eKusinero

Ginger Garlic Green Beans Recipe
Cutting Food Expenses while Boosting Nutrition
Chili Prawns Recipe
How to Make Perfect Gravy
Truffled Scrambled Eggs Recipe
Laing (Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk) Recipe
How to Find the Best Site for your Franchise Business?
Earn Money Making Siomai
Steamed Mussels in Ginger Soup Recipe
13th Tour Of The FireFlies

Ginger Garlic Green Beans Recipe

Posted: 07 Jan 2010 07:45 AM PST

GINGER GARLIC GREEN BEANS RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans, trimmed
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
2 teaspoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

Procedures:

Cook beans in a 6-quart pot of boiling well-salted water, uncovered, until just tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Drain in a colander, then plunge into an ice bath to stop cooking. Drain beans and pat dry.
Meanwhile, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then stir together with soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, and oils in a large bowl.
Add beans and toss.
Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ginger-Garlic-Green-Beans-354956

Cutting Food Expenses while Boosting Nutrition

Posted: 13 Aug 2009 08:24 AM PDT

With todays commodity prices, eating a nutritious diet means having to spend more. And one option to cut food spending is to eat at home. But be sure that your food contain the healthiest ingredients like whole grains, vegetables and fruits.

People think that cheap foods are unhealthy and does not contain the vitamins needed by our body. Dont be surprised, here is the list of some foods that would greatly cut food expenses but still boosting nutrition.

1. Brown Rice

Great for: Side dishes, rice salads, fried rice, casseroles, soups, and stews.

2. Whole-Wheat or Multigrain Pasta

Great for: Hot and cold pasta dishes.

3. 100% Whole-Wheat Bread

Great for: Hot and cold sandwiches, bread stuffing, bread pudding, and breakfast strata.

4. Whole-Wheat Flour (stone-ground)

Great for: Breakfast recipes like pancakes and waffles, plusall baking recipes (use half whole wheat flour and half white flour), including breads, muffins, cakes, and cookies.

5. Oats (Old-Fashioned or Quick)

Great for: Hot or cold cereal, granola, crumb toppings for desserts, and muffins.

6. Frozen Vegetables

Great for: Side dishes, casseroles, and stews.

7. Potato (Russet)

Great for: Baked potatoes, breakfast potatoes, salads, casseroles, and stews.

8. Fresh Bagged Spinach

Great for: Quick salads,egg dishes, casseroles, soups, and stews.

9. Canned Refried Beans

Great for: Burritos, nachos, dips, enchiladas, or a quick side dish.

10. Canned Tuna (solid white albacore or chunk light in water)

Great for: Sandwiches, casseroles, several types of salads, and to serve with crackers.

11. Canned or Jarred Marinara Sauce

Great for: Pasta dishes, pizza, casseroles,appetizers,Italian sandwiches, and stews.

12. Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Great for: Making pizzas, flatbread appetizers, and hot or cold sandwiches.

13. Nulaid Reddi Eggs (egg substitute)

Great for: Making quick omelets, or as an ingredient in fried rice. You can also blend halfegg substitute and half eggs to make quiches, frittatas,egg casseroles, andstratas.

14. Frozen Edamame (Soybeans)

Great for: Snacks and appetizers or as a side dish with your meal. If the edamame are shelled (without pods), you can easily add them to fried rice, stews, casseroles, and more.

15. Canned Crabmeat (with 15% leg meat)

Great for: Casseroles, sandwiches, salads and as filling for omelets, quiche, enchiladas,and more.

Chili Prawns Recipe

Posted: 21 Sep 2013 09:54 PM PDT

Chili Prawns

Sauce:

3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup catsup or tomato sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar

Prawns:

1 kg. fresh prawns
2 tbs cooking oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 red jalapeno chili, seeded and minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
sliced green onion

Procedures:

Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
In a pot of boiling water, boil prawns for 1 to 2 minutes. Cut into half (optional).
Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add garlic, ginger and chili; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add prawns and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add sauce and reduce heat to low; cover and simmer, stirring once or twice, until prawns is cooked, 6 to 7 minutes.
Stir in egg and cook just until it begins to set, about 1 minute. Arrange prawns on a serving plate. Pour sauce over all and garnish with green onion.

How to Make Perfect Gravy

Posted: 26 Nov 2009 05:25 PM PST

MAKING THE PERFECT GRAVY SAUCE

4 Steps to Making Perfect Pan Gravy

Gravy goes on nearly everything on my plate at Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, green bean casserole, the sweet potatoes. Hey, even if some gets on my pumpkin pie I'm OK with it.

The most important thing about gravy is that it be lump-free. Perfect gravy is silky and smooth.

The secret to lump-free gravy? Our Test Kitchen cooks tell all:

– Use a whisk! It's the best tool to distribute ingredients quickly and evenly.

– Whisk your thickener (like flour or cornstarch) into a small amount of broth or water before adding it to your gravy. Adding your thickener directly into the gravy can cause gooey lumps that are hard to mix in.

– And strain the gravy through a fine sieve and return it to the pan to continue cooking; then if you want it thicker, use the thickening method described below.

Step 1

After removing the turkey from the roasting pan, pour any pan juices and fat into a large glass measuring cup and place in the freezer so the fat rises to the top, about 10 minutes. Skim the fat off with a spoon and discard. Add any accumulated juices from the resting turkey to the defatted pan juices; add enough chicken broth (or other stock) so the combined liquids measure about 5 cups total.

Step 2

Set the roasting pan over two burners on medium-high heat. Add 3/4 cup deglazing liquid, such as white wine, vermouth or brandy; bring to a boil and cook, scraping up the browned bits from the pan, until the liquid is reduced. Add the 5 cups of broth mixture. Increase the heat to high and return to a boil, whisking often and scraping up any remaining browned bits. Boil until reduced to about 2 3/4 cups, 8 to 12 minutes.

Step 3

Combine 1/2 cup broth or stock and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour in a small bowl. Whisk the mixture into the roasting pan. Boil, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4

Remove the pan from the heat and pour the gravy through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup. Season to taste with herbs, salt and pepper, if desired.

Source: http://shine.yahoo.com/event/thanksgiving/the-7-most-common-turkey-emergencies-and-how-to-fix-them-544900/

Truffled Scrambled Eggs Recipe

Posted: 06 Jul 2010 03:44 AM PDT

TRUFFLED SCRAMBLED EGGS RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 small fresh truffle
4 large eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
30 g butter
2 large slices of bread, toasted

Procedures:

Brush the truffle briefly under cold running water. Slice thinly, then cut into matchsticks.
Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and best till runny. Add the sliced truffle, keeping a few for garnishing and season with salt and pepper.
Melt half the butter in a pan over low heat. When melted, add the eggs and cook slowly, stirring all around the bottom and sides to prevent sticking.
Toast and butter the bread when the eggs are almost cooked.
Whisk the remaining butter into the eggs and spoon them onto toast.
Serve immediately.

Laing (Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk) Recipe

Posted: 15 Apr 2010 08:36 AM PDT

LAING RECIPE

Ingredients:

20-50 gabi leaves
1/2 kilo pork belly diced
1/2 head garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp. finely minced ginger
6-8 green pepper (long, slender variety), minced
1/4 cup bagoong alamang (shrimp paste)
1 tsp monosodium glutamate (MSG) (optional)
2 large onions, chopped
2 large coconuts, grated
salt to taste

Procedures:

Shred gabi leaves into small pieces. Dry shredded leaves under the sun for 1 day or more, until wilted.
Add 1 cup lukewarm water to grated coconut and extract cream. Set aside. For the second extraction, add 2 cups lukewarm water.
Mix together shredded leaves, pork, onion, pepper, bagoong, ginger, garlic and season with salt and msg. To this mixture add the 2nd extract of coconut cream.
In a large pan pour leftover of the 2nd extraction cream. Bring to a boil. Then, add in the mixture on the boiling cream. Cover. After 5 minutes, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until cream is reduced to one half.
Add the 1st extraction or the thick cream, simmer until the cream thickens,a and oil comes out of the cream
Serve hot.

How to Find the Best Site for your Franchise Business?

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 05:33 PM PDT

Finding the best site for your franchise business is a vital decision. This decision will eventually make or break your franchise business. Consult your family and friends as to where is the best location for the kind of your business. To get advice, Click Here!

There are tools that are being used to determine the best demographic and psychographic, traffic flow, maps, and other future projections which are available today, making site selection more scientific. Your franchisor may provide access to these tools.

Some big businesses do not own their building or the place where their business stands. They just rent because it reduces the risk by not locking you into monthly payments on a property. It is also very for you to locate to another place if your franchise business does not prosper in a certain area. You do not know that a site will work until you’ve tried it for three or six months or longer. Businessmen advice not to buy until you have a greater level of certainty about the profit the business will generate.

If you're planning on a standalone business, it’s cheaper to take over or move into an existing unit than to build a new one from the ground up. This also depends on you being the franchisee on how you foresee your business in the future. Be smart in finding the best site. Shop around for several sites to give you an idea of prices, terms, fees, and what is and is not negotiable in your territory. This method will teach you on how to negotiate with different landlords and shopping center managers as you speak with them, which will serve you well in your next negotiation.

If you found the best site for your franchise business, don't just stop there; determine other factors such as product competition, customers in the community, area development and other factors which will greatly contribute to the success of your franchise business. Experienced franchisees advise that it’s better to wait for an “A” location than to open in a “B” or “C” site just to get going. While speed to market is always a consideration, “Haste makes waste” rules the day if you select a less-than-optimal site.

Sometimes a location appears perfect but has problems you can’t see. Is the neighborhood on the rise or in decline? Speak to the business owners in the area and ask them about the neighborhood. You will not only find out valuable information, you’ll likely make friends and build alliances as you go.

Another great source of help and advice can be found in current franchisees. Ask them what makes their location successful and what advice they might have for you. Compile a list of the features they cite as contributing to their success, as well as those to avoid.

Click here for franchising advice and franchising recommendations!

Earn Money Making Siomai

Posted: 17 Aug 2009 07:01 AM PDT

“Siomai” is a traditional Chinese dumpling served in dim sum. Its filling is a combination of seasoned ground pork, whole and chopped shrimp, and Chinese black mushroom in small bits. The outer covering is made of a thin sheet of lye water dough. The center is usually garnished with an orange dot, made of roe or diced carrot. Although a green dot made with a pea may also be used. The decorative presentations vary from restaurant to restaurant.

Ingredients:

400 g ground pork
3/4 cup shelled shrimp
1 pc. carrot
1 pc. onion
2 stalks spring onions
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chinese wine
1 tsp sesame oil
2 eggs
wanton wrapper (100 pcs)
3/4 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup soya oil

Procedures:

For the filling:

In a bowl, place the ground pork and shelled shrimp.
Peel and grate carrot, squeeze out water and add to the pork mixture.
Chop onion and spring onion and add to the mixture.
Add in all other ingredients to the pork mixture.
Mix well until blended.

Molding and Cooking Siomai:

Place a tsp of the mixture at the center of the wrapper.
Bring corners to the center and press to make an open top pouch.
Set one whole green peas on top of each siomai and brush with oil.
Place in a steamer and steam for 30 minutes.
Serve hot with soy sauce and calamansi dipping sauce.

Steamed Mussels in Ginger Soup Recipe

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 02:08 AM PDT

STEAMED MUSSELS IN GINGER SOUP RECIPE

Ingredients:

3 lbs mussels, scrubbed & debearded
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pc. onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pc fresh ginger 3″ long peeled, sliced
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Procedures:

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, garlic and ginger, and saute until the onion is translucent.
Add the fish sauce, pepper and chopped tomatoes. Saute until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
Add the mussels, water and wine. Cover and simmer until the mussels open, about 10 minutes.
Serve hot.

13th Tour Of The FireFlies

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 03:49 AM PDT

TOUR OF THE FIREFLIES

Your eKusinero joined this year’s Tour of the Fireflies which according to the organizer expected 12,000 participants from different parts of the country. This is a yearly event organized by the Firefly Brigade which promotes bicycle for clean air and sustainable means of transportation. The tour passes through 6 Metro Manila cities in an easy and controlled pace that allows everyone (children and senior people) to participate and enjoy the ride.

I joined this year’s tour to support the group’s cause and to enjoy one of my hobby which was mountain biking and of course to meet new friends and see different kind of bikes.

Here are some of the pictures which i managed to take during the pre-ride: