Boiled Pork Soup with Vegetables (Nilagang Baboy na May Gulay) - And a Tribute to Chef Nora Daza

On this monsoon weather season (August – September) the perfect pair for the cold weather is a bowl of hot soup. Boiled Pork Soup with Vegetables (Nilagang Baboy na May Gulay) is a common dish served during the monsoon period. Many households carry

their own version of this traditional dish. This is very easy to prepare and applies the same procedure on the Beef Brisket Soup blog entry on achieving a clear broth by taking out all the scum while the meat/pork is being tenderized. 
One thing I hate is seeing vegetables being set aside on one’s plate. To avoid wasting food I usually ask my family what vegetables they eat, and it’s what I will buy in the market and add to our rainy Sunday soup fare. As for me I have no problems about eating vegetables, I eat all of them as long as it’s not overcooked. To avoid overcooking the vegetables, I usually add them after taking the pot off the stove, replace the lid and just allow the heat to cook the cabbage and pechay. Here is how I came up with my own simple version of Boiled Pork Soup. –HIR.

Ingredients:

1 Kilo Pork Spareribs 

3 medium size Potatoes - quartered

2 medium size carrots - sliced diagonally

1 head Cabbage

3 bundles of Pechay

1 red onion- chopped

1 head garlic -  mashed and chopped 

Fish sauce (patis)

salt and pepper

1 liter water

Procedure:

Boil Pork spareribs for an hour and take out the scum that will float on top.

After all the scum has been taken out start to season the soup. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper.

Add sliced carrots and potatoes. Continue to simmer in low heat.

Season with fish sauce.

Take the pot off the stove, add the remaining vegetables like cabbage and pechay. Replace the lid and allow the heat to cook the leafy vegetables to cook on its own.

Another yummy rainy day treat! 

I am the cook! pays tribute to one of the Philippines veteran gourmet chef.

“There is nothing like Filipino Food!”

 Nora Daza (1929-Sept.13,2013)

While I was drafting this blog post I learned the sad news that the great Filipino Culinary Chef Nora Daza passed away during her sleep.  I credit her for some of the cooking techniques I learned when she used to have a regular cooking show on TV. That time there was no Food Network or any other shows about food and cooking. She pioneered the first cooking show on TV and earned the title Julia Child of the Philippine Cuisine. If she were selfish about her kitchen ideas, we will not have great culinary chefs and home cooks who have stick to her cooking books as their trusted culinary bible. Chef Nora Daza has SELFLESSLY shared all her knowledge about cooking through the numerous cooking books she has written and published. I admire her for all her tireless efforts in promoting our Philippine cuisine locally and internationally. 

 Thank you and hats off to a great cook! 

~HIR~