FAST, EASY TO DO, HEALTHY COOKING FROM POLYNESIA AND THE PHILIPPINES COMBINED IN ONE POT.

 

©  Millennium Media Entertainment, Inc.

You Can Prepare Healthy Meals As "You" See Fit

Forget Everything You Have Ever Been Told About Cooking

 

 

 

 

I have been meaning to talk about cooking for some time, instead of keeping tabs on China’s ongoing aggressive behavior in the Western Philippines Sea (South China) or lecturing the US Media why this is important to all Americans economically, and possibly militarily. 

 

Kudos to Bloomberg, ABC News and The Associated Press for their coverage thus far.

 

Make no mistake; I will continue covering the South China Sea Issues, as they unfold and continue educating the US Broadcast News Organizations about why The Philippines and South East Asia coverage is relevant to their revenues and audiences.

 

It’s time to take an intermission from my journalistic endeavors and have some fun.  I found a way to combine Filipino and Tongan cooking into a great, healthy Asia/Pacific meal.  It’s fast, easy to do, tastes great and is very nutritious.

I live in The Philippines and once upon a time, lived in Tonga, a Polynesian Kingdom, in the South Pacific.  I am borrowing from both countries' cooking styles. Think: Boiling down or braising.

 

*Side Note:  Highly recommend anyone reading this to visit one or both of these countries.  You will not meet better people, anywhere.

 

First of all, forget everything you know about cooking.  Remember that so called peasant food is excellent and easy to prepare.  Some of the most popular peasant food recipes have their origins in the villages of Italy, France, Thailand, Philippines…etc. 

 

The recipes are very simple.  Contemporary cookbooks and chefs have complicated how they are prepared.  Forget all about that, too.

 

I am going down a road that allows you can to decide about measurements, ingredients and spicing, yourself.  It is that easy, assuming you can boil water.

 

You can change out the vegetables I will be discussing here, for ones you prefer.  Remember there are no rules, except for cooking Tongan (Polynesian) Ha’Ka style and using coconut cream.  Rest is up to you.

 

 

Living out here on beautiful Palawan, The Last Frontier, I don’t have allot of time to cook...Yep--staying busy here in Paradise.

 

So, I innovated a new way to cook great, healthy food fast, with little fuss or mess. 

 

 

 

 

I adapted this cooking style used in Tonga and much of Polynesia.  Tongans often cook Ha’ka Style---Meaning cooking by boiling in English but, it’s how they boil or actually braise their foods that is different.  Coconut cream is used in cooking by both nationalities.

 

 

My ingredients are totally Filipino.  I usually use fresh Palawan pork, but fresh fish, chicken, lamb or beef would be great too.

 

A sharp kitchen knife is very useful.  No idea why people freak when they see me sharpening a knife on the back edge of another one. 

 

Granted it's a Marine knife sharpening technique, which I learned in the Corps.  It’s a fast, efficient knife sharpening methodology. I'm pretty sure my PSD thing is under control.  So, I don't get why people look worried.

 

I just had a plate of pork tenderloin braised in coconut cream, raw ginger, carrots, white radishes, a cabbage looking small plant called Pechay, plus onions, allot of garlic, a few hot, tiny Filipino chilies and shell pasta.

 

 

 

 

The whole process took about 40 minutes, including cleaning up, tops. I clean as I go, always in motion.  Before we get started, you can substitute your own vegetables for the ones I used here.

 

However, must have ingredients are coconut cream, onions, garlic and carrots.  After that use what you want to: Spinach, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant………Whatever you like.

 

Tongan Cooking Style: Ha’Ka

1. Bring one kilo, or so, of water to a boil
2. Throw in the 1/2 kilo pork, cut up in small chunks, Filipino adobo style.  Cut the heat to a half or slow boil. 
3. When the pork is maybe half braised, add chopped carrots, uncooked pasta and radishes.
   

Use the braising time to chop up onions, ginger and garlic. Then, (keep moving as the first ingredients lightly braise.)  add them in.

 

Incidentally I'm using a wok with a cover---but you could use a pot.  I prefer woks because they cook things quickly.

Then, when everything is mostly cooked, put in the chopped spinach/cabbage looking kind of plant--Called Pechay.

 

 

I used to buy this at Asia Grocery Stores in Southern California, when I lived there.  So, you can find it in the US.

 

 

Add, a 200 ml packet of powdered coconut cream, (You can buy a can of it in the US--Just make sure it is coconut cream and not coconut water) basil, black pepper, oregano and a few chilies. 

 

 

There are all kinds of powdered coconut cream, you can use.  On Palawan, you usually can find fresh coconut cream in the local market.

It is to die for.

 

Key is keeping an eye on the water level.  Don't keep the ingredients covered with water.  Use enough water to braise/cook your Ha'ka.  You may have to add more water, as you go.  Just don’t make soup.

 

You need only enough water to keep the vegetables, pork and pasta half submerged.  And, you will be thickening it with coconut cream and/or curry, mushroom soup…etc.  Whatever you want.

 

 

At this point you can add curry, or consider mushroom soup or just soy sauce.  If you’re going to add soy sauce, wait until it's done and by now, it is.  The coconut cream has thickened it and curry would have too.  Another variation is coconut cream and just soy sauce.  Again, your choice.

 

 

You are done now, if you have been following along.  If you are adding soy sauce… do it now. I usually rest the Ha’ka, slightly covered for about five minutes and do some more cleaning. 

 

Now you can serve or store what you made in your refrigerator. 

 

Make as much or little as you want.  What I just described will provide me with four meals.

 

 

 

To reheat---No nuking this simple delicacy.  A non stick pan will work great and it's just as fast.  Simply, warm it up.  Add a few tablespoons of water, if you want.  Nuking food kills the vitamins, plus you have to stop, stir, more nuking…blah, blah, blah.

 

*Note:  Notice that no oil, sugar or salt were used?  The coconut cream and other natural ingredients will take care of naturally sweetening this.  You could use some sea salt, if you would like.  

 

Substitutes for pasta could be potatoes, yams or any kind of root crops and/or beans.  I use local root crops like sweet potatoes and ube.  (Like a potato or Taro)  It is up to you.  Root crops, beans, pasta or a blend of all of them.  It’s your call.  

The only really important thing is bringing the water to a boil, turning down the heat and watching it as it boils/braises gently.

 

You can save hours preparing meals this way.  All the food preparation, sautéing etc. stuff we are told to do before braising or simmering, is bull shit.  This is really good and easy to make.

 

I didn't do any measurements herein, since this easily done by eye or to taste.  Spice your Ha’ka as much as you want or not.  Again, watch and judge your water level.  that is the only real work there is to do, besides chopping vegetables.

 

I hope you find cooking Filipino food in a Tongan Ha’ka worthwhile and time saving.  I am on FB, LinkedIn and my email address is below in my contact information, for anyone having questions about this.

 

You might be wondering who or what the heck I am.  I have over 30 years of experience as a Television News, Programing, Marketing Consultant and senior level executive.

 

I would like to think I am  still all those things.  I just happen to live in Puerto Princesa, Palawan Province, in The Republic of The Philippines.

I spent many years in the Western and South Pacific, plus the Far East. I am fluent in some of the languages. It’s a long story and we can save it for another time.

My mother thought it was over the word Corps.  She felt I was like a moth to a flame, when I heard the word, Corps.  Maybe.  I was in the Marines and Peace Corps. I was also a freelance producer in The Far East.

My television career has been and still mostly is US Driven. However, these days I’m hanging my hat, while managing my US business, from Palawan in the Western Philippines.

The Philippines is not a technology laggard. Anything but.

• Technology allows me to operate just like I did, back in Dallas, Texas.
• Palawan is a wonderful, beautiful place with no crime and the nicest people, maybe on Earth. I served in this country years ago, and always wanted to come back. Two and an half years ago, I did just that.
• I think very highly of the Filipino culture, lifestyle and people. You will not meet better people anywhere.

That

That’s me above

• Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or would like to learn more about what I do.
• I do critiques and consulting ala carte or as a packaged deal.
• Part of what I do is help people think and manage the how's, who's, whys, plus what they do, for improving their careers. The where, is Where you want to see your career go.

Thanks for reading this and sincerely hope you find the information useful. There are also other articles on the Blog related to News Talent Career Management, including health and dietary information. There is an index, camera right, for your convenience.

There, you will also find articles on this Blog about the Television Business and current affairs in Asia, if that interests you.

John Sheehan
Millennium Media Entertainment
214-628-6236 (Routed also to The Philippines)
johntsheehanmme@gmail.com
Blog: http://johnsheehan17.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Millennium-Media-Entertainment/74464753836