Filipino chicken adobo, mocha mamon recipes by ‘Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery’ author

Usa today news

25 minutes ago

In the cozy mystery books, “Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery” series, food plays a central role.

Author Mia P. Manansala developed all of the recipes in the books that protagonist Lila enjoys and prepares with her friends and family, from traditional Filipino dishes like chicken adobo to fusion sweets like Rice Krispies treats with honey butter.

She shared three recipes from the books: Two sweet treats from her newest book, “Death and Dinuguan,” and the titular dish from the book that started it all, “Arsenic and Adobo.”

Lola Flor’s Mocha Mamon

Makes 16 cupcake-size cakes

Ingredients

1 cup cake flour*
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 egg yolks
¼ cup vegetable oil**
1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in ¾ cup water

For the meringue

6 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup sugar

Toppings (optional)

Butter
Sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease or line 16 cupcake tins or mamon molds.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, and sift three times. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, combine the egg yolks, oil, and instant coffee water, using a whisk or hand mixer, until well blended.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, continuously mixing as you add. Once all the dry ingredients have been added to the wet, continue mixing for a couple of minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed, until everything is well combined. Set aside.

Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a wire whisk attachment (or use a large clean bowl and a clean hand mixer). Beat on high until the egg whites double in volume.

With the mixer still on high, slowly add the sugar. Continue mixing on high until the meringue reaches medium peaks — they don’t deflate immediately, but they don’t stand perfectly straight when you pull the whisk out.

Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold in about a third of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture. Continue adding and gently folding the meringue into the egg yolk mixture in two or three batches until all of the meringue is added and the batter is evenly mixed. (A few streaks of meringue here and there are fine.) Do this carefully because you want to maintain the air you whipped into the meringue to prevent it from collapsing while it bakes.

Using a ⅓ cup dry measuring cup, scoop the batter into the prepared tins or molds.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until a thin knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and remove the mamon from the tins. Serve warm, topped with butter and sugar (if using).

*If you don’t have cake flour (I never do), use this easy substitute: Measure out 1 cup all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons, and add 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Whisk or sift together the ingredients, and you’ve got cake flour!

** Mamon are chiffon cakes, which utilize oil to get their light, airy texture. (Think angel food cakes.) If you want, you can substitute in an equal amount of melted butter for the oil. It will be delicious, but it will change the texture and make it a sponge cake rather than chiffon.

Lila’s (and Jae’s) Honey Butter Rice Krispies Treats

Makes one 9-inch-by-13-inch pan or a tightly packed 8-inch-by-8-inch pan

Ingredients

1 stick (4 ounces) salted butter*
¼ to ⅓ cup honey
1 (10- to 12-ounce) bag of marshmallows
1 teaspoon white miso (also known as shiro miso; optional) **
6 cups puffed rice cereal
½ to ¾ cup mini mochi (optional)
Flake salt (optional) **

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and cook until it’s brown and gives off a light, nutty smell.

Add the honey, and cook until it’s very dark brown and smells almost (but not quite!) burnt.

Add the marshmallows and miso (if using), and stir with a spatula until the marshmallows are mostly melted.

Add half of the puffed rice cereal, and mix until mostly combined.

Add the rest of the cereal and the mini mochi (if using), and mix until the mini mochi are evenly distributed and the puffed rice cereal is thoroughly combined with the marshmallow mixture.

Pour into a greased 9-by-13-inch tray, and use the spatula to spread into a smooth, even layer.

Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars and serving.

If you’re using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt, too.

If you’re not using the miso, I suggest sprinkling flake salt on top of the treats after spreading them out in the tray. The saltiness of the miso balances out the sweetness of the honey and marshmallows.

Chicken adobo is featured prominently throughout Mia P. Manansala’s books. Adobo is a Filipino cooking technique that entails cooking meat, seafood or vegetables in a mixture of soy sauce or salt, vinegar, black peppercorns and garlic.

Tita Rosie’s Chicken Adobo

Ingredients

3-4 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken legs, thighs, or drumsticks (avoid breast, which is too dry for this style of cooking)
¾ cup soy sauce (Datu Puti brand preferred)
1 cup vinegar*
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
10 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Directions

Put all ingredients in a large pot or sealable plastic bag, making sure the chicken is mostly submerged. Marinate in the fridge for four hours to overnight, turning the chicken or bag around several times so the marinade is distributed evenly. You can skip this step or cut the time down to only thirty minutes, but it won’t be as tasty.

If you used a bag, empty the contents into a large pot and turn the heat to high. If it’s already in a pot, you can skip straight to heating everything to boiling. Once the liquid boils, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through, but not falling off the bone. Remove the chicken to a plate using tongs, but keep the marinade simmering in its pot.

Heat a separate pan on high and add a splash of oil. Brown the chicken on all sides, in batches, until the skin is crisp. Alternatively, crisp the skin under the broiler. Set aside.

Turn the heat back up to high under the marinade pot and boil the sauce for 20 minutes or more, until it’s reduced by at least half. Some people like it a little drier, others saucier, so boil until you have the desired amount. Return the chicken to the pot and stir to coat with sauce, then serve with white rice.

*Filipino cane vinegar is preferred (Datu Puti is the most common brand), but apple cider vinegar is an OK substitute. White distilled vinegar is a bit harsh, so you might need an extra bit of sugar or water to balance it.