A twist to our favorite Nilaga

P and I have been trying out a healthier dinner diet since Monday. Instead of having the usual ulam with rice, we have been topping our ulam on a bed of greens and chopped veggies. Why? Well, partly because veggies feel so much lighter in the stomach, specially since we just sit around and watch tv after dinner. But for the most part, it's because we had too much to eat the previous week and we're still carrying the extra weight around.

Last night i felt ready for rice and ulam so i cooked Nilagang Baboy with loads of veggies. But P had a better idea... he went out and bought a fresh baguette. What a fab idea! With a dash of imagination, our humble nilaga was suddenly transformed into an English Pork Stew! If you think about it, the concept of nilaga is just the same as stewing which is cooking meat/poultry and vegetables in broth.















We enjoyed our stew with a side of baguette which we dipped in a lovely mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese. Wicked!

Of course, i can't take credit for the idea but i do take credit for the delicious stew. Here's the recipe for the Pork Stew aka Nilagang Baboy:

ingredients:

3/4 kl pork ribs
1/2 (big) onion thinly slided
1pc potato cut into 1" cubes
1pc carrot cut into 1" cubes
1/4 squash cut into 1" cubes
1/4 cabbage (chopped)
1pc pork broth cube
salt
fish sauce (optional)
1.5 liters water

procedure:
Chop the pork into 1" pieces and wash thoroughly. Cook the pork in a stew pot with 1.5 liters of water until it boils. Once the water boils, set aside the pork and throw away the water with all the scum (this will give you a clearer broth). Fill the pot again with 1.5 liters of water then add the pork, salt, onions and broth cube.

Once the pork is fork-tender, add the carrots and potatoes. After 5 minutes, add the squash (this adds a bit of sweetness to the stew). When the veggies are tender, add the cabbage and cook for another 2 minutes. Add fish sauce for taste if you like.

Tip: if you want to make the broth thicker (and more stew like), just let it simmer in low fire until you are ready to eat. The starch from the potato and squash will thicken the broth and make it more tasty.

(recipe is good for 2 servings)

Bon Appetit!