My blog statistics show that I get most hits from those searching for siomai recipes and I’m glad that I finally posted one. I also included a recipe for Chinese chilli paste after getting requests by e-mail.

From chats with friends, I’m asked for recipes and questions about certain dishes. Perhaps it would be a good idea to write them down so I can respond to them in an orderly manner. Thus, the Sensual Cook has now opened the floor for questions and comments from neophyte and not so neophyte cooks.

Below I’m posting a recipe for the easiest chicken soup in the Philippines. In some provinces, tinola can also be cooked using pork and fish but in Pampanga, it is usually with chicken. Every now and then frogs are also cooked this way.
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It seems like this blog gets daily referrals from searches for a siomai recipe. To lessen the frustration, let me post a basic formula.

Steaming is an excellent method of food preparation since the hot vapour quickly cooks the food while retaining the flavour, colour and nutrients. A metal or bamboo steamer can be utilised though I personally prefer the latter. The vapour permeates the bamboo which gives the food a fine and thorough steaming compared to a metal steamer whose vapour is reduced to large drops of condensation which result in a bit soggy siomai (but that’s just me, the ever fastidious cook). I wonder though if lining the metal steamer with cheese cloth will give better results. One can also improvise with a rice cooker, a wire or expanding metal basket which will hold the food to be steamed above the water. The water should already be boiling before the food is placed in the steamer.

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