Purple yam (ube) and halaya (jam)
It is Dioscorea alata, a purple-colored tuber (not be confused with taro or purplish sweet potato). We grow it in the garden to make halaya (jam).
Kitchen how-tos
Find fully illustrated guides on the preparation of common ingredients. When beating egg whites, for example, how can you tell between soft peaks and stiff peaks? How do you skin and cut mangoes and pineapples? What is the right way to cook rice and how do you make it into congee? When cooking tempura, how should the shrimps be prepped? What's the proper way to wrap spring rolls?
See all how-to guides below.
How to cook a multi-course meal in 30 minutes and save on electricity
Smart kitchen tip: cook two dishes in the oven at the same time and steam vegetables over rice. You save on electricity and all the components of your meal will cook at …
How to wrap, store and reheat spring rolls
The English-speaking world calls them spring rolls although this Asian delicacy has nothing to do with spring. They are served fried or non-fried and fillings vary. The …
How to clean, peel and devein shrimps and prawns
How shrimps and prawns should be deveined and prepped depends on how they are intended to be cooked. There is a simple way and there is a special way if you don't want …
How to julienne vegetables
Any food item can be julienned but the technique is most often applied to vegetables. What does "julienne" mean?
How to slice brownies (and other cookie bars) neatly
I admit that cutting brownies, especially fudgy brownies, can be tricky. Do it wrong and you can get large chunks stuck on the knife ruining the shape of the brownies.
How to make lard
The secret to the best empanada is lard. Not butter, but lard. It will give you the smoothest dough that is soft and pliable but never sticky. And, after cooking, the …