Chicken Adobo sa Dilaw

What is more delicious than adobo?  Adobo sa Dilaw (Adobo cooked with Turmeric) that's what!  I have made adobo sa dilaw with pork before.  But a recent trip to Taal where we tasted authentic adobo sa dilaw, using chicken on the bone, had me craving for it.  And, as it was impractical to go back to Taal, I just had to make it at home.  For my homemade version, I added boiled eggs too.

The recipe is virtually the same as my usual adobo sa dilaw with minor changes.

1 kilo chicken legs, rinsed, cleaned and patted dry
6 pieces yellow ginger, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp black and white peppercorns
1/4 cup local vinegar
1 cup soda water (7-Up or Sprite)
3/4 cup to 1 cup water
2 pieces bay leaf
2 pieces dried chili
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
4 pieces hard-boiled eggs

Saute the yellow ginger, onion, garlic and peppercorns.  Add the chicken.  Cook until the chicken is lightly browned.  Pour in the vinger, soda and water; do not stir until the liquid boils.  Throw in the bay leaves and dried chili.  Season with salt, to taste.  (Remember that different kinds of salt have varying levels of saltiness.)

Simmer until the chicken is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken legs).  Add the boiled eggs when almost done.  Simmer further until the eggs are heated through.

Serve over hot rice.

Stovetop Granola

My problem with making granola is that it is always a large batch, as well as taking quite a bit of time.  A batch takes us almost a month to finish and towards the end, it deteriorates even just a little bit no matter how well it is stored.

The good news is that there is a easier, faster way to make granola, even if it is only for a single serving!  And no preheating the oven too!  This is granola cooked on the stove top!

Toast 1/3 cup rolled oats, 3 tablespoons chopped cashews, and 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds in a wide, flat (nonstick) pan.  Add 1/2 tablespoon each of canola oil and organic honey and toss until everything is coated.  Stir occasionally until light brown, over low to medium heat (take care not to burn the mixture).  Add 1 teaspoon wheat germ.  Stir to mix completely.  Remove from heat, transfer to a plate to cool.  Add your preferred dried fruit mix. 

I based my stovetop granola on the recipe found at http://food52.com/recipes/38602-stovetop-granola.

Fudgy Mocha Cashew Brittle Bars

I still had a hangover from the typhoon.  And I was looking for something sweet to nibble on...  I remembered these mocha bars that I found in Cooking Light 2006 (or 2005) Annual Recipe Book...

The recipe can be found online here.  I followed the recipe quite faithfully, except for using (1) 2 smaller pans, (2) light brown sugar, and (3) cashew brittle instead of toffee bits.

Frambled Eggs

I usually have a fried egg for breakfast everyday.  This is usually how I like it - crisp on the edge with a just cooked yolk (I don't like raw eggs!)...

But the other day I read an article about a "new" style of cooking eggs.  When I read the whole article though, I realized that we had already been making that kind of egg when we were kids... the article called them frambled eggs - a mix of fried and scrambled.  When I was young, we called it broken fried eggs!

It always starts with a couple of eggs poured into the pan.  If or when one of the yolks broke...

We would just mix it up! 

And we kept on mixing... and mixing...

We end up with eggs that are (what the article calls) frambled!

It's ok, I like it, but I prefer my go-to fried egg.  Hubby tried it too and he liked it!

Tortang Alamang (Krill Patties)

These are just like Dulong Patties (they look alike too), but instead of using silverfish, alamang, shrimp fry or krill in English, is used.

Personally, I like this better than dulong patties.  The problem is finding really small and super fresh fry.

The recipe is virtually the same:

500 grams really fresh shrimp fry
1/2 to 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped onions, scallions, tomatoes, wansoy and/or a mix
juice of 1 calamansi
large pinch of salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1 beaten egg (we use super jumbo eggs)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Rinse the shrimp fry under running water and drain.  Pick through the shrimp fry and remove foreign objects.  Rub lightly with a small handful of rock salt, then rinse again and drain.

Mix everything together.  If the mixture is too dry, add water by tablespoonfuls.  Mixture should just hold together.

Drop the batter into very hot oil and fry a couple of minutes until the patties are browned and crisped.  Drain on paper towels.

I like mine with ketchup.  Hubby likes them with mayonnaise!

Chicken with Broccoli

Whenever I see broccoli, I always think Chinese food.  Maybe it has something to do with my childhood, who knows?  All I remember is that we often had broccoli, and it was cooked with either chicken strips or pork strips.

This particular dish is on the bland side.  As always, when the dish is for my mom, I do not add salt and I try to be light-handed with the soy sauce (aside from using quality and hopefully low-sodium soy sauce, of course!).  But go ahead and season the dish according to your taste!

The recipe:  

 500 grams skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 large head of broccoli
6 thin slices of ginger
3 cloves, sliced into slivers
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
water, as needed

Marinade for the chicken:
1/2 tablespoon thick soya paste
1/2 tablespoon shao xing wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

Trim the excess fat from the chicken, then rinse and pat dry.  Slice the chicken into strips and marinate for about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare the broccoli.

Separate the broccoli into florets, rinse and drain.  If there is a short stalk attached, remove the outer stalk  and slice into the inner stalk into thick strips.

Saute the garlic and quick fry the broccoli stems for about a minute.  Add the florets and stir fry another 30 to 60 seconds.  Remove from the pan.

Saute the ginger and onions.  Add the chicken strips and all of the marinade.  Stir fry until the chicken is partially cooked.  Add back the broccoli and add the seasonings.  If the mixture is too dry, add water (in small increments).  Cook until the chicken is done.  Check and adjust seasonings according to taste.