Imbento Time: Nori lumpia

A friend asked me what the critic thinks of my cooking. 

Imbento daw, I said. 

That sounds scary.

I don't mind that he calls the stuff I make (and eat) 'imbento food' because, well, it's true.  (I went through my blog posts recently and confirmed his observation.)  I guess the reason I like making up new dishes is because I know I'm going to spend quite an amount of physical and mental energy into cooking so I figured I might as well have fun doing it, too.

And last night, not only did I enjoy preparing my dinner but I also had a pleasurable time eating it.  Nakachamba na naman ako!  I'm planning to make the dish again for our weekend lunch so C will understand that imbento food can be delicious.

Here's how to make Nori Lumpia:

1.  Take out the tools: cutting board, knife, two plates, frying pan, wooden cooking spoon, kettle, small bowl, and a strainer.

2.  Gather the ingredients*: a small carrot, a small orange,  a small onion, two cloves of garlic, a small block of tofu, a tablespoon of coconut oil, 1.6 oz. vermicelli (sotanghon), chili soybean paste, two nori sheets, and salt and pepper.

3.  Julienne carrot. Peel orange and slice segments into piso-sized pieces.  Finely chop onion and garlic.  Set cut vegetables on plate.

4.   Place the block of tofu in the palm of your hand and squeeze it until it's mashed.  Leave it on the cutting board.

5.  Set frying pan on stove, medium flame.  Heat oil.  Brown garlic then throw in chopped onion until the pieces become translucent.  Add the tofu.  Cook for five minutes or until light brown.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set cooked tofu on plate.

6.  Fill the kettle with enough water for a small bowl and set on stove, high flame.  Then pour boiling water over the vermicelli in a small bowl.  Leave for 3-5 minutes then strain noodles.

7.  Reheat frying pan on medium flame then toss in the noodles and a tablespoon of chili soybean paste.  Mix evenly.  Kill stove.

8.  On a nori sheet, layer noodles, tofu, carrot strips, and chopped orange, then roll and fold nori into a lumpia log.  Repeat.

9.  Eat!

Last Day 17

Take some fiery hot noodles...

...and salty-spicy tofu, crispy carrots and sweet-tangy orange...

...TA-DAHH!

_____

*good for one person

Kimchi noodle soup PLUS

As the saying goes, 'necessity is the mother of invention', and in my kitchen, it couldn't be truer.

I was tempted to just grab a fresh Chinese lumpia at Landmark Supermarket in Trinoma last night but the price (70 pesos!) hindered me.  So I racked my brain instead for possible things to cook with the leftover ingredients in the fridge.  My eyes wandered to the noodles aisle so I thought kimchi soup it is!

I use to live with two of the coolest Temperate Asian dudes in a co-ed boarding house run by a notorious white Canadian guy.  One was a talented Japanese b-boy who showed me how to make okonomiyaki (a savory pancake usually eaten as a snack) and the other was an opinionated aspiring Korean diplomat who taught me the recipe for kimchi soup.  Now, I didn't make notes back then, but all I can remember was adding kimchi and Lucky Me Pancit Canton noodles (without the sauce and powder) into a pot of boiling water, then dumping Spam Hot & Spicy slices.

Since I don't eat Spam, I sliced and re-fried instead the leftover tofu I had for Day 11 (which had been marinated overnight in soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic before they were fried), then added it to the boiling soup of kimchi and noodles.  I added a bit of chili soybean paste since the hotness of the kimchi had been diluted by the water.

The PLUS part: I was about to enjoy my soup when I remembered that I bought nori some two months ago and it was just chilling in the fridge, unopened.  So I took two sheets out, tore them to pieces, and added them to the steaming spicy bowl of noodles.

Last Day 14

The best things in life are cheap!

Food Thoughts and Tofu

Growing up under the frugal and health-obsessive eye of a Virgo mother, we never had any of the following on our dining table: salted egg (high risk for bacterial contamination), dried fish (too salty), tilapia (because they're freshwater not saltwater!), and hotdogs (super processed).

Instead, what we always had were things like homemade peanut butter (enough supply for two months, ugh!), wheat bread (from her suki at Carmen), and buko salad (also homemade, frozen, and good for two months).

But there were lapses in our food restrictions that I didn't understand.  For example, we always had longganisa and tocino, and all kinds of cured meats.  Plus, we were never restricted on sweets.

I eventually came to the conclusion that these unhealthful breaks in our diet were actually her favorite junk food.  Just like my unconditional love for Mr. Chips.  I mean, I incorporate it in my lunches as the 'carbohydrate component'.

When I left home for college, I realized that my food knowledge had been limited (damn!) and so my hesitant adventure with food began.

I started with street food like isaw and balut and adidas and taho.  I also took to eating vegetable dishes that I normally wouldn't eat at home like ginisang monggo and pinakbet.  Then came sweetbreads like pig lung, chicken kidneys, and ox brain.  Then I ate a locust (kamaru).  And a frog.  Tilapia.  Salted egg.

But, as daring as my encounters with food had been,  I must say that there are some dishes that I probably will not have an appetite for again, unless they're served at a peace treaty dinner or something.

And then there are surprising discoveries of food favorites that are now staples on my weekly menu.  One of these is tofu.

From Wikipedia:
Tofu or bean curd^[3] is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese,^[4] and others.^[5] There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way. Tofu has a subtle flavor and can be used in savory and sweet dishes. Tofu has a low calorie count, relatively large amounts of protein, and little fat. It is high in iron and, depending on the coagulant used in manufacturing, may also be high in calcium and/or magnesium.

I think tofu is a funny-looking food.  What I mean is, cube-shaped objects are so rare in nature, IF there are any at all.  But it's one of the most healthful foods around and I will always have room in my stomach for a block of tofu.

Last Day 11

A square meal: red rice, fresh cabbage, kimchi, and soy tofu.