All Entries in the "2012" Category
Casa Pinoy Restaurant on Bridgeport Road, Richmond
Casa Pinoy has been on our list of places to go for a long while. Apparently, this restaurant has been in business since March 2011.
Casa Pinoy is located on Bridgeport Road, in an industrial area. From the outside, it is a very unassuming place. It’s name indicates that it’s a Filipino restaurant.
But, the sign above will let you that there are a variety of food that you can have here. I brought Arkensen and Nanzaro here merely for the variety of food that we can have. That way, everyone is happy.
You can click on the menu above to have a larger view of their menu.
We came on a Saturday afternoon. It was not busy. I guess it’s more busy during the week days when the work force around the area come out for lunch. This restaurant seats about 50.
I had a coconut juice with pulp for $2.25. It came in a large can of 500ml. It is very refreshing with mild sweetness. The boys did not order a drink because they wanted to have the $1 McDonald’s ice coffee summer deal after lunch.
I came here for their Filipino dishes. I ordered the Chicken Inasal which was recommendation by the server. This is $8.99.
It is grilled chicken marinated in coco vinegar, garlic and pepper. It is served with rice pilaf. The whole grilled chicken leg tastes better … More on following page. Click here to continue reading
12 people like this post. Click yellow thumbie on the left if you like this post too.
Baked Plantains
In this South Arm Seniors Kitchen, Colleen introduced yet another new ingredient for dessert.
The dessert is Baked Plantains. Plantain cannot be consumed raw. It is used for cooking. When buying plantain, look for those with darken skin which indicate that it’s ripe. Colleen had a hard time finding ripe plantain when she went groceries shopping for the kitchen.
Ingredients
- 4 large, very ripe (black) plantains
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- pinch of allspice (we substituted with nutmeg)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 tablespoons butter
Source: via Colleen
More on following page. Click here to continue reading
3 people like this post. Click yellow thumbie on the left if you like this post too.
Ecuadorian Vegetable Salad
The second dish which Colleen prepared for the South Arm Seniors’ Kitchen is a simple and colourful salad.
I enjoy this Ecuadorian Vegetable Salad which has a combination of raw lettuce and cooked beets and carrots.
Ingredients
- 5 beets, peeled and quartered
- 8 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 6 large romaine lettuce leaves, thinly sliced
- juice from 2 lemons
- salt and pepper to taste
Source: via Colleen
Serves 6 to 8
More on following page. Click here to continue reading
3 people like this post. Click yellow thumbie on the left if you like this post too.
Locro de Habas (Fava Bean Soup)
Colleen prepared 3 dishes for the South Arm Seniors’ Kitchen. Her goal for this menu is to introduce some new ingredients to the participants.
The first recipe is a Fava Bean Soup. The soup is thickish with the addition of egg. It has some similarity in ingredients like this Chinese Tomato Egg Soup.
Fava Bean is also known as Broad Bean, Bell Bean, Field Bean or Tic Bean. Preparing fava bean involves first removing the beans from their pods, then remove their exterior coating of soft shell before cooking.
So, the kitchen started with everyone seating around the table to prepare the fava beans. This job is great to involve everyone in the family to help out while catching up with one another.
Ingredients
- 4 cups twice peeled fresh fava beans, from about 4 pounds of whole fava pods
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 cups diced white onion, about 1 large onion
- 2 roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon achiote powder (annatto seasoning)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- salt to taste
- 3 large gold potatoes, peeled and diced, about 3 cups
- 6 cups water or broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 eggs, light beaten
- 1 1/2 cups crumbled queso fresco (we substituted with feta cheese)
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro or pasley
- 1 avacodo, peeled and sliced for garnishing
- hot sauce, optional
Source: via Colleen
Serves 6 to 8
The Annatto seasoning gives the soup the reddish colour.
More on following page. Click here to continue reading
2 people like this post. Click yellow thumbie on the left if you like this post too.
Various Japanese Sushi
Terumi demonstrated how to make various sushi at the South Arm multicultural community kitchen.
Participants listened attentively to the instructions.
Terumi demonstrated how to make California Roll, Tuna Maki and Cone.
Kazuko demonstrated how to use plastic mold to make nigiri sushi.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Japanese short grain rice (cooked a little harder than usual); for rice cooker, one cup is 180 cc
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 package of unseasoned sheet nori (dried seaweed); cut in half
- 1 avocado
- 1 cucumber
- 250g crab meat (can use artificial crab meat)
- 4 tablespoons Japanese mayo
- pepper to taste
- 1 block of sashimi quality tuna
- soy sauce
- wasabi
- 1 can tuna or salmon
Look at all the preparations needed for this demo.
Source: Terumi & Kazuko
More on following page. Click here to continue reading
6 people like this post. Click yellow thumbie on the left if you like this post too.
Rolled Egg
The last side dish which Kazuko demonstrated in the South Arm Community Kitchen is Rolled Egg.
Rolled Egg is a popular bento box item and great for lunch box.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- Dashi bonito soup stock seasoning to taste (optional)
- soy sauce to taste
Please note: the bonito flakes should not be in the photo
Source: Kazuko
Serves 4
More on following page. Click here to continue reading
4 people like this post. Click yellow thumbie on the left if you like this post too.
Spinach Ashitashi
For starter or appetizer, Kazuko prepared a cold spinach dish called Spinach Ashitashi.
You can garnish the Spinach Ashitashi with bonito flakes or sesame seeds. This is another very simple side dish to make.
Coincidentally, this recipe reminded me of a recipe in a cook book by Michelle Tchea with the title “Building A Perfect Meal”. I came to know Michelle T through chowtimes. Michelle T wrote to me one day asking me where to get sao bing in Vancouver out of the blue.
During the 2010 Winter Olympic Game in Vancouver, Michelle T was in town for the games. We met up a couple of times at Gingeri Chinese Cuisine and Red Star Seafood Restaurant for dim sum.
Last month, I received an email from Michelle T asking me if I’m interested to share her newly published cookbook on chowtimes. I was trilled to hear that she had published a cook book.
Building A Perfect Meal is about how to create quick and simple meals at home. It’s a collection of basic recipes like creamy mashed potatoes, hand pulled noodles, pickled vegetables and fried rice with a jazz up version to create a more elaborate dish. The cook book also comes with valuable cooking tips from her experience in the kitchen.
While I was browsing through Michelle’s cook book, I came across a very similar recipe to the Spinach Ashitashi. It’s called Japanese Soy Spinach. Michelle T”s recipe uses beetroot leaves and stalks instead. In the cook book, Michelle T featured a Versatile Soy Stock and Dipping Sauce as seasoning for the spinach. I will share the recipe at the end of this post.
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 bunches spinach
- soy sauce to taste
- bonito flakes
- sesame seeds
- salt
Source: Kazuko
Serves 4
More on following page. Click here to continue reading
4 people like this post. Click yellow thumbie on the left if you like this post too.
Miso Soup
Due to numerous requests, Kazuko and Terumi teamed up to do a Japanese cuisine demonstration at the South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen. All the participants look forward to this kitchen.
Kazuko started off with Miso Soup, a staple soup in Japanese cuisine. Miso soup is quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 200-250g soft tofu
- 6 teaspoons miso paste
- 1 teaspoon Dashi bonito soup stock seasoning
- 600ml water
- 2 tablespoons dry seaweed
- 2 green onions, chopped
The Japanese ingredients can be bought from T&T, Fujiya or Izumi-ya.
You can click on the photos above to have a larger view.
Source: Kazuko
Serves 4
More on following page. Click here to continue reading
3 people like this post. Click yellow thumbie on the left if you like this post too.
