Lasang Pinoy #11: Summertime Coolers & Memories of Summer

Cool drinks are what I love in the summer, especially coconut juice and drinks with coconut milk. A last hoorah for the end of summer...



Batida
I first had this drink when I was living in Boracay (yes, I was actually living on this beautiful island beach resort) about 10 years back. Gosh! Has it been that long? I lived in a cottage fronting the white sand beach for two sun-kissed years. I would have this drink in the late afternoons just before the sun begins to set. This is actually a Brazilian drink but uses ingredients easily and commonly used in the Philippines. If I didn't know better I'd think this was a Pinoy creation. I have an ex-boyfriend to thank for this one, he substituted Tanduay rum for cachaca in the original recipe . I think he's still lounging in Boracay...

1 13.5-0z can coconut cream
filtered water
approximately 2 shots Tanduay rum
6 tablespoons muscovado sugar
ice cubes

Shake coconut cream, rum, 1 can of water and sugar in a bottle until sugar dissolves.

Fill shaker with ice cubes and cream mixture.

Pour into glasses and add ice cubes.


This is my entry for Lasang Pinoy #11 which is being hosted by JMom at In My Kitchen.

Recipe: Nasi Lemak (Indonesian Rice)

I made this for an Indonesian luncheon I hosted. It turned out really well. The original recipe did not include coconut oil and called for white rice. I served it with pork curry but this would go well with any grilled food.

1 kilo brown or red rice
1 can coconut milk
2 stalks lemon grass, cleaned and trimmed to fit in pan
2 inch ginger, minced
1 tbsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

Wash the rice. Add the water and the rest of the ingredients, except oil. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to lowest setting and leave it to cook until rice is tender.

Remove lemongrass stalks. Fluff rice with a fork. Put rice in a bowl and mix in the virgin coconut oil.

* Pour in enough water to cover the rice by 1/2 inch. You may also use all coconut milk in place of water.

Recipe: Chicken Adobo with Coconut Cream

Converting a piece of land to an organic farm takes time. And I don't mean the actual conversion of the property. I mean the planning stages, which is where I'm at at the moment. Thus, my plans for the organic farm will have to be delayed. As of now I have gone through landscape plans that Gil created for me and I'm in the process of doing my own research on the marketability of what I plan to grow. In the meantime I can start posting recipes using organic ingredients I find at the Organic Market. As much as I can anyway. There just aren't many organic ingredients around here. I used free-range chickens and organic Arengga vinegar for this recipe. I will try my best to use as much organic ingredients as possible, only using non-organic ingredients when organic ones are not available.



Chicken Adobo with Coconut Cream

4 whole free-range chickens (850-900 kgs each), cut into pieces - save remaining carcass to make chicken broth
1 3/4 cup soy sauce
1 3/4 cup Arenga vinegar
1 cup water
2 whole bulbs garlic or more, washed with water
3 large bay leaves
1 1/2 cups coconut cream - optional

Free-range chicken hardly has any fat so I will skip the usual frying of chicken parts before simmering in the soy-vinegar broth.

Place all ingredients, except coconut cream in a Dutch oven and simmer, covered, over medium heat for about 40 minutes. Remove cover and continue simmering for another 15 to 20 minutes. You may have to raise the heat a little to keep it simmering. At this point the broth should start to evaporate and you should be left with a thicker, syrupy sauce. I actually forgot to remove the cover which left me with a watery, but no less flavorful, sauce.

Add the coconut cream.

You may remove the garlic bulbs before serving or serve it with the adobo and simply squeeze the bulbs to release the creamy garlic inside. Serve with rice.