Thursday, 30 March 2017

Egg Pie (Filipino Style)



Egg Pie (Filipino Style)

Egg Pie is Philippines version of Egg Custard Pie. It is a classic Filipino favorite snack which you usually can find in almost bakeries in the Philippines, or pasalubong shop (select or specialties shops). Its softness, sweetness and eggy filling plus the crunchy crust is what Egg pie loved by most Filipinos. Sure, you will too!




I remember when I was young, there was a bakery shop near our place (I guess it still there till now) and they always bake Egg pies in the afternoon, while were playing outside we can smell the sweet aroma of the egg and milk, my friends and I will start dreaming eating it with cold soda or milk and which part each of one like, and many more. So, every time I make this Egg pie lots of childhood memories about this pie came back.


When my family migrated overseas, I sometimes craved for our Filipino favorites, fortunately since I am still in Asia most of the ingredients for Filipino desserts and dishes are available here and I can make them without worry. So, if you find yourself like me craving for this, you don’t need to fret, just follow below recipe, ingredients are easy to find, this recipe is tried and tested that is almost exactly the Classic Egg Pie that you can find in the Philippines.

Egg Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
This recipe is adopted from Pinay Cooking Corner with modification based on my preference:  http://www.pinaycookingcorner.com/2011/09/filipino-classic-egg-pie.html

Crust:

  • 1 ½  cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½  Tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes and softened
  • 1 to 2 tbsp cold water


Filling:
  • 1 ¼ cup evaporated milk
  • 4 large eggs and another 1 large egg with white and yolk separated (or use 5 eggs if your egg is only 50g each)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp fresh kalamansi or lemon juice
  • 1 can condensed milk (14oz)



Procedure:
For the crust:
1.   In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Mix well. Add butter and mix thoroughly with other ingredients using a pastry cutter or two bread knives by cross over cutting, till resembles to a coarse sand texture .
2.   Gradually add the cold water to the mixture. Continue mixing until well combined.
3.   Gather and shape the dough into a large ball. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4.   After resting the dough for 30 minutes, on a clean flat surface sprinkled with flour, flatten the dough using a rolling pin into about ½ centimeter thick and wide enough to cover a 9" pie pan/dish
5.   Arrange and press the flattened dough on the baking pan or pie dish. Use kitchen shears to trim the dough to about a half-inch overhang. Save the scraps. You can use those to bulk up thin areas of the crust when you're fluting the edges.
6.   Crimp the edges either with a fork or by pinching around the edge with your fingers. Keep the crust in the refrigerator while making the filling.

For the filling:
1.    Heat the evaporated milk in the microwave oven for 1 minute.
2.    In a large mixing bowl, combine and whisk the 4 eggs and the separated egg yolk. Gradually add the condensed milk while whisking. Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice, and continue whisking until all ingredients are well combined.
3.    Add the evaporated milk and mix well.
4.    On a separate bowl, using an electric mixer beat the egg white until it forms soft peaks.
5.    Fold the beaten egg white into the mixture until well incorporated. (The beaten egg white will give the top of the egg pie a brown color after baking.)

Baking the Pie:
1.    Preheat oven to 170 degrees C for about 20 minutes. Pour the filling on the refrigerated pie crust.
2.    Bake for 15 minutes at 170 degrees C then lower the heat to 160 degrees C and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the filling comes out clean.
3.    Remove the egg pie from oven and allow cooling down before serving. I like refrigerating it after cooling down at least 2 to 3 hours before serving to firm up the egg custard. If you like the custard soft and a bit moist after complete cooled down is good to go



Wednesday, 29 March 2017

Rellenong Pusit in Tomato Sauce (Stuffed Squid)



Rellenong Pusit in Tomato Sauce (Stuffed Squid)

Rellenong Pusit in tomato sauce or Stuffed Squid , “relleno” is the Spanish word for stuffed. This Filipino dish is similar to Rellenong bangus or stuffed milkfish. The uncooked large squids will be stuffed with cooked ground pork or steamed fish, minced potatoes, carrots and raisins. It can be cooked fried, grilled or with sauce. I like it with sauce.   


It has been part of Filipino cuisine creating dishes with stuffing, some of the famous stuffed dishes that we have, which I like them all also are; Rellenong Bangus, Pork Roullade, Chicken Galantina, and Rellenong Alimasag. Later, when I cooked these dishes I will share them also.

Traditionally, it is stuffed with ground pork, on this recipe I use fish, yellow tail fusilier or dalagang bukid as my stuffing or you can use any white flesh fish of your choice. I like to use fish on this dish as I find the ground pork is a bit heavy for squid and another reason is health reason. The squid itself is already high in cholesterol plus the pork that is too sinful already, I am not saying that we do not eat pork we still love to eat pork, it is just our preference though.

I steamed the fish first then remove all the bones carefully and making sure there are all removed, shred them into pieces, while I am steaming the fish, I start frying the potatoes and carrots and prepare the ingredients needed for the sauce also, so that when the fish is cooked, everything is ready. If I used pork it will a lot easier as I only need to saute them all together but because I use fish so I have to add additional step. By all means please use ground pork procedure is the same.
If you love seafood, this is another dish that you can add to your collections. Hope you will like it. Happy cooking J

Rellenong Pusit in Tomato Sauce (Stuffed Squid) Recipe

Ingredients
·         2 large squids, cleaned and gutted and ink sacs remove
·         Meat of 2 meduim size steamed dalagang dukid (yellow tail fusilier or ½ lb ground pork)
·         1 medium carrot, diced or minced
·         1 medium onion, minced
·         4 cloves garlic, minced
·         1 medium tomato, diced
·         4 pcs calamansi (or 1 piece lemon)
·         ½ cup soy sauce
·         2 Tablespoon Oyster sauce (or 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce)
·         Salt and pepper to taste
·         2 piece eggs, beaten (separated)
·         ½ cup corn flour (corn starch)
·         10 tablespoons cooking oil

For the sauce:
·         1/2 cup tomato sauce
·         1 tbsp oyster sauce
·         1 tsp soy sauce
·         1 tsp grated ginger
·         salt and pepper to taste
·         1 tsp of sugar
·         1/2 cup water





Instructions:
For Squid Preparation:
1.   Mixed 3 calamansi and soy sauce then marinate the squid for at least 30 minutes.

 For the stuffing:
1.   Steam the fish for 20 minutes, cool it down and remove the fish bones 
2.   While the fish is steaming, fried the potatoes till cooked and then follow the carrots, set aside 
3.   Once the fish is ready, heat a pan with oil then saute garlic and onions till onions are transparent and garlic is cooked,
4.   Put the potatoes and carrots, stir, then put the shredded fish flesh, raisins, oyster sauce, salt and pepper, stir.
5.   Once, everything is mixed, turn off the heat then squeeze the remaining one calamansi and 1 egg beaten, mixed well. Cool down a bit.
6.   Drain the marinated squid, pat dry with kitchen towel. Scooped the stuffing one tablespoon at a time and stuffed in squid. Once the squid is filled use toothpicks to secure the filling and the squid head. Do this until all squids are stuffed.


7.   Dredge the squid to one egg beaten then to cornstarch, set aside.
8.   Heat a pan with enough oil to pan fry the squid. Pan fry the squids 3 minutes each side. Then set aside.
9.   In the same pan (still with the oil from frying the squids), add the tomato sauce, water and ginger. Season with soy sauce and oyster sauce. Add pepper and salt as needed. Then add sugar. Let simmer in medium heat. Then put back the stuffed squids again in the pan (with the sauce). Cover and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Remember: Do not overcook the squid. We want it soft.