The Philippines is south of China, North of Indonesia, and no where near
Latin America. Thus, you may be wondering why I have a Filipino dish on
my Latino page.
In 1521 Fedinand Magellan reached the island of Samar and claimed the entire archipelago for Spain. 44 years later when Philip II became king of Spain colonial rule was established that lasted about three centuries. Following the Spanish American War the United States got control of the Philippines in the Treaty of Paris of 1898. By the End of WWW II, the Philippines became independent. Spanish and Asian influences can both be found in their cooking styles. In addition, I just happen to like Filipino cooking and the following is one of my favorite dishes.
1 cup white or cider vinegar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons peeled and crushed garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 pounds of chicken (large pieces or hacked small)
2 ½ pounds pork butt cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil (optional)
¼ cup of red wine (optional)
hot sauce or dried hot peppers (optional)
1/2 cup to 1 full cup of brown sugar (optional)
Variation: Some Latin countries have an almost identical recipe, except they add the optional ingredients: red wine, hot sauce, and brown sugar. These are not traditional additions in the Philippines.
You can use either your favorite chicken pieces (thighs and legs are frequently used) or "hack" one whole chicken. Hacking refers to cutting a whole chicken into small pieces with the bone still in. Leaving the bone in the pieces helps to retain moisture and shape. You do not want to make this dish with boneless chicken.
In a large pot bring to a boil the vinegar, water, garlic, salt, bay leaves, hot pepper, and black pepper. Add the cut up meat cover with the brown sugar and once again bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Add the soy sauce and the wine and cook an additional 10 minutes.
Remove the meat and continue cooking the sauce until it is reduced by half.
Optional: While the sauce continues to cook, you may want to brown the chicken and pork pieces in a hot skillet with the peanut oil. If you used large chicken pieces (ie leg quarters) skip this step.
Serve the meat and the sauce over white rice.