When my husband is killing time waiting for a client, he likes browsing in supermarkets. He knows the prices and the new brands. But he can’t estimate the quantity needed for a meal. He called me up the other night to say he was buying some vegetables for a salad. Yeah, he bought everything. Except that the proportions were kinda screwed. Two huge bags of romaine lettuce but only one apple and two oranges. Anyway, I shouldn’t complain. How many husbands take interest in doing the marketing?
I was planning on having chicken adobo that night. I wasn’t counting on having vegetables since the rains hadn’t abated and we couldn’t get decently priced good quality vegetables. But, since my husband did at the supermarket, I thought I’d rethink what to do with the chicken. Chicken adobo wouldn’t have gone well with the salad he wanted. So, I thought braised chicken would be a good idea.
For the braised chicken :
Ingredients :
1 whole chicken, about 1 kilogram in weight
1 tbsp. of finely minced garlic
1 tbsp. of finely chopped ginger
1 onion, finely chopped
3/4 c. of rice vinegar
crushed black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. of dark soy sauce
3 tbsps. of oyster sauce
1/2 tsp. of sesame seed oil
Cooking procedure :
Chop the chicken into serving pieces. Place in a stainless steel skillet (don’t use aluminum cookware when cooking with vinegar). Add the garlic, ginger, chopped onion, crushed pepper and bay leaf. Pour in the rice vinegar. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Do not stir until the mixture has boiled vigorously for a few minutes. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken starts to render fat and water. If the mixture is too dry, add half a cup of water. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Check the liquid every 10 minutes or so.
When the chicken is tender, pour in the soy sauce and stir well. Turn up the heat to high and cook, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add the oyster sauce and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and pour in the sesame seed oil. Serve hot with the fresh fruit and vegetable salad.
For the fresh fruit and vegetable salad :
Ingredients:
1/4 kilo of romaine lettuce
3-4 tomatoes
1 large apple
2 oranges
1 cucumber
1 onion (forgot to add this before taking the photo)
1/4 c. of olive oil
1/4 c. of kalamansi (native lemon) juice
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. of powdered black pepper
sugar (the amount depends on how sweet you want your dressing; I used 1/4 c.)
1 tsp. of finely chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. of browned garlic bits
Cooking procedure :
Wash all the vegetables well and drain in a colander. Break off the root ends of the lettuce and break the leaves into halves. Cut the tomatoes and onion into 1/4″ rings. Peel the cucumber and cut into 1/4″ rings as well.
Peel and core the apple and cut into cubes. Toss immediately with 1 tbsp. of kalamansi juice to avoid discoloration.
Peel off the skins of the oranges and break into segments.
To make the dressing, place the olive oil, kalamansi juice, sugar, salt and pepper in a jar and shake until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
Place all the fruits and vegetables, including the chopped parsley, in a salad bowl. If the salad is not going to be served yet, chill in the fridge. Just before serving, pour in the dressing and toss. Sprinkle with browned garlic bits and serve.
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