I created this video in 2012 for my Mom’s 68th birthday celebration.
Today in Manila – October 14, 2015 marks the 1st Anniversary of my Mom’s passing. I just want to post this video and share to the world how beautiful, strong, talented, loving and compassionate my Mother was.
Ma, I love you. Nobody can ever know how much I miss you. I miss your voice, I miss your smell, I miss you being around us, I miss everything about you… most of all, I miss your warm embrace.
I pray for your eternal rest.
I learned this recipe from a Vietnamese friend, Bok’s colleague Hieu (a.k.a. Kobe). His wife cooks this Vietnamese soup for him and when I tasted it, it was goodbye to my traditional style of cooking bitter melon with eggs. Thank you Kobe!! Thank you Mrs. Kobe 🙂
This soup is very light but “bitter” if you are not used to eating this kind of vegetable. Bitter melon belongs to the gourd family. It is usually used in Asian cooking or used for it’s medicinal properties. When I was young, my siblings and I were served bitter melon sauteed in eggs, tomatoes and a little bit of pork. It was a long… very long learning experience to get used to the taste. I thought I’d never learn to eat it but now that I live in the U.S., I always recollect upon the old recipes we used to cook when we were young eating simple dishes in The Philippines.
To make this soup is economical, healthful and easy.
INGREDIENTS:
In a large bowl, combine ground meat, chopped green onions, chopped wood ear mushrooms, glass noodle, and egg. Season to taste (salt and pepper) and mix well.
Cut the bitter gourd into 2-3 inch cylinder. Removed the fibrous pulp using a teaspoon. You may soak the prepared bitter melon in salt water for 20 minutes before stuffing to removed a little bit of the bitter taste. Make sure to rinse it before stuffing.
Stuff the meat mixture into the gourd cylinders making sure it is not stuffed loosely or too tightly.
Fill a large stock pot with 3 liters of water. Wait until rolling boil. Slowly drop the stuffed bitter melon into the boiling water. Return to boil and removed the excess scum or foam with a skimmer. Boil for 20-25 minutes. Season with fish sauce… I don’t use fish sauce but I use mushroom seasoning or just plain salt. When it’s done transfer to a bowl and garnish with the fried shallots and chopped cilantro leaves. These will truly bring out a great flavor for your soup.
I hope you enjoy making this recipe. I cook a large batch of this and Bok brings it to work for his lunch. It’s very healthy and light you will enjoy this anytime of the year.
Hạnh phúc nấu ăn! (Happy Cooking!)
Back in 2013, Bok asked me what I want to do when we grow older and what will make me happy during those times. I clearly remember that day when he asked me that question, we were driving with the kids and when we do long drives, Bok and I enjoy talking about life, our families, our goals, plans and dreams.
I remember thinking deeply and asking myself, what will make me happy specially when I get older, after we raise our own children. Only one thing came to mind… CHILDREN. In 2014, I discovered Children International. Together with my girls, we scoured profiles of needy children and finally picked Ariana and Arjon. Ariana is a girl from Legazpi, Philippines and she is the same age as Jade (my eldest daughter) and because we don’t have a son in the family and we lost our little boy when I had a miscarriage in 2010, we decided to pick Arjon, a 5-year-old boy from the Philippines.
We’ve been sponsoring these two beautiful children for more than a year now; and to us, this journey is just beginning and we enjoy every moment and opportunity that we are able to help these children live better lives through our sponsorship with the help of Children International.
How does it feel to sponsor? It’s PRICELESS. No burden, no worries, no pressure, no second thoughts.
We love hearing back from Arjon and Ariana after we write them. It keeps our relationship going as we learn about each other’s lives. Funny thing, both of them don’t know that we are a Filipino-Chinese-American family. We’ve been writing them in English and I never mentioned to them that we speak the language they speak. We do this because we want to surprise them. This coming December (2015), in coordination with Children International, we will be meeting these children face to face. We will visit their homes, school and community in Legazpi, Philippines. It’s going to be a trip of a lifetime.
Thanks to Children International for this great program, thanks to their great staff both from the U.S. and all around the world.
Thanks to Ariana and Arjon for these letters that always make my day. See you soon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WjbgGVVcy0
JADE IS 3 YEARS 11 MONTHS OLD WHEN WE RECORDED HER FIRST VERSION OF FUR ELISE. NEVER DID IT OCCUR TO ME THAT AFTER 7 YEARS, WE WILL BE RECORDING ANOTHER VERSION OF THIS SAME SONG – THIS TIME DONE BY HER LITTLE SISTER MEI.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6rV6pNpsbU
MEI IS 4 YEARS 4 MONTHS OLD ON THIS VIDEO.
ENJOY!
I first tasted Cua Pao when my mother-in-law visited us in California and she made her own version. From then on, because of the savory, sour, sweet and nutty taste of Cua Pao, it’s become one of the family favorites. Cua Pao also known as folded steamed sweet buns with filling is an authentic “Chinese” recipe. Similar to when you order Peking Duck, stewed pork belly cut in slices are placed in a steaming hot sweet bun. It’s very easy to make and it’s a sure hit to anyone who loves to explore authentic Chinese meal. Definitely NOT a vegan recipe but it’s a classic hand-me-down family recipe 🙂
INGREDIENTS:
PROCEDURE
First, prepare the stewed pork belly. In a large pot, boil pork belly with crushed ginger for 30-45 minutes making sure to remove the scum for a clear/clean broth. The broth should reduce then mix in soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Reduce for another 15 minutes.
In a wok, heat oil and brown the chopped garlic. Mix in thinly sliced sour mustard and stir fry for 5-7 minutes making sure you squeeze out the water from the mustard before cooking.
Prepare cilantro leaves.
Steam store-bought buns for 10-15 minutes.
Assemble your cua pao… and enjoy!
I am a Mother of our two most precious Angels, God-given, Life-motivating, and our source of Happiness. Having our children changed me as a person, made me a stronger woman, taught me to be more patient, fearless, selfless, brave, God-fearing, creative, hardworking, silly, nagging, fun-loving, and compassionate. As our children grow, and as I age, I slowly realize my stages of growth when I was a child myself, growing up with 3 siblings being raised by our parents back in The Philippines. Every stage, I tend to flash back and discern the struggle my parents had to overcome. It’s not easy to raise children but it is definitely The Best thing in my life, my family. My husband and our children they are the source of my strength.
I got this book today from the Thrift Store in Tustin for only $0.50. I am excited to learn more and understand how to inprove my parenting skills. That’s another thing I learned as a parent, spending money wisely 😉 and THAT, is very important.
Thanks for reading!
One of my favorite snack recipe that I learned from Maangchi is Gotgamssam Salgussam. I enjoy how easy it is to make these and I also love how healthy and filling it can be.
It’s been a couple of years since I last made some of these but last week, I was able to buy good quality dried persimmons at our local Korean Market (H-Mart). I also purchased organic dried Turkish Apricots from a Persian market here in Laguna Niguel.
It is always best to use whole walnuts but I only found halves and pieces at Trader Joes.
When you try it, have it with your favorite Tea. Enjoy!
When I saw this Veggie grab bag ad in one of my favorite Asian grocer (Tokyo Central formerly known as Marukai Market) magazine, I thought the veggies will be more like green beans, carrots, Brussel sprouts but when we went to the market, I grabbed a veggie bag and filled it with cherry tomatoes, okra and mushrooms. With all that I have, plus my left-over quarter kabocha (a Japanese variety of winter squash), today I cooked Pinakbet.
My family and I were in Chula Vista, California. It is a small town in San Diego a few miles to the border of Mexico. Because of it’s proximity to Mexico, you will feel like you are in Mexico when you walk the streets of Chula Vista’s commercial hang-outs. A lot of authentic Mexican places to eat.
While waiting for someone, we entered this small place and we didn’t even know what they serve. Upon seeing the pictures and prices on the wall, it took us about 10 minutes before we could order. I had to feast my eyes into all goodies before I could really decide what I wanted to taste.
We always want to explore new flavors but when we saw the word “Corn” in the freezer, we just couldn’t say no.
I grew up in the Philippines eating corn ice cream, buying from Filipino ice cream peddlers called “Mamang Sorbetero.” It’s a classic flavor every Filipino feels nostalgic about. I’ve seen corn ice cream at Korean markets too. If you have eaten sweet corn on a cob or canned sweet corn and even frozen sweet corn, it’s the same thing! Try it!! I suggest going to a Filipino, Korean or Mexican supermarket in your area. Good luck and I hope to hear stories from people who will dare taste it (if it’s your first time – wink.. wink!).
Thanks for visiting my blog!
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