Homemade Pancake

fluffy & soft pancakes

Homemade Pancake

Ingredients:
(good for 4-6 people)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk or milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Direction:
1. Combine and mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, 2 tbsp oil and vanilla.
3. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Do not over mix.
4. Pour one cup of the milk slowly to the batter and adding more to reach your desired consistency.
5. Lightly grease the non-stick pan and heat it over medium high heat. Pancake will look just like the above photo if you wipe off the "extra" oil from the pan.
6. Pour the pancake mix about 1/4 cup or more for bigger pancakes
7. Wait until the surface becomes bubbly. Flip the pancake and cook for
another 30­-45 seconds or until browned. Yield: 12-14 mini pancakes

How to make homemade buttermilk?
(Buttermilk will give your pancake a softer texture and more body than using regular milk).

1. Add 1 Tbsp. of white vinegar to an empty cup.
2. Add milk (whole, low fat, or skim) until the amount reaches one cup.
3. Whisk together and let stand for 5-10 minutes until the milk is curdled.

Easy Pancit Palabok Recipe

This rice noodle food is one of my family's favorite. 

Easy Pancit Palabok Recipe

Ingredients:
225-250 grams rice sticks noodles (bihon)
cooking oil
seasonings: salt, pepper, soy sauce & fish sauce

SAUCE:
1 liter water
1 shrimp bouillon cube
1 pork bouillon cube
2 1/2 Tbsp. annatto seeds soak in water for 15 minutes. 
1/2 cup cornstarch dissolve in water

TOPPINGS:
pork cracklings
350 grams ground pork 
8 pcs shrimp, chopped 
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 pcs hard boiled eggs
spring onions, chopped
calamansi or lemon wedges

Direction:
1. Soak bihon noodles in water for 1 hour.
2. In a large wok, fry garlic in oil until brown, set aside
3. Next is fry the shrimps. Season with salt & pepper. Stir & fry for a few minutes. Set aside.
4. On the same wok with the remaining cooking oil place the ground pork. Season with soy sauce, salt & pepper and continue cooking until brown. Transfer to a serving bowl about 3/4 of the ground pork leaving 1/4 portion on the wok then add the 1 liter of water, bouillon cubes and the annatto extract. Let it boil. Skim off the scum/foam. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Salt & pepper to taste. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes more.
5. While the sauce is simmering, boil water in a large pot. Drain the soaked bihon and add into boiling water for about 1 minute or til noodles look transparent but not overcook. It won't take long. Drain water immediately and put noodles on a serving bowl.
6. For individual servings, put noodles on plate, ladle enough palabok sauce over noodles, and arrange all the toppings starting with crushed chicharon, followed by ground pork, shrimps, fried garlic and sliced eggs. Garnish with spring onions and serve with calamansi.
Serves 6.

Note: To extract color from annatto seeds soak the seeds for 15 minutes in water. Rub the seeds together until the seeds bleed in bright red orange color. Wear plastic gloves to protect your hands from stain. Strain the seeds. You may add water again to the seeds and repeat.

Photos:

Annatto seeds soaked in water

Palabok Sauce

Crushed Pork Cracklings

Sliced Hard Boiled Eggs (supposed to be)

Fried Garlic

Rice Sticks Noodles

Calamansi (from my backyard :D)

Spring Onion (from my pot :D)

Ground Pork

Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls)

Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls)

This recipe requires only 2 cups of all-purpose flour. I started from this quantity and I just doubled the recipe the time I perfected it. Happy baking :D


Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar (less 1 tsp for the yeast)
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Procedure:

1. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar to 1/2 cup of warm water then add the yeast and mix. Set aside till foamy (about 10 minutes)
2. In a large mixing bowl mix together vegetable oil, salt, and sugar followed by 1 cup of flour and then the yeast mixture. Add the remaining flour about 1/4 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If there is a remaining flour save it for dusting later.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, supple and elastic (dusting more flour if necessary); about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer the dough into a greased bowl and turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover with a cling wrap and let sit in a "warm" place until the dough has doubled in volume; about 1 hour.
5. Punch the dough, form it into a log, cut it into desired sizes, coat with bread crumbs and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
6. Cover the rolls with a cling wrap and let it rise again for another 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius for 10 minutes.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. In some ovens it may reach up to 30-40 minutes. Yield: 9 pandesal


Note : For a sweeter dough, add more sugar (1 tbsp).
Storage: Keep in airtight containers/bags. Buns will last 3-5 days at room temperature.