I came prepared for the 3rd day of my culinary sojourn. I brought along a plastic chair and an assistant. I didn’t want to get so exhausted after the cooking lesson just like what happened last week. My tiredness extended till Sunday.
I was so donya sitting on the chair and making paypay. I also paid less attention to what the Chefs were saying because I didn’t want to get tired. To begin with, we haven’t even started the demo and I was feeling dizzy already. Ewan ko ba, siguro I was so scared to get tired kaya psychologically, parang pagod agad ako even before we started.
Cooking Paella is not so bad. Compared with the ultra-tedious Hainanese Chicken Rice, preparing a delicious seafood paella is a walk in the park. It also allows you great flexibility in cooking it the way you like it. You can also use whatever ingredients you want- seafood, chicken, pork, whatever.
Chef David, a 24 year old chef! He was born in the Philippines but his parents brought him to the US when he was two-months old. He grew up there then he worked in London for 2 years. His mom is Filipina and dad is American.
He just took the lobster tail, which we would use as garnishing.
I was seriously asking questions.
This’ my 3rd Saturday here. My alalays didn’t have a clue why we come here every Saturday. But today, the beans are out, they brought my silya in the kitchen, they saw me cooking at naka apron pa. Meron akong hindi mabuksan na supot, I asked for help. I ignored their faces, they looked so confused… kulang na lang tanungin ako kung anong ginagawa ko dun. Sigurado ko itsitsismis nila ako kay Cherry (our cook at home). Ang mga lalaki super tsismoso rin.
But what’s even worse was the looks on my classmates’ faces. They couldn’t decipher why I had a chair, I kept on making paypay eh malamig naman, at meron pa akong mga assistants at kain pa ako ng kain ng chippy. Parang donya pukekay.
Curacha daw or slipper lobster ang tawag dito. When buying–must still be alive or super fresh (defined as just -recently -passed -away)
When the Chef told us to get pans and cook the clams, we all poured water in the pan. Mali pala. We cooked the clams with olive oil and white wine (look for a cheap one). Close the pans lid for a few minutes, As a general rule, the clams that didn’t open must be thrown away. But sayang din because there are also fresh ones that just didn’t open. You can pry them open one by one. The clams must be set aside for garnishing also.
Dinikdik na saffron and chili in olive oil. Pampalasa ito sa rice
Dry Chorizo or Chorizo de Bilbao. (or Chorizo de Bilbil kasi pampataba ito)
Never use Chinese chorizo kasi magla-lasang yang chow fried rice.
We’ve used up a big bottle of olive oil. Mahal pa naman ito.
This’ what we poured on the clams. Mumu lang siguro ito.
Frying the chicken thigh cubes
Yung olive oil na pinagprituhan nung lahat ng seafood would be used to saute the rice kaya malasa.
All these seafood would be for garnishings
My classmaes Pilar Go, Tadashi, Ken & Anton. Pilar is a full -time housewife, her husband was the one who enrolled her because his favorite is also Hainanese Chicken Rice, I asked if she cooked one last week, she said nilaga nya lang yung manok and used the sauces we prepared last week.
Kirsten, Me, very young girls Denise Soller and Kaye Ann Chan. These two jump and scream everytime the oil splatters.
Pilar Go and Tadashi, I think he’s half-Japanese
Seafood Paella or Paella a la Valenciana
I still look tired.
Le madamoiselle Annie lutoix sarapie paella wi pusiti, lobsterus (parang uterus), en pritoe manok y basta
