Bitter memories came flooding back when I read the e-mail from this month's Kulinarya Cooking Club hosts Isabel of My Expat Mommy and Kai of Bucaio. The theme for July and is the most unlikely source of such thoughts, yet it required me to dig deep into my memory bank and once again remember the sort of food that I dread.
The reason for the recollection is that this month's theme is to cook a healthy dish that must contain fruits or vegetables that one used to hate eating as a child. The task is easy because I hated all kinds of vegetables, so pick one and it fits the theme. I know it sounds horrific, but as a young kid I abhor, detest, fear the sight/smell/touch/taste of ALL kinds of vegetables, fruits and most food for that matter.
I was a picky eater to the max. Poor thing! It's the people who had to feed me I'm referring to. Mother, grandmother, aunts and aunts-in-law all ganged up on me with cajoles, pleads, threats and other things (which may now be classified as child abuse). I still vividly remember how it feels not to like food (most food, not just fruits and veg).
Key words are used to. This is all in the past and I am now a vegetable, fruit and all sorts of food lover (most of you would know that). Bringing back childhood horrors is not the purpose of month's theme but cooking and eating healthy food to promote well being and longevity.
As we all know adobo is the iconic favourite Filipino dish. Adobo is cooking with garlic, vinegar and soy sauce. Although meats are the usual main ingredient for adobo, vegetables such as kangkong (water spinach) and sitaw (string beans) may also be used. In the absence of sitaw, I used fresh green beans for this quick stir fried adobo. Dwarf beans or fine beans (haricot verts) may also be used for this recipe. I added a bit of pork but that can also be omitted for a vegetarian version.
Ingredients:
2 tbsps. of cooking oil
4 cloves of garlic, crushed (about 1 tbsp.)
50 gms. lean pork loin, sliced thinly
250 gms. green beans, topped, tailed and halved
red chilli strips (optional)
2 tsps. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Method:
Season the pork with 2 tsps. of light soy sauce.
Heat up a wok and add the cooking oil. Add the garlic and fry on low heat until golden. Take out half of the garlic and set aside.
Add the pork to the wok and stir fry on high heat for 2 minutes.
Add the green beans and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover, lower the heat and cook for a further 3 minutes or until the beans are crisp tender. This is now done.
Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the toasted garlic. Serves 4 as a side dish.
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Yum, Adora. I haven't had good filipino food in a long time. It's been a self-imposed ban because I can get a little out of control with the rice. This is exactly the kind of dish I would love to have multiple times a week. Oh, this looks so good!
ReplyDeleteThis dish looks simple in the ingredients and I bet it must be delicious too.
ReplyDeleteAdora, glad to hear you have revoluntionized your eating habits since childhood.
ReplyDeleteI love green beans so this dish is right up my street, thanks. Now I just need the green beans (not an easy task here).
This is just ordinary green beans from the supermarket, Debs. Any green beans will do.
DeleteStir fried beans have always been my favorite & now my go-to veggie dish. Love this post. Thanks for sharing. Your photos are suppppppperrrrrbbb! Nice!
ReplyDeleteSo simple .. So Delicious !!!
ReplyDeleteYour beans adobo looks YUM. And your presentation is always gorgeous. Would love to try your recipe.
ReplyDeleteI think people's perspectives on food evolve and change over time. Especially kids as they grow older and have new relationships. Barkada, boyfriend, girlfriend... :-)
Your photo of the dish makes me want to have some now! The floods in the Philippines have made vegetable prices shoot up, but green beans (or Baguio beans as they're called here) have remained cheap.
ReplyDeleteI guess I've been abused, too, in my childhood, and I think I'm abusing my kids now, too, but we're all healthier because of it, right?
I love this dish, Adora! For me, this is the best way to enjoy green beans! Simple but full of flavor!
ReplyDelete