Brazo De Mercedes

Whenever I go to any Goldilocks branch, I’m always tempted with Brazo De Mercedes. I never tried buying one because I find it impractical – how can that very soft bread of less than a kilo in weight could be given a price that is almost similar with the other cake? Unfortunately, they do not sell in slice.

Now that I’m into cooking, I want to try some of most people’s favorite foods that we see in different food chains like this Brazo De Mercedes of Goldilocks.

My second attempt :) (first attempt was not successful)

Good thing that I depend on Panlasang Pinoy website and all their recipes are truly wonderful and easy to prepare. I tried Brazo at first using the ingredients that they gave but since I couldn’t find any wax paper that time, I used the alternative – parchment. It was hard to use especially if it was not greased as instructed. To make it short, my first trial wasn’t as perfect as I expected it to be. The only fulfilling is the taste but the presentation was not as good to see as that in the advertisements of Goldilocks :). But still, my friends and I consumed all :)

This time, I was able to see wax paper so it was easier for me to prepare. Though the picture looks so perfect, the preparation made me crazy once more. For how many times should I tell myself to follow the instruction from top to bottom so I get the things done in good results? Sometimes I do it in shortcut way. The thing is, if I do it, it wouldn’t give me the desired result.

Ingredients:
-10 raw eggs, separate yolks from whites
-½ teaspoon cream of tartar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
-14 ounces (1 can) condensed milk

Cooking Tips:

- if cream of tartar is not available in the market, you may use an alternative, in my case I used 1 ½ tsp of baking powder instead as I could not find any cream of tartar

You will need:

-2 baking trays with wax papers
-Stand mixer

-Spatula
Procedure:

Preparing the Meringue
- Combine egg whites and cream of tartar then beat using an electric stand mixer until soft peaks form (or meringue)
- Make the meringue by gradually adding the granulated sugar while mixing the ingredients. Continue mixing until the texture is semi-firm. This will take for about 10mins of continuous stirring
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place wax paper on top of a rectangular baking pan and grease the surface
- Place the meringue on top of the greased wax paper then spread evenly using a spatula
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until the color of the top part turns light to medium brown

Cooking the Filling
- Meanwhile, make the filling by combining the egg yolks and condensed milk in a small cooking pot
- Add the vanilla extract to the mixture
- Apply low to medium heat and cook the mixture while continuously stirring until the texture becomes thick
- Turn off the heat and set aside.

Combining the Meringue and the Filling
- Remove the meringue from the oven and cool down for a few minutes until it sags
- Sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar on top of the meringue
- Place wax paper on the top part of the meringue followed by a similar sized baking tray
- Flip the meringue
- Remove the baking tray and the wax paper (you should now see the opposite side of the baked meringue)
- Spread the filling over the meringue.
- Roll the meringue side to side starting at the longest side (the layer with filling must be inward)
- Share and enjoy!
Credits: PanlasangPinoy, Google Images for the You will need photos

Puto

Puto is a kind of steamed rice cake in the Philippines. It has different variations such as Putong Puti, Puto Bumbong, Puto Maya, Puto Pao, and others. Each variation is cooked differently; one may be sweeter than the others, another may be fluffier than the others, some people cook it with filling, some prepare it small and round, big and rectangular or triangular, etc., It may also be eaten in different ways such as eating it as is, adding grated coconut, top it up with cheese, or dip in Philippine’s one of the best Filipino dishes – dinuguan.

Among the mentioned variations, my favorite is the Putong Puti especially when it is dipped in Dinuguan.. yummy! :)

I’ve also tasted similar rice cake cooked by some Indian friends, it is called Idli (left). The fluffiness is almost the same as our Putong Puti but the texture and taste are different.

For now, I haven’t tried searching for Putong Puti’s recipe yet so let me instead give you the recipe of another variation of Puto – honestly I do not know what type of Puto is this – all I know is that it is medium in size, round, and sweet :). After several failed attempts in making Puto from some online websites, I got this recipe from Gaye – my flatmate here in Oman.

this Puto was prepared as a birthday gift for Elna :)

Ingredients:- 2cups all purpose flour
- 1cup white sugar
- 2tsp baking powder
- 2cups fresh milk
- 2 eggs
- 1cup melted butter (optional)

You will need:

- steamer

- Puto molds


Procedure:
- combine all dry ingredients
- add eggs
- add milk and butter
- put in puto molds
- steam for 25mins
- top with cheese
- enjoy and serve!

Best with Dinuguan and Hot Tea!

Credits: Junimar & Gaye Carayugan, Google Images for the You will need and other sample photos

Lumpiang Sariwa Sauce

Ingredients:
-1/4 c soy sauce
-1/8 c vinegar (optional)
-1 1/2 c water
-3 tbsp cornstarch
-4 tbsp sugar

Procedure:
- combine all the ingredients for the sauce
- mix well until fully blended
- heat on a low fire until thickened
- set aside

Lumpiang Sariwa

Lumpiang Sariwa is my favorite in Goldilocks and whenever I got the chance, I make sure to order that for snacks. One of my cousins knows how to cook it but the version at Goldilocks is tastier of course. It may not be because it is commercialized but because they may have secret ingredients that my cousin doesn’t know about. :)

Wikipedia explains Lumpia as pastries of Chinese origin similar to fresh Popiah or fried spring rolls popular in Southeast Asia. The term lumpia derives from Hokkien lunpia, which is an alternate term for popiah. The recipe, both fried and fresh versions, was brought by the Chinese immigrants to Southeast Asia and became popular in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Sariwa is a Filipino term for Fresh. It is not fried unlike the common spring rolls. In the Philippines, Lumpiang Sariwa is known for minced ubod (heart of palm) as its main vegetable ingredients; and the sweet sauce with garlic and peanut garnishing.

For most of the foods that I cook, I depend on panlasangpinoy. But this time, I made use of recipes from two different sources – filling from them while the wrapper and sauce from Ms Alice – my boss’ wife who is also my colleague here in Oman. I like the combination of vegetables, pork, and tofu from the recipe of panlasangpinoy, while I find it easier for me to prepare the wrapper and sauce courtesy of Ms Alice.

Ingredients:

Filling:
-½ lb pork, thinly sliced
-2 cups sweet potato, cubed
-2 tbsp fish sauce (patis)1 pack extra firm tofu, sliced in strips
-1 ½ cup carrots, julienned
-1 cup string beans
-1 lb cabbage, shredded
-½ cup water
-6 pieces Lettuce leaves
-garlic, onion

Wrapper:
-1 c all purpose flour
-1/3 c cornstarch
-1 egg
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 c water
Sauce:
-1/4 c soy sauce
-1/8 c vinegar (optional)
-1 1/2 c water
-3 tbsp cornstarch
-4 tbsp sugar
Garnish:

- minced garlic
- ½ cup crushed peanuts

You will need:







- a non stick panProcedure:
Filling
- heat cooking oil in a pan, sauté onions and garlic until color turns light brown
- add the pork until color turns light brown
- add the fish sauce
- add the potato, cook until it is soft
- add the tofu and cook for 2-3mins
- add the carrots and string beans and cook for another 2-3mins
- add the cabbage and cook for a minute
- set aside

Wrapper
- combine all the ingredients for the wrapper
- mix well until fully blended
- heat a non-stick pan on a low to medium heat
- grease with butter (optional)
- scoop about half a cup of wrapper mixture and pour in the pan
- cook for about 2mins or until the top part of the mixture is completely dry
- remove and set aside

Sauce
- combine all the ingredients for the sauce
- mix well until fully blended

- heat on a low fire until thickened
- remove from heat and set aside

Combining them all together:
- place a wrapper in a plate and then place a lettuce leaf on the top part
- scoop the filling and place over the lettuce, in the middle of the wrapper
- close the wrapper by folding the lower part first then the two sides
- pour in the sauce over the wrapped Lumpiang Sariwa
- garnish with crushed peanuts and minced garlic
- serve and enjoy!

Cooking Tips:
- Since I got no cornstarch, I just added another half cup of all purpose flour. It is an alternative that I read from some other cooking websites. The result was pretty well too :)
- When making the wrapper, distribute the liquid evenly making it occupy the entire size of the pan giving enough bigger space for the filling

Best with Iced Tea!

Credits: Goldilocks, PanlasangPinoy, Ms Alice Lontok

Lumpiang Sariwa Wrapper

I thought of creating this separate post specifically for Lumpiang Sariwa Wrapper.

Ingredients:
-1 c all purpose flour
-1/3 c cornstarch
-1 egg
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 c water

Procedure:
- combine all the ingredients for the wrapper
- mix well until fully blended
- heat a non-stick pan on a low to medium heat
- grease with butter (optional)
- scoop about half a cup of wrapper mixture and pour in the pan
- cook for about 2mins or until the top part of the mixture is completely dry
- remove and set aside

Combine with vegetables and sauce and enjoy your Lumpiang Sariwa! :)

Banana Bread

During my childhood, every Christmas season I remember one of my uncles used to bring Fruit Cake to his children which he also shares with me and my brother. Although it was delicious, I did not like it that much because of the different taste of fruits blended with sweet taste of the bread. I got confused in which it should be categorized, sweet or sour bread? Until I realized that there is another almost similar mixture – Banana Bread, which has been one of my favorite breads to buy from the bakery beside us.

According to wikipedia, Banana Bread first became a standard feature of American cookbooks with the popularization of baking soda and baking powder in 1930s. This is made of mashed fully ripe banana. There are different variations such as Banana raisin bread, Banana nut bread, and Chocolate chip banana bread.

Banana Bread into halves

I haven’t tried the three types yet because I just started with the most common and the one I used to buy from the bakery. Soon, I will try one of them or better think of other type too.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup mashed banana
- 2 pcs eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cooking oil You will need:







- banana loaf panProcedure:
- combine all dry ingredients
- add eggs, oil, and vanilla extract
- add the mashed banana
- grease loaf pan and put in the mixture
- preheat oven
- bake the mixture for 20-30mins

Credits: Bakery ng Kapitbahay, www.panlasangpinoy.com for the recipe