Na-miss mo ba ang Kwek-kwek?
Kwek-kwek is a famous street food in the Philippines. It is a tempura-like food made of hardboiled quail egg covered in orange batter. It is best eaten with sawsawang pipino o Filipino cucumber dipping sauce.
I was already here in the US for 6 months when I started to miss kwek-kwek. I usually have those in the Philippines about twice a month for merienda. I wanted it so bad that I researched on how to cook one. Kung na miss mo rin ang kwek-kwek, ito yung procedure on how to do it.
Ingredients:
12 pieces boiled quail eggs (shelled)
3/4 cup flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp anatto powder (pinulbos na atsuete)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
cooking oil for frying
Procedure:
- Mix cornstarch and half of the ground black pepper.
- Roll quail eggs in the dry mixture. Set aside.
- Slowly combine water in flour, anatto powder, salt, and the remaining ground black pepper until batter is smooth and without lumps.
- Heat the cooking oil in a saucepan on high. Lower the heat to medium high when you’re ready to deep fry.
- Using a spoon, dredge the coated egg one by one in the batter and drop it to the hot oil. Make sure not to crowd the saucepan so that the eggs won’t stick together.
- Cook for 10 seconds more once the battered eggs float on top of the hot oil.
- Place the kwek-kwek on a paper towel so the excess oil drips.
- Serve immediately with sawsawang pipino.
Ingredients for Sawsawang Pipino:
1 cubed cucumber (Pipino)
1 small minced onion (Red or Sweet)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tbspn soy sauce
2 tbspn white sugar or 1 packet of splenda
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
a good pinch of pepper
Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight before serving.
Here in Ocala, Florida, I had difficulty finding fresh quail eggs. Yung pinaka malapit na nagbebenta ay sa Tampa, mga 1-2 hours drive pa. Because I can’t live another day without having my favorite kwek-kwek, I bought canned quail eggs instead at the Asian Store near us. Pero dahil hindi sya fresh, the taste was not the same. I’m planning to make tokneneng (using chicken egg) the next time aandar yung cravings ko.
COOKING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS, Food safety preparation
Without basic cooking skills, even the simplest dishes can blow up in the face of a less experienced person, and then your face won't look very good because it'll be covered in tomato sauce and failure. Some of us grew up in the kitchen with our parents and lolos and lolas (grandparents), learning the secrets of treasured family recipes. And years later, all grown up, we are at ease trying new recipes, creating our own versions, and happily sharing the creations with family and friends.
For starters, it is very important to wash them thoroughly with soap and warm water before cooking, after touching the bin, going to the toilet, and after touching raw food.
Raw meat, including poultry, can contain harmful bacteria that can spread easily to anything it touches. This includes other food, worktops, tables, chopping boards and knives.
When choosing the recipes and ingredients, you have total control over what you are eating.
Start out by choosing an easy recipe with just a few ingredients. Learn one really good dish (or simple menu) start-to-finish.
Pat the meat dry before adding it to the pan – the less moisture on the outside, the better chance that you'll have a crisp crust on the outside. Cooking food at the right temperature will ensure that any harmful bacteria are killed. cut into the middle to check that the meat is no longer pink, the juices run clear and steam is coming out.
The foods below need to be cooked thoroughly before eating: Poultry (chicken, manok, including chicken liver), pork (including offals, intestines, liver) burgers, sausages
Familiarize yourself with basic cooking terms by reading cookbooks or watching cooking shows.
Follow the instructions in the recipe as closely as possible the first time. You can then modify it to your taste preference when you make it again.
Have everything ready before you start cooking, including having ingredients measured out.
Another important tip for a beginner cook is to clean as you work. When you leave your workspace a mess with leftover ingredients, trash, etc., you tend to forget what it is that you're working on
Cooking is all about having fun, experimenting, and enjoying the process. Even the best cooks have recipes that fail.
