Recipe # 1 : Microwave Chicken - My Happy Meal

Howdy! Finally it’s April 8th! Before we get to the cooking part, I’d like to give just a bit of an introduction and an outline of what to expect from this blog. I have decided for this blog to be a one year project (at least for now). My goal is to post one new recipe per week (every Friday at around breakfast time). I have also decided to have a theme per month. That means, the recipes per month are somehow going to be related to each other. Maybe later on, when I have enough readers, I can designate a free month. On that free month, readers/followers can request the recipes they want to see, and I’ll post them here as I have learned them from my wonderful moms. I have already mapped the recipes for the next 52 weeks. Still, nothing is final, except for this month's recipe list. Feel free to post or email me your comments and suggestions!

Moving forward, April’s theme is “A Month of Firsts”. This is my first time to do a food blog, and what follows here is my first recipe entry. Expect April to be filled with stories of several of my firsts, and the recipes that I associate with them.

This week’s special is the first food memory I have. I honestly cannot recall any other meal that ante dates my memory of this dish. So this is a great way to start April – I share with you a recipe of the first food I ever became aware of since I was born. Read on.

My father was the first in his family to acquire a microwave oven. I remember the fascination my relatives had at first sight of that appliance. Many had it mistaken for a tv. So, to flaunt the oven’s use, my mama made this dish. It’s aroma is superb. Nothing else smells like it. Nothing else takes like it. This dish is something that I’ve had frequently during the holidays when I was a child. It was my mom’s family potluck contribution. It was always a winner.

I have associated the smell of this dish with fond childhood holiday memories. Oh those days when I was younger! We’d go to my lolo’s house at Tandang Sora, Lucena. Everyone else in the family was there. There were lots of food, gifts and warm hearts. This is such an easy to make and wonderful tasting dish. We used to have it only during the holidays. You can have it right now after reading this entry.

You’ll need:

One whole chicken, neck detached, make sure there’s an opening for the stuffing
Salt
Pepper, slightly ground only to create a nice spotted effect on the chicken after it’s cooked
Paprika – for a golden color
Calamansi
Pandan leaves – mama also suggests lemon grass as an alternative
Cilantro – my addition to mom’s recipe
Camote / Sweet Potatoes – my addition as well (idea taken from Max’s restaurant)
Cooking Oil to fry the camote in

How to:

- Clean the chicken
- Sprinkle calamansi juice on the whole chicken. Not too much, you don’t like your chicken to be sour; discard the seeds

- Rub the chicken with Salt, pepper and paprika – Mama likes rubbing the chicken’s insides with these ingredients too. So if your hand fits in your chicken, do it. Otherwise, use a nice sharp knife to make way for your hand.

- Stuff the chicken with Pandan and cilantro leaves.

- I personally like laying the chicken atop a bed of cilantro and pandan leaves for maximum flavor.
- Set the stuffed chicken in a microwave dish
- Cook uncovered in a microwave for 50 minutes (the cooking time depends on your oven)
- Cook till brown
- Enjoy the splendid aroma while it cooks

- While the chicken is baking, wash, peel and cut the camote in lengthwise strips, and deep fry till brown and crispy. Drain, and serve as a siding to the chicken.

You can use ketchup for a dip, although you won’t need it. The flavors are fantastic in themselves! Don’t forget the steaming white rice and ice cold coke!!!

By the way, this is also awesome for dieters and romantics. Simply replace rice and camote with fresh greens and tomatoes plus your favorite dressing, pull out a bottle of nice sweet wine, and you’re set with a really healthy yet yummy meal.

Bon appetit!

I hope this dish creates a gateway to memory land for you, the same way it does for me.
Happy eating! Happy sniffing those lovely flavors! And happy licking your finger tips!

Who says you have to spend for a great meal? This dish costs about P180.00 all in! It can feed 4 hungry people. So get your cooking gear out and start the fire.

Your hot cook,
Hahan

P.S. Got a happy meal you’d like to share? Post your comments and suggestions.