I grew up in Delano, California, home of the United Farm Workers and Cesar Chavez but also of one of the largest original Philippine immigrant populations in the country. In the 1920s, men traveled from the Philippines to work in agriculture and many settled in the Delano area. They could not bring women in those early days so many of these men waited decades to marry, once the rules changed. I went to high school with the daughter of one of these men -- her father was eighty years old when I was in high school. He just recently passed away at over the century mark.
One of the perks of growing up in Delano is that I got to sample real food regularly. The fresh-Mex and Asian restaurants across the country are no substitute for the real thing. One of my favorite restaurant memories in Delano was of a little Philippine restaurant that operated for few years in the old A & W Rootbeer building. They made a great balamiki chicken -- a kind of sweet chicken shishkabob. When the place closed down my mom was determined to recreate the dish at home. This is her recipe for all of the flavors of the Bamboo Hut's balamiki chicken without cutting the chicken into strips. She uses the whole breast.
She also describes in this recipe how to "flatten" a chicken breast for a thinner, more consistent size across the whole breast.
Watch the video for mom's descriptions -- press play in the video below or go straight YouTube to wach chicken balamiki.
Mom says:
This recipe is dedicated to the memory of eating Filippino food at the Bamboo Hut. If the Bamboo Hut still existed, I wouldn't have tried to figure out how to reproduce the flavors of our favorite: Balamiki Chicken. With the original version, thin strips of meat were marinated and then strung on wooden skewers for grilling. My version keeps the flavor with half the work.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been rolled flat
6 large cloves garlic, minced
4 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
5 tablespoons tamari sauce
3 tablespoons coconut oil
Steps
1. Wash, pat dry, and roll the chicken breasts.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large, non-reactive container, like glass. I use a large, glass baking dish.
3. Dredge the chick breasts through the marinade, taking care to completely cover the surfaces of each piece. Let the sit in the marinade for a few hours in the refrigerator, turning the chicken once or twice.
4. Cook on the barbeque. Stay with it. They will cook fast. And, be ready! The neighbors will be looking over the fence to see what is for dinner.
Comments (1)
That sounds wonderful. I'll have to try that out! Thanks:)
Posted by Angela | August 14, 2007 7:25 AM
Posted on August 14, 2007 07:25