Adobo Chicken with Tamarind and Coconut Milk

This recipe is for you Lynda Rees!

The above mentioned prompted me to cook this delicious, traditional Filipino dish with the traditional Food for Friends tweak.  After investigating Adobo Chicken recipes, I realised there really wasn't one.  They are all so different depending on which region of the Philippines you actually come from, so this is my  Newcastle, NSW Filipino version!

Serves 4

2 tbs of peanut oil
1kg of chicken thigh fillets, any fat removed and halved
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
2.5cm piece of ginger, finely chopped or grated
1 tsp of whole black pepper corns
3 bay leaves
1 brown onion, halved and sliced top to bottom (asian style)
2 stalks of lemon grass
1 tbs of white vinegar
2 tbs of fish sauce
1/4 cup of tamarind puree
1 tbs of brown sugar
400gm can of coconut milk
1 cup of coriander leaves, roughly chopped and a few sprigs reserved for garnish
1 green chilli, sliced diagonally for garnish
Lime wedges to serve
Steamed Rice and Steamed Asian Greens to serve

Heat the oil in a large heavy based pot or pan and brown the chicken thighs in batches, on all sides.  set aside on paper towel to drain.

In the same pot add a little more oil and lightly fry the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli for 3-4 minutes.  Add the peppercorns, bay leaves and lemon grass and fry for another couple of minutes.  Stir in the vinegar, fish sauce, tamarind puree and brown sugar, bring to a simmer and add the coconut milk.  Stir well to combine before popping the chicken back in the pan.  Place a lid on and simmer gently for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid and have a taste of the sauce.  Adjust any seasoning i.e fish sauce and sugar so that you have that lovely balance of sweet and sour.  Simmer with the lid off for a further 15 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce and then stir through the chopped coriander.

Serve with steamed rice and top with coriander sprigs and green chilli slices.