Passport & Plate - Spked chicken adobo
Philippines | Monday, March 10, 2014 | 1 photos
Ingredients
Spiked Chicken Adobo (Stew)
One whole chicken, chopped into manageable portions
1 clove garlic
2 finger chilies or bird's eye chilies
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
half a cup of cane vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
small piece of ginger
water
How to prepare this recipeWash chicken thoroughly. Place the chicken parts on paper towels to dry.
Heat pan. When hot, pour oil. Saute peeled garlic, chilies and ginger (the ginger will remove any hint of gaminess from the chicken). Remove ginger, chilies and garlic from heat.
Place chicken parts, skin-side down in the pan to draw out more oil.
Cook three minutes before flipping them over. Cook for three minutes as well.
Slowly pour vinegar and soy sauce into the pan. Let it simmer for two minutes before adding water to partially cover the chicken. Return garlic and ginger into the pan.
Place heat on low and cover pan. Allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.
Uncover pan. The sauce should have reduced to a thick consistency. Stir chicken carefully.
Turn off fire and arrange the chicken in a shallow bowl. Spoon remaining sauce into the bowl. Discard ginger and chilies.
Serve with white steamed rice.
The story behind this recipeMama's helper
By Raoul J. Chee Kee
My mother raised three boys while holding down a job as a high school English teacher. Her husband, my Dad, was also busy working so the rearing and feeding of her brood was left mainly in her hands.
As soon as I could safely use a kitchen knife and turn on the stove, I volunteered to help in the cooking chores. (Volunteered might not be the right word. It was more like I was enlisted to help.)
The first, and only dish I've perfected, however is Spiked Chicken Adobo. While Mama gave me the general directions on how to prepare the dish, I gave it my own twist by slipping in a few hot chilies because that added zing woke up our tastebuds and made my brothers and I eat more than our share of steamed rice!
Whenever my mother would come home from work tired, she would retreat to her room, lie on their bed and put her feet up.
Even if I had cooked "my" dish already once that week, I knew neither she nor my brothers would mind. They liked my spicy adobo.
The good thing about Philippine adobo is that it tastes better a day or two after it's been cooked. The vinegar acts as a preservative, allowing the different flavors to meld and resulting in an even more delicious dining experience.
Not that there were a lot of leftovers in our household. We loved and still love to eat.
