TBK cooks for Tupa Tuesday, part one

It all started when I made the British dish from my 2017 recipe Calendar “Lamb Chops with Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce”. I thought I might have to explain Lea and Perrins to my new friends here but they have it in the supermarkets. Lamb was another story. “Is it cow, Tatay?” asked Elay. Frythy and Noel were equally confused until I found out the Tagalog for Lamb was Tupa. They said they had never eaten Lamb before but loved the taste and wanted more!

Whilst Tupa is tasty it is not cheap here in the Philippines at 1204 Peso per kg

I later discovered the reason no one had tasted it here is it can only be bought in specialist shops (Puerto Deli, Deli Mart) and is imported frozen from Australia and costs 1204 pesos a Kilo (£20!)

Chilli lamb chops

However, each week as I selected our Menus from around the world, I would look out for Lamb dishes. I discovered it is very popular in India and we had Chilli Lamb chops, which the boys liked and also a Lamb and Beetroot curry. For the Chilli Lamb chops I could only find a frozen rack of lamb and it had to marinade and defrost overnight. The chops were rubbed in Chilli powder and were very spicy. For the Lamb and Beetroot I found frozen legs of lamb and had difficulty getting the meat off the bone- so each boy had one leg and Chester ( the dawg) cleaned off the bones! I served the curry with Mango Salsa and Raita and Joven made rice for us all

Lamb and Beetroot curry

This was a dish I found in my book of Indian recipes and it was an unusual pairing of beetroot and Lamb which I served with Rice, Mango Salsa and Raita. I could only find two frozen pieces of lamb on the bone so I tried to get as much meat off the bone as I could and gave one piece of cooked lamb on the bone to Noel and one to Frythy. Once they finished they gave their bones to one very happy Chester ( the dawg) who spent ages licking them clean.

The next Tupa recipe I found was in my folder- a gift from Kenny back in Bahrain called Lamb Koftas with Tzatziki. That bought back memories of my days working in Greece in 1981

"Oh I feel a story coming on Mr P!"

"Sure Mr G! "

Yes , it really was me in Greece in 1981- just 60kg, 10 stone

I completed my Industrial Release year from my degree at the Cumberland hotel in London and met an Australian Waitress called Annie. ( The Pinoys call Industrial release Internship or OJT) . We decided to get a coach from London to Athens called Magic Bus ( 3 days and nights driving for £45 - 3000 peso) and then a boat out to the Islands. We visited Spetses, Paros, Naxos and ended up on Ios where we ran out of money and so both got jobs. Annie worked in a travel agents and I worked cleaning rooms at Petros place and we used to meet up for dinner each night in the town and on our day off. It was great working in the sun and the place was full of young people backpacking. Back then I was very thin ( 60 kg, now 115 kg- 10 stone then) and brown and we had a great couple of months before we had enough money to get a ferry to Italy and then a series of train journeys through Europe and back to the UK , arriving in time for my 21st Birthday celebrations with my family in Hove. We then returned to Huddersfield for my final year at college.

Annie and I in Huddersfield in 1981

Annie eventually returned to Perth , Australia, and got married and we are still in touch 41 years later! During our time in Greece we ate lots of watermelon, Tzatziki, Lamb, Steak and Greek salads!

My personal favourite of all our Tupa dishes- Lamb Kofta with Tzatziki

Another Greek Lamb dish that appeared on Tupa Tuesday was Greek Lamb with Potatoes and Olives , which appears in th June edition of our 2023 Recipe book ( https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/p/the-2023-recipe-book.html)

Another Tupa dish I made for the boys was Lamb Tagine with Couscous- something else that was new to them. They could not finish their Lamb one day so took it to their volleyball game and shared it with their team after the match. I am educating a whole generation of Pinoys in the taste of Tupa!

Tupa Tagine served in Jay's Tagine dish

I also made a Lamb ( mutton) stew for the boys which was in our on line recipe book with the Greek Lamb stew in June. Here is the link and there will be a link so you can download them for free. https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/p/the-2023-recipe-book.html As I update this on 13 July we have uploaded 7 months ( 42) recipes and so far the recipe book has been viewed 424 times - many thanks. I hope you have all enjoyed the recipes from myself and our guest chefs around the world.

I cooked a Roast Lamb dinner with Roast Potatoes and Vegetables. My friend at Rustic Café has also promised to put in on the menu in addition to their Roast Chicken dinner which we all love. I already bought the sauce boats for my gravy and stocked up on Mint Jelly from Deli Mart. I am looking forward to taking Noel and Frythy for a surprise Tupa Tuesday later in the year.

Noel and Frythy filming for TBK at Surya Beach

I also made a leg of lamb roasted with garlic and rosemary which was delicious. I got the recipe off the internet . It will only let me copy part of the recipe so I have added the link from where you can get the full recipe and print it

This is what it looked like once I cooked it:

I served it with gravy made with red wine and sweet and sour red cabbage, mint jelly and roast potatoes. Masarap. Lucky Chester got to eat the huge bone

Chester spent all day eating the lamb bone!

Here is the first part of the recipe I used and the link to the full recipe

Active Time
15 minutes
Total Time
2 hours 30 minutes

A good roast leg of lamb recipe should be both simple and impressive, something you can serve to guests on Easter or Passover that is also easy enough to make for a special Sunday dinner. This version, flavored with just garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper is just that. (It also has hundreds of reviews from cooks who say it works well, even if you’re new to cooking lamb.) You don’t have to sear it or worry over a fussy marinade—and the hands-on time is just about 15 minutes.

This recipe uses a semi-boneless leg, which means the shank and blade bones have been removed, but the leg bone, which adds a lot of flavor, is still in the roast. This helps hold the meat together, so you don’t have to tie it up, while making it easier to carve than a fully bone-in leg of lamb. It also cuts down on cooking time. The cut has a fairly uniform shape, so it’s easy to roast to your desired doneness; if you insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part, the rest of the leg will be fairly close to that same temperature. To serve, transfer the lamb to a platter and tuck some fresh, fragrant oregano or rosemary sprigs around the roast for a pretty but easy presentation, and pour a sauce made from the drippings into a small bowl for guests to spoon over individual slices.

If a bone-in whole leg of lamb is more than you’re prepared to deal with, consider a butterflied boneless roast, a rack of lamb with an herb crust, or grilled lamb chops with polenta

8 servings

Source:https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/leg-of-lamb-with-garlic-and-rosemary-105020 accessed 2.5.23

I just found my Spring Lamb Stew recipe while I was researching this blog. It was in my 2014 recipe book and I made it for Pav, at her request, when she came to Bahrain. I have copied it here in case anyone wants to try it:

Spring Lamb Stew (6-8 servings)

Lamb is at its best during spring and this tasty stew puts everything in one pot, so it is simple to cook and serve.

Ingredients:

1.5 kilos boneless leg of lamb, cubed

5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp garlic paste

2 Medium sized leeks, whites only, julienned to 25 mm long

150 ml. Beef stock

400 gm. New potatoes, halved

200 gm. Young carrots cut to 1 inch chunks

100 gm Snap peas cut in half

3 Tbsps. Fresh basil, minced

2 Tbsps. Fresh rosemary, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Method: ( or Procedure as they say in the Philippines)

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high flame.

2. Carefully add cubed lamb to hot oil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes; stir occasionally to brown meat evenly. After the meat has browned, add garlic paste and leeks and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes; then pour in beef stock.

3. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour

4. After the stew has simmered for 1 hour, add potatoes, carrots and sugar snap peas cover with lid and cook for additional half hour.

5. Just prior to serving, stir in basil and rosemary and season to taste with salt and pepper.

I made it for Noel and Fry at the end of May and they said it was delicious!

In June I found a recipe for Lamb Hot Pot in an old Jawad (2017) cooking magazine from Bahrain which was really easy to make.

I kept all these recipe booklets given away by the Supermarkets in Bahrain!

You just brown the Lamb chops ( 6 for 800 peso from Deli Mart) and then put in a casserole dish with Parsnips ( Jhoanna got Radishes by mistake, but they tasted just as good) , Onion, Garlic and Vegetable stock.

The only ingredient I forgot to get was the tomato and herb passata sauce! The frozen chops came in a pack of 6 so we had 2 each. I just wish they would make Tupa bigger ( like a cow) so we could have more of their delicious meat!

After about 60 mins in the oven on gas mark 2- just give it a stir during cooking

Please note according to the recipe it should cook for 2 and a half hours but the smell was so good I checked it after 90 mins and it was already cooked! I had one Portion and kept the other 4 chops for the boys next week! As usual Chester, the dog, loved the lamb bones!

Lamb Hot Pot- the first Tupa Tuesday dish for June 2023!

We followed Tupa hot pot with Tupa salad, an Australian recipe ( appropriate as that's where the Tupa comes from!) I found on line many years ago in Bahrain.

Does anyone know where to get Watercress or Broad beans in Palawan?

The Lamb cooking- then you cool it and add to the asparagus ( and watercress and broad beans)

Unlucky 13 was Shepard's pie. This is a traditional English winter warmer dish that the shepherd's, who looked after the sheep, used to eat. This version came from Hook Norton Brewery ( where I said farewell to the UK in 2010 ) and needed mince lamb ( which I could not find, so I just caught the lamb in small pieces) . You fry the lamb, add the leeks, spring onion carrots and courgettes and then top with creamy mashed potato and cook for 20 minutes. The result is delicious.

My Tupa Shepherds pie

In July I found an old recipe for Tupa Kebabs with hot Hummus ( very Middle Eastern) and cooked this for the boys to celebrate their Graduation with honours from Palawan National School. As the Graduation was on a Wednesday we had the Tupa on Thursday this week!

Tupa Kebabs with hot Hummus

One of the ingredients for Hummus ( which I used to make or buy weekly in Bahrain) is Tahini which is hard to find here. My Tahini had gone hard ( I know, I should see a doctor) and then I realised it was out of date , as was all the stock at Puerto Deli ( where I bought mine from !) , so I had to try Deli Mart and Brunos. Nothing in Palawan is simple!

The recipe I found in a file at home- not sure where I copied it from

My kebabs ready to grill

In August I made Cassoulet de Essex for Rhoda, Noel and Fry. It has lamb and pork belly in ( and is supposed to have duck and sausage!) and had to be marinated for 24 hours before cooking. It came from my Jamie Oliver Comfort Foods cookbook, a gift from Miss Andrea in Bahrain a few years ago.