Health Benefits of Matcha and Where to Find the Best in Manila

It’s that green powdery goodness taking over coffee shops today—and no, it’s not a veggie smoothie for all you meatlovers out there. Matcha gets its brilliantly emerald color because it’s actually green tea powder, ground finely in its natural state. Though originally from China, matcha has been used in the Japanese tea ceremony for hundreds of years. Just what is it about this deliciously healthy goodness that makes it so popular today?

Health Benefits of Matcha

What’s So Super About Superfoods?

No, the big green monster isn’t some scientist-turned-radioactive super soldier who likes to hang around with the Avengers in his spare time. The big green monster is a lettuce leaf stuck to your teeth, or a lone piece of broccoli abandoned on a plate. More than the rampaging Hulk on steroids, these greens have terrified little children all over the world since time began. Ever since we were kids, we’ve always had an innate distaste for greens, and no matter how big and strong Popeye grew, we can never seem to stomach that can of spinach the same way he can.

Sadly, most people carry that love-hate relationship with veggies into adulthood, leading to a deficiency in the most important nutrients greens can give. But the fast-paced world we live in today has found a way to catch up: why not mash everything together in a super mix of greens? This is where superfoods—and superfads—come in.

How to Cook Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce (Chinese Pan-To Style!)

When I was a kid, I hated going to huge family reunions. There were always too many people to hug, too many oldies to kiss, too many faces to smile at (and half of them I didn’t even recognize). It would always be held at these traditional Asian restaurants, with the big round tables and the intricate designs of dragons/peacocks/whatever symbols that signify good luck. And then there are the fish.

The live fish, swimming along in their little tanks in the corner, all happy-go-lucky and oblivious to the fact that they will soon be snatched up and served as delicacies in their short lives. Looking at them on the other side of the tanks as a little child, I felt a twinge of sadness in my heart.

Of course, over the years, I’ve come to love family reunions. Growing up, you realize that amidst all the challenges and trials you go through in life, there’s one thing that’s always constant—family. And all these smiling faces gathered together just prove to me how wonderful it feels to have a tight group of people who will always love you no matter what.

And the fish—the innocent and ultimately doomed fish—have now found a place not just in my heart, but in my stomach. I just love the taste of steamed fish with light soy sauce served up in these restos.

My photography skills are a disgrace. But the fish is good---promise!

Unfortunately, I do not have enough money to keep dining in fancy restaurants just to get a taste of that elusive fish. So, despite my amateur kitchen status, I’ve decided to learn how to make them at home.

How to Cook Steamed Fish (Simple, Can’t-Mess-It-Up-Because-I’m-A-Noob Version!)

Sweet Ground Pork or Minced Lumpia Filling

Big and brown and ugly, there it was.

The cockroach.

On my mousepad.

Chillin’.

I had to scream for help because I’m a big sissy. My husband came to the rescue with a slipper in his hand and a look of determination in his eye. He marched in there, a soldier armed for battle, and—as I cowered in the corner of our room—he whisked the pest away to its dizzy death.

My hero.

Moments later, as he was dousing the thing with alcohol to make sure it stayed dead, I stood there pondering just how I would react if my own kid was afraid and it was up to me to protect him from the big, bad roach. I really ought to toughen up if I want to be a good homemaker.

That and my cooking. I need to be passable at cooking.

How to Make Sweet Ground Pork or Minced Lumpia Filling

How To Fry An Egg Without Burning It To A Crisp

Never in all of history has a fried egg been cooked so horribly.

I always tend to burn my eggs for fear of undercooking them and giving my dear husband salmonella. But this usually results in me serving him a plate of burnt eggs, and I can only imagine how terribly forced his smile is at me every morning.

The fried egg is basically the simplest and most amateur dish anyone can ever cook. Even kids are experts at it, and practically anybody who can handle a pan can do it flawlessly. Of course, because I’m such a culinary noob, it’s only natural that I suck at even the simplest of recipes.

But after countless ruined breakfasts and morning mishaps, I’ve finally found some methods that work. No longer will my hubby have to suffer through washing down my horrid eggs with a hurried glass of milk.

How To Fry An Egg Without Burning It To A Crisp

How to Cook Japanese Sukiyaki Beef at Home

Here's yet another one of my kitchen misadventures in my never-ending quest to be a good homemaker! I've always been fascinated with Sukiyaki Beef in Japanese restaurants, and thanks to my super awesome cousin who taught me how, I can now cook homemade sukiyaki beef for my hubby.

Japanese Sukiyaki Beef Recipe

How to Make Homemade Gyoza

I love Gyoza. These little potstickers have always delighted me whenever we visit Japanese restaurants, and finally, when hubby and I got lost in Johor, Mayasia one time, we stumbled upon this cozy little gyoza kiosk that made us fall in love with gyoza even more. I actually planned to sell them as a business, and now I can finally start, thanks to my incredibly talented cousin who taught me how to make these Japanese delights.

Homemade Gyoza Recipe

How to Bake Homemade Crepe Cake

So I hate baking, but my delightfully wonderful cousin taught me how to make this incredibly delicious treat. And because I'm not into anything too sweet, I just think this crepe cake is perfect. Not to mention it scores me extra brownie points with the hubby.

Baking That Awesome Crepe Cake

How to Hold a Kitchen Knife

I’ve never really cooked in my life.

Being such a huge fan of the Asian Food Channel, I know all the ins and outs of each cooking show and I got by with knowing squat about anything.

But, now that I’m a married woman, and a complete noob, I’ve dabbled a little bit into the mystic arts that happen in the fabled land of The Kitchen. Such wonder, such mystery! What delightful smells that come wafting in from this unknown sanctuary of culinary treats!  And so, filled with eager curiosity, I stepped into the secret world they call Cooking.

The first thing I did was cut myself.

Naturally.

So here I am, fresh with a Band-Aid wrapped around my finger, to tell you how to properly hold a kitchen knife.

Rainy Day Fix: Moroccan Mint Tea in a Mason Jar

I drink tea every day. No surprise there.

Deliciously soothing, the aroma of freshly brewed tea intoxicates me. With just a single hot cup, I feel relaxed, rejuvenated, at peace.

It’s been raining a lot lately, and there’s nothing more satisfying than sipping away as the raindrops trickle on the window beside me. If I could, I would just curl up and drink tea forever.

Yellowish teeth stains be damned.

I recently discovered that my trusty Ball mason jar can withstand extremely high temperatures, so I’ve been directly pouring boiled water into the jar over the tea bags. I wish my mason jar had a handle, but this would have to do for now.

My personal favorites are the STASH Moroccan Mint Green Tea, STASH Orange Spice Black Tea, STASH Cascade Mint Herbal Tea. There’s really not much to this entry. Just a general appreciation of tea in all its refreshing glory. J

How To Make Matcha Green Tea

My journey is at an end—I have found the perfect matcha green tea powder at the supermarket.

For months I have been scouring the beverage aisles of major grocery stores, poring over each foreign label on the shelves of the Asian goods section, wondering if I will ever succeed in my seemingly futile quest. I have spent wasted resources trying out unsuccessful green tea powders, sacrificing my taste buds and disheartening myself with each new brew. Then, finally, when all hope seemed lost, the heavens parted and my redemption presented itself in a blinding light.

The Nittoh Matcha Green Tea Powder.

And yes, when I tasted the tea at home, my eyes welled up—the search is over.

How to Make Matcha Green Tea

Cheesy Potato Balls Recipe

I am a sucker for cheese.

Really. I am not a foodie, nor do I have an appetite of epic proportions. But just cheese up anything and I will DEVOUR it. You have been warned.

But I am also a complete cooking amateur, so everything is extremely simple and based off my estimates from a food magazine that made me hungry the other day.

So here it is, fresh from the pan to my hubby’s delight, a super simple recipe of some soft and chewy cheesy potato balls that are perfect for when you’ve got a case of the munchies.

How to Make Cheesy Potato Balls

I suck at photography, but look at all that cheese!

How To Remove The Garlic Smell From Your Fingers

How do they make everything look so easy on TV?

In every cooking show, all the ingredients are lined up clean and neat and all you have to do is whip everything together and smile at the camera. And they make it all look so flawless, too. Nobody ever says that after sweating it out in the kitchen with all the mincing and trying desperately not to cut myself and inadvertently adding a hint of my own DNA-filled flavor into what I’m cooking, I’ll end up all smelly—and not the deliciously smelly kind.

It’s the garlic, really. It’s always been about the garlic.

I, for one, love garlic. But when they stick to my fingers after chopping and stay with me for DAYS, that’s an entirely different story altogether. The garlicky smell lingers on my fingers forever and haunts me in my sleep. Literally. I even feel like it could be stuck to my nose permanently and added to my sense of smell for good.