Rice Balls with Coconut Milk (Ginataang Bilo-Bilo)

1 cup glutinous rice flour (malagkit, sold in Oriental
stores)
1/3 cup water
3 cups coconut milk (sold in Oriental stores), thinned with 1/2 cup
water
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups large pearl tapioca
1 1/2 cups coconut cream (sold in Oriental stores)

Blend rice flour and water into a dough.
Shape into balls
1/4-inch in diameter.

In a large pot, boil coconut milk, sugar and tapioca.
When
tapioca is transparent, add the rice balls.
When the rice balls are
soft but firm, add coconut cream and boil for 5 more minutes.

Serve hot.

Shrimp in Coconut Milk (Ginataang Hipon)

2 cups coconut milk (sold in Oriental food stores)
2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup pepper leaves or any green leafy vegetable in season

In a medium pot, bring coconut milk and water to a boil.
Add
shrimp.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add pepper leaves or other
leafy vegetable just before turning off heat.

Serve hot.

Sweet Rice Flour Cakes (Espasol)

Yield: 15 to 20 cakes

4 cups sweet rice flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cans coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Toast the sweet rice flour on a cookie sheet.

Bring sugar, coconut milk and salt to a boil.
Add 3 cups toasted
sweet rice flour.
Mix well and cook until thick, stirring
constantly.
Remove from heat and transfer to board well sprinkled
with some of the reserved sweet rice flour.
With a rolling pin,
flatten to about 1/4 inch and cut into diamonds.
Roll in the
remaining rice flour.

Tamarind Balls

1 cup tamarind pulp with seeds
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups cooked camote, mashed
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup syrup (1 cup sugar to 1/2 cup water)
Yellow cellophane for wrapping

Mix all ingredients on a thick pan and cook over medium heat.
Stir continuously while cooking.
Cook until it becomes thick and
sticky.
Cool.

Shape into desired size balls, then roll in granulated sugar.
Wrap in cellophane.

Lumpia (Philippine Egg Rolls)

Wrappers (Doilies)
3 cups flour
5 cups water, less 2 tablespoons
Salt, to taste

Filling
3/4 pound ground pork or beef
5 ounces raw shrimp, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 (4 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained and finely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 (16 ounce) can bean sprouts, drained
1/2 cup raisins, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Vegetable oil

Lumpia Sauce
2 cups pineapple juice
1 cup catsup
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2-inch cube ginger, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch

To make wrappers, combine flour, water and salt to taste and mix
thoroughly with a wire whisk to remove lumps.
Batter should be
about the consistency of crepe batter.
Add a little water if it is
too thick.
If the batter thickens as it sits, you may have to add
more water.

Heat a 6-inch crepe pan and wipe out with lightly oiled wax
paper.
Pour on batter quickly to cover the bottom.
Pour off excess.
Allow to cook over low heat until the edges begin to curl and pull
away from the sides of the pan.
Remove and place on clean, dry
surface.
Repeat, oiling pan each time.
Do not stack wrappers on top
of each other until each has cooled.

Before filling, cut off excess batter to make a perfect
circle.

To make filling, cook pork or beef in a large skillet until
pinkness is gone.
Drain off grease.
Add shrimp, onions, water
chestnuts, bamboo shoots, celery, garlic and carrot; cook until
carrot is almost tender.
Stir in remaining ingredients except the
egg white and oil.
Mix well.
Cook until bean sprouts are limp.

Pour mixture into strainer and cool, allowing as much liquid as
possible to drain off before filling rolls.
Use about 1 heaping
teaspoon for each wrapper.
Place filling near one side.
Roll
wrapper over filling a couple of times; fold in sides and roll up
tightly.
Seal flap with a little egg white.

Deep fry in vegetable oil heated to about 375 degrees F until
rolls are golden.

Drain thoroughly on paper towels and serve with sauce.

Olongapo (Fried Rice)

2 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
Oil for stir fry
1 cup meat, any type cooked or raw
MSG
1 onion, chopped
Soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 to 3 whole green onions, chopped
1 egg, beaten

Add sufficient oil to stir fry in your wok or to cover the
bottom of a frying pan.
If the meat is raw, add it to hot oil and
stir fry until almost done.
Add onions and garlic, stir frying
until onions are beginning to brown on the edges.
Sprinkle a
generous portion of MSG across the entire surface of the oil, then
add a serving spoon full of soy sauce.
Be careful.
The soy sauce
causes the oil to “pop” a bit.
After the oil has calmed, add the
celery, cooking just a bit, still keeping it crunchy.
Add the rice
and stir gently.
If you constantly stir the rice, it will become
mushy.

When rice is hot throughout, add cilantro, chopped green onion
and beaten egg.
Stir gently until egg is done.
Garnish with a bit
more green onion if you like.

Serve with additional soy sauce.
When you add the egg, you can
also add fresh tomato bits, mushroom slices and French-cut green
beans.