Chicken Adobo

Santa arrived a wee bit early in Bangkok.  My Dad is in town and he brought with him, ingredients from The Philippines.  On my list were laurel leaves, soya sauce, and cane vinegar.  He also added sinigang mix (which I really love using), caldereta mix (something we're not really too fond of), tsokolate tablea, and instant pancit canton (something our nanny loves dearly)!  And oh, for The Young Tongue he brought Skyflakes as well as sweets from our household back home -- lychee jelly and chocolates!


Adobo is something each Filipino family has a recipe for, so I won't go into the details.  You simply marinate chicken (or pork or a combination of both) in cane vinegar, soya sauce (for an authentic taste, use soya sauce from the Philippines), tons of garlic, laurel leaves, and black peppercorn.  You can fry the chicken pieces first or just put everything into a pot along with the marinade and some water, bring to a boil, then simmer until tender.  I like to do the latter and finish everything off in the oven.  


It feels like home right about now...

Prime Rib La Carlota

My cousin Alex and I spent the weekend to visit my good friends, Tricia and Ceej, and Wagyu's siblings, Victoria and Albert.  We had a lazy Sunday roast in La Carlota with other friends, old and new.

Alex and I only had an hour in their kitchen to prepare so we marinated the prime rib in Texas Jack No. 2.  We immediately char-grilled the thick piece of meat when we arrived in La Carlota (hence the name of the dish), medium rare.  We let it rest for a few minutes then sliced it and enjoyed the roast over champagne, wine, and beer, along with Dutch cheese and chips.

While we were busy sipping our afternoon poison of choice, our other friend kept busy by grilling crabs.  They were so sweet, Alex and I ate 4-5 pieces each!

It was also served with locally grown aubergines that were roasted then peeled, thrown into a bowl of Sinamak (local vinegar made of sugar cane, chillies, garlic, and ginger), and sliced shallots.  This was the perfect accompaniment for the sweet crabs and grilled leg of lamb.

Alex and I also prepared pasta.  We slowly-cooked sliced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and green olives in extra virgin olive oil and tossed cooked linguine.  We seasoned with sea salt and black pepper (Tricia hand-carried some from Florence and they were so tasty!) and finished it off by adding basil leaves and cheese.

Some scenes from La Carlota...

 Albert enjoying some mud...

Victoria looking glum with the thought of leaving such a wonderful and restful place...

Honey-glazed Pork Belly

(Honey-glazed Pork Belly, recipe 4 of 5 for First Officer Diaz's Dinner)

We rarely cook pork at home but when we do, we like it grilled.  I remember my lola using sugar cane juice along with lemongrass for her marinade.  I didn't have lemongrass and sugarcane juice in my kitchen, so I just used honey and dried organic thyme.

My other ingredient is Knorr Aromat.  I first came across this powerhouse of an ingredient in Switzerland with my siblings, Ricky and Liesl.  We saw this widely placed in tabletops across several cantons.  Though it wasn't until I worked with a Swiss chef named Kurt Pozzato, that I discovered it's powers.  It's perfect blend of spices and herbs help accentuate most flavors in any dish.  This goes without saying, that if  I were to choose only one ready-to-use commercially-produced cooking ingredient, it would have to be Aromat.  The European-made ones are available in Santi's, but at a fraction of the cost, you can buy a locally-made one in Landmark or Makro (and it's still produced by the same company, Unilever).

I used a kilo of pork belly and drizzled it with honey (I used Sicilian honey for it's perfect balance of sweetness, but any regular honey will do) and rubbed it with Knorr Aromat, in liberal amounts, along with some dried organic thyme.  I usually marinate my meat in an air-tight ziploc bag in the fridge.  Our room temperature, anywhere between 28 - 33 degrees celcius, is too tricky and bacteria can multiply in just seconds - so beware!

Once your charcoal is ready, just plop the pork (brushed with vegetable oil) and allow for it to cook until well-done.  How can you tell if it's properly cooked?  It's drippings (juices) should not be colored red or pink, and instead, should be translucent when it rests on your plate.  Pork, by the way, should never be eaten rare or medium-rare.

And for those who just followed/read this blog, I served it with Roast Capsicums in Rosemary Dressing (for recipe, click here) and buttered corn on the cob (sprinkled with paprika).