Category Archives: Filipino

Chinese Salted Eggs

Asian, Breakfast, Chinese, Filipino, Snack

It was not too long ago where I came across an article on Chinese salted duck eggs, and after reading it, I become very curious on the outcome of the eggs, so I decided to do my take on these Chinese salted eggs.

The eggs go way back and are much a common staple in China, however most use duck eggs. The common chicken egg can also be used, and in my case that is the direction I went.

Basically this recipe is eggs that are soaked in a brine and placed in the refrigerator for about 30 days or so, then cooked, typically hard boiled, and served with things like congee, however I simply fried mine in just a bit of unsalted butter. The result will amaze you.

Chinese Salted Eggs

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 6 whole eggs, chicken or duck eggs
  • 1 cup of salt
  • 4 cups of water, enough to fill your large non-reactive container
  • 2 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 1 star anise
  • 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine

Start by rinsing the eggs in cold water to remove any exterior filth.

Next add your salt, water, star anise, and peppercorns into a medium-sized pot, and bring to a boil to dissolve the salt. Once dissolved, remove from the stove, stir in the Shaoxing wine, and let it come to room temperature.

Next, the gentle part. Being careful not to crack the eggs, place them in a large mason jar. You want a glass jar that is non-reactive. Once the eggs are in place, pour the water into the jar, making sure you fully cover the eggs.

Cover the jar with the cap, and place in the refrigerator. Set your calendar, and check the eggs in 30 days.

Chinese Salted Eggs

When you are ready to make the eggs, either boil them to your favorite temperature, or fry them in a little bit of butter.

Now I will admit, I was a bit hesitant to try these as I did not know what I was getting myself into. I see folks buying these style of eggs at one of my Asian markets, and I knew that they were sitting in the brine so they would not go bad, so I went ahead and cracked one in a preheated skillet with a bit of butter.

I was blown away when I cracked it into the skillet. The whites were a bit thinner, and the yolk was this killer dark orange color. As I let this cook, I began spooning the melted butter on top of the yolk area to continue to cook.

When I took my first bite, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a bit salty, I’ll admit, but the texture was awesome. This would be a perfect pairing with some of the more bland dishes that need a punch of salt. Give these a shot. I hope you enjoy.

Slow Cooker Filipino Pork Adobo

Asian, Braising, Filipino, Game Day, Onions, Pork, Sauce, Stews

Filipino food is underrated in my opinion. Granted, I’ve only skimmed the surface when it comes to eating legitimate Filipino food, but from what I have had, it is super tasty, well balanced, and extremely comforting. Everything from tinola, arroz caldo, mock sisig, torta, afritada, pancit canton, and bihon, plus who could forget lumpia, and the infamous pork barbecue.  Again, I am only skimming the surface, but there is one dish, in my opinion, that showcases the flavors of the Philippines, which results in sweet, sour, salty, and spicy, and that is adobo.

Adobo is basically the Filipino sauce and cooking process that typically consists of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, meat, and onions that are slowly cooked in the sauce until it is super tender.  As I have made chicken adobo in the past, I wanted to try making a pork should, and cook it, while I was working, in a slow cooker. The results were nothing short of amazing.

Filipino Pork Adobo Recipe

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 3 lb pork shoulder, bone-in
  • 1 whole onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 inch of ginger, smashed
  • 1/4 white whine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 whole Thai chili, smashed
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • Your favorite Fried Rice

Add everything but the pork and fried rice to a mixing bowl. Give a good stir to dissolve the brown sugar.

Add the pork shoulder, fat side up to your slow cooker. Pour the mixture over the pork shoulder, cover, and cook for 7 hours.  After 7 hours, remove the pork shoulder and place onto a large cutting board.

filipino-pork-adobo-ingredients

Remove and discard the bone, and any additional fat. Cut the remaining pork into large cubes, then add the pork back into the slow cooker. Give a nice stir to cover with the sauce, garlic, and onions. Turn the slow cooker to high and continue cook for an additional hour before shredding with a couple of forks.

pork-adobo2

When you are ready to serve, plate the slow cooker Filipino pork adobo onto your plate, as well as a serving of your favorite fried rice. Garnish with an additional Thai chili pepper and some lemon wedges.

Your going to love this pork adobo. It is not only super tender and aromatic, but it has the most wonderful flavors. If you are looking to explore Filipino cuisine, start with this one. It’s not only easy, but it is super delicious. I served the leftovers as another serving, as well as wrapped up the pork adobo in warm, soft tortillas. I hope you enjoy.

Print
Slow Cooker Filipino Pork Adobo
Author: 
Cuisine: Filipino
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 3 lb pork shoulder, bone-in
  • 1 whole onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ½ inch of ginger, smashed
  • ¼ white whine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 whole Thai chili, smashed
  • ½ cup of water
  • Your favorite Fried Rice
Instructions
  1. Add everything but the pork and fried rice to a mixing bowl. Give a good stir to dissolve the brown sugar.
  2. Add the pork shoulder, fat side up to your slow cooker. Pour the mixture over the pork shoulder, cover, and cook for 7 hours. After 7 hours, remove the pork shoulder and place onto a large cutting board.
  3. Remove and discard the bone, and any additional fat. Cut the remaining pork into large cubes, then add the pork back into the slow cooker. Give a nice stir to cover with the sauce, garlic, and onions. Turn the slow cooker to high and continue cook for an additional hour before shredding with a couple of forks.
  4. When you are ready to serve, plate the slow cooker Filipino pork adobo onto your plate, as well as a serving of your favorite fried rice. Garnish with an additional Thai chili pepper and some lemon wedges.
  5. Your going to love this pork adobo. It is not only super tender and aromatic, but it has the most wonderful flavors. If you are looking to explore Filipino cuisine, start with this one. It’s not only easy, but it is super delicious. I hope you enjoy.

 

Arroz Caldo

Chicken, Delicious, Ethnic, Filipino, Game Day, Kids, Rice, Soup

Arroz caldo. Now that’s a funky name isn’t it? If you know any Spanish, then you would know this as rice soup. As I asked my wife, “did you guys grow up eating arroz caldo?”, she seemed confused and never heard of it. I said “C’mon, you’re Filipino and never heard of arroz caldo, you know that chicken and rice porridge?”. It then clicked with her and she said “Oh, you mean soft chicken and rice?”.  I guess that is how my mother-in-law coined it back in the day while she was growing up, but let’s just stick with arroz caldo. Many of you might know this as congee, or some other rice porridge as many nationalities have a dish very similar to this recipe.

How to Make Arroz Caldo

See, to me, arroz caldo just screams comfort. You can go ahead and wipe the idea of bad porridge from your memory. There is something about arroz caldo that is something wonderful. It could be that it has that awesome savoriness to it, and while loaded within ginger and garlic, among other simple ingredients, it just warms the soul. So this past week, as it was a bit cold and rainy, I decided to make my wife arroz caldo, or what she knows as soft chicken and rice.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole roasting chicken, cut into various parts (thighs, breasts, drums, wings)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 inch finger of ginger, peeled, and minced
  • 1 cup of Jasmine rice, uncooked
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 6 cups of chicken stock, unsalted
  • Fried garlic
  • Chives (or green onions), thinly sliced
  • Garlic chili oil, optional

So you have a couple of options here. You can do as I did and make your own stock, or you can use store bought. It’s up to you. If you make your own stock,  just go ahead and throw in an extra onion, some garlic, celery, a carrot, and the chicken parts into a stock pot. Cover with water, and cook for about four hours. Skim off any of the foamy garbage that floats to the top during that process.

The broth will reduce down a bit. Remove the chicken pieces, set aside, and let cool.  Once cooled, pull it apart, and keep in tact any of the wings or drummies. Thigh and breast meat can be pulled.  Strain the broth.

Next, heat the oil into a large pot. Add in the onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook for about 7-10 minutes, or until the onions are fully sweated.

Next, toss in the chicken and give a good stir.

Toss in the uncooked rice, and give that a good stir.

How to make arroz caldo

Add in the chicken stock, fish sauce, and soy sauce and give that a good stir. Cover, and simmer for about 35 minutes, or until the rice is softened.

When you are ready to serve, ladle some into your bowl, top with the fried garlic, chives, and drizzle with chili oil.

The result is a delicious and ever so comforting bowl of arroz caldo. You get the softness of the rice that is balanced with the chicken, and those crunchy bits of garlic… Need I say more? Whether you call this arroz caldo or soft chicken and rice, make it. It’s amazing.

Print
Arroz Caldo
Cuisine: FIlipino
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 1 whole roasting chicken, cut into various parts (thighs, breasts, drums, wings)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 inch finger of ginger, peeled, and minced
  • 1 cup of Jasmine rice, uncooked
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 6 cups of chicken stock, unsalted
  • Fried garlic
  • Chives (or green onions), thinly sliced
  • Garlic chili oil, optional
Instructions
  1. So you have a couple of options here. You can do as I did and make your own stock, or you can use store bought. It's up to you. If you make your own stock, just go ahead and throw in an extra onion, some garlic, celery, a carrot, and the chicken parts into a stock pot. Cover with water, and cook for about four hours. Skim off any of the foamy garbage that floats to the top during that process.
  2. The broth will reduce down a bit. Remove the chicken pieces, set aside, and let cool. Once cooled, pull it apart, and keep in tact any of the wings or drummies. Thigh and breast meat can be pulled. Strain the broth.
  3. Next, heat the oil into a large pot. Add in the onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook for about 7-10 minutes, or until the onions are fully sweated.
  4. Next, toss in the chicken and give a good stir.
  5. Toss in the uncooked rice, and give that a good stir.
  6. Add in the chicken stock, fish sauce, and soy sauce and give that a good stir. Cover, and simmer for about 35 minutes, or until the rice is softened.
  7. When you are ready to serve, ladle some into your bowl, top with the fried garlic, chives, and drizzle with chili oil.

 

Filipino Roasted Chicken – Lechon Manok

Barbecue, Chicken, Ethnic, Filipino, Game Day, Grilling

You probably know by now that my in-laws are Filipino, and I often live through them when it comes to understanding the cuisine of the Philippines. I realize that there are so many great Filipino recipes out there, however I have only skimmed the surface when it comes to trying some of the food. By default, most, if not all parties consist of pancit bihon, and lumpia. I’ve had lechon kawali, pancit canton, and tinola to name a few more. But there is so much more I want to try, and so I keep an ear out for what family members are talking about, or missing from their homeland.

Filipino Roasted Chicken Recipe

One of the family members had posted a great picture on Facebook of something they made called lechon manok. I immediately got excited, not just because of the food porn picture, but because it was a recipe from a man that I did not have the honor to meet in life. Rumor has it he was a awesome chef, and knowing the children of this man, and their connection to the Tayag name, I knew it had to be good. So I prompted them with a couple of questions regarding this lechon manok, and decided to give my take on this classic recipe.

Lechon manok is basically a roasted style chicken done Filipino style. Here’s my take on this recipe.

Ingredients: [Print this Recipe]

  • 1 whole roasting chicken
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 stalks of lemongrass, roughly chopped
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Tumeric powder
  • 1 tbsp ginger
  • 3 whole bay leaves

Start by adding everything but the chicken to a food processor and process until you have a smooth paste. Rub this paste all over the chicken, inside and out. Place in a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, placing this in the refrigerator overnight.

Lechon Manok Ingredients

The following day, and before you are ready to roast the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator, and let the chicken come to room temperature. You basically want to take the chill off of the chicken.

Next, get a large, oven proof skillet out and line it with a wire rack if you have one. If you do not have the rack, no big deal. Even better, if you have a rotisserie for your barbecue, use this and go the grilling route. I have a pretty great roasted chicken technique, so I went this route.

Filipino Chicken Recipe

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place the chicken into the skillet, and place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Do not open the oven. After 40 minutes, turn off the oven, and keep the chicken in there for 20 minutes. Traditionally lechon manok might be wrapped in some banana leaves, but I did not have any. If you have some, wrap them in the leaves, and wrap the entire thing in aluminum foil.

After the full hour, remove it from the oven, and insert your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. Let it set in there for 30 seconds or more. The goal is to have your chicken reach 165F.

To serve, either present your chicken whole, or carve and present it that way.

The result is nothing but amazing. This is unlike most roasted chicken recipes only in the sense that it has this wonderful flavor. Maybe it’s the fish sauce, or maybe the ginger, garlic, and lemongrass. Whatever it is, this lechon manok is a great recipe.

Lechon manok is commonly served with a liver sauce, but instead, I simply used a blend of soy sauce and garlic chili oil as part of my dipping sauce.

So I have to thank the Tayag’s for mentioning this and capturing that picture for their family gathering on Facebook!