Soft Sponge Puto Cake | Happy Home Cook

We love Filipino sweet delicacies at home. My Grandma Simang makes a killer Biko made with glutinous rice; so do Auntie Vicky and my mom. Among our favorite Pinoy sweets is the Puto. And this is how we make and enjoy it at home with this newfound recipe from Ms. Mary Ann Lomibao. So delish! Perfect with Kapeng Barako!

INGREDIENTS:

• For the batter mixture…

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

½ tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cups water (plus 2 tablespoons if the batter is sticky)

1 teaspoon vanilla

• For the meringue mixture…

5 egg whites

½ teaspoon white vinegar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

*SEE THE PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO*

Kababayan Muffins | Happy Home Cook

The Kababayan muffins, are small, sweet, and are usually gong-shaped muffins that are soft and moist. They are commonly seen daily at every neighborhood bakery. Kababayan muffins are easy to make and the ingredients are not just easily accessible but are also budget-friendly. We love them eaten warm. So, here is how we make Kababayan here at home. I hope you like it!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups cake flour

1 cup raw sugar

½ Tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

¼ cup melted butter or margarine

¼ cup coconut oil

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼ teaspoon yellow food coloring

*SEE THE PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO*

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies | Happy Home Cook

Every baker has his/her own version of the classic Chocolate Chip Cookie and a baker’s menu is not complete without it. I'm sharing you this recipe of how to make a big, fat, soft, and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie. Basically, you will only need 10 ingredients if you prefer to make it without nuts. There’s also no weird secret ingredient needed. All you must do is just follow it to a tee. It’s so easy to make and it doesn’t involve any chilling time in the fridge before baking! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

256 g All-purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

100 g butter

64 g brown sugar, packed

43 g granulated sugar

1 large egg

½ tsp vanilla

100 g chocolate chips

50 g chopped dark chocolate (whatever your favorite brand of bar chocolate)

50 g chopped walnuts (any nut you prefer or no nuts at all will do)

*watch the full video for the procedure*

Twisted Cinnamon Buns | Happy Home Cook

I have tried a lot of cinnamon rolls recipes and I’ve collected a two or three. But this is my favorite one when I need a quick fix of cinnamon rolls. It’s easy to make and it doesn’t involve kneading. This time, I made Twisted Cinnamon Buns instead of just the usual Cinnamon Rolls. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH:

• 2-3/4 cups All-purpose flour

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ cup buttermilk

• ¼ cup milk

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

• 1 large egg

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING:

• ¼ cup butter

• 2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GLAZE:

• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk

*SEE VIDEO FOR THE PROCEDURE*

Fudgy & Chewy Brownies | Happy Home Cook

Fudgylicious! Chewylicious! I have many brownie recipes but this is my favorite among all of them. It's moist and fudgy! It's oh so chewy! I hope you enjoy them!

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cups vegetable oil

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

3/4 cups cocoa

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 

*CHECK THE PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO*

Classic Pandesal | Happy Home Cook

Pandesal is a common and popular yeast-raised bread roll in the Philippines. Contrary to its name, Pandesal, which translates to salt bread in Spanish, it is actually slightly sweet rather than salty. It is popularly eaten for breakfast and mid-afternoon snacks or what you call merienda in Filipino. Pandesal can be complemented with butter, cheese, peanut butter, jam, or other fillings like eggs, sardines, and sausages. It's commonly paired with Philippine coffee or the thick Filipino chocolate drink called Tsokolate Eh. So, here is a classic pandesal recipe. These Pandesal rolls can stay soft and fluffy for up to three days as long as you keep them in an air-tight container and not just be left exposed to air.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon yeast

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups all-purpose flour

breadcrumbs for coating pandesal pieces

*CHECK THE PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO*

Soft Classic Ensaymada | Happy Home Cook

It took me a long time to find a reliable no-fail Ensaymada recipe that is soft in texture that appeals to the panlasang pinoy taste buds. In this recipe of Ensaymada, I did just a few changes to the procedure and changed the toppings into condensed milk buttercream plus lots of grated cheddar cheese. And the outcome is fantastic! The result closely resembles the taste and texture of Megamelt Ensaymadas! This Ensaymada recipe I found is from Sugar & Sprinkles.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup butter

1 & 1/3 cups milk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 pcs. egg yolks

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour

*CHECK THE PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO*

Sinigang sa Miso na Tuna | Happy Home Cook

Who doesn’t love Sinigang? It’s among our favorite traditional Filipino soup dishes characterized by its sour and savory taste that is warm and comforting. But when I first had Sinigang sa Miso at the now-defunct branch of Josephine Restaurant that was located at Roxas Boulevard, ooh la la! I just couldn’t get enough of it! The traditional sinigang soup with the addition of miso paste is just heavenly! You now have a Tamarind Miso Soup that is Filipino-based! This is how we make ours at home. Sometimes, we use Milkfish (Bangus), or Salmon belly slices. But this time it’s Yellow Fin Tuna since it’s what we have at the moment that we’re craving for this dish. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 tablespoons oil

1 small onion, sliced

2-3 tablespoons minced garlic

½ cup miso paste

1 tablespoon fish sauce (patis)

6-8 cups water

½ cup sliced radish

¾ cup quartered tomatoes

1 finger pepper (siling haba)

1 kilo yellowfin tuna (or better if salmon belly slices)

2 bundles mustard leaves (mustasa)

*PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO BELOW*

Buttered Garlic Shrimp | Happy Home Cook

We love eating shrimp. Who doesn’t? This is our simple way of making this dish to quickly satisfy our craving. Nothing beats the combination of butter and shrimp especially when it’s loaded with minced garlic. Heaven! Here is our family’s version of the Buttered Garlic Shrimp. I hope you like it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup butter

¼ cup minced garlic

½ kilo shrimps

Dash of pepper

1 tablespoon mix of dried herbs to your liking (optional)

*CHECK THE PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO*

Tuyo Pasta | Happy Home Cook

Salted dried fish is tuyo in Filipino. Dubbed as “the poor man’s fish” because of its cheap price, here is another leveled-up version of the humble tuyo. I’m sure that there have been so many versions of the Tuyo Pasta. This one was done by my daughter for our kitchen bonding this week. We’re not strangers to how tuyo tastes like. We also eat tuyo for breakfast with garlic fried rice and fried eggs. That’s how we’ve been eating tuyo here at home until now. My daughter got inspired and this is her adaptation of the Tuyo Pasta recipe. We’re not expecting this at all. This Tuyo Pasta recipe is so tasty. The sun-dried tomatoes complemented the salty smokiness taste of tuyo flakes really well. There’s enough creaminess from the butter that is not overpowering the other ingredients. It’s a balanced taste! It’s a hit in the family. I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

INGREDIENTS:

• olive oil
• butter (optional)
• onions
• garlic
• tuyo flakes
• sun-dried tomatoes
• fresh tomatoes
• Italian seasoning & pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese

*WATCH THE PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO*

Sautéed Green Beans & Carrots | Happy Home Cook

We love eating green beans as much as we love carrots! My Aunt Merly used to cook this for us before she immigrated to Canada together with our other relatives from my father's side. This is my version of her sautéed green beans. I added carrots because my daughter loves carrots! I hope you'll like it!

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsps coconut oil

1 small onion, sliced

2 Tbsps minced garlic

1 bouillon cube (chicken, beef, or pork flavor)

pinch of salt

2 small tomatoes, sliced

2 Tbsps oyster sauce

1/8 tsp ground pepper

125 gms ground meat (chicken, beef, or pork)

250 gms to 500 gms green beans, cut into small pieces

1 small carrot, julienned

*PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO BELOW*

Pork Menudo | Happy Home Cook

When I was small, this dish is among our family favorites to grace our table for special occasions, especially on New Year’s Eve. Unlike its Mexican counterpart which uses tripe, the Filipino Menudo is a pork stew with pork liver, carrots, and potatoes. My daughter and I are not big fans of the grainy texture of pork liver; so, we go for the chicken liver instead for this stew. And usually, my mom would include sausages like Vienna sausage or the typical Filipino hotdogs. But I also like making just tiny changes based on dishes that I learned from my mother. That is why I opted to use Chorizo de Bilbao instead for this recipe of Pork Menudo for a change. I hope you like it! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

500 gms Pork kasim, diced (for stewing)

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup calamansi juice

2-3 Tablespoons chopped garlic

1 small onion, sliced

1 pork bouillon cube

1-2 tablespoons tomato paste

2-3 cups water

2-3 pcs. Chorizo de Bilbao, sliced diagonally

1 medium potato, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs (optional)

2-3 bay leaves 

1-4 cups raisins250 gms chicken liver

*WATCH THE PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO BELOW*

 

Chicken Sandwich | Happy Home Cook

We love sandwiches! A good sandwich is our go-to quick meal when we don’t feel like cooking. Sometimes, we accompany it with a green salad for a hearty side dish! Here is a super simple recipe that calls for canned chunky chicken bits. The ingredients are very easy to find! Hope you’ll enjoy this as much as we do!

INGREDIENTS:

• For the sandwich filling:

2 cans of Purefoods Chicken in Broth

a pinch of salt and pepper

1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Mixed dried herbs of your liking (*we love using Italian seasoning from McCormick)

a small bunch of spring onions

• For assembling the sandwich:

Toasted slices of bread (white bread or wheat bread)

Some mayonnaise

Mustard

Shredded lettuce

Sliced tomatoes (*optional)

*WATCH THE PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO BELOW*

Lumpiang Shanghai | Happy Home Cook

We love Lumpia! Especially if it’s the Filipino Egg Roll or what we know as Lumpiang Shanghai. Why this lumpia is referred to as the “Shanghai” version, I really do not have any idea. Nevertheless, it’s among Filipino favorites. A finger food that is always a hit on family gatherings. The contrasting textures of the crispiness of the wrapper and the juicy, savory ground meat mixture gives that perfect playful yummy taste that you will go for more. My daughter and I love to make these in advance and store them in the freezer. That way, it’s easy for us to satisfy our cravings for these babies. Just thaw, deep fry, and voila! Here is our easy-to-follow recipe. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

500g ground pork (*ground chicken is also perfect for this)

1 medium-sized carrot, grated

¼ cup grated mild cheddar cheese

2-3 tablespoons minced garlic

2-4 tablespoons minced onions

1 pork bouillon

1-2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

20-30 Lumpia wrappers

*PROCEDURE IS IN THE VIDEO BELOW*

Filipino Style Chicken Curry | Happy Home Cook

This is among the first three dishes I learned from my mom, second to the Afritada. Chicken Curry is a dish that originated from the Indian subcontinent. It is common in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and as well as the Caribbean. Filipino-style Chicken Curry is a popular variant of the Ginataang Manok. The only difference is that a ready-made yellow curry mix is added to the dish. This is how we make this at home. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 to 2 tablespoons crushed ginger

½ cup sliced onions

3 to 4 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 piece siling labuyo (red chili)

1 chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

3 to 5 tablespoons yellow curry powder

1 can coconut milk/coconut cream

1 medium carrot, sliced

1 large potato, quartered½ cup green beans

*PROCEDURE IN THE VIDEO BELOW*

Soft Taco | Happy Home Cook

It's soft taco night with my family! It used to be every Wednesday when my daughter and I were in California. But whatever day of the week it is, this is one of our favorites. This is how we make Soft Tacos at home. I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as we do!

INGREDIENTS FOR MEAT FILLING:

2-3 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup chopped onion

4 tablespoons chopped garlic

350gms ground beef

150gms ground pork

Salt and pepper for seasoning

1 beef bouillon

½ cup grated carrots

1 pack of taco seasoning

TO ASSEMBLE SOFT TACO, YOU’LL NEED:

6 pcs. large soft tortillas or 12 pcs. small soft tortillas

Ground meat filling

Sliced cucumber

Sliced tomatoes

Sour cream

LettuceGrated cheddar cheese

*WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW FOR PROCEDURE*

Classic Pork Afritada | Happy Home Cook

Afritada is one of the first three classic Filipino dishes I learned from my mom when I was in my early teens. It is a Spanish-based dish using chicken or pork braised in tomato sauce with carrots, potatoes, and red or green bell peppers. And I am truly grateful to my mom for teaching me how to cook!

INGREDIENTS:

1 small onion, chopped

¼ cup chopped garlic

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 small red bell pepper

1 pork bouillon

A dash of salt and pepper

1/2 tablespoon mix of dried herbs or Italian seasoning (optional)

250 ml tomato sauce

1 medium-sized potato, quartered

1 medium-sized carrot, sliced

¼ cup green beans (optional)

500 gms. pork meat OR chicken meat

*See the procedure in the video below*

Healthy Chicken Tinola | Happy Home Cook

Chicken Tinola is a classic Filipino dish that features ginger and onions as its prominent flavor. Cooking the chicken on low temperature for a while brings out its flavor in the broth. The cysteine produced from chicken protein can help in clearing the mucus. Adding ginger and garlic plus all of the health benefits coming from the moringa leaves makes this soup a true flu-buster!

Ingredients:

Crushed ginger, 2 to 3 tablespoons

Chopped garlic, 2 to 3 tablespoons

1 small to medium-sized onion, sliced

1-2 chicken bouillon cubes

Chicken cut-ups, equivalent to 3/4 to 1 whole chicken

1 medium-sized chayote / sayote, sliced

1 tablespoon fish sauce (patis)

ground pepper to taste

Mixed dried Italian seasoning (optional)

chili leaves, about 1/4 cup

Moringa leaves / malunggay leaves, 2 to 3 cups

*Please watch the video for the procedure*

Filipino Style Spaghetti Amatriciana

This recipe is reminiscent of our stay in Boracay Island. I would take my daughter to dine out on paydays. We had so many favorite restaurants on the island but there are two budget-friendly that stood out for us. One was Blue Jade Cafe located in station 2 at the back of D'Mall near the wet market. My daughter especially loved their Pasta Amatriciana. And so, I adapted the recipe according to our budget on the island for my daughter to enjoy every once in a while and made specially by me for my unica hija. Here is a Filipino Style Spaghetti Amatriciana! Instead of using pancetta, which can only be found in specialty deli shops in the Philippines, I use the more accessible bacon. Instead of red wine, I use the chicken or beef bouillon cube and the water from cooking the noodles to make it a little budget-friendly. So here is how we make Spaghetti Amatriciana here at home in Pinoy style! I hope you like it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup chopped bacon

1/4 cup roughly chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped garlic

2 tablespoons tomato paste

8 to 10 medium-sized diced fresh ripe tomatoes

1 chicken or beef bouillon cube

salt to taste

1 teaspoon pepper 

1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning (I use McCormick)

500 g spaghetti noodles

*Watch the video below for the procedure!

Easy Chocolate Ice Cream | Happy Home Cook

The kitchen is where you can make some of the most memorable bonding moments of the family. My daughter and I enjoyed a mother-daughter bonding in the kitchen a few weekends ago. My daughter decided to make chocolate ice cream. And so, I'd like to share with you how my daughter makes her ice cream at home. I hope you'll enjoy this easy no-churn homemade ice cream!

3-INGREDIENT CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

4 cups chilled heavy cream

2 cans of condensed milk

1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder