Lumpia Ko- Filipino-Asian Eatery and Boba Shop Near Me

 

Last week I just Learn from Doordash of this Hole-in-Wall Filipino-Asian Eatery and Boba Shop Near Me

Discover Us in Antelope, CA-From the Lumpia Ko website

"We are a fun and hip Filipino-Asian fusion eats and boba shop taking on a fresh approach to combine hand-rolled Filipino LUMPIA along with our new spin on Filipino-style brunch dishes called SILOG. We will also be introducing rotating Asian fusion and Filipino dishes throughout our menu. To top it all off, we have created a selection of BOBA FLOATS that take milk and fruit teas to the next level".

 

We pride ourselves in the creation of hand-rolled Lumpias rolled daily and introducing Silogs to the food scene in Sacramento. By ‘silog’ we mean a variety of Filipino/Asian fusion inspired proteins served over a bed of housemade garlic rice and a duo of fried eggs. Our protein options for our Silogs are: Longanisa (Filipino style sausages), Tocino (pork slices in sweet-garlic glaze), SPAM, Korean insipred marinated steak, and Crispy Pork Belly (pork belly slices served with savory lechon sauce). We are excited to showcase rotating dishes in our menu that are sure to take our guests on a culinary journey through Asian-fusion dishes and Filipino dishes alike.

Lumpia Ko is the to-go spot for a delicious culinary experience focused on Filipino-Asian fusion dishes (especially Lumpias) and boba specialty drinks with service that shows the Filipino hospitality at heart. We want every guest to feel the warmness of being welcomed into a Filipino home as well as enjoy the food and drinks that we have to offer".

 

Halo-Halo-A Filipino Concoction- One has to try, if this is the first time you heard of it.(I bet you are a non-Pinoy if this is the first time you heard of Halo Halo) 

Overall  average rating- is 3.5 out of 5 based on 69 reviews. The ratings showed the waiting line is too long at times due to under staffing and the place has only 4 tables for indoor dining. So order on line( pick up) or via Doordash delivery service. The food appeared to be good but on the pricey side- $$. 

Personal Review: I ordered the Longsilog. I would rate it 3.5 out of 5. The Pinoy sausage was perfectly cook and sweet. The garlic fried rice was a little oily and needed more garlic. There is an option to substitute fried rice with just steamed rice and scramble eggs instead of over-easy fried. I will order again from Lumpia Ko with their other dishes in the Menu. The dish portion was good for 2.       

 

Travel with Me Along My Food Adventures All Over the World

I hope you are not a meat and potato person. I am inviting you to travel with me around the world via your palate. Is your palate adventurous enough to try dishes you are not familiar with? If so, travel with me as we explore dishes from over 95 countries all over the world as well as regional dishes in the US via Shef.com (https://blog.shef.com/our-story)

I enrolled on this on-line food delivery service about 4 months ago. So far I have ordered food prepared by former residents of the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Liberia, Argentina, Brazil, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and regional dishes from New Orleans,Louisiana. I have ordered okra dishes as well as whole fish dishes prepared by a former resident from Southern India. I love them all. 

Here are some photos of the dishes that I have ordered. The Pompano fish is my favorite.

The Empanadas prepared from a former resident of Argentina are my next favorites

 

Last but not least are the Filipino dishes I have ordered from Shef Albert-The mongo dish above as well as the casava cake, and kare-kare below.

 

This Jambalaya Stuffed Pepper is prepared by Shef Brittni- US southern style of cooking

If you like a bell pepper stuffed with busting flavor you should try this Jambalaya rice stuffed oven-roasted bell pepper that's loaded with the flavors of the South. You will enjoy sausages, jumbo shrimp, and delicious chicken in every bite! I promise you won't be disappointed. Main ingredients: Salt, garlic, onion oil, jasmine rice, creole spices, green pepper, red bell pepper, tomato paste, shrimps, Smoked beef sausage, chicken breast, olive oil.

The latest dish I ordered was from a former resident of Liberia, Africa- The Okra Stew with rice, plantain, onion, jalopeno, cucumber and tomatoes as sides.

Again, are you adventurous enough to travel with me with my food adventures via Shef. com. If so let me know. You will receive a $10 discount on your first order and I will get a $10 referral gift, if you sign up with  https://shef.com/refer/davidk35

 

Two Okra Dishes Available on Line via Shef.com

This dish is prepared by Shef Farah formerly from Punjabi, Pakistan. This is in my future order list -Bhindi Masala

1.Bhindi Masala is a very simple dish, yet comforting, healthy, and full of flavors. This is one of my family's favorite dishes at almost every gathering we have. Prepared by sautéing the okra separately in canola oil and then mixed and cooked together with onions, tomatoes, ginger/garlic, green chilies, and spices. Enjoy this with fresh roti. This dish is similar to my own recipe-sauteing okra in either oyster sauce or shrimp paste with vinegar.  Price: $12.99 for 12 oz container.

Prepared by Shef Amelia formerly from Liberia, Africa
 

2. Okra Stew is a smooth and savory stew that would make anyone who is opposed to okra more willing to try this amazing dish. The main three components of this dish are the okra, chicken, and beef. The sides for the meal are three pieces of plantain, a Serrano pepper, sauteed onion, slices of tomatoes, and slices of cucumber. I ordered this dish yesterday. Delivery in 2 days. Price: $15.99 for 8 oz container.

For other recipes read:

https://whyretireinthephilippines.blogspot.com/2022/08/eleven-ways-to-cook-okra-my-own-recipe.html

This is my own recipe-Okra with Pork and Shrimp Paste. I have a variation recipe using oyster sauce.

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Eleven Ways to Cook Okra- My Own Okra Recipe

 

This year I am starting to have a bountiful harvest of both standard ( green) okra as well as the purple ( red okra) variety.  I have used them in Filipino dishes, sinigang( soup) and pinakbet( like gumbo) as well as my own recipe by just sauteeing it in onions/garlic and shrimp paste with a trace of rice vinegar. 

Today, I will sauteed the okra in pork binagoongan with also a trace of vinegar. The pork will be shredded and the shrimp paste I will used is the Ginisang Bagoong, Barrio Fiesta Brand. There are several brands of Shrimp Paste from the Philippines, but the only one I like is the Barrio Fiesta. This recipe is my own creation. 

My newly cooked okra with pork binagoongan- my own recipe

Here are 2 videos on how to cook okra. The first one is very simple-okra sauteed in Oyster sauce. The second video shows 2 creative recipes used by professional cooks. The dishes are served in expensive restaurants. 

I like this easy and simple recipe and used it often, since I always have a bottle of oyster sauce in my pantry. I modify this recipe by adding pop corn chicken.

Here are 11 ways to prepare Okra: https://www.foodandwine.com/vegetables/okra/11-ways-use-okra

1. Gumbo. This Louisiana dish is probably what's given okra its slimy reputation—the vegetable is sliced and simmered so all of its goo leaches out. Believe or not, that goo has a purpose: It thickens the stew into something magical.

2. Quick vegetable stew. Thickly slice okra and cook it briefly with tomatoes so it's tender but not overly slimy.

3. Stuffed peppers. Add okra to a succotash that you stuff into poblanos. The spicy peppers will distract you from any okra textural issues.

4. Pickled. A Bloody Mary must-have, pickled okra has a slight slime factor but so much flavor that you'll hardly think about it.

5. Dipped. For a fun take on crudités, blanch okra then double dip them: First in mayo, then in "sprinkles" like sesame seeds and diced chile.

6. Sautéed. Keep the okra whole and sauté them briefly in oil. Add garlic and lime zest for flavor, and cashews for crunch.

7. Grilled. Grill whole okra until charred, then toss them with a flavorful dressing. (You can also roast them whole for a low-slime effect.)

8. Double fried. Fry thickly sliced okra in oil until soft, then stir-fry with a flavorful sauce.

9. Crispy fried. Coat okra in egg and cornmeal, then fry. The crisp coating will distract you from any little bit of slime.

10. Halved and pan-roasted. Halve okra lengthwise, then char them in a piping hot cast-iron skillet, which will render them nearly slime-free.

11. Julienned and fried. For a truly slimeless okra experience—one that will convert even the most vehement okra hater, make okra the way chef Suvir Saran does: Thinly slice the pods lengthwise, then fry the wispy strands. Even the seeds become crisp.

This is how to freeze okra for later use. Okra is available commercially fresh, frozen or dried. I have never purchased frozen or dried okra. 

 

 

Empanadas, Cheese Rolls and Pastries from Porto's Bakery

Last weekend my longing for empanadas has been satiated. Ditas had a 3-day visit with me. She brought with her 2 boxes of Porto's pastries, empanadas and cheese rolls that I have been enjoying the last few days. The empanadas both chicken and beef reminds me of Pinoy empanadas. But Porto's is of Cuban origin and its story is detailed in the reference at the bottom of this page. It is listed in the top 10 best and famous bakeries in California.

To be honest, this is my first time I heard about Porto's Bakery. All my bakery needs are fulfilled by Pinoy bakeries in the area( Starbread, Valerio and Goldilocks). All of my Empanada purchases are on line from Shef.com. All of my other bakeries needs are filled by either Safeway or Dash Mart Grocery. 

Here's the current menu of the bakery.

https://www.portosbakery.com/current-menu/

 

The Guava Rolls

The Chicken Empanadas

The Cheese Rolls

The bakery offers also cakes. This mango-mouse cake looks delicious.

 

Besides the above, Ditas brought with her the Chicken and Ham Croquettes

  For Details read:

 https://www.portosbakery.com/our-story/

Meanwhile, here's the latest photos of my red okra flowers

 

 

The Best Tasting Crabs for Your Eating Pleasure

European Brown Crab- Photo Credit: Cuisineryfoodmarket.com

I was reading an advertisement in FaceBook about European Brown Crabs. I am thinking of buying/ordering on line since the price is reasonable. However, I am not sure of the taste/quality (contamination) of these crabs, so I posted a question on my FB page. However, I did not get any response except for my American-Italian neighbor. Here's the ad from FB.

European Brown Crab Cooked

These female crabs are cooked and ready to be cracked and eaten. One large crab will feed up to 2 person. You can also use the crab meat for your recipes. The white claw meat that comes from these crabs rivals the one from king crab.

Brown crab is a crab species found in the North Sea and North Atlantic Ocean with a brown smooth, oval carapace, wider than it is long, which makes it stand out perfectly. Like the rest of other similar species, females have a larger abdomen than males.

• Fully cooked, free of preservatives or additives.
• 1 whole crab per pack.
• The crab weighs 14 to 21 oz (400g/600g), which is a perfectly generous portion for one to two people.

Full Description

$13.89 Special Price $11.09

I have not tasted this specie of Crabs, so I posted in FB asking if anyone knows its taste compared to the top best tasting crabs listed below.  

Top 5 Best Crabs To Eat

Maryland Blue Crab. .

Soft-Shell Crab. ...

Dungeness Crab. ...

Snow Crab. ...

Florida Stone Crab. ...

 

My Italian-American neighbor is familiar with these brown crabs. She said its taste is inferior to the Dungeness or Maryland Blue Crabs.  For those of you who are not crab enthusiasts here are the photos of the popular types of crabs used for cooking. There are more than 4500 species of crabs, but they are not all edible.

I have enjoyed the delicious taste of the Blue, Dungeness and Soft Shell Crabs as well as the Alaskan King Crab, but not the Snow or Florida Stone crabs. How about you? How many types of Crab meat have you enjoyed? They are not cheap!! 

Here's an article last year, on the high concentration of Cadmium in the brown meat ( body meat) of the European Brown Crabs. 

 

https://www.elgalabwater.com/blog/it-safe-eat-brown-crab

 

Here's another article on Eating Brown Crabs!!

Everything But the Shell: A Guide to Eating Brown Crab

Posted on April 26, 2016 by wizard Klaw

After a bit of a howler of a winter, it looks like the weather’s turned around and is becoming a bit friendlier. The lads on the crab boats will be out at Lambay Island (a spit of land in Dublin Bay where the crab like to party) pulling up pots of beautiful Brown Crabs. They know how to find them and catch them, we know how to cook them, so all that’s left is for you to know is how to eat them. It can be a bit intimidating to take on a whole crab and get the best out of it but once you know how it’s a great feed and a lot of fun.

Of the whole weight of these heavily armoured critters, about a third of it is edible meat. With sweet white meat in the claws and lower body and rich brown meat in the head, there’s a great range of flavours in a Brown Crab. When we prepare a crab in Klaw, we pull off the claws and separate the top shell and the lower body. On the lower body are the “dead man’s fingers” as they’re known. These are the crab’s gills through which water is filtered. These are removed; despite the enticing name they’re neither tasty nor visually appealing. We then split the body down the middle to make the meat more accessible and we crack the claws. This leaves the top shell or carapace. We remove the sandbox and a membrane that covers the meat. The meat in the top shell is often overlooked in favour of the sweet claw meat but for many this meat is the highlight of eating a crab. The soft meat has a distinct flavour and is stunning when spread on toast and sprinkled with a bit of the Old Bay seasoning and the yuzu that we love in Klaw.

 

 

A Pictorial Collection of the Most Popular Filipino Dishes

While reading My E-mail last month, I found this article on Quora.com describing Filipino Dishes versus Thai and other Asian dishes. I am posting the answer below and photos of some mouth-watering Pinoy Dishes. I hope looking at the pictures will me you hungry and order a Filipino Dish today from your local favorite Pinoy restaurant or on line through Shef.com (Referral code Davidk35). Bon Apetit!     

Traditional Filipino desserts

• Rice Cakes

• ‘Ginataang Bilo-Bilo’, this actually looks similar to the Thai dessert ‘Bua Loi’.

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Examples of Thai food for visual comparison.

Source: Quora.com (Digest)

Why is Filipino food not popular overseas apart from in places where there are workers from the Philippines?

Personally I think that Filipino cuisine lacks promotion… but I also know that some people have professed their hatred of Filipino cuisine. As a Filipino I love Filipino cuisine, but if other people don’t like it, then who cares?… let them be, as long as they’re not spreading misinformation.

Dayang Marikit

Philippine History Professor

Is Filipino cuisine similar to Thai cuisine?

As a Filipino who had been to Thailand, I’d say that visually speaking they could generally look “quite similar” to each other because both cultures love stews, broth soups, noodles, rice, rice cakes, spring rolls, etc… however I’d say that the main difference is in the flavor, Filipino cuisine has a lot of "umami flavor" but it's generally “milder” and less spicy and less herby than Thai cuisine, they use a lot of aromatics like cilantro, which Filipino don’t typically use. Though I must say that some of the flavors are quite familiar to me.

My Korean and Japanese friends tend to say that Filipino food is very flavorful to their palates but still “tolerable” unlike Thai cuisine. Many Koreans could tolerate the spiciness of Thai cuisine, but not its strong herbal flavor… I think that makes sense because comparatively speaking, Korean and Japanese cuisine generally tends to be “blander” than Southeast Asian cuisine, in my opinion.

Do you have a favorite in this pictorial? Let me Know!