FOR the Lent and breadth of the season...Fridays are calendared as “Seafood Days.” Whoever thought of abstinence from meats as a Lenten sacrifice did not yet know that there would be prawns tempura, inihaw na tilapia, sizzling bangus sisig, sushi, calamares, rellenong bangus and a host of many seafood fare to contend with. Hmmm...ukoy kalabasa sounds good, too.

¼ kilo kalabasa, grated, squeeze out the juices (use for another recipe)

100 gm tagunton or small shrimp (like suaje or if you want a de luxe ukoy, use sugpito which is about 20 pcs/kilo in size.)

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp chicken powder (or caldereta seasoning powder)

1 egg, slightly beaten

½ tsp baking powder

salt  and pepper, to taste

oil for frying

12 to 16 pcs wanton or lumpia wrapper

Combine kalabasa, egg, cornstarch, seasoning powder. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Place in the freezer and chill for about 15 minutes. This makes the batter easier to fry and fluffier. Meanwhile, cut the wrappers into 3-inch rounds or triangles.

Heat oil when ready to fry. To know if oil is hot, check if there are small bubbles rising  from the chopsticks or tongs or spoon you’re going to fry with. If tiny bubbles appear, the oil is hot enough.

When ready to fry, get a wrapper and place 1 tbsp of the mix on it. Place this on a small saucer and slide the ukoy into the hot oil. Prepare a plate with paper or towel to catch the oil drips.

Nancy’s Notes

TO all home cooks, join us tomorrow for “The Search for the Home COOK” event. This is a cooking competition to show the kitchen savvy of cooks at home. Some turn up to be better than professional chefs. It will be a fun afternoon. Lots of big prizes, cooking demos by chefs and plenty of giveaways.

§          When: Saturday, March 08, 2008.

§          Time: 3 pm onwards

§          Where: At the Heny Sison Culinary School, 5th Level, Walter Mart, Pasong Tamo (in front of Don Bosco)

§          Who: Cook Magazine invites all foodies to come and join the event.b

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Cooks: A recipe from the ‘UK’: ‘Ukoy Kalabasa’

FOR the Lent and breadth of the season...Fridays are calendared as “Seafood Days.” Whoever thought of abstinence from meats as a Lenten sacrifice did not yet know that there would be prawns tempura, inihaw na tilapia, sizzling bangus sisig, sushi, calamares, rellenong bangus and a host of many seafood fare to contend with. Hmmm...ukoy kalabasa sounds good, too.

Learning Curve: About Us

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Forgiveness for the Body and Mind

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