N.T. Alcuaz > Quotes

“Place the flat cut corned beef, with all its juices and condiments from the package, in a big pot. Pour water to the level of the beef. Add”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“small fragrant”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“I often use cake mixes as my basic ingredients, then exploit them to produce more exciting products.”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“fried chicken”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“Before the war, we spent a lot of Sundays in Intramuros (IN-TRAH- MOO-RHOS) to visit my lolo (grandfather) and Iola (grandmother). Intramuros is a walled city in Manila built”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“Roll out each piece into an eight-inch round. Spread two tablespoons of the beef mixture in the middle of the dough, one tablespoon of spinach, two tablespoons of mozzarella cheese and about”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“-T-tacos,”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“which turn into grains. After harvest time, these grains are removed from the stalks by threshing them. They are then hulled in a big wooden mortar and pestle, usually by the synchronized pounding”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“wants,”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“In a big pot with hot oil, saute onions and garlic. Mix in turkey. Stir in mushrooms. Let”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“cooked rice and I detested beating eggs. I remember Tia Bestra, who would patiently show me that the whites should be separated from the yolks. She would first beat the egg whites in a shallow bowl with a fork until it was so foamy. I was always amazed but at the same time I felt it was too much effort wasted, after all we were only making an omelet. Then came the time when I had to learn how to, at least, make the sauteed vegetables Josh and I enjoyed.”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“which turn into grains. After harvest time, these grains are removed from the stalks by threshing them. They are then hulled in a big wooden mortar and pestle, usually by the synchronized pounding of two men. The process of winnowing, usually done by the females using a bilao (a woven, flat, round, bamboo tray), separates the kernels that we eat from the hulls, the rough outer”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“Preface
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be writing a cookbook. I never liked helping in the kitchen when I was growing up. We were often assigned chores and I always opted for washing the dishes. I hardly ever cut vegetables, never cooked rice and I detested beating eggs. I remember Tia Bestra, who would patiently show me that the whites should be separated from the yolks.”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“Use less water when cooking glutinous rice (malagkit). Have the water go up about one-half of an inch above the leveled rice. Boil vigorously (keep pot covered), then simmer for 20 minutes. When done, let it cool uncovered.”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“would be writing a cookbook. I never liked helping in the kitchen when I was growing up. We were often assigned chores and I always opted for washing the dishes. I hardly ever cut vegetables, never cooked rice and I detested beating eggs. I remember Tia Bestra, who would patiently show me that the whites should be separated from the yolks.”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“Then came the time when I had to learn how to, at least, make the sauteed vegetables Josh and I enjoyed. When I asked mother about this, I remember her saying,”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“with ample supply of water. In the Philippines, rice planting is a celebration. The soil is first prepared by the farmer and his carabao”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“Thaw the frozen spinach then drain by using your hand to squeeze the water out. Chop finely while still in a tight wad. Pat dry and spread out in a bowl. Set aside.”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“tedious. Just”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“Neatly put away leftovers as soon as possible. Take the time to cut them into slices first (for sandwiches), those that cannot be further sliced are cut into chunks (for tetrazzini, stuffed breads, salads, etc.), and the rest into smaller pieces (for fried rice, omelets, etc.). Wrap these packages in the appropriate size so the whole package is used once thawed; this eliminates refreezing”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“Preface
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be writing a cookbook. I never liked helping in the kitchen when I was growing up. We were often assigned chores and I always opted for washing the dishes. I hardly ever cut vegetables, never cooked rice and I detested beating eggs. I remember Tia Bestra, who would patiently show me that the whites should be separated from the yolks. She would first beat the egg whites in a shallow bowl with a fork until it was so foamy. I was always amazed but at the same time I felt it was too much effort wasted, after all we were only making an omelet.
Then came the time when I had to learn how to, at least, make the sauteed vegetables Josh and I enjoyed. When I asked mother about this, I remember her saying, "Gisahin mo ang sibuyas at kamatis..." (Saute the onions and tomatoes...) but I quickly stopped her to tell her that I did not know what gisahin meant. Visibly annoyed with me and with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, she very slowly said, "Get the fry pan, put some oil in it, heat it..." and again I quickly glanced up from the notes I was taking to tell her that she was going too fast and what size fry pan was I to use and how much oil do I put in it. Realizing how neglected my education in the kitchen had been, she immediately started my cooking lessons. I carefully wrote things down, but words like sankutcha, ligisin, and my ceaseless interruptions were just too much for both of us. Out of desperation, I sent my maid over to my mother's house to learn how to cook all of the dishes that Josh and I enjoyed. I congratulated myself thinking it was one of my most brilliant decisions, but good things always come to an end.
In 1978, Josh, our two sons Alan and Adam, and I left our country. We left our life of Riley. With no more maids or help of any kind, I had to learn how to cook if”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“Saute onions in hot oil. Add the chicken and garlic. Stir until chicken is slightly browned. Add the coconut milk remaining in the can, water and curry powder. Let it boil, then decrease heat to low. Cook covered for 10 minutes, turn chicken over and cook another 15 minutes. Stir in carrots, celery and cauliflower. When partly cooked, add squash and the one cup of thick coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. Mix. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Serve on white rice.
VARIATION:”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“vegetables”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“When cooking before, I would just pour, sprinkle, look, taste and add more. Since deciding to write this book, I have learned to actually measure everything while retesting all the recipes. After all, I would not want to leave my sons something that was not as flavorful as they had before.
Each”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“The Philippines has the most beautiful rice plantations in the world-the Ifugao rice terraces. Hand carved thousands of years ago on mountains upon mountains in northern Luzon, this seemingly endless view of rice terraces is not only truly breathtaking, but also an awesome agricultural and engineering feat.”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“Saute onions in hot oil. When tender, mix in chicken, garlic and celery. Stir well. Add”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“mozzarella. I do not buy them in packages already grated as there might be something in it that keeps them nicely separated. My parmessan and pecorino romano cheeses are bought in chunks from the delicatessen. When in a rush, I sometimes have them grind it for me.
Memories
Right after the war, to promote some semblance of sanity, schools were immediately reopened. No longer were the pages”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“CUCUMBER”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“of measurement is in the metric system, our ovens are calibrated in Fahrenheit. However, if your oven is in Celsius, the following formulas might”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More

“Out of desperation, I sent my maid over to my mother's house to learn how to cook all of the dishes that Josh and I enjoyed. I congratulated myself thinking it was one of my most brilliant decisions, but good things always come to an end.
In”
― N.T. Alcuaz, Banana Leaves: Filipino Cooking and Much More