Kwek - kwek and Pugudoy - Eggs Stuffed with Carbs

Now this type of street food highlights the egg which is the main ingredient. Vendors usually use regular chicken egg or quail egg (which is the smaller one). The egg is boiled and removed from its shell then stuffed with an orange mixture then fried. This street food goes well with the vinegar alone. Recently, I ate a kwek – kwek somewhere in Manila and surpisingly enough, some vendors segregate spices into each bowls. This is so innovative because you can choose the spice you like up to its single piece.

HOW TO MAKE A KWEK – KWEK

INGREDIENTS:

7 eggs, hard – boiled and shell removed
2 cups of flour
¾ cup of water
¼ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of ground pepper
I tablespoon baking powder
Edible food color (yellow)
Cooking oil

HOW TO MAKE THE MIXTURE:

1. Mix flour, water, salt, ground pepper and a bit of food color to a bowl. Mix it for about 8 minutes until it’s fluffy enough.
2. Then add the baking powder. Mix it again.
3. Leave the mixture for 15 minutes.
4. Heat skillet with a depth of 3 inch, put oil. Let it heat for 5 minutes with medium heat.
5. Put eggs one by one into the mixture. Using a spoon, gently coat the egg with the mixture and fry it.
6. Allow 2 minutes every side until it cooks evenly.
7. Put it in a plate with paper towel to drain oil.
8. Serve it with preferred sauce.

The Saucey Mayhem

Street foods will never be the same if the sauce is not present in the portable pushcarts or anywhere in the street as long as there’s food. Name street foods as you can like fish balls, kwek – kwek (boiled egg covered with orange colored flour mixture and deep fried in oil), kikiam, chicken balls. Grilled chicken parts also participates the mayhem like chicken feet, intestines, heads and the chicken itself. The sauce has a very important role, however, this depends on the preparation in order to taste better.

THE VINEGAR ALONE

The vinegar is the primary ingredient of the street food sauces. You can make the vinegar as the street food partner alone. Prepare cloves of garlic, onions, black peppers, red chillis (optional) and salt to add spices besides sourness. Just slice the spices finely and combine into vinegar with a tablespoon of salt and stir. There you have it, it’s all done. The spiced vinegar can accommodate almost all of the street food you know. It can be also used for fried dishes.
Lately, I noticed a kwek – kwek kiosk somewhere in Baclaran. I noticed that the spices where separated in each container. I love it! I can eat cucumber as much as I want knowing that there freshly sliced and vinegar free. The red chillis, onions, salt are separated as well. The kwek – kwek on the other hand is freshly cooked, only it is priced higher than the other stalls but it’s okay. I almost eat the whole servings of the cucumber. LOLS.

THE SWEET BROWN SAUCE

This sauce coordinates well with the grilled street foods. As I mentioned a while ago, it goes well with the grilled chicken part as well with pork intestines and pork skins and everything.

YOU WILL NEED:

3 cups of water
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of cornstarch or flour (neither one will do)
5 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of vinegar
½ cup of soy sauce
½ teasepoon of ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of liverspread (optional)

PROCEDURE:

1.Dissolve cornstarch or flour in 1 cup of water. Combine vinegar and soy sauce. Stir.
2.In a casserole, put 2 cups of water, sugar, garlic, pepper and liverspread while stirring it occasionally in medium heat. Bring into boil.
3.Put the flour/cornstarch mixture in the casserole and stir it thoroughly. Let cool.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

YOU WILL NEED:

3 cups of water
Red Chillis, sliced
1 teasepoon carrots, mined
2 tablespoon cornstarch
5 tablespoon white sugar
Orange food coloring
1 tablespoon vinegar

The procedure is same with the steps in making the brown sweet sauce.

Squid Balls

Squid ball is similar with fish ball. Based in its name, squid is the main ingredient in this kind of street food. Food processor is needed when preparing squid balls at home and in order to grind squid meat evenly. It is also popular in food carts as well as fish balls and kikiam. Squid balls can go along with the sauces provided in food carts. My next blog will introduce sultry sauce that makes the street foods more addicting to eat.
 

INGRDIENTS:
 

1 kilo of squid, cartilage removed and cut into rings
300 g cooked shrimp (optional)
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 eggs
¼ teasepoon baking soda
½ kilo cornstarch
1 1/2 cup of water
½ cup of chicken stock
1 tablespoon of grated ginger
1 tablespoon Salt
Cooking Oil

PROCEDURE:
 

1. Boil water and cook squid for just 30 seconds. Drain and let it cool.
2. Saute garlic in a frying pan in low heat with 3 tablespoons of oil.
3. In a food processor, combine squid, eggs, shrimp, garlic, chicken stock and salt. Grind.
4. Add cornstarch and a tablespoon of oil one at a time. Add a maximum of 5 tablespoon of oil.
5. Form mixture into balls and soak in cold water for 20 minutes.
6. Cook squid balls into simmering water for 15 minutes. Do not overcrowd squid balls. Drain.
7. Set aside and let it cool.
8. You can fry squid balls in hot oil or store it in a freezer until its ready to use.

Kikiam

It is originally called que-kiam in Chinese. Here in Philippines, kikiam is widely used especially in street food cart signage. It is made up of ground pork with vegetable and spices wrapped with bean curd sheets or tawpe. Kikiam comes in a large and small size in street food carts together with sweet and spicy sauce. I like eating kikiam with rice. Knowing that rice is the staple food here, I think every street food you name can be partnered with rice. To tell you frankly, I haven’t seen a tawpe wrapper in my life. I suggest you to look one in leading oriental stores and or maybe in leading supermarkets. I’ll let you know if I buy one in the near future.

INGREDIENTS:

½ kilo ground pork

3 tablespoons of soy paste

Tawpe wrappers or bean curd sheets

1 large onion, minced

1 carrot, minced

1 egg, beaten

6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of salt and sugar

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Cornstarch cooked in warm water to make paste

Cooking oil

PROCEDURE:

1. Prepare tawpe wrappers by soaking it into water for five minutes. Drain.
2. In a bowl, mix pork, soy paste, onion, carrots, egg, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix until it blends well with other ingredients.
3. Lay a protion of the mixture onto tawpe wrapper. Shape the mixture like a log and brush the tawpe wrapper with paste.
4. Fold the sides inward and roll it tightly.
5. Repeat it for the rest of the mixture and tawpe wrappers.
6. Heat the cooking oil in a skillet and carefully put the meat mixture covered in tawpe wrapper.
7. Cook kikiam for 6-8 minutes in medium heat. Do not over crowd the kikiam.
8. Drain onto paper towels each of the kikiam.
9. Serve it with sweet and sour sauce.

Kikiam can be bought in a kilo and half a kilo packs in public market.

NUTRITIONAL CONTENT:

CALORIES: 164

FAT: 8.6 g

CARBS: 5.8 g

PROTEIN: 15 g

SODIUM: 90 mg

*Based on conventional kikiam.

Nutritional Content Source: http://www.livestrong.com

Fish Balls

It tells the name itself, fish ball. It is made up of fish meat, cornstarch and spices. This type of street food is popularly known and patronized in China (where it originates), Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Philippines. Fish balls are sold by a vendor usually with a wooden cart along with special sauces. Today, because of the word “ upgrade”, some vendors use a motorized pedicab to sell fish balls and other similar foods like kikiam and squid balls. The reason is to make more profit by selling fish balls in one place to another. From there, one’s efficiency has been taking place.

HOW TO MAKE FISH BALLS

INGRIDIENTS:

1 kilo of fish ( any fish can make it but I prefer Dalagang Bukid or Yellow Tail Fusilier)
½ kilo of cornstarch
1 potato as extender (optional) peeled, boiled and mashed
½ cup of minced carrots
½ tablespoon pepper
1 large onion, minced
2 eggs
Water, salt and ginger

PROCEDURE:

1. Boil fish into water together with ginger and a bit of salt for 15 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes.
2. Gently remove its head, skin and fish bones.
3. Using your hands, flake the fish evenly.
4. In a bowl, put fish flakes, eggs, onion, potato, carrots, pepper and salt.
5. Using fork, mix the ingredients while gradually adding the cornstarch. Mix it until it’s perfectly fine enough to form the mixture into balls.
6. Form into balls with half an inch in diameter.
7. Bring into boil the fish stock, you can add water if desired.
8. Drop the fish ball one by one. Allow ten minutes boiling in medium heat. Drain.
9. Allow fish balls to be cooled, cover and place it to the freezer.
10. You can fry the fish balls and can be stored for 3 days.

You can buy a conventional fish ball in the local wet market. It may cost probably around 120 Php/kilo. The recipe is for your reference only. It is your choice to make a homemade fish ball for safety reasons.

NUTRITIONAL CONTENT:
CALORIES: 40
FAT: 10 g
CARBS: 0g
PROTEIN: 0g
SODIUM: 0g

*Based on conventional fish balls.

Nutritional Content Source:http://www.livestrong.co

The Best Food Option for Unfussy People Like You

Street food is a food and drinks often sold along the streets by a vendor with a portable cart. It can be found elsewhere and found cheaper than the restaurant meals. In fact, around 2.5 billion people are estimated eating street foods every day. Street foods can be connected with junk food and snacks.

The popular issues related with street food are cleanliness and safety. In Philippines, although the government sets comprehensive guidelines with the vendors, seldom are found practicing. You can view some news article each and every day regarding improper food handling which may lead to several illnesses like gastroenteritis and amoebiasis. Prior to these consequences, people (especially Pinoys) still love to eat street foods and I’m one of them. This blog will contain sorts of homegrown street foods and ways of preparing it safely.

This is also your privilege as a reader to know what the nutritional content your favorite street food might have. It is your right. So c’mon, eat heavy and be merry!