IJCH - Inside JaiChai's Head
(Meaning: My Warped, Personal Opinions and Musings)
From the Author:
Salutations.
I am JaiChai.
And if I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before, I'm delighted to make your acquaintance now.
I invite you to interact with everyone, learn, and have as much fun as possible!
For my returning online friends, "It's always great to see you again!"
Adobo: A Classic Filipino Dish
One of my favorite dishes from the Philippines is something called “Adobo”.
(The word "Adobo" was derived from the Spanish word “adobar”; meaning: to marinate.)
Classic Adobo takes poultry, meat or seafood, marinates it in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and black peppercorns (which is later sauteed in oil); then simmers it all in the marinade.
My “Adobo Escargot” is similar to the classic, but instead of the traditional protein ingredient, I use snail meat.
Since I practice heliciculture (snail farming), I have an abundant supply of live snails for any Escargot recipe I choose to cook.
But if live snails are unavailable, you can use canned snail meat instead.
Preparing Live Snails for Culinary Use
Snails must go through a preparation process before being used in any recipe.
Why?
Because improperly prepared snails can lead to angiostrongyliasis (parasitic lungworm infection)!
The snail preparation process consists of the following:
• Wash the snails several times to remove as much slime as possible. (Hint: A weak vinegar/water solution makes this easier and faster.)
• Sacrifice (Humanely Kill) the snails in boiling water for 10 minutes. (Make sure the water has reached a rolling boil BEFORE immersing the live snails)
• After the cool-down, use a fork or toothpick to extract the snail bodies from their shells. (Since we are not making the classic French Escargot dish, the shells may be discarded).
• Boil the snail meat for 5 minutes, then simmer for 90-120 minutes or pressure cook for 45-60 minutes.
The properly processed snail meat is now ready to go into the Adobo Escargot recipe.
Adobo Escargot
Ingredients:
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 whole garlic bulb, smashed and peeled
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 pound snail meat (canned or from 50-60 medium, live snails)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 can "Sprite" or "7-Up" soft drink - (Substitute: 1 tablespoon brown sugar in 2 cups water)
Cooking Steps:
In a shallow tupperware dish, combine the first 7 ingredients.
Add snail meat and refrigerate, covered, at least 30 minutes.
Drain the marinade into a separate container.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; then sauté the onions and garlic.
Stir in reserved marinade and soft drink (or sugar water).
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat; simmer, uncovered until sauce is slightly reduced (20-25 minutes).
Serve with cooked rice.
Bon Appétit!
By JaiChai
May you and yours be well and love life today.
Really Appreciate You Stopping By.
Truly hope to see you again!
About the Author:
Believing that school was too boring, he dropped out of High School early; only to earn an AA, BS and MBA in less than 4 years much later in life – while working full-time as a Navy/Marine Corps Medic.
In spite of a fear of heights and deep water, he performed high altitude, free-fall parachute jumps and hazardous diving ops in deep, open ocean water.
After 24 years of active duty, he retired in Asia.
Since then, he's been a full-time, single papa and actively pursuing his varied passions (Writing, Disruptive Technology, Computer Science and Cryptocurrency - plus more hobbies too boring or bizarre for most folk).
He lives on an island paradise with his girlfriend, teenage daughter and two dogs.
"My mind was a terrible thing to waste..." - JaiChai
