Oven-friendly Recipes
Summer is here (although I can't really say it convincingly considering the crap weather lately) and it's time for barbecues and those refreshing drinks. One of the downsides for us living in a flat is that we don't have a garden (or access to the communal garden unless you live in the ground floor) which means we can't have barbecues at home. Not that I'm an expert in barbecues or anything because I haven't even tried that, well most of my kitchen adventures only started when I moved here. As much as I love barbecues, I just hate the part where the smell just sticks with you the whole time and there's no denying where you came from.
In order to enjoy the barbecue inside my confined first floor flat, the oven has been my ever dependable friend to at least satisfy our barbecue cravings. I have also included my recipe for my no-fry lechon kawali as it also makes use of the oven, although it's not really a barbecue recipe. Same thing goes for the roast chicken.
INGREDIENTS:
2 pieces pork steaky slices (about 0.25 kilograms), sliced
extra virgin olive oil spray
bamboo skewers
For the marinade/sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp ketchup (tomato or preferably, banana)
1 tbsp sweet and sour sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
juice of half a lemon
crushed garlic
salt
black pepper
Combine all ingredients for the sauce and marinate the pork overnight or for at least 3 hours to absorb the flavors. Put the marinated pork in the fridge. When done, place the pork in the skewers while preheating the oven using the grill settings or to 150-200C. Grill the pork on both sides, using the remaining marinade as basting sauce and also spray the oil on the pork. When done, reduce the remaining marinade/basting sauce and once thickened, pour it over the pork barbecue. Enjoy!
ROASTED POUSSIN CHICKEN
I first learned about this chicken whilst watching one of Nigella's shows and it looked easy to prepare. As I was also experimenting on roasting a chicken, the poussin seemed like the perfect recipe as it is small, in case my trial is doomed to fail and also, it is just enough dinner for two, without having to deal with the leftovers. Please also make sure that the chicken you're getting has no giblets so that you don't have to deal with the task of cleaning the chicken and removing it's inside parts.
INGREDIENTS:
1 poussin chicken
1 lemon, sliced into quarters
2 stalks spring onions (substitute for lemon grass)
crushed garlic cloves
half onion, sliced
butter
salt
pepper
honey
Preheat the oven to 150-200C. After washing the chicken, rub the inside and outside of the chicken generously with butter, salt and pepper. Then stuff the inside of the chicken with garlic, onion (quarter), spring onion (1 stalk, sliced) and lemon (half). Tie the legs together with a string (the chicken I bought already has a tie on it) and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Put the remaining garlic, onion, spring onion and lemon around the chicken in the roasting pan. Roast the chicken for about an hour or less, until done. You know when it's done if the juices run clear when you poke the chicken with a toothpick or knife. When the chicken is almost done, drizzle the chicken with honey. For the chicken I made above, I also sprinkled it with coriander (only optional). When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest by covering it with foil paper. Served best with gravy or Mang Tomas sarsa (sauce). Enjoy!
BAKED LECHON KAWALI
In order to enjoy the barbecue inside my confined first floor flat, the oven has been my ever dependable friend to at least satisfy our barbecue cravings. I have also included my recipe for my no-fry lechon kawali as it also makes use of the oven, although it's not really a barbecue recipe. Same thing goes for the roast chicken.
PORK BARBECUE ON A STICK
INGREDIENTS:
2 pieces pork steaky slices (about 0.25 kilograms), sliced
extra virgin olive oil spray
bamboo skewers
For the marinade/sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp ketchup (tomato or preferably, banana)
1 tbsp sweet and sour sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
juice of half a lemon
crushed garlic
salt
black pepper
Combine all ingredients for the sauce and marinate the pork overnight or for at least 3 hours to absorb the flavors. Put the marinated pork in the fridge. When done, place the pork in the skewers while preheating the oven using the grill settings or to 150-200C. Grill the pork on both sides, using the remaining marinade as basting sauce and also spray the oil on the pork. When done, reduce the remaining marinade/basting sauce and once thickened, pour it over the pork barbecue. Enjoy!
ROASTED POUSSIN CHICKEN
I first learned about this chicken whilst watching one of Nigella's shows and it looked easy to prepare. As I was also experimenting on roasting a chicken, the poussin seemed like the perfect recipe as it is small, in case my trial is doomed to fail and also, it is just enough dinner for two, without having to deal with the leftovers. Please also make sure that the chicken you're getting has no giblets so that you don't have to deal with the task of cleaning the chicken and removing it's inside parts.
INGREDIENTS:
1 poussin chicken
1 lemon, sliced into quarters
2 stalks spring onions (substitute for lemon grass)
crushed garlic cloves
half onion, sliced
butter
salt
pepper
honey
Preheat the oven to 150-200C. After washing the chicken, rub the inside and outside of the chicken generously with butter, salt and pepper. Then stuff the inside of the chicken with garlic, onion (quarter), spring onion (1 stalk, sliced) and lemon (half). Tie the legs together with a string (the chicken I bought already has a tie on it) and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Put the remaining garlic, onion, spring onion and lemon around the chicken in the roasting pan. Roast the chicken for about an hour or less, until done. You know when it's done if the juices run clear when you poke the chicken with a toothpick or knife. When the chicken is almost done, drizzle the chicken with honey. For the chicken I made above, I also sprinkled it with coriander (only optional). When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest by covering it with foil paper. Served best with gravy or Mang Tomas sarsa (sauce). Enjoy!
BAKED LECHON KAWALI
I tried to make lechon kawali before but it has been a struggle when it came to the deep frying part. Whenever I have to check if the pork is done, I have to use the pan/casserole cover as a "shield" and it seemed the oil is flying everywhere in the kitchen. I finally found recipes on the net on how to bake it instead of deep frying it. The best recipe is found here. At least, it lessens the oil of deep frying making it less deadly but it still has the same look and effect (especially the crunch) of the lechon kawali. The pork belly I used is from Sainbury's as again, it has the perfect size for a small dinner for two. Of course, it also has just the right price and has the 5 layers of heaven (as what the Chinese say) when looking for the pork belly.
INGREDIENTS:
INGREDIENTS:
1 boneless pork belly joint (about 700g)
2 bay leaves
half of onion, sliced
garlic cloves, crushed
black peppercorns
salt
Cut the pork in half so that it's easier to boil and bake later. Boil water in a pan, enough to cover the pork belly then add the pork when it comes to a boil. Add the onion, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves. Boil for at least an hour until done. Keep adding water to make sure the it covers the pork.
When done, let the pork dry using paper towels then rub the pork with salt on all sides. Bake at 150-200C and let the oven do all the work. You may hear the same "explosion" as when the pork in deep fried. You know when it's done when the skin is puffed out or the consistency of the skin is like lechon's. Let it also rest for few minutes once it's removed from the oven. Chop the pork into small pieces using the same technique as chopping lechon, making sure that the skin still sticks with the meat. Best served with Mang Tomas sarsa (sauce). Enjoy!
2 bay leaves
half of onion, sliced
garlic cloves, crushed
black peppercorns
salt
Cut the pork in half so that it's easier to boil and bake later. Boil water in a pan, enough to cover the pork belly then add the pork when it comes to a boil. Add the onion, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves. Boil for at least an hour until done. Keep adding water to make sure the it covers the pork.
When done, let the pork dry using paper towels then rub the pork with salt on all sides. Bake at 150-200C and let the oven do all the work. You may hear the same "explosion" as when the pork in deep fried. You know when it's done when the skin is puffed out or the consistency of the skin is like lechon's. Let it also rest for few minutes once it's removed from the oven. Chop the pork into small pieces using the same technique as chopping lechon, making sure that the skin still sticks with the meat. Best served with Mang Tomas sarsa (sauce). Enjoy!
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