Rockin' the Mom Role: Misua Soup

Yesterday was fun! A friend and I went out for a Mommy's Day out. This stay at home mom has three small children, and is practically a prisoner in her house So, I offered for her to come bring her kids over for an afternoon with my own kids, so we moms, could get that much needed break. My kids, 17,16 and 10 were in charge of babysitting, and the little ones love being around them, too, so it was a win-win situation.

After the kids were settled, and the snacks and change of clothes readied, my friend and I slipped out. First stop was scheduling a 5-hour salon date for another day, next, a little tire-hunting ( yes, tires as in car wheels ) and finally Ukay-ukay hunting! ( Ukay-ukay, which literally means a combination of hunt, scavenge and mix also means all clothing, shoes and bags that are used and imported from countries such as Korea, Japan and the US )

Ukay-ukay has become a national hobby of sorts of the rich and poor alike. It's the great equalizer among Filipinos, as most great finds can be found when a 5 ft by 5 ft bundle is opened and spread out on the floor, lined with sacks. Then its a free for all. No one gets special treatment. The big come on of Ukay-ukay is the pleasure of getting so many branded and trendy items for cheap! By branded, I mean Louis Vuitton, Salvatorre Ferragamo, Guess, Lee, Levi's, Forever 21, Banana Republic, Champion, Elle, Fruit of the Looms, Ralph Lauren, Polo, Gucci, Prada, among others. Get the picture?

We went home lugging a heavy bag of ukay-ukay items, but there was no hint of exhaustion on our faces. The only time anyone will ever feel sorry from ukay-ukay hunting, is when the cash has ran out.

So, home we went, to find 6 hungry kids. It's a good thing my husband is already home and had just made them a big bowl of hot soup and was now frying Daing na Bangus ( Marinated Boneless Milkfish ) Obviously, I couldn't take a picture of it, because it was devoured as soon as the table was set.

Today, we will feature a quick and light soup. Misua Soup is the easiest of all Filipino soups to put together. It's a welcome treat for cold, rainy nights and a usual compliment to fried fish. Misua, or miswa is a very thin, fragile, wheat noodle that comes in either cream or yellow color, that originated in Fujian, China. It is so fragile, that a small package can be crushed to a fine powder with one hand. But it's also the easiest noodle to cook; 30 seconds! and impossible to fail. I guess this would be an excellent soup for beginner cooks. The texture is velvety and pleasing, even toddlers and elderly people will have no problem eating bowls of it.

Let's get started.

Misua Soup

INGREDIENTS:

100 g. ground pork ( sliced porkchops may be used )
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c onion, sliced
1 small tomato, sliced
1 small, young patola ( sponge gourd, ridge gourd or loofah gourd), peeled, sliced thinly
1 egg, beaten
5 small packs misua 5 g. each, or 1 small package
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown garlic in 1 T. oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the tomato slices. ( Do not put a lot or the soup will be sour.)

2. Add the pork slices or ground pork and cook for 10 minutes or so in its own juices.

3. Add 3-4 cups water or stock and let boil. Season to taste. Add the patola, misua and the beaten egg, stirring until well dispersed.Adjust seasonings. When the egg is cooked, the soup is ready. Its optional to garnish with sliced spring onions.

4. Serve hot alone or with crackers, crusty bread or as a viand.

NOTE: As the soup cools, the noodles will be absorbing more and more of the stock, so don't be surprised that at the end of the meal, you will have a bowl of soupy noodles, instead of a noodley soup. But the thickest misua can get is 1/3 the diameter of a toothpick.

If you have leftovers, which is unusual, add more stock and adjust the seasonings when reheating over a stove.

Hmmm! I guess, it would only be fair to show you guys my Ukay-ukay finds yesterday. I didn't find popular branded items, but found the colors, fabrics and cuts I liked for me and the girls. Some are still wet, because I washed them well last night. We're still waiting for them to dry, so we can try them on. The two items that both have sparkly lettering caught my eye, and another customer, who was an online seller, begged me to give her those. How can I? they're perfect for my Erika and Arianne? Here they are: