Learning to Cook and Other Things

Kamote tops salad is another one of those humble but super healthy veggie dish. I have some kamote plants in my backyard where my tops come from. Kamote tops or talbos in our vernacular usually mean the youngest leaf on the stem. They are colored bright green as opposed to older leaves which has dark pigmentation. These are best for salads. What I do is infuse the tops in boiling water for about 60 seconds. Drain the water. Add freshly diced tomatoes(2pcs clean) plus lots of purple onions (1 medium sized and whites can do as well). Then add 2 teaspoons lemon juice, lots of freshly milled black pepper (according to your taste) and finally, a pinch of salt. If you have olive oil, that should make it more delish!

Everyone's going ga-ga with moringa or the 'lowly' malunggay. It used to be that this was considered staplefood of the economically challenge. I remember that back then my father had lots of malunggay trees in our vegetable yard. When there's a good harvest usually during the summer months, my mother extracts the fleshy white part of the pod(fruit) and saute it with lots of tomatoes, onions and garlic. Add a little salt and its good to go with fried fish. The white flowers, as I recall we made into salads. Fresh from the garden, my mother infuses it with boiling water for about a minute, adds fresh tomatoes pinch of salt and pepper and presto. The leaves, ahhh the leaves, it is my father's favorite veggie addition to tinola a chicken soup dish that usually incorporates green papaya along with pepper or sili leaves. My father's version, on the other hand use a lot of malunggay leaves instead of sili. When I cook souped clams these days, I also use malunggay

Purpose: Produce uniform texture, improve “mouth-feel” Application: Frozen desserts, dairy products, cakes, pudding and gelatin mixes, dressings, jams and jellies, sauces Common Label Names: Gelatin, pectin, guar gum,carrageenan, xanthan gum, whey

Purpose: Promote rising of baked goods Application: Breads and other baked goods Common Label Names: Baking soda, monocalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate

Purpose: Anti-caking agents Keep powdered foods free-flowing, prevent moisture absorption Application: Salt, baking powder, confectioner’s sugar Common Label Names: Calcium silicate, iron ammonium citrate, silicon dioxide

Purpose: Retain moisture Application: Shredded coconut, marshmallows, soft candies, confections Common Label Name: Glycerin, sorbitol

Purpose: Promote growth of yeast Application: Breads and other baked goods Common Label Name: Calcium sulfate, ammonium phosphate