I Heart Banana Heart

Well, I'm not sure if I still heart banana heart after my kitchen episode this morning. I wanted to make a vegetarian patty out of it, but it didn't turn out the way I expected it. It became a banana heart omelet instead.

My grandmother used to make banana heart patties when I was a kid. I thought eggs, a few chopped vegetables, and my good 'ole memory were all I need in making them this morning. I recalled how my grandmother easily made golden brown patties out of banana heart with tomatoes, carrots, onions, and potatoes. It was all a fine and dandy job.

I thought it was. The first thing that confused me was how I would cut the heart. The next thing was whether I'd include the tiny banana fruits in my patty. I decided to forego the tiny fruits and focus on the upper part. After chopping it into tiny pieces, I had conflicting thoughts whether I'd squeeze them just like what my grandmother did. Then I thought perhaps it's only when you make ensalada that you squeeze 'em so I moved on to beating the eggs. After mixing the chopped vegetables with the beaten eggs, I carefully put them in the pan, and of course, forming them into little patties.

Alas, my patties were all crumbly. They wouldn't stay together. I got frustrated so I just fried everything. What turned out was crumbly omelet. I ate it for breakfast anyway. Looks like I have a lot to learn. According to this blog:  http://www.myfilipinokitchen.com/how-to-prepare-or-cook-banana-hearts-for-your-filipino-recipes/ I have to boil the heart first before anything else.

I learned never to trust my memory: :) I miss my grandmother's banana heart patties.

Carried Curried

Finally! I was able to cook curried fried rice. The secret's actually coconut milk.

Procedure's very simple. I sauteed cauliflower, onion, carrots, and potatoes. Then, I poured in the curry mixture and finally, the rice. My meal wasn't spicy in the least. I think I overdid the coconut milk, but overall I think it was a fine mighty meal. Cauliflower's going to be a staple part of my meal from now on.

I'm giving myself a pat on the back for that curry meal and I'm finishing it off by drinking soyamilk :)

Sardinia

               Sardinia is a place somewhere in Europe and tonight I celebrate that place by preparing mixed veggies with sardines!

                Well, it wasn’t really what I planned to prepare for dinner. I initially wanted to cook vegetable curry to appease my pride after that disastrous curry last Sunday, but after going over the coconut milk (yep, my curry last Sat didn’t have cocomilk) and canned peas selection in the hypermarket I thought it would be a good try if I use canned sardines with cocomilk instead of canned peas.

                When I was in my elementary years, my grandmother never failed to put sardines on the dinner table every week. The most popular brand then was 555. It’s got tomato sauce on it, and for me as just a kid, having canned sardines for any meal was a treat. Basically, though it’s notorious for being a poor man’s fish as what the 80’s movies would portray (the one starred by Tito, Vic, and Joey).

                Now going back to the meal, I first sautéed carrots, cauliflower, and potatoes in the oil that came from the sardines. Then, I added the sardines themselves. I didn’t add any more salt. My friend who came over to visit said it tasted good. It wasn’t bad looking either. My camera’s with my sister who’s en route to Hong Kong as I’m writing this, so I can’t take any pictures for now.

                I’m not really sure if sardines originated from Sardinia, but my meal had a Mediterranean feel and taste on it, so it’s just apt that I call my masterpiece for tonight as just plain Sardinia. And yes, I want to pay homage to the fish otherwise known as tinapa – a poor man’s fish.

Vege Crazy

My decision to become a vegetarian wasn't done overnight nor was it done on a whim. It's taken me years to practice discipline and control to not just eat anything that's being put on my plate. Although I must admit, I do give in to the temptation of eating a nice and juicy chicken barbecue, a luscious hotdog, or a sumptuous siomai, etc... I try to give myself a kick on the stomach by fasting and by drinking phyto fiber (to get rid of all the toxins from the meat), then I'm back to my old vegetarian self again.

Keeping a vegetarian lifestyle, however, is not easy for me because I never cook. My dining areas are all restaurants that surround my boarding house such as Jollibee E. Lopez (my boarding house is just across it), Green Mango, Kusina Eskina, and even the food stalls in SM Hypermarket. For lunch, I usually eat in the school cafeteria.

Thus, I've decided right now and then that if I want to become a strict vegetarian, I must and should prepare my own meals!

I bought a rice cooker last Friday night and I bought an Indian Vegetarian cookbook. Yep, my journey with vegetarian cooking started yesterday during lunctime. I prepared a carrot and potato salad mixed with tomato sauce for my afternoon meal. It was a little bit oily but my friend named Au said it tasted just fine. Hah! And to think that it's my first vegetarian cooking. That gave me all the encouragement to try another recipe.

With all the excitement and enthusiasm in me, I cooked Vegetable Curry for lunch today. It didn't turn out the way I expected it. In fact, I'd call it a disaster. I didn't follow the instructions and I bought the wrong kinds of vegetables. The result? A total cost of P120.00 veggies went down the trash bin. I can't describe the taste here, but it's just something that gave me a headache. Oh, well, all this vegetarian cooking business can't be hurried. I won't be a chef overnight but I'm giving myself a pat on the back for being bold enough to be a vegetarian cook. It's going to be a trial and error venture for me but I'm an eager student. What's interesting is that I'm my own teacher and student. Someday, I'll be daring enough to let my colleagues in school try my vegetarian meals. That's still going to be light years away, though.

For the meantime, I'd better practice on that Vegetable Curry again.