Chefie’s World

All of you, if you have been reading, know of my fondness for Royce’s chocolate. Since I was going to be in Japan, it was a sure shot to be one of the most important stuffs that I was buying for myself and to give away. Finding out that Tita Charito also had to buy more than a dozen of this good tasting, melts in the mouth, glorious one of a kind wonder of the world, we were out to look for it. Nama Chocolates of Royce’s really melts so when you buy it they either give you an aluminum freezer bag with a small frozen ice to keep it from melting and that’s the main reason why we decided to buy this chocolate in Tokyo than in Kyoto, getting it a few days before we leave for Manila.

But we were in for a surprise, there was not a single Royce’s store in the whole of Tokyo. The minute we got to Ginza, we moved around all the basements of Matsuzakaya, Mitsukoshi, Isetann to look for a stall but there was none, and Tita Charito was resigned not to get her dozen boxes. Sadly, I was going to miss one of my favorite chocolates.
Tokyo, Japan where it is made, and not a single store but they had Dalloyau which is a French patissierie, We found out that they had branches in Hokkaido and Sapporo but not in Tokyo. Sadly, no Royce, I had my last piece last January when a student from Davao and Sharlene from Yummy gave me one as pasalubong from Singapore since it was so easy and accessible to get from the basement of Takashimaya in Orchard Road.

Guess what? God is really good, right in front of our boarding gate was a souvenier shop that sells Royce’s! Thanks! And we finished all the Nama. They have a cherry liquer flavored chocolate which is new to me….got some for Chefs Gene and Gino…this story ends my series on our family trip to Japan. I hope all of you enjoyed my posts and pictures. Please keep on visiting. I know there has been no recipes lately but will soon add some. Tomorrow’s my brother-in-law’s big dinner for professors, been cooking and baking the whole day.

As soon as I found out that Tsukiji market was a very famous fish market in Japan, I dreamt of visiting it. For over 30 years, mom and dad had a fishing business and we would sell what the boats caught in the biggest fish market in the whole Philippines which was the Navotas Fish Market. Tsukiji was the Japanese version of the Navotas market. I was also from Navotas.

The minute Ate Cynthia told me that we were going to Japan, I asked her if we were going to the fish market. She said that will try our best to go. When we got the itinerary, it was clearly stated that our tour organizer can not bring us to Tsukiji due to it being a dangerous area and it will disturb the fish seller. I got depressed that we couldn’t go but as soon as we got to Tokyo, my Tita Charito said that we can go and it will not be a problem. We just have to wake up early. She has been there and it was easy, tons of restaurants around to eat. Hehehe.

We planned to go on a Sunday but it would be closed so we had to go Saturday morning. We were there before 6am. Tita Charito, Ate Cynthia, JL and I took a cab worth 2500 yen which is around 25 dollars. That’s a 20 minute ride, didn’t express any thought on how expensive it was…ok lang…..got there and saw the whole auction process. There was an area just for tourist where photos are allowed but no flashes turned on. You see this guy on a higher platform shouting, maybe it was a price and people were also shouting if they were buying it or not. You see small slices near the tail of the tuna where they check the quality of the fish. After this, you see a trolley bring all the fishes out then they are boxed with the tuna slice attached on top of the box. Isn’t that organized?

We saw a store that got one of the tunas and since it was as hard as a rock, they used a mechanical saw to do this. Then we went around the market to look at all the live and dead seafoods…..plenty and it was really a lot, the whole market was as big as a football field, two hours was not enough to go around.

Mt. Fuji as seen from my room

me and Mt Fuji

traditional Japanese breakfast

The beauty of Mt. Fuji was just too much! I was at awe upon the sight of it during my ride in the bullet train from Kyoto to Mishima station. Upon arrival, we went through our Hakone tour, going around Lake Ashi, the Ropeway and the Owakudani Boiling Valley where the delicacy was to eat a hardboiled egg cooked in the hot springs. The area really spelled of sulfur so I didn’t stay that long and ate ice cream with my titas.
We stayed in Hotel Mifuen which had the view of Mt. Fuji in all its rooms, it was also my first stay in a traditional tatami room, all hard floors but we had a futon and lots a very thick duvet to cover our bodies since, again, it was very cold. We were also treated to a traditional Japanese dinner and breakfast, sat Lotus style, had a tray infront of us with tons of small dishes together with the best rice, grilled fish and more sidings. Breakfast was an egg cooked in a metal pot with a burn and heat proof paper doused with soy sauce, grilled salmon slice and more siding….delicious and authetic. The whole family got to reach the 4th level station of the mountain and there was snow, so we played around and threw snow balls. I fell thrice while climbing up, due to the melted ice, getting old….just like some of you reading this. Enjoyed the sights….seeing and being near Mt. Fuji was like reaching the Great Wall of China when I was in Beijing, it was awesome, too happy to realize that I was there. The best when you are with the most important people in your lives.

Kit Kat Soy Sauce Flavor

Yoku Moku Cigars ( Japanese Barquillos ) in three flavors - regular, chocolate and of course, green tea

Japanese Sweet Candies - eaten during the Japanese Tea Ceremony

Japanese Snacks - Elise - Pretzels with green tea and chocolate filling, green tea Kitkat

Fruit Tart with Fresh Fruits and of course, strawberries

Everywhere you go in Japan, there were stores selling some sweet items, tons of it. Some stores were even selling identical ones. Go to the basement of any department store and for surely, you will see tons of stores selling all types of sweets, cakes, mochi, pretzels, chocolates and more. One can be so amazed at what they have to sell and the amount of people willing to buy.

Even found a pretzel named Elise, that’s my other name. My groupmates in UP call me this, since we were two Juns in the group, they changed our names to Elise and Zoi. Right Patty, Tracey, Riza? And yah, I took a picture of it.
Heard of Green Tea Flavored Kit – Kat, the wafers are encased in a green tea flavored white chocolate – bitter and sweet – right blend and it really is different but here is another surprise – soy sauce flavored…..and a lot more. There were different ice cream flavors that were available everywhere, green tea, azuki bean and even cherry blossom as I discussed in my other posts. Got to taste this beautiful shaped, very sweet candies that is eaten during a Japanese tea ceremony.

The packaging of all Japanese products is something else, they really think about it and even the way they wrapped it just before it is given to you is done with so much art in it.
My favorite Japanese barquillos Yoku Moku I also found….when mom and dad were still around, they had Japanesese friends who would give these to us and I found it again after more ten years — comfort food — made me remember mom and dad who I know are so happy that we got to travel again as a complete family — all 12 of us….saya, sarap, lamig, and ang mahal sa Japan!

my picture with cherry blossoms - the chefie fully wrapped in 5 layers of clothing with matching pashmina shawl made into a scarf with a cherry
blossom tree in the background.

strawberries as seen in the Matsuzakaya grocery before I bought three containers….to share with everyone.

the complete group of my nephews and nieces, the loves of my life….i can not ask for more!

Next day, we were off to our Kyoto Tour. The first area we went to was the Arashiyama area which had beautiful cherry blossom trees all in full bloom and splendor. This was the best time to visit Japan since it is cherry blossom time and this will only last for a week and the flowers will slowly disappear with the wind. I can not tell you the feeling of joy and beauty. I admired the area we were in, the coolness also added more to my admiration. Around the place, there were tons of eateries and surely, I had a taste of green tea and cherry blossom ice cream which complemented each other. A bit of bitterness from the green tea with the sweetness of the cherry blossom which was a flavor very hard to describe - slight cherry flavor with a hint of rose and a lot of sweetness. There was also azuki mochi wrapped in Japanese mint leaves. Azuki is red bean. There were plenty of stores offering different types of food and souveniers We had lunch in the commercial area of the Kyoto Tower and right after, I visited Matsukaya department store and proceeded to their grocery where I found the most perfect strawberries, all the same sizes, no blemishes in their skin. When you bite it, it had a crunchy skin with a moist, soft marshmallowy interior that seems to melt in your mouth. Worth the 390 Japanese yen we paid for. Never tasted anything like it. I made the most of the strawberries and was eating it everyday.

I haven’t posted for the past week due to my recent vacation in Japan. Oh! This was one of my best. With the complete family in tow, together with my favorite aunt and her friend, we all enjoyed it tremendously. The next few posts will be an account of the fun experience we all had.

I had such a busy three days before this trip. I was in Davao for five days to take care of the legacy buffet of a batch there. I left last Friday on a delayed Cebu Pacific flight – three hours and the worst was when we got here, the plane’s doors would not open! The following day, Saturday, I had a class and looked into another legacy buffet preparation which was for the next day, Sunday. Then I felt I was getting sick and had to make an urgent call to my ENT who suggested I start taking some antibiotics since I was also leaving the next day.

Going to the airport and checking in was fine except that we only had a few minutes before boarding. After a four hour stay in the plane, we landed in Kansai Airport which was in Osaka. I used to a few hours in this airport before boarding a flight for the States or back to Manila.

The minute we got out of immigration, our suitcases were in the carousel ready to be taken. I suggested to everyone that I go ahead with customs since I was the only one with a different family name. Once the customs officer knew that I was from Manila, he started speaking Tagalog, asking me, kung may dala akong marijuana, shabu o cocaine. I answered with great surprise, “Wala, ang dala ko ang aking buong pamilya, mag vacation kami dito sa Japan.” Then he stared and looked daze. Apparently, his Tagalog, was a memorized question. Harhar! Then I started chatting and chatting in our native language so he let me go. As soon as the main gate was opened, I felt the hunger, when the guide told us that we were going on a bus ride to Kyoto for two hours, I felt more hunger. You know that I have one phobia. I don’t know if it has a name. I get scared when I get hungry and there’s no food around. My family always had food somewhere. So off I go to guess where? Starbucks Japan, the first café I see outside the airport. I got a few deli sandwiches and my favorite, iced latte! Ok na yan since I am very sure we will all eat again when we get to Kyoto. It was cold! Spring weather was almost 5ºC. I ate my sandwich which had a wasabi flavored mayo smothered on the ham and cheese, very Japanese. I enjoyed the very moist bread which was evident in all the sandwiches I had there.

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One of my main purpose is to get to teach the basics of what is really important in the culinary world. I have been teaching pastry for the past six years and it has been fulfilling knowing that your students are slowly climbing the ladder in becoming the best. Some are abroad working very well. Others are here just a few steps in becoming the head chefs in some hotels. It is truly overwhelming since I was part of their world, of their life, most of all, of their dream. I always want my student’s dreams to happen as much as can I try.

There are times that a student would make me stop and think about life, what has happened and what I have achieved. There is one student who a few months ago made me feel very special but later on I learned it was for the wrong reasons. But I did care and in the end I just got hold of my senses and made me realize what I was really getting in to. I don’t regret anything. I grew so much as a person, as a teacher and I started looking at others around me in a better way.
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After all the healthy dishes and demonstrations I did in Davao last week, and before leaving for Manila, I went on a dessert feasting. I had a number of dessert sampling from Lachi’s and Sugar Munch, both known cakes and pastry shops in Davao, only a few steps away from each other, each specializing on a certain type, but has more to offer for the people of the South.

I have written about Lachi’s Sans Rival which is made the old fashion way with crisp meringue and rich buttercream with loads of cashew nuts. They also have different cakes that is very discriminating since it very distinct to them. Its only them who have it.
They have a lot of good food too like Barbecued Ribs, Laing, Red Pesto Pasta, that’s so good and delicious. I was so full and happy.

I also had the frozen brazos of Tiny Kitchen, plain, chocolate and strawberry were just right to the bite since it had right thickness of all the layered components of the dessert, wasn’t so sweet and the meringue was soft even if it was frozen.

Sugar Munch had an array of small miniature cakes all with chocolate….tempting!…so I had all of them wrapped, mocha praline, white chocolate mousse, strawberry mousse and rich chocolate cakes, all luscious and was right since it was a size you can eat alone or share with someone. All cakes come in attractive boxes with exciting colors. They also had all the versions of the small cakes in regular 6 – 8 inch sizes. Brazos de Mercedes is also sold in this store.

Davao has become my sweet haven enjoying all the food and desserts.

This is the third installment to my healthy two weeks of events that I went through. Last March 14, I was invited by the Nutritionists and Dieticians Association of the Philippines to give a lecture on spa cuisine. It was exciting with loads of work since I had to prepare a tasting set of three dishes for 800 participants, this I had to do for three days with the help of my students based in Davao. Sponsored by California Raisin, I had one of the most nutritious and great tasting dried fruit in all 3 of my recipes. All three I am sharing with you.

So what did I talk about, spa cuisine, healthy eating that’s actually common sense cooking since you remove the use of butter and cream in all the cooking. Also methods of cooking are kept to the simplest without the addition of any oil or fat in the process so poaching (again?), grilling, roasting, cooking in papillote – that’s steam kept inside the paper cooks the food inside. Interesting, right? Even the latest trends in ingredients I also discussed with the new set of grains, like quinoa – a grain with tons of protein that originates from the Andes mountains, couscous becoming so popular now with Moroccan type of stew and the blend of Asian ingredients to increase the flavor of food. I also used a lot of fresh herbs to complement the main ingredient of any dish as oppose to the use of too much salt in the dish. Marination was a technique that I discussed since it was done just before some of the cooking for absorption of the marinade which is needed for better eating for everyone. Salsas, vinaigrettes, yoghurt based sauces are the in thing to use in this type of cuisine.

I like doing something as large as this one to promote healthier methods of eating. A lot of us don’t eat right and it is maybe time that more and more people know about this. When I found out I had diabetes I tried my very best to change a lifestyle that was family based and I get to continue doing it since now I cook for myself and I hope that someday people around me will get infected with it. It is really the cooking that will matter, remove the fat all of it as much as possible.

And here is what I served during the talk. Enjoy the recipes! Read the rest of this entry »

Early part of January, I was approached by a medical executive asking me if I can cook and demonstrate some healthy food for a launch of a new medicine which, combined with exercise will make you lose weight. As you know, one of the courses I took last year in America was Healthy Cooking and later on, here in Manila, on Spa cuisine. I have researched extensively in this area since I know this will be the trend in the next few years. I obliged and in a week I got to submit a menu that I have done also for some friends here in Manila.

Healthy cooking is easy cooking that removes cream, butter and other saturated fats as an ingredient and method is also changed to those that doesn’t involve so much fat in it. Plenty of grilling, roasting, poaching and fast cooking is done. Flavor is intensified by not adding too much salt but more on the use of flavor enhancers like herbs, spices, pepper. Also by using complimentary taste elements that intensifies the qualities of the main ingredient. Marinating the dishes ahead of time was done for better tasting. A lot of fiber is also used which is very good for our body since it makes us full and is good source of cleaning up our insides.

It was a great dinner to do because it was also a different approach in presenting a medicine to doctors who knew what the benefits of the type of cooking I was doing. Enjoy the recipes and cook them with gusto.
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