Skewered

Forget adobo. In a country where more than four-fifths of citizens live below the poverty threshold (unofficially anyway), the national dish might as well be barbecue. What do you think most Filipinos order when they eat out? What’s cooking in (almost) every street corner in the Philippines?

At our local barbecue court, it is not unusual to see families bringing along their own rice. This used to strike me as somewhat crass until Eva set me straight. “Do you know how much rice my family consumes in every meal? One kilo! If I had to buy pusô (hanging rice), we would have nothing left to spend on barbecue!” Point taken — but must they bring the rice cooker as well?

Several days ago I saw this video on YouTube where an Indian guy made burger out of jackfruit. “I guarantee you, your vegetarian friends will think it’s chicken!” Afterwards I could only conclude vegetarians must dream of chicken. They’ve gone so long without the real thing, they have forgotten what it tastes like. If you happen to be one, I’m sorry to burst your bubble. Frog or snake may taste like chicken, but jackfruit? Never. Not even on a wooden stick. Or with ketchup slick. It would not. It could not, Sam-I-am. And chicken isn’t even my first language! (That would be pork.)

In honor of my main marinade ingredient (kecap manis, of course), I will be referring to the dish pictured here as satay, not barbecue. But I swear, you will think it’s barbecue, because, duh. My parents liked it — a lot (or at least compared to the barbecue they had at some stall the night before that had them grumbling). “And I was afraid we’d be having that burger for dinner,” Ma said. “That was a joke, right?”

If only she knew.

Chicken Satay

Have the butcher fillet the chicken thighs for you, or you can see this video on how to do it yourself. You can remove the skin, but I prefer mine skin-on. This recipe substitutes kecap manis for the traditional dark soy sauce, sugar, and spices; you can add more spices (and/or salt) as desired — just check for taste (it should be a balance of salty, sweet, and spicy).

• 1 kilo chicken thighs, filleted
• wooden skewers

For the marinade:
• ¼ cup kecap manis
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass bulb
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red onion, minced
• 1 finger chili, minced
• 2 tablespoons lime (or kalamansi) juice
• 2 tablespoons oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the glaze:
• 3 tablespoons kecap manis
• 3 tablespoons water

For the dipping sauce:
• ¼ cup spiced vinegar
• 2 teaspoons kecap manis
• 2 tablespoons lime (or kalamansi) juice
• bird’s-eye chilies, crushed (optional)

1. Cut meat into strips. Clean under running water, drain, and pat dry. Set aside.
2. Using mortar and pestle, pound lemongrass, garlic, onion, and chili until you get a rough paste. Combine with the rest of the marinade ingredients. Season to taste.
3. Pour marinade over meat and mix well. Marinate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator.
4. One hour before grilling, remove meat from the refrigerator and soak wooden skewers in water (to prevent them from burning during grilling).
5. In a small bowl, combine ingredients for basting sauce. In another bowl, combine ingredients for dipping sauce. Set aside.
6. Thread meat onto the skewers and grill, turning every once in a while to ensure even cooking on both sides. Grill until meat is a dark golden brown and charred in places. Brush with the glaze, cook for another minute, then remove from heat. Serve with rice and dipping sauce.