KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES – KANGKONG IN OYSTER SAUCE/BROCCOLI SOUP/CHICKEN FILLET IN HONEY-ORANGE SAUCE/HERBED SOY STEAMED CHICKEN/DULCE DE LECHE AND CHOCOLATE COOKIE TRIFLE

This was our dinner last night, as it was our weekend at home again, I decided to make something special for the kids n the hubby. I started cooking the vegetable entree which was quite a simple dish really as one can often see this dish as an appetizer in Chinese restaurants – KANGKONG IN OYSTER SAUCE. I used shredded chicken that I sautéed in garlic and onions before I added the kangkong then some water and oyster sauce. I let the kangkong cook for a few minutes then I turned off the fire and kept the dish covered so that the lingering heat would continue cooking the vegetables enough but not make it wilt as I still have more dishes to cook. (in picture collage, lower left)

Next in line was the BROCCOLI SOUP, I chose broccoli since my daughter loves this vegetable and quite nutritious too. This is another easy dish that simply requires frying garlic in a few teaspoons of butter then adding the broccoli and some more shredded chicken. Then, when the vegetables have softened I added chicken stock, let it boil for a few minutes and turned off the fire. The next step is not actually required but I liked doing it since it gives my soup a thick creamy feel but for others who may just want their soup to remain chunky, this step may be skipped. The next step entails the aid of a blender in order to puree the broccoli with about a cup and a half of the soup stock. Then, the greenish pureed mixture is returned to the remaining soup, placed again on the stove, add a cup of milk (any kind) let it simmer then before turning off the heat, garnish with chopped onion leaves and voila! – healthy green soup! (no picture)

Next item on the agenda is the main meal, which in this case, is the chicken fillet. I wanted to stick sana to my healthy food theme for tonight but it seems I can’t because for one thing, I would not know how my family would react to this steamed chicken recipe as I know they are such ‘fried fanatics’ and so I opted to just cook the chicken in two different ways – steamed and fried. About three hours before cooking time, I marinated the HERBED SOY STEAMED CHICKEN which I also scored diagonally so that the marinade would seep through. I browsed the internet for recipes but found none where I had the complete ingredients with and so I decided to just mix and match what I had in my pantry at the time – of course – salt, pepper, basil, rosemary, ginger, calamansi juice, soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil. Then, come cooking time I just placed the chicken fillet, together with its marinade, in a foil packet and placed in a steamer for 30-40 minutes. (in picture collage, lower right)

While the chicken fillet steams, I also cooked CRISPY CHICKEN FILLET IN HONEY ORANGE SAUCE. It was a recipe I got from “Mga Luto ni Dennis at iba pa” blogsite, just check out the complete recipe at his website. The chicken fillet was cut into serving pieces, marinated in salt and pepper. Then, it was dredged in a mixture of flour and cornstarch then deep fried until golden brown. To make the sauce, sauté ginger, garlic and onions in a little oil then put some orange juice (the original recipe called for fresh orange but I did not have any, so I just used the powdered kind). Season with salt and pepper then add a bit of cornstarch and some honey to thicken the sauce. You may return the chicken fillet in pan to coat them in the sauce or choose to serve it on the side to use as dip. (in picture collage, upper right)

The final dish that I prepared for tonight is of course, the dessert and this time, I got the recipe from Casa Veneracion and it’s called – DULCE DE LECHE AND CHOCOLATE COOKIE TRIFLE. If you want the complete recipe just hit the search button of her blog – suffice it to say that the dessert was such a big hit! My family just loved it...and I loved it too since it required no baking at all, just mixing and mashing of ingredients and then some layering of cookies and cream. (BTW, her recipe called for cream cheese which I did not have at the time and so I just substituted chilled all purpose cream and it still came out tasting great!) (in picture collage, upper left and center left photo)