A scientist in the kitchen

It was my parents’ wedding anniversary two weeks ago. A week or so before that day, we usually ask them what they would want to eat for dinner that day. This time, Dad wanted to cook his spaghetti and some fried chicken too. Dad got his way, and cooked Pinoy-style spaghetti while I got my way to cook the fried chicken as I’d want.

I’ve always wanted to do oven-fried chicken ever since I’ve read about The Amateur Gourmet’s fried chicken which he learned from the Barefoot Contessa. The recipe called for marinating chicken overnight in buttermilk. Since buttermilk is not easily available for me, I settled for having my own marinade but following their cooking method. And since I’m in a fennel high the last few weeks (I’m trying to find different ways to cook the 500 grams of fennel seeds I bought last month, suggestions anyone?), I decided to rub fennel to the chicken pieces and keep them for an hour in the fridge.

Fennel seeds, I’ve found out, are really great with meat dishes. Fennel is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean area. The ancient name of fennel is “marathon”, because the famous battle at Marathon (490 BC) against the Persians was fought on a field of Fennel. Did you know that in Greek mythology, Prometheus used the stalk of a fennel plant to steal fire from the gods?

Oven-fried chicken with fennel seeds

1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces

To make fennel rub:

2 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp black pepper whole
1 tbsp coarse salt

Mix everything together and ground till fennel seeds are bruised. Rub the mixture evenly to the chicken pieces and keep in the fridge for an hour prior to cooking.

Note: The cooking process calls for dredging the chicken in flour then frying in oil only until chicken is browned then it is finished off in the oven.

Dredge chicken in flour (mix with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper). Fry chicken till brown. Transfer to oven-proof pan and bake till juices are clear (around 20 minutes at 300oF).

The fried chicken was really tender and juicy and really flavorful. No need for gravy. We had leftovers for the next day and the chicken remained juicy. Move over, KFC!

For more herbs and vegetables this week in the food blogsphere, check out Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Anna’s Cool Finds.

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How about some luxury vacations?

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The Cookmobile posed a challenge, what are my goals for A scientist in the kitchen for 2008?

That caught me off guard. I have been food blogging only since October last year with the intention of writing down my recipes and posting the pictures of the food I have cooked. The picture-taking I have been doing for quite some time. Of course, I have this goal of writing a cookbook on rice recipes around the world. I work for an international organization dedicated to rice research and have met researchers of different nationalities and shared a meal with them. I have learned a lot of recipes from them, hence I hope to be able to write a cookbook on rice.

Anyway, to get back to the challenge…

My goals are simple… to take pictures of the food I cook at home (when I am in the kitchen, and not in the lab) and share the recipes in this blog. Though lately, I have been warming to the idea of writing more about the Filipino kitchen (think dirty kitchen) and traditional Filipino cooking (as far as my exposure to the traditional takes me). More importantly, I am still finding my voice for the blog. Which style am I more comfortable? How can I better express my cooking? 

For now, I’ll take it a post at a time…

Now for the second challenge, what would I like to cook this year? There’s so many to think of that I am drooling already. I can think of two things - paella and kare-kare the traditional way (no peanut butter shortcut!). The recipes will have to follow once I’ve cooked them…

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I didn’t realize that cauliflowers come in purple and yellow.

Even purple bellpeppers exist! Just imagine using all colors in a salad…

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Check this one out! I’ve started a blogging event called “To market, to market…“. Hope to see you there!

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This dish is essentially the same as my inihaw na tilapia, so this can be called inihaw na bangus (milkfish in Tagalog). I used the same stuffing and wrapping with banana leaves. If you noticed, the banana leaves I used are really shiny. Before using banana leaves for cooking, it is passed over flame to melt the banana wax and gives the shiny finish. This also makes the banana leaves more pliable for wrapping the fish.

The difference lies in the preparation of the fish. Milkfish are really bony, with a lot of tiny bones interspersed with the flesh. The fish is sliced from the back exposing the whole cavity. I ask the fishmonger to remove all entrails and debone the fish for me, removing the main trunk and other bones visible. At home, prior to stuffing, I still try to remove as much bones as I can. I spread the stuffing all over the exposed cavity and close it again before wrapping with banana leaves. Grilling takes longer, my measure for doneness is that the third layer of banana leaves is all so burnt. Part of the skin is burnt as well but it still tastes good with a smoky flavor.

What I do like about milkfish is the layer of fat in the cavity that is really melts in the mouth. It more than makes up for the fishbones!

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I’ve started a blogging event called “To market, to market…“. Hope to see you there!

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Complete your entertainment at home with a home theater carpet!

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