Twisted Potato

The kids really love potatoes - french fries, mashed potatoes and potato chips. So when I found a stall selling twisted potatoes, I didn't hesitate to buy it for the kids. Tater Twist is made from 100% fresh potato - one whole potatato was cut partially, twisted and fried - then a stick was stucked in the potato. You can add powdered flavors - cheese, barbecue and others. It's a little expensive though at P50.00 per potato but it was fun eating it and the presentation is unique. The potato is soft - you can even eat the skin. Geof consumed almost half of the stick of twisted potato.

Mushroomburger's Pancit Canton

Mushroomburger used to be associated only with Tagaytay. Not anymore. It has a branch along West Avenue where you can also buy dried and fresh mushrooms. I am not too hot about their burger, although they are indeed tasty. I am more excited with their pancit canton. Yes, mushroomburger offers pancit canton that's generously topped with different kinds of mushroom!

I served Mushroomburger's pancit canton in a party at home and our visitors enjoyed it. I brought it during our college reunion pot-luck party, and my college classmates (24 years ago, aargh, I'm that ... young ?) also loved the pancit. What makes this pancit different is the generous serving of mushroom on top, and the thick mushroom sauce that blends well with the noodles. It's not expensive too! You can see the price of the pancit canton in the photo above.

Mushroomburger is located near Ersao at West Ave., Quezon City. Free delivery (Tel. 375-1290) is also available.

Japanese Goma (Salad) Dressing

I am not a salad eater but whenever I am in Japan I enjoy eating the vegetable salad (like chopped cabbage) served with the main dish because of their salad dressing. I like the taste of the Japanese salad dressing - a little bit sour and sweet. I prefer this taste than the italian or thousand islands dressings. So before I returned to Manila, I searched for a salad dressing and found them in a supermarket. The label if read in Japanese says "Goma". Goma dressing is a sesame seed dressing which tastes good on salads and even meat. According to the label, the goma dressing is oil free. I cannot find this dressing in any Japanese grocery in Manila. And my two bottles of goma dressing are almost empty. So when you visit Japan, don't forget to buy a goma dressing - just remember the Japanese characters for "GOMA" in the label shown at the left. You will love the taste.

The photos below are another brand of Japanese salad dressing which Apple bought during her trip at Tokyo in 2009. These dressing are very good.

GOOD NEWS (Sept. 2011): McCormick is now producing Goma Dressing. I found them at Landmark Supermarket, Trinoma. Now, Idon't have to wait for my Japanese friends to bring home a bottle for me. "Goma was oishi desu."

Delicious Ampalaya (Appetizers)!

During our family reunion last Nov. 30, 2008, products and food were sold by some of our enterprising relatives. We bought these Delisha's Home Made Atchara made by Flor Maglalang, wife of my cousin, Hector.

Atchara is the local variant of the western-based pickles. It is made by combining the basic ingredients salt, sugar, vinegar plus other spices, (based on the tastebuds of the maker) with the vegetable of choice. The most common is the pickeled young papaya, known also as atchara.

The innovativeness of this product is that it debunks the usual notion that atchara is papaya - instead, it introduces various pickled vegetables that are equally delicious - ampalaya, singkamas, broccolli and cauliflower, sitaw, ubod, talong. Thus far, ampalaya is still first in our list (yummy).
When we, my friends and my mom (who is a great cook) tasted them - we all agreed that they were good. My friends who are health conscious because of their mutiplying ailments - diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. - enjoyed with gusto the delicacy especially when accompanied by that crispy chitcharon! (so much for the heatlh buff :) We were convinced by the taste that we've ordered more to give to our friends and relatives this Christmas. The price of the product ranges from P60.00 to P 100.00. Try it. It's appetizing! It's nutricious! As the product's advertisement goes, "Pampagana na! Masustansiya pa! Ulam Pa!" They are ideal giveaways!

Updates: Flor Maglalang passed away and the secret on how to prepare the delicious Delisha's atchara remains a secret.