Un-Barbecued Marinated Fried Chicken

This marinade may be adjusted according to the amount of chicken you use. As the picture depicts, it looks barbecued. The title is due to my original family recipe for Guam’s barbecue chicken; rather, I have tried it fried for the first time today, thanks to harsh conditions on the mainland.

Its. So. Awesome.

Recipe:
6 chicken thighs

3 cups shoyu (so it’s Hawaiian, but that’s okay….soy sauce may be used, too)

½ of a medium-sized onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, smashed then peeled (yes, in that order…it’s easier to peel)

½ cup vinegar

¼ lemon juice from a lemon or 1 tsp. lemon juice. Add more if you want a bit of tartness to it.

 

Combine all of the above and let marinate for at least 24 hours in the fridge. I marinated mine for 48 hours.

1.      In a wok, pour and heat about ½ cup of cooking oil. This may seem a lot, but the oil kinda dissolves while cooking. More oil may have to be used if cooking in a frying pan.

2.      Gently add the chicken, one at a time, into the oil. Cook for about 40 minutes on med-high heat. Turn frequently to prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Adjust the heat accordingly to prevent the chicken from being undercooked and from burning.

3.      The chicken should turn into a nice “barbecue” color. When in doubt, cut the middle of one of the thighs to check if it’s cooked thoroughly.

4.      Optional: in a separate pan cook the marinade on med-high heat. Boil for 5-10 minutes. Be careful that the sauce does not dissolve. You wanna save some of that yumminess to accent the dish!

5.      Have some rice with it if you so choose and enjoy! J

 

Chicken Tinola II, Easy Version!

Laid-back, simple, super-easy variation J

 

INGREDIENTS:

v 2 lbs chicken (cut into serving pieces)

v 1 thumb size ginger root, peeled and  cut into strips or grated; or you may use 1 tsp. ginger powder

v 3 cloves garlic (minced)

v 1 medium onion (sliced)

v Chopped, bite-sized under-riped papaya, any amount will do. It all depends on how much veggies you want!

v Frozen beans (again, amount varies)

v 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce (Patis) or 2 tsp. salt (adjust taste)

v 4 cups of water or more (rice water is a good option as it has always been a tradition to use in soup-recipes in my family for generations)

 

 

Directions:

1.   Throw everything, except for the papaya and beans, in a large pot, simmer on med heat for 40 minutes.

2.  Add papaya and let it simmer for another 20-30 minutes. They cook like potatoes, so once in a while, check for tenderness. Don’t overcook it to where it’ll just fall apart on you; it has to be the texture of well-cooked potatoes.

3.   Add in the beans and cook for about 10-15 minutes.

4.  Remove from heat. 

5.   Serve hot. Enjoy!

 

Ahi Poke

 

Th-e most favored dish on da Islands of Hawai’i!! This is a tad down from the limu version (infamous ONO seaweed on da Islands), so we use scallions instead. Ahi tuna is limited on da Mainland, but we get ours at a grocery store. If my ohana is reading dis, you can call me and ask where we get ‘em. I’m not gonna be liable for any raw fish that may cause food poisoning to my readers. So….please take caution when making dis recipe.

1 lb. ahi tuna

1 tsp. (more or less) Hawaiian salt, regular salt, or kosher salt (da local girl in me says “use Hawaiian salt”)

Chopped scallions

1.      Chop the tuna in ½” - 1” bite size chunks, and put in bowl.
2.      Add salt and scallions and mix well.

 

You may add one or more of the optional add-ons listed below for texture and/or taste:

Shoyu (Hawaiian “soy sauce”)

Sesame Oil

Roasted sesame seeds

Furikake

If you’re lucky: limu (this MIGHT be found in specialty stores where they probably sell expensive groceries. For example, I found some dried ones at Uwajimaya in WA state in a .25 oz package)

Tomato-Eggs

This recipe serves 4, but you may cut the recipe in half if need be. Enjoy!

5 large eggs

1 tsp. salt or 2 tsp. patis (or any Asian fish sauce which may be found in the Asian/Oriental sectionof the grocery store) =salt may be adjusted according to taste after it’s cooked=

2 cloves garlic, minced

Half of a medium-sized onion

3 roma tomatoes

2 Tbsp. green onions

 

1.      Scramble the eggs in a large bowl and add the salt or patis.

2.      In a large frying pan, sauté garlic, onions, and tomatoes until it is the consistency of salsa. Add the green onions, and cook for a couple of minutes.

3.      Pour in the eggs and gently scramble the eggs in with the vegetables.   Continue cooking until done. Note: It is possible for the mixture to get watery. Strain it out with a colander/strainer.

4.      Eat-n-enjoy with white rice!