These Wings were made to be devoured

When I was a child, I always wanted to have fried chicken for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  When people in the US watch the Superbowl, they munch on chicken wings be it buffalo, chili garlic ,or  garlic parm. The Koreans have their own style of cooking fried chicken thus, the birth of BONCHON. There are even fast food establishments which cater to fried chicken fanatics, there’s KFC (love their hot and spicy), Mcdonald’s, and of course the Filipino favorite, Jollibee!

Fried Chicken is an all-time fave of people young and old. Even dogs would finish off the bones for you (just don’t feed them the small ones, they might choke and you wouldn't want that on your conscience!)

The way I do my chicken, is I veer away from the commercialized breading mixes found on grocery shelves. It’s very high in sodium and lessens the nutritional value of the food. I just use the usual flour/egg/cornstarch/breadcrumbs mixture or just season it with salt and pepper then fry it “naked”.

In this recipe, I seasoned the chicken with a little extra love and care.

I’m kidding!

I've received a ton of requests for this recipe, even from friends and family and honestly I didn't want to give it away but due to insistent demand, here’s the recipe for my chili garlic and garlic parm wings! Yeeey!

So, for this recipe, I just fry the chicken “naked”. Meaning no bread crumbs, no breading. Just a few spices. The secret to this recipe is in the sauce.

CHILI GARLIC AND GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN WINGS

I tried to make it more presentable, but I was too excited to eat 'em wings. 

THE CHICKEN:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo chicken wings
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1  tsp pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• optional: MSG (but i don't use this)

What to do with the chicken:

1. Clean the wings and cut the wings at the joints, making it into three parts.
2. Place in a bowl and marinate with the remaining ingredients. Leave it for 15 to 30 minutes.
3. Heat the  oil in a pan.
4. Fry the wings until golden brown. Set aside on a plate lined with paper towel.

THE CHILI GARLIC SAUCE:

Ingedients:

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 stick butter
• 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce 

How to:

1. In a small bowl, add garlic and butter. Pop in the microwave for about a minute or until the butter is melted. You may also heat the mixture in a pan if in case you don't have a microwave.
2. Mix in the hot sauce. You may add a few more tablespoons if you want it a little more spicier.
3. Pour the sauce on top of the wings and toss until homogeneously combined.

THE GARLIC PARMESAN SAUCE

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• chopped fresh parsley

How to:

In a small bowl, add garlic and butter. Pop in the microwave for about a minute or until the butter is melted. You may also heat the mixture in a pan if in case you don't have a microwave.

Pour the sauce on top of the wings. Add the Parmesan and toss until homogeneously combined.

Sprinkle with parsley.

Enjoy this as a "pica-pica" on a Saturday night with your friends while enjoying a bottle of ice cold beer, or at a meal with your family. I hope you love it!

Yum - Oh!

DIY: Steamed Pork Rice

Everybody knows that Cebu is famous for their tasty and succulent roasted pig, "Lechon". However, it is not known to tourists that Cebu is also popular for the Dim Sum dish, Steamed Pork Rice (a.k.a Pork Steamed Rice). During lunch hour, locals flock to the nearest Dim Sum resto and have a bowl of this famous dish. Its fast, easy, and delicious!

I remember when I was still in grade school, my mom used to bring me to Lumpia House or Harbor City everyday because I wouldn't eat anything else. I was addicted to this bowl of porky goodness, and to this day, it is still my go-to comfort food.

It's basically fried rice topped with a steaming  thick stew-like delicious mixture of pork and peas. The smell of the dish itself is enough to make my mouth water.Some like their steamed rice dry, but I love 'em soupy. I often pair this with fried wantons or shanghai rolls because they compliment the thick texture of the pork toppings, and if you add a little sweet and sour sauce it will make your taste buds roar. Trust me, your mouth is going to have a party once you taste this dish.

I tried this at home a few days ago, and it was gone in one sitting!

Try it and tell me what you think.

Steamed Pork Rice

Makes: 3
Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 green onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 cup green peas (frozen,fresh, or preserved)
1/2 cup dried shrimp (you may also use fresh medium sized shrimp, cleaned and deveined)
250 grams pork sirloin (cubed) - you may also use "adobo cut" pieces, just make sure to chop it into bite-size bits
1/2 cup cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup of cold water
3 cups of water
1/4 cup soy sauce
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. sesame oil
3 cups fried rice
1 tbsp vegetable oil

How to cook:

1. Heat oil in pan. Saute garlic and onions until caramelized or until the onions are translucent.
2. Put in pork and stir occasionally until all sides are cooked. Season with salt and pepper. You may add the shrimps at this point.
3. Pour in water and bring to a boil.
4. Add in cornstarch mixture and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix well.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve on top of fried rice.

Tips:

• Fry rice in a tablespoon of sesame oil and add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce to add color.Mix well.
• You can add artificial flavors (MSG), if desired.
• If you are using preserved peas or dried shrimp, make sure to wash thoroughly.
• You may add more cornstarch mixture if you want a thicker sauce.
• Best served when hot.

Enjoy!

請享用。

No Leftovers Please!

I hate throwing leftovers. There are people out there scavenging for food and starving to death, and some are just unconcerned and putting food to waste. My heart breaks every time I see kids sleeping on cold pavements, and knocking on car windows begging for food. So, every time I eat out and I can't finish my meal, I ask for a takeaway bag and give it to vagrants roaming the streets. They'll be more than happy to finish it for me.

If I'm at home and there are leftovers in the fridge, I deconstruct them and transform them into another dish or just make something else to compliment it instead of just letting food go down the drain. In today's case, I had some leftover Aglio Olio from yesterday. I decided to pair it with Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops to give my meal an "All Italian" feel.

PARMESAN CRUSTED PORK CHOPS

Ingredients:

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup Italian breading (if you can’t find that in the supermarket, you can use a mixture of breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning)

2-3 slices pork chop (deboned)

1 egg (beaten)

2 tbsp olive oil

Steps:

1.       Coat the chops in Parmesan cheese. Tap excess.

2.       Dip in egg until well coated.

3.       Coat with Italian breading.

4.       Heat olive oil in a pan.  Pan fry chops until golden brown. 5 minutes on each side.

 And if you still have leftovers (which I highly doubt), you can always make it into a Frittata!

BUON APPETITO!