Food Trip Friday: Adobong Manok sa Gata

I was raised by my mom's side of the family who were true blooded Bicolanos. As a young girl, I grew up on food cooked their way, with lots and lots of gata. Fish, vegetable, meat even desserts all made with their gata. Not that I don't like dishes made with coconut milk or cream, it's just that they would sometimes serve it for 3 consecutive days. When my Mom died, the household rarely gets to eat ginataan dishes. I could cook them, butu it always ended up being compared to the "original". If there is one thing though, that I would say a ginataan dish that I perfected (okay, nearly perfected!) according to my kid, it will be Adobong Manok sa Gata. He loves it so much and would say "Parang luto na ni Mommy, ah!"(It tastes almost like Mommy's version!).




Adobong Manok sa Gata
Ingredients:

half a kilo of chicken, cut into serving pieces
a cup of coconut cream
half a cup of vinegar
a pinch of salt
freshly ground pepper
a cup of green papaya, sliced
finger chilies (cut in half if you want it hot)
some chili leaves
3 cloves garlic, crushed
one onion, sliced
a piece of ginger, julienned
oil for sauteing


Cooking Procedure:

-Saute ginger, garlic and onion.
-Add in the chicken  and sprinkle a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.
-Once the chicken are browned ( which will take about 5 minutes on medium heat), add vinegar.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.
-Add in the papaya, followed with the coconut milk.
-Continue to simmer until the papaya are soft but not mushy.
-Add in the finger chili and the chili leaves.  Simmer for 3 more minutes then remove from heat.

Best if served with lots of rice and enjoyed with the whole family.