months.  it goes without saying, (yah, so dumb of me for still having to say it!) your memory is good, but the internet is better, coz... what you post in the internet, stays in the internet!  now, concerning the freedom of information bill, nah... joke!

although it is evident (i do not deny it) that i take pains to try to dress-up the dishes like chefs do, ahm, it is for the simple reason that i want them to look better for the picture taking, or like when people go to church or to a party, they dress up so they will look better, and their friends will praise them for looking so nice and lovely, and don’t they feel good about it?!  yah, that’s why they stay sooooo long in front of the mirror, or go to and fro, hither and thither, it’s a personal investment, which, yah, really pays off great dividends in the praises of friends and the glances of strangers. 

ok, here’s a tip.  don’t buy a mirror that makes you look wider.  buy a mirror that makes you look slimmer.

i’ve had no professional training in food arrangements or photography so the dishes don’t look as shiny and attractive as in food magazines, blogs or as when TV chefs do the arrangements.  

sometimes, i rush taking the photos for the simple reason that i am already too hungry to get a good shot.  besides that, i still need to hone my skills in using the various options in our point-and-shoot digicam, to get better quality shots; and in making-up the dishes to make them more visually attractive and appealing.

ahm, as you can see, the dishes i prepare are not high-end; most of the fresh ingredients i use come from the local public market and the others are readily available in the neighborhood supermarket.  a friend told me once that local and organic is best because it has a lower carbon footprint.  how about that, eh?  well, i go local and (if possible) organic merely for practical purposes, since they are more readily available to me.  ahm, from what i know the fresh vegetables they sell here in the public market in bulacan comes all the way either from pangasinan, nueva viscaya, or baguio.  only kangkong (water spinach,) pechay and malunggay (horseradish) are probably locally grown.  in fact, i just pick-off malunggay leaves from a tree at a vacant lot near our home.

ahm, in general, i would like to think of myself as an artisan.  i put my signature on the dishes i prepare.  yah, not with pen and ink, but with my own style or approach, my personal touch.  i think every artisan does that.

the tofu burger

so when i try out a recipe i like, i follow the instructions at first, then the next time i tweak it with my own personal touch, like when i added paprika (as suggested by a friend) on the tofu burger recipe i downloaded, and used 100 grams raw seitan instead of 2 eggs (to make it vegan,) and instead of dumping all the ingredients in the food processor, i went the old-fashioned way, mashing, pounding, and chopping the ingredients to suit my style.  i will be doing the same with jim’s veggie chili.

most of the recipes in this blog are vegan or vegetarian because i started writing this blog when i became a vegetarian, a month or so ago.  and because i am being hounded by well-meaning friends for recipes of the photos i post on my facebook account.

the tofu burger

don't we all love burgers? who wouldn't want a plateful of burgers, mini-burgers?

ahm, but these mini-burgers aren't your regular hamburgers, made from 100% pure beef, they're tofu burgers made with immortal tofu (450 grams tofu)

plus these health-friendly and nutritious ingredients, mushrooms, nuts and spices; low in bad cholesterol and fats, high in protein and fiber.

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup cashew or walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower nuts
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp fine salt
2 eggs or 100 g raw seitan (wheat gluten)* for vegans

ahm, i love doing things the old-fashioned way; mash the tofu with a manual masher, grind the nuts with a mortar and pestle, and chop down the mushrooms into fine smithereens. and then finally mixing the whole mashable conglomeration with your bare (yes, washed and clean) hands. this way you can feel the grainy pooey pass through your fingers, it's a bit like when you pick up a handful of wet dripping sand along the beach shore, only more gross.

yah, you could also do it dump-all-ingredients-in-the-food-processor-fashioned way, which is another (ahm, the original) way of getting it done.

ok, this is how the mashed tofu will look like after mashing.

and this is how the whole mass of grainy pooey will look like after about 5-10 minutes of hand-and-finger mixing.

what's left to do is to heat a griddle, or a flat frying pan, drop a patty ball (which you have formed by rolling the patty mass against your palms) onto the hot griddle, press it flat and round with a frying ladle, and grill it until it browns (for both sides.)

it's all up to you if you want to make mini-burgers, double-layer, triple-decker, or quarter-pounder burger sandwiches. or simply a salisbury steak with mushroom gravy, boiled green beans and mashed potatoes.

it's only your creativity that can limit the things you can do with the tofu burger :)))

* raw seitan (wheat gluten) - mix 250 grams of all-purpose (or bread) flour with 200 ml water. knead until the dough holds together (it might be a bit sticky, but it will do.) soak the dough in tap water for an hour or so (the water will look cloudy and whitish.) after this time, rinse the dough in tap water about two to three times or until the water runs clear. as you rinse the dough, continue kneading it with your hand and fingers to continue forming the gluten.

about monkey food

monkey food. yeah, that’s right. uhm, it’s actually the shortened form of the monkey, rabbit, squirrel, tiger digest. the monkey, rabbit, squirrel, tiger digest is admittedly too long for comfort. thus, monkey food.

digest. well, this is what we, as well as monkeys, rabbits, squirrels and tigers do with food after eating. yeah, we all digest our food.

my mother used to tell us when we were too young to dispute her wisdom,

for breakfast eat like a king, for lunch eat like a prince, and for dinner eat like a pauper.

my wife still usually tells me the same thing; which she too (in all probability) heard from her wise folks. the downside of this is that, once you eat like a king for breakfast, you want to eat like a king for lunch and dinner - all day.

monkey food is about eating a monkey breakfast, a rabbit lunch, a squirrel snack and a tiger dinner. not strictly, of course.

a monkey breakfast. what does a monkey eat? ask any adult or even a 6-year old child, and you will invariably get the same answer – bananas. that’s it, basically. i eat bananas for breakfast. or bananas could be a symbolism that stands for the whole fruit group. uhm, so i also eat papaya, apples, oranges and whatever fruit is locally or easily available to me, whether at the public market near our home, or at the supermarket whenever i have the chance to go to metromanila.

a rabbit lunch. i heard it before from an aunt of a friend. the aunt was telling her neice (who was then on a diet) to go on a rabbit diet, that is, eat lots of veggies, green leafy veggies, and, i suppose what bugs rabbit eats (or is it bugs bunny?) - carrots. now i have to google that - what’s the difference between a rabbit and a bunny. uhm, but what i eat is not entirely all veggies, but i eat veggies for lunch. not raw veggies, but cooked veggies. well, raw veggies when i make a simple salad. not all veggies, but veggies either with tofu, mushrooms, beans or seitan.

a squirrel snack. i am going nuts. yeah, that’s right. uhm, i’m not going crazy or sumthin. i’m going nuts for snacks, in-betweens or before and after meal nibbles. i’m not really a fanatic diet freak. i love nibbling, nibbling on chips (or chi-chi as we love to call it) especially during most informal moments, with my wife and kids or while watching TV, chatting, or just sitting around thinking about limitless possibilities. thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box inciting and inviting me, says a line in a popular beatles' song.

peanuts, of course, are the most readily available, most ubiquitous nut of all. you can find it everywhere you go in metromanila, in street corners, in sari-sari stores, in bus depots, and in supermarkets, almost everywhere.

there are a variety of nuts you can nibble besides peanuts; cashew, pili, almonds, sunflowers, walnuts and some more. of course, some nuts are more expensive and harder to come by than others, which is stating the obvious.  but the biggest nut... is the coconut!

a tiger dinner. what in the world is a tiger dinner? it’s quite simple, really. what does a tiger eat? uhm, well, a tiger eats the monkey, the rabbit, and the squirrel including everything that the monkey, the rabbit and the squirrel had eaten. yeah, that’s right. it’s sort of my 10% license to eat anything other than bananas, carrots and nuts, that is good for your body, like tofu, mushrooms, beans or seitan. a tiger dinner could include sunday lunches with family or friends.

we attend church at calvary reformed evangelical church every sunday, and three times a month many of the members and attendees bring and eat lunch together, and once a month there is a church sponsored luncheon. these lunches are hardly vegetarian lunches, pork and chicken are almost always a fare in these lunches. this is included in my tiger dinner digest.  (the once-a-month sponsored lunches have been replaced by a regular every-now-and-then saturday potluck luncheon --- apr.11, 2014)

well, basically, i am vegetarian. i am not vegan. i don’t think i can keep up with being vegan, well, at least at the moment or at this stage i am in. i cook vegan dishes, uhm, food that vegans can eat. many of the recipes that appear in this blog are vegan. the others are vegetarian.  the rest, nah!

--- updated apr.11, 2014.