Adobong Manok Tagalog Version (Chicken Stew)

Dear Mom,

Whoopee! I finally have reason to believe that I can cook! I can hardly believe that I was able to conquer my holy grail, our pride, our national dish - the Adobong Manok. Last week, I whipped up a batch which Arns polished off with gusto. He reminded me of KFC's official slogan - "Finger lickin' good!" Watching him savoring every mouthful, punctuated by praises to the cook (that's me!), almost put tears to my eyes.

I have been trying to cook adobo before and the tasters always gave varied appraisals. Even I admit to myself that I never got it right. Arns taught me his version that is saucy and has ginger but I kept comparing it to the version that I grew up with at home, which I know to be the Tagalog version. Our version was dry and does not have ginger. I remember that the original recipe only uses garlic and vinegar. But my take includes onion, soy sauce and green chillies minus the bay leaf. Oh, there are bay leaves here but they are somehow too pungent to my liking. This goes so well with kaning lamig (cold rice).

I whipped up another batch last night and got another commendation from Kuya Jhun which sent me to the clouds. I feel ultra victorious! If I get this kind of reaction every time, I'll be wearing an apron 24/7!

Love,
Roni

Ingredients:
500g chicken, cut into pieces
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium red onion, quartered
2 pcs green chillies, sliced
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup water
a dash of freshly cracked peppercorns
salt and sugar (optional, only if you want it sweet) to taste
1 tbsp oil (optional)

Procedure:
Put the garlic, onion and chillies on the bottom of the pot. Arrange the chicken pieces on top so that they cover the entire bottom of the pot. Add pepper, vinegar, soy sauce and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer while turning the chicken pieces so that both sides soak up the broth. When half the broth has disappeared, add salt and sugar to taste.
When almost dry, add oil and saute the chicken pieces until all is coated with it. This is optional especially if the chicken's own fat is enough to make the dish oily.
Serve warm with cold rice.

Romancing the Scallion (aka Spring Onion)

Dear Mom,

Before, I was only acquainted with the normal, round, red bulb that is known plainly as 'onion' in the kitchen. I used to abhor the task of slicing it for it's one tear-jerker of a task (it always gave me the sniffles). I read somewhere that you can slice the onion under running water from the tap but I found that simply cutting the onion while it's wet with a wet knife is enough. Onions add a nice spicy flavor but never mind the smell.

Learning to cook with Arns introduced me to scallions, he uses them a lot. Scallions not only give a spicy flavor to a dish, salad or soup, they also impart a lovely smell. It's a pleasant garnish for a lot of dishes, from noodles to soups. You'll be seeing a lot of these aromatic stalks in my recipes. Now, I keep scallions along with garlic, onion, ginger, chilli, lemon, eggs and tomatoes as kitchen staples.

Love,
Roni

Paksiw na Galunggong (Blue Mackerel Scad Stew)

Dear Mom,

This dish reminds me so much of home. It's perfect for lunch with hot steamed rice on a rainy day, bananas for dessert are in order. Good thing I let Arns convince me to add scallions, the smell was so lovely!

Love,
Roni

P.S.
I asked everyone in the house what 'galunggong' is called in English, nobody was able to give me an answer. I said it's probably mackerel and googled the fish... I was partially correct. ☺

Ingredients:
250g fresh blue mackerel scad, gutted and cleaned
4 cloves of garlic, crushed (optional)
1 medium red onion, quartered
1/4 cup ginger, sliced
scallion, about 3-4 stalks, cut in half crosswise
3-4 pcs large green chilli (optional)
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp oil (optional)

Note: This dish tastes better when cooked using a clay pot.

Procedure:
Put garlic, onion, chilli and ginger in a pot. Place the blue mackerel scad on top, aligned neatly side by side in layers so as to cover the entire bottom of the pot. Add salt and pepper. Pour in the vinegar and water. Place the scallions on top. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat.
When fish is cooked and broth reduced, add oil and simmer further until almost dry. I usually serve this with Maggi Savor or Knorr Liquid Seasoning.