Slowly Roasted Chicken - A Dish That You Can Never Forget

You might have tasted different varieties of chicken but slowly roasted chicken is a completely different dish. What makes slowly roasted chicken unique is its taste, flavor and color. The popularity of slowly roasted chicken could be evaluated simply by the fact that it is one of the most demanded dishes in hotels and restaurants all over the world. Here are the main ingredients required to prepare this dish.

Chicken 1.6 kgRoasting potatoes 1 kgGarlic heads 2White wine 100 mlChicken stock 100 mlRosemary 2 stemsBay leaves 6Lemon 1

How is slowly roasted chicken prepared?

First of all, heat the oven to 160 degrees. Take the butter and slowly rub it all over the roasting tin. Rub the skin of the chicken with butter as well. Then, put the chicken in the tin and place the potatoes around it. Add the half cut garlic heads into the tin. Along with it, pour in the white wine and stock. After that, properly cover it with foil and put it in the oven. Cook it well for 1 hour and then get rid of the foil. Then shake the potatoes. Include the bay leaves and the lemon wedges and cook it for another fifty minutes. This time, cook it without covering it. After that, slowly turn the heat up to 220 degrees. Then cook it for 30 minutes. Then, take the bird and potatoes out of the pan. Again, cover it with foil. Allow it to set for 10 minutes. Then, start carving it. Keep the potatoes warm. Now, the slowly roasted bird is ready to be served.

Slowly Roasted Garlic Chicken

Slowly roasted garlic chicken belongs to the slowly roasted family. The only difference is that here garlic is the main ingredient. Ingredients necessary to make this dish are:

Chicken 1 (5 pounds)Kosher salt 2 tablespoonFreshly ground black pepper ½ teaspoonGarlic 4 headsOlive oil 2 tablespoonLemon 1Yellow onion 1Low sodium chicken broth 1 cup

How is it prepared?

Compound the salt and pepper in a small bowl. Take the bird and wipe it lightly with a garlic head. Then, wipe it with oil as well. Add salt and pepper as per your taste. Put a garlic head and the half cut lemon in the bird cavity. Arrange the bottom of the baking dish with the leftover garlic, lemon and onion. Place the bird on top of these and introduce the broth to the baking dish. Then cover it with foil properly. Roast the chicken for one hour. Then take the foil off and slowly rub the bird with the pan juices. Slowly raise the temperature up to 450 degrees F. Continue the process of roasting. Bask the chicken at regular intervals while roasting it. Make sure that the juicy part is completely removed. Roast it for 30 to 40 minutes. The skin becomes golden brown in color when it's ready. Allow it to cool. At the same time put the pan juices in a saucepan and boil them for 7 to 20 minutes under medium heat until they become thicker. Season them as per the need. Then, carve the chicken carefully. It would be ideal if you serve it with a garlic head and the pan sauces. This adds to the taste of the dish.

The appealing taste and the irresistible flavor of the slowly roasted chicken can definitely win anyone's heart.

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Jack 'n Jill Potato Chips Shake and Roll

Jack 'n Jill has been a loved brand for generations, and if I remember it right, my very first taste of potato chips was their classic Potato Chips. Over the course of years, snacking has evolved in so many ways, and if potato chips back then only comes in a few flavors, now, there are just so many flavors to choose from, but the problem was the availability and the price. Years ago, I got to watch an episode of The Apprentice UK where contestants had to create uniquely flavored potato chips to sell to the German market (you can watch that here). I actually hoped there will be unique flavors here, too - ones that would highlight the Asian flavors.


Recently, Universal Robina Corporation - through its Jack 'n Jill brand - launched a new evolution in the Potato Chips industry, the Shake and Roll. It is very interesting and unique way of eating potato chips, because not only does it come with unique flavors, it's also the only one (so far) with flavor bags - meaning, the crisps aren't flavored yet... you add the flavor to it.



I was invited to the product launch at Crowne Plaza Hotel, and because it is called Shake and Roll, and the Crew - who won in the 2012 World Hip Hop Dance Championship (Adult Crews category) - is the brand ambassador. Very fitting, eh? Well, the song and the dance steps were catchy and all... but I have two left feet that I truly can't even follow along. :)


So okay, let's talk more about the product. This is imported from URC China, so the packaging looks very foreign. Normally, I would complain with this kind of packaging because I couldn't understand what was written in there, but because this is a ready-to-eat food product, and that the picture instructions were very easy to follow, all is okay, afterall, the ingredients list and the nutrition information is written in English, so that's what mattered the most.

Jack 'n Jill Shake and Roll comes with two flavors - Salmon Sushi Wasabi and Unagi Kabayaki flavors. Each bag comes with two components inside: the potato chips bag and the flavor pack. All you have to do is to open the potato chips, transfer it to the bigger bag, open the flavor packet and sprinkle it over the potato chips, close the bag (it is a resealable bag, by the way) then shake and roll to distribute the flavor powder.


I am not a fan of wasabi, although I would say that the Salmon Sushi Wasabi flavor was actually good. My siblings love it so much, they were raving about how it truly tasted like salmon sushi wasabi, and even commented the only thing lacking was the soy sauce! Personally, I truly feel it the flavors were very exceptional - the Unagi Kabayaki flavor truly tasted like eating fish with glazing. I guess that's the best thing about this product - it was like eating the real thing.

Another thing I like with this product, you control the amount of flavoring you put into your crisps. The potato chips are actually seasoned very lightly so you can eat it as is... or if you want to go mild on the flavoring, you can just maybe half of what's on the pack... and of course, if you really want to enjoy the flavors, just pour it all in!

Jack 'n Jill Shake and Roll is now available in supermarkets at 35 pesos (standard retail price), and is best enjoyed with cold beverage.

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Azuthai's Chef J. Gamboa and Chef Malichat at the Maya Kitchen

After a few months of not attending the monthly featured class at The Maya Kitchen, I was back last Saturday for the Thai Cooking Class by chefs J. Gamboa and Malichat of Azuthai.

Chef J. Gamboa may look familiar because he's one of the very popular celebrity chefs here in the Philippines, and with so many things to do (he's currently a consultant for Family Mart), it was such a great chance to see and hear him share ways of preparing Thai dishes - the very same dishes foodies can devour on his restaurant, Azuthai. Based on his stories, I learned that he traveled to Thailand and immersed himself into weeks long of learning how to prepare different Thai dishes the way Thai people prepare and prefer it. The knowledge he gathered he brought to his restaurant, and now... to make Azuthai an authentic Thai restaurant, they welcomed chef Malichat into the Azuthai family.

Like all the classes I've attended at The Maya Kitchen, it was such an informal class. Anybody can interrupt and ask the chefs about the dishes being prepared - and students can also come to the front and watch closely as the dishes are cooked. For this class, they prepared five dishes:


Tom Yam Goong
{Hot and Sour Prawn Soup}

Whenever I see this at Thai restaurants, I always get intrigued at how balanced the flavors were. I learned that the fish sauce had to be same amount to the lemon juice. This dish was very easy to prepare, because it used the residual heat from the broth to continue cooking some of the ingredients so that it's just right to the bite.


Goong Pad Prik Katiem
Chili Garlic Prawns

Prawns... I love them, and this was the recipe I hope to learn for this class. Like the first dish, this was done within minutes because the prawns had just to be right so it won't become rubbery. One technique chef J shared - mix the seasoning in one bowl first before you start cooking, because if you didn't and the prawns change color, you won't have enough time to cook the dish perfectly. I personally prefer my prawns already peeled because the sauce would go straight to the meat, but I realized that cooking this with the peel still on add to the thrill of eating it. More rice? :)


Geng Kew Wan Gai
Green Chicken Curry

Though not part of my favorite dishes, curry is something I love to eat every now and then. As chef Malichat cooked this, she shared that there are actually different curry dishes in Thailand, each with its own distinct taste. At Azuthai, diners have the option to set the level of spiciness, but chef J suggest to have at least the mild spiciness to the curry because the spice and the coconut cream just goes well together.


Pla Naeng Ma Naw
Steamed Fish

This has got to be my favorite dish that day. It was super simple, but my gosh, it just tasted divine...and the sauce, super! And because I love it so much, I am sharing the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 piece Apahap (about 800g) - whole, scaled, gutted

to be placed inside the fish:

• 1 piece kaffir lime leaf
• 3 slices ginger (sliced)
• lemongrass (sliced, white part only)
• 1 stalk celery (sliced)
• 3 pieces spring onion  (sliced)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

for the sauce:

• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1.5 tablespoons palm sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons sugar
• 4 pieces chili (minced)
• 1 teaspoon garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon coriander, chopped

How to Cook:

1. Remove the spine of the fish from the back.
2. Put all the stuffing ingredients inside the fish. Steam fish for about 10 minutes.
3. When the fish is done, combine all ingredients for the sauce and pour over the fish.
4. For garnish, place three slices of green lemon and coriander leaf on top of the fish.

Palm sugar is different from brown sugar (us participants were given a taste of it) and is available in supermarkets. The most important lesson I learned for this class is that the success of Thai cooking is to use Thai products as well - no substitutions. Sure, you can use kalamansi to replace the lemon, but, you can't just substitute any other sugar for the palm sugar. 


Sticky Rice with Mango

The way this was prepared was very interesting. They used a basket to hold the rice and let the steam of the boiling water cook it, resulting soft rice without being soggy. It was very close to the traditional suman at mangga, but there was something in the rice that made it different in a good way.

I loved the class, but then again, I loved every class I attended at The Maya Kitchen. Sadly, I won't be able to attend June's featured class because I will be out of town, but come July or August, I will definitely attend again.

By the way, if you want to dine at Azuthai, their restaurant is located along A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road). Every weekend, you can also check out their booth at the Salcedo Weekend Market.

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Lunch Meal Sets at Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant

Slowly, I am learning how to fully appreciate Japanese cuisine. I still can't convince myself to eat raw seafood, but Japanese food is not only about Sashimi, so there are still plenty of choices. A few days ago, I got to try food at another Japanese Restaurant with my brother and fellow blogger pals.


Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant is very popular in Japan, having over 700 branches all over the country. Here in the Philippines, there are two branches - one in SM Mall of Asia and the one along Hotel Drive in Glorietta 2, where we had our lunch. Another branch will open soon at SM Aura (Bonifacio Global City).



I love, love, love how it looks inside! The lighting is slightly muted, but enough for diners to still photograph their food without much complaints. Most of the tables are good for four, but the restaurant also has two-top tables for couples and some long tables for bigger groups.

Watami serves a wide array of Japanese dishes, but we came here to try their Set Lunch menu. There are 12 sets to choose from, and here's some of what we had -


Beef Sukiyaki Rice in Stone Pot Set
Toni's meal.


Tuna Sashimi Rice Set
Lianne's meal, the salad, udon and miso soup were served a little later.


Salmon Sashimi Rice Set
My brother's meal. This comes with salad, udon, and miso soup, which I wasn't able to photograph because my brother already started his meal when the rest of the set were served. Brother liked the salmon sashimi, he said it tasted fresh and it had the natural sweetness he's looking for in a salmon sashimi.


Roasted Mackerel Set with Rice
Jonel's meal.


Black Pepper Beef with Rice in Stone Pot Set
Alex's meal.


Tempura Rice Set
Stacy's meal.


Deep Fried Pork Cutlet Set
My meal. Well, since there are 12 set meals and I hoped to photograph as much as I could, I decided to order something different. I was thinking whether to go with this or the Chicken Cutlet with Scrambled Egg Sauce, but I went for the pork instead. The pork cutlet was thick, giving me the satisfaction that I got my money's worth, but it tasted like typical pork tonkatsu. Though it wasn't very exceptional, I did love the sauce and the coleslaw. The coleslaw had this tangy creamy dressing that went well with the pork cutlets, and the miso soup was one of the best I have tasted.


All of the 12 Sets comes with side salad and miso soup, some comes with a choice of hot or cold udon. These set lunches are definitely much cheaper compared to ordering it one by one, and because it's already complete and enough to make one full, I truly recommend it.

--------------------
Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant
G/F Glorietta 2, Hotel Dr Ayala Center, Makati
+63 (02) 808-0475

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ABC Wednesdays | S & T

I wasn't able to participate last week, so I have two post to catch up.


For letter S, I am sharing this plate of spaghetti, my favorite pasta. I don't know why I feel other types of pasta taste like flour even if it has lots of sauce and toppings yet love spaghetti even if I only season it with salt, pepper, and a little cheese... but I am weird like that. Actually, my favorite spaghetti is the regular one, like the one in the picture... the angel hair spaghetti also taste like flour to me. It doesn't mean I don't eat other types of pasta (sure I do eat just about any kind), it's just that... if I am given a choice, I will always go for spaghetti.

The one pictured above is the typical Filipino spaghetti - with slices of hotdog and ground meat in slightly sweet spaghetti sauce topped with grated cheddar cheese. I can go with almost any kind of sauce, but lately I am leaning towards the oil based ones... the aglio olio is my current favorite.


After a serving of pasta, time to eat a dessert. Tiramisu, anyone? This small serving of Tiramisu was something my dear K and I shared while vacationing in Iloilo two years ago. Well, he's flying back to Manila pretty soon... so I am very excited to share more memories with him.

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