A Balikbayan Christmas Dinner

MANILA, Philippines - We had three balikbayan ladies – a daughter and two nieces – who visited us late last month. Because it is the Christmas season, we did a balikbayan Christmas dinner for them to celebrate family bonding and to serve them food they have missed while living abroad. They did contribute to the menu as well, making our table truly special and international. On this spread, we are sharing our special balikbayan Christmas dinner menu with those who may be welcoming relatives from abroad, as well as for families who want to have simple but delicious and typical Filipino fare on their holiday tables.

Our New Zealand lady balikbayan brought a block of premium low-fat natural cheddar cheese with accompanying crackers. This set us off to a rather international dinner with a Malaysian-Thai appetizer, a refreshing noodle (bihon) salad leading us on to the main courses. We prepared our Laguna chicken tinola complete with a dip of patis, chicken liver and calamansi. We served a family favorite, the Private Kitchen Pancit Canton, while the heavier stuff was provided by the rich and tender lamb caldereta, cooked with liver paté and shredded queso de bola. A sister contributed  Chinese-style fish heads in tomato-based sauce.

Dessert was special with Christmas Cake, very English, specially made by our resident chef and hand carried all the way from Penang to the Philippines. It came with rich Christmas pudding. Robust brewed coffee provided the soothing climax to a memorable meal.

Here are the recipes.

Malaysian-Thai

Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

150 gms bihun (as it is called in Malaysia) or bihon (as we call rice noodles)

1 tbsp. sambal necknor or any chili sauce

Juice of one lemon

1 tsp. sugar

10 gms mint leaves, crushed

50 gms bean sprouts

1 onion, sliced and fried or half a head of crushed native garlic

Thai chili paste to taste

Procedure:

Soak noodles in hot water until soft, do not over cook.

Mix lemon juice with sugar, pour into bihon.

Add sambal necknor (or chili sauce), blend well.

When ready to serve, add Thai chili paste, bean sprouts and mint.

Put extra chili paste on the side.

The New Caldereta

Ingredients:

1-1/2 kilos lamb chops or beef batok, cut into serving pieces

2 heads native garlic, crushed

1-1/2 cups vinegar

1 can tomato sauce        

1 onion, chopped

1 tin liver paté

1/4 cup grated cheese

10 pieces stuffed green olive

1 can roasted red peppers or two fresh ones, sliced

Peppercorns

1-1/2 cups pure olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

2 tbsp. Spanish paprika

Procedure:

Marinate meat in garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Let stand a few hours or overnight.

Drain meat; when ready to cook, brown in olive oil.

Saute garlic (the ones used in the marinade), add onion.

Transfer to a casserole and add meat, tomato sauce, peppercorns and paprika.

Let simmer, then add red pepper. Add a little water, with part of the liquid in the olives, then tenderize.

When meat is tender, add liver paté and cheese. Blend well and continue to cook until liquid has turned into a saucy consistency.

Will serve from 8 to 10 people.

The Private

Kitchen

Pancit

Canton

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo pork face (no ears), boil, tenderize, then cut into 1 inch pieces

2 stalks each of leeks and celery, divided into two portions, one cut into 2-inch length, the other chopped

2 pieces Chorizo Macao, sliced diagonally

1 head native garlic, crushed

1/4 kilo sautéing shrimps, peeled, sliced half way down the back, save the heads to chop and extract juice

100 gms each squid, fish and lobster balls, each cut into 4 pieces  

2 pieces fresh kikiam, fried then sliced diagonally

1 carrot, cut into strips

Half a head of cabbage (small), cut lengthwise

50 gms chicharo (snow peas)

3/4 kilo canton noodles

2 medium size onions, sliced then divided into 2 portions

5 tbsp. light soy sauce

Ground pepper

1 hard boiled egg, sliced into rounds

Procedure:

Tenderize pork with leeks and celery, remove from pot, slice and save stock.

In a wok quick fry sausages, add one portion each of garlic and onion. Add the shrimps, and cook. Then add soy sauce, the meat, the balls and kikiam. Cover and let simmer.

Pour 1/4 cup of the broth, adding the vegetables. Do not over cook. Set aside.

In a separate casserole, sauté the remaining garlic and onions, add soy sauce and cover. Add the broth and cook the noodles. Add a portion of the meat mixture, blend well.

Arrange on a serving platter, and top with the rest of the palaman (meat mixture) and the hard boiled egg. Serve with calamansi.

There you have it – a delicious balikbayan Christmas dinner.

Have a jolly celebration!