I've tried several recipe mixes, I have only been able to prepare those that are palatable enough to be consumed without throwing up, but nothing like the way I want it.
Because I look up to my lolas, our kusineras and kusineros and Nanay when it comes to home-cooked food, thought I'd give Mama Sita a try. As usual I defy by using pork instead of beef and adding liver spread and cheese which the instructions did not mention.
The beauty of cooking for yourself is you have perfect control of what goes into your food as opposed to dining out or relying on neighborhood carinderias. For one, I use a healthier cooking oil for sauteeing, and since I hate ingesting chunks of onions, i can grind them till they're pureed before putting them in the pan. Not that I added onions on this one, i'm happy to miss the part of slicing and osterizing them, it saves me tears.
I started off with browning a bit of garlic before pushing the pork for a dive. Seasoned the raw meat with Aromat and pepper and left it to fry in its own fat on low fire until it's brown.
As defiant as I am, i followed the " add 2 cups water instruction" and left it to boil for a few minutes before pouring the recipe mix. By the look of the sauce mix, my Caldereta presented some promise but I'll never know till it's over and done.
Waiting on meat to tenderize is always the best time to prepare other ingredients. The only thing I learned from my college laboratory course in Hotel and Restaurant Management is to practice mis en place where ingredients are organized as to measurement. Although, measuring spices and seasonings are not my bowl of soup, i just like be neat when the pot is on fire.
Caldereta is no Caldereta without bell peppers; potatoes, Baguio beans and hotdogs are my family's touch and what I have been used to. As much as they are extenders, I see it as balancing tools for the dish, chewing on meat all the way is no fun. Add the fact that food should be pretty as they are palatable.
I like colors, it matters to me that food on my plate have layers of color. I put bell peppers on my dishes but I dont eat them, I opted to get green peppers for this dish instead of red to avoid the monotonous crimson. Colororizing your dish need not take much, throw in one potato, one bell pepper sliced diagonally, one piece of hotdog and about 10 stalks of baguio beans cut in one inch stalks and you're good to go.
Quite possibly, once done with peeling and slicing, the meat a little bit more tender which means the potato can join the party. I can opt to fry it but economics implies maximixed use of cooking time.
When the potatoes are cooked, the meat is prolly tender, putting in the easy cook ingredients should be in order. Since i like it creamy and tasty, grating cheese over the pan is my way to go.
I like it hotter so sprinkling a bit of crushed chili wont hurt.
Now that everything is biteable, pitch the hotdogs and green peppers to cook a little bit with the sauce, extracting the spice to add flavor. Add the beans while still on low fire, veggies do not make dishes look good when it's soggy.
and here it is! Pork Caldereta ala Mama Sita with a midnigh chef twist.
It does taste like Caldereta, maybe a hint close to my lola's but not quite yet.
I like the color though.
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