Bunny's Kitchen - Bike Commute and my first try on making Ilocano Miki

Thursday is usually my bike commuting day, as my vehicle's banned from taking the public roads because of color coding. And for some time now, I've been off the saddle more because of my work as an educator, and adjusting to life as a husband to my loving wife.

Stopped by the Hungry Rover @ UP Diliman's AS Parking

Just this afternoon, on my way home I stopped over at UP Diliman to spot food trucks parked at the A.S. Parking. Stopping over proved to be a good idea, as biking from one location to another increases my hunger to consume more food (can't help it). So I spent my merienda (snack), and ordered "Pork and Mushroom Sisig" from the Hungry Rover - Taco Trike, a food truck/trike that serves Beef Salpicao, Tacos, Sisig and Burgers... high protein fast food... though "Pork and Mushroom Sisig" is not really part of their regular menu, as they only opted in serving this as they ran out of ingredient for both "Pork and Bacon Sisig" and their "Mushroom and Bacon Sisig". For 89 Philippine Pesos ($1.90), you get a creamy mouth-watering Sisig meal served with a cup of Buttered Rice.

Also, I got the chance to test ride the bashguard-less setup on the Viento. And it looks a lot cleaner without the bulky-ness of the bashguard installed before. Definitely a good decision that I'm proud of.

Going Bashguard-less was the best decision I've done so far.

I arrived home early today, to prepare a meal that I promised my wife for weeks now... but often get's postponed because of job interviews and overtime at work.

I am to prepare a dish called, Ilokano Miki. A noodle soup dish native to the Ilocos Region. Though I plan to variate a little from the traditional dish and add some Longganisang Cagayan in it.

So why Miki? And not something foreign?

To start with, my roots traces back to the Ilokanos of the far north and north east. My father is a native of Laoag, Ilocos Norte (a place famous for their Ilocos Empanada, Dinakdakan and Miki) and my mom hails for San Jose, Nueva Ecija (a place known for their farmlands and dairy milk). Ilokano Miki has been a part of my life, and it is usually served during birthday celebrations and close family gatherings. It is a dish that I do not mind eating three-times a day.

And another reason... my folks sent over a pack of "Miki Noodles" to my house. :)

1/2 a Kilo of Miki Noodles sent by my folks.

So I asked my folks how it is prepared, and the answer they gave me was, "Parang sopas ang preparation, tapos lagyan mo ng atswete at hibe" (It's like chicken macaroni soup, then add annato oil and dried shrimp.)

So that's it? Well it actually was.

So to start I had to prepare my ingredients first.

• 1/2 kg flat "Miki" noodles
• 3 tablespoons of annatto oil
• 1/4 k chicken breast, shredded
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 1/2 cubes of Knorr Chicken Cubes
• a pinch of ground paminta (pepper)
• 4 sausages of longganisang cagayan, chopped and diced
• 150g pack of hibe (dried shrimp)

When everything was prepared, the preparation went like this:

Preparation:

• First Sauté crushed garlic in vegetable oil until golden brown.
• Pour the annatto oil (atchuete/atswete) in and simmer until the the oil has mixed well with the garlic.
• Add the chicken meat together with the dried shrimp and longganisa
• Add a pinch of grinded peppercorn and sauté everything for 3 minutes
• Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil.
• Throw in 2 cubes of Chicken Cubes
• Mix in the noodles and be sure not to overcook.  It should take about 3-5 minutes to cook the noodles, make sure that the noodles turn out al dente. 

Make sure not to overcook, once the noodles get soggy, it will not turn good.

• 
  Taste the soup if it turned out well, if not you may add the 1/2 chicken cube in to add some saltiness. Let it boil for another 2 minutes before serving.

Ilokano Miki with Chicken, Dried Shrimp and Pork Longganisa
my version of the Ilokano favorite.

And there you have it Ilokano Miki, prepared for dinner with the #loveofmylife. <3 div="">

*PS: you may even add Sukang Iloko with Labuyo (Sugar Cane Vinegar with Chili) to the soup to add that traditional feel and taste of the Miki from Laoag,