Have You Ever Cooked a Recipe From This Blog?

130 Responses

1. Hi MM, good to finally see what you look like! Anyway, I am an avid reader of your blog and even participated in the games last december which required going through many of your entries.

   I have tried, successfully on the first try, your ensaimada pudding where you use week old ensaimada and have made it numerous times since, although not with as much success as the first time.

   My husband tried the gambas recipe but it didnt turn out too great. We’ve been looking for good gambas recipes for years and tried several but without much success. Maybe we’re doing something wrong.

   I’ve also copied other recipes but have not had a chance to try them out, like the asparagus and eggs and homemade mayonnaise.

   Have you ever thought of putting all your recipes together in a book? I’d buy it.

2. My husband, whose family is from Bacolod, got inspired to do chicken inasal. We went to Bacolod last year, and he brought back those wide bamboo barbecue sticks. He used your recipe, and added his own variations, based on the inasal we had in Bacolod. It turned out wonderful. I insisted on getting a tub of star margarine at the Filipino store. He had to put that in somehow. Thing is, it takes too much time and effort and we had to grill out in my brother’s backyard in NJ 1.5 hours away. So it’s not something we can enjoy on a whim, whenever we want. I must say that I may not follow your recipes on a regular basis, but many of your posts serve as inspiration or even start a craving. For instance, if you do a post on kare kare, I’ll develop a taste for it and crave it, and make it soon after your post (or go to the Filipino restaurant and order it!) Such is life in NY, no time to cook especially on weekdays. Oh yeah, I’ve shared your adobo recipes (with proper credit!) with the parents in my kids’ school. There are a few other recipes that I;ve followed from here, I just can’t think of what right now. Which brings me to my next request, do you think you could build a better index of recipes, that will make searching easier, rather than just the tag “Recipes” or “Menus”?

3. Family and friends loved the calamansi marmalade I gave out last Christmas based on your recipe. Would like to try the mangosteen version if I get enough of the fruit.

4. Hi MM!

   Your blog serves as one my recipe guide…like today, i am going to attempt to cook menudo and i am glad you have one.

   I’ve once tried the fried chicken that was supposed to taste like max’s but for some reason it didn’t turned out that way. :-) And of course the famous adobo ala MM, i bet a lot of readers tried it or atleast asked their wife, mom, cook or whoever to prepare it like you did.

   I think gigi’s idea is great! A recipe book by MarketManila… why not!?!

5. Im very happy to tell you MM that I made your Sofrito and Paella recipe. And thats from memory (haha talk abot bragging). I did not follow it to a tee however it turned out fantastic! I was very impressed with your recipe and myself with the results. Would you believe its only the second time Ive made paella (the first attempt was years ago and it tasted so bland). I agree 100% that the sofrito made the difference. I see the light now MM thanks!

6. Hi MM – we have tried many of your recipes; your two versions of chicken tinola have been very successful as has the recent Thai green papaya and pomelo salads. We also have used your sweet corn recipe (the steamed / grilled one) many times. Plus many others including your takes on adobo and paella and, I agree with MarketFan above, the jams and marmalades are great. A few hiccups along the way but that is more down to the equipment available / lack of ability at this end than anything else. If only the owners of our building would allow us, we would have a crack at doing a Lechon Round 3 on our balcony….!!

7. Hi MM! I also tried the gambas recipe. It was my first attempt at brining anything and while the juiciness did pop out, I was looking for more flavor other than the spicy kind. I didn’t put that much chili since my stomach can’t handle spicy food. I am going to try the Garides Saganaki next. Would love to cook more of your recipes if I had the right ingredients and tools. A recipe book by Market Manila? I think that’s great! I’m reserving my copy now. Thanks MM!

8. Hi, MM! I tried the chicken inasal but I think I put too much lemon juice because it turned out too tart/sour. I was very disappointed; I was hoping to have that for dinner that day I made it. So, it wasn’t your recipe–it was user error ;)

9. Hi! I tried the baby back ribs and garides saganaki. It turned out great. I’m planning to do the homemade mayo. thanks Mr. MM for the recipes. :-)

10. I tried to make the Biko ala Manang Lima several times but I failed miserably on all those times. It was my fault always. The recipe called for 2 kilos of rice but since I did not want to make a lot, I think, I did 2 cups instead so all the measurements were all askewed and I could not find muscovado sugar anywhere here in the South Bay (California). I have stopped trying. :-(
    BUT, I still always check your site. I think I am here everyday. Love your blog!!!

11. I tried your traditional (i.e. no soy sauce) adobo recipe. In your post, there was a line that said something like “use more salt than you would think is necessary”. And I did. But I forgot that I already tend to put more salt in my food than a normal person would like. So I ended up being the only one who found the adobo yummy. Everyone else thought it was salty as hell. :)

12. I agree with NYCmama that an easier way of organizing your recipes would be great. Right now they are mixed up with the menus which makes it a bit confusing to look up a recipe because it may sometimes just be an article about a dish. I have been compiling your recipes in a computer file lately. It is not very easy to log into recipes in the previous years.
    I have tried some of your barbecue recipes as well as those given by fellow readers. I appreciate all the contributions. I very often tweak recipes from your blog as well as from cookbooks. They most often serve as the basis of my recipe searches but part of the fun is making them your very own.
    Not everyone will be pleased with all recipes since taste is so darn relative. Keep up the good work and continue to inspire us all.

13. yah i tried to bake your recipe of banana cake.im new into baking when i did this the turn out was not so palate pleasing!what went wrong?the banana cake didnt expand into a breadlike texture..its more likely a banana pudding….(sad!)but ill have to try it again.and ill use the same recipe..yours!

14. I just tried you tapa recipe, turned our fairly well. :)

15. Hi MM, I have cooked chili crab ala market man and it taste fantastic. this is the by default chili crab recipe in the house. the only difficulty i had with this recipe is mixing the sauce with the crab pieces which is easily solved by taking out the crab pieces first and bringing it back again.

    i’m next going to cook the chili eggplant or the eggplant salad.

16. Portugalbear, yes remove crab pieces first, make sauce then return crab pieces. Also, if you plan to do this often, get a really large pot with cover for large servings…

    Nads and others… in recipes which have a lot of salt, adjust to your taste, you may need a couple of tries to get it right for you.

    Weng, if it was like pudding, you may have had too much mashed banana in the mix. But certainly, the moisture or liquid to flour content was off.

    Lex, yes a new index would be nice, have to work on that. Glad to inspire you to cook, and yes, I think we all tweak to our own liking…

    fried neurons, it could also depend on the salt used. Some have a finer grain, and therfore more saltiness in same volume. But try it again with less salt than you used last time…

    lety, ouch, tough one to replicate in California …. first of all the rice, second the freshly squeezed coconut milk and then, absolutely the muscovado. My sister just went back to new york and she had 10 kilos of muscovado in her maletas!

    momsy, glad to hear the two recipes went well!

    Angela, lemon juice is MUCH harsher than kalamansi. Also if you left it too long in the marinade, that can affect sourness. Also, asim could have come from your vinegar as well. A coconut vinegar is milder and less acidic than say a grocery bottled vinegar.

    katring, I have to re-visit gambas and will re-post if I make any changes

    Adam, a roast slitchon or slit lechon on a high rise balcony would really draw your neighbors attention… glad the other recipes worked…

    chad, the sofrito does it every time. Now you have to try the Arroz Negro or the squid ink paella… deliciious in a different kind of way.

    enteng, was the Max’s fried chicken recipe a reader comment/contribution? I have since heard the chickens are steamed first, then fried, cooled and refried before serving… yikes! :)

    MarketFan, mangosteen season coming up in a bout 2 months… but because of the amount of fruit needed, you have to be able to buy the mangosteen at very cheap prices to attempt jam.

    NYCMama, I suspect you can do a westernized version of the chicken inasal by baking it instead, then finishing with a few minutes under the broiler. It won’t have as much smokey charcoal taste, but it shouldn’t be too far off! In fact, it might even be juicier than the barbecued version.

    Gigi, ensaimada pudding works best with more substantial ensaimadas, not the airy commercial ones for sale in most malls. As for the gambas recipe… hmmm, will try to re-do that see if there are any improvements I should post or not…

    Thanks everyone for all those comments so far!

17. I sent links to your versions of sinigang to an american friend in indiana because her son chose the Philipines for world day at school and he had to prepare something filipino for the judges to taste. I added my own comments about how it should taste, and according to her, it came out very well. The photos were a good guide, as were the comments of posters.

    Along with mango tarts and directions on how to contruct a proper halo-halo, the little boy had all he needed to become the most popular table at world day. Needless to say, they loved your site.

18. Marketman, i have always wanted to try making my own mayo but have no idea where to get the organic eggs. the ones at the grocery look a bit gross for this project(there are poop stains on the eggs) i am also worried about salmonella?

19. Hello marketman,

    For a change on the usual sinigang, I’ve tried your sinigang na lechon and it turn out good. Me and my husband love it. Thanks for the recipe

20. cooked potsero, sweet & sour pork and another tomatoey dish..i forget the name. ahhh, apritada. all were first time for me and they turned out gr8! am still cooking the apritada every month. merci encore!

21. Hi MM ~ I am new to your site and am definitely interested in making some of your recipes. Is there another way to view the recipe titles on one page? Also, I’d love to see the Filipino recipes in one category. I live in the USA and since my parents live in another state, I rarely get to eat home cooked Filipino food. I miss it and would like to prepare it for my own family. Thanks for your lovely site.

22. I did try the banana cake recipe, I served it as mirienda to some of our friends and it was well received. I am hoping to try your mayo recipe very soon!

23. the french onion soup, which turned out amazing! i’ve made it several times since but have started serving the bread with melted gruyere separately. the soup is so delish it deserves an undiluted taste. also have tried your sofrito and have used it as a base for a meatlover’s paella (is it still paella without seafood?), subbing bulgur wheat or couscous for rice when i’m feeling healthy :)

    next on my list is the chocolate coconut cake/torte. yumm.

24. megamags, glad to hear the onion soup worked, it is one of my FAVORITE recipes of all time. And yes, serving the bread and cheese separately is a good idea. The sofrito is great to have in stock in your freezer, you can defrost and make a paella in no time…

    Kreez, glad to hear the banana cake worked, though up above another reader’s didn’t turn out so well… As for mayo, and salmonella risk, see comment below…

    mikel, afritada monthly in Paris? Wild. :) Glad the recipes worked for you. I am always amazed by emotional emails I get from pinoys in remote locations around the globe that replicate a taste from home and for a little while, feel transported to their childhood kitchens… I get quite a bit of these emails…

    Cristy, sinigang na lechon is terrific and easy to do, I even make it with grocery purchased lechon!

    kate, do you live in Manila? Get organic eggs from Fresh Fields in Market!Market! outdoor market area. Or from the salcedo Sturday market, lung center market, or FTI market… look for vendors with seriously overpriced eggs. But they are worth it. As for salmonella, read this link about the risks (or relative lack of them) when compared to risks overall. But wash your eggs well before using to minimize risks further.

    Myra P., glad to hear the sinigang recipes worked, I hope they had sinigang mix in Indiana! finding raw tamarind would be a bit of a problem… :)

25. Adornments by Milani, unfortunately, my indeces or is it indexes are out of whack. You can only search by category and then by key word, and all posts with that key word show up. The best shortcut is to look for a specific recipe, say “bistek tagalog” then go to google and type in “bistek tagalog marketmanila” and you will be led to any highly related posts. I have nearly 1,800 posts in the archives (I never thought this blog would reach that number!) so now I have to start figuring out ways to organize it better…

26. I think I’ve only tried the asparagus and eggs recipe. I agree witha poster above, that if you post about a particular food, one’s senses are heightened for thinking about and wanting that food.

    Sometimes it is the recommendations and techniques that you discuss which become handy. I think I recall your bringing up that shrimps don’t taste good because at times they are over-cooked. Paid attention to that next time we were cooking shrimp at home, and voila, the shrimp that time came out better, and bursting with flavor. :)

27. recipes I’ve tried more than once: paella , 3chocolate cakes (my default choc cake recipe now, for the icing, shouldn’t it be 1/2 pound (2sticks) butter? ), tocino and tapa (my husband’s in-charge of these),
    binagoongan bagnet(in our case roasted pork belly), adobo, linguine with prawns and tomatoes (i use spaghetti, but this is our default meal when I don’t know what to prepare), crab cakes, zucchini ala marketman, and loads of other recipes that we all enjoyed…..you really do inspire and bring us a bit of home ……salamat uli :)

28. We’ve tried a number of recipes already, the latest was the saganaki and it turned out great. Some of the other recipes we’ve tried (off the top of my head) are tapa, adobo, gambas and banana cake and those turned out well, too.

29. sinigang na lechon, the adobo in a palayok which i didn’t cook in a palayok, paksiw na pata.. in short all healthy dishes based on my favorite vegetable.

30. Lee, how did the “vegetables” turn out? Would you do them again?

    sggirl, wow! that’s a lot, glad you seem happy with the results…

    edee, I will check recipe and answer your butter question here in a little while… YES! you are correct, it is 1/2 pound butter or two sticks. Thanks for catching that, I have changed the earlier post.

    Fabian, thanks… many have emailed me to get “MAD” at me for inciting food cravings…

31. the santol juice recipe :) simple & easy –results enjoyed by most of the family (the santol lovers)

32. I tried the chocolate souffle and the arroz negro. Both were great!

33. Hi MM! Tried adobo sa palayok (sans the soysauce) and it was a big hit! Also tried various pasta & soup recipes which are also ‘blockbusters’ at home. =D

    Still on my list ‘To Try’ – breads esp. brioche and pandesal once I get a ‘current transformer’ for my new & shiny Kitchenaid(110 volts kasi ‘sigh’); and of course BettyQ’s XO sauce(I regret I didn’t buy those dried scallops in Macau as I found them too expensive =( ) I have yet to find a dried scallops vendor here in Manila. Any suggestions?

    Thanks!!

34. Lety, my grocery carries moscovado sugar but in 1/4 lb. sacks at exorbitant prices. Most health foods stores carry moscovado sugar, check those. I share my moscovado with a couple of vegetarians who shop for dinner at the health food store. I use about 10 kilos every fall for my Christmas fruitcake project. US Customs allows moscovado sugar, just declare it.

35. i’ve tried a couple of your recipes and only one didn’t turn out quite well: the chicken breast with butter and lemon. i guess i put too lemon in it. anyway, all the others turned out great specially the baked mussels and the bicol express which my friends always ask for whenever there is a gathering here in our flat. will try the your adobo recipe (without the soy sauce) when i get my hand on a palayok here in australia or when i get back home, whichever comes first :)

36. i am not much of a cook (i admit it’s not one of my forte) but i do love to eat. i tried the bistek tagalog and it turned out perfect my hubby loved it. now at least i have one recipe i can say i can perfect :-)

37. Yes I have tried to cook from one of your recipes. It was for a Big Adobo Weekend! I can’t wait to try the others.

38. Bicol express: Cooked this for the first time from your recipe, yielded really good results from scant and easy preparation, part of my basic repertoire now with substition of different combinations of chilis;

    Leche Flan and ensaimada: Tried these two to the letter to compare with my own perfected recipes, yielded comparable results, I turn to these recipes now as reliable alternative and variety;

    Paksew na lechon and old fashioned (traditional) adobo: Also tried these to compare with existing favorite fall-back recipes, yielded excellent results, they have now supplanted previously used recipes;

    Egg plant in cantonese sauce, pochero, nilaga, kari-kari: Your recipes for these dishes are so close to my own specially our approach to choice of the best and freshest ingredients obtainable;

    Chocolate tart and XO sauce: Read these recipes with much interest, considered trying them but was stymied by cost of ingredients. I feel that I can get much better result from the costly ingredients with my own recipes such as fudge and my own all-purpose sauce (for fried rice and Filipino style steamed and sauteed vegetables) using 50-50 blachan and olive oil whipped with a hand-held blender in a mason jar.

39. Hello! I was able to do the Banana Cake and the Sinigang na Bangus sa Santol. I followed your instructions to the letter and they turned out great! Thanks for your recipes. Your posts always sound yummy that encourage your readers to cook and/or bake. :)

40. the chili crab and osso buco are two of my tried, tested and sure hit recipes fr your site. The baked fish I tried once but came out fishier than I would have wanted. Still not sure whether it was the fish or the recipe itself as I haven’t given it a second try yet.

41. Tried making Ham and Chix Soup. No good for me unfortunately.

42. Have tried quite a few recipes so I don’t think I remember them all, but I’ll give it a shot:
    – pandesal (results not great, must try again with a different flour)
    – bistek tagalog (will repeat)
    – paella and sofrito (will repeat but still have some sofrito in the freezer!)
    – betty q’s garlic jam (not your recipe per se, but gleaned from this blog, will definitely repeat. fab as a variation for garlic rice, too!)
    – chicken breasts with butter and lemon (a bit bland for my taste, but I’m not big on white meat anyway)
    – peanut brittle (will repeat and try other nuts)

    My suggestions, in addition to better indexing, are:
    1) have the traditional list of ingredients and estimated cooking time before or after a recipe
    2) include comments in searches (betty q’s garlic jam and suzette’s Pancit Sotanghon are the first to come to mind when it comes to recipes in the comments section)

    Finding substitutes are a problem for those of us abroad with no Pinoy – or even Asian – store nearby; I end up getting my Pinoy stash when I’m in Paris for the day and have the fortitude to lug groceries around :)
    I really enjoy this blog and get inspiration from it – as previous commenters have said, even if I don’t necessarily follow a given recipe, it can set off that light bulb in my head! Thanks, MM.

43. I tried your stuffed bell peppers and it was really good.

44. I’ve tried so many and some have become part of our weekly menu…milanese, korean beef stew, caesar’s salad dressing, chicken inasal, cocido, brownies, brioche.
    Today, my cooks tried the pinakbet recipe but maybe the bagoong was too salty. Will try to master this.

45. Hi MM,

    I have tried the following recipes from your blog:
    1. beef pochero – a hit at home!
    2. french toast – yummy! my 5-yr old daughter loved it
    3. Roasted chicken with butter,lemon and rosemary – the best!
    4. Ham broth with sotanghon and chicken balls – comfort food to the max for me
    5. Marinated bistek tagalog – super sarap!

    I will definitely try more soon as I plan the menu at home. I am not that confident yet in terms of really cooking since baking is really my first love. :)

46. Tried and tested and now a staple, chicken inasal and your risotto recipe!! love it!!

47. I have tried the Korean Beef Stew you made out of the beef short ribs you had last year. I tried to follow the recipe as close as I could but found that the stew was too sweet for my taste.

    I have been wanting to try the Chicken Inasal recipe. I have all the side ingredients for it. Hopefully this becomes part of our regular summer BBQ repertoire.

48. I have tried your langka turnover recipe twice and results are quite impressive considering i was a first timer with dough.

    Your version of chicken inasal is also superb! :) Also used the same recipe for turbo-roasted chicken quarters and it was a knockout! the skin turned crispy.

    im not having the same great luck with the adobo though but perhaps its because i can only cook stove top instead of wood.

49. hej MM,
    The recent recipes that I tried and were totally a hit were Sofrito on Paella and Beef Tapa. These dishes were served at a Midsummer garden party and everyone just loved it.

    I also tried your baked apple on frozen puff pastry – it was simply delish! But the Adobo wasnt quite a success – not easy with proportions and the kind of vinegar, i guess. I used rice wine vinegar and light soya sauce. I also tried one of the Banana cake/bread recipes in the post which you featured 2 kinds of banana bread. The simpler one I tried, and added walnuts and it turned out just right. Sent a loaf to my husband’s office and one of them even asked for the recipe.

    Look forward to an indexed recipe list for easier access to your fantastic archive of Filipino and International dishes.

    Warm summer cheers!
    Rowina

50. hi mm! i once cooked binagoongan, with tweaks for available ingredients. turned out good. haven’t tried anything else after that because i live alone now and it’s not too convenient to cook for one and i tend to forget about leftovers in the fridge and…ok, enough excuses. you’re still on my speed dial, however. kudos!

51. Sinigang na lechon tops my list, MM! I never had it growing up, so I was abit curious…but now, I even converted my siblings to it….sooooooo gooooooooood!!!!…the next one was the Fish you cooked in a Palayok,,,only I used Tambakol…I was yearning for my mom’s Paksiw na Tambakol. I added though mega GARLIC, ginger and ONIONS. I didn’t have eggplant and ampalaya on hand…it turned out really good just like my mom’s. I had to control my urge to eat it right away for I know it tastes better the next day…gave some to my sister and she gave it THUMBS UP as well…will make it again but this time I think I will add gata!!!

    Apicio: If you were my neighbour I will give you my stash of dried scallops. You are somewhere in Canada in the East? Then, You have a BIIIIIIIG Chinatown? I just bought last week THE CHEAPEST DRIED SCALLOPS…when it was reconsituted, it looked like the BAY SCALLOPS (the tiny ones)…for 1 lb. I paid $9.49 and for dried hibe …I paid $2.89 for 1 lb of the REALLY TINY ones. I figured I am going to process them anyway!!!!! I searched though all over our Chinatown for the best price and QUALITY for the price I was willing to spend and I found it…Instead of Chinese ham like the Virginia ones, I went to the grocery store deli and got 8 slices of PROSCUITTO. Total cost of ingredients including Garlic, shallots,etc…about$15!!!!! Out of that I made 15-8oz. jars but I didn’t pack it in…What do you think…was it a good deal or not?

52. I tried making the biko and crab with sotanghon. I had to tweak biko recipe since I was only making it for a few people not familiar with the rice cake. I need to try it again. But crab sotanghon turned out really well and easy to make. I might not use a lot of your recipes but it provides me with plenty of ideas on what to serve when we entertain at home. Thanks!

53. I’m pretty new to your site so I haven’t and I’ve only be reading new posts (i haven’t had time to hit the archives yet) so I haven’t come across any recipes – or at least none that i had access to all the ingredients (i live in the states and new to cooking so i’m still trying to figure out what certain THINGS are …

    but i first found your site looking for a mango shake recipe … and I”m happy to say that it turned out pretty good – well at least I liked .. I added a few shots of mango rum to it =) my bf wasn’t a fan of the rum I used and the quantities I used – but overall the shake itself (without my additions was quite yummy)

54. Hello Marketman! I’ve lurked for quite some time but have now decided to come out to affirm you and your culinary concoctions. Ive tried many of your recipes with actually much success: the chicken inasal was good although I think the secret to the inasal in Bacolod is the chicken that’s just about half the size of those here in the US; the trick with the callos got me raves from the family; loved the spicy eggplant, french onion soup, lentils, etc. Contrary to others’ experiences, I got good reviews for the gambas I cooked. Still on my to-do list is your famous apple pie. haven’t gotten down to doing it yet, but I will … soon.

55. Hello Marketman,

    I haven’t tried any of the recipe but, I must definitely try the lechon recipe. Wondering if when the next sequel to your lechon recipe is coming out? Thank you

56. MM, I am fortunate enough to know a few people in my city who have “retired” at a young age and now living the creative life of their dreams — far removed from their old careers. I am friends with someone who is a diplomat and loves film making and travel so is now starting a network channel show on “dangerous” travel — eg Angola. Your blog is great and you leave us clamoring for more !! Those of us who are still in the salt mines can live vicariously through you !! Judging from all the responses here, I’d say that people do try your recipes and they do work (well, most). And of course, it is actually fun that you do present these recipes as “I tried doing this and this is my third attempt.. bla bla, or we were in this touristy shack in .. and ate the requisite bla bla bla …” . I love it because I love to eat and when I travel, I do go on friends’ and book/internet recommendations. We are all adventurous but not crazy . Most do not travel like Bourdain.
    I think that you are a private enough person to not want to host a cooking/travel show — ie, a la Anthony Bourdain, but we wouldn’t mind a “Cook’s Tour” style book ;-> How about it????? It can be punctuated by funny travel anecdotes — a Filipino point of view. You can go to parts of the Philippines/Asia/World that most of us have never heard, try some recipes, cook some recipes, fail some of them, and it’s perfect fodder for a series of books. Anthony Bourdain wrote from his experiences as a chef, then extreme traveller. You are actually closer to what most of us lurkers, and bloggers — cooks, and not so extreme traveller. So– get an agent already and start writing. If you make it, they will buy…

57. PS — wanted to try to make XO sauce but since in Vancouver, the bottled version is so easily accesible, I got lazy and bought the Lee Kum Kee version at the local T and T …

58. Hey Proteinshake….I live in Vancouver, too!!!! Let’s go for coffee this week-end (August 2 or 3) and I shall give you a jar or two of the XO sauce…hubby is away on a business trip.

    Hey Apicio…I am sending a care package for my sister and nephew in Toronto. If you are there as well, I shall send you a couple of pounds of the dried scallops I am talking about….You can make a little if you want and FREEZE the rest of the dried scallops. Let me know by e-mail (MM

59. I would really love to cook more often than I do, pero kulang talaga ako sa oras. But I always have time to read your blog and whenever I find something really interesting, I save that particular blog entry. Two of my favorite blog recipes are the pinakbet and traditional adobo. I did both of these recipes and they turned out the way you described them–delicious. I’ve already cooked pinakbet ala marketman twice because it’s the easiest pinoy food I’ve done. Hopefully I can do more of your recipes in the near future.

60. Oh, no! I got deleted!!! …so to continue, Apicio, as I was saying…MM, could you please forward both of my e-mail addresses to Apicio?) where my nephew or sister can send it…DON’t you worry about anything either…just like Maria Clara told me once, “I WILL NOT GO BANKRUPT OVER THIS”…as well!!!

61. From the top of my head, I can remember making the Baby Back Ribs and the Korean beef stew. They both turned out yummy and I will definitely cook them again.
    For our wedding anniversary a few years back, I made the Grilled Prawns with Butter & Dalandan but I substituted lemon and baked the prawns instead. Still turned out delicious though.
    Thanks for all the great posts and recipes!

62. hi mm. i’ve tried a number of your recipes but the ones the stand out are: gambas which my family and friends savoured with gusto. they think it’s the best version they’ve tasted. i love that fact that it’s not tomato sauce-based and that it’s loaded with garlic. you also did a blog on longganiza which inspired me to make my all-time favourite longganisa, the lucban. it was a trial and error for me because i recall there were no exact measurements in your blog. i was so satisfied and proud of my lucban longganiza that i gave some away to my close friends. they all loved it and kept asking for more! i also tried your version of adobo – the without soy sauce, slow-cooked and it also turned out well. my husband tells me this is how his mom (who’s from bicol) used to cook it. I’ve also done some kakanin like the bico and cassava cake – the topping was to die for – literally speaking! rich and creamy. there’s more that i have tried but this is getting too long. overall, i think you have excellent recipes and tips for cooking. thank you!

63. sorry for the typos…

64. My husband and I have made Pinakbet based on the method you described in your post. My husband never added garlic or kalabasa before I read your post so the next time he made it I told him, “Marketman puts garlic in the oil at the beginning.” “Oh, and Marketman also uses kalabasa.” It turned out so great. He doesn’t always want to use kalabasa (I’m guessing it’s because his mom never did), but we always add the garlic now.

65. I tried the banana cake (Heatter’s recipe) using yoghurt instead of buttermilk and it turned out fine although I would perhaps lessen the nuts next time.

66. Hey MM! Not sure if you mean the “ala Market Man” recipes or all the recipes you post here, but ever since I started reading your blog (3 or 4 months? – first week just trawling through your archives), I’ve tried 3 things:

    1. BettyQ’s XO sauce – (used a big cazuela and tweaked it by adding chinese sausage) I only did half a recipe and it was such a big hit that I finally understood the volume issue of a whole recipe (friends and even strangers still ask for this). I don’t have a food processor but the the mind-numbing prep work was sooo therapeutic! The bottled Lee Kum Kee version is nowhere near this good!

    2. The Barefoot Contessa’s brioche recipe – a year ago, I tried to make brioche from a similar recipe in Fine Cooking magazine also using the mixer but a lot fussier with the rising and proofing. I didn’t have any experience with bread-making and ended up with a really dense but perfectly golden doorstop (the final proofing turned out to be my undoing).
    But when I tried the recipe you posted – it was PERFECT! It looked, smelled, felt and tasted like Real bread! This gave me the courage to try out other bread recipes(next project: the Aboitiz pandesal)!

    3. The buco juice bath for your lechon – I love this idea and tried this out on a small scale first — just on liempo for grilling. It didn’t quite turn out the way I’d like — but i’m determined to try it out with lechon kawali and crispy pata.

    Thank you soooo much for being so generous with the recipes!

67. to bettyq, i would love to have coffee with or without xo sauce. i am “on call” for work this weekend so cannot make any social plans at risk of breaking them. then am flying off to europe for three weeks but shall be back all of sept and oct. let me know how we can get in touch!

68. I discovered your site when I searched for chicken inasal. Took me about three tries to get the taste I wanted. I have passed that recipe on to many friends and have remarked, much to my pique, that they found it easy and was “spot-on” to their taste. Why then it took me numerous tries, “I do not know. But am not enjoying the benefits. I enjoy your page, much for the vicarious thrill of the food, travel and just plain literary enjoyment. Your inputs are a joy to read.

69. Santol juice… i forgot… loved it.

    The vegetables turned out well except in the adobo because it was not cooked in a palayok.

70. I only recently discovered your food blog. It was about a month after my wedding. A valuable find, I must say! I discovered your site when I was looking for a recipe for adobo. I tried your adobo in a clay pot, and was so happy with the results, I’ve done it thrice since. I’ve also tried your mechado, tinola, and nilaga recipes, simply because my hubby loves those “lutong bahay” type meals, but I’m gearing up to try some this Greek stuff you’ve been churning out.

    As an English teacher, I enjoy reading the blog because it’s really well-written, witty, and entertaining.

    Keep writing!

71. I have tried lots of your recipes and it has all been bloody delicious! Arroz Negra, Soto Ayam,Chicken Inasal,Sinigang na Lechon,Sofrito and these are just to name a few.

    Betty q’s XO sauce was just stunning,thanks Betty!

72. I cooked your adobo recipe. It was so good I cooked 2 lbs of pork with lots of fat for 4 Saturdays after you posted it. I also found a kilo of frozen mangosteen here at the Oriental Store and I made some jam. It turned out good also! I’m so happy that I finally tasted mangosteen jam. Bless your heart for having a terrific blog! Thank you very much.

73. I’ve always been inspired by your recipes but haven’t followed anything to the letter. As someone who has worked in the past testing and developing recipes I must say yours are clear-cut, easy to follow, easy to tweak and adjust if the ingredients/equipment are not available. Any disasters would mostly be due to outside circumstances, I think, rather than the recipe itself.

74. Ay naku, I can’t count anymore how many recipes I’ve tried were inspired or copied from MM — jams, stir fries, fish dishes. Thank you thank you! The one I’ve been cooking repeatedly in the past months is the tom yam soup. Amazing that a few ingredients easily available thrown together with very little effort can produce such a wonderful dish!

75. yes i have!!! and it turned out really good! as a matter of fact i just cooked my left over prime rib to bistek.my husband enjoyed it so much.It’s the best bistek i’ve ever had!! thanks !!!

76. I tried the chicken inasal and wowed all my Canuck friends … I used butter instead of Star Margarine … for one thing I cant get that locally and for a two :) Star has always scared me … even when I lived in Manila! (The yellow coloring freaks me out!)

77. The ones I remember are prawns guinataan & french toast. Superb!

    With my own new house nearing completion, I am excited to try more of your recipes with my new Smeg cooking range/oven. I could only dream of a Viking like yours. By the way, is your oven gas-powered?

78. I forgot! I made your UBE HALEYA three times…of course, success each time! But i got lazy the second time around and just dumped everything in a bowl and cook it over double boiler so I don’t scorch the bottom. It worked! From time to time I would stir it…I tweaked a bit, added pure vanilla, a touch of salt, and BUTTER!…kay saaaaarap!!!! I didn’t cook it too long since I want the ones I can eat it from a spoon!

79. Hi MM!

    Followed your lumpia, french toast, and Mrs. MM’s shrimp and pasta dish.

    I got rave reviews on the pasta dish from visitors who just happened to drop by that day that I made the dish.

    My brother and his GF polished off an entire bandejado of lumpiang sariwa/ubod in silence. When I asked why they were so quiet they told me that the dish was just so good they just couldn’t talk while eating and just was savoring the dish.

    I so loved the french toast because I have had so many failures with this in the past that when I used the recipe you posted, that really made my weekend morning!

    Not only do I enjoy the food blog’s recipes but I get to vicariously travel though your blog. Plus the other people who read and comment on this blog have all so been very nice and generous…

    This blog has also opened my world to a lot of new things and favorite places like the salcedo market, the lung center tiangge and others… I now have more appreciation of things being offered in these places.

    Keep up the magnificent work MM, and here’s to pages and pages more of MM! The best of health to you, Mrs. MM and The Kid!

80. I tried the Chinese turkey with overnight brining. It looked awesome and was tasty, tender and moist. I was half afraid that we would have to hack at it for a week before fully finishing it but it was gone in two days.

    Since I didn’t have space in the ref to brine the turkey, i just took off the net, the plastic cover and submerged it in a timba with a cover, brining and defrosting at the same time. I had to extend the time since it was frozen solid-about 18 hours. We carted it off to my mom’s house where Christmas dinner was and roasted it there. Not bad at all for my first turkey :)

81. Risa, I keep an Igloo cooler for brining turkey, ducks, chicken, etc. to save fridge space. Poultry has to be kept cold all the time, even while defrosting. If frozen unwrap, cover with salt and water for three hours, then drain, replace with ice cubes and salt, try and keep temp. around 34 F.

82. i made several batches of the calamansi muffins and they were yummy! thanks :)

83. garlic in gingerbread? hahaha…. (or maybe you it would turn into garlic bread instead?) ;-)

84. Lety, in the Southbay, try the Latino grocery stores (like Notricas in Lomita or Value+). They carry muscovado sugar..they look like raw sugar pyramids/cylinders.
    I have tried MM’s apple tart tatin. Yes the success lies in the apples. The best ones are the newly picked apples we got while my sister’s visitingfrom Manila. We went apple picking in Apple Valley near Palm Springs.

85. BUDBUD KABOG, forever and ever! ensaimada! chili crabs!

86. oh yeah i contemplated making guinataan on a rainy day, inspired by your recipe!!

87. This should be an easy question….but i can’t remember all of them. Needless to say, i’ve tried a several. Some i followed as is and some i did a few changes. What i can remember is i did the Chili Crabs, Wagyu Osso Buco, QDB Spread and Chicken Inasal. The Chili Crabs and Osso Buco where amazing! The other 2, i need to try it again. I still plan to try many of your recipes, except that you keep coming up with so many, i can hardly keep up. hehe…

    It’s also because of your soup, that i started using ham bones in soup. It changed my soups from good to fantastic! Thanks!

88. We’ve done your version of Turbo Chicken many, many times. A classic favorite that is served at least once a month.
    The recipes for creamy dori are also excellent. Very simple!

89. I tried your calamansi muffins, MM. Taste-wise, it was great–loved the distinct calamansi tartness. However, it turned out a bit heavy and dense. Not the recipe’s fault: I tweaked it so much to reduce the butter (1 pound butter kinda scared me haha)and I’m sure I overmixed the batter, so my batch did not have the looser crumb of most muffins. I will revisit this recipe and hew closer to your instructions.

90. Hi MM, you asked for negative comments and as the 90th post I dare make this one, though it is not exactly about the recipes found in your blog. Has anybody heard of pagpag?

    After this clip, food will never be the same at my dinner table again and perhaps for many others who visit your site. I had a hard time digesting this, or better said, it gave me the indigestion, body and soul.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPg5IH4O7lM

91. Connie C, yes I have seen it. And among other commentaries, it is one of the best reasons to slow population growth dramatically…

92. Hi MM!! Ive tried your pandesal and it turned out great!! Literally after 5 minutes it was all gone, i did about 14 pcs of pandesal. I was a bit skepetical about the recipe at first but everything turned just great. Here in Ireland pandesal is hard to come by and I am so thankfull that I found your blog site. Kudos to you!

93. thank for the link Connie C. so sad.

94. whooa, connie–really sad…kinda puts a lot of things in perspective…really sad, but people have to eat. hope she boiled that batch really well.. “another man’s trash….”

95. So far ive only tried the afritada recipe although im an avid reader of your blog… It was fantastic! I really think you should release a book, MM! I will definitely buy one or maybe even two to give to my friend here in the UK.. I think that there are very very limited RELIABLE Filipino Cookbooks out there.. and Im sure you will be on the top list when you release yours… =)

96. MM, you are the reason why I ordered 4 Maida Heatter cookbooks from Amazon (used, of course). I loved the banana bread and food for the gods. I also loved your baked chicken with honey and lime marinade, I think. Other things I’ve tried come from others like Betty q. and sister.

97. That clip gives ‘recycling’ a whole new meaning. Makes me feel guilty that I consider a 4-5k/7pax weekly food budget a stretch. I’ve seen people eat leftovers from trash bins, here and in the US, but selling it? It’s even sadder that there are people who have no choice but to buy it.

98. Well, I haven’t really tried anything in your site, always my thing will be someday.. like this Blonde Adobo or the brunette one, which I will told my son-in-law, he said he’ll do it first before I do. But to tell you how serious I wanted to try your recipes on some of your delicacies.. ie.. puto bumbong.. I went to 3 stores to find Pirurong.. and found 2 varieties. One from Thailand, and one from India. And then when I visited Phils. this summer, I walked almost half-hour searching for the steamer and the bamboo.. and found it. Now I have it here in Houston, but I am afraid to do it till I buy that special gloves to use. And the “kayuran” for the niyog.. and the Star Margarine.

    wow, I sound like I am making excuses… but really I love your site and one of these days…

99. Btw MM, yes there is sinigang mix in indiana :P Took the mom, 2 kids and alzheimer’s-stricken father-in-law to the one and only pinoy grocery in indianapolis to buy their ingredients. They couldn’t believe half the things they saw (and smelled), and as we walked out the door with our purchases, the father in law turned to me and said “Who are you and what country was that?”

100. I tried to experiment with the adobo ala marketman. I should say it was superb! It`s been my adobo recipe since. I looked at your adobo pic and it looked like the adobong bisaya that we used to have back in cebu so i had to try a make one here in quebec. It`s the perfect adobo recipe i`ve had so far.

101. i have the same experience with friedneurons on your traditional (i.e. no soy sauce) adobo recipe. I “use more salt than you would think is necessary”. And I used the gourmet sea salt (cost me $6 for a 26.0 oz.). Bad thing is I took it with me for my family’s tailgate party at one of the Atlanta Braves home game at Turners Field (Atlanta, Georgia) Everything i.e., lumpiang shanghai, pansit, pork bbque,was super sarraaap except for the adobo. Everyone else thought it was salty as the Dead Sea :( i’ll try it again next time with regular salt,ugh!

102. Hey Ebba Myra…I made puto bumbong a few months ago using a “19kopong kopong” steamer I had here and 1 that looks exactly like MM’s. Both worked just fine. The thing to remember about the boiling water really is to just keep it to a gentle simmer and the hole of the bambooabout maybe 1/3to 1/2 of an inch. Any smaller hole than that and it will take you forever to steam it…Also your mixture…don’t let it get too powdery or it will just fall through….the only thing I can equate it to is that of pie dough coarse crumbs before you add the liquid….Now, your kayuran…do you have the blade? If you do and you know of a handyman like your neighbour who has every power tool there is….hahaha…ask him to make you a “kabayo”. I have a neighbour just like that and he made me one…painted and all and looked like a high tech kabayo!!!!…no blade? Then you can just whack a fresh coconut, take the meat out and use a box cheese grater….works just the same…or put small pieces of fresh coconut meat in chunks and PULSE only in a food processor for a few seconds. IF THERE IS A WILL THERE IS A WAY…NOw, your Star Margarine…can’t you use butter?…You have no more excuses…get to it, Mrs.!!!!! If you were my neighbour, I’d invite you over for a puto bumbong class….

103. because of MM, i’ve been frequenting whole foods supermarket and trader joe’s for fage yogurt…

104. there goes betty q…the pinay martha stewart. but more resourceful than martha, and probably much nicer, too (off-topic–sorry, MM)

105. MM…a question about landang? Is it available only in the South? I asked my sister to bring back some for me when she goes back home but she doesn’t know what I am talking about.

     Send me an e-mail Proteinshake and let’s go Tim Horton’s or Starbuck’s when you get back and maybe you can join Onie and I…what do you say, Onie?..Oh, my e-mail:mymudcake@hotmail.com

     Natie…you are toooooooo kind and tooooo funny!!!!!! How I would LOVE to chit chat with you!!!

     Sorry, MM! I hope you don’t mind us yapping to each other!!!!

106. I tried kare-kare ala marketman and beef mechado. All I can say is that they were very delicious, yummy!!! But I also remember that I tried a couple of your recipe, but I forgot which one, hehehe. Keep up the good work, MM.

107. hi betty q aka pinay martha stewart! Sure would be nice to meet the other MM readers based here in Vancouver. Let’s organize something via email…

     Going back to MM’s survey, I consulted my little compilation of MM Recipes (Yes I did!). I have also baked the Date-Nut Bars and they turned out the way I prefer them: nutty, fruity, moist and just the right sweetness. Friends expect these treats from me every xmas. I tried MM’s leche flan and that one was not successful; taste was not there at

     I learned to brine the meat first when making roast and they turn out juicy and tastier! I am slowly getting better in the kitchen – thanks to this blog site.

108. oops my 2nd paragraph got deleted… just to finish the leche flan blurb – I may have measured the ingredients wrong.

109. MM, I’ve made these multiple times, always with great results: roasted fish with lemon and herbs, crabs with sotanghon, chili crab, chicken inasal and the curing mix for tocino. I also tried your squid-ink pasta with prawns, ginataang sitaw and tarte tatin which also turned out very well. One recipe that did’nt quite cut it was the fish with turmeric and tamarind maybe because I used ground turmeric instead of fresh ones. I have to mention the fantastic adobo ala marketman that I cooked in the oven as you have suggested. Thank you for inspiring me to be better at cooking!

110. MM, I’ve tried the chocolate ala payard,but not using the chocolate you mentioned..I used a left over premium chocolate bar from chocolate lovers,hehe..so I don’t know what to expect with the taste and texture,but according to my friends who I coerced into eating it said it was good!

     and being a promdi,I didn’t know that a cinnamon toast exists,haha..so when I saw your post and I thought it was really easy, I tried it..and have been my stable merienda (yep, not breakfast since I usually eat in the hospital), ever since during the weekends..

     I don’t really know how to cook, but I can follow recipes, so thank you so much for your blog, I think I am making more sense in the kitchen now :-)

111. To bettyq, aka the Pinay Martha Stewart (PMS?!?) — I pegged you as someone who would go for Higher Grounds or Cafe Artigiano for coffee , hehehe. I am the Rachel Ray (see I even made a cute acronym of your nickname above) of coffee — I take instant or TimH, or Dunkin Donuts, whatever and whenever. But seriously I will email you. And yes, I can also meet Onie. I will email you at the mudcake address.
     BTW — MM, we may be forming a small fan club, Vancouver chapter. As I am already in enough committees, I will be leave it to bettyq and Onie to be co-Presidents and I will be secretary/coffeebuyer/busgirl.

112. Ms. Bettyq: thanks for the info. I found Star margarine, and kayuran – my mom has it, pero ayaw magpahiram ng sister ko, so I have to get myself one..yeah, my husband might “construct” it for me, although he’ll say just buy the frozen niyog in the vietnamese supermarket.

     On the pirurong mixture itself, some use coarse ground rice, some says no need and that I can cook it whole kernels.

     Also is panutsa same as Muscavado? The one that is sold half-cut circle? Meron din nun dito. I use it for pilipit.

113. Haha! Good timing on the question: yesterday I mixed feta cheese with guindillas (which look like peperoncini to me) and olive oil.

     And it was lovely with bread and we were way over-salted by the end.

     So yes, I have made one of your recipes and yes, it was good. ;)

114. g’day from down under!

     i’ve tried the menudo 2 days ago and it was perfect!!!i will surely try it again :). i did try your adobo, but i dont have the real sukang tuba, it didnt turn out red-dish, like yours, but it was nice enough…

     thank you so much MM! God Bless.

115. I have added your Lentil Soup to my list of favorites and cook it on a regular basis now. That’s how good it is! I usually just make some antipasto or Greek salad to go with it. The soup is very satisfying, easy to make, light & healthy too! Thanks so much for the recipe.

116. Dear Marketman,

     I have plagiarized, I meant cooked a lot of recipes from your site. I actually stumbled on your site looking for inasal recipes. So far, it has been a favorite in my family here in Korea. Here’s a list of all the successful recipes I have tried so far from this site:

     1. Chicken Inasal
     2. Chicken Tinola
     3. Pasta e faglioe
     4. Bicol Express
     5. Kare Kare
     6. Nilaga

     I am sure there are more but I have forgotten what they are.

     There was only one recipe that I tried and failed miserably: the pan de sal recipe. I dunno whether if it was the yeast or the weather here in Korea (I made it last winter).

     But all the recipes are superb and very easy to follow for a regular cook like me.

     My husband thanks you with all his heart for the Inasal recipe, it’s his favorite Filipino recipe for grilled chicken (second only to his own recipe of Kentucky Barbequed Chicken).

     Doddie

117. Weird… I’m quite sure, I’ve posted a message here, but somehow it’s not showing. maybe it has something to do with the website I posted…

     Anyway, I’ve tried to cook ratatouille and the broccoli recipe (minus the chili flakes) my kids love them.

118. Hey, guys and gals! I tried the haloumi cheese with lemon juice last friday afternoon when I was sooo hungry and it was a choice of going to a pizza parlor or just preparing something for snacks. I remembered I had Haloumi cheese so I tried MM’s recipe…actually it’s the same as the instructions in the package but nice to have somebody like MM actually try it and telling you not to miss the lemon juice. It was superb!

119. I had plans of trying several recipes, but was only able to make pandesal. Sadly, it wasn’t as good. Then again, I don’t have much luck baking breads so I stick to cookies :)

120. Hi! It’s nice to finally put a face to the name. I have not really tried any of your cooking recipes but I have tried your recipe for Santol Juice and it really came out quite good. As for making a recipe index, I think that you really should do that now before it gets even more overwhelming. I know its a daunting task but, if you do decide to do it, try starting out by indexing recipes that you are just about to post and then once a month or once a week, scan a whole months worth or two of previous articles and make the indexes for them. Chopping the task down to small chunks will make it go easier. I did this when I made a catalog of all the DVDs I had, one shelf at a time and pretty soon it was done. It took a longer time to finish but it took out the hassle and nitty-gritty of the task. As Sun Tzu put it, divide and conquer. A small tip for people following recipes, posted here or where ever, taste your marinades and doughs, before cooking so that you can adjust it. Actually, taste all the ingredients individually before adding so that you can check if they are still good and how strong in taste they are. For checking things like hamburger and meatball recipes, fry a small piece and taste before cooking the whole batch.

121. Dear MM,
     We’ve tried a number of your recipes. Three that stand out are:
     – kalamansi cupcakes – very delicious, great texture and just moist enough. We reduced the amount of butter and adjusted amount of kalamansi to taste.
     – pan de sal – perfect recipe!!! very authentic, brought back memories for all of us!
     – kare-kare – ang sarap! (very yummy!), when i served this, someone said “is that a la marketman?” ^^
     Thanks so much!

122. MM,

     I’m glad that lee and others mentioned santol juice. Saw some really big and nice-looking local santol selling at P3 apiece in Robinson’s supermarkets. I was thinking of what to do with them as they are obviously in season now. Any recipe for santol jam? Mangosteen season is two months away and you are right, prices in Manila might not be too attractive for a jam session. Somebody has to go to Davao or Cebu to get them for us. In the meantime, let’s try santol?

     MarketFan

123. Hi Marketman,

     I have tried lots of your recipe, some as is found here some tweaked a bit… some of the recipes that I have tried are:

     * tapa
     * gingerbread (for man and house)
     * chicken inasal
     * wild blueberry muffin (used it as base recipe for other fruit muffin as well, simply delish!)
     * pandesal (reduced salt, increased sugar by a half cup)
     * brioche
     * beef mechado
     * torta (once only, due to health reason :D)
     * ensaimada
     * chocolate chip cookies (the one that you featured lately. It is now cooling in the fridge, to be baked tomorrow)

     I’m sure I have tried other recipes that you featured but I can’t remember at the moment. Thanks for always sharing these recipes and your experiences with it.

124. I just remembered, I tried your Apple pie too. The apple filling was a bit runny, but I’ll give it a try again…

125. This will be my first time to blog here on your site though I’m a regular visitor for more than a year. I have 3 pinoy food sites that i religiously visit(as much as my time and internet connection permits) — that’s pinoycook, yours & babyrambutan. Needless to say that these three sites serves as my bible of ‘pinoy unlimited’ online recipes. When it comes to ‘knock off’ desserts & local sweets, i always depend on your site. I like the way you detailed the procedures & with pictures of course :)which makes a seemingly complicated recipe to be relevantly easy. Even an intimated cook would be tempted to try. Best example for me is your version of sans rival(almond torte)which i would never dare to try even with a proper recipe! thanks for blogging your agonizing attempt, that gives me the push to make an effort no matter what the outcome would be. Surprisingly, it was a success! surely worth the pain :)
     As for my all time favorite recipe courtesy of your site, it is Chocolate Pudding Cake by Francois Payard. Never fails to impress my guests. Thanks to you and keep inspiring us to re-invent, improvise & dare to try.
     you’re doing an excellent job :)

126. i cooked linguine with prawns and tomatoes–it was super easy–just added a lot of wine –twas delicious!

127. i just attempted the baby-back ribs adobo. i think i’ve reached the pinnacle of adobo perfection!!!

128. 1. parchment paper fish, asian and mediterranean versions. had this many times coz it’s simple but healthy and yummy.
     2. lechon paksiw.
     3. tocino. i added lots of garlic, though.
     4. adobong atay and balunbalunan
     5. spicy eggplant with pork. i sometimes add thinly-sliced shiitake mushrooms, the dried ones soaked in water.

     so many recipes, so little time… =D

129. MM, I always enjoy reading your site and so far I’ve tried Bacolod Inasal, Paella, and currently contemplating to attempt a lechon de leche based on your series. I got the inasal on the 3rd try, the first it lacked the asuete look, the next one failed since I used asuete powder which was not a good sight. For the paella I just took some pointers from your recipe since my mom already had her version. On the lechon, I want to make it a project sometime after this rainy season since I don’t have covered space to set up. More power to you and yes, the index suggestion or coming up with a book of recipes is great idea. Btw, the Sunday Inquirer Magazine mentions your blog site from time time in their foodie section by M. Salcedo, iba na talaga sikat!!!

130. I just made your Greek pork chops and it turned out to be fantastic. I salted it more than usual and my family loved it. I used real Greek oregano. This is definitely a keeper and will make it often.