THAI STICKY RICE AND MANGO DESSERT

Sticky rice is enjoyed in the east as in the west. Although treated differently, they are usually made into comforting desserts. 

CAJUN JAMBALAYA

 

As a Filipino, I thoroughly connect to the taste of Jambalaya. Apart from the herbs and spices, it could have been a Filipino dish. We like all-in-one rice dishes like this because all the ingredients contribute to making the rice very flavourful.

THAI STYLE PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

It is time to prepare for the Chinese New Year and I want to use up the leftovers from the Christmas past. Frozen peas, frozen corn, frozen ham, frozen prawns spell fried rice. I would have made yang chow fried rice but we happened to have a pineapple so I decided to make pineapple fried rice for a change.

ARROZ ALA CUBANA

Rice is so important to the Asian culture so much so that the Chinese greeting "Chifanle meiyou?" directly translates as "Have you eaten (rice) yet?". The concept of food revolves around rice and what can be eaten with it. In the Philippines, it is not uncommon to ask or be asked "Ano ang ulam ninyo?" which means "What  is your viand?" or "What are you eating with rice?". It is not a poking question but, since it is one of the most important daily concerns, people tend to talk about it, much like talking about the weather.

FOOKIEN FRIED RICE

 If this rice sounds Greek to you, you may be more enlightened if I call it Hokkien fried rice. Still doesn't ring a bell? How about house special fried rice? Most restaurants call it that and it was only after a few years of eating it did I know what it was actually called. 

ARROZ VALENCIANA

The Christmas celebration in the Philippines is long and elaborate . Being predominantly Catholic, the festivities revolve around the religious significance of the occasion. Family and friends all join in to celebrate together. What better way is there to celebrate than with food.

YANG CHOW FRIED RICE

Yang Chow or Yeung Chow fried rice is a rice dish that is more simply as listed special fried rice in restaurant menus. What's special about it is that it is a complete meal in itself although it may also be eaten with other dishes.

CHICKEN ARROZ CALDO

The healing and comforting properties of chicken soup is legendary and is known and accepted worldwide. Each country has their own kind of chicken soup. It is one dish that is best when home made. The love and care that went into making it is what makes it taste so delicious.

SEAFOOD PAELLA

Paella has a wow factor in its presentation.  All the seafood arranged nicely on top of the rice never fails to impress and evoke anticipation of the tastes soon to be savoured. A well cooked paella never disappoints. Both the richly flavoured rice and the assortment of seafood provides well over the expected gustatory delights.

This is an easy and fool proof recipe that will give you a perfect paella each time. All the ingredients contribute to the success of the dish, so choose them well. You can vary the assortment and quantity of the toppings depending on what you like or what you have on hand. It is like a pizza with rice as the base. 

You can throw in anything you like. The only thing you have to measure exactly is the rice and the liquid. The ratio is 1 cup of rice to  1 1/4 cup of stock. This will result to a perfectly cooked rice. A good quality stock is vital to this dish as it provides the flavour for the rice. 

I used a good homemade fish stock using fish bones and all the trimmings from the squid plus bouquet garni, onions and carrots. You can also add prawn shells, if you have any. I always save the shells from my prawns when I peel them and stash them in the freezer. I used long grain rice instead of paella rice because I find that it absorbs all the flavours better and cooks more evenly. I pre-cooked the dish on the stove top and finished it in the oven. 

This recipe will happily serve 6-8 people. 

Ingredients:


olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, cubed
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. uncooked long grain rice
2 1/2 c. rich fish stock
1 pinch of saffron or 1 tsp. kasubha (wild saffron)
1/2 sweet red pepper, cut into squares
12-20 whole shell on prawns
5 whole squids cut into 1" wide pieces
20 mussels
1/2 c. frozen green peas, blanched


Method:


Pre-heat the oven to 350º F/ 180º C. 

Boil some of the stock and use to parboil the mussels just until it opens. Drain. Add the mussel liquid back to the stock. This is the exact amount (2 1/2 c.) you'll need to cook the rice. 

Wash the rice and drain. 

In a clean paella pan or ordinary pan, fry the prawns in 3 tbsps. of olive oil on medium high heat until the shells become a bright orange colour. Transfer to a dish and set aside. 

Fry the squid in the same pan briefly just until it turns opaque. Transfer to a dish. 

In the same pan, saute the garlic for 2 minutes. Add the rice, tomato paste and the saffron and stir well until the grains are coated with oil. 

Add the sweet pepper and the 2 1/2 c. of stock. Stir, then bring to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings. The liquid should be a little over salted as it will be absorbed by the rice. Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. 

After 15 minutes, uncover, add the green peas, stir and fluff up the rice. Arrange the prawns, squid and mussels decoratively on top. If there are juices from the seafood, drizzle them over the rice. Cover with the foil again and bake for another 5 minutes. 

Take out of the oven, keeping the cover on, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Thanks for dropping by. It would be nice if we could meet up on FACEBOOK or TWITTER. 

JAVA RICE (PAPRIKA RICE)

This dish is my version of a very popular rice dish in the Philippines called Java rice. It is in no way connected to the place Java. It was popularized by a restaurant called Aristocrat which is known for their barbecue chicken. 

ADOBO RICE

Adobo is the legendary Filipino dish that is as much Filipino as the people themselves. We Filipinos eat it at least once a week. As time wears on, the popularity doesn't waver but does quite the opposite. On bread, wraps, salads, they are equally good. There will be more new ways to eat adobo in the future, I'm sure.

SWEET SUSHI

Kakanin is a collective term for rice based sweet Filipino snacks and cakes. The root word kanin simply means rice. These snacks lost their popularity when the Western fast food chains reached the Philippine shores and influenced the tastes of the mall going public. Their popularity has been revived in the recent years when they, too, were sold in malls and supermarkets.

STEAMED PRAWNS ON EGG FRIED RICE

The beginning of the Chinese new year falls on the 3rd of February this year. It is the year of the metal rabbit in the Chinese zodiac and is, as usual, welcomed with festive decorations, gift giving, firecrackers, family reunions and, of course, the all important food fest. It is believed that food has symbolism and eating them on events such as this will bring whatever good tidings they represent. 

ARROZ CON POLLO Y CHORIZO

A lot of countries have their rice-and-something recipes. Of course, everyone knows the Spanish paella which is rice, a variety of seafood, and mixed meats. The Jamaicans have their simple rice and peas (which is actually beans) and we Filipinos have the Filipinized version of the Arroz Valenciana and the bringhe, both of which have chicken among other things. It usually has a long list of ingredients and is reserved for special occasions. 

This dish has the key components that most people like: chicken and rice. Better yet, it is a one dish meal and it is quick and easy to cook. Sounds perfect right? But it gets better. There are only a few ingredients which includes chorizo and olives. I used ordinary Milagrosa rice but you can also use whatever rice you normally use, such as Thai jasmine or long grain. The rice absorbs all the flavours of the ingredients resulting in the best shortcut meal ever. 

Ingredients:

6-8 chicken thighs
2 1/2 tsps. salt
6 pieces of small or 3 medium chorizo (about 100gms.), sliced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes, sliced (I used the ones in oil; dried ones may be used)
12 pimiento stuffed olives
2 c. uncooked rice (I used Thai Jasmine rice)
2 1/2 c. chicken stock or water
1/4 c. dry sherry
1 tbsp. paprika
2 tsps. sugar
ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsps. olive oil

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 300° F/150° C. 

Season the chicken thighs with the salt. 

Heat up a paella pan or ordinary frying pan and drizzle the 2 tbsps. of olive oil. Fry the chicken thighs on medium high heat until browned. 

Add the chorizo slices and stir fry until the oil turns red. Add the garlic, onions and sun dried tomatoes and fry until the onions are translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients (including the browned chicken), stir very well and bring to a boil. Simmer for two minutes. Check the seasonings. 

The dish can continue to cook in the paella pan or if a frying pan was used, may be transferred to an oven proof dish. Arrange the chicken on top of the rice, scraping off the grains of rice from the surface of the chicken and cover with foil. 

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring the rice after at half time (move the chicken aside before stirring, and arrange them on top of the rice again) and re-cover with foil. When its done, take out of the oven, keeping the foil lid on, and let rest for 10 minutes. It is then ready to enjoy

All rights reserved ©Adora's Box Copyright 2011. 

Please support Adora's Box by making your Amazon.com and mymemories.com (use the code STMMMS55174) purchases from this site. Click on their respective banners to proceed to their websites. It will not cost you a single cent more but will help sustain this blog. Thank you.

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Catalan Fideua

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Thanks for dropping by. It would be nice if we could meet up on FACEBOOK or TWITTER. 

NASI LEMAK (TAMARIND FISH AND COCONUT RICE)

My husband had to go to the Malaysian Embassy last week. When he came home, he brought back a treat that really excites me: nasi lemak! Yes, that excites me.

NASI AYAM (HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE)

Chicken rice is sold everywhere in Malaysia, be it in air conditioned restaurants or in the iconic hawker stalls. It is equally delicious anywhere you eat it. The chicken is gently simmered with aromatics and simply brushed with sesame oil.  Served with the broth in which the chicken was cooked in, chicken flavoured rice and chilli sauce, it is the perfect meal that one can never tire of.