beyond toxicity

PROLOGUE :

A lot of people perceive this site as an entirely food blog or a foodie’s virtual home. I cannot blame them, photos of food are apparently present in most, if not all of my posts. Although I really don’t mind to be tagged as a food blogger or a  foodie, allow me to remind everyone that Beyond Toxicity (yes, that’s my blog’s name), is a personal blog that gives reverence to family, food and fun (and thus, it’s NOT exclusively food). Thank you!  

Again, I don’t deny the fact that it’s flattering when people recognize BT as food blog and me as a food blogger; here’s a proof :

Exhibit A :  casual virtual conversation on facebook recently :

And while most people are at it, here’s another post about food and some things in between…

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Unlike typical Filipino expats (a.k.a. OFWs or Overseas Filipino Workers), I am blessed to have my wife and our kid with me here in Penang.

Whenever Tina, Gabby and I spend lazy weekends at home, it’s definitely cable TV/movie/internet browsing marathons for the 3 of us (of course, creativity works as we squeezed in laundry, washing dishes, doing homeworks for Gabby and blogging for me).  And these bumming family bonding activities would not be complete without preparing and eating our favorites!

Admittedly, I’ve only (forced myself) to cook more frequently when I became an expat (last year). Part of cooking your own dishes is buying its ingredients of course. Thank goodness, there are still pasar (bahasa melayu term) or public markets here that sell pork amidst being a Muslim state in a predominantly Muslim country. Fortunately for people who eat pork like me and my family, Penang and the rest of Malaysia have rich diversity composed of Malays (who observe Halal-dining), Indians (who don’t eat beef) and Chinese (who eat pork like us).  FYI, present cost of pork meat in my place is RM 13 (PhP 182) per kg of kasim (shoulder part), and RM  16 (PhP 224) per kg of lomo or sirloin (mura ba iyon? kamusta presyo ngayon sa Pinas?).

From my late maternal grandmother’s (undocumented) recipes, I managed to reconstruct her delicious Adobong Pork Giniling. This was one of my very first baon (personally brought food) to work and a personal recipe that I generously shared to Filipino colleagues who liked it too.

It’s a no-fuzz, easy-to-do, ready-to-go recipe that’s perfect baon to work or school.  It’s a no-brainer to figure out that it’s not perishable easily because it’s simmered with vinegar and soy sauce, and it’s so easy to eat for it’s ground pork not the usual Adobo in chunks or cubes.

If you’re Filipino or Pinoy-at-heart, it’s absolute that you love Adobo!

• ground pork, 1kg 
• vinegar, 1 cup
• soy sauce, 1 cup
• tap water, 1 cup
• garlic, 3 – 4 heads, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• cooking oil

Cooking instructions :

1. Saute minced garlic in cooking oil over medium fire; then add the ground pork.
2. Cook the pork and minced garlic for 4- 5 min then add water, soy sauce and lastly vinegar.
3. Remember not to cover the pan and never stir after you’ve added the vinegar.
4. Simmer for 10 – 20 minutes, set aside and can be kept at the fridge for baon the next day.
5. When reheating it, do not add additional oil to the pan, just heat it and let the sauce mixture (vinegar+water+soy sauce) be absorbed by the ground pork.
6. Serve it with a smile!

I don’t know with you but I believe Adobo in any form is best eaten at least a day after it’s been cooked. This is when the vinegar and soy sauce mixture has already been fused with the meat (chicken or pork or even veggies like kangkong or string beans). 

Additional cooking tips I got from my lola were the importance of having lots of garlic in adobo and an equal proportions of vinegar, soy sauce and water when cooking the dish. Try it and let me know if you like it too.

Imagine this scenario :  At lunch, just before I put a spoonful of rice and viand in my mouth, Tina said, “Oops, di mo na ba pipicturan?” (Don’t you want to take pictures?) I smiled. It affirms that my wife understands and supports my being a blogger, haha!   Sometimes, that line is uttered too by Gabby.  They’re already used to me taking pictures before eating.  

This one’s an Ode to Tina’s cooking : Other dishes that Tina cooked last week was that artery-clogging, Lechon Kawali that’s deep-fried to perfection. She also prepared a paksiw sauce for it from sachets of sarsa ni Mang Tomas!

Supreme crunchiness, sarap!

We also eat fibers, of  course! Only that this vegetable dish was buttered…oops! fatty again, hehe!

Anything that looks leafy and veggie on the fridge can be guisado… instant chopsuey!

Desserts on our table range from fresh local fruits –bananas, apples, lanzones watermelon, papaya or whatever is in season (I still have to convince Tina for us to try durian and myself, rambutan),  to chocolates and lately, these….

Deliciously divine : Leche flan by my one & only

(naks!)….

she steamed so many, they can lasts for a week and a half, i think… do you want some? haha!

And one of our sweet endings to our homecooked meals are nutty and sweet local chocnut!

I therefore conclude that nothing beats cooking and eating at home; dining with your love ones, dunking fork at toothsome leche flan while being oblivious about your blogging category. hehehe!