Misua Soup with Meatballs, California style

Blogger’s Note: Apologies for the long absence. I’ve been meaning to write this for a while now but my intermediate hula classes, some travel, and life was taking up most of my time. However, I am determined… yes, determined to write my soup post before the weather become warmer. So here goes…

I finally found a blog-worthy recipe and had time to write! Hooray! It was about time since the weather is getting warmer and I still want to write about soup. I feel that my year needs a soup post or two.

I was finally able to make a successful Maddification of one of my favorite soups. I actually saved this one for last because I thought this would be the easiest (and I obviously overestimated my cooking abilities). I really should have started with this.

I found a really good base in PinoyCookingRecipes.com for Misua Soup with Meatballs. Misua are very delicate wheat noodles used in the Philippines mostly for soup. You can find these in Asian grocery stores. There really is no good substitute for misua in our regular grocery stores, unless you find one with an extensive Asian section. You may be able to substitute pho noodles, but its not quite the same.

The soup contains pork-based meatballs and noodles: fairly straight forward. However, part of my goals was to make misua soup healthier. The base recipe has very little veggies and of course, I wanted to add nice veggies in it. The misua that my grandmother used to make usually has patola but I could not find it here in California (in spite of the huge Filipino community). I could not even find it in the Filipino store. Also, when I lookup what patola is, the translation is zucchini. I don’t think that is correct… the consistency is not the same. Even though it’s back in season, I refuse to add zucchini. I feel that it is a cop out.

Because of my dilemma, I decided to healtify the meatballs instead. Mushrooms were the most obvious choice to add because since they have a consistency similar to meat. It's filled with Vitamin D and we can always use more of that. I chose some nice portabella mushrooms to add to the pork.

Looking at the fridge, I was inspired to add kale. It would give the meatballs an additional nutritional boost and texture. It would not be made in California without kale, right?

The last unintended upgrade was to use shallots instead of onions. We thought we had onions, but did not find it. By using shallots, we have more antioxidants. iron and potassium. They also have a milder flavor than onions.

Here’s what I have. As always, let me know what you think.

Misua soup with Meatballs, California-style

Based on Misua Soup With Meatballs in PinoyCookingRecipes.com

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 3/4 lb of ground pork
• About 1 cup of kale, minced
• 1/4 cup portabella mushrooms, minced
• 1/4 cup scallions, minced
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• flour for dredging
• cooking oil for frying 

Noodles, broth and garnish:

• 3 cups of water
• 100 grams misua noodles (Half the package)
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• green onions, sliced for garnish

Directions: 

1. Combine pork, kale and mushrooms, and 1/8 cup of the shallots and eggs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Shape into 2" balls and roll in flour.
3. Fry until brown. Set aside the meatballs. 
4. Remove excess oil from the pan. Leave at least 1 Tbsp of cooking oil.
5. Saute garlic and remaining onion. 
6. Add the water and let it boil.
7. Add the fried meatballs, fish sauce and misua noodles.
8. Cook for until noodles are soft (about 5 minutes). 
9. Serve hot and garnish with green onions, and enjoy! 

Verdict

I really love this soup. Even with the Maddifications, the original flavor, I think, was not really sacrificed. It still reminded me of the misua soup that my grandmother made. The fact that it is healthier is a big bonus! Maybe I can add zucchini next time… in the meatballs.

The green onions also added a good layer of flavor. But perhaps because of my exposure to Vietnamese soups, I added some lime and yes, Sriracha. That took it up another notch!

One tip though: Because misua is extremely delicate, I would suggest only cooking the noodles that you will be enjoying. When stored, the noodles do not maintain the same consistency and can be a bit (ahem) unappetizing. I think this explains why my grandma kept the broth and meatballs in the refrigerator... and why some of the meatballs disappeared (Hey, I also had several cousins living with us).

Hope you try this and enjoy.

P.S. I did the meaty part of the writing in the Philippines while I was visiting my Dad. I had more time then, because we spent a lot of time just hanging out at home. Perhaps, I was inspired... even though I was just writing on my smart phone.

Mad Gourmet’s Ginisang Upo (Sauteed Bottle Gourd)

I am craving for one of my Mom’s recipes again. This time, it’s Ginasang Upo. Ginisa in Tagalog means “to sauté”. Upo is Bottle Gourd. I am now finding this vegetable in farmer’s markets but very rarely in the grocery stores. So, when I find one, I grab it. 

If you are not that familiar with upo, I found a really great picture of it (on the vine). You can find out more about it in Maribehlla.com (It's the site where I got this picture from).

From Maribehlla.com

I think upo was my favorite vegetable when I was growing up. I really get excited when I saw it in my Mom's basket after a trip to Farmers Market. It has a very mellow flavor and easy on a young palate (ahem). I think what I like about this dish the most was upo combined with meat, so I could enjoy rice and veggie, then rice and meat. Repeat.

Although I had an idea on how to do this, I still searched the internet for a starter. The recipes were fairly similar, but I used the recipe on Panlasang Pinoy as a starter and “Maddified” it.

Most of the recipes that I found used tomatoes. Although that is the way I was taught how to sauté, I do not remember my Mom’s recipe using tomatoes. Also, most of the recipes that I found use ground pork, while I remember my Mom had slices of meat.

This dish would not be Maddified if did not use kale in it. I really did not intend to do that (really), but I had some left and thought I would use it to boost the nutritional value. Besides, one can never have enough veggies.

Also, a touch of fish sauce will give you that distinct taste and scent reminiscent of this dish. After I added that, I was immediately transported to Mom’s kitchen.

Try it and let me know what you think.

GInisang Upo (Sauteed Bottle Gourd) with Pork and Kale

Based on the “Ginisang Upo” recipe from Panlasang Pinoy

Ingredients

• 2 cups of sliced upo (about 1 medium sized or two small ones)
• 1/4 lb sliced pork, seasoned with salt and pepper.
• 1-2 Tablespoon of minced garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
• 1/2 cup of sliced onions
• 1 cup of curly kale, sliced
• 2 Tablespoon cooking oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of fish oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the pan and pour the cooking oil
2. Put the pork and cook about a minute or two per side.
3. Add the garlic and onions and saute.
4. Add the upo, cover the pan, and simmer for 6 minutes.
5. Add the fish sauce.
6. Add the kale and cook until wilted.
7. Serve hot with either rice or quinoa. Enjoy!

Verdict

Love, love, love this recipe. It reminds me of Mom’s with a touch of me. It really reminds me of meals with my family when I was (a lot) younger.

A note on the fish sauce: Fish sauce is quite salty so you should watch the salt that you use for seasoning if you do use it. I'd say use just enough to season the pork and a bit to draw the moisture out of the garlic and onions. If you don't have fish sauce (or don't appreciate the smell/taste/thought of it), you can skip it... It just won't taste "authentic". Remember, use salt and fish sauce sparingly if you are watching our sodium intake.

Also, if you cannot find upo, you can substitute chayote squash. Chayote has a similar consistency to upo, but the flavor is different. 

Another Maddification of this recipe is serving it with something other than white (or brown) rice. My grain bank did not have rice at the time so I served it with quinoa. Although quinoa added to the protein and fiber content of the dish, it did change the flavor a bit. If you want the traditional flavor, serve it with rice. That’s also a gluten-free option.

Maddification…. I like that.

P.S. Another recipe that I use upo is on my Corn-Chayote Tacos. I substitute Upo for chayote and produces a completely different taste. BTW, that taco recipe is one of my favorites for Meatless Monday.

P.P.S. If you're curious about THE Farmers Market in the Philippines, I found an excellent blog post in Market Manila. It's not like the farmers markets in the US, but more like a wet market typical of the Philippines.

Chicken Tinola

I know I said that my last two stew posts were my favorite dish, and this next one is no exception. It may be my uber-fave. It has chicken, ginger, and green papaya. Where else can it go wrong. I am talking about Chicken Tinola.

I love this dish because I was a chicken addict when I was a kid. Anything chicken I would eat. I remember my Dad bringing home KFC and that was a big deal for me. Loved it (and I actually still do – I just do not eat it as much).

But again, I digress…

Green Papaya - about the size of a small football

I rarely see tinola in the Filipino eateries around here., so again, I had no choice but make it. Since this was going to be a cold rainy weekend, it seemed appropriate to have something warming.

The challenge again was procurement, but unlike the Puchero, this requires less ingredients. The first time I made this, I tried to get green papaya at the Filipino supermarket (Seafood City) but they did not have it. I do not think they had hot pepper leaves as well… so off to Ranch 99 I go (Ranch 99 is another Asian super grocery store).

The first time I attempted to make this, Ranch 99 did not have green papaya. They did have unripe Hawaiian papaya which seemed to be a good substitute. The second time I made this they had Green Papaya from Mexico. It was meant to be.

Do not use ripe papaya: it needs to firm enough to simmer in broth. Ripe papaya will probably disintegrate (and would probably result in a weird sweet-salty flavor). Best to save the ripe papaya for dessert.

Darn, now I am craving for papaya.

You do need to cut the papaya into wedges. Hopefully the pictures below will help on how to do it.

This is what it looks like inside. No seeds yet.

Wedgies! I do remove the white stuff on the inside where the seeds usually go.

I have seen recipes sing chayote squash instead. Although it will probably be yummy (I love Chayote too – as can be seen in my corn-chayote tacos), this is not tinola, at least not how I remember it. It’s the blend of the chicken, green papaya, and ginger that makes this dish rock.

The recipe in Panlasang Pinoy again served as a great base. Without it, I would not know that it used Hot Pepper leaves – the leaves! One can find it frozen in the Asian markets. I pretty much followed the recipe, but I used less fish sauce and salt than the original recipe for health reasons.

Thawing... these are frozen solid when bought.

Chicken Tinola Recipe

Based on the Chicken Tinola Recipe from Panlasang Pinoy

 Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken thighs (about 4)
• 4 cups of water
• 1/2 pc small green papaya, cut into wedges
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1 thumb ginger, cut into strips
• 3 tsps fish sauce, divided
• 1 packet hot pepper leaves, thawed
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Procedure

1. Sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger.
2. Season the chicken with some salt and pepper.
3. Put-in the chicken, skin side first and 1 tsp of fish sauce. Cook until color turns light brown.
4. Pour-in the water and the remaining fish oil and put to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Add the green papaya wedges and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add the hot pepper leaves.
7. Add salt (or more fish oil) and pepper to taste (I usually just add pepper).
8. Serve hot. Share and enjoy!

Simmering...Almost there.

Verdict

I am so glad I made this dish. It is so good and perfect for a cold rainy day. Ginger seems to be the theme of these last two months, and I love the ginger flavor in this soup. Also the blend with the papaya and chicken really makes it.

Dare I say it…It brings back so many childhood memories. Definitely will be in our winter rotation.