amateur photography

Dusk at Laguna

| Doyd

 

My husband and I first saw Laguna Beach in 2001, thanks to our long time friend, Ken 🙂  I still remember walking along the beach that night, enjoyed the nice dinner at a restaurant along the Pacific Coast highway, looking at all the local art stores and gift shops, and finally ended the night with ice cream (as always when with Ken!).

I also remember driving down the very steep road at downtown Laguna Beach. That was such a thrill!!! Specially on Ken’s stick-shift driven sedan… Oh! It was like a rollercoaster ride!

What best reminds me of this beach are the good old days when my big brother was living with me and Bok. It was just a 10-minute drive from our home to the beach. My Kuya loves this place and he bikes along Highway 1. Brings back the memories when we enjoyed each other’s company.

Enjoy the photo and I hope it makes you feel the beauty of this place as well.

Jade Avenue

| Doyd

jade avenue
Originally uploaded by doyd74

I’ve been swamped! Yes, I was so busy… I couldn’t even find time to write up a short blog thru my iPhone.  I’ve been meaning to share some photos on my blog but I truly want to spend at least 10-15 minutes of quiet time writing something and not thinking of other work to do.

I chose this new picture I took last April, I hope you like it.  My brother and sister-in-law gave this “Jade Avenue” sign to Jade during our trip to their home in New Jersey.  I wish I had seen the Amish County on that trip but our schedule was too tight.

I will try my best to post another recipe this weekend.  My daughter advised me to post the Filipino Pork and Chicken Adobo recipe.  I cooked it last night and she had two servings 🙂 You should try it!  It’s really tasty…

I will buy ingredients this weekend and will share my American Adobo recipe 🙂

Dad and Mom’s Altar

| Doyd


mom’s altar

Originally uploaded by doyd74

  

 

Took this photo last Christmas day (2009) at my parent-in-law’s home in San Juan Manila. We stayed there for a couple of days and it was always refreshing to offer a prayer and visit their prayer room. 

Since the beginning of my marriage, I have learned a lot of simple Buddha teachings from my mother-in-law and it has provide my heart with more space to love others, not just myself and my family.

Japchae Recipe (jabchae, chapch’ae, 잡채, 雜菜)

| Doyd

 

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I first tasted this as a side-dish at a local Korean restaurant here in Irvine. Then back in 2008 after downloading the podcasts at Maangchi’s website, I tried her version of Japchae and loved it!

My family loves noodles and we cannot live without it.  After eating all rice as our staple, we often crave for noodles for a change.

This recipe I am sharing is a recipe I got from the backside of a pack of my favorite Korean Vermicelli and I’d like to share it to you with a few of my personalized touch.

INGREDIENTS:

300 g. of Korean Vermicelli

1 medium Carrot

150 g. of Beef or Pork (you may adjust the amount)

1 medium Onion

5-8 pieces of Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

1 Egg (I use egg substitute)

1 bunch of Spinach (to me, the more the merrier!)

Olive Oil

Slice meat into bite sizes or strips and mix well with the meat seasoning (see below). Slice the re-hydrated mushrooms and season with soy sauce and sugar.  Wash and blanch spinach in boiling water, drain and squeeze the excess water.  Season with sesame oil and salt.

Slice the onion and the carrot into strips, stir fry with a pinch of salt.  Since I use an egg-substitute, just spread the mixture into a frying pan with oil on medium heat to make a thin flat egg crepe.  When done, fold and slice into thin long strips.  Stir fry the seasoned meat and mushroom separately on the frying pan.  Cook the dry vermicelli in boiling water for 6 minutes (or depending on the package instructions of the brand you are cooking).  Rinse in cold water and drain.  Boil 3 tbsp. of soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, 4 tbsp. of sugar (splenda), 1/2 tbsp. of sesame oil, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. grounded roasted sesame seed on the deep frying pan and add the cooked vermicelli and stir well under low heat until it is shiny.

Mix all ingredients prepared separately.  Garnish with the strips of egg and some chopped green onions.

*** Meat Seasoning – 1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce, 1 Tsp. Sugar, 1 Tsp. minced Garlic, 1 Tsp. Sesame Oil, Black Pepper and Salt

Stuffed Squid

| Doyd

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STUFFED SQUID IS ONE OF MY HUSBAND’S FAVORITE DISH.  WE USED TO EAT THIS AT A SMALL OUTDOOR CHINESE RESTAURANT IN AN AREA AT QUEZON CITY, MANILA ALSO KNOWN AS DELTA.  FUNNY I JUST ASKED MY HUSBAND NOW AND HE STILL REMEMBERS THE NAME OF THAT PLACE, “ONGPIN’S DELIGHT.”  I WONDER IF IT’S STILL IN BUSINESS TO DATE.
WE USED TO EAT THERE DURING OUR LUNCH BREAK FROM OUR WORK AT WEST AVENUE.  THIS WAS AT MY FIRST JOB AFTER GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE, AND THE PLACE WHERE MY HUSBAND AND I FIRST MET 🙂  ANYWAY, THIS IS MY VERSION OF THE STUFFED SQUID:
INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 MEDIUM TO LARGE SIZE SQUID (DEPENDING ON HOW BIG YOU WANT IT)
  • BUNCH OF GREEN ONIONS
  • FLOUR
  • EGG
  • COLD WATER
CLEAN THE SQUID.  REMOVE EVERYTHING INSIDE.  FOLD THE GREEN ONIONS IN HALF AND PUSH THEM INTO
THE SQUID.  MAKE A TEMPURA BATTER WITH FLOUR, ONE EGG AND COLD WATER.  DO NOT OVER MIX THE BATTER.
DIP THE ENTIRE STUFFED SQUID AND FRY IN OLIVE OIL ON MEDIUM HEAT.  MAKE SURE ALL SIDES ARE WELL DONE
BEFORE SERVING.  SLICE THE COOKED SQUID AND TOP WITH YOUR FAVORITE SAUCE.  NOTE THAT I DO NOT PUT ANY SALT BECAUSE I ALREADY PUT SOY SAUCE INTO MY CLASSIC BROWN SAUCE COOKED WITH CRISPY FRIED GARLIC, WATER, SOY SAUCE, SALT AND PEPPER, SPLENDA (OR SUGAR) AND CORNSTARCH WITH WATER TO THICKEN THE SAUCE.
THIS RECIPE IS VERY EASY TO MAKE AND REFRESHING TO EAT.

tsim sha tsui alley (hong kong)

| Doyd

tsim sha tsui alley
Originally uploaded by doyd74

A break from cooking. This photo was taken by me during my first trip to Hong Kong last December 2009 with my family. It was a 7-day side trip to Hong Kong, after visiting Manila for the holidays.

To me, Hong Kong is full of character that needs to be experienced by any person who craves the extraordinary culture of the East. I wanted to capture an image of Hong Kong that will remind me of the “feel” I had when I was there experiencing the country.

The high-rise Hong Kong apartments captured my attention. Just like in Japan (my dream country to visit someday), I like the idea that people can live in small homes because they have to accustom their lifestyle to what resources they have.

My photo shows the busy street along the alley of Tsim Sha Tsui but atop the commercial ground are the quiet homes of Hongkongese. The gloomy and chilly mood during winter time makes it over-the-top for me.

I think I really left my heart… not in San Francisco – but in Hong Kong.

More vegetables please Mommy!!!! (Buchujeon)

| Doyd





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I can’t believe it myself but you’re reading it right. My title says “more vegetables please Mommy!” My daughter is an addict! She loves this recipe so much she can’t get enough and will even ask for more and not leave anything for her Dad. 

This is Maangchi’s Korean Vegetable Pancake recipe called Buchujeon in Korean. You can see her recipe at her website but as always, I give my version a personal touch. 

Here’s what I do: 

INGREDIENTS: 

Small Korean Zucchini (or italian zucchini) 

5-8 Stalks of Green Onions 

1 Korean Chili (I use this because it’s not hot/spicy – good for kid-friendly recipes) 

1 Egg 

 A piece of small Carrot 

3 Garlic cloves 

Fresh Oysters (optional: or shrimp and try scallops) 

Chop and julienne the carrots and zucchini. Add in the thinly chopped green onions and korean chili. In a separate bowl, mix in 1/2 cup flour, salt and 2/3 cup water or sometimes I use a store-bought korean vegetable pancake mix and follow the package instructions. 

Chopped vegetables should be around 3 cups. Mix the vegetables with the batter and mix it up with your hands to spread evenly.Chop 3-6 pieces of fresh oysters and set aside. 

In a big heated non-stick pan, put some olive oil and spread the vegetable pancake mixture. Put your heat to medium. Top the raw side of the cooking pancake with fresh oysters and one beaten egg. Wait about 5-8 minutes before flipping the pancake. 

After 8 minutes, flip the pancake and add more olive oil (if needed) to make it crunchy (a cooking tip from Maangchi). Press the pancake down with a spatula and check once in a while to see if it’s getting cooked the way you want it to be. 

My secret dipping sauce that really makes my daughter eat this pancake a lot is a mixture of 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoon of light soy sauce and a pack of splenda. You can use sugar if you want but I don’t have that in my pantry 🙂 

Use other vegetables if you want to explore it! I’ve tried, sweet potato with green onions, chives and red peppers, I even tried bean sprouts with oysters as suggested by my husband. 

Enjoy and let me know about your version!

Lady Liberty from Ellis Island

| Doyd

Inside Ellis Island immigration building, I took this photo during our short trip to visit my husband’s brother and his family in New Jersey last month. Upon arrival to the island, history radiates and it seemed like we were drawn to the past specially while listening to the audio tour narrating details of what happened years ago. I think I had the same feeling when I visited the island of Corregidor in the Philippines. But that time, I was only around 8 or 9 years old. Both islands are rich in culture and history.

Using my Nikon SLR camera, I focused on getting the natural light into the immigration building while capturing a sharp image of Lady Liberty from the other island.

The Art of Miso Ramen

| Doyd

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I wish I can make this everyday but I feel like it’s too much work even if it’s really simple.  Making a warm bowl of miso ramen is a lot of work for me just like many of my other favorite japanese food. Because of it’s precision process, sometimes having a bowl of this from a small authentic jap restaurant is better than making your own. Here, I will share how I made this beautiful work of art so you can try your own version too.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Fresh ramen noodles
  • Some pork belly
  • 4-5 cups water
  • 2-4 tablespoons miso paste (depending on taste and kind you like, I use white miso)
  • 2-4 teaspoons chili oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon hondashi
  • hard boiledeggs  and sweet corn kernels
  • Narutomaki(fish cake with pink swirl)
  • 1 stalk green onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds (pounded until fine)
  • Light soy sauce to taste (optional)
  • Seasoned laver/seaweed (cut into strips)

METHOD:

Bring water to boil with the cleaned whole piece of pork. Let it simmer for a while then remove the pork and skim remaining stock. Add in the miso paste, hondashi, eggs and sesame seeds. Bring the soup base to boil. Add in the chili oil and light soy sauce to taste (optional). Blanch the fresh noodles in a pot of boiling water until they are cooked. Rinse with cold water, drain and set aside. I rub the noodles with a little bit if vegetable oil to keep it moist. In a serving bowl, add the noodles then top with the hard-boiled egg, sliced pork, narutomaki, corn kernels and chopped green onions. Pour the miso soup base into the bowl and add the roasted seaweed to top then serve immediately. Look at my photo gallery to be inspired and get hungry!

Note: I added preserved bamboo shoots to my soup because my favorite bowl of ramen from a japanese ramen restaurant serves theirs with some.