Mannok Kadon Pika (Spicy Chicken Stew)

Here's one of the things I love about my job.  My co-worker was going to Guam on business, and a short while before he was scheduled to leave he was in my office.  We started talking about his upcoming trip, and I mentioned that I didn't really know anything about the cuisine of Guam.

"I've been looking it up," he said.  "It's called Chamorro and I'm really excited to try it."

And thus was born my interest in Chamorro cuisine.  I started looking around online and found a few cool sites.  And some interesting recipes, like this Mannok Kadon Pika.  It looked fairly easy and straightforward and I already had most of the ingredients on hand.  What I especially like about it, though, is that there are so relatively few ingredients involved.  And you just put everything in a pot, let it cook, thicken the sauce, add the coconut milk and you are good to go. 

The original recipe calls for the donne sali pepper, which is indigenous to the area.  I found very little information on that, but judging by information I found on my searches it is similar to the Thai bird chili.  At least that is what I am telling myself, as those are all I have been able to find here in Chicago.

Some recipes I found have you thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry; others don't.  The first time I made it I did not thicken the sauce, and it was a little thin.  The next time I did thicken it, and I found that it worked better for me.

And it really rocked over vegetable fried (brown) rice.

Home Cookin Chapter:  Poultry

MANNOK KADON PIKA (SPICY CHICKEN STEW)

Makes 4 servings

8 chicken thighs
1/4 cup soy sauce
2/ Tbsp vinegar
1/4 cup onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
2 Thai chili peppers (optional)
1 Tbsp corn starch mixed with 1 Tbsp water (optional)
1 cup coconut milk
green onion, sliced, for garnish

Put the chicken in a large plastic bag and add the soy sauce, vinegar, onion, garlic and black pepper.  Marinate for at least 30 minutes.  Place the chicken and the marinade into a large saucepan, add the chili peppers, and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until the chicken is just done, about 40 - 50 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and let it cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid, discard as much of the fat as you can, and cook the sauce for another 10 to 20 minutes, until it has reduced and thickened.  Serve over hot rice garnished with sliced green onions.

adapted from this recipe found on Guampedia.com: http://guampedia.com/mannok-kadon-pika-recipe/

Exported from Home Cookin 7.50 (www.mountain-software.com)