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I am printing off the first and the third link in their entirety. At the 4th link you gave me I found a recipe by Emeril Lagasse for Smoked Catfish Terrine and I am going to go back and print that off as soon as the others print off. I'm afraid I must have missed what was at the second link because all I got from that link is that catfish that is smoked using coconut husk has best color but catfish smoked with bagasse smells better. Was I supposed to click somewhere else at that site and I'm just missing where to click? Sorry if I screwed up and the obvious is right in front of me.
bagasse definition [HYPERLINK@en.wikipedia.org] --> basing from this link, definitely the smoke flavor will be better cuz of the sugarcane pulp. i grew up with both smoking agent: coconut and sugar cane. coconut is more accessible to us, one i am more familiar with. my grandma have coconut plantations, we have plenty of charcoal from coconut shells. my grandma adores slow cooking in coconut charcoal and grill everything using the same. food always taste better cooked in coconut charcoal. grilled catfish broiled in coconut charcoal is never enough when we have them.
here is a photo of charcoal stove almost similar to what we use for cooking and grilling at the same time. [HYPERLINK@bioenergylists.org] these stoves, once lighted are smokeless natural cooking. i know it is primitive way of cooking but i will not exchange that for the modern stoves these days. don't ask me why, the cooking is just different.
Sometimes coconut shows up in our grocery stores on sale so sometimes I pick it up to shave for fruit salads. I've always liked the taste of coconut and Almond Joy was one of my favorite candy bars growing up so I'm sure I'd like anything smoked or cooked over a grill using it. Speaking of which, I didn't find a lot of Almond Joy candy bars in the kids' Halloween candy this year so maybe it's not as popular as it used to be. Now I have a question for you. About how many coconut shells would I need to smoke say 20lbs of catfish? I'm thinking back to how many coconuts I bought this past summer and I think I only bought about 5-6. Would that be enough to get by? Next question. If 5 or 6 aren't enough, could I set them aside and save them until the next season when I'm buying coconut again? I really don't buy a lot of coconut as I do apples and bananas and kiwi.
Sugar Cane I never buy. I don't even think I've seen that in the stores for sale but now that I've said I've never seen it, I'll probably see it for sale the very next time I go shopping. I think smoking with sugar cane is going to be out for me.
Your stove looks fine. Is there a grate that goes over the top of your stove or do you just rest what you are cooking directly on the embers? I've done my share of Dutch Oven cooking so I know darn well you would be able to bake a cake on that stove of yours. Actually, I don't think there's anything that could be cooked in a conventional oven that can't be cooked in a Dutch Oven on your type of a stove. One thing, a big turkey might be an issue because of its sheer size but I'm sure you've found a work around for that.
Speaking of which, I don't think I've ever seen embers that shape before. Do you know what they are? Just curious.
i will be honest with u, i do not know. hand helpers in the farm are the ones responsible for picking, husking, making copras [dried coconut meat], and charcoal. those hand helpers are the ones who can give an answer to ur question. coconut charcoals and hard wood charcoals arrive to our house by the big 100 lb. sack of rice. that is how they ship or sell those hardwood and coconut charcoals back home.
my suggestion would be to use hard wood natural charcoal for smocking the catfish. once the charcoal is ember stage, u can add ur coconut shell. this way u can still achieve some coconut flavor in ur smoking the catfish. that is what i do myself when i want to mimic some of the cooking from the old country.
the charcoal u see in the photo are hard wood natural charcoal. they are regular hardwood, cut up to pieces to facilitate faster charcoal making.
the stove - if u will notice there are lead like material attached to the wall of the stove. those are arrange to fit the pot in cooking. otherwise, we buy or find old oven rack to place on top to hold small pots.
u know we are being cheated when we buy coconuts here. in the old country, we have an option to buy coconut with their husk attached. coconut have many uses:
1. husk - are marked to cut in 5 section, then gently pulled to appear like a flower petal. once the husk is opened, the coconut is pulled out of the husk. the husk can be use in many ways, so as not to bore u, i will only site two: husk can be use to light and start the charcoal. or u can put a plant, with little soil. pick up the 5 corners to hold the plant. voila, u got a nice hanging basket! good and mostly use for orchid growing.
2. coconut shell is dried and made into charcoal. if u are artistic there are a lot of projects to make with the coconut shell.
3. coconut water - the clear watery substance u get when u open the coconut. drink the coconut water, it is good to clear and clean ur urinary track. do not mistake coconut water with coconut milk cuz they are as different as apples and oranges. coconut water is a refreshing drink, while coconut milk is use in cooking.
4. coconut meat - u can grind or pulse in either food processor or blender. u can pour a little hot water to the ground coconut meat to extract more milk. allow to cool a little to be able to handle. or place coconut meat in cheese cloth. take 4 corners of cheese cloth, squeeze out the milk like u would squeeze out water from a rag. the coconut meat u can extract the milk at least 3-4 times. the remaining pulp, u can spread in cookie sheet, dry in 250 degree oven until u achieve the dryness u wish. use the dried pulp in any of ur baking recipe that calls for coconut. the sweetness in ur recipe will incorporate to the dried coconut pulp.
i never have any sweet tooth, so i am not too familiar with candies sold in store. but if u want to talk chocolate truffles, that is another story for discussions LOL!
as for the turkey, i would think in terms of roasting a whole pig back home. two long matured bamboo is harvested and cleaned. the whole pig is inserted into one of the bamboo pole. the other pole is cut into 4 pieces. two pairs are crossed together and tied with a rope, place on each end of the barbecue area. the other two pair is place opposite the other end. the live charcoal is approximately 1 to 1-1/2 ft. from the object being roast in the open. charcoal placement depends on cooking. charcoal is place closer at the beginning stage of cooking. farther away when cooking is almost done.
the barbecue area is where live charcoal is place to appear like a circle, actually oblong form. the pole where the pig is inserted in is place on both ends of cross bamboo as a stand. someone will watch and turn the pole for several hrs. depending on the weight of the pig. sometimes if pig is big, it take 8 to 12 hrs. i would imagine a big turkey would take at least 3 hrs. the lease. cooking time depends on turkey weight.
in my area, i always see sugar cane sold at the farmer's market.
i hope i have covered all the grounds, i have tried my best. otherwise u can make further inquiries.
I really appreciate the time you are spending typing away to me. Really sorry for the questions to follow. I'm not unintelligent, this whole smoking deal is totally new to me and I am beginning to think it is considerably more complicated than what I originally thought or maybe it will be one of those situations where what you have taught me will make more sense and sink in to my head after the smoker is shipped out to us and we get to use it the first time.
Quoted:
once the charcoal is ember stage, u can add ur coconut shell. this way u can still achieve some coconut flavor in ur smoking the catfish.
Probably a really dumb question but I assumed I could use the coconut meat in my fruit salads and toss what was left on the embers? Am I correct or do I need to toss a whole coconut on the embers.Really sorry about having to ask that question.
I went back to your link and saw the attachments recessed down into your stove now that you mentioned them. I can see where you would be able to rest a grate there.
MaVie, where are you originally from if you don't mind my asking? You have a very rich knowledge of cooking.
I'd like to know more about using coconuts to grow orchids. I grow a few orchids in my bathroom here at home and I keep meaning to buy some vanda baskets but keep forgetting. The store bought vanda baskets are ugly black plastic anyway. I have a drill and could easily drill holes in half a coconut to hang it. This is a very interesting concept to me. I think I'll go on line and do a search for orchids and coconuts and see what I come up with. Thanks for mentioning that.
I didn't know coconut water could be used to clear up UI infections. I grew up being told to drink lots of cranberry juice. Cranberry juice didn't work the one time I had a UI infection but maybe it did and I just don't know it. Maybe I would have been a lot worse off if I didn't drink any cranberry juice. Who knows, the doctor prescribed antibiotics. I'm not particularly fond of antibiotics though. I would be willing to try coconut water for a UI infection.
I like chocolate truffles myself. If you ever get a chance, try an Almond Joy candy bar. You may hate me but just try one if you get a chance. If you like coconuts, you will most assuredly like that candy bar.
We have pig roasts out here in the midwest. I must admit I have never tried any of the meat but it does smell good. Interesting tidbit, here when they roast a pig... they roast it in a converted hot water heater sliced in half or maybe they are using heating oil tanks that are sliced in half. What ever they are, they are big and they create a frame for them that is on wheels. Often times, they stick chickens inside the pig to roast at the same time as the pig. I am told the chickens are very moist.
i have tons of info on coconut, apart from personal knowledge.
i was born and raised in the part of the Philippines where coconut grows abundantly. one of the tourist capital of the Philippines.
try to digest some info from these links while i look for the other links that is equally nice to read. i will respond to the other questions when i get back.
we have coconut recipe in the Philippines from main courses to dessert.
part coconut husk ---> [HYPERLINK@www.beautifulorchids.com] -- not the same as i was describing. the one in the photo is half a husk, i am speaking of a whole coconut husk, not shell.
Equil- when I lived in Fla. I worked w/a Cuban who had come over - He invited me to celebrate Christmas (nocha waynoes) I think was the term (the good evening) the night of Christmas eve. His family (it was a large family) cooked an entire pig - I have never eaten as good since.
there is no dumb question as far as i am concerned. it is dump not to ask a question cuz u will never find out the answer for it.
u want to know something? the hardest part in cooking is preparation of all ingredients. once everything is ready and assembled, cooking is a cinch. in my kitchen if all ingredients are prepared, i can cook several dishes in 30 mins. time. how? by marinating poultry or meat ahead of time. i was trained by my grandma patience to prepare ingredients ahead of time. cooking or anything related to cooking is 2nd nature to us in my family. the very reason i trained my son at the early age of 2. now he is an accomplished cook on his own.
whenever i encounter a new recipe, i have to read it about 10x, not because i can not read. the idea is to read so many times, so the content of the recipe, will be absorb by the brain. and by the time i am ready to cook, i can follow the procedure w/out having to look at the recipe. so far it never failed yet. plus this way, i avoid being intimidated by the new recipe. similar to meeting a new acquaintance - one get to know them real well, a new friendship is formed :D!
The Macapuno coconut of the Philippines is famous for having no milk cavity. The jelly-like flesh fills the middle and can be eaten with a spoon.
i doubt if anyone apart from Filipinos knew of the existence of macapuno outside of Asia. i do not know. this is the first time i have mentioned it @ DG. this is the dessert i mentioned in the brine recipe i had in the Recipe Forum. macapuno is made into fruit salad ala Ambrossia style. there are many versions of it but my recipe consist of cream cheese, cool whip, condense milk, fruit cocktail, macapuno, cantaloupe, fresh grapes, nata de coco [HYPERLINK@en.wikipedia.org] , kaong [HYPERLINK@www.newtonfd.com] , plus other tropical fruits shown in the last link.
the only coconut we use for salad is the young soft coconut. not the matured hard meat. the hard coconut meat, is only use for cooking or baking.
i would not suggest to use coconut meat in the charcoal embers. the difference between using the shell [will slowly deteriorate in the fire, thereby emitting the flavor u want], whereas the coconut meat [if u put in the live embers will catch on fire and emit bad smell once burnt].
the Philippines has been under the Spanish domain for 500 yrs., during the Spanish invation lots of Chinese were brought during the Spice trade era. then the American took over the Phil. for 45 yrs. of colonization. the Filipino food is very richly influence by all the countries or foreigners that took position of our country. do not get me wrong though, the Phil. is compost of 3 main islands and about 7,000 other small islands. although we were under several foreign domain, the islands had natives that formed their own group... each group have their own dialect, style of cooking, etc. mostly the food is enfluence by Spanish and Chinese cuisine. my paternal grandma is part Chinese, Spanish and Malay race, whereas my maternal grandma has Spanish blood in her veins. both grandma has taught me the basics of cooking. as i matured, i developed my own style and ways of cooking. similar to the U.S. where immigrants from different parts of the world merge into a melting pot. each regions of the U.S. has their own ethnic cuisines.
we hardly covered anything as far as coconut is concerned. u will be surprised of the many ways to use coconut in either cooking or gardening.
the vanda baskets are easy to make if u got the patience. they turn black due to age. it is not really ugly, don't let the orchid seller hear u say they are ugly LOL, cause the darker color signifies or show age of the orchid planted in that basket. orchid connoisseurs in the Phil. pay high price for those ugly baskets. hahahaha, sorry i can not help that. i am not laughing at u, the thought just makes me laugh.
the roast pig [Lechon] is slowly roasted in charcoal. it is never hurriedly cooked. the finished Lechon's skin is very crunchy, the meat are very tender, it practically melt in ur mouth. very recently, i read there is a group in the east coast that makes a square looking box, solely made to roast a pig. senior moments are creeping in, i could hardly remember what they are called. they made 2 square box, one has wheels that rolls, inside in lined with some kind of stainless stell material so it can hold the live charcoal. the 2nd box has thick wiring on the bottom to rest the whole pork in. the 2nd box sits on top of the 1st box. the whole pork is then slowly roasted. it is popular among the yappies in NY.
u know something? in all the research i have done, i find a lot of similarities in cooking throughout the whole world. believe it or not, it is the same dish in actuality, the main difference i think is the type of herb and spices use. but the cooking method is the same. give or take a few difference in style of cooking.
Dyson ... Christmas Eve is known in the Spanish language as Noche Buena. the roasted pig in the Phils. is always accompanied by a liver sauce. it is not exactly all liver. lots of garlic and onions are caramelized, small part of the liver is roasted in charcoal. then mince. then added to sauteéd garlic and onions. then puried in a blender of food processor. the sauce is strained with cheese cloth. the sauce then is seasoned with lots of black pepper, salt and dark brown sugar. the roasted pig is dip in the liver sauce when eaten.
i bet u had fun joining ur Cuban friend. it is similar in the Phils. we go to midnight mass. by the time we get back from church, the dining table is filled with at leat 15 different dishes. a huge big party for families and friends.
i am sorry, it was not intended to be this long, i don't know of any other way to explain. my command of the English language is not that great. i tried my best.
The message was perfect and you have my thanks for correcting my grammar the pig was delicious and the company was a good party. I had such a good time, It will always be a favorite memory.
Hey Ma Vie! I love your post. I will absorb it later on this evening after I get home from work which is late on Tuesday nights. Psst, I book marked this thread into my journal so I could always find it. I placed it under instructional threads.
First off, I bought a smoker and bought the wrong kind. I was corrected and am taking it back. The one I have now ordered is this one and it comes with an instructional book-
[HYPERLINK@domsoutdoor.com]
It's small but it should work for us.
Next, your English is perfectly fine. My Dad has been in this country for over 60 years and he can't spell nearly as well as you. He speaks very well, he just can't really read or write English. He struggled writing out checks so bad after my Mom passed that one of my SIL's who lives a few blocks away from him goes over once a week and writes out all his bills. You are doing perfectly fine with your English and I bet you can even write your own checks!
I am printing off information from your links above right now. Thanks for those.
Our kids picked up cooking mostly from all the camping trips they go on. The boys are not at all intimidated by a skillet which is a good thing. Now the washing machine and dryer... that is another story but they can all cook the basics. Maybe when they are older they can progress on. I don't know why so many parents fail to teach their sons to cook. I too started with ours early. Not at age two but certainly by age 5. We used a little book we picked up and one of the first things they made was "ants on a log". That was where they cleaned and cut celery, filled it with philly cream cheese or peanut butter (their choice), then topped it with raisins. Jello with fruit was a real biggie back then and so were boxed brownies.
The kind of coconuts we buy don't look like the ones you posted a link to. I was in the Phillipines on vacation a long long time ago when I was younger and I honestly can't remember what the coconuts looked like there but I remember they were there.
My sister in law's sister married a really sweet man who is Filipino. His Mom comes to all of our family get togethers and she generally brings her stir fried noodle dish because we always ask for her to bring that. She sometimes brings something called adoba (sp?) that is made with chicken which my kids like real well too. Then she brings some sort of a cupcake or something that is made from rice that is really great and all the kids grab those. Do you know what that might be? I should just call and ask her to get me the recipe because my kids love those rice cupcake things. So, there's the extent of my Filipino cuisine knowledge> I eat what ever she brings to family gatherings because I like it but I haven't a clue how to prepare any of it. Stir fry is not a style of cooking that I am all that familiar with and we don't own a wok. I sort of agree with you on this, "i find a lot of similarities in cooking throughout the whole world. believe it or not, it is the same dish in actuality, the main difference i think is the type of herb and spices use" other than Asian cooking which involves some cooking gadgets that we simply don't have... like a wok. My one sister in law is Japanese and I still can't quite get into sushi although she was born and raised in Japan and is great at preparing everything she sets out on her table. This woman is a master at presentation. I really don't particularly care for sushi no matter how good of a cook she is or how well garnished it is on my plate. I eat it so as not to offend her.
The vanda baskets I think are ugly are the black plastic ones. Coconut baskets that age and acquire a deep rich color would be fine. I can probably figure out how to do that on my own. Mostly I have been using coconut fiber for Nepenthes potting mixes though. Come to think of it, I have used coconut chips in other mediums and I played around using coconut peat for some hydroponics experiments that failed. Here's a link I found to orchid pots made out of coconuts-
[HYPERLINK@www.eorchidlady.com]
u don't need a wok to cook oriental dish. so long as u have a big frying pan or deep casserole u can cook anything. the only convenience in using a wok is while cooking, u can set aside ingredients inside the wok, w/out burning and not dirty another dish to wash
Filipino man are well sought after by a lot of International beauties. previous Ms. Universe and Ms . World winners married Filipino guys. these beauties claim Fil. guys are romantic and well domesticated. LOL. i guess they are referring to those guys being good cooks and spoil these beauties every whims. hahahahaha.
were u referring to Adobo? the secret in making Chicken Adobo is marinating the chicken in fresh garlic, fresh bay leaf, pepper corns and vinegar. as soon as the ingredients are added, massage the ingredients into the meat. marinate over night. the following day, heat up a casserole pot, add about 1-2 tbsp olive oil. fry the marinated chicken. toss excess oil in the pot [after u finished frying all the chicken]. no need to wash the pot, add fried chicken and remainder of marinate juice in pot. add 1/2 cup water or wine. boil, then simmer chicken till done. at this point, the juice has turned into a sauce, add soy sauce accdg to taste.
one tip for u on pepper corn. try to dry pan fry the pepper corn. dry frying to the point u get the aroma of pepper in the air. allow to cool. then place inside a pepper grinder. no pepper grinder? spread the pepper corn on the clean counter, use the back of iron skillet or any pot. press skillet hard onto the pepper corn. u will be amazed in difference in flavor.
i admit i can cook, but i never measure any ingredients. i use my hand as measuring implement. i cook accdg to what my taste bud agree with. the very reason i get into trouble. people are under the impression, i do not like to share my cherished recipes. cooking is also dictated by gut feelings, affected by the atmospheric condition. i do not really know how to explain this one. a good example is like baking. the atmospheric condition affect and involve ingredient's reaction to one another or during the baking process. there is a great difference where people live also. weather can also be another reason for recipes to be affected [dry or cold weather]. i am an earthy person - very observant about my environment. everything in nature affect one another [ great consideration taken on maturity or availability of ingredients being used ... similar to seasonal produce.]
like i previously said, coconuts sold here in the U.S. is so different from the ones bought in the orient. coconuts we buy in the Phil. are still in their natural shell i mean with the husk and coconut still in their natural form. if u have experience going to the Phil., allow me to refresh how coconuts are sold. the green young coconuts is called Buko it is very soft almost like soft jello in texture, very sweet and wholesome. Macapuno is nutty and sticky in texture, always serve as dessert. macapuno by itself is not really appealing as they are. the regular coconut is sold with the brown husk attach to it. u need to take off the husk, before u can see the coconut shell that holds the coconut meat. in the orient, u can go to the wet market, the coconut vendor will take off the husk, grind the coconut for u. the vendor have the commercial type of coconut meat grinder on hand. so u go home with the grinded coconut meat, the husk [use to light charcoal], and the shell.
on the last link u show, the coco planter they call is not really a planter. in the old days, they are called coconut husk - use to shine waxed cement or wood floor. small chips are crack off along the coconut shell. it do really make a floor shine!
going back to the same link, i guess u need to find a boy scout instructor to teach u how to tie things together. hahahaha! honestly i have forgotten. i am not young anymore, accdg to my grand kids, i am ancient. probably old enough to be ur mother or grandma.
i use to make those coconut planter, we use bamboo. then tie them together with abaca [known to u as hemp] - the strongest rope there is.
i agree with u about the plastic vanda container. i find them to be very tacky.
the cupcake u mentioned do remind me of sweet rice cake and cassava cake. both are normally baked using cake pans. i guess she improvised to avoid the tedious cutting each time a guess want a piece. i have to find u a recipe on line for those. i can not link it right away, i need to review the ingredients to pass on a so called good recipe.
why do i get the feeling u are picking on my brain. LOL!!! it is ok, i do not mind. i will die one day soon, no one will ever learn what i had gathered thru my lifetime experience. like i mentioned, i have two grand daughters i have never met nor will ever meet. i am very glad to share and pass along what i still can remember.
why do i feel i have gained another sister/brother, daughter/son on line???? ROTFLOL!
Oh noooooooo, now I want to stay up and reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeead and go online and look for a wok and I know I have to go to bed because it's way past my bedtime and I get really ugly when I am overtired.
Yes, I'm claimable. I never had a sister and always wanted one and my Mom passed a while ago and she was my best friend and I miss her. I do have a MIL that I adore but it's not the same as having your very own Mom.
Nightie night and sweet dreams, I'll be back to this thread tomorrow night.
Lauren (a girl)
Yes, I know the name was mostly used for men a long time ago but lots of females are named this now.
Lauren is fine with me. I love my perfumes made by a man name Ralph Lauren.
edited to add:
u do not need to find a wok on line, from experience i find better quality woks from garage sale. if u want a new one, go to an oriental store - where they are big selections and at a much cheaper price than a department store. ask oriental around the area where u live.
oh no! another adopted relative. whenever i visit my son, all his friends [including other guest in my son's house] always wanted me to be their extended mom. i don't know if it is my cooking or friendly motherly advice/s that make them get attached to me like magnet.
* 2 cups rice flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 teaspoon baking powder
* 2 cups coconut milk
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon anise seeds (optional)
* 1 cup grated coconut (or coconut flakes)
Directions
Sift first four ingredients together. In a mixing bowl, add coconut milk to sifted ingredients and blend well to make a smooth mixture. Add anise seeds. Mix and blend thoroughly and fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Cook in a steamer for 30 minutes. Test for doneness. Muffins are done when toothpick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Serve hot topped with grated coconut, or butter.
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here is the link [HYPERLINK@asiarecipe.com] the following can be made into muffin form too.
Bibingka Cassava
Cassava cake
choices are endless.
Lauren... i gave u all those recipe w/out even knowing if there are any oriental stores in ur area. look at the list of recipes, let me know which recipe u want to try --- maybe i have some short cut to do them if not to let u know which ingredient to pick in ur local Asian store. if u notice, in list of dessert, they also have the fruit salad [Ambrosia style] but! mine is totally different... more creamier and taste like ice cream.
everyone is welcome to the recipes... i can explain ingredients or simplify directions.
quoted from above posting so u can compare the procedure from the link to how i make chicken adobo
Quoted:
the secret in making Chicken Adobo is ...
marinating the chicken in fresh garlic, fresh bay leaf, pepper corns and vinegar.
after all the ingredients are added, massage the ingredients into the meat. massaging the chicken allows the ingredient to penetrate into the meat.
marinate over night.
the next day, heat up a pot, add about 1-2 tbsp olive oil.
fry the marinated chicken.
toss excess oil in the pot [after u finished frying all the chicken].
no need to wash the pot, add fried chicken and remainder of marinate juice in pot.
add 1/2 cup water or wine. boil, then simmer chicken till done about 1/2 hr or until chicken is tender.
at this point, the juice has turned into a sauce, add soy sauce and pinch of sugar [to balance the acidity of vinegar] or accdg to taste.
serve over rice or if not with bread.
one tip for u on pepper corn. try to dry pan fry the pepper corn. dry frying to the point u get the aroma of pepper in the air. allow to cool. then place inside a pepper grinder. no pepper grinder? spread the pepper corn on the clean counter, use the back of iron skillet or any pot. press skillet hard onto the pepper corn. u will be amazed in difference in flavor.
Smoked Salmon when I was In Alaska - never tried it w/catfish. Season heavy and smoke long and cool.
Once - a long while ago - the yellow cats were running up a creek, off Seneca Lake (New York state)
we caught so many the freezer was full. I always fried them in a beer batter, it was good. The other fish up there that was plentiful was Pickerel, once I figured out to pickle them to dissolve the bones they were good also, otherwise they were to much trouble to mess with. The fish I loved most could only be caught in the spring when they did their mating run up the creeks at night and they could be caught by "dip netting". They were like miniature trout - very easy to prepare - only took a pair of scissors to clean them and for the life of me I can't remember what the name of that fish is. Every Friday was fish fry day up there. Times were good.
if not mistaken, i believe Alaskan's take a stick or pole, intertwine the salmon meat into the pole. then stick the pole on the ground where an open fire is well lite. almost similar to a camp fire. the salmon is smoke and cooked at the same time. is that how u did it when u were in Alaska?
I bought an electric smoker (Cabelas I think) and all went well. My sister still lives up there (Alaska) and sends me a care package once in a while (smoked Salmon) which I cherish.
Yes I am lucky, and very fortunate too have so many friends here, the best is yet to come even though I am feeling the age lately! What were those fish? They were most excellent fried and we don't have them here! I always love fish. Ok enough rambling for now!
i would not even attempt to respond to ur fish question cause there are thousands, upon thousands of varieties of fish both from salt water [Pacific and China Ocean] and the hundreds of lakes spread throughout the country. all fishes in the Philippines are very tasty cause of the warm tropical water and abundance of tropical sea flora and fauna. most fishes are caught everyday. if u love calamari, the ones in the Phils are succulent and very tasty!
I figured it out - Smelt - very small and very tasty, when we ran short of them in the freezer wife #1 would ask when I was going to get more - she did not understand that they could only be caught in season, Same w/the deer and catfish she just did not understand the cycle of the outdoors but she did become a fairly good cook w/what I brought home.
we have something similar - the anchovies. they are small but very tasty. we rinse it, season with sea salt and lots of pepper. dredge in flour and fry. nice crunchy and so sweet. i buy them fresh or frozen in this little town i live in when i have the yen for fried fish.
Dyson I used to eat smelt when I was a kid! My brothers and the boys next door would catch them and my mom would fry them up. Where I lived you could actually by them frozen in bags, like fish sticks. LOL.
MaVie you are surely an amazing cook! Wish that I could stop by for dinner tonight but you probably don't need to set an extra plate at the table!
Lauren we had a smoker for years- bought it because my dad had one and when I visited he had some smoked salmon for me. It was out of this world and I don't really like fish! The one thing that you must say each and every time that your DH says he is going to smoke some fish or turkey or whatever is, "Isn't it going to be kind of difficult to keep it in those papers." ok that's a joke- papers as in cigarette papers, smoke as in smoke a cigaretter. Sorry it's one of my most endearing habits, telling really small, stupid jokes all the time, to the point that my husband gets mad before I can get the whole thing out of my mouth. Seriously think your entire family will enjoy the smoker.
Hey Dyson, smelt are great dipped in egg and rolled in a little bit of flour with a dash of seasonings added then pan friend. We ate a lot of smelt growing up. The smelt used to run heavy back then. Now they don't which is a shame. I like beer batter for onion rings but never used it for fish. Something I should probably try some day.
Hello MaVie! I came home from work to see you have been busy helping me.
I have to start by saying that I am told Filipino men have other attributes deemed far more desirable than merely treating their wives as Jewish American Princesses ;) Or so my sister in law's sister tells me. Her husband vacuums and cleans toilets! Where did I go wrong given I can't even get mine to add a new roll of toilet paper when he uses that last of it.
Yes, I guess I was referring to Adobo. My kids really like that dish so I'll print your "how to" off and surprise them one night. I used to have a grinder but we got an older puppy a few months ago and he chewed it up. He chews everything up that he can get his teeth on and nothing is safe here these days. Funny you mentioned grinding pepper with the bottom of a skillet. I've done that before. I was lazy one day and decided to try it on some boiled eggs and I can tell you from experience that the eggs didn't cooperate in favor of rolling of the counter which achieved the same goal.
Ha ha ha! It is most obvious you can cook. Although I stick to recipes when first learning a new recipe, I go your route once I'm familiar with it and start tossing in what ever looks like the correct amount so I know what you mean when you say you don't measure ingredients.
I was too young to remember much of anything when I visited the Phillipines. I went with relatives and felt like a world traveler. It was really exciting and was my only trip outside the US at that time other than having gone to Mexico and Canada. You can try to refresh my memory but it's just been too darn long to remember much more than a tropical paradise. We visited a few islands and one of them was the one that had Clark Airforce base.
Tee he, I was the Cub Scout Den Leader for quite a while. I spent many a night preparing for meetings trying to teach myself how to do something before I was supposed to "teach" the boys. I hauled in an expert for their meeting on knot tying because I never could get the hang of that. Macrame seemed so easy comparatively speaking. I still don't know how to tie even half the knots the boys had to learn and that was even with me buying an instructional video.
Define ancient ;) What do your grandchildren know??? SIlly grandchildren. They think everyone with gray hair is a grandparent.
Yes, MaVie... I am most certainly picking your brain and I must admit I am doing a might fine job! But that's ok because unbeknownst to you, I have friends who are printing off all of your "how tos" and recipes so lots of good stuff is going to get spread around.
I looked at photos on line of your Puto recipe and by gosh by golly I am sure that's it. Those are the greatest aren't they! We have Asian markets all around here so getting my hands on any ingredients I need. There are benefits to living close to large cities.
At that one link to AsianRecipe.com you posted to other recipes I couldn't help but notice recipes for flan. I always assumed that was a Mexican dish because my Mother In Law used to make it a lot and it's on the menu at a lot of corner Mexican restaurants we go to from time to time but now it looks as if it isn't Mexican at all and it's a Filipino Dessert? That's rather surprising. Tee he, I can't wait to tease my MIL.
Ewww yuckie! Anchovies. I'd have to pinch my nose and swallow those whole to eat those and I don't think anyone can prepare those in any manner that would make me like them. Those are right up there with curry powder to me.
Forgot to mention that I am going to send out the link to your "How to make a Smoker from a Trash Can" to about 300 people. I already ordered the other one but the trash can actually looks "roomier" and more practical.
And MaVie, you have e-mail!
Hugs to you for everything you have shared with me!
AprilBaby, smoked salmon is a favorite of mine. I could live on that stuff. I also really like smoked Chubbs. I think I liked just about any smoked fish. I don't think I could joke around with my husband about keeping what he's smoking in papers. He's sort of anal and when he gets focused on something and is concentrating intently on getting something right, his glasses fall down on his nose and he looks up at me and gives me the "and your point to this exercies is..." look. It's a classic. He's not mad, he's just perplexed at some of my off the wall attempts at humor.
April ... i am not an amazing cook. so happen that i am far older than u are. Mother Nature and experiences has taught me a lot in my lifetime. i do not discriminate food or ingredient not known to me. in fact, i am very adventurous when it comes to cooking and eating. plus i have a very inquisitive mind, i love to do research and has been blessed to know how to pick the right keyword to do my research.
Lauren... u did not go wrong, ur destiny did not include for a Filipino guy to be with u. i am not psychic or mind reader, but people in the orient believe in Destiny. don't feel bad, u are not alone.
i am ancient to my grand kids cause they do not like the detailed way of how i explain things. like i always tell them, what i explain, they will never find in books or libraries, i can not say the internet cuz this thread might also be on line ... hahahahaha. one never know.
oh come on, do not knock the crispy fried anchovy. they are good. fried crispy anchovies are very crunchy like cracklings. u can even eat the head and bones due to the crunchiness... it practically melts in ur mouth, after u chew them. i buy either fresh or quick frozen anchovies. i fry it like tempura style or if not just coat them with cornstarch and deep fry.
u probably are thinking of the salted anchovy - i love that too. it is great in making Cesar's salad dressing. more so i love it in spaghetti. i make very simple spaghetti sauce. if that is what u want to call it. actually there is no name for them cause i cook what my craving demand. if i feel to eat pasta i sauté garlic, onions, anchovy fillet and tomatoes, pour it over cooked pasta plus sprinkling of Italian fresh Parsley plus some pepperoncino flakes and lots of freshly grated Parmigiano cheese. if not, i will sauté garlic, anchovy fillet in olive oil, add lots of finely chop green onions and Italian Parsley. pour over the cooked pasta, add lot of freshly grated Parmigiano Romano cheese or Asiago cheese. and i am in heaven. my food is simple yet, very flavorful and tasty.
since we originally were talking about catfish here. here are a few things i'd like to share:
cleaning catfish or any fish - my style:
take off fish fins and gills:
use a regular cutter - like the plyers u have in ur tool box. it is the best tool to take off the fish fins and gills. fins and gills are cut off with smooth edges.
fish with scales
to remove fish scale - i get a big basin to soak fish in, if not i use the bath tub if the fish are big. or if u are lucky to have a big rectangular sink, that will do too.
fill ur container with water to cover the fish. add 1 Tbsp. of vinegar. allow to soak for at least 5-10 mins., depending on size of the fish. or how big scales are. the smaller the scales are, the more u are to soak the fish in vinegar. and water solution.
use a spoon to take off the scale. u will be surprise how much easier to scale a fish with the aid of the spoon. hey, i have fish scalers of all kinds. the spoon works better than the fish scaller. plus the scales do not jump all over the kitchen.
fish with slimy skin or super fine scales
take a hand full of ashes**, sprinkle evenly on catfish or any slimy fish.[allow me to explain 1st before u feel gross by the process]. now ran ur fingers along the body of the fish. u will see and feel all the slimy part will be gone after u rinse the fish twice.
if the ashes make u feel icky, use salt instead. follow the same step. difference from my experience is ash cleans better than salt.
** ashes is the best to use to take off slime from fish. just be sure to rinse thoroughly the fish.
i prefer to use ashes from hardwood charcoal or any natural product use in ur bbq-er or fireplace.
cut nice fish slices
to achieve nice cut pieces from fish. have a rubber mallet and clever handy.
1. mark the areas of the fish were u want pieces to be cut.
2. cut the fish skin with regular knife only up to barely getting to the fish bone, but do not cut through the bone. [u are cutting only the skin and flesh of the fish]
3. position the clever end along the cut portion of fish skin on one side of the fish. hit the clever with the rubber mallet. this procedure u will be able to cut nicely where the fish fins are.
4. do step 3 on the other side of the fish. now that alll side are cut
5. position the clever on cut right above the fish bone, hit clever with rubber mallet to cut the center of the fish bone. hit rubber mallet hard, but not so hard as not to make a mess of the fish flesh.
6. fish should be cut at this point, if not use a knife to cut thru the flesh.
not too easy to explain this procedures folk. i tried my best. this is the way i cut all fish i buy or catch. i never allow anyone to clean, cut my fish for me.
i hope i did not confuse anyone. if i did, pls. point out error and i will try to clarify.
stuff fish cavity [if cooking whole fish] with the following ingredients:
2 cloves of garlic [finely mince]
1or half an onion [depending on fish weight and size] mince fine
one piece 1-1/2 inch fresh ginger [do not substitute with powder] - mince fine or roughly chop
1/2 cup or 3 big tomatoes, roughly chop
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
use a regular or cheese grater to grate garlic, onions and ginger to facilitate easy grating.
mix all ingredients. then stuff inside the head or stomach cavity of the fish.
take aluminum foil, cut foil accdg to the length of the fish. spray foil with Spam or spread oil on the foil. [to prevent fish skin to stick on the foil]
wrap fish with foil, making sure u make a tight wrap.
broil, grill either in the oven or open fire.
Enjoy!
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Tempura batter
Using cold water (about 40F) is a must. This keeps the batter from becoming sticky. When you add the flour, whisk quickly just to mix it in evenly. Sticky batter results in oily tempura.
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 cup COLD water
* 2 tablespoons dry white wine
* 1 cup flour
Beat the egg and mix with water. Add flour and whisk quickly. make only enough batter for one use. or cut this recipe if deep frying small amount.
OK, you win. Sending up a little white flag on the anchovies. Crispy fried anchovies are fine but the salted ones are "blech" and for some reason, curry powder gets to me. It's the only seasoning that turns my stomach. I haven't a clue why but it makes me nauseas. It's the only smell out there that gets to me. Well, road kill smells get to me to but then I suppose most people don't tolerate that smell well.
Often times we toss squid in our spaghetti sauce. I've always been a fan of squid.
Time for me to go back to saving and printing off all the goodies you sent me.
i just found this on line, this the idea of how we roast our pig in the Phil., only difference we use bamboo pole. notice how the charcoal are almost close to the roasting pig. soon as the roast pig is nearing cook time, those charcoals are slowly move away to prevent from burning [HYPERLINK@www.spitjack.com]
in the Phils., Yes cuz labor there is very cheap. roast hog aka in the Phils. as Lechon. Lechon is only serve during special occasions like wedding celebrations. i did it in Los Angeles, when my son graduated from college. i did not do it the traditional way, i had a small pig roasted in the oven of Chinese restaurant. it was not as good as when done the traditional way. i believe lechon is one of those dishes that can not be cook hurriedly.
That would be lots of fun to have that twirling around for a big get together of friends and family. I'll take the scallop recipe you offered and toss in the one for squid too ;)
Roasting the lechon in the Phils. , everyone looks forward to:
1. young kids ask their parents permission to stay late cuz this is their opportunity to hear tales and fables from the community elders [kids in the Phil. do not have the pleasure like Amer. kids have when their parents read them story in bed at night.]
2. if there is a single young lady near or close to vicinity where pig is being roasted, young single men serenades the young lady which eventually turn to a community party for that night.
3. young men, inform their mothers of their plan to serenade a young lady, and the word spreads like wild fire. other mothers in the area prepare snack foods like rice cakes and the like. pack everything in basket. then brings the goodies at the designated time of serenade.
4. other young man in the serenade brigade will tell their fathers. the fathers in turn prepares for the drink and join in during the designated serenade time.
5. some of the elders prepare also for the story telling time. elders prepare of materials to support or make their story telling more authentic. for those folks that had met Horseshoe in roundups, it is similar to Shoe telling stories around camp fires to other DG members.
these traditions ihad experience first hand where i came from, or at least in my community. i have not seen how other community practices. oh it was a lot of fun. very rare traditions occur simply because a pig is being roasted.
i am sorry i can not post my seafood salad recipe in public due to fear of negative feed back. if anyone wants it, send me d-mail and i will share with u. i dare not make a nice thread turn sour so to speak. i hope u understand.
