Eating Around the World (From Home....And Gluten Free...): Philippines

Welcome to the Philippines! This place holds a special place in my heart. In college, a dear friend and I went to the Philippines on a mission trip to a midwifery clinic (Glory Reborn) and got to help deliver babies and provide maternal care to folks there. I remember the food being incredible, except for a few items (fish-eye soup and Taho come to mind...google them...) For several reasons, this trip changed my life and made me a much stronger person - I will never be the same. It was a beautiful country, and so very hot! I would love to return someday. According to Google, the population is 115.6 million people and the capital is Manila. Their national dish is...

Adobo!

I always thought that adobo was a Mexican dish; apparently I was wrong! Well, Mexico does have an adobo dish, but it is very different than this one. I thought that the meal would be something like pancit or a soup. To go with the adobo, we made Sinangag (garlic rice) and Carioca (coconut balls). Again, like South Sudan, this meal was pretty quick and easy to come together, and it did not disappoint. Here's what I did:

ADOBO

Marinade

6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on

1/2 C soy sauce

1/2 C apple cider vinegar

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp black peppercorns, whole

4 bay leaves

Cooking

2 tbsp avocado oil, separated

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, diced

1 1/2 C water

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp whole black pepper

Combine chicken and marinade ingredients and marinate overnight.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over high heat.
Remove chicken from marinade (reserve marinade) and place in the pan.
Sear both sides until browned – about 1 minute on each side. Do not cook the chicken all the way through.
Remove chicken skillet and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in skillet.
Add garlic and onion, cook 1 1/2 minutes.
Add the reserved marinade, water, sugar and black pepper.
Bring it to a simmer then turn heat down to medium high and simmer 5 minutes.
Add chicken smooth side down.
Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes (no need to stir), turning chicken at around 15 minutes, until the sauce reduces down to a thick jam-like syrup (mine never turned into a syrup).
Serve with rice and enjoy!

(Source: Adobo and Adobo)

SINANGAG

1 C vegetable oil
1 C garlic cloves, sliced paper thin
4 C freshly cooked rice, kept hot
Salt, to taste

In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until the oil begins to shimmer.
Line a plate with paper towels and set it nearby.
Carefully pour the garlic into the hot oil and stir continuously until the garlic is just beginning to lightly brown.
Remove the pan from the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried garlic onto the paper towel–lined plate; reserve the oil.
Set both the garlic and the oil aside while you make the rice.
Fluff the hot rice with a fork and toss it with 1/4 cup of the garlic oil and 1/2 cup of the fried garlic chips.
Season the rice with salt and serve!

(Source: Sinangag)

CARIOCA

2 1/2 C glutinous rice flour (yes, this is gluten free!)
2 1/2 C shredded sweetened coconut
1 1/4 C coconut milk
Oil, for deep frying
1 can coconut cream
1/2 C + 3 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

In a bowl, mix the glutionous rice flour, sweetened shredded coconut, and coconut milk until a dough forms.
Scoop out about a tablespoon of dough and shape into a ball.
Repeat until all the dough is used up.
Heat the cooking oil in a saucepan over medium heat to about 350 degrees.
Fry the dough balls in batches for 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned all over.
Scoop onto a strainer lined with paper towels to remove excess oil.
Repeat until all the balls are cooked.
In a saucepan, stir together the coconut cream, sugar, and salt.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
When it starts to boil, lower the heat slightly, stir and cook for 5-8 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
Dip the balls into the sauce, or to avoid sticky fingers, thread about four balls onto a wooden skewer and pour the caramel sauce over.
Serve individually or on skewers.

(Source: Carioca)

The verdict? This will be in our regular rotation - the chicken, at least. The chicken was delicious and fall-off-the-bone. The sauce was amazing with the rice, and it was just a wonderful, flavorful, delicious meal. The Carioca were interesting. I liked them, but the texture was strange - almost like a mochi or a brazi bite. The sauce was delicious, but didn't get super thick. Handsome Husband suggested that if we could get the sauce thicker, it would be really good on popcorn. I don't know if I could get it that thick, but it may be worth a try...I highly suggest you try adobo - it is well worth it.

Taste of Adobo (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 9