Pininyahang Manok (Pineappled Chicken)

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"There are no accidents," says Uguay the tortoise in Kung Fu Panda...so it was as I was bloghopping yesterday, one mom featured Pininyahang Manok. I still have a whole chicken getting thawed so I thought Pininyahang Manok is the perfect dish for it. I searched online for a recipe and there were many versions. There are those who put evaporated milk instead of coconut milk. Some include tomatoes and lemongrass while others have carrots, potatoes and bell peppers as vegetable additions.

I was not so sure which would be the better recipe so I asked friends over at facebook "evap vs coconut." Just then, Ces sent a message for this week's Lasang Pinoy theme....coconut! So here goes my entry, a product of two coincidences...Since there are variations of this dish, I tweaked mine a bit.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized chicken, cut up
1 can pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1/2 cup of chopped onions
1/2 cup of coconut milk
salt/fish sauce and pepper to taste
strips of red bell pepper
cubed carrots & potatoes (optional)

Steps for Preparing Pineapple Chicken

-Separate pineapple juice from chunks.
-Marinate chicken pieces in the pineapple juice for five minutes or longer.
-Place the chicken and juice in a pot on medium heat. Wait for the liquid to evaporate abit so that the juice seeps in. Set aside.
-Saute garlic and onions in oil then add the chicken pieces, potatoes and carrots.
-After a few minutes, add the pineapple chunks and coconut milk. Wait for a few minutes before putting in the bell pepper.
-Simmer until the sauce is creamy. Season with salt or fish sauce and pepper. Serve over rice.

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Unagi Nigiri

When I started foodblogging, there were a very few blogs that I hop to. Four of them were Japanese and of course there's Oggi's awesome food blog. Two of the Jap foodblogs are still on the run and I'd drop by once in a while to see what's new. Obachan's kitchen and balcony, now called Still Clumsy with Chopsticks, still has the awesome photos I enjoy everytime I swing by. Her latest post is mango jelly made from mango juice which I had in a cook book I stacked somewhere...hihi. It seems she is away on a trip so I'll wait for her next tempting post for the moment. Nobu's Japanese Oishi Food features a lot of dishes with a quick description of what the food is about, a bit of Japanese to English translation of words, which I really enjoy too.

I've long wanted to make the Unagi donburi (Grilled eel on a bowl of rice) or at least an unagi nigiri (eel sushi). When we go eating out, I would look for it in the menu but to no avail. I've also tried my favorite restaurant at the Naschmarkt since I buy tuna and salmon there but they also don't have any. Obachan has a very interesting story about how the Japanese started the custom of eating eel during doyo no ushi no hi (day of the ox in midsummer), to read, please click here. Somewhat related, Nobu stated in a post how nutritious unagi is...he also mentioned how unagi's secret is actually on the sauce served with it being a tasteless fish.

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So I finally succeeded in finding unagi, 2 tram stations away from our place. :) I was supposed to just buy some yakisoba for quick lunch...saw them there, resting at the glass display in front of the chef...I asked him nicely if they're on the menu as nigiri, but he said they are only served on the special "boat" menu. Nice as he was though, he told me he could make some for me (Yoohoo!) for a price of 1,90€  (2.85$ / 114.50Php) each.

Yes, all worth the hunting for...if I'm not cutting down on rice, I'd definitely have this again and again...

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