Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Chicken Adobo, Cabbage Stir-fry, and Brown Rice

In my zeal to makeover common meals to be more healthy and nutritious, I may have taken it a little far with this meal. I've never been able to obtain a decent Chicken Adobo recipe, and all of my previous experiments have ended in barely edible lumps. I'm happy to say that this last attempt actually tasted alright. Well, at least I didn't mind eating the leftovers. The concept is quite simple, really:
  1. Brown meat and set aside.
  2. Caramelize garlic, onions.
  3. Fill pot with 1 handful of peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, white vinegar, soy sauce, and water.
  4. Bring to a boil.
  5. Return meat to pot.
  6. Cover and lower heat to simmer for an hour or two till meat falls off the bone.
  7. Eat.
My problem has always been trying to figure out the ratio of the liquids. This time, I tried to keep the balance by using a 1:1:1 ratio. The liquid has to cover the meat when simmering, thus requiring a cup each of the liquids. Also, my new twist was to use boneless, skinless chicken breast and thighs, which essentially removes all fat from this dish. In the end, the chicken was still very moist since it was simmering in liquid for so long. However, for some reason I think it favored the soy sauce more than the vinegar or water. In essence, I created Chinese Shoyu Chicken. Which isn't bad, except for the fact that Raquel isn't a fan. Sigh.. Oh well, back to the drawing board. The next time I try this, I'll ask Raquel to snag her grandma's recipe.

On the other hand, the cabbage stir-fry came out great! Basically, it's just a wok stir-fry of garlic, green onions, cilantro, eggs, cabbage, and fish sauce. It's my fastest and simplest side dish to make. And Raquel loves it. Then again, put enough fish sauce (patis / nuoc mam) on anything and Raquel will be all over it.

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