It really is true what they say – there are as many adobo recipes as there are people who make it. I decided I would write down my recipe which I consider to be a very good version of a Filipino adobo. I like my adobo chicken crispy but not with too much oil. My secret for this is baking, then basting the chicken with coconut oil, and finally placing the chicken under the broiler. The recipe is finished by reducing the adobo sauce to a nape. Try this version of a traditional Filipino adobo and let me know your thoughts. I have provided all the techniques here to ensure your meal is delicious.

• 1 whole cut up chicken. I prefer to use skinless chicken with a mixture of dark and white meat
• 12 cloves garlic (minced)
• 4 Turkish bay leaves or 6 California bay leaves
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/3 cups cane vinegar. For sweeter adobo use coconut vinegar
• 2/3 cups light soy sauce. Do not use dark.
• 20 whole peppercorns
• 1 tsp. light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

I prefer to use a cast iron pot with a heavy lid so that my chicken will remain tender after it is cooked. The heavy lid helps to keep the moisture and pressure in the pot so the chicken cooks quicker and stays tender. Add 8 cloves of garlic, bay leaves, chicken stock, vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorns, brown sugar, and chicken to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil with the lid off, then place the lid on the pot and reduce the heat to simmer Cook for 40 minutes. 30 minutes through cooking pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a brush, apply a small amount of coconut onto a baking sheet. When the oven has reached temperature, remove all the chicken from the pot and place the chicken on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. While the chicken is baking turn the heat up on the pot to high (Note: For a stainless steel pot use medium high. Continue to reduce the sauce in the pot to nape (where it coats the back of a spoon). Remove the sauce from heat and set aside.

Cut up the remaining 4 cloves of garlic then quickly fry in the remaining coconut oil until golden. After 15 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and brush lighty with coconut oil. Then broil the chicken on a high rack in the oven for 5 minutes at 450 degrees.
Remove the chicken from the broil, and pour
reduced sauce over chicken. Then add fried garlic atop chicken.

Milkfish is a popular fish in the Philippines. It can be fried, baked, or is often used in clear and sour soups. Stuffed meats are one of the many preparation methods brought over by the Spanish. This is a delicious Filipino dish well worth the work and wait. It is usually made for special occasions  – likes Fiestas or when special guests are coming to your home. This is the dish which welcome me to the Philippines on my first visit. Again it was served to my family and friends the year of my wedding, as a welcome. I had the luck of having my wife’s relatives here several times. And guess what?  – several occasions they made this fish for dinner. No special occasion. My mother-in-law even made several for us before she left, so we free packed them. We ate them a month later and they were absolutely delicious!

1 whole milkfish, cleaned
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion diced
black pepper
2 tbsp. pickled relish
1 medium carrot, diced
1/4 cup black raisins
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 oz. edam cheese
catsup
vegetable oil
3 tbsp. calamansi juice
2 tbsp light soy sauce

For the dip:
3tbsp toyomasi or 1 tbsp. calamansi juice and 2 tbsp light soy sauce

The fish should be cleaned and cut along the belly so that it can be stuffed. The cut should  not include the head and tail. They must remain en-tact, so that when the fish is stuffed the filling does not fall out. Make an incision along the back of the fish – just after the head to the end of the fish’s backbone. Remove the backbone and remove the meat from the fish’s inside using a fork; set aside.

Marinate the skin in a mixture of 3 tbsp. calamansi juice, 2 tbsp light soy sauce and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper for 20 minutes. Poach the fish meat for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat and cool. Have a seat and begin removing the small bones contained in the poached fish meat.

In a large sauce pan, sauté garlic, onion for 3 minutes on medium. Add the fish meat and 2 tbsp light soy sauce, cook 1 minute. Turn the heat down to low. Add the carrots and raisins. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10 minutes.
Add the edam cheese, cook 1 minute. Add the catsup and pickled relish, cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer meat mixture to a bowl to let cool.

Remove skin from marinade, drain, and lay on cooking sheet.

Stuff the marinated fish skin from the belly side. Be careful not to overfill since you will sew up the bottom.
Sew the milkfish up using everyday sewing string.. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Spay a cooking sheet with flour cooking spray. Also spray the fish with the floured cooking spray. Bake the fish for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Technorati Tags: Recipes, rellenong, Seafood

Kaldereta, also spelled Caldereta is a hearty Filipino dish originating out of Spain. The name Caldereta comes from the the spanish “caldera”, meaning cooking pot. In most of Spain caldereta is made with lamb, beef, or goat. In the Balearic Islands and Minorca it is commonly made with lobsters. Caldereta is similar to the cooking style of guisado (stewed) commonly found in Mexico and Texas – think carne guisado with the Filipino touches of soy sauce and a sweeter taste. This is one of my favourite mainstay dishes. We have it in some form several times a month. It fuses flavours of tomatoes, olives, peppers, and sherry or red wine. This dish can be cooked with a number of meats including lamb, chicken, beef , or goat. My favourite preparation is with goat.

2 lbs. chicken (preferably a mixture of chicken breasts and boneless, skinless, chicken thighs)
1/2 cup cooking sherry
2 cloves garlic, minced
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup onions
1 cup sliced tomatoes
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
20 slivers of red bell pepper, sliced.
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
2 bay leaves (preferably Turkish)
1 tsp paprika
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
kosher salt to taste
1/2 cup uncooked chicken livers
1/2 cup green olives, pitted
2 oz. Edam cheese (can also use Gouda)
3 tbsp. olive oil for chicken + 2 tbsp. (kalamata works very well)
2 Thai chilies (optional) if you want spicier.

Cut the chicken into pieces (not to small). Remove the excess fat.

Heat the olive oil in pan on medium, then braise each piece of chicken until light brown. This method will help keep the chicken from falling apart as it simmers. Remove each piece as it is browned. Then add 2 tbsp additional olive oil to the pan. Cook the garlic and onion for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, diced bell peppers, and chili peppers (if wanted) and cook for 3 minutes.

In order add the chicken and stir in, then bay leaves, paprika, tomato sauce, soy sauce. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook on simmer low for 1.5 hours.

Bring mixture to low, add sherry, cheese, the 20 slivers of red bell pepper, sliced, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10 minutes. Cook liver in a separate pan in a small amount of oil until done, then chop up and add to kalderera. Add olives and cook for 2 minutes.

In small bowl, cut up thai chiles and add 1 tbsp of fish sauce. Sprinkle this over kaldereta.  Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

If you are new to Filipino cooking also checkout my recipe for Adobo Chicken

Technorati Tags: caldera, caldereta, filipino, kaldereta, manok, Philippines, Poultry, Recipes