Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Big Little Store at Gilmore

For last minute chinese take-outs or late afternoon snack, when we're around Gilmore area, my family heads to The Big Little Store at Gilmore, big brother to Little Store on the Hill.

Big Little Store at Gilmore is where I have my "maki" (meat soup thickened with starch) fix.  I eat mine with tons of chopped garlic (I know bad breath...), a big dallop of chili sauce and a splash of black vinegar all of which are right on the table.  The blend of pungent garlic, spicy chili and sour vinegar is like a symphony of flavors on my palate.  The texture of the soup's thick and sticky, better eat it while hot or else it'll turn watery. The meat's so tender, it takes little effort to chew and the chopped scallions lends a certain bite. 

My dad favors their lumpia salad which is lumpia unwrapped (less mess) and my cousin enjoys their beef noodle soup which is clear, light and gingery with thinly sliced beef and egg noodles.  Great with chopped chili sauce

Both The Big Little Store at Gilmore and Little Store on the Hill serves the same menu and attached to the stores are mini-markets for last minute grocery shopping.

The Big Little Store at Gilmore
G/F Gilmore IT Center
Gilmore, New Manila

Little Store on the Hill
along Abad Santos St.
San Juan

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Pandesal 2

I have always had pandesal for breakfast until the advent of the low-carb diets. To lose weight, pandesal was one of the first carbs to go.  But lately, I figured life's too short to miss out on a few good things like pandesal.  Instead I gave up bottomless iced teas, softdrinks and other sweet drinks to take pandesal again.  I have never been happier.

For a hearty breakfast, I enjoy it with Majestic ham cooked in simple syrup or spicy sardines in oil straight from the bottle mixed with a little mayonaise or scrambled eggs with a little pat of butter or crispy twice cooked adobo rendered of fat or just plain "mahu" (pork floss) sandwiched in between. Paired with a cup of french-pressed coffee is perfection.

I used to buy pandesal from our corner panaderia, Lunar's, at the corner of Agoncillo and Remedios St. Malate.  My relatives from HK used to order, in advance, 100 pieces to take home with them.  That's how good their pandesal were.  But when we moved to a new residence, the pandesals of the panderias around us were not as good.  They're either too small or too wrinkled or too airy and not as appetizing.  

Then I found Pan de Manila's pandesal.  The smell of pandesal baked in a pugon draws you into their shop.  The pandesal's light, airy and just the right size, the way I like my pandesal. Open 24 hours, it's the perfect panderia for me.  

Pan De Manila
Panaderia all over Manila

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Pandesal 1

I made it, I actually made it. I made my very own pandesal, this sweet smelling, light and crusty, golden brown “Bread of Salt”.

There’s really nothing like freshly baked, hand rolled pandesal. The feel of the heavy dough taking shape under my hand, as I kneaded it, the elation I felt watching it grow right before my eyes and the joy of cutting, shaping and dusting each roll with bread crumbs and finally laying them down on a tray, and ready for the oven.

While waiting for the pandesal to cook, the smell of baking bread wafting thru the air, I recall, when I was small, walking to our neighborhood bakery, Lunar’s, to buy pandesal for breakfast.

Dad would split his pandesal in half, spread rich creamy butter on each side, put them back together and dunk it in hot coffee. I would watch the pandesal soak up the coffee, the coffee melting the butter, the butter mixing with his coffee and the entire thing would end up in his mouth and he would smile, savoring the medley of flavor in his mouth.

Mom would tear up her pandesal into bite size pieces, throw them into her bowl of warm milk and wait till the pandesal soaks up the milk and voila, mom’s version of gruel.

I, on the other hand, would split my pandesal in half, spread each side with mayonnaise and place mayo side down on an oil-less skillet till golden brown. The smell of caramelizing mayo, being absorbed by the pandesal, was truly mouth watering. This creation of mine I would down with a cold glass of milk.

And that was breakfast.

As I took the freshly baked pandesal out of the oven, I was amazed at how science and nature, together, created from a heavy lump of dough, this light, crusty, golden brown pandesal and I made it.

Jo Uygongco
July 17, 2006

Monday, November 10, 2008

Soupy Soups

Cold rainy days calls for hot hearty soups and that's just what Auntie Lily prepared for us.  

Early in the week we had a hearty "Fish Head with Chicken Feet Soup".  A cantonese recipe, its main ingredients were meaty fish head and chicken feet (aka "adidas"), add in raw peanuts, barley, sliced ginger, leeks and baguio pechay, and you have a one-dish-meal that warm the stomach as well as the spirit.  

A few days after, we had one of my favorite "Pork Spareribs Soup".  This is our short-cut version of hot-pot or shabu-shabu.  The main ingredients were, off course, pork spareribs and assorted meat and seafood balls. Try to buy the white "Kisses" shaped ones, it has a filling made of roe-like stuffing that bursts with flavor when you bite into it. Careful though when hot, the soupy filling could burn your tongue.  Add in fresh corn, carrots and baguio pechay and it's like autumn in a bowl.  Light and flavorful.  Sometimes I would add a dallop of "Bull Head Brand" sate sauce (the only sate sauce we like) and it's as close to shabu-shabu in a bowl as I can get.

Later in the week, Aunt Lily tried a new recipe, another cantonese dish, "Fish Head with Pork Soup".  According to cantonese chefs, seafood cooked with meat enhances both flavors and makes for a savory soup.  Add in the basic aromatics of ginger and leeks, which according to chinese herbalists are "hot" food and another heart-warming soup was served.  Perfect on a cold rainy day.


Finally, we went native and had good old "Tinolang Manok" (Chicken Ginger Soup with Vegetables).  I think what makes "Tinolang Manok" tinolang manok were ginger, malunggay or sili leaves and patis (fish sauce).  These are so filipino ingredients that without them it would not be Tinolang Manok.  Light, clear and flavorful, this soup's so simple to make yet so filling. Perfect with hot plain rice and patis on the side. 

Aunt Lily prefers to slow cook the soup over a charcoal burner. We've had ours for like 5 years now and it's still burning coals.  Like the traditional cooks, she believes cooking over charcoal imparts a richer flavor to food.  Whether it's the smoke or the claypot, I can't say but what I can say is that our soups are the best.

Don't wait for the rain to have soup, anyday can be a soup day.