How to Cook the Perfect Rice Every Time!

Tried and tested, best and easiest way to cook the perfect rice every time! No more guessing game!

There is a joke in the Philippines as I was growing up in the province that a girl is not allowed to marry until she can prove that she knows how to cook rice!! I think I must have been reminded about this many times that it stuck in my head! Thankfully, this is no longer the litmus test before one can marry or many would have flunked right away.

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

The combination of spices plus a hint of citrus goodness make this Butter Chicken totally delicious!  Easy, simple, tried and tested recipe made in your slow cooker!

Every time our friend Samuel comes to the US for a visit he brings with him some delicious spices from his beloved country India!! One time he brought back with him nearly a kilo (2+ pounds) worth of authentic and homemade curry powder made by his mom. Wow! That was and still is, for me, the best curry powder ever, It was vibrant, spicy and made everything I add it to totally yummy! As a result, I have been cooking curry a lot and, as you can imagine, using it a lot, too. What I love about it is that it's so robust in flavor that even a mere teaspoon can truly do wonders to any dish that needs curry powder.

Ultimate Slow Cooker Chocolate Rice Pudding (Champorado)

Sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and chocolate. This chocolate rice pudding is the ultimate breakfast sweet treat or when served with ice cream - a truly yummy dessert - Champorado!

We had a lot of snow this past week and as I write it's still a few inches on the ground and according to the weather prediction there will be more dumping come Sunday afternoon! I can't really complain because this winter has been particularly mild and hasn't really snowed a lot until a few days ago. However, since the car was left on the driveway in the middle of the snow storm and the fact that our driveway inclines upwards towards the road - that meant we were stuck for the last couple of days at home.

Slow Cooker Beef Caldereta (Kalderetang Baka)

This Asian beef stew (Beef Caldereta) is robust in flavor and so delicious! Cooking in the slow cooker makes it very convenient, too. Serve with Jasmine rice.

Sometime last year when the weather was starting to get cooler, I had this intense craving for Filipino food. In particular, I was longing for a steamy bowl of Beef Caldereta, a classic Filipino beef stew originally based on a Spanish stew, hence the name, (we were colonized by Spain for over 300 years, remember?) but with a distinctly and authentic Asian flair! It is a dish you will commonly find in any major celebration in the Philippines - weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, you name it. It is usually made with either beef or goat though you may also find versions of chicken or pork. Naturally, it pairs perfectly well with rice!

Top 10 Filipino Recipes for Christmas

Celebrate Christmas and the holiday season with these tried and tested, delicious Top 10 Filipino Recipes for Christmas! 

We love Christmas in the Philippines so much that the holiday season actually unofficially begins the 1st day of September! To celebrate our favorite day, every Filipino household will have many of these delicious recipes on their menu. If you are thinking of doing an Asian-themed celebration this year, this collection of our family favorite recipes would surely come handy!

Korean Ground Beef over Rice

Sweet, salty, with a little spicy kick, if you like, this quick and easy Korean Ground Beef over Rice will please your taste buds! Done in 20 minutes or less. Can be made Paleo-friendly.

I love ground beef! We buy it bulk during the beginning of each month and then I separate the meat into 1 pound bags and freeze the ones I won't use immediately. That way when I am in a quandary on what to make for dinner, I can simply pick a bag out of the freezer, saute them with some onions and garlic, add soy sauce or whatever seasoning I fancy and then mix them with any veggies available in the fridge. Easy dinner without the fuss that is quite healthy, too.

Easy Bacon Fried Rice

Left-over rice? No problem! Turn it into delicious fried rice flavored with bacon, garlic and eggs! Easy and delicious instant side dish!

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you probably already know by now how much we love fried rice in our house. In fact, I purposely cook a lot of rice in one go for the simple reason that we want left-overs. You know why? Because left-over chilled cooked rice is the perfect ingredient for a delicious and perfect fried rice!

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

Very tasty, quick and simple to make is this Thai inspired Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps. Perfect as appetizer or as main dish served with Jasmine rice.  Gluten-free and paleo-friendly, too.

Naturally, I love cooking Asian food as that's what I grew up with. I love that any typical Asian dish whether from the Philippines, China, Thailand or any other parts of Asia is not only loaded with tasty seasonings but offers delicious complexity - it can at once be sweet, spicy, tangy and salty. My taste buds are tickled indeed with all these nuanced yet harmonious flavors.

Lemon Cilantro (or Coriander) Chicken

Fresh lemon juice, aromatic spices and herbs add so much flavor to this succulent chicken dish. Easy and delicious option for a weeknight family meal!

What a disaster! No, not this recipe, thankfully, but the fact that I lost the video for this recipe. It is frustrating as I really worked hard to make a video for this and even missed an appointment to finish it on time and then in the twinkle of an eye, it was gone....all gone.

Whole Roast Masala Chicken (Indian-style)

Flavored with aromatic spices, this whole roast Masala Chicken (Indian-style) comes out so yummy! The skin is deliciously crisp and the meat is tender and moist. This roast is very easy and quick to prepare, too.

When I was pregnant for the first time 10 years ago with our eldest son, the main food I craved was roast chicken. I had a really bad "morning" sickness (of course, it could be anytime of the day!) for the first 4 months or so and nothing seemed to calm my stomach and made me happier than roast chicken! I don't know why that was but I guess I should just be happy my cravings were not too "exotic" or hard to find!

Cauliflower Fried Rice

In 15 minutes or less you can make this delicious alternative to fried rice. A versatile recipe, you can add your favorite meat (esp. left-over ones), veggies and adjust the taste to your liking!

One of the loveliest memories we have of Michigan is shopping at Meijer's - a great grocery chain in the Midwest. You're probably asking yourself, "Grocery shopping? How can that be memorable?" You see, shopping in Meijer's was our very first introduction to American culture. The moment we stepped into that huge supermarket, hubby and I were totally astounded with the dizzying variety of what's on offer - seemingly unending aisles of cereals and other breakfast products, endless varieties of ice cream, frozen pizza galore....and what have you. It was quite a sight for us who, back in 2004, were used to smallish to medium size kind of grocery stores and not of the mega-mall variety.  

Crispy Adobo Flakes

Crunchy and flavorful, these crispy adobo flakes are perfect for breakfast, as topping for salad or soup and a delicious accompaniment to your favorite Asian dish. Use left-over pork, chicken or beef adobo to make this so nothing is wasted!

A few days ago, I posted a recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo which I cooked previously. After the first meal of enjoying this classic Pinoy dish, we had some left-overs as usual (we are a small family after all). Normally, I would simply reheat whatever was left and have it with fried rice for a second meal. But then, I thought that would simply be boring. So, I decided to use the remaining chicken pieces for making crispy Adobo flakes. After all, hubby totally loved the Adobo flakes after having some at a breakfast place in Manila. He couldn't believe how tasty the odd looking shredded meat was and that it was as good as the original dish itself!

Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo

Chicken slowly braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and bay leaves until fall-off-the-bone tender and DELICIOUS. This classic dish can be made a day ahead and tastes even better the next day! 

Life does get in the way sometimes. :) I intended to post this well-clamored for recipe last week but alas my migraine headache for 3 days in a row totally prevented me from doing so. So, I apologize to those who were normally awaiting another recipe last week. Things were certainly beyond my control. I guess, it's better late than never. Anyway, let me assure you dear readers that this recipe is certainly worth the wait!

Corned Beef Hash (Filipino Style)

Easy 30 minute recipe for left-over corned beef. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and certainly have it with rice or bread, if you like.

It's my birthday today!! Hubby just surprised me this afternoon and told me we needed to leave right away for New York City where he arranged a special birthday dinner for me. Wow, I didn't see that coming! I intended to finish this post right away but because of this "surprise" I had to temporarily stop so I could prepare our clothes for the trip.

Special Fried Rice

Easy and yummy way to make your favorite take-away Chinese Special Fried Rice. You can also tweak the flavoring to your taste.

As I have mentioned before in previous posts, we are obsessed with rice in the Philippines. Why do I say so? Well, we just eat rice at least 3 times a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner. I say at least 3 times because more often than not - it may be 5 times. Yes, seriously!

Fried Rice with Aromatic Spices

Tasty and mildly spiced this fried rice is the perfect side dish for your favorite Asian food especially curries and stews. Great way to use left-over rice, too and it's gluten-free!

Since hubby came back from India last December bringing with him a good amount of spices, I have been trying to think of creative ways to use them. Since rice is a staple in our family, I thought it would be great to use these spices to add extra flavor to the usual fried rice. 

Easy Peanut (Satay) Sauce

Use smooth or crunchy peanut butter to make this easy and tasty Peanut (Satay) Sauce. Serve this as sauce or dip for grilled meat or toss with some noodles for an Asian-inspired dish.

In the Philippines, like in Indonesia, Thailand and many other parts of South East Asia, chicken or pork cooked on a grill is pretty much the typical street food. In every community's street corner you will never miss a barbecue stand. Even in the tiniest villages, you won't miss the aroma of freshly grilled meat. Of course a favorite accompaniment to grilled meat is the Peanut Sauce.

Travel Feature: Cambodia - Angkor Wat

For anyone consumed by wanderlust, I highly recommend a visit to Cambodia's Angkor Wat. After all, it consistently tops the list of must-see destinations in the world!

After we got married, one of the first books hubby purchased for us was "1,000 Places to See before You Die." I must admit, we both love to travel and that common interest is one of the key reasons why despite our huge difference in personality and culture we have such a strong bond. Of course, I am certain it will not be possible for us to visit all the places recommended in the book but whenever we visit a new country - we take a quick look at it and see the travel highlights it features. Certainly, if you visit Cambodia - this is the top priority - a visit to the Angkor Wat complex.

Wagamama's Yaki Soba

There are two restaurants in the UK that we always go back to when we visit England. One is Nando’s (home of the Portuguese flamed grilled Peri-peri chicken) and Wagamama (restaurant featuring modern Japanese-inspired cuisine). Granted that there is Wagamama now in the US, particularly in Boston, since we don’t often go there, we make sure that we don’t miss the chance to visit our favorite branches in London. :)

Oriental (Asian) Coleslaw

From the time I got to taste this delicious salad many years ago during one of our church potluck dinners, I was hooked. I must admit the first time I saw this salad, I thought it looked weird. Uncooked ramen noodles on top? Really?