Foodiescape
I am cook-at-heart and chef in my own way.
Escape from boredom and go hungry for food, FoodiEscape!
Jube’s food creations now on its 3rd year and now in TUMBLR! ;)
Owned by VerJube Photographics. Follow them on Tumblr --> http://myphotographics.tumblr.com
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From Gastroposter Reyah Baltazar:
Green tea Kit Kat…does this count? :p
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Travel: It's More Fun in the Philippines
With my delayed posts regarding our Subic adventure, I’m sharing you this OPM song which tells the world why...
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Digital Careers Talk: Keynotes in Getting Started
Setting up S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-targeted) goals...
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She’s Only Sixteen Opens the Stage for Motion City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack is an internationally-renowned pop punk band composed...
I am surprised with the big squid we bought in Cagbalete Island recently, when we got to spend one weekend there with some friends, a local sold it to us for 130 pesos only. Choosing your squid: it must be firm, moist squid with a mild sea smell which is a sign of freshness. Photo courtesy of www.instagram.com/verjube.
It was still a mystery to me on how such huge squid species are floating around the rich marine environment of Quezon where fishing were the local’s main source of living. It maybe around 25 inches long, a slender, silvery, pinky-finger-sized fresh catch squid which they call Pusit Aswang.
Pusit aswang as the locals of Mauban, Quezon named the jumbo squid because they also eat squids. The squid has eight arms and two tentacles, used for grabbing and holding prey, each arm of it has suckers.
Be careful of the sucker’s calcareous ring of serrated teeth when you clean them because they might hurt and lacerate your fingers like what happened to me. Cleaning them also includes the discard of the cuttlebone, beak, entrails and ink sac, that’s when I get to know more about the anatomy of cephalopod. All other parts of it are edible.
Squids may be cooked in different ways (marinated, smoked, stuffed, used in soups, sauces, salads and pasta dishes), it was such a popular food in many parts of the world. Squid ink can be use to color pasta or as an adobo sauce. It can also be eaten raw (but not this big).
This kind of squid might be tensile, consider techniques to avoid a tough and chewy seafood. Don’t overcook the squid. You can roast squid and make it tender by just leaving it in a pan without anything else, the squid will give off a fair amount of liquid to cook with.
How do we cooked the big squid in the island? We stuffed the mantle (literally the body) with seasoned onions, tomatoes, ginger and calamansi juice. Put it in a foil (or a banana leaf maybe) and grilled on coals. That easy!
The next day of our tour in Cagbalete, we also tried to taste their popular Adobong Pusit made out of the same kind of squid, a spicy and juicy squid dish. After the get-away, I’m still hungry for more squid. In celebration of mouthful cravings, I cooked a bunch of lunch: stuffed grilled pusit again along wiith grilled corn and tomatoes, grilled porkchop, ginisang bagoong and pesang bangus.
I don’t know much about the commercial squid fishing in the sea of Quezon, it may be a growing industry with the help of government assistance. But as they push for making Cagbalete Island a tourist destination, local fishermen still struggles for other means of living.
I might want to go squid fishing soon in Cagbalete, that’s when I knew how to swim.
Tagaytay: Famous for the Best Bulalo
“Bahala na kung saan mapadpad ang paa, dun tayo kumain,” eh ano bang kinalaman ng paa sa pagkain?
As it’s widely known primarily for the cool weather near Manila, refreshing scenery and great food as described by Sir Anton Diaz of OurAwesomePlanet, we eventually planned this year’s Visita Iglesia in Tagaytay.
Destined to eat at Viewsite, without any plans of eating there at all, we’re charmed with the terrific view of Taal Volcano. We finished visiting 5 churches first before eating our lunch. We don’t have anything in mind to eat but to crave for Tagaytay’s legendary bulalo yet its not our first time to travel there. So here’s our photo of Viewsite and the bulalo meal.
Bulalo is a Pinoy soup/stew dish made of beef shanks and marrow bones, usually boiled with corn on the cob, peppercorns, potatoes, string beans and bokchoy/cabbage/pechay baguio.
Viewsite’s Special Bulalo is pricey, its serving is worth 450 pesos, good for 3 to 4 persons. The soup was delicious but there’s nothing amazing about it, maybe because I’m confident enough to tell that I can cook a better bulalo dish than what they’ve served us. We don’t order anything more to make sure we can consume the big bowl of soup.
Tagaytay is famous for the best bulalo because of its strategic location and good weather where the locals has the advantage to raise cattles and be able to produce and market quality beef which became a good source of income for them. Eventually evolve into serving yummy bulalo soup through diners, restaurants and hotels.
Ano bang kinalaman ng paa sa pagkain? With crazy food stories, travel makes sense.
Checkout out Visita Iglesia on blog:
Visita Iglesia 2012: Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery
Visita Iglesia 2012: Laguna.. Again
Visita Iglesia 2011: Laguna
Visita Iglesia 2010: Rizal
Cook Fish Yummy Than Yucky: Prevent Fish Smell and Taste
I’m always after the quick and easy recipes to save time especially during dull or busy moments yet I still make sure that its guilt-free dish and equally flavorful.
I reinvented a dish from home. You can use any fish which is readily available, we commonly use tilapia or dalagang bukid for this dish. This time I chose the surgeon fish or locally known as labahita.
Labahita is a cheaper alternative for white meat fish which you can serve anyway you want including grilled, fried, fillet or soup. Avoid the fishy taste of labahita, make sure you know how to prepare the fish before cooking.
Here are some tips on how to avoid the unlikely smell and taste of fish.
1. Make sure your fish / seafood is fresh.
2. Rub salt on the skin and all over your fish then wash thoroughly.
3. Season or quickly marinate fish with calamansi (lemon or lime) extract or any citric juice before cooking, it really helps avoid its fishy smell and taste. You can also use neutralizing agents like vinegar and wine.
4. Ginger works well in eliminating fishy odors. Make sure to put enough amount of it in the right dishes (usually effective for soups). When frying, you can slice a piece of ginger, soak it into the oil until golden brown. Fry your fish after taking out the ginger.
And for this dish, I simply season the fish with salt and pepper, fry until golden brown then set aside. Sauté garlic, onion, ginger and generous amount of tomatoes in a pan. Season to taste, add fish stock. Bring it to a boil then put talbos ng kamote (camote tops). Simmer and serve hot. Optional to put calamansi juice if you want to make it sour soup (sinigang).
Animals Found A Place in Subic
ni Len Armea
published in Pinoy Gazette 14 Oct 2012
Isang dating military base ng tropang Amerikano ang unang pumapasok sa isipan ng marami kapag binabanggit ang Subic na isa sa mga munisipalidad ng probinsiya ng Zambales. Subalit, ngayon ay marami ng atraksyon sa lugar na dinadayo ng marami kabilang na ng mga banyagang turista.
Dalawa na rito ay ang Ocean Adventure at Zoobic Safari na paboritong destinasyon ng marami partikular na ang mga bata at mga estudyanteng nagkakaroon ng field trip. Bida sa dalawang lugar na ito ang iba’t ibang klase ng hayop.
Ocean Adventure
Nag-iisang open-water marine park sa buong Southeast Asia ang Ocean Adventure na matatagpuan sa Subic Bay Freeport Zone kung saan bida ang mga dolphins, balyena, sea lions, iba’t ibang klase ng isda at iba pang hayop.
Apat ang pangunahing atraksyon sa Ocean Adventure: Dolphin Friends Show sa El Capitan Theater, Sea Lion Marine Patrol Show sa Sea Lion Point Stadium, African Acrobats at Walk on the Wild Side sa Eco Theater. Mayroon din side attractions tulad ng Ocean Discovery Aquarium, Learning Center at Animal Encounter.
Iba’t ibang klase ng stunts ang ipinakita ng dolphins at whale sa Ocean Adventure na pinalakpakan ng audience na kadalasan ay mga estudyante na nag-fi-fieldtrip. Ilan sa mga ipinakitang stunts ng dolphins ay ang tinatawag na breach na ginagawa umano ng mga dolphins kapag nangangati ang kanilang balat, paglakad sa tubig, pagda-dive mula sa ere at kung gaano kabilis ang kanilang paglangoy.
Sa naturang show, iginiit na ang mga dolphins ay hindi mga isda kundi warm-blooded mammals. Sa katawan din ng dolphins ipinares umano ang mga eroplano at barko dahil sa bilis nito na lumangoy na nasa 40 km / hour, nakakapag-dive ng may lalim na 1,000 feet at kayang hindi huminga sa tubig ng 12 minuto.
Nakakaaliw din ang palabas na ipinakita ng sea lion at kung paano maging miyembro ng Sea Lion Marine Patrol tulad ng tamang pangangalaga ng kalikasan sa pamamagitan ng 3R’s (Reduce, Reuse at Recycle). Nagpakita rin ng iba’t ibang tricks ang sea lion at kung gaano sila katalino na mga hayop.
Nakakamanghang acrobatic stunts naman ang makikita sa African Acrobats show na pinangungunahan ng mga acrobat mula sa Nigeria habang ipinakikilala naman ang iba’t ibang klase ng hayop tulad ng ahas, ibon, paniki at iba pa sa Walk on the Wild Side show.
Sa halagang P550 para sa mga matatanda at P440 para sa mga bata at senior citizens ay mapapanood mo na ang lahat ng ito.
Zoobic Safari
Dating military facility ang 25-ektaryang lupain ang Zoobic Safari na ngayon ay bahay na ng iba’t ibang hayop na pinangungunahan ng mga tigre, buwaya, baboy damo, at mga ibon.
Nasa 11 atraksyon ang pwedeng ma-enjoy ng mga pupunta sa Zoobic Safari: Aeta Trail & Show, Animal Show, Croco Loco, Forbidden Cave, Rodent World, Savannah, Serpentarium, Sky Safari, Tiger Safari, Zoobic Cave, Zoobic Park, 3D Movie at Animal Photo Opportunity.
Pangunahing atraksyon dito ay ang pagkakaroon ng close encounter sa mga tigre kung saan nakasakay ang mga turista sa isang tram kasama ang isang staff ng Zoobic na magpapakain ng manok sa tigre upang lumapit ito. Sa pag-ikot ng tram ay makikita ang iba’t ibang klase ng tigre na malayang naglalakad sa savannah at maoobserbahan kung paano sila kumilos.
Bawat tigre ay mayroon humigit-kumulang sa 100 stripes at ang bawat patterns nito ay walang katulad dahil ito ang nagsisilbing identipikasyon ng bawat isa.
Makikita rin sa pag-ikot sakay ng tram ang ilan pang mga hayop na pakalat-kalat lamang sa lugar gaya ng camel, ostrich, wild boar, guinea fowls at iba pang exotic na hayop ‘di tulad sa ibang zoo na nakalagay sa hawla ang lahat.
Mayroon din animal show na pinagbibidahan ng ibon gaya ng parrot at baboy damo at mayroon din audience participation kung saan maaaring mahawakan ang ahas, iguana at iba pang hayop. Makikita naman ang halos 200 buwaya sa Croco Loco pit habang makikita naman ang guinea pigs, porky pines at Palawan Rats sa Rodent World.
Halos magkalapit lamang ang Ocean Adventure at Zoobic Safari kaya’t pwedeng puntahan ito sa loob lamang ng isang araw. Tiyak na ma-e-enjoy ang paligid dito lalo na kung may kasamang mga bata dahil sa dami ng hayop na maaaring makita.
Photos by VerJube Photographics. More photos HERE.
Dine at Subic
15 & 16 Sept 2012
Here’s fantastic meals at Meat Plus Café before ending our adventure in Subic. We ordered Meat Plus Burger, Angus Tapa and Tenderloin Salpicao, very sumptuous and juicy. They also sell frozen steaks, fish steaks, rice and combo meals, sandwiches, pasta and salads available at a reasonable price. We had fun tasting those fab meat servings.
Checkout their menu HERE. Check them out at Bldg. 65 Sampson Road, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Olongapo, Zambales
Sharing you as well this appetizing Kare-kareng Dagat dish from Ikabud Resto at SM Olongapo. We dine after a tired day of activities in Ocean Adventure. That’s Len showing you on how to properly mess up with the crab.
More photos at Subic: HERE (VerJube Photographics), HERE & HERE (Len Armea), HERE & HERE (Ria Borromeo) and HERE (Jherks Calis).
Crispy Bangus Belly with Buttered Vegetables
02 Mar 2013
I’m inspired to create something colorful and healthy plate, not only because its the Holy week season but for our everyday dishes.
You can use any type of fish you want, seasoned with salt and pepper and you’re set to fry. Prepare you veggies. I have fresh broccoli, big julienne carrots and string beans blanched in boiling water and salt.
Blanching is an easy technique to keep vegetables crisp and tender in order to preserve its texture, color and flavor. Boil vegetables shortly and chill them in ice water after. ~ehow.com
Then you can heat in generous amount of butter in a pan, put in garlic and onions. Make sure not to burn the garlic or onions, just saute until they’re translucent. Season and you’re ready to plate.
Optionally drizzle some virgin olive oil to the dish. Also, creating a delicious mayo dip for it is highly recommended. Happy eating!
Mann Hann & Mannang
It’s not the first time we dine at Mann Hann & Mannang because we held an office buddy birthday celebration here once. Recently, we feast with delicious food and great company. Served are Mannang’s Sinigang na Corned Beef and Sisig + Mann Hann’s Beef Hofan and Seafood Special with FREE house tea.
Food are delectable, it’s price is affordable when dining with a group and satisfying in terms of dining services. The two restaurants are located next to each other because Mann Hann (serves Chinese food) and Mannang (serves Filipino food) are sister companies. It’s a perfect combination combination of flavors. You can really enjoy the food you grew up with, Asian style!
For menu, click Mann Hann and Mannang.
Location: G/F, SM Megamall, Bldg A, Mandaluyong City
I can’t think of the usual holiday dishes that’s why I prepared something that the family really appreciates. Bulalo (Beef Marrow Stew), Steamed Tilapia, Pesang Dalag (Stewed Mudfish), Grilled Bangus and Dinamita Wraps (Fried Chilis and Cheese in Lumpia Wrapper).
It may not be the best holiday dishes but sure its served with love. Comfort food is the best!
Photos courtesy of www.instagram.com/verjube.
2013: New Year Fruit Hunt
I’m totally surprised about completing the traditional 13 round fruits for the new year celebration, they say it guides us to good luck and prosperity for the whole family in the coming year. Buying fruits for new year is hard work and tiring yet fun after discovering new fruit taste.
There’s pineapple, buko (coconut), kiwi, singkamas, kiatkiat, apples, papaya, calamansi, tomatoes, grapes, honeydew, dragon fruit and persimonn. All fruits are available in Antipolo market during the holidays. I once ate Dragon fruit, kiwi and honeydew in a supermarket’s salad bar but it’s my first time buying them raw. It’s an equally awesome experience to peel, smell and taste them with my senses.
Dragon fruit is easy to peel, there’s a layer on it that you can slowly peel off just like the ripe mangoes. Honeydew taste like melons except that they’re green. Kiwi is about the size of an egg, has brown fibrous skin and bright green flesh, soft and bitter-sour in taste. Persimonn smells and tastes like an ordinary chico without the its grainy texture.
Take advantage of its health benefits. Be adventurous to try new fruits, there’s a lot of them in the market. So the next time you’re on a fruit hunt, choose the ones you’ve never tasted. Celebrate and enjoy the fruit bonding moment with your loved ones. Happy new year Ka-FoodiEscape! ;)
Photos courtesy of www.instagram.com/verjube.
I just love to drink fruit teas, thanks to my pal Jherks who introduced it to me. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be branded as long as there’s the citrus and fruity aroma in it. And as a tea lover, a wide range of flavors and varieties can be drooling. Thirsty over fruit teas forever!
Discover the delightful fruit teas at http://www.liptontea.com/product. Photos courtesy of www.instagram.com/verjube.
