Mom's Simple Birthday Lunch

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My mumsy's birthday last May 22. We opted for a simple lunch with my very cute and makulit pamangkins who slept over the night before. We'll go eat out tomorrow instead and celebrate it together with the birthday of my other nephew Adrian and will write about where we'll go! :)

special caricature shirt gifted by my sister and her BF

Going back to last Sunday, I wanted another Iron Chef challenge and dropped by the Eton Centris Sunday Market to find inspiration while having to finish by lunch time. I am yet to write about the shopping experience... soon I promise. But here are the ingredients I got from the market.

fresh gooseberries from Baguio - P50 for 100 g

peel off the paper outside to reveal the tart and sweet fruit inside. like a cross between a tomato and a guava

golden kiwi. same taste as its green cousin, it's just yellow. :) - P25/pc

salted duck eggs (which have that nice oily yolk) which some of the red salted eggs do not have - P100 / 10 pcs

tropical/green passion fruit which have the orange pulp (very tart). you may come across the orange passion fruit - warning while fruit is orange the pulp inside is gray and a bit sweeter - P50 / kilo

fresh blueberries which you may remember from my Blueberry Muffin post - P50 / cup or P300 / kilo

Philippine lime (dayap) - equivalent of key limes :) - P5 each

fresh ferns (pako) - P10 per bundle

fresh mussels (tahong) - P70 / kilo

mud crabs (alimango) - P380 / kilo

Yum yum yum! Feeling good that day to make something very simple to bring out the freshness of every ingredient. So here are the recipes I hope you also try. :)

Pinoy Berry & Fern Salad with Passion Fruit Dressing

Ingredients:

Salad
3 bunches fern (washed, spin dried) - top two inches is edible, leaves and stalk. pick leaves when you get to the bottom part
1 red eggs, diced
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
10 pcs gooseberries diced
1 golden kiwi, diced

Dressing
3 passion fruit pulps
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 cup canola oil
1/8 cup honey

Procedure:
1. Reduce pulp, water and sugar over medium heat for 15 minutes.

2. Strain the liquid. Do not throw the pulp and seeds - completely edible. Try it over toast - tangy and crunchy! I'll share some recipes on passion fruit pulp soon! :)

3. Mix in honey until blended. Whisk in oil slowly and season with salt and pepper. Set aside (no need to emulsify).

Alessa helping me out in her Peejays!

4. Trim the washed ferns.

My little helpers Alrick and Alessa working it!

5. Arrange salad on a platter and serve with the dressing on the side.

Steamed Crabs
The easiest recipe when you have the freshest crabs! But them aliveand buy the gay / bakla ones which have the roe or aligue and have the most meat.

claws restrained by cloth to avoid pinchers pinching you!

Clean. Steam for 15 minutes.

Cut Open. Serve. Vinegar and garlic or garlic butter can be served with it:)

look at the yummy crab fat!!!

Thai Style Mussels

Ingredients:
1 kilo fresh mussels
2 tablespoons oil
3 stalks lemongrass pounded
1 green long chili, sliced
2 tablespoons Tom Yum Paste (can be bought at Rustans or other Asian specialty stores)
juice from 1 dayap / lime

Procedure:
1. Heat oil and saute lemongrass, chili and Tom Yum paste.
2. Add mussels, lime juice and cover. Mussels will render its own liquid. Cover and steam for 5 minutes until mussels open.
3. Serve and enjoy! :)

And then comes a curve ball - my mom wants pansit or wok fried egg noodles (Chinese inspired belief that serving noodles on your birthday will bring long life) which obviously I did not plan for. To buy or cook - long debate ended up cooking it. What a Masterchef Chef twist! Managed to pull it off with ingredients lying around the house.

Pansit Bato

Ingredients:
250 g pansit bato (named because they use a stone mill to grind and mix the flour, egg, water and salt)
* my ninang gave it to us from Albay, you may substitute Canton or dried miki noodles
3 tablespoons oil
1 small white onion sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced sayote (chayote)
1/4 cup sliced chicken breast
2 pcs macau sausage, sliced
1 small napa cabbage (pechay baguio), shredded
2 chicken broth cubes
3 cups water (I used some of the broth from steaming the crabs for this recipe)

Procedure:
1. Heat oil and saute garlic and onions. Add carrots, sayote, macau sausage and chicken. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the water and broth cubes and bring to a boil. Add noodles and stir constantly for 10 minutes until noodles are tender and all the liquid is absorbed. If you want your noodles saucy, add another 1/2 cup of broth - the pansit bato will make it thick and coat every noodle strand.

3. Serve on a plateer with slices of dayap to squeeze on.

With lunch, also served these fresh chinese spring rolls (lumpiang sariwa) which are good. Just the way I remember eating it from one of the authentic chinese restaurants in Ongpin. Crunchy herbed vermicelli (sotanghon), sauteed vegetable and pork filling, chopped peanuts, cilantro (wansuy) and lettuce inside a fresh spring roll wrapper. The sauce is sweet and salty from sugar and possibly panucha (whole palm sugar).

Visit them at the Eton Centris Market or call them for orders (number in the wrapper on the picture). They also serve nice cuapao - same fillings with pork inside a soft and sweet mantou bun.

Over-all happy with what I put out. No dessert this time - cake and ice cream is a must for birthdays so did not bother making one! Hahaha Food was gone in no time, salad is a great hit! :D

Mumsy with my 4 pamangkins - Alessa, Alrick, Arianna and Adrian (standing)

Love you mumsy! :D