ROASTED VIET CHICKEN

Chicken is one of the easiest dishes to create. With just a few of spices mix here and there, pour over chicken and cook or bake. Inspite of its simplicity, careful handling must be observed as this white meat has the tendency to dry and becomes rubbery and we don't want that in a meat dish and proper seasoning is a must to produce a palatable meat on a plate.

If you are up for some roasting and you don't mind basting, here's one of the dish to explore--

ROASTED VIET CHICKEN

1 whole Chicken (1 kg)

Marinade processed in a blender

1 head garlic

1 large onion

2 thumb size ginger

5 lemongrass stalks

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 ½ tbsp kalamansi juice

2 tbsp LKK soya sauce

1 tbsp honey

Dash of ground black pepper

2 tbsp EVOO

 

Basting sauce:

1 tbsp honey mix with 1 tbsp LKK Light Sauce

 

Clean chicken and open carve.

Rub the marinade all over the chicken and let it rest for at least 2 hrs.

Bake at 175 degrees for an hour  covered with foil and the next half hour remove the foil and baste with honey soy and continue to bake til chicken is charred. 

Serve with apple cucumber salad and blue pea rice.

CHICKEN ASADO SIOPAO

Archiving the other classic version of our Siopao, the Asado. Asado has many varieties and each one represents a specific region of origin.

Today's mix is inspired by Chinese cooking but more of our palate side so as the flvaour is not too overwhelming.

Here is it--

CHICKEN ASADO SIOPAO

The bun is at 50g each and steam at 8 minutes since the filling is already cooked.

For the Dough and assembling here is the recipe .

CHICKEN ASADO FILLING

 

Ingredients

250 g chicken breast, cubes

1 tbsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

I head garlic

1 medium onion

Spring onion, chopped

1 tbsp LKK Superior Light Soya Sauce (you can use regular soy sauce or dark soy sauce but reduce the amount as both are salty)

1 tbsp Oyster Sauce

½  tbsp cornstarch diluted in 1/4 c water

¼  tsp Chinese five spice

Black pepper

Pour EVOO in the pan.

Sauté garlic and onion.

Add chicken, black pepper and five spice. Stir to combine.

When chicken is done, add seasoning (soy sauce and oyster sauce)

Add cornstarch mix. Simmer to thicken.

When done, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Add chopped spring onions before you assemble the siopao.

Notes:

You can combine all purpose flour with cake flour. I fall short of apf in this batch so i used 2 1/2 c apf and 1/2 c cake flour -- the result is the same.

You don't need to torture yourself drooling over your hot steamed delicious bun, go ahead open the steamer right after you steam it, the buns will not deflate as some of the authors claimed. I proved it😁. So go on, steaming hot or warm -- enjoy your Siopao.

No need to use white vinegar, as my recipe uses milk, that would yield a lighter bun texture 😉.

BAKED LITSON MANOK

We love roasted chicken {lechon manok} and back home the only famous roasted chicken{at that time} is KITOK’s, that was, I say decades ago?! and for our family, (initially) it was a special dish for special occasions, next to lechon 😋 until it became a dish that saves the day! No time to cook? --- just buy Kitoks!

I planned some vegetable noodle for our dinner the other day and lechon manok is the perfect pair. I know you all have your favorite delicious recipes, here is my share --

BAKED LITSON MANOK

Marinade

1 whole chicken (at least 1.5 kg)

2 tbsp brown sugar

¼ c LKK Soy sauce

¼ c dark Soy sauce

¼ c Fish Sauce

1 head garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 c Kalamansi juice

Black pepper

Clean chicken and place inside a ziplock.

In a bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients.

Pour into the chicken in the ziplock.

Seal and shake the ziplock to bathe the chicken with marinade.

Chill overnight.

For Stuffing before grilling

2 pcs Bay leaf

Tanglad for stuffing

For Basting

Pour 2 tbsp oil with the leftover marinade, mix and simmer to slightly thicken the sauce then use this for basting every 20 minutes of baking.

Bake Chicken in pre-heated oven at 200 Degrees C for about an 1 1/2 hour.

When done remove from oven cover with foil and rest for about 10 minutes before serving. 

Serve with noodles or rice.

Enjoy!

MUSHROOM MEE SUA

I haven't been to Japan, but I've seen Taiwan and bedazzled by the beauty of Taipei, probably because of comparison from where I came from.

I'm amazed how Taiwan particularly in Taipei managed to present their highest standard of food packaging. It was the first time I ate McDonald Fried Chicken in a sealed parchment paper, as I tear it open,  it is smoking hot! , literally smoking. The milk tea i loved from 7-Eleven comes in a small carton with paper straw attached to it. The delicious pineapple cakes individually wrapped and packed elegantly in boxes which I have mistaken as a jewelry box, same with their variety of chocolates.

Every time, always, when i enter the mall or a shop, the call of Huānyíng! Huānyíng! 欢迎  is in the air followed by a smiling face in front of you. So in my entire stay, it was never a window shopping but a shopping impulse caused by Huānyíng! 😆

Food? This, i never did miss! I had their famous Ting Kua Kua (TKK) Fried Chicken  just outside SOGO Mall, lucky,  I befriended the cook and gave me extra pieces whenever i grab a pack. Off we went to Shi Lin, the famous and the largest night market in Taipei District where dozens and dozens of street food lined up for a grab. Snack bites like grilled squid, huge fried crispy chicken, the smell of stinky tofu and sausages on the bones are amongst which caught my palate. It's weird taste--more of an authentic Chinese spices in it which i was so ignorant at that time. BUT, they are actually, interestingly aromatic and distinctively flavourful, delicious! An amazing signature taste of Taipei one wouldn't miss.

Another street food to hail while in Taipei is the famous OYSTER MEE SUA. Whenever i had this, i set aside the oysters {sorry not a fan of oysters}. Little did i know one can order mee sua without oysters , ha! ha! ha! 

Today, I'll venture on taiwan mee sua, but with chicken and mushrooms, instead, and I must admit, without the mushrooms, the texture and the taste is almost Shi Lin!!!

CHICKEN MUSHROOM MEE SUA

Shi Lin Market Inspired, Taiwan street food

¼ part chicken breast, boiled, shredded and set aside including the boiled water

2 tbsp EVOO   

1 head garlic

I medium onions

1 punnet mushroom

10 c water

1 ½ knorr chicken cube (or you can use chicken broth)

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tsbp LKK Superior Light Soy Sauce

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tbsp black vinegar

About 200g mee sua (flour vermicelli noodles)

Spring onions

Coriander (optional)

1 tbsp cornstarch mix with 1 tbsp water to thicken the sauce

Black Vinegar to drizzle before eating

Boil Chicken breast. Save the broth and shred the chicken, set aside.

Pour EVOO in a pot.

Sauté garlic  and onion , then add mushrooms.

Remove from the pot then place it in a blender and blend. Then return back to the pot.

Add the saved broth from chicken and add additional to make 10 c of water.

Drop knorr cubes and mix.

Mix sauces in a bowl and add in the broth.

Boil then add mee sua.

Simmer til noodle is cooked.

Add dissolved cornstarch and mix.

Serve hot with shredded chicken, chopped spring onions and coriander and drizzle some black vinegar.

CHICKEN AL CARBON

Chicken is a favourite meat accepted globally and grilling is always the  preferred means of cooking poultry dishes. However, in highly urbanized setting residentials are space restrained and cooking methods are often challenged but as they say, "If there's a will, there's a way!" 

This brings me into baking, my best option for open fire grilling.

Pollo Al Carbon (Chicken Al Carbon) is a dish of latin origin cooked in an open fire specifically over charcoal. One time i was talking to my sister and she's having dinner with Pollo al Carbon, hhmmm sounds appetizing and later that day, out of curiosity i found myself marinating a chicken griller! I can't accomplish that in an open fire with charcoal but I will surely achieve the same taste over an enclosed grilling-BAKE! 

It's delicious and i want to share this gem to all chicken lovers. Might not be the exact replica of what my sisters are fond of but I'm happy for baking one. Curiosity solved and cravings satisfied! You can do this--

CHICKEN AL CARBON (Pollo Al Carbon)

Ingredients:

1 chicken griller

1/4 c orange juice

1/4 olive oil

1/4 apple cider vinegar

1 tsp each of marjoram, thyme, oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 heads garlic cloves, minced

Place chicken in the ziplock

Pour all ingredients

Seal and shake ziplock

Marinate chicken for at least 4 hours or overnight in a fridge.

Bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 1.5 hrs (might be lesser or more) until that "grilled" texture is achieved.

BAKED GINGER-PLUM CHICKEN

Asian cooking is often easy and uncomplicated, it's just a matter of proper management: heat, time, ingredients, texture and taste.  Baking is a no fuss cooking as long as you have the right temperature and timing.  It even gives you time to watch your favourite movie without fear of burning. ;-)  Just mix the ingredients, place it in a baking dish and voila!  

Tonight is a no fuss cooking, if laziness really kicked in but you have to prepare a meal, just clean and mix everything, toss into the dish and bake. Then you can sit and relax and let the oven call you when it's done. Ting!

BAKED GINGER-PLUM CHICKEN

Ingredients:

750 g chicken or one whole (1kg) spring chicken -quarterly cut

1 thumb ginger -grated

1 whole Garlic (one single clove garlic)-minced

1/3 c plum sauce

1/3 c Superior Light soya sauce

1/4 c water

Dash of salt and pepper to season the chicken before browning.

EVOO and half tablespoon unsalted butter

Spring onion for garnishing

Method:

Season chicken with salt and pepper

Place EVOO and butter in the pan.

Brown chicken on both sides.When done, transfer to the baking dish.

In the same pan, place the rest of the ingredients except spring onion.

Bring to a boil. When done, pour over the chicken in the baking dish.

Bake the chicken covered (you can use foil to cover) at 175 degrees for 45 minutes.

10 minutes before baking is done, open the oven remove the cover and baste the chicken with its own sauce and continue baking it uncovered.

When done, remove from the oven and sprinkle the spring onions before serving.

Serve hot with blanched greens and rice.

>> or you can just place the seasoned chicken into the baking dish. Mix the rest of the ingredients except spring onion and pour over the chicken. Cover the dish and bake.

Lotus Glutinous Rice (Lo Mai Gai)

My kids love the movie Coco that after watching it they've been singing "Remember Me" at any time. They specifically mentioned Nov 2 as the feast of 'Dia de Muertos" a holiday in Mexico celebrating the "Day of the Dead." Although they have no cravings on the mexican tamales, or calavares de azucal nor calabaza en dulce, we have customized the food in commemorating our loved ones -- thru something sticky, savoury, symbolic and cold. Which is why we had glutinous rice, dumpling and mango lemonade. Sticky, colourful deli and delicious. And becuase it was the kids special requests... they have to share the effort.  Paige is the chef and Kai is the moral support this time... So let me share this sticky rice made simple and easy as compared to the real tedious preparations--

Lotus Glutinous Rice
makes 3 parcels

Rice
2 c Glutinous Rice, washed and soaked  in plain water for at least 20-30 mins., then set aside. You do this first before you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

1 tbsp tbsp Oyster Sauce

1 tbsp Light Soy sauce

1/2 tbsp Dark Soya Sauce

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 head (single head) or about 1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp Olive Oil

200 ml water

Chicken Marinade

1 pc boneless chicken breast (about 200g), small cubes sliced

1 pc lean pork (about 200 g), thinly sliced

1/2 tbsp Oyster Sauce

1/2 tbsp Dark  Soya Sauce

 tbsp Shao xing wine (chinese wine)

1 tbsp  Corn Starch

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

***Slice the meat as directed and place in a bowl. Add all the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken while you continue to prepare the other ingredients.

For Sautéing

2 tbsp Olive oil

I single head Garlic, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp Dried shrimps (if you don't have this it's ok)

1 1/2 tbsp Fried shallots ( if you don't have this its' still ok)

Slices of mushroom ( your preferential amount) if you are using whole shitake mushroom, then 3 pcs of shitake- one pc for each parcel.

>>> Other ingredients that you can add which i didn't as per request of kids not to include these..

3 half inch slices of chinese sausage

3 pcs of whole salted egg yolks

3 cubes of turnips

Wrapping:

3 pcs of lotus leaf (thoroughy washed, and rinsed with warm water), set side

How to do it?--

Place oil in the wok over a medium heat, when hot enough add garlic and stir fry.

Add marinated meat and stir fry.

Add dried shrimps and mushrooms. This time you can add the other ingredients >>.

Stir fry for few minutes.

Remove from heat  and transfer in a bowl and set aside.

In the same wok, without cleaning this up, add the oil.

When hot, add garlic and stir fry until slightly brown.

Then add  glutinous rice and stir.

Add the sauces and lastly add water.

Sauté until the rice absorbed all the water.

When done, remove from heat and set aside.

Assembly:

Divide your cooked glutinous rice into 3 and each part divide into half.

Open 1 pc of lotus leaf, cut if you need to, just make 1 sheet out of it.

Then brush the center of the leaf with oil the, where you will place the rice.

Place 1/6 of cooked glutinous rice on the center of the leaf.

Then top it with 1/3 of the cooked meat.

Then cover it with 1/6 of the cooked glutinous rice.

Fold the right leaf over your rice. Followed by the left leaf.

Then fold the leaf in front of you over the rice and finished it up with folding the back leaf

over the rice towards you....Your finish product is a wrap that looks like a parcel.

Secure with kitchen twine and ready to steam.

Steam for one and a half hour (1 1/2 hr). 

I used the electric steamer for less monitoring.

(You can use the traditional bamboo steamer to make it authentic)

Serve steaming hot with caution.

 

El Pollo Loco, my version

Chicken is chicken anywhere and it's an all time favourite poultry. Usually, fast foods' fried chicken is a fall back meal when time is against you. Thanks to technology, oven was invented to make a speedy cooking. It's a case of putting all ingredients together, cutting, mixing, marinating and baking. Pop into the oven and let the oven do the cooking. Set your timer and ting!!! It's done.

Roasted Chicken in Coconut Mushroom Chardonnay Sauce

       There are times that dining out is imperative.  It will immerse us to various food hubs of cultural origins and arrays of ingredients. I remember back in Manila, whenever our time permits, some of us siblings (whoever is in Manila and available)-- all food enthusiasts,  meet up on weekends and pig out to our hearts desire after watching a movie or simply after a day's malling.  We food hop especially to those newly opened dine-ins and restos  and scrutinise our new discoveries. We add our best food choices to our archive and defy those rejected by our palates.  But the next great thing is -- recreating those new discoveries in our own "dirty" kitchens. Aahhh brings back memoirs. 

Slow Cook Chicken Mustard

Recently our daughter Paige and son Kai is exhibiting the liking for good food. This means good for them but a challenge for me and daddy Bart. But I would rather look at this in a beneficial way rather than with pessimism... wink!

I remember way back home: our kitchen is my favorite hang out, the pans are my desired gadgets and food is my hobby, I turned our humble abode into a small resto where members of our family had a say on the days menu from breakfast down to midnight snack. On some occasions, our brother will call me from the hospital asking "what's for lunch? or please bring me food" or requesting for potluck while the other siblings order theirs or simply says "kahit ano, kung anong meron."  On gatherings, I can't call it party since this is a huge word for us we would rather call it "Salu-salo" as our frequent event.  It's like fiesta in one roof!  Aside from getting my hand dirty,  my favourite part is when I get to go with our Mamang or our sibling sponsoring the salu-salo for marketing. It's like a whole package for me! Everyday is a food adventure without me knowing it.  Eventually, I was exposed to greater food, posh dining and eclectic gatherings further widening my horizons. And I love every single moment of it! =)

Now, it's our children's era... things are not different. Paige is like living in a resto, she orders her meal and snacks, sometimes she has a hand on it.  Lucky for her ingredients come in handy so she always gets what she desires.  As for me, here I am... still enjoying my sanctuary with my very own family. =)

So from my kitchen to yours here's good food...

Chicken Sausage Roll

       My daughter paige used to be a picky eater and feeding her was a challenge. Thanks to the food tricks, I hid ingredients from her especially vegetables, pretended food as something else =) and innovated presentations appealling  and pleasing to her sight. Not to mention her passion for travel indeed helped me convinced her to explore variety of food for survival.  It did work anyhow. =D

       Now,  picky--ness is gone but food exposition become our mantra. Before I can finish chopping the onions and garlic, we have cultural origins,  ingredients' botany and food science. Even gastronomy  is a must. Whew! This is even more challenging than I thought!

Chicken Inasal

We had chicken on our lunchdate few days back and I still have chicken legs in the fridge. There is no best recipe than to cook these leggies appropriately...

BAKED CHICKEN INASAL

1.2 kls or about 6 pcs whole chicken legs

Marinade:

2 c apple cider
2 whole garlic (chopped)
3 thumb size ginger (grated)
1/3 c Annatto Oil or more
6 stalks lemongrass (pounded)
3 tbsp rock salt or 1/2 c fish sauce (patis), or more up to your preference
black pepper (coarsely ground)
2 tsps ground black pepper

Beer Can Chicken

Roasts, grills, BBQs and the like are the most palatable food, as I may refer to, before the idea of vegetarian and vegan came to evolution. People from all walks of life knew the what's and how's of this creation.  But little did we know that the term Barbecue means an event, a gathering of people, sharing of time, food and companionship. True enough, since BBQ entails slow cooking in a smoldering fire for a long period of time, the waiting allows guests to be busy with other things and this is where time sharing and companionship comes in. So when we say BBQ it is definitely gathering!  Unfortunately, moving to our new place in AMK limits our space for outdoor BBQ, thanks to the inventors of oven and grills, in a way, BBQ won't be missed.

Let me share this recipe for all those with loads of can beverages, although, there is no other way this recipe can be called otherwise, so let's just stick to it's original name and in doing so we are giving justice to its concept...=) This is not the BBQ that we are drooling about, but fare enough to cover our cravings for one. =D

Sinigang na Manok

Having a little one in the house dictates you to be time conscious, creative and multi-tasking most of the time. Having a picky eater at home requires you to be innovative. So basically, with kids, gone are our days of "me time of peace and quiet". But their smile, laughter and sweet thoughts magically vanishes all traces of tired--ness and exhaust--ion.
How would i relate this to this recipe?.... well...ahem... i just want to point out that there will be a time that you are caught in a situation where you have no other choice but cook the simplest recipe your kitchen can offer, and most often the ingredients below is always in stock =D.