Mark Bittman's Chicken Adobo

I love lots of adobo sauce on my rice

A reader emailed me last week asking for Mark Bittman's Chicken Adobo recipe. I didn't know he has one and thought it might be the Mexican adobo version. I got curious and borrowed from the library his 1998 cookbook HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING and there it is on page 377: Filipino Chicken Adobo. He writes: "The Philippine classic has been called the best chicken dish in the world by a number of friends of mine." He uses the basic Filipino adobo ingredients and finishes the dish in the grill (or broiler) after boiling in the vinegar mixture for 30 minutes. The grilled flavor and the crispy skin and meat make the chicken adobo really special. I altered his recipe a little bit by using only half a cup of soy sauce and adding 1½ tsp of sea salt and half a cup more of water. I also used the dark (cane sugar) vinegar from the Philippine Ilocos province which gives the dish a hint of sweetness and a fruity flavor. I will definitely add this recipe to my growing Adobo recipe collection for my ADOBO COOKBOOK. The dish also gave me an idea to adobo-marinate other meats such as baby back ribs or thin sliced pork belly, then grill directly without boiling them first.

Mark Bittman's Chicken Adobo
1 cup soy sauce
½ cup white or rice vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 whole (3 - 4 pounds) chicken, cut up, trimmed of excess fat, then rinsed and patted dry with paper towels, or use 2 pounds bone-in thighs

1. Combine the first six ingredients in a covered pot large enough to hold the chicken in one layer. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken pieces, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes, turning once or twice. (You may prepare the chicken in advance up to this point; refrigerate the chicken, in the liquid, for up to a day before proceeding.)
2. Start a charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill or broiler. The fire need not be too hot, but place the rack just 3 or 4 inches from the heat source.
3. Remove the chicken and dry it gently with paper towels. (My note: Remove excess fat before boiling sauce.) Boil the sauce over high heat until it is reduced to about 1 cup; discard bay leaves and keep the sauce warm. Meanwhile, grill or broil the chicken until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Serve the chicken with the sauce and white rice.

The aroma of very hot rice and chicken on the banana leaf I lined the serving platter and my plate with evoked memories of my elementary and high school days. The very few times I bought baon (packed lunch) were on school field trips. My mom used to put hot rice in the middle of several layers of large banana leaves then place the hot meat, usually chicken and pork adobo with plenty of sauce, on top of the rice soaking the rice with the sauce, then fold the corners together, tuck them in to make a neat leak-proof bundle. Believe me when you open the package and get a whiff of the fragrant banana leaves, rice, and adobo combination you'll want to dig right in even if you're not very hungry. Banana leaves as a food wrapper or container is way better than plastic boxes or aluminum foil, good for the environment too.:-)

Eggplants Cooked Two Ways

"The Chin", small graffiti, Asian, and Mr. Eggplant Head

Last week I purchased too many eggplants. First, because two of them were shaped funny I just had to get them. One had a weird growth that looked like a nose (Mr. Eggplant Head?) and the other was bent and reminded me of Jay Leno's chin. Second, because I've always loved the sweet and smoky flavor of eggplants simply fried with beaten eggs (tortang talong) or charred over the stove then seasoned with salt and ginger juice served with chopped tomatoes as a cold appetizer or salad. Recently I have been cooking and loving Middle Eastern-style food and used half of the eggplants in a chickpeas stew, the other half I made into ratatouille. This is the first time I made both dishes which are similar to each other, and I equally love them. They're both healthy vegetarian dishes which can be served hot, at room temperature, or cold.

Arabian Eggplant And Chickpea Stew

1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
2 large eggplants, about 2 pounds
sea salt
½ cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
2 large onions, sliced thin
10 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 cup seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon ground allspice or cinnamon
fresh lemon juice, optional
fresh mint sprigs for garnish

• Peel and halve the chickpeas; set aside.
• Cut the whole unpeeled eggplant into 2½-inch chunks. Salt the pieces and leave to drain in a colander for at least 1 hour.
• Rinse the eggplant, squeeze gently, and pat dry with paper towels. Working in batches, lightly fry the chunks in 5 tablespoons hot oil until golden brown; drain. Sprinkle the eggplant with pepper and set aside.
• In a 3-quart casserole with a tight-fitting lid, warm the remaining olive oil and add the onions. Saute them over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until limp and golden. Add the chickpeas and fry 2 minutes. Stir in the drained eggplant, unpeeled garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, and paprika.
• Cover tightly and cook over low-medium heat without stirring 40 minutes. Carefully fold in the crushed garlic, parsley, vinegar, sugar, and allspice.
• Cook 10 minutes longer, or until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Serve hot or at room temperature. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice, if desired. Garnish with the mint.

For the ratatouille I followed the easier one-pot version of this recipe, it is really delicious. I simmered the dish for almost 2 hours on low heat and the vegetables surprisingly retained their shape.

ratatouille - the French pinakbet (minus the salted fish and pork):-)

Yogurt Panna Cotta And Blueberries

yummy yogurt panna cotta and blueberries

The past month I have been eating and drinking yogurt. I am also getting addicted to kefir either mixed with fruits and soy milk or salty with mint and club soda. I also love yogurt cheese which is good with flat breads and eggplant stew for a healthy dinner. Looking for other recipes to enjoy yogurt I saw one that appealed to me right away, panna cotta. I have a large container of blueberries which I thought will be good with the creamy dessert. The yogurt panna cotta is very very yummy, lighter than the regular recipe using all-cream but just as creamy and has a slight tang from the yogurt, just perfect with the blueberries. I put them in plastic tumblers instead of dessert plates which is easier to serve. They are great to bring to picnics or for backyard barbecues.

Yogurt Panna Cotta And Blueberries
1 envelope unflavored gelatin softened in 2 T water
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped
5 to 6 tablespoons sugar
2 cups non-fat or low-fat plain Greek-style yogurt
blueberries
3 tablespoons sugar
confectioner's sugar, optional

• In a medium saucepan, heat cream, sugar, and vanilla seeds to a simmer. Turn the heat off and stir in softened gelatin until it has dissolved. In a bowl, whisk yogurt until smooth. Gradually stir in cream mixture into the yogurt. Divide among 5 clear 10-ounce glass or plastic tumblers. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.
• In a small pan, heat 1 cup blueberries and the 3 tablespoons sugar until the berries are very soft and starting to burst. Transfer into a blender and blend until smooth. Cool slightly then pour on top of the cooled and already set yogurt mixture. Leave to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• To serve, top with chilled fresh blueberries and dust with confectioner's sugar if desired.

blueberries: berry good with yogurt panna cotta

21 And 4 Other Movies

I've been watching (and reading) a lot of movies the past few days. I watched 21 today and almost had a coma. Here are my ratings and the review of 21.

21 F

My new worst flick ever! Based on a true story about a math genius who was persuaded by his teacher to join a group of blackjack card counters to cheat the casinos in Las Vegas. Yeah, I know, what is so exciting about card counting but with the right script and director it could be good, example: Rounders with Matt Damon and Edward Norton. Not 21 though, which I declare is nothing more than 2 hours of cliches, slo-mos, mnemonic gestures, and several wig changes by Kate Bosworth. If I had taken a shot of my homemade mango vodka each time those annoying scenes come on I would have gotten plastered after the first half hour. I waited and waited and waited for the movie to pick up its pace but after one hour nothing thrilling is happening. It's as riveting as watching paint dry. Watching bass fishing perhaps is more exciting than this movie. I got up to do something in the kitchen without pausing the player and listened to the dialog and did not miss a thing. At the ending scene when Kevin Spacey was being confronted by the security chief I uttered: come on Keyser Söze, walk out of there! This movie is definitely NOT chicken dinner worthy.:D

My rating for 3 Hong Kong and 1 French movies: All A, Highly Recommended

THE WARLORDS
Period movie, brotherhood, betrayal, ambition, lots of gore and martial arts. With Jet Li, Andy Lau, and Takeshi Kaneshiro

TOKYO RAIDERS
Asian James Bond with cool gadgets and sexy assistants, nonstop dizzying kung fu action, cheesy, comedy, romance, yakuza, the most ridiculous but entertaining chase scene with motorized skateboard and small bicycles in the chaotic streets of Tokyo. With Tony Leung and Kelly Chen

INFERNAL AFFAIRS 3
Sequel/Prequel to Infernal Affairs (remade by Hollywood as THE DEPARTED). With Tony Leung, Andy Lau, and Kelly Chen

MOLIÈRE
A fictionalized account of the "lost" 2 years of the French actor and playwright Molière's life after he got out of prison for unpaid debts. Hilarious, laugh out loud funny, beautiful cinematography and music, accurate costumes and sets for the period. Played by Romain Duris who is the lead actor in one of my favorite movies last year, THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED, a French remake of the American movie, FINGERS.