Hopya

Here's a common scene in the house that has probably been making our helpers cringe.

I welcome Totoy giddily from work, "Guess what's for dinner?"

He sniffs 3 times and guesses. It doesn't matter if he's right or wrong; I run to the kitchen to get the masterpiece of the night. This usually happens when I cook something he likes that I've never cooked before or when I cook something I know he's been craving for.

"Knock! Knock!", my voice from the kitchen.

"Who's there?" he'd say. My husband is always ready to answer my knock-knocks.

"Hopya." I start walking at this point.

"Hopya, who?"

"Here. HOPYA LIKE IT!" I say as I put down the dish on the table. I carefully watch the pacing of my walk to achieve that perfect timing.

Here's a dish that was once a part of that scene. I hopya like it too!

CHOP SUEY RECIPE

(inspired by Hap Chan's Chop Suey)

Prepare the following vegetables to blanch:

• about 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 1/2 cups snow peas (chicharo)
• 1 big chayote
• 2 cups baby corn
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 1/2 cups green (Baguio) beans
• half head cabbage

For the sauce, premix the ff to a slurry:

• 2 cups water
• 1 chicken cube, dissolved on 2 tbsp hot water
• 1/2 cup rice wine
• 1 1/2 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp. patis
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

and these: 

• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• 2 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 chopped big white onion
• 2 chopped red bell peppers
• 1 big can button mushrooms

 For garnish:

• 2 doz. boiled quail eggs
• sesame oil
• cilantro

1. Boil salted water and blanch the vegetables. You can do it in batches according to which vegetables you want to make more tender. Limit the cooking time per batch to 1 to 5 minutes only to avoid overcooking. Drain and set aside.

2. Stir fry ginger, garlic, onion and bell pepper on sesame oil until aromatic. Add the mushrooms, then the slurry. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.

3. Add the vegetables and stir until heated thourougly. Serve with quail eggs, top with few cilantro sprigs and drizzle with sesame oil.

  Hopya! :)