Of Trees and Memories

Aratiles or Manzanitas is a fast growing tree, 5 to 10 meters high, with spreading branches. Leaves are hairy, sticky, alternate, distichous, oblong-ovate to broadly oblong-lanceolate, 8 to 13 centimeters long, with toothed margins, pointed apex and inequilateral base, one side rounded and the other acute. Flowers are about 2 centimeters in diameter, white, extra-axillary, solitary or in pairs. Sepals are 5, green, reflexed, lanceolate, about 1 centimeter long. Petals are white, obovate, 1 centimeter long, deciduous and spreading. Fruit is a berry, rounded, about 1.5 centimeter in diameter, red on ripening, smooth, fleshy, sweet and many seeded.  It is a tree that thrives in poor soil, able to tolerate acidic and alkaline conditions and drought. Its seeds are dispersed by birds and fruit bats.

http://www.stuartxchange.com/Aratiles.html

The Aratiles Tree was the subject of my second postcard to my niece, N.  

 If you are new to my musings, let me send you off to an older post ( click here) explaining why I have decided to send my 7 year old niece postcards depicting trees that are common in the Philippines.  As in the first postcard, I wrote a short anecdote connected to the featured tree.

 
Dearest N,

There was a Manzanitas Tree growing just outside our kitchen in our old house in Mabolo. It never ran out of tiny red and sweet fruits. One summer, I thought it would be fun to have a Manzanitas eating contest when 3 of my favorite cousins came to visit.  One cousin won but had a tummy ache from eating too many manzanitas.  We never played that game again.

Love,

Tita J

---xoxoxoxox---

Along with childhood memories of summer, cousins and games played, are fond memories of food prepared during these visits.  Always greeted with a gleeful cheer was a big platter of home-made fried chicken.  A sure winner!! 

Fried chicken has never been a favorite dish I liked to prepare. Making sure the chicken cooked through can be tricky with the outside cooking too fast than the inside.  I found it much easier to just order a bucket of chicken from one of the many fastfood outlets that delivered.

Recently, wanting to take on a challenge, I started an obsessive search for THE ultimate fried chicken.  I went through my recipe books and the internet.   As a result, I came up with the following recipe—a combination of several recipes.

My Ultimate Fried Chicken

In a bowl, generously sprinkle the following spices on 500 grams of chicken drumsticks:

2 t salt

½  t pepper

¼ - ½ t of paprika, tumeric, garlic powder, chili powder

a dash of cumin (optional)

Let stand for an hour.

Add a can of evaporated milk (about 1 ½ cups) to the seasoned chicken.  Place in the fridge for at least three hours or overnight.  In read that the milk is suppose to tenderize the chicken.

 

 After the chicken has been marinated, pour everything into a pot and bring to a quick boil before turning the temperature down to let the milky mixture simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked but not yet falling off the bone.  Don’t be grossed out by the unpalatable appearance. It will be alright in the end.

Remove each drumstick to a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, beat one egg in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, mix ½ c of flour with ¼ - ½ t each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and paprika.  More of any spice you favor.

With a cooled down chicken, you can now move on the the next step:

- place about 2 T of the flour mixture in a plastic container with a good seal. Add in two drumsticks at a time and seal the container.  Shake the container to cover the drumstick with the flour.

- remove the drumsticks and roll in the beaten egg.

- return the drumstick back to the plastic container and add 2 T of the flour mixture. Seal and shake to cover the drumstick with a final layer of the seasoned flour.

Repeat with the rest of the drumsticks.

Heat up enough oil in a pot. Test if ready by adding a bit of the sticky egg-flour mixture.  It is ready if it quickly bubbles up.  Add the drumsticks but remember not to crowd the pot.  Oil should at least come up to half of the chicken.  Turn chicken until it is golden brown all over before removing to a paper-lined platter. 

Continue until all chicken drumsticks have been fried.

I served the fried chicken with a lettuce salad with balsamic vinegarette, some baked kamote and baked potatoes (recipe here).

In the words of my daughter, “Mom, these taste better than the chicken sold at “beep fastfood”.