We love Shrimp Pad Thai. Was able to taste it at Lemon Grass Resto in Ayala Malls, Cebu. This is also available in the stalls of Cebu’s Sugbo Mercado but the original flavor is hot and spicy. Pad Thai is a Thailand dish. It is made with rice noodles, chicken, beef or tofu, peanuts, a scrambled egg, and bean sprouts. Because the original flavor is hot and spicy, I had to look for other options that can suit our palate. I found it from Maya Adam.

Maya Adam’s original recipe can be found through Coursera’s Stanford Introduction to Food and Health. I have to substitute some that is locally available like kalamansi for lime or basil leaves instead of cilantro 🙂 Nevertheless, we love how it turned out.

Shrimp Pad Thai
(Adapted from Maya Adam)

Ingredients:

• ¼ kl shrimp (shelled and deveined)
• Sesame oil
• 3 pcs garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 eggs
• mung bean sprouts, blanched
• 200 grams rice noodles
• boiling water
• paprika (optional)
• salt and pepper

For the sauce:

• juice of 7 pcs kalamansi
• 1-2 tbsp sugar
• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce

For the garnish:

• parsley
• basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. To make the sauce, in a bowl, mix together fresh kalamansi juice, brown sugar, and fish sauce. Adjust taste to your liking and set aside.
2. In a pot, boil water. Blanch the mung bean sprouts for 1 minute.
3. In a separate pot, boil another water for the rice noodles. When boiling, turn off heat and place the rice noodles in the pot. Let the noodles cook for approximately 5-10 minutes. Stir the noodles in the water to prevent from sticking. Set aside without draining the water.
4. In a small bowl, crack eggs and break the yolk. In the pan, add in sesame oil and lightly scramble the eggs. Remove the scrambled egg from the pan.
5. In the same pan, over medium high heat, add in sesame oil to the pan, sauté the shallots and garlic for about 1 minute.
6. Strain the noodles.
7. Add shrimps with small amount of salt and pepper and sauté them for 1-2 minutes or until they turn pink. You may want to sprinkle paprika and toss them, to add some color.
8. Add the noodles and drizzle the sauce over. Add in blanched mung bean sprouts and gently toss them together or until the sauce is all soaked into the noodles.
9. Garnish with basil and parsley.

Enjoy!

Sushi Bake, one of the famous dish during the pandemic. It is an innovative version from the original Japanese rolled sushi. I am always been a fan of Japanese dishes and sushi is one of my favorite treats but I find it difficult to do the rolling. With this sushi bake, the baking method seems more friendly.

It is still on hype nowadays and I thought I’d share our version 🙂

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A post shared by Shiella | Mommy After Work (@mommyafterwork)

How to make?

1. Prepare a pan for baking, and spread the following layers evenly, lightly press down:

• Sushi Rice
  – we don’t have Japanese variety of rice so we used Ganador or Jasmine rice instead. Once cooked, we mixed it with rice vinegar, mined onions, salt and sugar.
• Furikake
  – this is a seasoning that contains bonito flakes, seaweeds, sesame seeds, sugar, salt, and MSG
  uses to mix with cooked rice or sprinkle it on top.
• Kani mixture
  – Kani is a flavored imitation crab meat. We steamed it prior and once cool down, we mixed it with Japanese mayo. We added steamed hotdogs to the mixture too.
• Scrambled eggs
  – next layer is the scrambled eggs, we used sesame oil to add flavor.

2. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and place diced mangoes and cucumber to complete the dish.

You have the option to topped with avocado or more mayonnaise or furikake, that’s the beauty of this dish, there are plenty of variations to choose from. Enjoy.

Gone in minutes after serving. The family love it. 🙂

With the warmer weather just around the corner, it can lead to a change in what we want to eat and snack on. Hearty and hot stews or soups are the last things that we want to reach for when it is warm outside, right? So it often leads to craving fresh salads or chilled pasta dishes. But when you’ve got younger children, it can be hard to know what to feed them. I don’t know about you, but it is tricky to get little ones to eat a salad, as they just see it as a bowl full of leaves. But there are plenty of options, especially when it comes to snacking, for kids in the summer. Here are some ideas to give you some inspiration if you struggle with what to give them too.

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Fruit Necklaces:
Using some string or wire, get your kids to thread on some strawberries and grapes. Then they can have some fun making a ‘necklace’ that they get to enjoy eating afterward. Tasty, refreshing, and fun.

Watermelon Pops:
Watermelon is so good for us as it is made from mostly water, as the name suggests. It can be tricky to eat, though. So for little children, slicing some pieces up into triangles is a good idea. Then using a lollipop stick, insert that in the rind, and you’ve made eating a watermelon a whole lot more fun.

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Apple Nachos:
To make eating apples more fun, slice them up into chunks and display on a large plate or platter. Then drizzle with some chocolate or caramel sauce. Then they can enjoy a fun plate of ‘nachos’ to share. Way more refreshing in summer than the corn chip kind.

Rainbow Smoothie Popsicle:
In summer there is nothing better than a popsicle. And for kids, I don’t think there is much better than having one that is in rainbow colors! You’ll need to mix up a few different smoothies so that you can get the colorful effect. A strawberry and banana smoothie for the red layer, a spinach, apple and kiwi one for the green layer, and a blueberry and raspberry one for the purple layer, for example. Using homemade popsicle holders, layer up the smoothies and then put in the lids or sticks. Freeze until set and then enjoy out in the sun. Healthy and refreshing, with no added sugar in sight.

Shaved Ice:
If you want something fun and cooling in summer for your kids, then Hawaiian shaved ice is always a good idea. You might have a shaved ice stand near you, or you could make your own. The good news is you just need ice (water) and then some syrups. So it is really easy to make.

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Frozen Grapesicles:
Instead of a traditional popsicle to enjoy outside, you could choose a healthier version using grapes. Thread grapes onto long popsicle sticks and then freeze. They make a crunchy but refreshing treat when it is warm outside.

Banana Ice Cream:
If your kids don’t eat dairy or you just want to give them something a little healthier, then make your own banana ice cream; all you need is bananas! Peel and chop several bananas up and then freeze them. Once set, blend in a food processor until you have a creamy ice cream texture.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 ripe mangoes, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 can Jolly Tropical Fruit Cocktail 850g, drained
• 1 can Jolly Cow Condensada 390g
• 2-3 packs 250 ml All Purpose cream
• 2-3 packs Brojas or Broas (Ladyfinger biscuits)

Instructions:

• Combine condensed milk and all-purpose cream. Mix well. You can adjust condensed milk depending on your sweetness. 
• Arrange the brojas or broas (ladyfinger biscuits) on the bottom of the container.
• Pour in cream mixture on top of the arranged brojas or broas (ladyfinger biscuits).
• Arrange a portion of fruit cocktail over the cream.
• Arrange your mango slices over the fruit cocktail.
• Pour in cream mixture on top of fruits and mango slices.
• Repeat the layer from biscuits -> cream -> fruit cocktail -> mango slices -> cream
• Top with brojas or broas (ladyfinger biscuits).
• Freeze to harden the cream.

Serve chilled 🙂

My #MakeItJolly series was made possible by Jolly Eats and Fly Ace Corporation through MissusV. Thank you so much.

Salamat Manang Donna sa recipe 🙂

Check out some of my #MakeItJolly recipes.
– #MakeItJolly: Chicken and Mushroom Carbonara
– #MakeItJolly: Chicken Curry with Papaya

My kids love pasta. It’s what we usually give them after a week of vegetable meals. They love the red sauced pasta – spaghetti, which is commonly served during special occasions. Other times, when I feel like I want them to eat a lot, spaghetti is the go to meal. No constant nagging at the table and they always finish it faster than vegetable meals. Literally, food does not stay in their mouth as it is chewed and swallowed in an instant 🙂

In some cases, I give them white sauced pasta – “carbonara”, using cream and milk. When Jolly Philippines give us Whole Mushrooms and Cream of Mushrooms, we decided to have chicken and mushroom carbonara a try. Everyone like it 🙂

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breats, cut into small pieces (or ground meat)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can of Jolly Mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cans of Jolly Cream of Mushroom
• evaporated milk (or water)
• pasta noodles (I used fettuccine noodles)
• cheese, grated
• basil leaves (I don’t have the fresh ones, so I used the dried ones)

Instructions:

• Boil water and cook noodles according to per pack instruction
• Heat frying pan, add olive oil and put in garlic until slightly brown
• Add the chicken strips, put in salt and pepper to taste
• When chicken is cooked, add in the sliced mushrooms.
• Add cream of mushrooms, adjust thickness by adding evap milk (or water)
• Plate the pasta and when thickness is to your liking, put in the sauce on top of the pasta.
• Add in cheese and basil leaves
  Or you can toss in the pasta, cheese and basil leaves into the sauce.

Serve it immediately 🙂

What would you do with the papaya you mistakenly pick coz you thought it is already ripe?

I initially know two ways to eat papaya – eat as is when its already bright orange in color (fully ripe) or eat as an achara (pickled) when unripe. Never had any idea that it can be used for tinolang manok or even pair it with chicken for curry dish.

Not wasting a very hard, unripe papaya, chicken curry was in my mind considering I have FlyAce Corp and Jolly’s Coconut Cream on hand.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2-4 pcs chicken thighs
• 3 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 whole onion, minced
• ginger, sliced or powder
• 1 whole red pepper, sliced
• unripe papaya, peeled, deseeded, chopped
• curry powder
• soy sauce (optional)
• salt
• pepper
• fish sauce

Instructions:

1. Heat pan and put olive oil
2. Fry the chicken until brown.
3. Set the chicken aside to saute garlic, onions, ginger. You may want to add soy sauce for flavor.
4. Put in bell pepper.
5. Add the papaya and half of the coconut milk. Simmer it for 30 minutes or until the chicken is done and the papaya is soft. You may want to add water to adjust its thickness.
6. Add the remaining coconut milk and curry powder. Simmer it for 10 minutes.
7. Season with salt, pepper and fish sauce to taste.

For an added kick, you can add more curry powder. Ours is just mild since the kids love to eat this dish too.

 

Enjoy.

My kids are not a fan of vegetables. It takes endless negotiation for a spoonful of rice with veggies be eaten. If its already in their mouth, a glass of water is needed for the veggies to be fully consumed. Unless you tell them to chew and swallow, those veggies will stay in their mouth.

The husband is creative enough to make vegetable dishes that is appealing for our kids and Vegetable Lumpia is in his lists. He taught me this dish that apparently, the kids likes it. Though, there still these “segregation” thingy of the fillings especially on spring beans, but still its a hit.

In this side of the world, everyone is familiar with Spring Rolls (locally known as Lumpia), which is always available in every dim sum house or restaurants.

Spring roll filling’s common ingredient is the marinated and seasoned ground lean pork with mushrooms, carrots and cabbage. Because of its flavor, its no wonder this is everyone’s favorite, Hearing the crunch as you bite and savoring the flavorful filling…Aahh! I feel hungry already.

There’s no meat for  this recipe, thus good for vegetarians.

 

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 whole onion, minced
• 1 pc carrot, julienned
• 1 pc sayote, julienned
• a handful of spring beans, julienned
• a handful of bean sprouts, cleaned
• 1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced (shredded)
• 2 strands green onions, chopped
• olive oil
• soy sauce
• salt
• pepper
• cheese, cut in strips
• lumpia (spring roll) wrapper
• cooking oil for frying (I used Jolly Heart Mate Canola Oil)

Instructions:

1. Heat a pan and put enough olive oil for sautéing
2. Saute the garlic and onions.
3. Add the sayote, carrots and soy sauce. Cook for ~5 minutes or until soften.
4. Put in the bean sprouts and spring beans. Mix well and cook for ~2 minutes.
5. Put in the cabbage and green onions. Let it cook for a minute.
6. Turn off the heat and then transfer the vegetables to a plate. If you want, you may drain the liquid and let it cool down.
7. Lay a piece of spring roll wrapper in a clean flat surface (I used a plate). Scoop about a tablespoon of the vegetable mixture.
8. Wrap the mixture. Though there are a variety of folding methods, so just make sure to seal it with water.
9. Meanwhile, heat the cooking oil in a deep pan.
10. When the oil becomes hot, put-in the spring rolls gently one at a time until the maximum capacity of the cooking pot is reached.
11. Fry for 3 to 5 minutes or until the wrapper turns light to medium brown.
12. Remove the fried spring rolls and place in a plate lined with paper towel.
13. Serve and share.

Enjoy.