Tag: Spicy World of the Postulant Cook

Chicken Curry (Filipino Recipe)

Chicken

Chicken Recipe

Chicken Curry (Filipino Recipe)

Chicken Curry a la Filipino

Chicken Curry a la Filipino

This chicken curry from the Philippines looks and tastes different from the chicken curry you get in restaurants and takeaways here in the UK or even India, the curry capital of the world.

The Philippines’ chicken curry is creamier and fresher in taste because of the addition of vegetables such as celery and green and red peppers and a generous amount of fresh coconut milk.

It also tends to be less spicy. (But if you like it spicy, add more curry powder or even red chilies)

Below is the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 4 large boneless chicken thighs, cut into serving pieces
  • 2 large potatoes, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 4 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1/2 Red and 1/2 green bell pepper (or 1 small red bell pepper), chopped
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small ginger, cut into strips
  • 400ml (1 can) coconut milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method of Preparation

  • Brown the chicken then set aside.
  • Do the same with the potatoes, pan-fry then set aside.
  • In the same pan, sauté the garlic, onion and ginger.
  • Add the chicken and mix in the curry powder.
  • Add water and simmer until the chicken is tender.
  • Add the potatoes.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Add the remaining vegetables then simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Finally, add the coconut milk and mix well.
  • Cover the pan.
  • Bring to a boil then lower down the heat and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes
  • Serve with boiled rice.

 

Enjoy

Macaroons Recipe

Sweets & Desserts

1001859_10151825289291019_405711155_nMacaroons Recipe

I love macaroons.  They are so delicious that I could happily sit down and just gobble one after another and another and another until every one of the pretty colourful macaroons is gone to live around my hips and tummy area. 🙁  :0 😉

Fortunately for me, Peter does not eat macaroons, anything with a bit of coconut, he is not interested.  Lucky for me eh!

I don’t  share my macaroons!!! Ever.

Beautifully packaged macaroons can be very expensive so it is useful to know how to make them especially if one is never enough for you (or me!)

Below is a BBC Food recipe by Lorraine Pascale

Equipment and preparation: You will need a piping bag fitted with a 1cm/½in nozzle.

Ingredients

  • 125g/4½oz icing sugar
  • 125g/4½oz ground almonds
  • 90g/3½oz free-range egg whites
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 110g/4oz caster sugar
  • food colouring (optional)
  • desiccated coconut, for sprinkling (optional)
  • 150ml/5fl oz double or whipped cream, whipped

Method of Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven to 170/C/325F/Gas 5 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
  • Put the icing sugar, ground almonds and 40g/1½oz egg whites together in a large bowl and mix to a paste.
  • Put the water and caster sugar in a small pan and heat gently to melt the sugar, then turn up the heat and boil until the mixture starts to go syrupy and thickens – I don’t use a thermometer but if you prefer to use one, it should read 115C/239F at this stage.
  • Whisk the remaining 50g/2oz egg whites in a small bowl until medium-stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl, then pour in the sugar syrup, whisking until the mixture becomes stiff and shiny. For coloured macaroons, add a few drops of food colouring. Tip this meringue mixture into the almond paste mixture and stir gently until the becomes stiff and shiny again.
  • Spoon into the piping bag. Pipe a little mixture under each corner of the baking paper to stop it sliding around. With the bag held vertically, pipe 4cm/1½in flat circles onto the lined tray, about 2cm/¾in apart, twisting the bag after each one. The mixture should be quite loose to give a smooth finish. The piping will leave a small ‘tip’ on each circle so, when they’re all piped, give the tray 2–3 slams on a flat surface to flatten them. At this stage, sprinkle with desiccated coconut if you want.
  • Leave to stand for 30 minutes to form a skin then bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes with the door slightly ajar until firm. Remove from the oven, lift the paper off the baking tray and leave the macaroons to cool on the paper.
  • When cool, sandwich the macaroons together with whipped cream. They can be kept for a couple of days, if they hang around that long!

Shrimps in 7Up (Halabos Na Hipon)

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Shrimp Recipe
Seafood Recipe

Shrimps in 7Up, photo by Mae Sanguer

Shrimps in 7Up, photo by Mae Sanguer

Shrimps in 7Up (Halabos Na Hipon)

Halabos na hipon is a Filipino favourite because of many reasons, among them are that hipon or shrimps are very, very easy to cook.

The Philippines being an archipelago, fishing is a way of life.  Shrimps can be bought aplenty in any wet market littered around Metro Manila.

The shrimps are fresh and taste 100 percent better than those frozen and then defrosted ones.

Anyway halabos is one of the easiest recipe and yet tastiest.

You will need the following

  • 2 lbs Shrimps (deheaded)
  • 7Up or Sprite
    Salt and Pepper
  • 2 cloves of garlic

COOKING TIME

  •  Wash the shrimps, take off the heads  (the heads can be frozen to use in other recipes later).
  •  Put them in a pan with all the other ingredients.  I think you will need about half a can of 7up or Sprite only.  By the way if you do not have the Sprite or 7up you can use just water with a level tbsp of sugar.
  • Cook over medium heat, mixing continously until the shrimp changes color, about 3-4 minutes.
  •  Serve with a vinegar/garlic or calamansi/fish sauce dip.  As above the halabos was served with vinegar, salt, pulped cloves of garlic and black pepper.

The best way to eat this is ala Filipino style: with boiled rice sans cutleries but with your hands.

Super supper!

Chicken a la Pobre

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I got this recipe from Lifestyle Inquirer.net

The name of the recipe is rather intriguing.  What is chicken a la pobre?  Pobre in Spanish means poor, so what is chicken for the poor?  Is it an imaginary chicken? 😉  Is the chicken so malnorished that it is just skin and bones? 😉

The recipe looks fun to make so will try making it and will tell about a poverty stricken chicken when cooked! 😉

 

 

Cravings’ Chicken a la Pobre

CHICKEN a la Pobre

  • tbsp finely minced garlic
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • tbsp liquid seasoning
  • tbsp  Worcestershire sauce
  • kg chicken thighs, bone-in (around 6 to 7 pieces)
  • Cooking oil, or nonstick cooking spray

 

To serve:

 

  • Toasted minced garlic
  • Gravy (optional)

 

In a bowl, combine garlic, cayenne pepper, liquid seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Marinate chicken thighs in the mixture for 10-15 minutes.

When ready to cook, spray griller with nonstick cooking spray, or brush griller with cooking oil. Heat the griller to medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill the chicken thighs, skin side down first. Turn chicken thighs over after around 10-15 minutes and continue grilling until chicken is fully cooked and tender. Serve with toasted garlic and with gravy, if desired. Makes six servings.

For more tips, recipes and stories, visit the author’s blog www.normachikiamco.com, and Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/normachikiamco.  Follow on Twitter @NormaChikiamco.

Cook’s tips

 

For a stronger flavor, double the amount of the marinade. You should also double the amount of the marinade if cooking more than one kilo of chicken thighs.

If desired, you can debone the chicken. Spread out the chicken, butterfly-style. This will make it cook faster.

So as not to burn the garlic when toasting it in a pan, use only low heat and stir the garlic in the pan continuously until it turns a light golden brown.

Read more: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/132885/chicken-a-la-pobre#ixzz2iewQhWAY

One-pot Spanish-style chicken

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One-pot Spanish-style chicken

Ingredients:
– 1 tbsp olive oil
– 1kg pack 4 skin-on chicken legs
– 1 red onion, sliced
– 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped into bite-size pieces
– 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
– 2 garlic cloves, crushed
– ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes*
– 2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika*
– 550g jar tomato & herb pasta sauce
– 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
– 250ml chicken stock*
– 1 cup petit pois
– ½ x 25g pack fresh parsley*, roughly chopped

Method:

1) Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole or saucepan. Fry the chicken legs in batches over a high heat for 5 minutes, turning, until crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate.

2) Add the onion, carrot and pepper and gently cook for 5-6 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the chilli flakes and paprika, then add the chicken and turn to coat in the spices.

3) Stir in the pasta sauce, wine vinegar and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 25 minutes.

4) Add the petit pois and simmer gently for a further 5-10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and the chicken is cooked through. Check the seasoning, scatter with the chopped parsley and serve with crusty white bread.