Kropek

Krupuk, kerupuk, or kroepoek in Indonesia; keropok in Malaysia; kropek in the Philippines; bánh phồng tôm in Vietnam; is a popular snack in parts of East and Southeast Asia. Krupuk are deep fried crackers made from starch and other ingredients that usually give the taste. Prawn based krupuk are popular types of krupuk. They are called krupuk udang in Indonesian, prawn crackers in British English, shrimp chips or shrimp crackers in American English, Nuvole di Drago (Dragon's Clouds) in Italian, 炸庀虾片 (fried prawn crisps) in Chinese.

In a budget drinking session, kropek never fails to make the party alive! With just at least 30pesos on hand, you can already have this crispy kropek. Together with your favorite chili-infused vinegar dip, this can be the your best pulutan of the night!

Ingredients:

• Prawn Flavored Chips, such as Ching Kee, as desired
• 4 cups oil for deep-frying, or as needed

 

Preparation:

Heat the oil to deep-fry the prawn chips (prawn crackers) to 360 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 182 degrees Celsius). To find out if the oil is hot enough, either 1) use a deep-fry thermometer to test the temperature, or 2) place a cooking chopstick or a wooden spoon upright in the middle of the wok. If bubbles start forming around the chopstick or wooden spoon immediately, the oil is ready.

Place several chips in the hot oil, separating them if needed. Deep-fry the chips for a few seconds until they puff up (the process takes less than 5 seconds), then remove the chips and drain on paper towels. Lay out a fresh paper towel for each batch of chips before deep-frying.
Prawn crackers taste best served warm. If not serving immediately, store in a sealed container and reheat briefly in a 250 degree Fahrenheit oven (about 120 degrees Celsius) before serving.

Peanuts

Beer and peanuts make a lovely couple! They always love to compliment each other! With peanuts alongside beer, drinking will always be amazing!

There are plenty of ways of how you want your peanut to be. Boiled, salted, with chili, and etc. It depends on how you want it to be and what suits your appetite.

CHILI NUTS

These spicy little nuggets are just the right fix for an afternoon of football watching.  The recipe calls for peanuts, but I used a mix of cashews and peanuts.  Whatever you’ve got on hand would be delicious.  These nuts have a good kick so if spice isn’t your thing, cut back on the cayenne.  Or just drink more beer. 

INGREDIENTS:


2 1/2 TBS fresh lime juice
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cayenne
4 cups unsalted dry-roasted peanuts 

HOW TO PREPARE:

In a large bowl, whisk lime juice, olive oil, paprika, sea salt and cayenne.  Stir in nuts to coat evenly.  Spread nuts on a large foil-lined, rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees until coating is dry and fragrant, about 30 minutes.  Cool completely before serving.

BOILED PEANUTS

Boiled peanuts are a traditional snack in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, northern Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. They are an acquired taste, but according to southerners, they are totally addictive.Southerners will tell you boiled peanuts should always be accompanied by a beer, sweet tea, or a soft drink. Traditionally they are eaten outside where it doesn't matter if wet shells are tossed or spit on the ground.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of raw "green" peanuts (not the color green, but fresh raw peanuts which are called green peanuts) 

1/4 cup kosher salt (or 2 Tbsp table salt)

4 cups water

Optional seasoning 

2 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning, smoked paprika, shrimp boil mix, or even star anise

HOW TO COOK:

1 Thoroughly rinse raw unshelled peanuts in water.
2 Put water, salt, seasoning, peanuts in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil. Cover. Boil for 2 to 3 hours or longer (some boil their peanuts all day), until peanuts reach desired level of softness.
3 Drain. Eat up within a couple of days. Boiled peanuts don't save as well as dry.

SPICY SALT-ROASTED PEANUTS

 

Together with your peers, buddies and friends, spice salt-roasted peanuts with beer would be a great companion to your endless conversations. With this, can chat, eat and drink at same time.

Ingredients: 

3 cups raw peanuts
3/8 cup light corn syrup
2 1/2 tbsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning (I used Bayou magic brand, but any good spicy Cajun seasoning will do.)
1 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

HOW TO COOK:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix peanuts, corn syrup, and light brown sugar in a mixing bowl or large measuring cup, until the peanuts are well-coated.

Sprinkle the salt and spices over the peanuts and stir just a few times, but not enough to dissolve the salt.

Spread the peanuts evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring three times during baking, until the nuts are deep-golden brown and glazed.

Sprinkle just a bit more salt and spice over the peanuts, cool completely, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Sisig (My all-time favorite)

Sisig, the ultimate pulutan companion for beer. Around bars and restaurants, the many varieties of sisig dish is a best seller either to go along your favorite drink or to be chowed down with hot steamed rice.

Originally, sisig was made from chopped parts of a pig’s head — ears, snout, the brain, etc. Over the years it was reinvented into simple minced meat served on a sizzling platter with chili, liver, onion and seasoned with calamansi and vinegar.

‘Sisig' is best served with a mug of ice-cold beer. It is currently the unofficial national dish for the Filipino beer-drinkers because ‘sisig' has a unique blend of spiciness of chili peppers, sour taste of vinegar and calamansi juice, and the saltiness of salt and soy sauce. Other herbs like garlic, red onion, white onion, ginger, black pepper, green bell pepper, celery, green onion leaves, kinchai, and kuchai have added to the rich bouquet of aromatic flavor of ‘sisig.

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‘Sisig' is also considered as a special viand these days and often served with steamy rice for lunch or dinner at home. Well-known Filipino restaurants have concocted different cooking methods for the popular 'sisig' and yet the dish always end up spicy, sizzling, and delicious.

HOW TO COOK SISIG:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/2 lbs pork cheeks (or 2 lbs deboned pork hocks)
• 1/2 lb beef or pork tongue
• 1/2 lb beef or pork heart
• 1/2 lb liver (pork, beef or chicken)
• 2 cups water (for boiling)
• 1 cup pineapple juice (for boiling)
• 1 tsp whole black peppers (for boiling) 

MARINADE SEASONINGS:

• 1 cup chopped onions
• 3-4 finger hot peppers (siling labuyo) (seeded and chopped)
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup calamansi juice (lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp whole black pepper (crushed)
• 1 pc bay leaf (crushed)
• Salt to taste

What is Pulutan?

Pulutan (from the Filipino word pulutin which literally means "something that is picked up") is a term roughly analogous to the English term "finger food". It originally was a snack accompanied with liquor or beer but has found its way into Philippine cuisine as appetizers or, in some cases, main dishes, as in the case of sisig.

Deep fried pulutan include chicharon (also spelled tsitsaron), pork rinds that have been salted, dried, then fried; chicharong bituka or chibab, pig intestines that have been deep fried to a crisp; chicharong bulaklak or chilak, similar to chicharong bituka it is made from mesenteries of pig intestines and has a bulaklak or flower appearance; and chicharong manok or chink, chicken skin that has been deep fried until crispy.

Some grilled foods include barbecue isaw, chicken or pig intestines marinated and skewered; barbecue tenga, pig ears that have been marinated and skewered; pork barbecue which is skewered pork marinated in a usually sweet blend; betamax, salted solidified pork or chicken blood which is skewered; adidas which is grilled or sautéed chicken feet. And there is sisig a popular pulutan made from the pig's cheek skin, ears and liver that is initially boiled, then grilled over charcoal and afterwards minced and cooked with chopped onions, chillies, and spices.

Smaller snacks such as mani (peanuts) are often sold boiled in the shell, salted, spiced or flavored with garlic by street vendors in the Philippines. Another snack is kropeck which is fish crackers.

The fried tokwa't baboy is tofu fried with boiled pork then dipped in a garlic-flavored soy sauce or vinegar dip that is also served as a side dish to pancit luglog or pancit palabok.