Chefs’ favorite rainy-day recipes

Bajirak Kalguksu

600 g fresh noodles
300 g clams
1/2 pc onion
1/3 pc zucchini
Green and red chili (optional)
1/2 stalk green onion

Anchovy stock (about 10 c):
20 pc dried anchovies
2 pc dried kelp (10 x 10 cm)
11-12 c water
Salt water for clams: 1 Tbsp salt plus 2 c water

Seasoning:
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp soy sauce for soup
3 Tbsp anchovy fish sauce
Salt and pepper

1. Soak and rinse clams in salt water.
2. Slice onion and cut the zucchini into thin strips.
3. Remove seeds of green and red chili if using and slice diagonally.
4. Slice green onion diagonally.
5. Boil anchovies and kelp with cold water. When boiling, remove kelp and simmer another 15-20 minutes. Remove anchovies.
6. Add clams in anchovy stock.
7. When clams open, take out clams and strain stock to remove unwanted solids.
8. Add seasoning, onion and zucchini to the stock. When it boils, add noodles, green onion, green chili and red chili.
9. Adjust salt to taste.

Iranian favorite

Chef Sohrabi Langroudi Hossein of Hossein’s Restaurant takes delight in Ghormeh Sabzi during the rainy season. It is a rich beef stew slow-cooked with fresh herbs, dried lime and red kidney beans.

According to his son Arash, Ghormeh Sabzi is one of, if not the most culturally significant dish of Iran, much like what adobo is to the Philippines. He intimated, “My dad slow cooks his very own version for a minimum of eight hours.”

Ghormeh Sabzi

2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb (or 450 g) stewing beef or lamb, cubed
2 c chopped mixed herbs (parsley, cilantro, green onions, and fenugreek)
1 large onion, chopped
1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 dried limes (limoo amani), pierced
1 tsp turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
Water
Optional: saffron for garnish

1. Sauté chopped onions in some oil until golden brown.
2. Add cubed meat to the pot and brown on all sides.
3. Stir in turmeric, salt, pepper.
4. Add chopped herbs to the pot and sauté for a few minutes until fragrant.
5. Pour in enough water to cover the meat and herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover pot and slow-cook for at least 4-6 hours until the meat is tender.
6. Add the kidney beans and dried limes to the pot. Simmer another hour.
7. Season to taste. Serve hot over steamed basmati rice. Garnish with saffron. Best eaten with fresh onions on the side.

Mindanao cuisine

Chef Miggy Cabel Moreno owns Palm Grill, the only Department of Tourism-accredited restaurant in Luzon that serves authentic Mindanaon cuisine.

Tiyula Itum is a black beef soup of the Tausugs. It is chef Miggy’s bowl of comfort this time of year. It is cooked with three kinds of ginger (regular, turmeric, galangal), has lemongrass, fresh garlic, and onions that make it very aromatic and full of flavor. This dish is very comforting. Its uniqueness comes from the burnt coconut.

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Tiyula Itum

1/2 kg beef
3 Tbsp or 1/8 c ginger, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
2 small onions (red)
3 stalks lemongrass, tied in a knot
1/3 c burnt coconut meat (pamapa)
3 pc turmeric
3 pc galangal (blue ginger)
3-5 pc chilies (optional)
2-3 c beef stock
2-3 Tbsp oil (vegetable)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Marinate the beef with salt, pepper, burnt coconut overnight.
2. In a pot, add the cooking oil and saute onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, galangal, and burnt coconut until fragrant.
3. Then, add the beef and stir until well combined.
4. Add the beef stock and lemongrass. Let it simmer for 15-30 minutes.
5. Slow-cook in low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, until meat is tender.

Magic Caldero

The arroz caldo and creamy macaroni soup we cook in my huge Magic Caldero has warmed the tummies of hungry children and those affected by floods. I christened the pot Magic Caldero because it magically never runs out of food, regardless of how many we feed. Here’s the scaled-down recipe of my delicious macaroni soup.

Creamy Macaroni Soup

1/4 c vegetable oil
1 c ham, cubed
3/4 c onions, chopped
3/4 c carrots, chopped
3/4 c celery, chopped
1/2 c celery leaves (this is the secret), chopped
10-12 c pork or chicken stock
2 cans evaporated milk or 2 c powdered milk (you may add more depending on desired richness)
1/2 c patis
Salt to taste
2-3 c macaroni
White pepper
1 c cabbage, shredded

1. Saute ham for 5 minutes. Add vegetables and cook for 10 more minutes.
2. Add all the ingredients except macaroni and cabbage. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
3. Add macaroni.
4. Add cabbage last. You may add the celery leaves with the cabbage if you want a more pronounced celery taste.
5. Season to your liking.
6. Serve hot with hot pan de sal.

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