“Balangkasan”

Saan ba nagmula ang salitang "Balangkas"? Tagalog ba ito o isang rehiyonal na salita na ginagamit lamang sa ilang bayan sa Timog Katagalugan. Sa amin sa bayan ng Indang sa Cavite ay ibig sabihin ng salitang "balangkas" ay gumawa ng pattern o bumuo ng skeletal form tulad ng paggawa ng bahay kubo, ng parol. Ginagamit din pamalit ang salitang ito sa salitang "pagpaplano". May nadiskubre ako nito lamang, na ang isang matalik kong kaibigan ay nabansagang "Balangkas" dahil puro plano, kung sa pangkasalukuyang slang na salita ay "Puro Drawing" Ang Balangkas, bow!

ChOcNuT: National Chocolate of the Philippines

May kasama na ang maya, ang bangus, ang tinikling, ang manga, ang anahaw...........

Chocnut is the "National Chocolate of the Philippines"- although it comes close to it. As the name suggests, it is a combination peanut and chocolate candy. Very cheap.. if you are able to finish a dollar's worth of this candy, you'd probably have diabetes by then. ha ha ha

Strange, on closer inspection, it is really inferior to the imported candies but open one when you have "balikbayans" expats visiting the Philippines and the scramble would be for chocnut despite the abundance of other imported chocolates. Mention chocnut to filipino friends living abroad and they would agree... a must taste!

Chocnuts are a bit messy to eat as they crumble easily. The trick is to eat it off the wrapper or using the wrapper to catch all the crumbs while you lift it a miniscule bit. Buksan ang wrapper at i-shoot sa bibig!

Coffee Jelly

Yum! Yum!
Masarap pagkatapos ng pananghalian....
Care for a serving?

Di pala Pinoy ang Balut?

Akala ko Pilipino ang balut...hindi pala!
Ang sabi nila, di ka daw Pinoy kapag di ka pa nakakatikim ng balut so hindi ako pinoy, di ko talaga kaya kumain ng balut he he he...

........sa kakaresearch ko, nakita ko sa internet na ang balut pala ay hindi dito laang sa pilipinas matatagpuan:

A balut (Trung vit lon or Hot vit ln in Vietnamese, Pong tea khon in Cambodian) is a fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. They are common, everyday food in some countries in Asia, such as in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, balut are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available. They are often served with beer. The Filipino and Malay word balut (balot) means "wrapped" – depending on pronunciation. This food however is uncommon in Malaysia.

Bulalo sa Tag-lamig...

Untin-unting lumalamig na naman ang panahon...

.....padating na nga ang tag-ulan. Ah, ano pa nga ab ang masarap higupin kapag umuulan at malamig ang simoy ng hangin?

Siempre ang sabaw ng bulalo!

Ayan, miss ko bigla ang "Bulalo ni Aling Soseng" sa Vito Cruz, kasarap pumila sa tanghali kasabay ang mga taxi drivers, jeepney drivers, pedicab drivers....at mga PLDT drivers he he he

Bulalo is the marrow in the bone of the beef shank. The dish bulalo is simply boiled bone-in beef shank served with a variety of vegetables. A simple dish to prepare, really; but the flavorful broth and the texture of the meat makes it a treat.
Beef shank is locally known as kenchi. It can be bought boneless or bone-in. With the bone, it is called bulalo. Prized for the delicous bone marrow, bulalo is not recommended for those with high cholesterol or those watching their fat intake. Even for the lucky ones like my family, bulalo is not an everyday dish. It is more of a once-every-two-or-three-months meal for health considerations.
In classy restaurants, bulalo commands a high price. In the province of Batangas where selling beef and beef by-products is a major means of livelihood, roads are lined with restaurants and small eateries with bulalo as a specialty. In Makati City, there is a small eatery called Soseng’s–a sidewalk affair actually–where one finds yuppies and businessmen having a lunch of hot bulalo. Street parking is a common problem. There was one time when we had to park two streets away and wait for a vacant table for several minutes. That is how popular bulalo is among the Filipinos.
The secret is in the very tender meat. To get the most out of beef shanks, choose the upper part of the shank which has more meat.

Barbekyu

Nakakagutom, bigla na laang naisip ko ang barbekyu ni Aling Nene sa Vito Cruz.....marami dito sa paligid sa Ayala, sa Glorietta pero yun pa din ang hinahanap ng panlasa ko.....halika punta tayo.......

Natikman nyo na ba ang Makati Supermart Spaghetti?

Before Jollibee or even Tropical Hut came out with the Filipino version of the Italian Spaghetti, there was Makati Supermarket’s spaghetti sold in their coffee shop sa saktong tapat ng entrance ng The landmark. This is probably how the sweetish Filipino spaghetti evolved. Kung maasim ang Italian Spaghetti, ang bersyon ng Pinoy ay matamis!!!Filled with vienna sausage, ham strips, ground beef and grated cheese, the sauce of Makati Supermarket’ spaghetti is sweet with a tinge of spiciness. Naalala ko pa ang serving nun di ko talaga maubos ubos, e paano ba naman 25 pa laang ang waist line ko nuon compared sa 38 na ngayon he he he. Dun sa mga di pa na experience ang kakaibang sarap ng Makati Supermarket Spaghetti kasi wala na sila after giniba yung original arcade to give way sa construction ng Glorietta (but if I remember it right, nasunog yata ang Makati Supermart nung late 80's even before all arcades at the Makati Commercial Center were torn down), matatagpuan pa sila sa Makati Supermarket sa Alabang Town Center (ka-bak to bak ng Luk Yuen), at dinig ko, meron din silang branch sa Cash and Carry sa may South Super Highway sa Makati. Kung taga Malabon o Navotas ka, sulit pa din ang byahe pa Alabang he he he. naku, plugging na ito...dapat sumingil na ako sa kanila he he he

P.S. di nagbago ang lasa ng spaghetti mula nuon hanggang ngayon...di tulad ng baked mac ng Greenwich, super yummy din yung original recipe nila nuon sa Fast food sa makati at sa Greenhills...nakakaubos ako ng 2 servings in one sitting with my 25" waist and 98 Lbs frame! Miss ko na din yun!!!