Philippines: Adobo chicken

Over time, friends have got to know that I like to cook, and in particular that I like to cook things from different places. Last year a friend who is originally from the Philippines kindly brought me ‘The Filipino Cookbook‘. It’s been sitting there on the shelf for too long, and since she was coming to visit I said I would try and make something from the book. So, today’s recipe is a chicken dish which the book suggests is one of the most popular in the Philippines. Ingredients 1.25kg bone-in chicken breasts, thighs or drumsticks 1 tbsp oil 3 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns 1 tsp of brown sugar 1 bay leaf 1 large onion For the marinade:

• 180ml white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 60ml water
• 65ml lime juice
• 250ml soy sauce

Method

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a box and mix throughly before adding the chicken and refridgerating over night.
2. Remove chicken from the marinade.
3. Heat a skillet or sautee pan and add the oil, and then the garlic until it is lightly browned. Add the chicken and sautee for 10 minutes.
4. Add the marinade, peppercorns, sugar and bay lead. Cover the pan and bring to the boil, and reduce the eeat and simmer for around 45 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add the onion and simmer for another 5 minutes.

I served this with fried rice. To make the fried rice, which is best cooked in a wok if you have one add 1 tbsp of oil and sautee 3 cloves of garlic, and then add a chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add another tbsp of oil and increase the heat to high and add the rice. Stir fry for about 5 minutes but make sure you stir constantly to stop the rice sticking. Then pour over 3 eggs which have been lightly beaten and then 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper.

The adobo chicken got the seal of approval from my friend, as did the bibingka (a kind of rice coconut cake) which I served for dessert – recipe to follow soon.