Chicken Tinola

I know I said that my last two stew posts were my favorite dish, and this next one is no exception. It may be my uber-fave. It has chicken, ginger, and green papaya. Where else can it go wrong. I am talking about Chicken Tinola.

I love this dish because I was a chicken addict when I was a kid. Anything chicken I would eat. I remember my Dad bringing home KFC and that was a big deal for me. Loved it (and I actually still do – I just do not eat it as much).

But again, I digress…

Green Papaya - about the size of a small football

I rarely see tinola in the Filipino eateries around here., so again, I had no choice but make it. Since this was going to be a cold rainy weekend, it seemed appropriate to have something warming.

The challenge again was procurement, but unlike the Puchero, this requires less ingredients. The first time I made this, I tried to get green papaya at the Filipino supermarket (Seafood City) but they did not have it. I do not think they had hot pepper leaves as well… so off to Ranch 99 I go (Ranch 99 is another Asian super grocery store).

The first time I attempted to make this, Ranch 99 did not have green papaya. They did have unripe Hawaiian papaya which seemed to be a good substitute. The second time I made this they had Green Papaya from Mexico. It was meant to be.

Do not use ripe papaya: it needs to firm enough to simmer in broth. Ripe papaya will probably disintegrate (and would probably result in a weird sweet-salty flavor). Best to save the ripe papaya for dessert.

Darn, now I am craving for papaya.

You do need to cut the papaya into wedges. Hopefully the pictures below will help on how to do it.

This is what it looks like inside. No seeds yet.

Wedgies! I do remove the white stuff on the inside where the seeds usually go.

I have seen recipes sing chayote squash instead. Although it will probably be yummy (I love Chayote too – as can be seen in my corn-chayote tacos), this is not tinola, at least not how I remember it. It’s the blend of the chicken, green papaya, and ginger that makes this dish rock.

The recipe in Panlasang Pinoy again served as a great base. Without it, I would not know that it used Hot Pepper leaves – the leaves! One can find it frozen in the Asian markets. I pretty much followed the recipe, but I used less fish sauce and salt than the original recipe for health reasons.

Thawing... these are frozen solid when bought.

Chicken Tinola Recipe

Based on the Chicken Tinola Recipe from Panlasang Pinoy

 Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken thighs (about 4)
• 4 cups of water
• 1/2 pc small green papaya, cut into wedges
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1 thumb ginger, cut into strips
• 3 tsps fish sauce, divided
• 1 packet hot pepper leaves, thawed
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Procedure

1. Sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger.
2. Season the chicken with some salt and pepper.
3. Put-in the chicken, skin side first and 1 tsp of fish sauce. Cook until color turns light brown.
4. Pour-in the water and the remaining fish oil and put to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Add the green papaya wedges and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add the hot pepper leaves.
7. Add salt (or more fish oil) and pepper to taste (I usually just add pepper).
8. Serve hot. Share and enjoy!

Simmering...Almost there.

Verdict

I am so glad I made this dish. It is so good and perfect for a cold rainy day. Ginger seems to be the theme of these last two months, and I love the ginger flavor in this soup. Also the blend with the papaya and chicken really makes it.

Dare I say it…It brings back so many childhood memories. Definitely will be in our winter rotation. 

Puchero, Filipino-style

I had a craving for Filipino-style Puchero the other day. This was one of the staples that my Grandmother did on Sundays and one of my favorites. Puchero is a type of stew composed of pork or chicken, sausage, vegetables, plantains, garbanzo beans, and tomatoes. The combination of different flavors gives this dish its unique flavor. The local Filipino eateries around here rarely make this, so I had no choice but make it.

Puchero served traditional-style

Again, I found a recipe at Panlasang Pinoy that I can use as a base. The first time I made this, I asked my Tita (aunt) if it was close to what Grandma did and she said that Nana fried the bananas first, perhaps to get that caramelization and bring out the sweetness. As I’ve seen in the Food Network, I decided to treat each ingredient “with love” so I opted to pre-fry the sweet potatoes as well.

The missing ingredient is Chinese Sausage. I remember that this is one of the things that I ate first because I enjoyed its sweetness. The Pork Puchero did not use sausage though, but I remember Nana using this. I referred to the Chicken Puchero recipe on how to prepare it (again, it involved treating it with love and pre-frying).

Someday all of these would be stew

Buying Stuff. In this case, procurement was the challenge. I had to go to three different stores, four if you count our local grocery store to get my “normal” pantry items.

My first stop was Seafood City for the saba banana and bok choy. Seafood City is one of the few places, if not the only one, around here that one can get saba. One can use plantains, but it is not the same. This was actually my favorite part of this dish, so I added another half. Remember though… key to cooking is balance.

For the bok choy, I actually just bought some last night for my stir-fry, but I think we only have two leaves left. Plus, my husband said that he loves bok choy so I bought a whole bag. He can have bok choy for a week.

Next was Ranch 99 for Chinese Sausage and Sweet Potatoes. After looking at the price, I decided not to get Chinese sausage since the last time I made this, we did not finish the last package. I thought Aidell’s Chicken-Apple sausage would be a good substitute (and guaranteed to be finished). I actually also bought my fish sauce in Ranch 99, because Seafood City only had Filipino style fish sauce. I have heard once that if one prefers milder flavor, use Thai or Vietnamese style (It also has a bit of sugar).

The term "Puchero" was derived from the word "Stew Pot"

I also bought my pork here this time. I hesitated before, but a friend said the Ranch 99 has the freshest meat available. I bought stew meat this time to save money, but I’ve used pork tenderloin in the past. Panlasang Pinoy actually recommends using Pork Belly.

I also went to the Mexican market to get the garbanzo beans. Actually, I could have bought this at my local grocery store, but I prefer getting this at the market because it is more economical (and I can get tamales and menudo for lunch – since it will take a while for this to cook).

Last stop was to my local grocery store for basics and stuff that I missed: onion, garlic, (organic) tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  For some veggies, I prefer using organic to avoid pesticides.

One last note before the recipe: This actually takes a lot of preparation. I could not imagine my Grandma doing all this, but I do remember that she had some help (but it wasn’t from us grandkids – she preferred for us to study). It also takes some time to simmer, so allocate at least two hours.

Here’s what I have so far. Try it and let me know what you think.

Pork Filipino-Style Puchero

Based on the recipe from the Pork Pochero recipe from Panlasang Pinoy and some childhood memories

Ingredients

• 1 lb pork stew meat, cubed, fat trimmed off, but do leave some.
• 1 piece Chicken-Apple Sausage (I like sausage so I added another half. Also if available, use 3 pieces of Chinese Sausage, sliced thinly)
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon whole pepper corn
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1 cup chick peas (garbanzos)
• 1 large plaintain banana (ripe), sliced (if this is your favorite, you can add more)
• 1/2 medium sized sweet potato, cubed
• About 1/4 cabbage, sliced for consistency
• 1/4 lb long green beans
• 1 bunch bok choy
• 1 cup water
• 2-3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 teaspoons of fish-sauce, divided (recommend Thai or Vietnamese-style)
• Pepper to taste

  

Directions

1. Heat cooking oil in a cooking pot. I used my Dutch oven.
2. Fry the sweet potatoes and bananas. Remove from pot and Set aside.
3. Fry the sausage. Remove from pot and Set aside.
4. Sauté garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Add some pepper and 1 tsp of fish sauce (for salt, to season)
5. Season pork with pepper. Add pork to the pot and cook until the color turns light brown.
6. Put-in remaining fish sauce, whole peppercorn, water, and tomato sauce. Stir.
7. Add sweet potatoes, plantains, and chick peas. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
8. Add cabbage and long green beans. Cook for 5 minutes.
9. Stir-in the bok choy. Cover the pot and turn off the heat.
10. Let the residual heat cook the bok choy (about 5 minutes).
11. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Verdict

This recipe is very close to what my grandma did. To mind our sodium intake, mine used half of the fish sauce called for in the original recipe, but it tasted just right.  I think more may be too salty (I may still need to pay for it the next day with water retention).

My husband loves this dish. He hesitated with the bananas at first, but really enjoyed it. I probably should have used two.

Also, instead of white rice which is more typical in Filipino cuisine, I used a blend of brown rice and quinoa, just to get the extra fiber and protein.

Elevating my presentation

A challenge for me though is the ideal way to handle the peppercorns when cooking. The traditional way of making puchero is to have the peppercorns all over the dish. However, it is rather unpleasant when you bite into it. I may try it ground next time (and reduce the amount).

It is a bit mind blowing that the ingredients came from different cultures: Filipino, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, and now with the quinoa, Peruvian. I am not sure where Chicken-Apple sausage originated (Italian? California?). In reading the Wikipedia article about Puchero, I did not realize that there are other types of Puchero in South American countries and Spain. This is truly an international dish.

I need to try out a slow-cooker version of this to perhaps make it easy for me. With that, I either have to half the recipe (or more) since I have a small crockpot: a project for another day.

Hope you enjoy!

Mad About Minis: Mad Gourmet’s Single Serving Homemade Cheesecake

One of my husband’s favorite desserts is cheesecake. However, he rarely buys a slice because those slices can be huge and he (claims to be) watching his sugar intake.

Since I share his concerns, my mission then is to create a single-serve cheesecake that we can share. I researched (i.e. Googled), but the recipes only came close to my vision. I really wanted one that looked like a cheesecake: crust at the bottom, creamy cheesy goodness for the filling, and for one. That is not too much to ask is it?

I ended up combining some ideas and also doing some arithmetic. The result is below. Let me know what you think.

Mad Gourmet’s Mini Cheesecake

Based on a bunch of cheesecake recipes found in the web (... shall I say "Best of")

Stuff

Crust

• 4 crumbled vanilla wafers
• 1 1/2 tsp of butter
• 1/2 tsp of brown sugar
• pinch of salt
   

Filling

• 2 Tbsp cream cheese
• 1 Tbsp sour cream or yogurt, preferably vanilla or plain
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice (or a few shavings of lemon zest)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions

Making the crust

1. Crumble the wafers (I just use a ziploc bag to crumble to save on washing).
2. Combine with butter, the remaining sugar, and salt (I even mix this in the bag).  
3. Firmly press the crumb mixture into the ramekin.
4. Bake for about 1 min to set the crust. Let cool.

 

Filling

1. Pre-heat oven temp to 325 degrees (You can do this while making the crust).
2. In your serving dish, ramekin, or mug, combine cream cheese, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, and yogurt (or sour cream).
3. Mix together really well. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir.
4. Pour filling over the crust to put it all together.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until sides firm up.
6. Let cool in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
7. If desired, serve with whipped cream.

Verdict

My husband really enjoyed this cheesecake. This is actually my go-to recipe for cheesecake. I have made it several times and it’s a big hit. I am planning to make this for Valentine’s weekend for us, maybe with something red on top.

My husband said the only thing wrong with it was I needed to double it. I did try to double the filling once, but I think my ramekin was not big enough for it. The crust-to-filling ratio may also need some work.

Also, I’ve done some variations that are equally delicious. I varied the filling or the crust or both. Stay tuned… it’s worth it. I promise.


If cheesecake is not your thing, you can try my mini Chocolate-Strawberry Lava Cake.  Better yet, why not make both.

Mad Gourmet's Filipino-Style Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

Blogger’s Note: I really wanted to make January Soup and Stew Month, but our dining adventures kind of took over. As you can see from my twitter, I still cook and experiment at home. One good thing though… here in California, winter is just coming, so Soup and Stew Month continues.

 
Another staple that my Mom cooked when I was a kid was Filipino-style Chicken Curry. I really looked forward to this dish, primarily because of the chicken. My mom said that I really loved chicken when I was young: chicken and fish.

I tried hard to look for chicken curry in Filipino eateries in the San Francisco Bay Area, but had no luck. The closest one that I found was in a Hawaiian-style eatery, but I think theirs is more Japanese-style (per my Japanese friend). With this gap, I decided to cook it myself… with one minor twist, I wanted to use my slow-cooker. I have been meaning to use it more. This looked like a great meal to leave in the crockpot before I go to work and have dinner ready when I arrive.

Unfortunately, we did not have a slow cooker when I was growing up, so I had no idea how to do it. Actually, I had no idea how to cook it at all. Since my mom does not remember how she cooked it, I had to search for ideas.

Panlasang Pinoy ("Filipino taste") had a great Chicken Curry. It did use coconut milk, which I do not remember my mom using (what do I know, I just ate it). Also, Martha Stewart had a good slow cooker chicken curry recipe (also using coconut milk). With this, I think I can get started.

I’ve actually made this several times already and loved the result. I have the put-it-all-together method and the staged method, so not to overcook the potatoes and the carrots. My crockpot only has one setting (cook). Although I do not remember it in Mom’s version, I also added red peppers. I really do not even like peppers, but it adds a layer of flavor to it.

Here’s what I have so far. Let me know what you think.

Mad Gourmet’s Filipino Style Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

Based on the Chicken Curry recipe from Panlasang Pinoy and Martha Stewart’s Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

Ingredients

• 1 lbs chicken thighs (about 4)
• 1/2 big potato, chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped into squares
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped (about same amount as potato)
• 1/2 thumb ginger, thinly cut into strips or 1.5 tsp ginger powder
• 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced (it will mince in the slow cooker)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp fish sauce

 

Directions

Staged Method

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. In your slow cooker, toss chicken, water, onion, garlic, ginger, and curry powder to coat. Cover, cook chicken for about 3 hours, until the chicken is fork-tender, about 3 hours (do not uncover while cooking).
3. After 3 hours, add potatoes, carrots, peppers, and coconut milk. Cook until tender (about 1 hour)
4. After 1 hour, Stir in fish sauce cover, cook for 20 minutes.

Put-it-all together (almost)

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. In your slow cooker, toss chicken, water, onion, garlic, ginger, potatoes, carrots, peppers, coconut milk, and curry powder to coat. Cover, cook for about 4 hours.
3. After cooking, Stir in fish sauce cover, cook for 20 minutes.

Verdict

I think I came pretty close to my Mom’s chicken curry. Personally, I like staged version better since the veggies were not overcooked, but the set-it-and-forget-it version when were going out in the afternoon and have dinner ready when we get home.

I have to make this next time we had a potluck with my family. Hopefully, my Mom would give me more suggestions.

Discovery Weekend: Searching for Michael Chiarello – Parte Seconda at Bottega

Our search for Michael Chiarello did not end at Coqueta. My husband actually surprised me and said “why don’t we go out of town on your birthday weekend?” Since I did not want to cancel our reservations at Coqueta and wanted to be at home on Monday (so I can pick up my birthday gift), we compromised and decided on going out of town on Sunday only.

The first thing that came to mind was the Wine Country – perhaps to Napa. The plan was to go wine tasting in the morning(!) then lunch. I have been obsessing over going to Bottega after having dinner at Yountville last year – so this presented the perfect opportunity.

We had a late start that day and skipped the wine tasting. Yountville was only about an hours drive away from home (without the wine country peak season traffic), so it was a relatively easy drive.

Pomegranate Sicilian Soda: It's almost like a smoothie.

Bottega had a very romantic atmosphere and very classy. On our table, we had a birthday card from the Bottega team. Since I was eating my alcohol again (maybe avoiding it altogether this meal). I had a Sicilian Soda with Pomegranate, and my husband had his usual Pinot Grigio. While waiting for our shared appetizer, we enjoyed warm bread served with garlic, parmesian and perhaps basil. Love warm bread

We started with a shaved Brussels sprout salad with Meyer Lemon Dressing, Marcona Almonds and sieved egg. I have made Brussels sprout salad last winter, but this should be what I should aim for. Finely shaved Brussel sprouts with really lemony and cheesy dressing. The Marcona Almonds added a crunchy texture, and the egg was so delicate, one can mistake it for cheese. Delicious.

Brussels Sprout Salad... elevated!

My husband had the Pork Loin with potato pancake. My husband said it was the best he ever had. It was so tender it almost fell off the bone.

Irresistible Tender Pork Loin

I have been in a duck-mode lately and cannot resist ordering confit. I believe this is one of the things that I cannot really do justice at home, so I always order it when I find it in the menu. The duck came two ways: a confit leg (of course) and a beautifully roasted breast. This was a huge entrée, served with black rice, berry sauce and watercress.  I had some left-over for dinner that night (The confit is GONE! gone at lunch!).

Duck!

 

For dessert, I couldn’t decide between the Tiramisu or Zeppole. My husband believes that Tiramisu is my all-time favorite dessert. Although he is right, I really like exploring and I haven’t had Zeppole before. Again, it did not disappoint: warm Zeppole filled with Hazelnut Crema with a Berry Sauce: It’s like an elevated peanut butter and jelly doughnut hole. It’s a great sweet, but with a cappucino, it was the perfect light ending to a great meal.

Elevated Hazelnut Butter and Jelly Zeppoles...YUM!!!!

Bottega is becoming, if not already, our favorite Napa Valley Restaurant. Bottega featured fantastic food with friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable service. My husband said that it was one of the best, if not the best, dining experience that he's had. It was unforgettable. A visit to Bottega is a must for any Napa Valley Wine Country trip.

Discovery Weekends: Searching for Michael Chiarello (or “What I did for my Birthday Weekend?”) – Coqueta SF

Ever since I saw “The Next Iron Chef” a couple of seasons ago, I’ve always wanted to try one of Michael Chiarello’s restaurants.  The judges loved his food and the description was very scrumptious: made me hungry every time. I was really disappointed that he did not win.

I had to find where his restaurant (or restaurants) is. So, I researched and was delighted to find that his restaurant, Bottega is so close to where we are, so close, but a world away. With the variety of activities in the San Francisco Bay Area, we rarely find ourselves in the Napa Valley – we’re probably there once a year.

Fast forward a few years, I heard the Chef Chiarello is opening a restaurant in San Francisco, near the Financial District. I decided that this is the perfect opportunity to visit. Plus, I have a birthday coming up.

I also happened to check my twitter and found that Chef Chiarello was going to be on The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. I knew had to stay up. That segment was so funny (check it out on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon) – I knew it was a sign that this was going to be a great weekend.

The Big Day finally came. We went to "The City" via BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and took a comfortable stroll from the Ferry Building to Pier 5 at the Embarcadero, where Coqueta is located.  Coqueta features modernized Spanish tapas “with a touch of California.” Atmosphere was casual, but very classy, which complemented the the beautiful views of the San Francisco Bay.

Of course, tapas are not complete without drinking (or was it just wine), so Coquetta also features a very innovative bar, er… “cocktail program.” Since I tend to eat my alcohol these days, I stuck to non-alcoholic beverages and had a ginger beer and a J&T (Juniper and Tonic?). My husband, of course, had to try the sangria. Both were quite potent. The ginger beer was made in-house and was very gingery (loved it). I thought it would burn my palette but it actually enhanced my appetite. We sat at the bar for a while while we wait for our table, and admired the gorgeous drinks and fresh ingredients and spices used in the bar.

When dining out, my husband and I usually share an appetizer and an entrée. We made an exception this time. We really wanted to get the paella – one of my favorites. However, even knowing that it may be more than enough food, I was hungry enough to order a couple of tapas. My husband had me order (since it's my birthday weekend), so I chose the Chicken and English Peas Croquettes and the Albondigas – Duck and Pork Meatballs with a delicious cherry sauce and crispy shallots. I think we chose wisely.

The paella came and it did not disappoint. It had the key components of a paella: chorizo, huge prawns, clams, some root veggies.  Served with some spicy Spanish pickled peppers and lemon aioli, it was perfect and yes, we finished the whole thing and saved room for dessert, at least one of us did.

For dessert, I could not decide between the Churro “Fantasia” or the Machego Cheesecake Bites. My husband loves cheesecake, but said he did not want dessert. Although I wanted to get both, I opted to get only the churros (and have an excuse to return).

The churros were the perfect ending to the meal. It was just the right size and delicious: light, sweet, had that fried deliciousness, and can still have a touch of chocolate or a lot. After all, one can never get enough TCHO chocolate. Even my husband had half (two of the churros)– we both wanted to lick the chocolate bowl! This will definitely be one of my weekend experiments.

I also love the gold chocolate leaf with "Feliz Cumpleanos" - really nice touch. Too bad someone had a hard touch (one guess).

We will come back to Coqueta, even if it is just a quick bite at the bar after my weekend trips to the Ferry Building, shopping at the Embarcadero Center, watching the Giants games at AT&T park, etc….  I think we found a new San Francisco favorite. Besides, I got to have my ginger beer!

 

By the way, this was not the end of our search… stay tuned for next post.