My Pechay-Garlic sauce as a Superhero

I was thinking about pesto sauce as I searched for fresh basil leaves in my fridge but I only found pechay (Chinese cabbage) instead. I told myself, 'Why not try?" Its color is green that resembles pesto. The flavor ranges from sweet to a tangy mustard-like taste, so it also has a 'wow' factor for my pasta. Then, my modification started.

Pechay can be seen and usually used in varied Asian cuisines like in Korea for kimchi, a salivating dish.

Chicken Pasta with Pechay-Garlic Dressing

Ingredients:
3cups water
2tsp or 10ml butter
100g spaghetti pasta

50g chicken fillet
1pc large tomato, 1cm cubed
5pcs button mushroom, thinly sliced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

cheese, shredded, to taste

Puree:
few drops of water
7pcs pechay leaves (chinese cabbage), stalk removed
garlic 3 cloves
pinch of long chilli, green, seeded minced
1 1/2tsp calamansi juice
1T or 15ml butter
salt, to taste

Methods:
Boil water and butter in a small pot. Add pasta. Cook until al dente. Set aside and cover.

Fry chicken fillet (marinated with a little salt) in a pan of butter oil. Add potato and mushroom halfway thru the cooking process of the meat. Season. Set aside and cover.

In a blender, put drops of water, pechay leaves, long chilli, garlic, calamansi juice, and butter. Process until the consistency of a puree. Season with salt. Transfer and cook mixture to a low-set heated pan to reduce the rawness of pechay. Avoid browning.

To serve, put 3-4 tsp of the puree mixture as a dressing to pasta, meat and veggies. Top with cheese.

St. Peter's Fish with Mango dressing

Handling meat is one of my weakest points in cooking that's why I tried making baked tilapia fillet in order grasp the nature of various protein even in a little manner.

After lowering the temperature in a preheated oven, I delicately watched the fish being baked and tried not to overcook its texture. I made sure it is properly seasoned before putting it inside the oven.

The dressing I tossed is what makes the recipe complete. Pouring the juice of the dressing on tilapia turned the ordinary fish into something special. To avoid the over-empowering taste, cilantro must be added gradually until the balance of flavor is met.

Baked tilapia fillet with mango and cilantro dressing

Ingredients:
Fish:
4 tilapia fillets
salt, to taste
butter (enough for greasing)

Dressing:

1cup unripe green mango (hilaw na mangga), peeled, pitted, and chopped

1/2 cup avocado, skinned, pitted, and chopped
1pc small tomato, chopped
1pc small red onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2T fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1T lemon juice
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven at 450F for 15 minutes. Season tilapia fillets with salt. Grease the small oven tray with butter. Put fillets on top of the tray and bake in a preheated oven for 7-10mins. Set aside and cover the meat to serve the fish with desired heat. For dressing, mix all ingredients in a bowl and set for 10-15mins. To serve, top the dressing on tilapia.

Snack with Ginger-calamansi-butter sauce

The delicious ginger-calamansi-butter sauce cannot only be used for poached potato but it can also be paired with sweat potato or fish fillet using the same cooking process. For a plain bread, the sauce may also be utilized as a spread onto it. The snack I made below is perfect for a sleepy afternoon which can be matched with chilled grape fruit.

Ingredients:
Ginger-calamsansi-butter sauce
2T butter
2tsp ginger, minced
1/2 pc long chilli (green or red), minced
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp calamansi juice

4 pcs Chinese cabbage (pechay) leaves
2 pinch of salt
1/2 pc potato, peeled, wedged
1/2 tsp black coffee
1 pinch of salt

Directions:
Saute ginger and long chilli in butter. Add in honey. Add in calamansi juice. Set aside. Poach leaves of Chinese cabbage for 5-7 mins in water with salt. Set aside. Poach potato in water with coffee and salt for 7 mins. Serve in one plate.