A non-traditional Christmas table

Filipino families being what they are, one is likely to host at least one meal during the season, considering holiday gatherings are divided among families, each group taking their turn at preparing a lunch or dinner for the whole brood.

Let’s go non-traditional this time. Escape the calories of cholesterol-rich food like lechon. Do not load up on relleno, morcon and the ever-present pancit. Be different. We went through our two cookbooks (“In My Basket, the Cookbook” and the recently released “In My Basket, Travel Collection and Recollections”) and came up with a Christmas table of not-so-usual dishes for one special meal.    

We composed a menu from salad to dessert, each dish as easy to prepare as it is delicious. It comes balanced with a healthy salad, chowder, Asian roast chicken, stuffed fish and a must-try dessert. Indulge, if you must, on a pica-pica of ham and queso de bola before the meal.

Here is the menu:

Sesame prawn salad – inspired by a visit to Taiwan which we found very refreshing.

Sweet corn chowder – very American, but was discovered and savored in Guam.

Bringhe – a dish we inherited from our forebearers. This is the Filipino paella that we grew up with prepared by a town chef supervised by our lola.

Roast chicken with oyster sauce – a recipe shared with us by a former cook, now often found on our dining table.

Royal bangus – nothing new, but we renamed rellenong bangus thus because it is fit for royalty, considering the tedious preparation involved and the beauty that the fish becomes.    

The ultimate fruit cake – the best way to end a meal with robust coffee or ice cream. Recipe is available on request.

Have a great Christmas meal with your loved ones!

E-mail comments and questions to [email protected]

BRINGHE

Ingredients

1 head native garlic, crushed

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup flaked chicken breast (cooked before flaking)

oregano leaves

oil

3 tsps salt

1 kilo cooked malagkit (glutinous rice)

thumb-size turmeric ginger (luyang dilaw)

½ cups water

Procedure

Saute garlic and onion.

Add flaked chicken, salt and water.

Blend together, cover and simmer.

Add malagkit, oregano leaves and turmeric, stirring frequently until cooked.

SESAME PRAWN SALAD

Ingredients

3 kilos cooked tiger prawns

2 bunches fresh mint

3 bunches coriander, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 cucumbers, sliced

250 gms bean sprouts

250 gms red cabbage, julliened

2 tbsps toasted sesame seeds

Dressing

2 limes

1/3 cup peanut oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsps fish sauce

1 and 1/2 tbsps brown sugar

Procedure

Peel and discard shells of prawns, leaving tails intact. Remove and discard veins from prawns. Cover and refrigerate.

Cut carrots into thin strips. Cut cucumber into thin diagonal pieces.

Place mint, coriander, carrots, cucumber, sprouts and cabbage in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Use vegetable peeler to remove zest from limes. Set aside.

Juice limes – you will need 1/3 cup – and place in a screw-top jar with remaining ingredients. Shake until combined. This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.

Add prawns, sesame seeds and dressing to the cold salad.

Toss until well combined.

SWEET CORN CHOWDER

Ingredients

3 large potatoes, cut into wedges

50 gms butter

2 red peppers, seeded and diced

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp mild chili powder

2 tbsps flour

1 and 1/2 pints fresh milk

1 and 1/2 pints stock

4 ears of corn, kernels stripped from cobs or 1 can corn kernels

half bunch spring onions, chopped

Procedure

Cook potatoes in salt and water, drain well.

Melt butter, add flour and sauté peppers, onions, garlic and chili powder.

Stir in milk and stock.

Add potatoes and corn, then spring onions.

Let boil, adjust seasoning.

Serve with crispy bacon and crusty bread.

CHINESE ROAST CHICKEN WITH OYSTER SAUCE

Ingredients

1 whole jumbo chicken (no less than 1.5 kilos)

Salt and pepper, juice of 2 calamansi

2 tbps oyster sauce

1/4 cup pure olive oil

8 pieces small size potatoes, unpeeled

Procedure

Clean chicken, let it drip.

Season fowl with salt, pepper and calamansi juice.

Place in refrigerator overnight.

Put chicken, potatoes and the marinade in a pot. Boil on slow fire until done.

Transfer to oven which should have been pre-heated, and bake chicken until it turns golden brown.

Serve with the juice/sauce that results from cooking and baking.

ROYAL BANGUS

Ingredients

I large bangus, about 1.4 k, de-boned, take care skin remains intact with the head

4 cloves garlic, crushed

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 onions, chopped

1/4 kilo potatoes, cut into small cubes

2 hard-boiled eggs, diced

2 regular boxes of raisins

1 tbsp sweet relish

cooking oil

1 stalk each celery and leeks

1 tsp salt

3 tbsps all-purpose flour

2 tbsps butter

juice of 2 calamansi

3 tbsps light soy sauce

Procedure

Ask your fishmonger to debone bangus, being very careful that the tiyan is not taken off with the fish meat.

Season the skin with calamansi juice, soy and ground pepper. Keep in the ref.

To cook, boil fish meat in leeks and celery, flake.

Saute garlic, onions and potatoes, adding a little salt and pepper.

When potatoes are done, add flaked bangus, pickle relish, eggs and raisins. Let cook, then cool.

Squeeze marinade off the bangus skin, stuff it with the sauteed mixture. Sew up opening between head and body. Coat fish with flour.

Pre-heat oven.

Generously grease a baking pan large enough to fit the bangus.

In the course of baking, you might need to cover bangus with foil to avoid burning.

Bake until done, turning once, basting with melted butter.

Transfer to a serving dish, be careful not to break the fish.

Serve with a mixture of soy sauce, calamansi juice and pepper which has been boiled in butter.