The 'Glorified Squash and String Beans'

Although some of us are on a tight budget this Thanksgiving or Christmas, we can still 'glorify' a simple meal using our squash differently.

We Pinoys normally prepare our sitaw and kalabasa with gata, but you can also cook it simply by getting the shrimp head's juice to add that tasty flavor!

Guinataa'ng Dilis at Sitaw

We Pinoys love additional side dishes that will complement our main dish. In this case, the adobo I am complementing ... not supplementing, okay? ... with the Guinataa'ng Dilis and Sitaw (anchovies and long string beans with coconut milk), which is my focus right now.

But honestly, I truly had a tasteful craving to eat the anchovies as the main dish and the adobo - the side dish.  Anchovies have this distinct flavor that makes you savor its unique piquancy even as you merely think about - and tasting it at a certain moment, actually - will just make you feel that 'satisfaction', just like when you are scratching that itchy 'red ant bite', if you know what I mean...

Anyway, I just simmered the anchovies in coconut milk, garlic and onions, then added the string beans and threw in some pepper flakes for the "umph"... no salt, no patis, cause the dried anchovies is salty enough!

ENJOY!!!

Minty Pork Chops! ...if you've never tried them, it's a good new experience! Marinate in light soy (to make sure that the flavor does not overpower the mint) and lemon before saute-ing in minced garlic. When cooked, serve with FRESH mint leaves. Take an itsy bitsy cut of the mint per bite, unless you want your chops more minty!

"InADIN" Bicol Express... I cooked the taro leaves separately from the chicken... when you cut the 'formed' "laing", you will see the chicken inside. (you can use pork, or the traditional "DAING" or anything you want - using "real" coconut milk (not from the can) will give you an HONEST coconut OIL... Note the center of the laing with spicy bagoong alamang. I also wanted to 'present' the laing/bicol express differently... subukan!!

Vegetable Curry and Shrimps ...

Vegetable Curry and Shrimps ...

I would have made 'Shrimp Curry' but the shrimps would have "shrunk" and would not be 'tender' if it is overcooked within the curry sauce when simmered so - I microwaved the raw shrimps with the veggie curry sauce. 

If you have it with rice, just pour the sauce on the rice. You'll be able to enjoy the mild sweetness of the shrimps separately while savoring the curry and the coconut milk blend as well...
add Paprika to give it a little spicy kick!

PAKKAIN new PAK Labels

We have revised our PAK labels of pre-PAK'd meals and have added more to our original standard menu selection.

From the original "Apat na Sikat" labels, we eventually established - that the 'favorites' of our regular customers, are the following four 'ulams' (viands): the Pork Adobo, Beef Kaldereta, Chicken Sarciado and the Palabok!

From the four variances, we now have a total of 20 labels to use to cater to neighboring offices we intend to deliver to, aside from the Pinoys who avail of the Consulate Office's services, over and above the captive market within the Philippine Center Management Board building. By the way PAKKAIN also has its "special service" the Consulate office's clients such as the elderly's, to the people on wheelchair and the diabetic. Visiting people from "out of State" find PAKKAIN convenient, since they do not know the city, (not knowing where to find inexpensive food - and "Pinoy" food for that matter). They need not go out of the building as they wait for their passport renewals or legal documentation just to get a meal.

As we re-establish our existing market in view of the 'transfer' to the new location and new commercial kitchen in Hayward, we are very exited to regain momentum as our new venues are better than the initial ones we had - both the Cafe and the kitchen. Hopefully, we will achieve our desired pace soon enough.
But confidently, in time, we will consistently make all our labels available in our little Cafe at "The Fourth" (suite 419) downtown 447 Sutter Street.

Meantime, we hope you can come and visit us and get a taste of our food and experience our PAKs, as we introduce our hygienically "prepared" meals through 'blast chilling' (to eliminate bacterial growth) - what's more is that our food do not have MSG, and we only use vegetable oil (if necessary at all).

THE PAKKAIN meals - a better way to enjoy healthy Pinoy food downtown San Francisco!!

Wanna PAK?

Who said Pinoy "Almusal" can never be gourmet??? (Well we can at least TRY!! LOL!) ...You have all tried Kang kong with Bagoong!! This one is smoked TINAPA FLAKES with Tomatoes and onions. As you steam/or blanch the Kangkong - you can use chicken stock instead of plain water (or beef, shrimp or pork if you will) add the tomatoes filled with Tinapa flakes. Scoop the tomato meat and chop to mix with tinapa flakes. Cover as it boils shortly, just enough to cook the kangkong right. Before serving, 'cut' the veggies to serve (with style). See that the tinapa flavor will add a smoky taste to the veggies too. To eat, cut the tomato to bite sizes with the tinapa flakes and mix with the fresh onions and basil. This was our brunch with brown rice!! Subukan pang almusal para ma-IBA naman!

New Labels

Four new labels to add to my previous 'apat na sikat', soon to be sold at the PAK KAIN, when we re-open for the new location (same buiding, same floor - TBA). See you soon!!!

SIMPLE SALMON

After a sumptuous array of festive bounties to celebrate and anticipate the New Year's grand entrance, a simple canned Salmon is in order, just to 'counter' the taste of that lechon n' sauce, mouth watering menudo, lumpiang shanghai, embotido or morcon, sweet leche flan or buko pandan salad!

Here is a different way to serve our canned 'taste bubs neutralizer'.

I am showing you a step by step plating, just to encourage a little bit of 'art' in bringing SIMPLE SALMON to a throne of carbs and carotene!

Make sure you work on the potatoes fast to avoid from its oxidation (turning brownish) so make sure you have cut, shredded and minced everything first and do the potatoes LAST.

Meantime, when you open your canned salmon, position the meats without breaking them as they are very delicately tender. Pour the liquid on the sides of the plate so that it oozes to the 'bottom'. Your intention here is to steam the carrots and potatoes when you microwave the plate for about 5 minutes (or depending on how 'cooked' you want your carrots to be). Add water if you want your dish to be less 'fishy'.

The tomato, I cut diagonally - and spoon out the meats to mix with the cilantro, onions, ginger, raw garlic, salt, pepper and add balsamic vinegar and add a tiny, little bit of sugar.

Finally, top your creation with some of the cilantro stalks and slices of onions for your tomato 'cup' side ensalada. Re-garnish the whole plate with fresh cilantro and firm onions rings!

With or without rice is good!!!

Happy New Year!

8 FRUITS for the New Year!

We have this old tradition: that we HAVE TO EAT eight fruits as we greet the New Year!! ...some say it's for prosperity, some even specified "round fruits" to symbolize -coin 'money'. Well, GOLD can be molded to different shapes, right?

True or not, it wont hurt to eat my favorites. There are other traditions that suggests eating something sweet to greet the new year, to make life "sweeter" for us. Well, what can be sweeter than sugar.

On the side, I have the dark brown sugar syrup - 'panutsa' flavor to dip the strawberries in or the banana and the orange too. Try juicing the orange and drink it instead of eating it with its meat and pulp bits if you prefer that too and sweeten it with the syrup.

However you have it, have fun plating it the way I did!