And so every time I visit the MMC, like what I did today, I make it a point to grab a bite of my all-time favorite FI meal...
So much is my fascination for this dish that I tried to replicate it at home, thanks to the pointers of Pinoycook, which functions as my reliable source of culinary education online, I tweaked the recipe a bit for "heart's sake" (I skipped the quail eggs and the coconut cream) but you're free to follow it as is.Ingredients:
1k chicken choice cuts (thighs, drumsticks or wings, or a combination of two or all of them)
1 k pork kasim
1/2 kilo of long-grain rice
1-1/2 heads of garlic, crushed and peeled
1 tbsp of peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3/4 c vinegar
1 c soy sauce
1/2 c. of coconut cream (you can use powdered coconut cream)
24 quails eggs, hardboiled and shelled
1 tbsp toasted garlic bits
snipped green onions or cilantro
Procedures:
1) Cook the rice using just enough water to make sure that the grains are evenly cooked through. Malatang sinaing isn’t good for this dish. Set aside to cool.
2) Cook the chicken-pork adobo. Place the meat in a wide (non-aluminum) pan. Pour in the vinegar, add the crushed garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to boil without stirring. Allow to boil for about five minutes then stir. Cook over high heat until the meat starts to render fat. Pour in the soy sauce, lower the heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. The meat will expel its own water during cooking and that’s enough liquid to cook the adobo. You only need about 1/2 cup of adobo sauce to complete the dish. For best results, allow the adobo to sit for a couple of hours so that the chicken can absorb the seasonings thoroughly.
3) About 15 minutes before serving the dish, reheat the adobo. Scoop out the chicken pieces and transfer to a bowl. Keep hot.
4) Remove the bay leaves and the peppercorns (not the garlic). Pour in the coconut cream and bring to a soft boil without covering the pan. If you have at least a cup of sauce remaining in the pan and you’re using powdered coconut cream, you can just add the powdered coconut cream directly into the sauce. Add the rice and toss to coat every grain with the sauce.
5) To assemble, transfer the rice to a serving platter. Arrange the chicken pieces on top. Scatter the quail eggs over the chicken and rice. Sprinkle with green onions or cilantro and toasted garlic bits.
Pure heaven!
For a review of my Floating Island experience, click here.
EKS-OH-EKS-OH
