AUTHOR’S NOTES:
1. This serves as a sequel to an earlier triptych of the same title I published back in September 2021.
2. The featured image from this post came from Jean van der Meulen on the free stock image site Pexels.
The pandemic has been raging on for two years, and so is Manila’s lockdown. The Philippine capital remains under Alert Level 2 under a new quarantine classification system implemented in 2021. I’m pretty pessimistic that the capital’s lockdown status would ever be lifted at this point in time. However, it appears that with plunging caseloads – a downgrade to the more relaxed Alert Level 1 is in the works.
But still, we have to do what we have to cope. Just like before, the kitchen became a sort of sanctuary from the COVID-19 fearmongering and hysteria mainstream media outlets are peddling. These opportunities to cook hit two birds with one stone: They improved my culinary skills and provided me an activity to cope with cabin fever stemming from stay-home orders.
Without further ado, here are four dishes I whipped up while still locked in the house.
This dish was supposedly my take on the bistek, a Filipino beef stew that includes onions and potatoes. I tried using fried tofu as an extender, but it seems that it did not absorb the soy sauce responsible for the dish’s dark color. I also used rather thick cuts of pork steak, contrary to the traditional beef cuts used for this. It was warmly received, nevertheless.
A less-than-a-minute how-to video inspired me to make this luncheon meat salpicao. I already had the necessary ingredients – luncheon meat, garlic, and olive oil – to whip up this dish. Instead of seasoning liquid, I used a mix of oyster and soy sauce which we had abundant stocks of. Not a bad take for something that makes use of a stand-in for meat!
I quickly whipped up this vegetable stir-fry using the frozen stir-fry vegetable mix from Tesco, which the supermarket near me stocks. Leftover fried tofu was also added in, just to maximize the dish. A bit of shrimp – actual, not the powder – also added flavor to the entire stir-fry alongside oyster sauce, sesame oil and soy sauce. A small amount of sugar rounded out the mix, and it was ready for Sunday lunch.
This take on the traditional Filipino vegetable dish gising-gising required me to sharpen my knife. Cutting the sigarilyas (winged bean) and sitaw (long bean) was key as the vegetables cooked faster that way. A sharp knife also allowed me to cut red chili into small slivers for that extra kick. I added in some instant coconut milk, salt, and pepper and let it boil – and it was good to go.
How about you? What have you been whipping up in the kitchen amidst this seemingly never-ending COVID-19 pandemic?
Until the next post, bon appetit!
The Monching's Guide 
I love trying out new recipes and it always makes me happy when I find someone else who enjoys that too. Even if a recipe doesn’t turn out how you want, it’s still worth trying! Which one was your favorite? Would you make any of them again?
Truth be told, I liked preparing and cooking all of them! While some ingredients (such as the Tesco vegetable mix) are often hard to come by, most of the ingredients here are available at the supermarket near where I live. I definitely will prepare them again!
We have been making a lot of stir fries over here, but we love trying out new recipes or just adding something different to an old favorite. My husband is Filipino, and he said this post is making him hungry!
Woah, I didn’t know your husband was Filipino! Please say hi to him for me haha! 😆
Stir-fries are very versatile, quick to cook and require minimal preparation — which works in our favor here at home, since we’re all busy on weekdays.
Yeah! 🙂 He says “hi” and asks if you can say hi to the ocean for him, too. I think he might be slightly homesick.
Thank you! 😁 Will do likewise!
Hoping that you and kabayan (fellow countryman, pronounced cub-bye-an) can visit the Philippines once travel restrictions loosen (hopefully).
Thanks, we hope so! I haven’t been over there yet, but I already have a list of places I want to see!
Woah! Wanna try these dishes also! Just moved out so cooking duties was added to my to do list. Sometimes it’s hard to think of what to cook! They all look delicious!
Thank you! 😁 If you’re near a supermarket, the ingredients are easy to find. Kung may S&R na malapit sa iyo, that’s a big advantage!
Skills! Parang mapapadami ang kanin ko sa luncheon meat salpicao! ^^
Hehe, salamat Doc! Pero sabi nga nila, hinay-hinay sa nitrate-rich Spam! :O
The first time I tasted ginataang sigarilyas was less than five years ago and I loved it. Tried to replicate it quite a few times – sometimes a hit, most of the time it was a miss. Your dishes look yummy! Damihan ang rice!
Thank you! 😁 Yes indeed, nakaka-tatlong gatang kami every time.
Admittedly, gumagamit kami noong powdered ginataang gulay mixes for convenience — and di naman kami pinapalya.
Oo, deliciousness! Each plate is packed with texture and fine flavors. 🙂
Thank you! 😊 Fitting description indeed!
I’d definitely try the salpicao haha. Thanks for these ideas, brotha!
Welcome, bro! Enjoy cooking!
All of your dishes look delicious!!! Experimenting in the kitchen is always fun and full of surprises!
Thank you! Not to mention it keeps you on your toes — you never know what ingredient may run short, so you have to be ready to get a substitute at the last minute.
Yum…so mouthwatering, tasty looking!
Thank you!
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