cup (125 ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tablespoon sugar
1-2 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon pepper or chopped red chilies
1 Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Set aside for several minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
2 Serve as a dip for grilled or fried fish, or grilled pork.
Makes about 1 cup
Preparation time: 5 mins
Pickled Daikon and Carrots (Acharang Labanos)
7 oz (200 g) daikon radish, peeled and very thinly sliced, mashed with ½ cup salt and set aside 3-4 hours
¾ cup (150 g) sugar
½ cup (125 ml) white or cane vinegar
1 medium carrot, peeled and very thinly sliced
Makes 2 cups
Preparation time: 20 mins + 3-4 hours soaking
Cooking time: 10 mins
1 Rinse salted radishes in water thoroughly, making sure to remove all the salt. Press out all the water and set aside.
2 Combine sugar and vinegar in a saucepan and stir. Simmer over low heat until mixture becomes clear, about 3 minutes. Add the radish and carrots. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
3 Remove from heat and, using a slotted spoon, transfer radish and carrots to a clean glass bowl. Pour in a little of the vinegar-sugar syrup. Set aside to cool. Store in a covered container. Refrigerate and serve with fried fish, fried chicken or grilled dishes.
Green Mango and Tomato Relish
1 green unripe mango (about 5 oz/150 g)
2-3 small ripe tomatoes, diced
1 small onion, minced
1 tablespoon sugar, adding extra to taste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 mins
1 Peel and dice the mango, discarding the mango seed. Combine the mango with the tomatoes and onions.
2 Mix the sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Pour over the mango mixture and stir. Set aside for 5-10 minutes before serving.
3 Serve with Cured Pork (page 68), Chicken and Pork Adobo (page 62) or fried fish dishes.
Cut wrapper into two. Spoon 2 tablespoons of ground pork mixture onto each wrapper.
Moisten edges of wrapper with egg and water mixture. Roll wrapper and seal the edges.
Appetizers
Tasty Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls (Lumpiang Shanghai)
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
1½ cup diced onions
1 lb (450 g) ground pork
6 oz (180 g) fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined and diced
¼ cup chopped scallions
½ cup julienned jicama
1 medium carrot, grated
1¼ teaspoon salt, adding extra to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper, adding extra to taste
1 egg
1-2 tablespoons water
20 spring roll wrappers
3 cups (750 ml) oil for deep-frying
Sweet and Sour Sauce
¼ cup (50 g) sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
¼ cup (60 ml) vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup (125 ml) water
1 To make the Sweet and Sour Sauce, blend the sugar, salt, tomato ketchup and vinegar in a saucepan. Simmer over low heat. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat and set aside.
2 Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the garlic and onions. Add pork and and sauté until lightly browned. Add the shrimp, scallions, jicama and carrot and sauté until pork is cooked through, stirring to mix well. Season with the salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
3 Combine egg and water in a small bowl. Cut each spring roll wrapper in half. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the ground pork and shrimp mixture onto each wrapper. Moisten the edges of each wrapper with the egg mixture. Roll each wrapper, folding in the ends, then seal the edges.
4 Heat half of the oil in a frying pan over high heat until hot, then reduce the heat. Fry the rolls in batches in the hot oil until browned, adding more oil as needed. Serve hot with the Sweet and Sour Sauce.
Makes 40 spring rolls
Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 40 mins
Papaya Relish (Papaya Achara)
1 small unripe papaya, (about 10 oz/300 g)
2 teaspoons salt
¾ cup (150 g) sugar
¾ cup (185 ml) white vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
