soul food
June 12th, is Philippine Independence Day; it was on this day in 1898 that the Spanish relinquished the country to America. Later that year, in the Treaty of Paris, which was effectively the end of the Spanish-American War, it was determined that the Philippines was valued at $20million dollars - but this is not a history lesson. The Philippines has had a very colorful history which has been satirically described as 300 years in a convent - under the rule of the Spanish friars who feared an uprising so much they didn’t teach us Spanish to impede communication - followed by 50 years in Hollywood - because how much more dramatic could it get than Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s “I shall return” speech.
Thankfully, that colorful history has translated into a rich, multi-spectral cuisine which is the epitome of soul food. If you’ve been following this blog, you know I’ve been making a big effort to eat healthily and sustainably and those two words don’t typically get associated with Filipino Food which is typically known to be so deliciously delectable it couldn’t possibly be good for you. This is true of specialties like lechon (roasted pig), crispy pata (deep fried pork knuckles), chicharon bulaklak (deep fried intestines), and the ultimate pulutan dish that would give any fancy charcuterie board a run for its money, sizzling sisig (iykyk, otherwise go google it).
However, if you look at regular non-occasion Filipino dishes, they are relatively healthy in the sense that the most-processed ingredients you need are toyo and patis (soy sauce and fish sauce). They are also really friendly towards common food intolerances such as gluten and dairy. They are also super simple to make in one pot with straightforward instructions.
Here are my 2 favorite Filipino dishes with some Western substitution and adjusted to only produce 2 servings. Although these dishes could easily keep for over a week, I still prefer preparing smaller portions so I’m not eating them the same food for days straight. I’ve added the proportions I use, but like I said Filipino food is soul food - feel free to adjust and adapt based on what feels right for your soul. For both recipes I use this deep 24cm skillet from Tefal, which is also great for one-pot pasta recipes.
Adobo
I wasn’t too fond of Adobo growing up and I think this was because of the meat commonly used for it. (Don’t ask me what the cut is called, but it’s basically the one where you see a layer of fat between the meat and skin.) I make mine with chicken legs i.e.bone-in, skin-on thigh and drumstick - yes, I know not the healthiest cut but lean chicken breasts just don’t hit the spot for me. Still better than chicken McNuggets though!
I use two large, organic chicken legs (~500g) and marinate it in about half a cup (~100mL) of soy sauce and half a head of minced garlic. I use fresh garlic that I grate with a microplane but the bottled stuff will work too. I would recommend marinating for at least 3 hours but I’ve also left it overnight (just give it a good shake and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before cooking). In a pot, heat up some olive oil and warm it up until it crackles when you put a drop of water and brown the chicken; this usually takes about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken, sauté 2-3 cloves of garlic (sliced) and 2 small onions (chopped), when the onions are soft add the chicken back in and add the marinade. Add a cup or so of water and bring to a boil; add bay leaves and peppercorn then turn down heat to a simmer and cover. After 30 minutes, stir in about a quarter cup (~75mL) of vinegar and simmer for another 15 minutes. If you like your Adobo with runny sauce just add a bit of sugar, stir and turn off the fire - you’re done. I like my Adobo somewhere between wet and dry so I let it simmer until the chicken meat easily separates from the bone. I shred the chicken, stir in some sugar to help thicken the sauce and let it simmer without a cover until the sauce is to the consistency I want. This extra cooking time also allows the peppercorn to cook through so when you bite into it the flavor will be just right.
Chicken Adobo
My personal notes: I love garlic and use almost an entire head for this recipe. I recently discovered that red onions and yellow onions taste different when cooked so I use one of each because it also looks prettier when cooking. I use organic, gluten free Tamari most times. If I use coconut Alaminos I skip the sugar at the end. I use organic red wine vinegar mostly because it’s the vinegar I keep around for my salad dressings as well. The 2-serving yield easily stretches to 4 when I use this as a protein topping for a salad. My favorite ways to eat Adobo these days are on a bed of spinach with quinoa and fried egg, or on top of a spinach/iceberg salad with maple tahini dressing and couscous.
Tinola
Chicken Tinola is incomparable, it’s been a lifelong favorite primarily because it has one of my favorite vegetables of all time - sayote. Simply translated, it is chicken soup with ginger. Again, I use two large, organic chicken legs and I make my broth really potent because I can water it down depending on what else I’m eating.
Peel ginger, onions, and garlic and put them into a food processor until they are finely minced but not mush. I would say I use about three thumbs of ginger, three small yellow onions, and about a half a head of garlic - feel free to hand chop or slice if you don’t have a food processor.
In a pot, just as with the Adobo, brown the chicken in some olive oil. I do this because I’d rather cook any blood in the chicken than let it boil with the sauce or broth. Skipping this step could risk the broth tasting malansa - like rancid raw meat. In the oil where you browned the chicken, sauté the ginger, onions, and garlic; when soft, add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce and 1 tablespoon of peppercorn, give it a good stir then add the chicken back. Pour in about 4 cups (~1L) of water, make sure the chicken is evenly submerged. Cover and slowly bring to a boil, I use medium-low heat for about 45 mins to an hour or until the chicken meat is falling off the bone. Watch and add water as desired, I use boiling water so the cooking temperature doesn’t fluctuate. I turn off the heat and quickly stir in peeled and sliced sayote and leave it covered for about 20 minutes. Before serving, I stir in baby spinach leaves.
Chicken Tinola
My personal notes: I use peppercorns because ever since I learned that their flavor mellows once cooked through, I quite enjoy crunching into them. Adjust the flavor to taste, sometimes I stick to 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, sometimes I go up to 5. If I can’t find sayote, I use zucchini. I don’t like over cooked vegetables and I actually prefer mine bordering on undercooked which is why I let them cook without additional fire. If you cook them through just keep in mind that you will need to cook them a little bit more when you reheat.
