I was feeling out of sorts.
My body clock had gone haywire since I arrived from the States. I was missing my State-side base siblings and
friends. I was having separation anxiety
after being the companion of my mother for a month (or was she the one being my
companion?!)
Then I get a text from a close friend and neighbor.
“I’m thinking of going to Divi tomorrow since Monday is a holiday.
Want to come along after mass?”, read her text.
“Yes, yes!”, was my immediate response.
Nothing like a trip to Divisoria, Manila to shake the jetlag
blues away.
It’s been awhile since my last visit and I was excited to
once more feel the rush of euphoria I get
from the calls of the tinderas to check out their merchandise, “m’am/ sir mura lang dito”, to the visual overload of dry goods, veggies
and fruits, to the amazing variety of delicious Chinese delicacies and meals.
In the many trips my friend and I have had to Divi, there
are certain must-do, must-buy and must-eat when we visit. If we happen to park close to the Binondo
Church, we go in to ask for protection from snatchers and unscrupulous
merchants. Then off we go to visit the bakeries on the side of the church, the
hole-in-the-wall cafes, drug stores and jewelry shops.
Now, if we park, as we did that Sunday, close to the 168
Mall complex, there are the paper products too hard to resist— like a pad of
paper prints; too cute for words cupcake liners; not to mention Christmas
wrappers and ribbons. 168 Mall is
jam-packed with imitation electronic gadgets, cheap hardware, tools, underwear,
clothes, costume jewelries, shoes, and lots of dust gatherers (knickknacks).
We can’t resist stepping outside the aircon mall and
venturing into the crowded streets to check out the veggies and fruits. At first, it’s intimidating with the crowd
pushing you here and there. After a
short while, you go with the flow. Just remember to have a good grip on your
belongings. You’ll be tempted to put out
your cellphone or camera to capture a moment… don’t!
Years ago, I end up with lots of cheap merchandise purchased
more often than not on a whim. Only for
it to be tucked away in a cabinet or drawer. This visit was no exception but
this time, I kept my impulse buying in check and concentrated on hauling home
cheap fruits and veggies.
Years ago, we visited Binondo just when the stores are
opening up in the morning and stay until 4 in the afternoon still with lots of
energy to spare. With each succeeding
visits, these excursions are getting shorter and I am ready to go home with
sore feet after only 3 hours of walking about.
But no matter the length of time spent in and around the
alleys of Divi, it will always be the perfect antidote for a spirit in need of
perking up.
---xoxoxox---
Traffic to Divi was heavy surprisingly for 11 AM on a Sunday
and we were getting hungry with the anticipation of visiting our favorite food
stall: Chopsticks and Spoon Stall. You
can’t miss it.
Everything is in purple—signage
to the t-shirts worn by the owner and staff. It’s located at the 3rd level food court
of 168 Mall 1. We always order the same dishes: the Kung Pao Spicy Pork Spare Ribs; the
seafood chop suey; and the salted fish fried rice. And when we get our order, we always wonder
how we could finish it all up. But we
always do.
Whipping up a Chinese themed meal can be tricky. I can follow a recipe down to the last letter
but the resulting dish is not “Chinese” enough.
There is much to learn and practice is key. Here are some tips I picked up along the long
cooking road.
1. Siomai calls for ground pork that has more fat in it. The fat gives so much flavor. Getting supermarket ground pork will not do as the grinding machine spoils the texture of the meat. You have to mince the meat yourself. Having very sharp knives help.
2. Good quality sesame oil should be drizzled as a last touch for almost every dish to give it a distinctive aroma. A little goes a long way.
3. Be sure to have everything prepared before you start cooking: the vegetables washed, drained and cut; the meat cut and marinated; the sauces prepared. You can’t stop stir frying because you forgot to chop up the next ingredient.
4. When stir frying meat and vegetables, stir fry the veggies first. Starting with the harder (broccoli, carrots) to cook to the most tender (leafy veggies). Season with half of the seasoning required. Half cook to retain crispiness. Set aside. Using the same pan or wok, stir fry the meat and season with the rest of the prepared seasoning. Add the veggies and give the whole mixture a quick stir. Drizzle some sesame oil.
5. When preparing fried rice, use rice that had been cooked and refrigerated. The consistency will be better as most of the moisture is removed.
My last tip is a recipe for the white sauce you see used in most Chinese steamed veggies. If all else fails, call for delivery. (Sorry, no pics. I always forget to snap a few when I make this)
CC’s White Sauce for Steamed Veggies
1 T minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
½ t grated ginger (do not use powdered)
1 T cooking oil
Stock (1/3 of a chicken bouillon cube
added to ¾ c hot water)
1 T Chinese rice wine
Pinch of sugar (in place of MSG)
A dash of salt
1 t corn starch mixed with 2 T water
½ t sesame oil
Saute the onion, garlic and ginger in
the cooking oil. Add the stock and
simmer.
Add the wine. Continue to simmer.
Add the corn starch slur and stir
until glossy.
Add the salt and the sugar. Turn off the heat and add the sesame oil.
Pour over steamed veggies ( bok choy
is best)
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