At Home with Hippocrene

We're introducing a new feature at Hippocrene Cooks called At Home with Hippocrene. Colette Laroya, our editorial assistant, will periodically try a recipe from our cookbook collection at home and share the results. We hope you enjoy this first edition!

A few months ago I married into a large, loving Filipino family. I had never tasted Filipino food before my husband and I started dating, and I quickly learned to love the staples of family parties: crispy lumpia, pancit, chicken adobo, pork menudo, kare-kare, and leche flan. I astounded them with my love of rice, and the fact that I grew up with the same imported jasmine brand they used. So when it came to deciding which cookbook to try first, I knew it would have to be Fine Filipino Food.

I have spent many hours as an observer over the years, but I had never tried to make the dishes myself. My mother-in-law doesn't cook, so my husband wasn't able to offer any advice. I chose Chicken Adobo with Coconut Milk because adobo, as Bartell notes, "could very well be called the national dish of the Philippines" and for its simplicity. I knew the dish was a success when I kept catching my husband taking pieces from the pot!

Chicken Adobo with Coconut Milk

(as featured in Fine Filipino Food, page 57)

Serves 4

1 (2-pound) chicken, cut into serving-size pieces

1 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

2 bay leaves

1/2 Tbsp black peppercorns

1 Tbsp raw or brown sugar

1 tsp patis (fish sauce) or 1 tsp salt, or to taste

1 (12-oz) can coconut milk

Directions:

1. Mince the garlic. First remove the brown end of the clove, then crush it under the flat of your knife (I used about 12 medium-sized cloves to make 1/4 cup).

2. Combine the garlic with the vinegar, soy sauce, ground pepper, bay leaves, peppercorns and brown sugar in a non-aluminum 4-quart pot. Aluminum interacts chemically with vinegar and affects the flavor. I used a stainless steel stock pot, but you can also use ceramic, glass, or wrought iron cookingware.

3. Mix well and add in the chicken. I used a chicken breast of the same weight to avoid cutting up a whole chicken. (However, you might have complaints about the lack of drumsticks.) Marinade for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.

4. Place the pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. (This is a good time to start your rice cooker.) You can remove the chicken and broil them 1 to 2 minutes on each side, but I skipped this step in the interest of simplicity. One-pot meals are easy to clean up!

5. Add the patis (or salt) and coconut milk and boil until it has been reduced by half. You'll see it take on lighter, creamier color. Remove the bay leaves. Serve over a bed of rice with the sauce.

The moist, tender chicken stands on its own, but you can round out your meal with steamed broccoli or Jicama Salad (page 41). The crisp jicama is perfect for a light summer salad.

Biko

Filipino sweet rice is not only a traditional New Year’s Eve treat; it is an easy-to-make dessert anytime. Malagkit, coconut cream, and monggo are available in Asian supermarkets.

2 cups malagkit or sweet rice
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 (15-ounce) can coconut cream
1 cup monggo or mung beans


Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the rice, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Using a skillet, caramelize the brown sugar over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, and then add the coconut cream. Reserve 3/4 cup of this mixture.

Add the rice to the brown sugar and coconut mixture. Stir frequently over medium heat until the rice is soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Spread on a cookie sheet.

Boil the mung beans in 1/2 cup water for 5 to 6 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly, and mash until the mixture is smooth.

Combine the mashed mung beans with the reserved brown sugar mixture in a saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Spread on top of the rice and place under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the top is a golden brown. Cut into squares and serve with ginger tea.
Yields 18 to 20 squares.

Tip: Malagkit or sweet rice is also known as glutinous rice, sticky rice, sushi rice, Chinese sweet rice, waxy rice, mochi rice, Japanese rice, and pearl rice. Despite its names, this rice is neither sweet nor glutinous. It is a sticky, short-grain rice widely used by Asians.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Arroz con Leche (Spanish-Style Rice Pudding)

Another great Spanish recipe, from A Spanish Family Cookbook:

Most households have their own special recipe for rice pudding, but in most cases in Spain the pudding is cooked in a saucepan on top of the stove rather than in the oven, and incorporates a beaten egg yolk to give a rich and creamy result. This is one of our favorite recipes for arroz con leche.

Serves 4.

generous ¼ cup short-grain rice
¼ cup sugar (or more, to taste)
rind of 1 lemon--cut into long strips
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons butter
1 egg yolk--beaten
3 cups water
ground cinnamon to decorate

Mix the beaten egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of cold milk and set aside.

Put the rice in a saucepan with the water. When it starts to boil, lower heat and allow to cook for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a sieve and drain off water. Put the remaining milk and lemon rind into the saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and add the drained rice to the milk. Mix well and allow to cook gently until the milk is almost absorbed and the rice is soft. Discard the lemon rind. Then stir in the sugar, butter and beaten egg yolk and mix well. Cook gently stirring occasionally, until the sugar, milk and egg yolk have been absorbed and the pudding is rich and creamy. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Rice Pudding (Arroz Doce)

Another recipe from Cherie Hamilton:

This dessert is almost obligatory at wedding receptions. In certain regions of Portugal and the Madeira Islands, rice pudding was used as a way of announcing an impending wedding and of introducing the groom to the bride’s relatives and friends. The local girls, with the bride’s mother and the groom, would visit families that they knew and offer a dish of rice pudding in a shallow basket covered with a hand embroidered cloth. Custom also calls for the party to return a week later to collect the basket and dish and for the bride to receive a wedding gift. This pudding is also enjoyed on holidays and special occasions throughout the Portuguese-speaking world.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

1¼ cups short grain rice
4 cups milk
1 lemon peel
1 ¼ cups sugar
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Place the rice in a large pot, add the milk, and bring to a simmer. Add the lemon peel and the sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked, about 25 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat and let cool for 30 minutes.

Add the egg yolks to the rice one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Return the rice mixture to the stove and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour into a serving dish, cool, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Sprinkle the pudding with cinnamon before serving, using a doily over the rice to create a pattern. Some cooks sprinkle the cinnamon in the shape of letters, hearts or other designs.

If your mate speaks Portuguese, you may want to give this recipe a look before heading here.

Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Seasoned Chickpeas with Tomatoes (Channa Masala)

Here's another recipe from Priti Chitnis Gress:

This recipe is one I often suggest for people who are trying Indian cooking for the first time. It has only a few ingredients and all of them are found at local grocery stores these days. Chickpeas are so nutritious with their protein and fiber content and more and more people are looking for easy vegetarian alternatives now. There are so many ways to serve this recipe: over hot basmati rice, with chappatis, stuffed into pita bread, and even pureed in a blender and used as sort of spicy hummus dip. I’ve even served this to my daughter with rice when she was a toddler. It is an easy-to-prepare, filling, and most importantly tasty meal!

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 teaspoons oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 large tomato, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon garlic-ginger paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in medium-size pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, and sauté until softened. Add the chopped tomato and continue to sauté until the tomatoes break down, forming a sauce. Reduce the heat slightly, and add the chickpeas and tomato paste, stirring to combine the ingredients. Add 1/4 cup of water.

Add the salt, cayenne pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and garlic-ginger paste. Stir until the ingredients are well combined, adding more water if the mixture gets too dry.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Top with fresh cilantro before serving.

Questions about this recipe--or about Indian cooking in general? Leave a comment and Priti will respond!

You can use this map to locate authentic Gujarati cuisine, or you can just pick up a copy of Priti's cookbook.

Moujadara (Lentils and Rice with Crispy Onions)

Our recipe for this week comes from another one of our more recent releases, The Lebanese Cookbook by Hussien Dekmak, owner and head chef of Le Mignon in London. Says Dekmak:

This is always a favorite at my restaurant, Le Mignon. You can use either brown or green lentils, but I find that brown lentils give a much better result.

moujadara

Serves 4

generous 1 cup brown or green dried lentils, rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup basmati rice
salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin

for the crispy onions
vegetable oil
4 tablespoons sliced onion




Place the lentils in a deep saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes, then drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a lidded saucepan, add the chopped onion and fry until browned. Add the rice, cooked lentils, salt, pepper and cumin and just enough water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and stir occasionally until the rice is cooked, 15 minutes. Place in a serving dish.

For the crispy onions, pour vegetable oil into a deep skillet to the depth of about 2 inches. Heat well and deep-fry the sliced onion until brown and crispy. Remove from the skillet and arrange on top of the lentil and rice mixture. Serve hot.

Photography by Martin Brigdale.