the spread: bbq, red rice, fiinadene!

it is a very warm winter in northern california. while the midwest and east coast are in a frozen tundra, we are walking around in open-toe shoes much too early! so i immediately think of barbecue season when warm weather hits.

when locals speak of "barbecue" , this confuses many white people.  unlike "american" bbq that is smoked, smothered, and grilled with barbecue sauce - filipino and chamorro barbecue is actually just marinated and grilled.  it is a very low maintenance approach to enjoying meat.  the ritual is usually to marinate meat for hours, then unwind and grill until it's time to eat and beyond. when calling people over for barbecue, it is implied that you are going to hang out around that grill.  the nice part about this marinade is that you can use any meat and marinate it for as long as you want. barbecue is most especially "special" when served with red rice and finadene.  it is the staple of every party. there are no measurements to this recipe because you can add or reduce to your liking!

RECIPE

Soy sauce

Sliced onions

Lemons

Vinegar

Beer

and now the kicker: if you want to make "filipino" barbecue, simply add banana ketchup (or brown sugar and ketchup) and maggi seasoning (found at the filipino grocery - a small bottle of "maggic seasoning" is like some proprietary soy sauce with a filipino twist (probably garlic and calamansi).  us filipinos like our barbecue on the sweet side. i think we are just "white-washed" in that sense. a lot of popular filipino dishes you'll find incorporate western ingredients such as ketchup, hot dogs, and peanut butter! Filipinos also perfected the quintessential meat-on-a-stick (chicken-on-a-stick) method. use marinated cubed chicken or pork and skewer onto a stick for grilling (no veggies, just meat!) . for any filipino variation, reserve the marinade for basting while grilling.

and just because i used to obsess over the barbecue variations back home, i loved eating at proa or jamaican grill when i was living in guam. as blasphemous as it sounds, for knock-off versions: i add cumin and red wine for a proa version and cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice for that jamaican grill twist!

pronounced: kah-reh, kah-reh.

the spread: best served over rice and shrimp paste sautéed in lemon and garlic.

i don't know of any other filipino dish as divisive as kare kare - when people love it, they are falling over for it and when people hate it, they immediately gag at the thought of peanut butter and beef.  it really is a foodie's filipino dish.  combining the robust flavor profiles of beef and peanuts are for a unique, and dare i say, sophisticated pallette.  it also gets a reputation for being laborious and often times is only prepared for special occasions.  i'm guessing it's because peanut butter was once a luxury item in the Philippines.  the part of this dish that requires the most patience will be tenderizing the meat.  traditionally, ox tail is cooked in the pressure cooker. but on a lazy day, i've even used chicken, pork, and different cuts of stewing meat such as shank or short rib.

the added step of steaming vegetables separately will add color and depth to this dish. when stewed or served altogether, the veggies can get lost in the dish.  i'm a big fan of veggies and really prefer to highlight them in this dish, right alongside the unique peanut-butter-based broth.

RECIPE

1 lb of tenderized meat of choice

2 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 onion

6 cups beef stock or the water reserved from tenderizing

1-1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1 packet of achote powder

baby bok choy

Sliced eggplant

green beans 

1. Sautée garlic and onions

2. Add meat and broth. If you didn't use a pressure cocker-cooked beef, you can Sautée the meat before adding water or broth. cover over high heat.

3. Once boiling, add the peanut butter and mix until dissolved.

4. Reduce the heat and add achote.

5. Toss in your veggies and summer over medium hear until they are cooked.

6. If industrious like me, place some veggies in a steamer and serve on top of the prepared soup when ready to serve.

i never heard of the actual use of the word estufao until adulthood. it was rare that i ate home-cooked Chamorro food growing up, unless we were at a fiesta.  i grew up in Yigo and this should explain my fiesta know-how.

the one and only chammoro dish my dad would cook religiously is kadun pika (pika is the Chamorro word for spicy - the donne-infused version of adobo) because he was so damn good at it.  it wasn't until i dated a Chamorro family that I finally ate estufao. and when auntie-someone served me estufao for the first time the first words i quietly uttered under my breath were "this is adobo". actually it was "trying to be adobo" were my exact words. i am finding that my chamorro brethren would get offended.  there is really no arguing that adobo is the signature filipino dish.  from what i understand, both are chicken stew and many variants can be applied - for instance some add ginger, achote, curry powder, or coconut milk for different iterations.  in almost every recipe of estufao i've read and witnessed, it is definitely more soy sauce centric than adobo, which should have more vinegar than soy sauce.  the genesis of this dish is having the vinegar act as a pickling agent, preserving the chicken and all that flavor. the soy sauce might have been added much later for color. in fact, i've seen versions of a "blonde" adobo, using no soy sauce at all! there may also be the added step of sauteeing the garlic or browning of the chicken beforehand.  these steps can be skipped if you are looking for something with work.  some people prefer to just throw all the ingredients into a pot and let it stew to perfection. my mom taught me the critical step of uncovering the pot at the end to let the sauce reduce and thicken. this also carmelizes the sauce over the chicken so you get a nice glistened piece of chicken when eating it with freshly-cooked white rice (a must!) when the adobo tempers, you get a gelatinous sauce that retains all the flavor in time for repeat reheating!

the recipe below is classic adobo.  and just like every native recipe, there are going to be thousands of versions with slight deviations. the recipe is that sequence that i've ritualized. i prefer to use apple cider vinegar because it's earthiness.  white vinegar is definitely acceptable and the common choice. i think adobo was originally concocted as a way to prepare a stew less prone to spoil and can be eaten for days.  refrigeration was an early luxury that works well for adobo. as it cools, the sauce turns into a gelatinous glaze that almost serves as a preservant.  the vinegar and garlic will continue to marinate the meats even after cooking and some argue eating adobo days after first being cooked is much more richer. 

stewing beef, spare ribs, short ribs, pork shoulder, or pork belly are all acceptable substitutes or additives for adobo. however, i could write separate blog entries for so many variations. for instance: i like to add bell peppers to beef adobo, tomato paste to pork adobo, and sometimes chicken liver or potatoes to any version. see, how versatile adobo is - it is filipino ingenuity in the kitchen at it's finest.

adobo is paired perfectly with atchara - a popular flipino side dish of carrots, ginger, and papaya pickled with vinegar and sugar.

RECIPE

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

3-4 garlic cloves

1/4 onion

whole chicken, cut into parts

4-5 Peppercorns

2-3 Bay leaves

1/3 cup soy sauce

1. Sautée garlic and onions over medium heat until translucent.

2. Add chicken parts and brown the chicken over medium-high heat.

3. Add vinegar, water, soy sauce, peppercorns, and bay leaves and reduce heat back to medium.

4. Keep covered until the chicken is cooked through 

5. Uncover and simmer until the sauce is thickened and glazes over the chicken. if you like "soupy" adobo you can add more water after reducing.  the reduction helps with getting a nice carmelization over the chicken.

if preferred “dry” , pan-fry the cooked meat after reduction and pour the reserved marinade when browned.  

The spread: corn soup with crab and coconut milk. Serve with biscuits or in a bread bowl.

how fitting it is to be immersed in home-inspired cooking at the pinnacle of the lenten season. guam's local population is almost entirely catholic.  this meant abstaining from meat every friday of the 40 days before easter and on the very first day of lent, ash wednesday.

surrounded by miles of endless ocean did not mean seafood was readily available for coking.  tilapia tuna, and parrot fish were some of the local staples but shrimp, salmon, and crab were actually expensive and usually imported from the Philippines.

many local dishes will have coconut milk and corn soup is that ultimate comfort food that brings to mind Church fundraisers and nights at rosaries eating it out of the very basic white styrofoam cup.  it is winter right now so soup is the perfect note to stay warm.  this version is a bit modified because i prefer to build the flavors with a roux before adding the chicken stock.

RECIPE

1 can creamed corn

1 bag frozen corn

1 can coconut milk

3 cups chicken stock 

1 cup shredded crab meat

1 cup sliced scallion

Equal parts flour and butter to create a roux.

Garlic, onion, salt pepper to taste.

1. Heat a stock pot and melt butter.  Incorporate equal amount of flour to form a doughy paste. Remove from heat when it smells like a burnt sugar cookie. Set aside.

2. Sautée garlic, onions, and frozen corn.

3. Add chicken stock and bring to a low boil over medium heat.

4. Slowly add crumbled portions of the roux and use a whisk to dissolve the roux into the stock. This will form a creamy broth.

5. Add the crab, coconut milk, and creamed corn and simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Season with Salt and pepper and garnish with scallions before serving.

*Shrimp and or shredded chicken breasts can also be added for added depth.

The spread: fried chicken, finadene, and red rice.  All three such staples of indulgent, gluttony-ridden ingesting. 

In grade school, this trio of goodness was only served on Fridays.  And the T.hank-G.od-It's-FriedChicken was a glorious meal that automatically meant you'd be inhaling it all and lining up for seconds.  These recipes come from a blend of sources that are improbable when cooking a meal.  

RED RICE:  My dad's red rice.  I understand that there are probably one hundred ways to make red rice ( or fried chicken or findadene) and those one hundred ways are probably all correct but the result could only be as close to perfection when done in the way my Dad taught me.  But a disclaimer - I've once been scolded by full-blooded Chamorros about certain aspects of it.  Namely: that red rice should only be made with short grain rice and with achote seeds.  I just don't cook with short grain rice at all.  I love the fluffy and slightly-sticky fragrant grains of jasmine rice. I have no qualms about how beautifully it's natural aroma blends well with achote.  Aaaaand the achote (or achiote): in it's natural state it is a seed pod that looks much like a cotton pod.  The tiny seeds are traditionally soaked in water until a thickened red colorant is formed. Well ain't nobody got time for that!  Thank heavens for filipino consumerism and that MamaSita mass-produces lovely packets of it in powdwred form, readily available at any Filipino-food-grocery aisle! This is me embracing the filipino influence on the way this dish is prepared: support MamaSita! During my dad's recent visit to California, he shared with me another nuance he discovered: dissolving the achote powder in olive oil or canola oil before mixing with the boiling rice will produce an even richer color. Trust me: Orange rice is no bueno! i've once overheard a group of manamko (chamorro word for old people) scowl at a serving of "orange rice".  the most popular additive to red rice out there is, wait for it...BACON. yes on some level i agree that those strips of fatty goodness make everything tastes better. call me a purist or a snob - the smokiness of the bacon steals the show from the achote when done this way.  if you simply can't help yourself you can Sautée half a pack of finely diced bacon with the onions a the beginning of this recipe. many locals will also add frozen peas before the rice sets to steam. i also enjoy this but rarely do it because i'm not a fan of mush on mush,

FRIED CHICKEN: The fried chicken that some would even dare call "Chamorro Fried Chicken" is not actually Chamorro.   There is nothing native about this recipe.  I once dated a dude from a Chamorro catering family.  Catering is probably the most commonly prolific home-based, multi-generational, family business back home so I know this fried chicken recipe is legit. In fact, when it was shared with me, I couldn't believe how simple and un-Chamorro it was.  I tested it for many years and the most amazing part - it is a dry batter that requires no eggs or bowls to prepare!

FINADENE: Lastly, the crowing piece to this ensemble: the finadene.  It is the Chamorro word for dipping sauce.  The most common way of preparing it is soy-sauce based but many don't realize that vinegar is actually the intended dominant flavor.  This concoction that seems so simple is a staple accompaniment for any standalone meat served with rice.  The complexity of flavors when put together can be further developed using my method.  Most will advise to just throw all the ingredients together but I honor a certain sequence. 

One of the most glaring adjustments when I moved Stateside was the fact that I could not order red rice and finadene as a side dish at KFC?! How was I supposed to enjoy my fried chicken? - cook it all myself!  I'm pretty sure this timeless Only-On-Guam trio has attributed a lot of success to the Colonel himself.  

RECIPES

RED RICE:

Uncooked Long grain rice and water in 5:6 part ratio

1 packet of achote powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons cooking oil (use 1 packet for every 5 cups of uncooked rice

1/2 yellow onions, small dice

Salt to taste

1. Sautée onions at medium-high heat until transparent

2. Throw in uncooked rice and salt. Fold until grains are lubricated.

3. Add water and achote oil mixture

4. Stir over highest heat setting and quickly cover tightly with lid until boiling.

5. After 5 minutes uncover and reduce to the lowest heat setting. Use a wooden spoon to stir the rice and scrape any sticky grains from the bottom of the pot.

6. Pat the rice backdown and place a moistened paper between the lid and surface of the rice.

7. Avoid uncovering unless to check if grains are fully cooked.  Allow to fully steam and remove from heat.

FRIED CHICKEN

Chilled and uncooked frying chicken parts

Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder to taste

All purpose flour, enough to coat chicken

A paper bag for shaking

4 tbsp yellow mustard

1. Combine all dry ingredients in paper bag.

2. Coat chicken with yellow mustard and refrigerate for 10-15 mins.

3. Toss chicken in paper bag until well coated and right before frying in heated oil.

4. Deep fry until even browned and no longer bleeding.

FINADENE 

Sliced scallions

Juice of 2 lemons.

Diced white onions

Red pepper flakes

1 part soy sauce for 8 parts vinegar

1. Combine onions and peppers until well coated.

2. Add vinegar and lemon and let marinate for desired flavor.

3. Add soy sauce right before serving.

*Cherry Tomatoes can also be added if serving with fish or pork.  

*Filipinos also use fish sauce in lieu of soy sauce.

for all my years being off the island of guam, i have been striving to harness my experiences of being away from home.  this unique yet familiar perspective of not only being away from guam has affected every aspect of my life and none moreso than the food - the food i cook, eat, critique, cultivate, and inspire.

and today, this has culminated into a project that will document all the knowledge and food i've gathered throughout the years.  this is the beginning of my off-island food journey.