Excerpt
My sister Pearl and I were strolling through the isles of Barnes & Noble. Suddenly, a brilliant idea revealed itself: to write a Guam cookbook!! We sifted through the shelves of the bookstore and did not find anything on Guam. I searched the internet and came up with zilch. Thereafter, the production ensued for A Taste of Guam.
I wanted to write a recipe book that had Chamorro recipes most people were familiar with and could replicate. Typically, when I make Chamorro food I do not measure. In preparing this recipe book, I actually cooked up a storm one weekend recording all the tablespoons of lemon powder, salt, soy sauce etc. As a result, the recipes used in this cookbook have accurate measurements. Remember, however, that you still have to adjust the seasonings to your taste and the environment you are cooking in.
I also thought it would be great to include other delicious recipes I have accumulated over the years. Hence, the book is divided into the following collections: Chamorro BBQ, Other Island Favorites, Guam Desserts, Mix of America and Treasure Chest of Sweets.
CHICKEN KELAGUEN (ke-la-gwen)
In general, kelaguen is more tangy than salty and can be moist or dry. It is quite versatile to eat with titiyas, tortillas, siopao dough, white rice and of course, bbq food.
INGREDIENTS / DIRECTIONS Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 16 c. cooked, chopped chicken 6 T. lemon powder c shredded, fresh 2 c. chopped, yellow onion 2 t. salt coconut 3/4 c. chopped, green onion hot pepper c. water
Tools: machete or cleaver, kamyo, large bowl
1. Combine the cooked chicken and onions in a large bowl. A 2. Add lemon powder, salt, hot pepper and water. Adjust to taste, should be more lemony than salty. 3. If using shredded coconut, add it to the mix and adjust to taste. B 4. Add more water if necessary.
HELPFUL HINTS A. The chicken may be cooked using the following methods: boil, bake, bbq. B. Crack the coconut in half by using a heavy duty knife to rap at the center of the nut. Rotate the nut in the palm of the hand after each rap. Use a kamyo (kum-dzu) to shred the coconut. Kelaguen is delicious with coconut, though it also tastes great without it. Keep in mind that in the fridge, kelaguen without coconut lasts longer than kelaguen with coconut.
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