Wednesday 2 July 2014

Asadong Manok : AFF Philippines


When I served this Asadong Manok, I imagined that this conversation would take place at the dinner table :
Him : (looking curiously at the Asadong Manok) Hamik lai? (what is this?)
Me : This is Asadong Manok.
Him : From Terengganu one, ah?
Me : (aiyah this fellow ah...) No, this is a Filipino dish.
Him : (asking gleefully) U phian lang boh? (Got bluff people or not?)
Me : (aiyah this fellow ah...) No, this is really a Filipino dish.

I never know what to expect from my partner when I cook a foreign dish (this includes my Terengganu mari dishes) and I try to anticipate his reaction. I do worry. When he took his first mouthful and went "Hmmm!!", I knew I could relax.



When I looked at this recipe, I figured that it was a tomato based chicken stew. But for 1kg of chicken only 2 tomatoes are used and there was no mention of tomato puree or tomato sauce. It was only later when I checked the video on YouTube that I noted tomato sauce was one of the ingredients. That's the risk of cooking something that you have never eaten before and there is always a risk that the recipe is incomplete. Anyway, I adjusted the seasoning by adding some tomato ketchup because the taste was not quite right.


My partner kept digging in. He was clearly relishing the Asadong Manok whereas the dish was just OK for me. Maybe it was a case of the person doing the cooking usually does not enjoy the food as much. I reckon that it would taste better the next day as most stews do. But there was no way of finding out because this was what was left of my maiden Asadong Manok :


Boh liao!
I felt like giving my partner a medal :) Before washing my pyrex dish, I decided to just finish up the gravy. Waste not, want not. Good grief! It tasted so good! Too late hah...hah...



Please check the recipe and video here should you want to try this dish. The recipe I am giving below is my adaptation of the incomplete recipe because that was what I actually cooked that evening.










Asadong Manok
Recipe source : Adapted from Panlasang Pinoy Meaty Recipes

Ingredients :
- 3 chicken legs, drumstick and thighs separated
- 1/8 cup vinegar
- 2 tbsp soya sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, pounded
- 2 big onions, sliced
- 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 4 potatoes, quartered
- 1 small red pepper, sliced
- 1 small green pepper, sliced
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- cooking oil
- 1 cup tomato ketchup

Method :
1. Combine chicken pieces with vinegar, soya sauce, pepper and garlic. Let stand for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and fry potatoes until golden brown.
3. Saute onions until slightly brown and add tomatoes. Saute until tomatoes are mushy.
4. Drain chicken pieces and stir fry in the onion and tomatoes.
5. Add paprika, bay leaf, pepper and simmer for 30 minutes until chicken is tender.
6. Add red and green pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Add tomato ketchup and adjust for seasoning.
8. Add the fried potatoes and serve.

Note : I did not add water because the chicken released enough water. I also thickened the gravy using cornflour.




I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest - Philippines hosted by The Sweet Spot.

43 comments:

  1. Morning Phong Hong.. When I see asadong manok, I really have idea hamik lai, haha.. I gotta read your whole post, look at the ingredients, try to imagine, then only can comment here.. Else, bikin malu (Meow's copyright), dunno what to write, then malu lor, haha..
    Wow, your partner finished the whole casserole? Must be sedap, babe! I saw chicken and potatoes and tomatoes and onions. All my favourites too.. And since you "drank" all the gravy before washing, must be double sedap !!

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    1. Hi Louiz! I think he must have been very hungry lah, that's why. It tasted just OK for me but don't know why when I drink the chap before washing it tasted sedap pulak. hah..hah...maybe too tension during makan time because this is a new dish.

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  2. That sure looks good. Looking at the ingredients, it seems more like a western stew - maybe the influence of their Spanish colonists before.

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    1. Arthur, you are right. This is pretty much a chicken stew and if I had added some tomato paste or a bit more tomato ketchup, it would have been perfect.

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  3. it is so happy that others love our cooking especially spouse lol.

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    1. Jess, I agree but sometimes scared not ngam his taste hah...hah....

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  4. i also have no idea hamik lai when i see this Asadong Manok, i went to google about this thing and i got Chicken Asado, so probably Manok means chicken in Tagalog huh?? it looks nice here, way nicer than many photos i googled just now, hahaha!! i love those potatoes, they looked like fishballs to me, before i read the recipe and also after i read the recipe, haha!! needless to say, if your partner can dig everything and finish the bowl clean, that means it's really good!! ah, those gravy, no encore for two more bowls of rice?? haha~~ :D

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    1. Hi SK! Wah, do research some more, ah? Yes, this is chicken asado and I purposely put the Tagalog name to make it more mysterious hah..hah..I was happy my partner liked it so much. It was OK for me but towards the end I found the gravy very delicious. But too late everything finished liao. But can always cook again :)

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  5. I love trying out new dishes!! I wont ask "hamik lai".. will just dig in and put inside my mouth.. then I will say... hmmmm.... so YUMMY!! Next time you also must not be so slow.. otherwise only the sauce will be left... hahaahaha...

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    1. Hi Claire! I am always nervous when trying new dishes. Who knows it could turn out disaster and taste funny. But luckily this one was so popular hah..hah...

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  6. The name can be somehow Terengganu sounding. Hahaha

    Man... those are droolworthy lah!

    Like Reana claire, I also will just wallop. LOL

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    1. Actually, hor? Thanks for the compliments lah, Lina. But I wasn't drooling during dinner hah..hah...

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  7. Hi Phong Hong,
    Your dish looks very appetizing! So fast bo liao? Next time must cook double, any leftovers must taste really good the next day! Throwing away the gravy is such a waste, a good idea to finish it all up! I would do that too sometimes, "bandaraya" of the house! Hahaha!

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    1. Hi Joyce! I cooked 3 chicken legs hoping that at least there will be a drumstick or thigh left hah..hah...but I was glad it was all gone, testament to the fact that this is a good dish after all. I would gladly do the "bandaraya" job at every family makan and trust me we have many volunteers hah...hah...

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  8. Hi Phong Hong,

    The next time, you must rest a while after cooking and before serving your food... See lah! You are too slow now... Good that you have less gravy to wash :p

    Zoe

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    1. Hi Zoe! Yah, I should relax then only got appetite hah..hah...

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  9. Hi Phong Hong, I know this is Filipino dish cos' of the word 'Manok' means chicken. I ate this at a friend's place at Cebu. Very flavourful.

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    1. Hi Kimmy! So you have been to the Philippines! I am trying out a few more of their dishes. Don't know why I am so adventurous these days hee..hee..

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  10. Replies
    1. It's not bad if you like sweet and sour tomato flavour.

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  11. Phong Hong, most important is the people we cook for enjoying it right? Sometimes when I make something new (and dunno how it taste like), I also get nervous cos I'm worried that my kids/husband wont like it..... then I will keep asking them... nice or not nice or not...... and if they eat eat eat without stopping, then I can finally feel happy about it.

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    1. Yen, I totally agree! When they enjoy the food, we feel so happy!

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  12. friend,
    Look at the "only gravy left over" bowl, I know this will be another keeper recipe.
    You always daring to try out something new, thumb up for you !

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    1. Thank you, Aunty Young! I got lucky with this recipe :)

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  13. Hi Phong Hong, this tasted sourish? Vinegar, tomato ketcup ... anyway, will bookmark this to try out.

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    1. Hi Karen! This dish has some sort of sweet and sour taste. Make sure you add enough tomato sauce.

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  14. sometimes ketchup seems to be a good kitchen assistant:)

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  15. Looks like its a Ho Chiak, woh! Chiak ka liao liao! Must give it a try one day :)

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    1. hee..hee..the people in my house are very "gau chiak"!

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  16. Replies
    1. Hi Sonia! Yes, must make enough "chap" for the rice, then only nice :)

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  17. Phong Hong, do you ever run out of chicken recipes?...don't think so! I thought I made a lot of chicken dishes; but you have wayyy more creative chicken dishes, than I do! Most of the time, I don't even bother taking photos of my chicken stews, but now that I see yours, I am totally craving this beautiful, colorful and super delicious chicken stew!

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    1. Hi Elisabeth! Oh I love my chicken hah,,hah..and I always look out for new chicken recipes. And I've bookmarked so many to try!

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  18. LOL, I had a good laugh reading your post Phong Hong! I totally understand how you can only relax after THE MAN has taken the first bite and passed judgement on the dish. I am not crazy about tomatoes but I can appreciate the slight sourness they must have imparted to the dish. Can't be too bad since it was Boh liao!!! :D

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    1. Hi Diana! We do want to please THE MAN don't we? hah..hah...If he is happy, then we are happy :)

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  19. Luckily you have enough experience reading through the recipe to spot that it needs more than just the two tomatoes!

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    1. Oh yes, Vi Vian! Or else that dish would have been a disaster!

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  20. This looks appetizing and nice. I have tasted many unusual cooking by my sister's Filipino maid who is excellent chef. I would say their food is often in between Asian, Portugese and Spanish! Slurpss!

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    1. Hi TM! I was pleasantly surprised that most of the Filipino recipes are quite similar to our food here. Especially their fried noodles.

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  21. Good that you are an experience cook and spotted the discrepancy right away.

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    1. Or else it would have been a disaster, Edith!

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  22. Okay so I thought I was the only one that loved these kind of things lol. I love liver, kidney, heart pretty much everything inside if its cook just right! These recipes jus made my day! Now I can try it with different veriety of tastes. Yummy!https://pinoyreplaychannel.su/

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