Mystery Unveiled: Manong's Fishball Sauce is Secret No More

A week ago, I started a search for the fishballs sauce recipe closest to the one Manong makes. Manong is how we call the streetvendor of fishballs, squidballs and kwek-kwek back in Manila. A strict requirement for a Manong is the skill to make a really yummy sauce, crazy mouth-watering that it would make you dunk your stick again in that jar. (I can't believe I just said that)

A lot (and I mean "a lot!") of recipes for this mysterious sauce can be found online. Friends gave me advice too, how they failed and how tough it is to match the taste. A friend even said, since this is streetfood, it has to be dirty to even come close to the real taste. How about a drop of sweat? Hehe.

After hearing mass last Sunday, my Dad & I went to the Asian store to get fishballs. Wow, 2 bucks for 200g of fishballs? Is that for real? I thought we're talking streetfood here! Well, I better not fail with the sauce, or should I just use my finger for taste test. *gross alert*

I will not dwell with the painful and frustrating process of coming up with the final recipe. What's important and what my Dad needs now is "the sauce" for his afternoon snack. Haha!

I thought my friend Mike was joking when he said it's just flour & water slurry, and sugar. That sauce is too tasty, it can't be that simple....But it is...with a few tweaks.

1 cup water

1-1.5 T rice flour

brown sugar

seasoned vinegar

Bring water to boil. Dissolve the flour in a little amount of cold water (1:2) and pour into boiling water. Bring to boil over low fire until it looks like this:

Now add the brown sugar. Based on my experience, 5 heaping tsp of brown sugar should be OK for a 1-cup recipe. Stir well while adding in the sugar.

Now this is the kicker...the vinegar. You can use cane vinegar, I tried. It tastes good. But what I liked better is seasoned vinegar, the kind that our moms keep in the kitchen. My mom has this seasoned vinegar with garlic, pepper, and about 4 kinds of chili. Datu Puti back home sells bottled seasoned vinegar too which works for my taste as well. Add about 5 tsp. And like in any other recipe where you want the vinegar flavor at it's finest, DON'T STIR. Just let it simmer for 4-5 mins, then stir slowly. Taste. Add more vinegar if needed. Add chili if you want it spicy.

SO TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK! haha! ENJOY!

I'm Not a Hippie

I got this from Yahoo! Entertainment. I just love this song (and the artist, too! hehe!).


No. I'm not going to blog about the song lyrics. I'm saving that for my cheesy moments. That's why I love my boyfriend, he takes my cheesy mood like Andrew Zimmern takes bizarre food. No throwing up! It's probably the antacid. Hehe!

OK, so Yahoo! says this is a hippie-friendly jam. I like it. Does that make me a hippie? Oh it doesn't matter. I think unconventional is cool, anyway. I don't go to movie theaters, I eat tofu, i love spicy food..how much cooler could I get? *smirk*

I'm off to listen to Jason Mraz while I switch into my artsy-craftsy mode. Tole painting is fun and addicting. An imaginary bubble separates you from the world. Another plus for the antisocial in me. =p

Hey, who knows! I might just be good at this. Blah! This just keeps me sane til my next travel. I'm off to New York City on the 15th. I can't wait to shoot, write and live (for a few days =p) in NYC. So until then, I'm in my own little crafts world.

Humble Me, Mr. Handyman

It is time for repairs at my parents' house. Mom asked for the services of a handyman from Dallas. Today is Mr. Handyman's third day, working on my parents' closet and the garage. It is lunchtime, and the typical Filipino family that we are, we eat together with Mr. Handyman. Little did I know, that this meal would be the most nutritious one... my soul could ever have.

"So where are you originally from?", I ask. "Iran", he says, and so the story of his life seasoned my meal.

Mr. Handyman (Let's call him Mr. H) used to be a fighter pilot. He trained in Iran and the US Air Force, even flew commercial flights. He went back to his homeland and flew fighter planes in the Iran-Iraq war. F-4 Phantom, way cool! My sister dreamed of flying those fighter babies when we were younger.

But with the difficult life in Iran, Mr. H chose to move to the US to be with his siblings, leaving his family behind. Holding a visitor's visa, he started his life in Dallas, hoping to provide more for his family. Then the 9-11 attack happened.

All Muslims who trained in the US Air Force were detained and investigated on. Mr. H was taken into custody and was imprisoned for quite some time. All his belongings were confiscated, they stripped his house clean. The only good thing is that all his previous flights were tracked. Another officer recognized him as they were in training together and helped him out.

In prison, Mr. H had USD140 which was valued in his tag. Since they spend money in prison, too, with food and supplies, all expenses were credited to his tag. He had money in the bank, but used it to pay the lawyer. By the time he was about to get out, he had USD90. With a clean record, the lawyer was able to get him through the case. The judge asked "What do you plan to do when you get out? Are you going back to your homeland or are you staying in the US?". Mr H said, "I have nothing but 90 dollars. If you let me stay in Dallas, I don't know how to start again, but I will. If you send me back to Iran, I will never get back on my feet again.". And so the judge released him with a refugee visa on the condition that he renounces his religion (remember how strict the US was with the muslims during the 9-11 time). Mr. H is free and a Christian.

Now he does repair works for homes like ours. Waiting for his green card, perfecting his repair skills. By referrals, he gets business. My mom's friend asked Mr. H to repair her toilet, asked him how much he would charge. It took him a day to finish the work, and just said "How much do you have?". Mom's friend took out a 20 dollar bill and some singles. Mr. H took the payment with a big smile.

I told him it must be difficult to live a life when you have nothing. He said, in prison he learned to just let go and let things happen for the Lord has a plan for each one of us. 26 bucks will feed him for a few days and brings him closer to his goal of getting his family... and he can't be more thankful.

From a fighter pilot to doing odd jobs as a handyman. Who wouldn't have twirls of questions in mind? Especially when you see him smile as he eats my moms' adobo, genuine, so heartfelt. It just made me stare and think...

It really doesn't take much for one to be happy, just the will and the desire to live this beautiful life that we are all blessed with.

*Smile*

The Craziest Four Months

... And yeah, crazy is good =)

I bet you wonder where I've been since December...

From San Francisco.. to Las Vegas... to Boracay... to Makati, it has been a wonderful ride with Myk & Gio.

Enjoy the video!