Nagoya: Sunday Cooking

Tiffy's Stay in Japan
Seminar House
In-house Dormitory in Nagoya Gakuin University
Sunday Cooking


I don't know if I've already mentioned that I get free breakfasts and dinners here at the dormitory in Akaike. It sort of makes up for the fact that it's an hour from school if I ride the subway, plus the fact that it costs 40,000 yen a month (excluding electricity).

On Sundays, however, they don't serve any food -- Sundays being a sort of rest day and all.

So I did what any sane person would do. That is, ask my friends if I can chip in for dinner (that they're going to cook). If you've been my friend long enough, you'll know that I have no talent in cooking. People have been known to tell me to keep clear of the kitchen. I know they're exaggerating, but it really doesn't help my self-esteem. Boo hoo.

I asked Brandon if I can chip in for food -- and he said yes! Now I've tasted Brandon's cooking before. And let me tell you: IT IS GOOD.

Say hi to Brandon!

So then since everyone was going to cook their own food, everyone just brought their hot plates and food to the lounge at the Seminar House (the in-house dormitory; don't ask me why it's called that)!

It was like a mini-party!

Brandon even let me bread the chicken!

And you know what I find weird? They throw out the chicken skin! :c And it's my favorite part! They know that by now, so they didn't throw it out this time! Hee. Yay me. My arteries are SOOOOO going to be blocked by the time I'm 50, but who cares?

いただきます！

Recipe | Bong's Flaming Phoenix

Bong's Flaming Phoenix
Servings per batch: Good for 4 to 5 people
Preparation time: Around 10 minutes | Marinade: 30 mins to 1 hr
Total preparation time: Around 1 hr and 30 mins
Difficulty: Easy! :)

Coming from the holiday season, I am sure that you have eaten a lot of food from your Noche Buena, a Spanish term for the usual family dinner on Christmas eve, your Christmas dinner, New Year, like your usual lechon, fried chicken, adobo, hamon, fruit cake, and your other Filipino dishes.

I'm sure that by now, you're tired of the usual "way of cooking" and the usual taste of your dishes. I am. So one morning, I just decided to experiment and create my own chicken dish. One thing is for sure, I want it pepper-y and hot. This explains why the name given to it by Stephanie Tan.

Flaming Phoenix (recipe good for 1/2 - 1 kilo boneless chicken)

Dry ingredients:

• 1/2 - 1 kilo boneless chicken cut into strips
• 4 cloves garlic diced into super small pieces (but I like to put more garlic)
• 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon paprika
  
• 2 pinches of salt
  
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Liquid ingredients:

• 1 juiced lemon (small)
  
• 1/2 cup olive oil
  
• 2 tablespoon Kikoman soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoon melted butter
  
• 1 cap-full of white wine vinegar with herbs of provence (or without)
  
• 3 cap-full of Ginebra San Miguel GSM Blue gin (or any gin substitute)

Combine the dry ingredients and the liquid ingredients to the strips of boneless chicken. Mix and coat the chicken evenly with the ingredients. Let it sit so that the flavors marry well together and you'll end up with a yummy treat!

After 30 mins. to an hour, you're all ready to fry or grill them. This dish (photo above) was pan-fried with very little oil.

Preheat the pan, then add the oil. Saute some garlic, until they're golden brown, then remove them, and set aside. You can now add in your chicken strips. When you see that the sides have turned a little bit white to brown (or different from the normal color of raw chicken), you can now turn the strips over. Fry it for a minute or two, and you're good to go!

A new dish you should try this new year. Happy cooking! ^^