Perchance to Eat

I ingest recipes and then imagine cooking them in my head.  And then I forget about them.

Because I eat out – we eat out – a lot.  And those recipes lose their allure to gastronomic treats in restaurants with ambiance that is well worth the money.  And I do not have to clean up (look, ma, no dirty hands!).

It is because of experiential eating.  And when I say experiential eating, I mean Sonya’s Garden, which entered my reality more than ten years ago.   Because of that one fine afternoon when we got lost looking for what would be our wedding reception venue, I found out that eating should not just be about good food.  It should also be about having a great experience – a meal amidst a lush garden, fine bone china, rose petals in the salad, sheer white gauze in the windows, dew on the flowers, a singing dog (believe me) and a goddess in a flowing chiffon gown…  And since then, we have been on the search for “the dining experience”.  And the Manila restaurant scene did not disappoint – there is Antonio’s (Tagaytay), Ugu Bigyan (Quezon Province), Bale Dutung (Pampanga), Abe’s Farm (Pampanga) and the other places that have been getting acclaim – the so-called best-kept secrets.

I digress.

Now that I have a self-imposed prohibition not to eat out for two weeks, those recipes were given the opportunity to come out of my head – to be real.

One that I have obsessed about making since last year is Abe’s Crispy Tadyang (Crispy Beef Ribs).  But I was wary of cooking it because I thought it impossible and cumbersome, and couldn’t I just order it at Abe’s?  But I stumbled upon the recipe in a magazine and then I had these self-imposed frugal nights so it was a foregone conclusion.  I had to cook it.  So I did.

Would you believe it? Crispy Tadyang.

Crispy Tadyang (Crispy Beef Ribs)

Ingredients

1.5 kilos beef ribs
1/4 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced carrots
1 1/4 cups diced onions
2 tsp crushed peppercorns
2 tbsp rock salt
enough water to cover the meat
6 cups corn oil
1/4 cup patis (fish sauce)
13 pieces or about 1/3 cup calamansi

Procedure

1.  Cut up the ribs into 2-inch portions.  Wash and place in a large casserole.  Add the celery, carrots, onion, pepper and salt.  Pour in the water and let boil until meat is tender (4 hours) and the meat slides off the bone easily.  Drain the meat and set aside. (stock can be used to make gravy)

2.  Heat the oil.  Season the ribs with patis (fish sauce) and calamansi.  Deep fry the meat until very crisp.

3.  You can also make a dipping sauce with vinegar, chopped onions, garlic and labuyo (red hot chili pepper).

I replaced the suggested cut of the beef (ribs) with cubes and Bulgogi (Korean beef barbeque cut).  I also slow-cooked it for 3 ½ hours instead of 4 (after all, this is supposed to be a frugal night).  But I also had to dash to the grocery to get the celery.  I had to use car so okay not so frugal (have to plan better next time).

Mom-turned-mad-cook is also inspiring daughter to mix things.  One night – and the next two – were gelatin nights until she could not look at gelatin anymore.  Another night was for boiling water, sugar and pandan leaves for some sugar syrup – which she used for her fruit shakes.  She has since ventured to making scrambled eggs and baking oatmeal cookies.

A confession.  I did not know the kitchen could be an enchanting place and that my head could cook up these delightful dishes with the help of my hands.

Here’s to frugal but special nights.

Article by Issa.  Art and Photo by D. Copyright 2010.
website: www.YouWantToBeRich.com
email: issa@youwanttoberich.com

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