Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts

May 3, 2011

Chicken Adobo!

I had my breakfast this morning around 10AM. We ran out of cooked rice and I had to wait for another batch. My viand was the canned luncheon meat and got around two cups of rice with ketchup. Then I remembered that I had to go to school for my enrollment. I decided to go to school after lunch. I thought I had my brunch at 10AM already, but because uncle said we're having Adobo for lunch, I just had to dig in. Adobo is actually a Spanish word for marinate. But in the Philippines, it is a process of cooking with vinegar, garlic, peppercorns, and soy sauce. It ranges from any type of food, from meat and to vegetables. Next to Lechon, Adobo is arguably the Philippines' favorite dish. 

Our family recipe comes in two versions, the dry one, and the saucy one. The saucy version, obviously had a lot of sauce, while the dry one, after boiling is simmered again for the sauce to seep into the meat for maximum flavor. I personally want the dry version, but the rest of us want the saucy one so we can drizzle it over rice. 

In this session, we will make the saucy version. 

Ingredients,
1. Chicken, sliced into desired sizes.
2. Soy Sauce, 5 parts
3. Vinegar, 2 1/2 parts
4. Bay Leaf
5. Peppercorns
6. Garlic, peeled and sliced.
7. Cooking Oil
8. Water, 4 parts.

Procedure, the sequence for making adobo is Simmering, Frying, then Boiling. Well that's when working with meat. On vegetables, it would just be slightly simmering and a little bit of stir-frying.
1. On a pot, place chicken, peppercorns, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and bay leaves, then adding about four parts water.
2. Simmer it for about 15 minutes, then remove liquid and set it aside.
3. Add cooking oil on the bottom of the pot. Fry the chicken until it is brown.
4. When frying is done, turn off heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
5. Then pour in the sauce that you have set aside, then boil it for 30 minutes or to an hour. It's done when the meat is tender.
6. When done cooking, here's my personal add-on. Mix in three parts of Mang Tomas Lechon Sauce. This makes the sauce thicker and gives it a twist talking about the flavor.
7. Enjoy!

May 2, 2011

Day Old Chick and Tokneneng!

NOTE: SAM'S ITLOG ON STICKS AT ROBINSONS PLACE TACLOBAN IS NOW CLOSED FOR UNKNOWN BUT DISAPPOINTING REASON/S. :/

After we had Fried Siopao to start Day 2 of our Food Trip at Kenz, we headed to Robinsons' Place to find other unique food and have refreshments. I've been passing by to this kiosk named Itlog On Sticks for months now. I'm intrigued of one of their product named Day Old Chick. Now basically, they are one day old chicks that are batter-fried. You can eat it whole because the bones are very brittle and just adds up to a crispy texture. I had this fear about Balut as mentioned in one of my posts, and eating the chick with the bones breaking. But my friend Jess told me, it shouldn't be like Balut because it would already taste like fried chicken. Now when we talk about fried chicken, that's my forte. So we ordered the option Platter 1 costing Php 58.00, which has three pieces of day old chicks, and eight pieces of batter-fried quail eggs, known locally as Tokneneng. 
Now, why do such cruel things to innocent little chicks? Day Old Chicks are actually rejects from poultry farms that focus on egg production. Since only females can reproduce, males are then rejected and are killed even at birth. They may look very cute and adorable, but it is said that male chicks in the western part of  the world are killed at a number of 250 million every pain-staking year. 
The apdo or the gall-bladder tastes bitter that is why it is removed before cooking. Now, I get a taste of what I think I fear. I did it head first. I don't know why, but I just did. To my surprise, it is very crispy and delicious. For me, the head is the most delicious part. Then I munched on the tiny legs. The body though has this tough texture, I don't know maybe it was just a bit undercooked. But over-all, day old chicks aren't as horrible as balut. They are just plain fried chicken, only smaller. Tokneneng on the other hand, is very easy to shove into your mouth because they're just quail eggs dipped in an orange batter then fried. After we had DOC and Tokneneng, we brought pearl shakes at Zagu which I chose strawberry. After Robinsons, we went down town because we were to buy slippers. 

April 28, 2011

Inihaw na Baboy at Manok! (Grilled Pork and Chicken)

Another food on our menu last Easter Sunday, this one or these pair had to be my favorite. Every body loves barbecue. This one however, had the simplest yet most tasteful recipe of all - for me, and may be for you too. My uncle is the one that cooks for us ever since I was a kid, because my parents were too busy at work. We brought the marinated chicken and pork at the beach and grilled it there.

Tonight, we'll make my favorite grilled food. First up, the marinade.

For the marinade, just mix these ingredients in a bowl where you'd also submerge the chicken and pork afterwards.

1. Soy Sauce or simply Salt
2. Pepper
3. Kalamansi/Lime Juice
4. Minced Garlic
5. Chopped Onions

Grilled chicken ingredients,
1. Chicken Thighs

Grilled pork ingredients,
1. Pork belly

Dressing or dip,
1. Sliced Onions
2. Lime Juice
3. Vinegar

Procedure:
1. Marinate the pork and chicken overnight or at least how much time you have, minimum is half an hour.
2. Prepare the grill of course, then toss the marinade away.
3. Cook the pork and chicken on the grill until it is lightly charred and rightfully tender.
4. Enjoy!

The chicken was served on barbecue sticks, and we preferred a dip of banana ketchup and vinegar for it. While the pork was plated like a salad with the lime juice, vinegar, and onions like that on the photo. The flavor is very rich even of the recipe's simplicity, we made sure that you taste great grilled pork and not the marinade. Like a salad, I also added cubed pineapple to add sweetness and give it a twist.

We also grilled Milkfish, Tilapia and Hot dogs for the kids. Grilling fish is very simple, just adding salt over it then laying it straight into the grill.

March 22, 2011

Buffalo Wings!


Every Sunday, my parents and I would attend the Holy Mass at Robinson's Place, Tacloban City. About a five minute drive away from our home, my parents prefer to attend the Mass at the mall so we could have lunch there afterwards. The mass starts 10:15 AM. My parents went to the mall without me because it was almost 10:00AM and I haven't taken a bath yet. So after I showered and got myself ready, I went on to follow them at the mall. It was around 10:30AM when I left home, and it was raining so I ran to the waiting shed on the highway. I rode a multi-cab, the ubiquitous means of transportation in our locality and when I arrived I rushed to the food court - where the Mass was held. It was already the gift offering and to my disappointment, I missed the homily. After the mass we went to Shakey's to have lunch. My parents ordered our what we usually eat there, and to shake things up, Papa also ordered Buffalo Wings. 


Now, buffalo wings? You'd question, how on earth would buffaloes have wings? And if they do, how could they fly? Well, these wings aren't actually buffaloes' wings neither do buffaloes fly. A Buffalo wing, hot wing or wing is a chicken wing section (drumette or flat) that is traditionally fried unbreaded and then coated in sauce. Classic Buffalo-style chicken wing sauce is composed of a vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce and butter - according to Wikipedia. I don't know much about this, but I definitely like it. 

There are four different legends about how Buffalo wings came to be but the most famous would be the Belissimo's storry. The story is that Buffalo wings were first prepared at the Anchor Bar, located at 1047 Main Street (between North Street and Best Street) in Buffalo, New York, United States, by Teressa Belissimo, co-owner of the Anchor Bar with her husband Frank Belissimo. Upon the unannounced, late-night arrival of their son, Dominic, with several of his friends from college, Teressa needed a fast and easy snack to present to her hungry guests. It was then that she came up with the idea of deep frying chicken wings (normally thrown away or reserved for stock) and tossing them in cayenne hot sauce.
Buffalo wings are used in competitive eating events, such as Philadelphia's Wing Bowl and at the National Buffalo Wing Festival.

Okay so Buffalo wings aren't Filipino and obviously they're from the U.S., and Shakey's is also an American restaurant but that doesn't mean we Filipinos can't call it our own too. They first accept the fact of bringing it here in the Philippines, that Filipinos will also get their own variation of this dish. 
So according to Wikipedia again, here is how to prepare a Classic Buffalo Chicken Wing: 


Cayenne pepper hot sauce and melted butter or margarine are the basis of the sauce. Buffalo wing sauce can be made with a variable amount of heat/spiciness, with the names of these sauces generally corresponding to the level of heat, such as mild, medium, or hot. Typically, the wings are deep-fried (although they are sometimes grilled or baked). The wings are usually fried in oil until they reach close to a golden brown color. They are then drained where they can either be placed in a bowl with sauce or even seasoned with salt and pepper. Following this, one covers the bowl tightly and shakes to coat the wings. As an alternative to waiting to coat the wings until after they are cooked, one can also put seasoning over the wings in a sealed bag and shake them until they are coated evenly. Afterwards, arrange the wings on a baking sheet and wait until they are cooked thoroughly. Wings can then be served dry with sauce on the side.


But we can also substitute, by using banana ketchup with vinegar and hot sauce instead of Cayenne pepper hot sauce. 

January 28, 2011

G'Gai's Fried Chicken, AKA Chicken House!

Filipinos’ love for fried chicken was definitely brought in by the Americans. Easily grasping globalization, Pinoys quickly welcome new food. And fried chicken became an adopted child of the Filipino culinary family tree.

The meat is marinated, usually in a mixture of garlic, salt and pepper. Then it is covered in flour or breading mix and deep fried for 5-7 minutes in high heat.


Located near St. Paul’s School of Business and Law in Pawing, Palo in the province of Leyte, a ‘karinderya’, a small canteen, serves American style fried chicken, with a PINOY twist. They serve fried chicken and lumpiang shanghai (meat egg roll). The small establishment is named G’gai’s Fried Chicken but for patrons who dine at the place on almost a daily basis, they’d call it Chicken House because obviously, they serve chicken. With their signature dipping sauce, and to some used as ‘sarsa’, the combination of soy sauce, vinegar, and banana catsup boast a uniquely appetizing flavor.


 But what sets the place apart from all other ‘karinderyas’ or even restaurants, is the Kamayan Experience, eating with your bare hands. You won’t see spoons and forks in the place for the customers at all. You can just ask the staff for directions where you can wash your hands, but if you don’t like the sticky or oily feel of eating with your bare hands, they have small cellophane bags to cover your hands clean as you munch on the ‘delicious-to-the-bones’ original recipe G’gai’s Fried Chicken.

It may sound like a paid advertisement, but the purpose of writing this blog is to actually let everybody enjoy this unique and definitely Filipino dining experience.

With only a budget of Php32.00, you could actually enjoy a hefty serving of chicken and two servings of rice. With economic struggles in the country, the shop still offers reasonable price, especially to students who are in a tight budget. Some patrons even order an average of 5-7 servings of rice with only one piece of chicken. Asking a few customers, one commented “You get what you paid for, and more!” The humble canteen may be underrated but it surely has lured and we may say hypnotized people to be coming back to the place.


While you eat and enjoy their fried chicken, you are accompanied by music usually songs in the 90s which really add up to your eating surge we may say. It’s like eating at your own home, as you eat bare hands. The friendly staff and the totally pinoy ambience makes the place a ‘must-try’ as I would suggest the shop to all and even to foreigners who visit Tacloban City. G’GAI’S FRIED CHICKEN is a 30-minute drive away from the city, but you will be rewarded with a great dining experience that really distinguishes Leyte from all the other islands in the country.


Students from SPSBL are the usual patrons in the shop, especially lunch time or even dinner. Group of friends and classmates gather round the tables and enjoy fried chicken while chatting or singing the tunes played in the store. The store only operates on school days of SPSBL, as the students there are their main customers.

Fried chicken may be all that but to round things up, moderation is still the key. As I’ve mentioned in my first blog, don’t indulge on this too much. “Too much of anything is bad.” Even for chicken-o-maniacs like me who has been coming to the place for almost a year now, I still have to control my addiction on this delicious and heavenly chicken sensation.

Fried chicken may be a foreigner in the Filipino cuisine, but it actually made its way as one of the best food Pinoys enjoy. And if you want to indulge yourself once in while with chicken and a Definitely PINOY! experience, better have it in G’GAI’S FRIED CHICKEN better known as CHICKEN HOUSE!

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