SINIGANG NA PORK BELLY

GINISANG PATOLA AT MISUA WITH SHRIMP

Patola or loofah gourd is one of the first few vegetables I've grown to like during my teen years. Admittedly, I hate eating veggies when I was a kid, especially those leafy green ones. Back then they all tasted the same to me -like grass. Food just for goats, I would say. But over time I overcame my dislike  for this food group and realized what I've been missing on. I like my vegetables sauteed, roasted, grilled or raw but I like veggies  most in my soups. After giving birth to my eldest vegetable soups constituted most of my diet and it did help in losing those extra pounds. Vegetable soups are filling enough as a meal that one can do without the rice.

What's In It:
1 big piece of patola, peeled and sliced
1 lb. shrimp
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1-2 tbsp. patis (fish sauce)
1 small pack of misua (thin rice noodles)
4-5 c. water
salt and pepper 

How It's Done:
1. Saute garlic and onion in a bit of oil until fragrant.
2. Add in the tomatoes saute  until limp.
3. Put in the shrimp and patola. Pour in patis and saute until shrimp changes color.
4. Add in the water. When it starts to boil add in the misua.
5. Simmer for 2 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve hot as is or with rice.

Chicken Miswa Soup

A very simple dish perfect for a rainy day or the colder months. This can be served any time of day as long as it's served hot. The miswa can also be substituted with sotanghon or lomi noodles just adjust the cooking time a bit longer.

What's in it:
Chicken pieces
1 carrot sliced into stripes/ diced
2 stalks of celery sliced thinly/diced
2 cloves garlic minced
half of a medium onion diced
thumb-size ginger sliced into quarters
miswa
water
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

For garnish: toasted garlic and green onions

How It's Done:

Saute garlic and ginger then add in chicken pieces. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook until chicken is tender and the liquid in the pot is gone. Add in onion, carrots and celery. Saute until onion turns translucent. Add water and let simmer until the vegetables are fully cooked. Again season the soup with salt and pepper according to your desired taste. add in miswa simmer for 5 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Stir in eggs just before turning off the stove. Serve with or without garnish.

SOPAS

Isa munang buntong hininga

It's been really cold outside these days and I've been wanting to eat soup for a week now. I found an opportunity to make sopas for merienda today. With the leftover bacon and hotdogs from breakfast and chicken from last night's roast I'm good to go. It's a good thing I always keep boxes of pasta and noodles in stock. I also got extra flavor from the fat I saved from the cooked bacon.

What went into it:
bacon fat\oil
garlic- minced
onion- diced
4 pieces of cooked bacon- cut into strips
3 hotdogs- diced
flaked chicken meat- diced
carrots- diced
bell pepper- diced
celery- diced
cabbage
small shell pasta
milk
salt and pepper
broth

Saute garlic and onion in bacon fat. Add in carrots, celery, hotdogs and chicken meat. Next add the bacon, bell pepper, cabbage and pasta. Stir and cook for 5 min. Pour in broth. Simmer until the pasta is fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Add in milk before turning off the stove. Serve and enjoy.