Dressed-up Hasa Hasa

For P70 we got half a kilo–four pieces–of hasa-hasa. Tired of paksiw, fried and sarsiado, we leafed through our new cookbook and an idea grabbed us. There were various meat recipes and we got attracted to Stir Fried Szechuan Pork with bell peppers, broccoli, scallions, soy and vinegar. We decided to try this recipe with the hasa—hasa instead of the pork. The resulting dish is delicious with that distinctive Chinese flavor and aroma. You can do the same–substitute fish for meat. You will be eating light and healthy.

The place to go in the Alabang-Muntinlupa area today is Price Smart, the humongous outlet with an equally extensive line of goodies, from edibles to tires. This is certainly a one-stop shop and if your will power is weak, you’d be going home with your trunk full of all the things on offer. We concentrated on the food selection and noted the live fish tanks from where you can select what you want. At the moment, they have kimpis (it looks like a mestizo tilapia because of its light color) at P259.95 a kilo, hito at P64.95 a kilo and lapu-lapu at P599. There are the usual fresh catch ranging from oysters in shells at P49.95 (shelled at P129) a kilo. Salmon belly sells for P199 and heads for P132.

The array of premium brand US Angus beef is tempting: sirloin at P429.95 a kilo and shoulder steak at P300.95. Local beef sirloin goes for P226.95 and rib eye at P239.95. Ground pork sells for P109.95, lower than what wet markets charge. Actually, we find their local supply rather good. Like the meat, Price Smart carries both local and imported vegetables. Choose the native broccoli, but you might have to settle for imported capsicum if you are looking for color. They are tagged at P134.95.

On impulse, we filled our basket with the following goodies–Favorite brand yellow cake mix which we use for an easy banana cake recipe, California Pistachio at P299.95 a pack, Badia brand Chimichurri Steak Sauce at P134.95, a big box of Stauffer’s Veggie Crackers for P329.95 which contains two packs of 1 lb. 8 oz each. And then we got two cook books–Time Life’s "Great Taste–Low Fat Quick Recipes" where we got the substituted hasa-hasa recipe and "Fast, Fresh and Delicious" that contains 150 quick and healthy every day meals with step-by-step illustrations. Both books cost a little over P500. Each can be a good Christmas gift for homemakers who love to cook.

It will take more than a day’s visit to go through everything they have. Suffice it to say that practically all the needs of a family are here, including toys. We welcome the fact that two of the outlet’s gracious senior staff, Derek and Tina, have been transferred from The Fort to Alabang.

This is the season of fruit cakes and one lady who has done this Christmas specialty for the last 28 years is at it again, producing her precious concoctions. She is Ju.D, Lao, whose products have been sold not only here but in Europe and the US. Last year she introduced coffee-flavored cakes; this time she has Chewy Chewies which are individually wrapped, a product of a dare from a friend who wanted a fruit cake that would not need a knife to cut. Call 633-0260 and 633-1188 for their price list. They come in vari-sized packaging, costing from P200 to P700.

Reader Feedback. A lady informed us that the bibingka, topped with cheese, at South Supermarket in Alabang is delicious. We will have to try this and will let you know. She also was frantically looking for an outlet of Montano brand sardines which are produced in Mindanao. In Tarlac, there is this Urdu restaurant which also sells home-baked Christmas sweets that includes the Special Dark Fruitcake squares for P120 for a box of 12.

"Kape, a Philippine Coffee Cookbook" co-authored by Vicky Veloso-Barrera and Chit Juan (of Figaro) was launched two weeks ago. This should be an interesting and information-rich reading material. Publishers are Anvil Publishing, Inc. and Figaro Foundation.

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Lydia D. Castillo’s e-mail address: [email protected]