Recipe | Dulce de Leche

Dulce de Leche
Servings per batch: 1-2 bottle-fulls
Total preparation time: Approximately 3 hours
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate


Most of you probably know Dulce de Leche as an ice cream flavor or something that's in a cake or whatnot, but the actual Dulce de Leche itself can be described most accurately as a jam. It's basically like a jam that tastes like caramel, only less sweet.

Make no mistake about it, it might taste similar, but Dulce de Leche is not caramel. The big difference is basically the presence of milk in Dulce de Leche and a little something called the Maillard reaction. Now go and look up the Maillard reaction on Wikipedia since explaining here would be much too boring and off topic.

Dulce de Leche is a simple thing to make, the only thing about it is that it demands patience - lots of it. The total cooking time for this will take at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours, sometimes even longer.

To make Dulce de Leche you will need:

• 1 quart (.95 liter - which is basically one liter all the same) whole milk
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean (with the usual treatment: split, scrape seeds)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Just combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla in a pan and bring it to a simmer until the sugar has fully dissolved. After the sugar's fully dissolved, add the baking soda and continue to cook at a bare simmer. Just leave it be and stir occasionally.

Now, I suppose you can substitute 1 tsp. of vanilla extract if you can't get your hands on vanilla beans or if you're too lazy to have to go and buy some (Santis Delicatessen sells vanilla beans and they have stores in Makati and in Quezon City).

For those using vanilla beans, make sure to remove it after an hour because it will start releasing some funky flavors if you cook it any longer than that.

As I said, this will take at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours because you have to reduce the whole quart/liter of milk down to about a cup of stuff; and that's a whole lot of reducing. A laptop with series of Simpsons episodes worked pretty well for me to stave off boredom.

You want it to reach the consistency of say... melted chocolates. So just wait it out and remember to keep it at a bare simmer. If it still has liquid consistency, don't worry too much because it does get much thicker once you put it in the refrigerator. Even if you do screw it up, don't worry about it because you can just try again. We learn best from our mistakes after all. Believe me, the hours you spend slaving over this only makes it all the more satisfying.


After you're done cooking, pour it through a strainer to remove clumps that might have formed. Store them in appropriate containers. It'll keep for a good while; it's got a lot of sugar anyway, so that should keep microorganisms at bay.


Now you can do pretty much anything with your Dulce de Leche. You can put it on toast, eat with bananas, ice cream, pancakes, cupcakes, whatever you can think of, really. Enjoy!

Features | YOU Magazine

YOU magazine turns its eyes on our 5-month-old food blog in its feature "Manila Foodistas: Student foodies chronicle their campus food indulgences." Here's a photo of our feature in the magazine.

Again, thank you YOU magazine for having us. We're very humbled to be included in your issue.

Manila Foodistas represent!

Grab your copy of Sept/Oct 2008 Issue of YOU in any of your local magazine stands nationwide.

Restaurant Review | Suka't Sili

Suka't Sili
158-E D. Tuazon Street, Lourdes, Quezon City
Type of Cuisine: Filipino
Average cost per person: 200-300 (US$5-8)
Overall Rating:

What with school work and conflicting schedules, these Foodistas were particularly thrilled that they were able to sneak away from all the melodrama and stress of everyday life. Rainy seasons are especially perfect for sleeping--pardon the cliche--and stuffing oneself with food.

When Tiffy went to eat on Father's Day last month, she was raving about the place's Halo Halo and, in her words, "yummy food." Planning the outing was tough -- Tiffy had a talk to attend, Bong had an exam, and Mark had a date with Dream.

The place was three jeepney rides away from UP. Bong, by then, was really hungry because he skipped lunch studying for his exam.

Suka't Sili 0riginated from Davao. It's specialty? Grilled seafood. When we asked why it was named Suka't Sili, we were told that it was because masarap isawsaw sa suka't sili (dipping it in vinegar with chili peppers is yummy). Although they didn't know when the original Suka't Sili started, we were told that the D. Tuazon branch started March 9, 2004.

Steamed Okra with Bagoong (Php 30, US$0.68)
Tiffy was the only one who ate the steamed okra. Apparently, Bong and Mark don't like it. What's not to like about vegetables? Maybe it's because it's a bit slimy when you eat it. But that might just be its charm! The bagoong accompanying this dish was, however, too salty for Tiffy's taste.

Itlog na Maalat at Kamatis (Php 60, US$1.36)
This one's a classic Filipino side dish. The tomatoes were crunchy and the salty egg wasn't that salty. Bong put some bagoong from the okra and according to him, it tasted superb. Simple yet yummy.

Tuna Sisig (Php 110, US$2.50)
This is probably the best dish out of the ones we ordered. It wasn't your typical sisig. It was pretty good, if you like your sisig creamy.

Tuna Belly (Php 80, US$1.81)
Supposedly, this was one of their bestsellers. It was good, but not as soft as what the Foodistas expected it to be.

Bihod (Tuna Roe) (Php 70, US$1.59)
Out of the Foodistas, Bong would be counted among the less adventurous ones. He'd much rather not eat food that he hasn't tried before. When we asked the waiter what it is, he told us that it was fish eggs. For the three of us who ate it for the first time, it tasted like powdered eggs that taste like fish.

Halo Halo (Php 50, US$1.13)
When you enter Suka't Sili, you'll see boards advertising their halo halo. "Finely crushed ice" and a huge chunk of praises about it. Well it is quite justified because their halo halo really has finely crushed ice. So finely crushed that eating it seemed to Tiffy a bit reminiscent of eating ice cream. It has only a few ingredients -- bananas, langka, and leche flan. But this is one proof of the saying, "Less is more."

Reviewed by Bong, Mark, and Tiffy.
Photography by Mark and Tiffy.
See more photos on Mark's Flickr.

Restaurant Review | Mr. Choi Kitchen

Mr. Choi Kitchen
Robinson's Galleria, Mandaluyong City
Type of Cuisine: Chinese
Average cost per person: 200-300 (US$5-8)
Overall Rating:

Finding authentic Chinese cuisine in Manila is not necessarily a difficult task. With the fairly large population of Chinese Filipinos in the country, there are many places to go for food that is comfortably familiar. Looking for a quick bite to eat, we decided to try this updated looking Chinese restaurant. The clean lines, paneled walls, and warm yellow lighting set the ambiance. The cliched restaurant name aside, this is a good place to go to for a casual dinner, but not somewhere to go to be surprised.

Hakaw (Php 105, US$2.50)
Somehow, whether it be in a hole in the wall dimsum shop or at a high end Chinese restaurant, you can never go wrong with ordering Hakaw. This version understandably has less shrimp and more bamboo shoots, but nevertheless these slightly pink translucent dumplings are a great start to dinner.

Hot Prawn Salad (Php 260, US$6.50)
Still steaming, the battered prawns dredged in mayonnaise and fruits that comprise this dish could very well be stomach churning for some, especially if it isn't done well. What was different with this salad was the addition of vegetables, when it is usually made with fruits and shrimp. We would prefer it if they left out the fruits and just left the vegetables as fruit with mayonnaise isn't really our thing.

Seafood Fried Rice (Php 160, US$4.00)
Yang Chow Fried Rice is a staple in every Chinese restaurant, and the Seafood Fried Rice is not very much different from it. In fact, the only difference seems to be the addition of slightly more seafood, but not enough to change the dish drastically. This is one of those dishes, along with Hakaw, that seems to taste the same everywhere you go.

Beef with Broccoli (Php 195, US$5.00)
Unusually, the star of this dish was the broccoli, which came in generous servings. The beef itself was slightly rubbery, and did not lend itself well in the dish. But for the price it was more than enough to satisfy us.

Reviewed by Bong, Hannah and Mark.
Photography by Mark.
See more photos on Mark's Flickr.

Jetsetting Foodistas | Boracay: Everything's Fine in Paradise?

Mark and Boracay
Jetsetting Foodistas: A Travelogue by Mark




Boracay - the hottest beach destination in the Philippines. Half a million tourists crowd the island every year for its beautiful beach, wild nightlife, and various water activities. But besides these, Boracay is also home to some very good eats.

The main commercial area in Boracay is called D’Mall and that is the place where you will find a large majority of Boracay’s restaurants.

Tucked away in a little corner is the original Cyma. It’s a must go I suppose since everybody here seems to love it soo much.

There’s also the seemingly interesting Fishbar. Unfortunately we didn’t eat there, but the next time we go I definitely want to see how they do their fish and chips.

One of the better restaurants there is an Italian restaurant called Aria. Be prepared to shell out a bit of money though, the cheapest pizzas and pastas start at Php 310 ($7.10) and go all the way up to Php 525 ($12). Of all the dishes we tried, the Gorgonzola pasta got the best reaction from my siblings.

They absolutely loved it. It tasted sort of like basic Alfredo pasta, but had a slightly more interesting flavor due to the Gorgonzola. Their pizzas are the very thin and crispy kind, and they tasted fine, but I hated eating the small parts of the crust, which were a bit charred. Overall this is a pretty good restaurant, albeit a bit pricey.

Another interesting place to eat there is Halowich. They serve… well it’s kind of complicated. Basically they are various things such as beef or potato with some vegetables, encased in a flying saucer shaped dough. Like a hot pocket, or a little pie. Unfortunately we didn’t try that, but what we did try is their desert item. It is basically ice cream; fruits such as banana, mango, pineapple and watermelon; crushed ice, some red beans, Cornflakes, and various flavors of sherbet. You can choose from such flavors as milk, wine, lemon, orange, strawberry, etc. I must say, on the hot beach, it is very refreshing with the ice and the fruits. Something you really must try if you go there.

Outside of D’Mall are plenty of other places worth your attention. One of the places we were quite excited to try was Zuzuni, acclaimed by the Philippine Tattler as one of the Philippines’ best restaurants in 2007. It’s a Greek restaurant, so the comparisons to Cyma are inevitable. We tried four items on their menu: their moussaka, lamb souvlakia (kebabs), pistachio prawns, and an appetizer of a spicy feta dip.

Unfortunately Zuzuni was a bit of a let down. For the spicy feta dip, they give you such a disproportionate amount of dip compared to pita bread that you have to order at least two extra orders of pita if you want to finish all the dip. But it did taste quite nice though. The rest of the food was pretty regular I would say, the moussaka tasted ordinary, the lamb tasted ordinary, the prawns were good though; but there were only 4 pieces. How can this possibly be one of the Philippines’ best restaurants when there is clearly a better Greek restaurant sitting a couple minutes walk away? Oh and I can’t believe their menu had waffles in it. Waffles. Would you really go into a Greek restaurant and eat waffles?

If you want some good dessert, you can head over to Discovery Shores, one of Boracay’s best and of course, most expensive hotels. The prices of the desserts there were actually quite reasonable, going from Php 180 ($4.12) to Php 220 ($5). My siblings had a mango cheesecake with passion fruit glaze and homemade almond ice cream, as well as Discovery’s signature cake; a cake of chocolate sponge, peanut butter icing, and a chocolate ganache. I had a coconut crème brulee infused with kaffir lime and pandan.

The crème brulee was quite nice, it had soft, sweet, coconut meat at the bottom and was quite rich. I have to say, for its prices, those were pretty good desserts.

So now that you know a few of Boracay’s restaurants, don’t you think it’s time to leave everything behind and spend a few days on the beach so you can discover it for yourself?

This has been Mark Wu.

I’m out like Greek waffles…

More photos can be found in my Flickr and my Multiply.