Amazing Ribs

Ingredients
6 pounds pork baby back ribs
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch salt
1 pinch crushed red pepper
4 cups barbecue sauce
2 (12 ounce) bottles porter beer, room temperature

Directions
Cut ribs into small portions of 2 or 3 bones each. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season water a pinch each of salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper to the water. Boil ribs in seasoned water for 20 minutes. Drain, and let the ribs sit for about a half an hour.
Meanwhile, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
Lightly coat the ribs with barbecue sauce. Cook the ribs over high heat for a 5 to 10 minutes on each side to get a nice grilled look to them.
Place grilled ribs in a slow cooker. Pour remaining barbecue sauce and one bottle of beer over the ribs; this should cover at least half of the ribs. Cover, and cook on High for 3 hours. Check ribs every hour or so, and add more beer if needed to dilute sauce. Stir to get the ribs on top into the sauce. The ribs are done when the meat is falling off the bone. The ribs were cooked completely in the first process, the rest is about flavor and texture.

Footnotes

If you add too much beer, the sauce will get very thin. It is best to drink most of the second bottle of beer.

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Machboos

Machboos is a dish of rice & meat, popular in many Gulf countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates. Here is a version of Machboos recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups water
• 650 g basmati rice
• 3 tomatoes, quartered
• 1-1 1/2 kg chicken
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 green hot pepper, as desired
• 2 black dried limes
• 2 teaspoons buharat spice mix
• 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 slice ginger root, cut into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons rose water
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 teaspoons salt

Preparation:

Cut the chicken in half. Heat the water and leave aside. In a small bowl, mix the spices (garam masala, turmeric, cumin, and cardamom) together and add to the mixture one teaspoon of salt. Sprinkle half of the spice mixture on the chicken halves.
Heat oil in a large cooking pan, fry the onions until golden brown, then add to the pepper and the black limes - you MUST make a hole in each limes.
Add the chicken to the onion mixture and turn it over a few times in the pan. Sprinkle on the chicken a teaspoon of cinnamon and the rest of the mixed spices. Turn the contents all together so the chicken is coated with the spices, cover the pan and let it cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, chopped ginger, and tomato cubes to the pan and turn the ingredients in the pan a few times. Cover again for 3 minutes on medium heat. Sprinkle with the rest of the salt and pour on it water while its still hot.Cover the pan and let it cook for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked. Add the copped coriander 5 minutes before you remove the chicken from the stock in the pan. While the chicken is cooking, wash the rice well and soak for 10 minutes in cold water, then drain.Remove the chicken from the pan and put on an oven tray, brush with some oil and sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon powder and grill in the oven until the chicken is golden brown.Add the rice to the chicken stock, stir, then let it cook on low heat until the rice absorbs the stock and is almost done.Sprinkle rose water and lemon juice over the rice and place the butter pieces on the top. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
Serve the rice on a large serving plate and place the grilled chicken halves on the top.

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TRADITIONAL BRAISED DUCK

During the Singapore food festival 2010, I had the pleasure of meeting the Heavenly chefs (Mr Sin Leong and Mr Hooi Kok Wai of Dragon Phoenix and Red Star Restaurant) to showcase three very authentic and old school Cantonese dishes not popularly found today in menu menus like the Shunde Wild Pheasant , the Deep Fried Golden Pearls and a good old traditional braised duck. These recipes are not for beginners but of course you can try them.

Origin of the traditional braised duck

In Canton province of China, during festivals such as Cheng Ming, harvesting, etc., people used to gather in the ancestral hall to celebrate and thanks their ancestors for blessings given.

On such occasions, foods such as roast duck, roast meat, chicken etc., were brought as offerings. After some prayers, all these foods were placed into a big pot and stewed into a pot-luck delicacy where people gather around sharing the joy of the occasion.

Such practices initiated the creation of the famous Cantonese Dish “Peng Cai”. The “Traditional Braised Duck” is one of these “Peng Cai” dishes which uses duck as the main ingredient.

Besides offering a harmonic combination of textures and flavors, this dish has a symbolic cultural significance as it symbolized unity and the sharing of joy. In the 40s, this dish was “migrated” together with a group of Cantonese immigrant into Singapore and became a popular dish in Chinese banquets.

In the Philippines, we also get to eat Braised duck in our Chinese restaurants. You will see here in the cooking method why one needs to order duck dishes a day in advance.

Ingredients: 

1. Fresh Duck 1 number (approx. 2kg)

2. Dried Oysters 12pcs (soak in water to rehydrate, pan-fry)

3. Preserved Vegetables 125g (soak in water to rehydrate, slice into 12 pcs)

4.Red Dates 12pcs (rinse with water, remove seeds if any)

5. Roast Meat 12pcs

6. Shitake Mushroom 12pcs

7. Dried Orange Skin 1pc (approx. 5g soak in water to rehydrate, fine Julian cut)

8. Water 2kg

9. Rock Sugar 1pc (approx. 30g)

10. Hua Diao Wine 40g

11. Salt 10g

12. Soya Sauce 100g

13. Cooking Oil 3kg

14. Ginger 1pc (approx. 30g, smashed)

15. Spring Onions 2 stocks

16. Dried Bay Leaves 2-3pcs

17. Dried Amomum Fruits 2-3pcs (also known as cardamnon)

18. Star Anise 2pcs

19. Cinnamon Stick 1pc

20. Cornstarch 2 tbsp

21. Water 50ml

Cooking Method:

1. Clean duck (ingredient 1) with water, cut duck open from back, apply soya sauce evenly on the duck (ingredient 11), set aside, ready for use.
2. Heat up a wok of oil (ingredient 13) bring temperature between 180°-200° C, deep-fry the duck till golden brown
3. Place whole duck into a large casserole, rinse duck in water to remove excess oil.
4. Strain away excess water, add ingredients 8-11, and ingredients 14-19 into duck.
5. Place duck into steamer and braise duck for 2hrs. till soft; thereafter, remove back & breast bone.6. Place ingredients 2-7 into duck.
7. Place duck back into the steamer and braise duck for another 45mins.
8. Thereafter, flip casserole on to a big plate, drain off juice into a bowl, and remove casserole.
9. Pour juice into cooking pan, heat up to reduce the juice into sauce, thicken with corn starch, pour sauce on duck before serve

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SATAY

I am sure you want to learn recipes from other countries. One of my favorite Singapore dish in the 2010 Singapore Food Festival is Satay. It is skewered barbecued meat, usually chicken (Satay Ayam), beef (Satay Lembu) and mutton (Satay Kambing), dipped and eaten with a delectable peanut sauce. Satay originated from Indonesia but also popular in many other Southeast Asian countries, such as: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, the southern Philippines and in the Netherlands, as Indonesia is a former Dutch colony.

INGREDIENTS

For satay:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 large onion, chopped

1 stalk lemongrass, minced

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 kilo chicken or beef, sliced into 2-inch portions

Bamboo skewers

For peanut sauce:

1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 stalk lemongrass

Vegetable oil

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2 teaspoon dried tamarind, soaked

1 teaspoon salt

PROCEDURE

For satay:

1. Make the marinade by mixing soy sauce, onion, lemongrass, peanut oil, turmeric, garlic, brown sugar, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper in one large bowl.

2. Coat sliced meat with marinade. Keep marinated meat inside the refrigerator overnight.

3. To keep bamboo skewers from burning while barbecuing, soak them in water an hour before inserting them into the meat,

4. Thread 4 to 5 pieces of marinated meat through the soaked skewers.

5. Cook over hot coals with a barbecue grill. Turn meat frequently and brush with the leftover marinade until the meat is cooked.

For peanut sauce:

1. Put peanuts, onions, garlic, and lemongrass in a blender and grind to your preferred consistency.

2. Saute the mixture in vegetable oil for 5 minutes while stirring frequently, and then mix in the coconut milk.

3. Bring to a boil.

4. Add the peanut butter, brown sugar, dried tamarind and salt.

5. Let it simmer for 2 minutes, and then serve with slices of cucumber and onion.

The Satay and Hainanese Chicken Rice recipes are just simple tastebud teasers to give food lovers an idea of what the annual food festival has to offer. After savoring a preview of what Chinese cuisine-infused Singaporean food is all about, expect a bigger culinary feast in next year’s Singapore Food Festival.

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HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE

Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of the primary specialties of Singapore and is often considered the country’s national dish. Filipinos love it for its flavorful, uncomplicated taste. Every time I am in Singapore, I always order Hainanese Chicken Rice. Mixing the chicken meat with the dip with the rice was just so heavenly. It must be the ginger and garlic flavors that brings out the flavors.

A Singaporean describes it this way: Part of the whole ritual in eating this dish is smothering your cream-coloured chicken fat laced rice with ribbons of sweet dark soy sauce, chilli sauce and pounded ginger and to mix it all together, matching flavour for flavour.

Let me share this simple recipe which I am sure you will enjoy cooking.

Ingredients:
For chicken:

12 cups water

4 fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon salt

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 whole chicken

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons soy sauce

For rice:

2-3 cups Jasmine rice

Vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

6 cups reserved stock from boiling chicken

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tomatoes, sliced

2 cucumbers, sliced

Procedure:
For chicken:
1. Bring 12 cups of water with ginger, salt and garlic to a boil in a large pot.
2. Put chicken in the boiling water and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the chicken cool for 20 minutes.
4. Repeat the boiling and cooling process one more time.
5. Set chicken aside when cooked and tender.
6. Remember to reserve the chicken stock for the rice.
7. Plunge the chicken into ice-cold water for 5 minutes to prevent over cooking and to tighten its skin.
8. Brush on a mixture of sesame oil and soy sauce on the chicken, then let it cool at room temperature.

For rice:
1. Wash rice thoroughly and drain.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a pot and fry garlic and ginger until golden brown.
3.Add the drained rice and fry for 3 to 4 minutes before pouring in 6 cups of chicken stock and adding sesame oil and salt.
4. Cook the rice uncovered until the broth is absorbed.
5. Finally, cover the pot tightly and reduce the temperature until the rice is cooked.
6. Cut the chicken into pieces, then serve over the rice and garnish with tomatoes and cucumbers.
7. Add chili sauce or other spices to taste.

The Satay and Hainanese Chicken Rice recipes are just simple tastebud teasers to give food lovers an idea of what the annual food festival has to offer. After savoring a preview of what Chinese cuisine-infused Singaporean food is all about, expect a bigger culinary feast in next year’s Singapore Food Festival.

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CHICKEN ADOBO IN COCONUT CREAM

Chicken Adobo in Coconut cream is my favorite adobo of all time. It’s actually a comfort food, a childhood memory. Sadly, I don’t often cook this because two family members don’t really like dishes with coconut milk. This is actually simple to cook. If you don’t have time to prepare coconut milk, just use the ready to mix coconut milk powder at the grocery.

Ingredients

1/2 head garlic, minced

1 medium onion, sliced

1 1/2 kilos chicken cut into serving pieces

2 tablespoons cooking oil (I prefer Pure Olive Oil)

2 cups thin coconut cream (Check on how to prepare coconut cream or buy 2 packs coconut milk powder)

salt and pepper to taste

1 small green papaya (cubed)

1/3 cup vinegar

2 cups thick coconut cream (Check on how to prepare coconut cream or buy 2 packs coconut milk powder)

Procedure

1. Prepare coconut cream or if you are busy, just buy 2 packs coconut milk powder and follow instructions.

2. In a saucepan, saute garlic, onion and chicken pieces in hot oil.

2. Pour thin coconut cream and simmer for a few minutes.

3. When chicken is almost done, add the papaya, vinegar, salt and pepper.

4. Bring to boil and add the thick cream.

5. Cook 5 more minutes until sauce thickens.

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