the graduate

She handed me an apron as a welcome gift when I walked in into her apartment. "Mom, I got this for you at a Japanese store," she said. Then she added, "there's chicken in the freezer, Mommy." I smiled . I got the subtle message; she was asking me to cook her something delicious during my short visit. I joined her for a little more than a week in Berkeley to help her move out of her apartment and to attend her last graduation. Albeit my stay involved a lot of packing her apartment into boxes, she showed me glimpses of her everyday life as a student at UC Berkeley.

One day, she showed me her favorite quaint cafe, where she loves to study in one afternoon. On the way to campus, she would say things like, "This is my daily walk to school" or "this is what I like to order whenever I come in here." On the first day of moving, she told me that she had work but that she didn't want me to be left alone at her apartment. So she took me to a cafe.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" she asked me again before she hurriedly walked away as she was late for work. I smiled as I watched her leave me at her favorite coffee shop. My daughter is all grown up.

Seeing her as a young adult warmed my heart as much as the warm chai latte that she bought me.  As a mom of a new graduate, I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. I'm still euphoric. Who wouldn't be? I can't even begin to tell you how elated I am with her plans. She is graduating with two majors from UC Berkeley, has a summer internship in Washington DC lined up for the summer, is writing an honors thesis while applying to law schools in the fall. As a mom these are the moments we live for.

Throughout the week, I walked around the campus, tracing her daily steps. I sat in her favorite Brazilian place, I did our laundry with her in the laundromat (which was my first time to ever be in one; it was scary), I went to her church for Sunday mass. I hung out with her friends; I slept in her room. I was trying to immerse myself with the community that made my daughter grow.

So when she told me that there was chicken in the freezer, I welcomed her request for me to bring a piece of our home to her Berkeley home. I took the apron and I cooked an old time favorite of  hers: fried chicken a la Jollibee.
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Jollibee is the biggest fast food chain in the Philippines. Among their best sellers are Filipino blend burgers, crispy fried chicken and Filipino spaghetti. Their fried chicken is usually paired with spaghetti which I featured a few posts ago. (Spaghetti a la Jollibee here)  This is my take on their popular Chickenjoy.

Fried Chicken a la Jollibee

Ingredients:
8-10 pcs chicken thighs and legs
lemon
salt and pepper

For the breading:

1/2 c cornstarch

1/2 c flour

salt &;pepper

1 tbsp five spice (five spice is an acquired taste so if you may add a minimum of 1tbsp first and adjust as you please)

Procedure:
Marinate chicken with lemon and salt and pepper overnight or at least 30 minutes.

 Fill a large skillet (cast iron is best) about  half full with vegetable oil. Heat until VERY hot.. Meanwhile, roll the chicken pieces into the breading.
Shake off excess flour.
Drop  5-6  pieces into the hot oil.
Make sure there's enough space to stir the chicken.
Deep fry it until golden brown.
Drain the fried chicken.
 It should be crispy goden brown like so: 

Enjoy!!!!