Kulinarya: Fruit Compote ala Jacques Pepin

Our Kulinarya challenge for February is to create a dish that recalls your first love... plus a good love story to go with it. I fell off my chair laughing when I read the email sent by this month's hosts: Abigail of  Nappytales and Marni of Kensington Kitchen, because I think being with the same man for more than a quarter of a century makes me feel too old to remember. 

I am choosing to share with you my Fruit Compote, which may not sound perfect for a Filipino cooking club, but I have a good alibi for it.  You see I've shared a lot of dishes like lengua in my post Reminiscing, and Chicken ala Max's in my post The house that fried chicken built.  I also wrote posts like He Still Gives me Flowers and I Crepe the Promise, wherein I shared the iced tea I used to serve him and the dessert of mango crepes we loved during our early dates.   

So since Valentine's just passed, I want to share with you our V-day dessert.  Although we didn't expect anything from each other that day, I was still surprised that he came home with flowers and wine while I surprised him with a special dinner for two with all the trimmings. The dessert that stole the night was the Fruit Compote, which was inspired by Jacques Pepin.  

We both agreed this reminds us of our traditional Filipino fruit salad but the only difference is this seems to be a fruit salad on steroids.  Our Filipino version uses canned fruits while this recipe is made of fresh fruits stewed in red wine with the cream added on top.  We both loved the tartness that is balanced by the sweetness we got at the end (both from the cream and the syrup).

And we both smiled that just like this dessert, most relationships can be sour sometimes but oftentimes sweet.

Fruit Compote (adapted from Jacques Pepin)
Here is the original recipe of Red Fruit Compote.  But my version listed below is a simplified one.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup Red wine
1 small apple sliced
1 small pear sliced
a bunch of grapes
10 pcs blackberry
Heavy cream for dollop
cherries

Directions:
Boil water in a small pot and dissolve the sugar.  Allow the mixture to thicken.  Pour the red wine.  Mix the syrup thoroughly.  Add the fruit slices (with the hard fruits first then followed by the grapes and blueberry).

Let it cool and serve chilled.  Scoop it in a serving cup and dollop or top it with heavy cream and a cherry.

Enjoy!

Kulinarya: Gluten Free Yema Cake

I. AM. NOT. MARTHA. STEWART. 

I mumbled to myself while I was putting the frosting on my chiffon cake.  You see I'm a novice baker but I stepped up to the Kulinarya cooking club's challenge this month. The challenge was:  come up with a dish or dessert that you want for your birthday.  But the hosts, Pearl of Sassy Chef and Thea of Words and Nosh, added a fun twist, which is to make it healthy.

I took the challenge literally.  I mean what symbolizes a birthday more than a cake... You know the drill: blowing the candles while everyone sings, making a wish and just enjoying the celebration. So I made myself a cake... and I chose to make Yema cake. Yema is a popular dessert in the Philippines; a sweet concoction of eggs and condensed milk.   For the healthy option I made a gluten free chiffon cake and for the frosting I used egg substitute and sugar free condensed milk and soy milk.

With all the substitutions, the cake still came out delightful.  Let's take the candles out.  When you are over 40 you want to keep the candles out, instead I added sugar free candy pearls just to jazz it up a bit.

For the chiffon cake recipe, hop on to Feel Good Recipes  to get the gluten free recipe.

For the yema frosting:

1 can sugar free condensed milk

3 tbsp egg substitute

1 cup soy milk

1 tbsp canola oil

Procedure:

Mix the condensed milk, egg substitute and soy milk in a bowl.  Stir and mix them together nice and well.  Pour the mixture in a double broiler and cook over medium heat until it thickens.   When it thickens, add the oil until you have achieved a spreadable frosting...

You see, you could have your cake and eat it too...LOL!  Enjoy!

Sinigang 2 ways

I  have been staring at an empty screen for an hour now.  Writer's block?  You bet and I blame it on a full  stomach.  I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed eating sinigang 2 ways.

Ok so let's tackle the first way, which I made the traditional way of cooking sinigang. Sinigang is a sour soup.  Traditionally, pork, fish or shrimp are the main ingredients for the soup with tamarind or guava usually added as the souring agents.  So here's my traditional dish:

This soup dish always hits the spot.  My kids look forward to coming home because on their first day back this is what greets them.

But then this is a Kulinarya challenge.  So I went further:  I made Sinigang Fried Rice.  This is my take on a similar dish that my sister raved about on her recent visit to the Philippines.

I literally fried every component of the dish and made it into a fried rice.  The pork, which was cooked with the sour broth, was fried and had the salty, tangy taste.  It is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. For the vegetables, I soaked them into tempura batter and also threw them on the fryer.  I then sprinkled some fresh tomatoes and onions on top of the "fried rice".  Added the tamarind broth to complete the sinigang fried rice!  Now I'm in a food coma... LOL!

I hope you are having a great weekend... and oh, please visit the other Kulinarya members' recipes.  You will be amazed on how many ways Sinigang could be made.  Enjoy.

I Crepe the Promise

June 20th marks our 23rd wedding anniversary. 23 years???? Really??? Don't worry I get that question a lot. Every time I am given that look of disbelief, my candid answer is always, "yeah I got married when I was 13," hahaha!

The truth is that I got married when I was about to turn 21. Over here in America, people turning 21 look forward to drink legally, but for me 21 was the age when I made the vow to love my man "til death to us part." Sure I was a young bride and there were plenty of bumps in the road throughout the long 23 years, but one thing is certain: I am still keeping the love and the promise alive.

Over the past few years, I revisit that day by looking through the pages of my wedding album, and each page I turn makes me nostalgic. I vividly remember the excitement of marching down the aisle in my Pitoy Moreno (thanks to my parents in law!!!) wedding gown with a long yard of handmade trail amidst hundreds of people as witnesses. I was beaming as I marched down the aisle with my Papa by my side. There is something special in sharing the joys of life with my man. And I did all I can not to mess up reciting my wedding vow to promise to love him before my God. With that said, I was not afraid to make a decision to marry early. But I remember I was clouded with thoughts of what went through the minds of my family and friends at that time. Were they happy for me and Christian or were they sad and afraid for us?  Did I bring them joy or did I bring them worry? Up to this day, I still think about that... But looking at the fruits of our union (my three children who are now all grown) I know I made them proud.

The long thread of comments and likes that built up on the wedding picture that I posted on my Facebook wall humbled my husband and I. We are grateful for all the family and friends who are so much a part of our relationship. Every comment in that thread made me smile... I feel so blessed and I thank God for wonderful friends and family and for the sweetness they bring into my life.

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June is the most popular month for weddings. That said Adora of Adora's Box and Diona of Tita Flips picked white as the theme for this month's Kulinarya Cooking Club cooking challenge. What immediately came to my mind was the bridal song "Here Comes the Bride All Dressed in White." Although the dress doesn't fit me anymore, LOL,  I still remember what brought me to wear that wedding dress. In retosprect, I believe that all it took my hubby, who was then my boyfriend, was to take me to Jeepney Coffee Shop at the Intercon in Makati many, many years ago. Over a plate of the Hotel's signature Mango Crepe Samurai, he told me the first time, he wanted to be with me forever. Could you imagine just how I felt at that time? Oh well it still gives me chills up to this day. And every time I make crepes for my family, I think of that time and place... and 23 years later I still "crepe" the promise.

 

Crepe with Mango and Coconut Tapioca Filling


Ingredients:
Crepe batter (This is my basic crepe recipe.  Make it ahead of time.  I usually make them before dinner and refrigerate it.  While everyone is still at the dinner table, make the crepes so it's hot and fresh.)

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 c milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp butter, melted

Mix flour and eggs together.  Add the milk and stir it together.  Gradually add the water and stir well, removing lumps until you get a smooth batter.

Pour 1/4 cup of batter into a hot pan.  Make a circular motion to spread the batter thinly and evenly.  When the sides turn light brown, flip it on the other side and cook it for another minute. Don't get intimidated.  It's easy, all it takes is practice to come up with a perfect crepe.

Coconut Tapioca filling

1/2 can coconut milk
1/4 can condensed milk

1/2 c small tapioca pearls (cooked)

1/3 c cornstarch dispersed  water

2 tbsp melted butter

Pour all the ingredients together: coconut milk, butter, condensed milk.  Let it boil.  Add the tapioca pearls and the cornstarch mixture to thicken, stirring continously.  Until thick.  Set aside.

Slice some mangoes.

To assemble:
Lay the crepe on a flat surface.  Spread the coconut milk filling on it.  Lay some slices of mangoes on top.  Fold crepes... your ready to make the mango tango!

Check out all the other Kulinarya members and their "white food" posting for this month by clicking the logo below.  Thank you!

a TwEAT up

We call her Ninang. That means "godmother" in Tagalog. She's the godmother of our group, which we call Berks (a term short for "barkada," the Tagalog word for "group of friends"). Our Berks is spread across the globe, a friendship forged online, so we've been keeping in touch mainly through Twitter. But for those of us who live in So Cal (Caroline and Remil), we've started tweat-ups -- meet ups with our twitter buddies -- regularly. So while I was in the Bay Area last week, I knew it was the right moment to have a tweat-up with Ninang. 

"Let's meet at the Ferry Building, Malou! You'll love it there," she suggested.  Although it wasn't my first time to visit San Francisco, a city that I find so endearing that I could see myself living there, it was my first time to go to the Ferry Building. Ninang's choice was perfect for food bloggers, since the Ferry Building is like a mecca with all of its shops and markets.  

I was standing by the pier when Annapet came from behind me and she surprised me with an excited "boo!".

Reeling in from the surprise, I asked her how she knew what I looked like, since this was our first time to meet in person. She laughed and reminded me that I had tweeted a picture of me waiting by the Transbay bus that brought me to San Francisco. Since my daughter lived across the bay, she was worried about me and the bus trip over to the city. So she took my picture with my outfit that I tweeted "just in case". I looked (and felt!) like a little school girl headed for a field trip as I stepped unto the school bus, while my daughter and her boyfriend looked from the sidewalk, waving goodbye to this bus. Talk about role reversals; my daughter was being so protective.

Annapet's greeting had set the mood. This was not your usual meet-up, as first time friends should meet. I felt like we were long-time friends coming in for a reunion instead of twitter friends meeting up in person for the first time. Stories flowed so naturally and we laughed so much. She also handed me this box...

When someone hands you a box wrapped so nicely like this, what would you expect?

Chocolate truffles, maybe? Or perhaps, since she is known as the Queen of Macaroons, a box of those cute, delicious little French pastries? But boy, was I wrong! Instead, she gave me this:

Look closely. That's home-cured pancetta! And it's mangalitsa pancetta at that. How could I have missed it? When you visit my friend's blog, The Daily Palette, you will have all the clues that hint at what she loves. She loves gardening and cooking; she loves mangalitsa pork and who is into charcutepalooza.  It may sound like I'm talking Greek, but drop by The Daily Palette and you will understand what I mean.

This is the Ferry Market Building -- the site of our rendezvous.

It was a gastronomical delight, with diverse choices.

There were artisans and crafters selling their work of art... There were mushrooms and fresh cheeses.

Farm to table products...

Gourmet food galore...

When you step outside, the city bustles with buildings and cabs. The landscape is so different from the inside, which looked more like a Farmer's Market.

And it was so magical to see the Golden Bridge right outside.  I was enthralled. It fed my soul like no other. It made me remember how I felt the first time I set foot in this city more than 20 years ago. My heart felt like singing Frank Sinatra's rendition of "I Left my Heart in San Francisco" as if it was the first time I visited this wonderful city. At that moment, I realized that I wanted to live in San Francisco again. But for now, I am comforted by the thought that I have a new friend in Annapet who lives there.


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Since Annapet is an active member of Kulinarya Cooking Club  and Chartucepalooza, I made this post to hit two birds with one stone. This month's theme for Kulinarya is Flores de Mayo (flowers of May), and to incorporate her chartucepalooza project of pancetta, I made a plate of Palabok Pancetta.

Palabok is a noodle dish with shrimp sauce whch has layers of garnishings.  Traditionally, one may use gound pork or beef, but I replaced that with pancetta instead. I hope you enjoy this dish that's inspired by a new friendship and a new taste!

Palabok Pancetta


Ingredients
Slices of Pancetta
Prawns or Shrimps
shrimp broth (boil shrimp heads, crush the head or use an Osterizer, then drain)
1 tsp annatto powder
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 medium onions chopped
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch disperesed in water
1 package of rice stick noodles


For toppings
Tofu
green onions
toasted garlic
boiled eggs


Procedure:


For the sauce:
Fry pancetta slices.  Drain and set aside.  Reserve the rendered fat from the pancetta.
On the same pan, sear prawns on both sides. Set aside,
Pour rendered fat on the pan.  Saute garlic and onions with oyster sauce.  Add shrimp broth.  Let it simmer.  Season with  fish sauce.  Add cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce.  Crack a fresh egg and give it a quick stir.


For the noodles.  
Boil water in a stockpot,  Add noodles and let it stand for 5 minutes.  Drain.  Add 1 tbsp of rendered fat and toasted garlic.  Toss  and set aside.


To assemble:
Put noodles on a plate.  Ladle up a scoop of the shrimp sauce.  Garnish with shrimp, boiled eggs, green onions, pancetta and tofu. 

The saltiness of the pancetta together with the shrimp sauce,  the prawns and eggs will create a wonderful chorus in your mouth...hmmmm...  YUM!


P.S.
Thank you Sefie of Sefie Eats and Connie of Home Cooking Rocks  for the Flores de Mayo theme for this month's Kulinarya Cooking Club theme.

Click here to check out the rest of the KCC members

an ode to a birthday

I thought long and hard about Kulinarya's cooking challenge this month.  Instead of a typical theme, the hosts (thanks Jen, Maribel and Tressa) had posed a fun question:  What Filipino dish would you cook for your birthday?  I must admit, I don't do anything for my birthday.  It is the one day in the year that I get a free pass... as in no cooking, no chores, no work, as I get the "queen of the day" title. We all need a break and there is no better day to celebrate - when the clock strikes 12 you are the queen, or king, for the next 24 hours.

My birthday comes right after my hometown's fiesta in August.  My dear Mama would reserve food for my party... in fact she would reserve most of the food for my birthday, haha!  As a little girl, I have fond memories of inviting  the whole class and my teachers to my party.  Lechon always topped the list, if I was lucky it was a whole roasted pig.  But if not, I was content with the leftover lechon, I remember vividly how my Mama instructs our cook to freeze the rest for "Malou's birthday" to make Lechon Paksiw.  This is leftover lechon stewed in a sweet and sour sauce of vinegar and liver sauce to be served on my birthday.

Since at this time I cannot roast a whole pig, I decided to prepare a dish based on Lechon Paksiw.  But somehow "paksiw na lechon" may not look appealing, so I took it as a fun challenge.  I had much needed help with this challenge.  So together with my best friend Teyene, our culinary experiment began.  To be quite honest, this has been so far the most challenging, but yet most fun Kulinarya challenge. I got to spend time with my friend, whom I love dearly.  And was all smiles even as I splattered oil over the oven top and her fire alarm kept on shrieking due to the smoke created by the splattered oil - much to the chagrin of her husband who was taking a nap at the time.  It was good times indeed, good times.

Deconstruction of Lechon Paksiw, aka Pork Belly, with a tamarind glaze and laced with liver sauce

I got the inspiration to make this dish from Bouchon, Thomas Keller's French bistro in L.A.  My family recently dined there and one of the dishes we ordered was pork belly with cherry marmalade, which quite frankly was comparable to our lechon kawali.  So I am adding my flare to the dish, adding a Filipino touch best described as a deconstructed Paksiw na Lechon.

Please see my Crispy Pork Belly  recipe. 

For the tamarind glaze:

4 pcs sweet tamarind pulp with seeds

1 cup water

1 tbsp sugar

salt to taste

Boil the water together with the tamarind.    When the tamarind is soft and pastey remove the seeds.  Add sugar and salt.  Reduce the sauce until thick.

Liver Pate gravy:

1/2 cup liver pate

3 cloves garlic,  minced

2 tbsp  honey

3 tbsp apple cider

1/2 cup broth

1 tbsp olive oil

In a saucepan brown the garlic with olive oil.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Let it simmer until it beomes thick and gravy like, adding more broth if needed.

Lace the pork with gravy and pour the tamaraind glaze on the pork.  Top the pork belly with avocado slices. 

The flavors maybe varied but it will blend together.  The avocado is not included in the traditional Paksiw na lechon.  I added it as it brought an interesting texture and gives a surpising twist to the crunchy pork belly.

Enjoy!

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This is my contribution to the Kulinarya Cooking Club . Check out other members on our website Kulinarya Cooking Club

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choco coco loco in spring

My husband and I were so excited as we sped along I-5 to pick up our daughter at the airport.  We are happy that she decided to spend Spring Break with us.  I also couldn't help notice the vibrant yellow rays shining from the sun against the backdrop of a clear blue sky. It's officially the first day of Spring.

Blaring on the radio was the song Breakeven by the Script.

"This is by the Script, the group that orignally sung 'Live Like You're Dying' " my husband said.

"Oh no wonder it sounds like the Kris Allen song", I said. "Oh yeah, the arrangement is totally similar" I said further.

While the song was playing, I tried to mix the Live Like your Dying lyrics with it and we laughed out loud because it blended so well.  I-5 South twisted and rolled toward the searing sun, as my husband gripped the wheel with both hands, then suddenly releasing the other hand to hold mine. I was still singing my heart out, and I was seemingly just lost in the moment.  If we were not on our way to pick up our daughter, who is already 21, I would have thought that my husband and I were still just college sweethearts!

At the airport's curb, my daughter was grinning from ear to ear, donning her new oval rimmed, oversized sun glasses, as she waved hello to us.  As she settled into the car, we could not pull out of the arrivals section.  We were apparently trapped by a car in front of us, because the young lady driver was out there tiptoeing to kiss her boyfriend... while the boyfriend carried her up close to him...  The three of us in the car didn't mind at all... knowing how it feels what Spring could bring...

From the moment my daughter came into the car, she started telling stories.  I thought I was the chirpiest person but wait until you hear my daughter.  It was non-stop.  We had to turn off the radio for her to have our full attention! We had missed her animate garrulousness.

"Mom I have pasalubong (homecoming present) for you!" she said as soon as we got home. She showed me a box of my favorite Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas.

  "I know you love Almond Joy and desserts with chocolate and coconut, so I got you these." As we started eating these delicious treats, my daughter exclaimed, "Remember when Dad used to bring home pan de coco and chocolate milk for me when I was a little kid, Mom?" 

Smiling, I nodded my head and quickly began to reminisce. When my husband would come home from medical school, he would always have a bag full of pan de coco (which literally translates to "bread of coconut") and Chocolait (chocolate milk) in a tetrapack for my daughter, who was only a toddler back then. It was my husband's special way of letting my daughter know that he was home.

"Wow, that was like a lifetime away!" I laughed. Indeed, I remember how she loved eating those little coconut-stuffed rolls and how she would even love it more when she could dip it in her glass of chocolate milk. And now, a decade and a half later, she's the one bringing us a simple gift of sweetness to let us know that she was home! Life seems to have come full circle.

I told her, "That was my inspiration for my Choco Coco Loco," and I handed her a tray of my newest concoction.

She bit into this desert empanada and immediately her eyes grew wide with amazement. "Oh, these are better than the Samoas, Mom! How did you do it?"

I grinned even wider than before. That's when I knew that I had to share with you my CHOCO COCO LOCO EMPANADAS.

(When Kulinarya announced that we were to feature empanadas for the month of March, I thought of making a sweet empanada... That's when I thought about my daughter's memories of the pan de coco with chocolait that my husband used to bring home for her.  Pan de coco is a bun stuffed with coconut... so that's where I got the inspiration from.)


Choco Coco Loco Emapanadas:

Ingredients:

For the Filling:
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 tsp vanilla
1tbsp cornstarch dispersed in water

In a saucepan, mix the condensed milk and coconut milk.  Let it simmer.  Add the vanilla and the constarch mixture.  Stir in the dessicated coconut.  Let it cool.


For the crust:
2 cups  all purpose flour
1 pc egg
1 stick cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup ice water
1 tsp baking powder

Put the flour into a large bowl.  Dig a hole in the mound of flour.  Add butter, water, and egg blend in using your fingertips  or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.

Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand  to bring dough together. Lightly flour a pastry board or clean table top. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough on a pastry board until  desired thickness. I wanted mine to be a little thick.  Get a saucer and use it as a template to cut circles using a cutter or a sharp knife.

Preheat oven to 400 degreesF
Spoon about 1-2 teaspoons of the coconut filling and put it  into the middle of each pastry circle. Fold the circle so the edges meet and filling is sealed. Press the edges of the pastry  using a fork.

Brush the surface of each empanada with slightly beaten egg.. Using a fork or a sharp knife, make slits on the surface of each empanada.   Arrange on a greased baking sheet and bake it for about 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Let it cool.

For the ganache:
8 ounces of chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 stick of butter


Place chocolate pieces in a large bowl on a baine marie.  Stir continously.  Add butter and stir again. Remove from heat.  Adjust according to your preferred thickness. Allow ganache to cool before pouring over  the empanadas.Enjoy!

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Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine. Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.
 
If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!
Trissa
Trisha
Kath
Olive

Caroline
Ninnette
Peach
Cusinera
Asha
Cherrie
Acdee/
Valerie/
Bel/
 Divina

ADOBO NATION

I just love the way the word adobo rolls out from your tongue. ADOBO! It sounds like it's a command. Or a salute.  For a Filipino the word adobo sounds like a nickname.  When you introduce yourself as Filiipino, instantly what comes to mind when it comes to food is... yes ADOBO!

A few years ago in Florida someone asked me if I'm from Hawaii... "your name Malou sounds Hawaiian" she said.   "No I'm from the Adobo Nation"  was my quick reply and she said "Oh so you're from the Philippines!"  she said.  This proved to me that adobo is synonymous to Filipino cooking...

I guess growing up in Adobo Nation made me veer away from cooking adobo. I'm all adobo-ed out!! haha But don't get me wrong, I still serve it to my family but only sporadically. I  usually cook a big pot of adobo because adobo is better after a day, and I usually put my "twist" on the dish. In my entry Adventures of the American Adobo   I "americanized" my adobo by adding apples to the dish. 

In another entry,  Skip To Malou I made a dish called Adobo Nation Salad Sensation wherein, the adobo is paired with green salad instead of rice and a special pineapple vinaigrette. 

If you're wondering why I'm posting another "adobo" dish, it's because this month Kulinarya (please see footnote below) is featuring ADOBO as the dish of the month.  This group was initiated by three ladies from Sydney: Trissa , Trishia and Kath  and I just joined the group last week (thank you ladies for the invite).

The adobo recipe I would like to share is called  Adobo Chicken Delight.  I was true to the basic ingredients of adobo but the twist is in that I made it into a fried chicken and made a sauce.  Yes folks it's cooked as adobo then deep fried...

So let's begin:

the basic ingredients of adobo:

2-3 lbs. chicken
3/4 c vinegar
1/2 c soy sauce
pepper
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
3 bay leaves (crushed)
In a saucepan, combine all the wet ingredients and crushed garlic together. Let it simmer. Add black pepper and crushed bay leaves. Allow the ingredients to fuse in together for a few more minutes, then you are ready to add the  chicken. Cook for about 30 minutes. Drain the chicken and set aside the sauce as you will need it later  to make adobo rice.

You could actually end here, as this is the classic adobo dish... but if you want to go further, read on.
For the breading:

1/2 c cornstarch

1/2 c flour

salt &pepper

paprika or any preferred seasoning 

 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: 

 

 

Now for the rice:
 
Put cooked jasmine rice on the same pan where you cooked the adobo.  (remember the pan with the adobo sauce you saved earlier) Remove excess sauce as it may make the rice too mushy.  Add toasted garlic... your rice should look like so:
 

For the dressing:
Mix yogurt, vinegar, sugar and chives.  Adjust it to your taste.  I did mine really creamy, but if you want it thinner add more vinegar.  Now that you have the fried chicken, the adobo rice and the dressing you are ready to have  ta-dah... the ADOBO CHICKEN DELIGHT to enjoy:
 

 
 

 

.  The Kulinarya Cooking Club aims to promote the wonderful world of the Filipino cuisine. Each month, the KCC members will feature a dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino food as we do.