My Very First "Slim Jim"

Its arrival was inevitable. We have seen it many times in 80's movies and television sitcoms. And it received must praise and adulation from one of my favorite American comic, Bill Engal.

I have finally seen and tasted the "Slim Jim". This maybe an ordinary fare for the other nations, but it never did go into full distribution here.

I was able to finally purchase one from a local Dollar Store at Market,Market Fort Bonifacio. I've been a regular there but this is the first time I saw them carry the famed meat snack.

At first, it feels like biting down on an oily leather strap. But as your teeth sink further into the meaty part, the flavor starts to explode into your mouth. The flavor I got (BBQ flavor) can be likened to a smoked pepperoni, but as a Filipino, its taste can also be similar to a native Langgonisa (Garlic Pork Sausage).

Too bad that a lone stick of Slim Jims costs a lot for a snack.

Food Stuff to Look Out For (Japan)

A few snacks for summer in Japan.

Lotte Ice Bar: Suika and Meron Bar (Watermelon and Cantaloupe Bar). A cantaloupe and watermelon flavored ice pops, shaped like the way these fruits are cut and served. The cantaloupe flavored pops has these small white sugar beads that stand in for the seeds. And in the watermelon flavored pops are black chocolate beads that looks like the seeds. Cute and interesting presentation along with a refreshing taste, goes well with those intensely hot Japanese Summer.

Hazono Manjyu: Kuzu Manjyu. A manjuu is a traditional Japanese snack made of red bean paste. But what I don't like about manjuu is that its too sweet (that's why its served with green tea) and the sticky texture it leaves in the throat. But this Kuzu Manjyu is the solution. Its like its made from manjuu, jelly mix and fruit slices. It has a light sweet taste and refreshing flavors from various fruits that works with the flavor of the manjuu. The flavor that puzzled us all, Filipinos and Japanese alike, is the one pictured above. We don't know what an 'Aoi Ringo' (Blue Apple) is, but it was the most refreshing from the bunch.

Unagi Pie. Its not made from 'unagi' (eel) and its not a pie. Its a thin, crispy biscuit, which looks like a plate of barbecued unagi, is comparable to the Filipino 'Otap' which is glazed with something which is sweet, with an after taste of brandy (maybe thats why there's a V.S.O.P. tag in the front).

Have Yourself a "Spicy Kinoshita"

No, its not one of those sex positions with an urban name. Its a sandwich that I learned from an officemate in Funabashi, Chiba. It mainly consists of ingredients which you can get at your friendly neighborhood 100 yen 'combini' (convenience store). And let's face it, when you're living in the most expensive metropolitan area, those 100 yen stores are gonna be your new best friend.

The "Spicy Kinoshita" basically contains bread, veggies (in this case, lettuce), mayo, mixed pepper spices and meat (preferably cold cuts)

For this instance, we grab some generic Japanese Mayonnaise, bread, mixed spices, a head of lettuce and 'Bits Weiner' from Lawson 100 Yen store. Total cash out: 525 yen. Almost the same price as a meal at Hotto Motto, but, with the quantity you have, it would tide you over for at least 3 meals... that's at least 1000 yen saved from most common take-out joints in Tokyo metropolitan... or Chiba in this case.

First, layout clumps of mayo (with the generic bottle, it won't be a problem) then sprinkle the mixed spices. Put in the cold cut then top with lettuce. Its that simple. The taste, is like having a light salad in a sandwich. Its not that heavy on the tummy but enough to satisfy your hunger.

Death Sticks Ver.2.01

While walking around the market, seeing a crap load of green chili's made me reminisce about my 'Death Stick' experiment a few years back. Now, I think its time to level it up.

Using large green chili's, core them out, removing the seeds and the stem. Remember kids, the seeds contains most of the oil that makes chili's hot and spicy.

After removing the core and seeds , cut generous strips of cheese. Lactose in cheese helps counter the spicy oil in chili's.

Serve with either a meat strip or, in my case, oyster topping.

Yum

Peanut Kisses straight from Bohol

Peanut Kisses...

I heard about this a long time ago, and my friend recommended that I find it when I go to Bohol.

This local delicacy is made of egg whites and crushed peanuts, and let me tell you, its the shiznizzle. Its sweet, crunchy and nutty, all for a very good price. I also love the way its packaged, proudly stamped by the agencies that help develop and boost the appeal of this crunchy treat.

I got my peanut kisses from this 24-hour souvenir shop a few minutes from the airport. "Angel-whatsis-something". I can't remember the name of the store clearly.

Eating a Nestle Kimy Krazy Banana

Beat the summer heat in a krazy way.

Nestle Kimy recently released its Krazy Banana ice cream on a stick and it has been a unique experience eating it.

By now everyone knows that you can peel away the jelly cover to reveal the vanilla ice cream inside. The jelly is pre cut but care is needed to peel it off like a banana. Genius, I tell you...pure genius!!!!

I found myself enjoying the peeling and eating the jelly more than the ice cream itself. Leaving my son with a plain vanilla ice cream on a stick.

Peppered Cold Cuts

It was midnight, and I was having hunger pangs. I was looking for some heavy meat to cook but all I found are some cold cuts. I remembered that black pepper thickens the taste of light meat. With this I proceeded to spring something which I called Peppered Cold Cuts.

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Ingredients:

cold cuts (for this I used 4 whole slices of Bologna ham cut into strips, marinated with 1/4 teaspoon of iodized salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.)

white onion (a small bulb, half to be cut into rings, the other half are diced)

cheese (grated)

mayonnaise (1 tablespoon)

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You then proceed to fry the cold cuts first for a few minutes, browning the meat, before adding the white onion rings. After two minutes add the diced onions. These time difference in cooking the onions gives the variety of texture for this simple dish.

Drain the oil from the mix before transferring to a dish.

Grate in a generous portion of cheese (depending to your preference to cheese) and add the mayo. Give it a good tossing before transferring to the serving dish.

Although its texture is not those of the other thick red meat, the flavor is enough to get you through...serve as a rice topping or along some mashed potatoes.

Enjoy :-)

Lessons Learned from the Maki Experiment

After watching (for the nth time) my favorite series 'Kekkon Dekinai Otoko', I suddenly had the urge to eat some assorted maki. Having watched a lot of Japanese anime and drama as a basis on how to make a simple veggie Maki, I went to the grocery to get some cucumber, iceberg lettuce, nori strips, and mayo (the ordinary grocery kind...the Japanese mayo was a bit expensive).



On the way back, realizing I have no rice with me, I just bought the 'carinderia' rice, thinking it won't make a difference. I prepared the veggies, spread the rice...prepared everything ala 'Urban Peasant'. Long story short, the experiment was a failure. It should have been evident to me that some chef study these things from a cook book...and not from the comfort of your living room watching your fave Maki Horikita or Abe Hiroshi series.

Here are a few things I learned from this failed maki experiment;

1.) Short grained sticky rice is more preferred that the usual long grained asian variety. The short grained rice are more likely to retain its shape and stay together when the juices of the veggies seep into the mix. Long grained rice also tends to break down or crumble while rolling your maki.

2.) Ordinary boiled rice (or the common Filipino 'kanin') does not have the taste and texture that compliments the veggies. Ordinary 'kanin' is too rough. Moreso, it is made of long grained rice (to see why, refer to lesson 1). I also read from About.com that vinegar is also added to the rice meant in making sushi or maki.

3.) Don't wrap the maki too thick. I'm not sure if its beause of the the type of nori that I used, but wrapping the maki more than 3 times will make it harder for you to bite down on your maki or even chew it. Also, the more nori you use, the more it overpowers the taste of the veggies.

4.) NEVER PUT PEPPERONI IN YOUR MAKI. It tastes awful... trust me.

Dynamite Maki and Death Sticks

Dynamite Maki

A day of chili's and cheese filled my Sunday afternoon as my wife and I experimented with the before mentioned ingredients. We were planning to make Dynamites back then, but the shortage of those dimsum wrappers thwarted our plans. My wife suddenly remembered the Dynamite Maki which she and my mother experimented with a few months ago.

Its the same stuffing as the regular Dynamite; green chili, cheese and sliced ham, but this time, it is wrapped in flattened white bread. To add a little twist, my wife added some spaghetti sauce and dipped the Dynamite Maki in whisked eggs and 'breaded' with crushed toasted mamon (Philippine Muffin?) and deep fry in a low heat.

But the small portions of cheese, ham and chili resulted in the 'French Toast'-esque mix to subdue the flavor of the filling. To this I increased the portions of the cheese and ham...with near okay results.

Death Sticks

While paying around with the chili and the cheese, I molded some cheese to fill the halved chili's and eat it raw. It was good. Then I started to leave a little chili seed oil, now it tasted even better. I started to call them 'Death Sticks' (combination of artery blocking cheese with a jolt of capsaicin in the chili oil may cause some severe heart burn for some).

I still can't think of a wine or beverage to pair it with. The chili in the Death Stick makes it incompatible with white wine...although red wine shows promise. And no, my beer guzzling cohorts, its not spicy enough to be considered a beer mate.

(editor's note: I don't recommend consuming these things in mass quantities before going to bed...it may result in restlessness or worst...chili fueled nightmares)

Salad Day

After a whole day of red meat, pizzas and cola, I needed to take a break with something light and refreshing. Its what I needed that hot and humid Sunday afternoon.

My wife made me this light salad made of iceberg lettuce, cucumber and crab sticks with garlic ranch dressing. Pair it up with ice cold apple flavored green tea and you got yourself a winner. If you want to change it up a little, add some Japanese wasabi mayonnaise to give it more wonderful taste.

Dynamites Makes Good Eating

My wife prepared a special treat for me... a dish my cousin introduced to us as 'Dynamites'. Its a combination of green peppers (or chili), cheese and fried ham packed in dimsum wrappers. When deep fried, it has a salty and spicy taste to it. The spiciness of the peppers are countered by the lactose in the cheese which is known to be an effective deterrant for spicy foods.

Its called 'Dynamite' because the finished product resembles an old dynamite stick with the pepper's stem as the fuse.

Heartburn city...here i go....

My Hong Kong Style Noodles Remix

HongKong style noodles (and its other incarnates) has been around for quite some time now. Other franchises and fly-by-night dealers spring out of every crevise in the city. From established name brands to local street peddlers cashing in on the fad. But stir fried noodles , whether be it from the wok or a heated steel plate, are nothing new to our palette.

I tried a lot from various outlets, but nothing beats my favorite place, HongKong Style Noodles at the top level of Robinson's Pioneer in Mandaluyong City. Not 'da original', not 'da first', not even the 'Hoy! we sell HK style noodles here' on the name. Just plain and simple 'HongKong Style Noodles'.

Unlike most places where they just heat up the noodles then pack them up with siomai staight from the pan, this cart fries the noodles. Giving it its crunchy-chewy texture I love in stir fried noodles. Not relying on the 'toge' or spring beans to give that crunch.

There I also found my perfect mix in the sauce. Its a common misconception that you should drown your noodles in the various sauces available to enjoy it. You have to practice moderation. The sauces are there to enhance the flavor of the noodles, not serve as the main dish. My mix involves one scoop of teriyaki sauce, one scoop of oyster sauce, one scoop of toyomansi (a combination of lime and soy sauce), and a pinch of oil from the chili garlic bin just to add that little spice. Although that mix is for the single order sized serving, you don't have to double it for the jumbo size. Just make the toyomansi a scoop and a half.

Next time you decide to go for some HK style noodles, try this mix. You'll love it.

(as of press time, that particular HK style noodles is already closed....waaaaaaaaaaa -ed)

Add What You Like: The Okonomiyaki Adventure

Trapped in the daily grind as a housewife, my honeybunch has only the DVD player as an escape from boredom. As a result, she gets to watch my J-drama dvds over and over again. She just finished Maki Horikita's "Teppan Shoujo Akane" and was instilled with the same drive to search for new flavors using only the 'fry cook' technique. (Much like the culinary technique as SpongeBob the Squarepants, fight OH! fight OH!)

Her latest experiment includes combining the ingredients usually found in coleslaw, mix it up with her own blend of barbeque sauce, her secret mayo blend and wallah!!! The Okonomiyaki fist of fury!!!!

A few days later, I told her about my love for pepperoni... as we went grocery shopping, with my usual supply of that contraband, an idea popped in our heads. Instead of putting bacon on the okonomiyaki...why not add these salty, meaty slices of paradise (I'm taking about the pepperoni, of course).

And out came the "Okonomiyaki Fist of Fury ver.2.0"... my son later made version 2.01 by putting whole pepperoni slices on top.

With all the ingredients we bought for this experimental endeavor, we ate okonomiyaki for the whole weekend.

All for this amazingly low price of P200 ($3.75)...

But wait...there's more!!!!!

No...that's it...