Filipino-Style Adobo

Every household has their own take on this classic comfort dish from the Philippines. Chinese variations use rock sugar to brown the meat, omit the vinegar and include hardboiled eggs into their adobos, while some Filipino versions add coconut milk for a richer, creamier consistency. The sugar caramelizes as you brown the meat, creating a majestic dark amber coating that is sticky and sweet. The slow braising softens the acidity of the vinegar, while the saltiness of the soy sauce is mellowed out by the subtle hint of sugar, sealed into the meat during the browning at the onset. When the meat falls apart, it's ready to eat.

4 pieces of chicken thighs and drumsticks, with skin and bone

½ lb pork shoulder, cubed

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves of garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons rock sugar or brown sugar

1 cup of light soy sauce

1 cup of vinegar, white or balsamic

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Heat olive oil heavy skillet and fry garlic till brown.

Add rock or brown sugar and once it melts, add chicken pieces skin side down and brown the meat, about 5 minutes per side.

Remove chicken and brown pork, then return chicken pieces to skillet.

Add soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves and peppercorns. Top off with water so that meat is ¾ submerged in liquid.

Bring adobo to a boil, then simmer covered for an hour. If you are using pork shoulder, it will take longer.

Garnish with chopped parsley, fried minced garlic, fried shallot slices, and serve with garlic rice and a fried egg.

Tahini-Herb Fried Chicken

I tried out this recipe by Mark Bittman a few nights ago. The recipe was simple and basic enough (thanks to Vincent for sending it to me) for me to whip up the evening I arrived in New York. It was a different take on fried chicken and I enjoyed the extra-crispy layer of skin from the tahini-breadcrumb mixture.

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 to 2 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs, like tarragon and sage

2 tablespoons tahini or peanut butter

1/4 cup olive oil, more for frying

Flour for dredging

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 half-breasts

Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Lemon wedges for serving.

1. In a blender or the container of a food processor, combine onion, herbs and tahini. As you purée the mixture, slowly add just enough olive oil through the feed tube to make a thick, smooth paste; do not let it get too thin.

2. Put flour in a shallow bowl. Place chicken in another bowl. Rub puréed mixture over chicken, then dredge each piece in flour. Gently shake off any excess flour, coat again with paste and dredge once more in flour.

3. Heat 1/4 inch olive oil in a skillet; when it is hot, fry chicken for about 4 minutes each side, until well browned and cooked through; it will take longer if you use chicken with the bone in. Garnish with parsley and serve hot or warm, with lemon wedges.

Roast Chicken with Za'atar, Sumac and Lemon + Leftovers

Za'atar:
A Middle Eastern herb made from ground thyme, oregano, marjoram, and mixed with toasted sesame seeds and salt. Some may add savory, cumin, fennel or coriander seeds, as well as spices. Each household makes their own secret stash. A Palestinian variation includes caraway seeds, while the Lebanese contain sumac berries, giving it a distinctly blood red color. Za'atar is high in anti-oxidants and can be found at Middle Eastern supermarkets.

Sumac:
Made from the berries that grow on trees, sumac has a tart flavor that is very nice sprinkled on fish, chicken, over salad dressings, rice pilaf, or over raw onions.

Roast Chicken with Za’atar, Sumac and Lemon

1 Chicken, quartered into thighs, breast, wings
3 cloves of garlic
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon of ginger powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of coriander
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of za’atar (if not, use 1 tablespoon of oregano + 1 tablespoon of thyme)
1 teaspoon of sumac (optional)
Juice of 2 lemons, then slice lemons
2 red onions, thinly sliced
250ml chicken stock
3 tablespoons of Honey
50g pine nuts
Salt and Pepper
Greek Yogurt

Wash and pat dry chicken.

Mix herbs, spices, garlic, onions, lemon juice, stock and oil with salt and pepper. toss with chicken and marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 375. Put chicken, skin side up, along with marinade into deep dish. Brush top of chicken with honey. Bake on top shelf of oven for 40-50 minutes, until nicely browned. Check to make sure it is cooked through. Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in pan over medium heat until brown.

When chicken is cooked, sprinkle toasted pine nuts on top and serve with Greek Yogurt and Couscous.

If you want a thicker sauce, remove chicken and set aside, strain sauce and boil in pan until reduced and thick. Then pour over chicken, sprinkle pine nuts and serve with yogurt in serving dishes.

Left Overs:

If you have left over chicken in the days after, one thing I like doing is making chicken salad, which I then out in a sandwich.

Chicken Salad Sandwich

1 cup leftover meat, skin discarded
1 carrot, peeled and chopped finely
1 celery, washed and chopped finely
15g cranberries
¼ cup Japanese Mayonnaise, pictured below (if not, use homemade/store bought mayonnaise or Greek Yogurt)
Salt and Pepper
Crusty Bread
1 handful of rocket leaves


Shred chicken meat and mix with carrots, celery, cranberries and mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste.


Toast 2 pieces of crusty bread, then add rocket leaves and chicken salad. Alternatively, spread chicken salad on one side of bread, top with rocket and other piece of bread. Brush bottom and top of sandwich with olive oil and put in Panini Press for 5 minutes till brown and toasty.

Another leftover option is to make Chicken Croquettes. Will post recipe soon.

Archives: Crystal August 2009

Fresh from the Spanish steps in Barcelona, Crystal came to visit and we cooked dinner. Stories about her travels got my taste buds kicking for Spanish food, and I thought of a Portuguese inspired dish that I had eaten at Nino's Cozinha on Ship Street a few months back. It was a stew and worked very well with my craving that evening.

Chicken with Chorizo, Chickpeas and Onions (adapted from Nino’s Cozinha)

1 whole chicken, cut into wings, thighs, legs etc.
1 can of chickpeas, liquid drained
Spanish chorizo, sliced thinly (about 15 slices, more for meat lovers)
1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced (they’re big and white)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup dry white wine, like a Riesling or Chardonnay
1-2C of chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Parsley for garnish
2-3 Tablespoons of Crème Fraiche (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 C/ 180 F

Wash, then pat dry chicken pieces. Generously salt and pepper.

Fry chorizo in oven-proof casserole till crisp, then remove.

Brown chickens on all sides in same casserole, medium-high heat for about 5 minutes (judge well and remove when brown and crisp).

Sauté onions over medium heat in same pan till caramelized and soft, about 10 minutes.

Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, then add wine.
Deglaze pan and let wine boil till reduced by half, then add chicken stock and bring to boil.

Once boiling, add chicken, chorizo, bay leaf and chickpeas. The chicken stock should just about cover the chicken.

Cover and place in over for 30-40 minutes till chicken is cooked and tender. Before serving taste sauce and salt and pepper if it lacks taste. I like to remove my chicken, add crème fraiche and heat till thick before pouring the sauce over the chicken in a serving dish (but not everyone likes the sauce creamy).
Note: The dish is in the bottom left corner. To the right is Smashed potatoes with smoked paprika topped with a fried egg, an ode to Spain's patatas bravas.

Archives: Christmas 2008

Vancouver snowed heavily that December, so much that my flight to LA (where I was supposed to visit Juan) was canceled.

Never one to let mother nature dampen my holiday spirit, I did what any angry person would do. I cooked up a storm to rival the freakin blizzard raging and howling outside. Thanks to Ach and Dich for the spectacular photography.

Baked Wild Salmon with a Mayo-Onion Mix Glaze

Spaghetti Quatro Funghi (Crimini, Brown, Button and Shitake)

Peppering some Cornish Hen:

2 Cornish Hen
2 Lemons
4 Sprigs of Rosemary
6 Sprigs of Thyme
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
6 cloves of Garlic

Preheat oven to 375.

Wash and pat dry Cornish Hen.

Rub hens with Olive Oil, then squeeze Lemon Juice all over hens. Generously salt and pepper.

Take 2 sprig of each rosemary and 4 sprigs of thyme, finely chop and sprinkle all over hens.

Salt and pepper, then stuff remaining sprigs of herbs, squeezed lemons, and garlic into hen cavity.

Roast until brown, for about 1hr. Check to make sure it browns nicely and is cooked through. The lemon juice is key to making the skin crispy, brown and glistening.


Clafoutis aux Cerise (with Chip, our fake furry friend)

French Blueberry Cheese Cake- Mom's recipe


Lemon Blueberry Loaf with Lemon Glaze (Adapted from the Joy of Baking)

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1.5 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C and butter the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch) (23 x 13 x 8 cm).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the 1/4 cup (50 grams) of sugar and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with the hot lemon glaze. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. This bread is best served on the day it is made.

The Deli Revolution

I am in love with Ottolenghi, the Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern deli based in London. The fact that a Palestinian and Israeli, from opposite ends of Jerusalem, could come together in London and begin a food revolution is microcosmic proof that these two people can coexist and live together in harmony if there is mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual understanding for each other's place and position in history.

If the leaders all sat together and discussed options over Ottolenghi's pastries, salads and cakes, all bets are in that a framework for a solution could be hammered out in no time. That's how powerful and symbolic I believe the deli is. Only in food, do I find hope!

I've never been, and have had to live vicariously through the cookbook's pictures and recipes, which are superb. If only I could recreate their window displays. Carlson's a regular when he's back home, and when Alex was in London she took some photos of the shop's exterior and sent them over to me. What a tease:

Roast Chicken with Rosewater, Saffron and Nuts (adapted from Ottolenghi)


1 Chicken, divided into quarters
2 onions, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon dried cinnamon
1 teaspoon za'atar (if not, use dried oregano)
Generous pinch of Saffron threads
2 bay leaves
juice of 1 lemon
grated zest of half of lemon
4 tablespoons cold water
salt and pepper
100g unskinned hazelnuts, pistachios or cashews
70g honey
2 tablespoons rosewater
2 spring onions, roughly chopped
Greek Yogurt, for serving

Mix chicken with onions, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, za'atar, lemon juice, lemon zest, water, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Marinate for at least an hour, or over night.

Preheat oven to 190 C. Spread hazelnuts (or whatever nut you decide to use) out on to an oven tray and roast lightly for 10 minutes. Chop roughly and set aside.

Transfer chicken and marinade to roasting pan and roast, skin side up, for 35 minutes.

Mix honey, rosewater and nuts together to make a rough paste. Remove the chicken from oven and spoon generous amounts of nut paste on to each piece and spread to cover. Put chicken back in oven and roast another 5-10 minutes till golden brown.

Garnish with spring onions, serve with Greek Yogurt.