The Filipino Friends Blog

Pancit Palabok Recipe

Since its time to celebrate Thanksgiving – here a recipe for you all to try, its one of many filipino dish that is my favorite!  I will miss the Thanksgiving gathering with family – this year they’re going to be at my cousin Marnie’s place and its potluck style as it has always been! So here that I am far away, (SC) we will have potluck with some friends and whoever is away from home and family is more than welcome to come and join us.  HAPPY THANKS GIVING to you all and have a wonderful weekend!! Thanks to Filipino Food Recipes

Estimated preparation for toppings: 1 1/2 hours

Estimated cooking time for sauce & noodles: 40 minutes

Palabok Noodles / Sauce

• 1/2 kilo miki noodles

• 1/2 kilo small crabs

• 5 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 tablespoons of atchuete seeds or oil

• 2 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)

• 4 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in water

• 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)

• 1 1/2 cups of water

Palabok Toppings

• Tinapa flakes (smoked fish)

• Cooked shrimps, shelled

• Squid adobo, sliced into rings

• Pork chicharon, grounded

• Spring onions, chopped

• Hard boiled eggs, shelled, sliced

• Fried garlic, minced

• Fresh calamansi (lemon), sliced

• Extract fat and meat from clean crabs, set aside.

• Pound crab and extract juice on 1 1/2 cups of water

• On a pan, sauté garlic and onions until golden brown then add crab fat, crab meat, 1 1/2 cups of crab wash, patis and MSG. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

• Add corn starch and continue to simmer while constantly stirring until thick.

• Put miki noodles in a strainer and dip in boiling water for 5 minutes or until cooked.

• Lay drained noodles on a platter and pour the palabok sauce. Garnish with toppings and serve.

Olivera is 1st Filipino in U-S Science body

WOW, this is amazing! A filipino scientist as part of the US Science body!  That’s wonderful news and great for the Philippines as well and for the next generation of Filipinos!  Thanks goes to Good News Pilipinas for this story – see below:

Dr. Baldomero Olivera

Filipino biologist Dr. Baldomero Olivera has given the Philippines another international recognition in the field of the sciences.

Dr. Olivera is the first Filipino member of the United States National Academy of Sciences.

The NAS has 72 new members, including Olivera, and 18 foreign associates from 15 countries, bringing the total number of NAS active members to 2,150 and 404 foreign associates.

Olivera is a distinguished professor of biology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

NAS said the new members were elected “in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”

NAS, established in 1863, is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare.

Olivera is a corresponding member of the Philippine National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). He graduated summa cum laude from the University of the Philippines (UP) in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree Major in Chemistry and finished his doctorate degree, also in Chemistry, from the California Institute of Technology in 1966.

Olivera received the Philippine Legion of Honor (Rank of Grand Officer or “Marangal na Pinuno”) Presidential Award given by President Arroyo in January 2008 in recognition of his significant contributions and and achievements in the field of marine science, including the 2007 Harvard Scientist of the Year given by Harvard University.

The multi-awarded scientist is famous for his research on neuropharmacology using the venom of conesnails, particularly his discovery on its “combination of drug therapy,” as it can lead its prey to a sedated, quiescent state.

One of his students who worked in his laboratory was able to develop a conesnail toxin which is now used to treat pain in cancer patients.

Consnails’ venom, which has been found to be as deadly as the king cobra, has the capability to paralyze its prey by interrupting communication between nerve and muscle and by blocking electrical signals in nerves. Seventy percent of untreated human stinging cases were found to be fatal.

Pride of Philippine Science

This is in honor of the people that helped our country to be where they are today and tomorrow. I would like to thank them for their continued work and the legacy they left behind for the next generation of Filipinos.  As you’ve read in the past, we are striving to be taken seriously and note that we are a country to be listened.  Again thanks to Good News Pilipinas for this article.

Scientists greatly help in the economic development of a country. In the Philippines, we have a number of renowned scientists and technologists whose exemplary works and discoveries have contributed to the progress of different industries.

Here are five of the country’s scientists and their contributions:

Juan Salcedo Jr.

Dr. Juan Salcedo developed “Enriched Rice,” a rice variety fortified with vitamin B1, which helps prevent beriberi. His discovery helped reduce the cases of beriberi in the Philippines and in other countries.

A former secretary of health, Salcedo also became the chairman of the National Science Development Board in the 1960s. Through his efforts, a science community complex was built in Fort Bonifacio and a special funding system was created for technological research and development programs.

Salcedo received several awards such as the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Health, Republic Heritage Award for Science, Pro Patria Award, and the rank of National Scientist.

Josefino Comiso

Josefino Comiso was the first person to discover a recurring polynya, a semi-permanent area of open water in sea ice, in the Cosmonaut Sea. He is a senior research scientist in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Earth Sciences Directorate.

Many of his studies involved polar processes and the detection of climate change in the polar regions. He has contributed in studying sea ice, evaluating the ice cover in Arctic and Antarctic regions, and determining the extent and scope of global warming.

Comiso recently agreed to lead a project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that will monitor the effects of global warming in the Philippines.

Fe del Mundo

Dr. Fe del Mundo is a world-renowned pediatrician who founded the Children’s Medical Center — the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines. She also developed a low-cost incubator and a jaundice-relieving device.

Del Mundo’s career started during the Japanese occupation by organizing a children’s home, helping Allied internees, and training medical personnel. Today, she works as the concurrent medical director of the Dr. Fe del Mundo Hospital.

Her devotion to her profession earned her a number of awards such as the Elizabeth Blackwell Award for outstanding service to mankind (1966) and Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service by a private citizen (1977).

Edgardo Gomez

Edgardo Gomez is a distinguished marine biologist who pioneered work on the biology, reproduction, and conservation of giant clam (Tridacna gigas). He is credited for saving the shelled mollusk from extinction.

Gomez is a professor emeritus of the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI). Under his leadership, UP-MSI has generated achievements in biodiversity, biotechnology, and sustainable use of marine bio-resources.

Gomez was named an Academician by the National Academy of Science and Technology in 1993 and became a Presidential Lingkod Bayan Awardee in 2000.

They are only some of the great scientists of our country. Apart from promoting the growth of the national economy through their works, they also serve as inspirations of our future scientists — the Filipino youth.