Chicken inasal is one of the most loved Filipino dish in the Visayas region of the Philippines which is a popular specialty in the city of Bacolod. Commonly known as inasal, the dish is the Filipino version of roast chicken marinated in different mixture of sauce, herbs and spices grilled over hot coals while basted in marinade.
Here in Australia, Filipinos line up at Philippine fiestas and food celebrations just to have a taste and bite of this heavenly dish which is best enjoyed with garlic rice and atsara as side dish.
Mark Vallejo, a chef from Bacolod and owner of Tiangge Asian grocery and takeaway from Camperdown, Victoria says that while all the ingredients to an authentic inasal are not readily available in Australia, there are alternative ingredients you can buy from local stores around your area. There may be a little difference when it comes to the taste but when you miss a native dish, who wants to complain?
Alternative ingredients
Marinade the chicken for at least 2 to 4 hours. Native chicken is normally used for an authentic inasal but if not available, any regular chicken you can buy from your favourite market can be used.
Start off by seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper then adding your marinade. The ingredients for the marinade would be garlic, ginger, lemongrass, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and calamansi or kumquat.
Calamansi or kumquat are not always available in Australia as it is a tropical citrus fruit that is grown mostly in South East Asia. An alternative of it would be to use lemon or lime. However, Mark suggests to put only an ample amount of the fruit. To make it more authentic, do not forget to use Filipino-made soy sauce and pure coconut vinegar which are all accessible at your nearest Filipino store.
After hours of marinating, fire up the grill with charcoal making sure that the heat is not too hot. Cook the chicken slowly turning it around every 10 to 15 minutes at the same time, basting every 10 minutes with reserved marinade and atsuete oil.
The magic of atsuete oil
Wondering why inasal is yellow in colour? Atsuete, achiote or annatto is used to add a yellowish-orange colour to the chicken. It gives a kick on the chicken's taste, moistens the chicken and makes the chicken look more appealing to the eyes because of its distinct colour.
BBQ tips
Attribution – kumquats – must read: Pixabay/nicolagiordano CC0 Source: Attribution – kumquats – must read: Pixabay/nicolagiordano CC0
honey, soya sauce, garlic and black pepper marinated chicken leg in a crock pot Source: iStockphoto
Wondering why inasal is yellow in colour? Atsuete, achiote or annatto is used to add a yellowish-orange colour to the chicken. It gives a kick on the chicken's taste, moistens the chicken and makes the chicken look more appealing to the eyes because of its distinct colour.
atsuete Source: Atsuete
Always remember that the secret to a tender and juicy barbecue is not in the marinade but on how it is cooked. Normally, Australians use gas when grilling but for chicken inasal, it is highly suggested to use charcoal fire. According to Mark, cooking it very quickly will dry up the chicken so make sure to cook the chicken slowly and see to it that the chicken you bought are fresh.
It is also best to use native wood charcoal in grilling. A tip would be not to put your chicken close to the actual flame instead, spread out the flame evenly, one or two layers of charcoal should be enough. Keep an eye on it so your chicken does not burn.
The actual ingredients help the smoke smell different than normal barbecue. Once lemongrass, ginger and garlic are starting to cook, it releases a distinct aroma attracting the sense of smell.
Chicken and pork barbecue by Mark Vallejo of Tiangge Asian grocery and take away Source: Mark Vallejo of Tiangge Asian grocery and take away
Which is best? Pecho (breast part) or paa (leg part)? While the answer remains subjective for inasal lovers, choose whatever will fill your heart's desire. Nowadays in Bacolod, an improvised version called 'pechopak' (chicken's breast and wing part) is introduced in order to accommodate a bigger serving to inasal fans.
'Sawsawan'
Paa or pecho? Leg or thigh? Source: Claudette Centeno Calixto
Inasal is not complete without the 'sawsawan' or dipping sauce. The authentic dipping sauce for inasal would be the ever-popular sinamak, the Ilonggo version of spiced vinegar. This condiment derives its appeal and zest from several spices such as onion and garlic that were combined and soaked in vinegar for several days to several weeks. Adding calamansi and soy sauce unto it will definitely stimulate your appetite to eat more.
Chicken inasal, rice and atsara the perfect trio
Sinamak Source: Claudette Centeno Calixto
Finally, in order to complete your inasal experience, make sure to pair it with a cup of garlic rice or yellow rice and atsara. Yellow rice is basically rice smothered with chicken fat oil while atsara is a side dish made from pickled unripe papaya that serves as an appetizer for your meal. To make it more Filipino, you can opt to put the delicious meal on a piece of banana leaf using a bamboo plate and eat with bare hands.
Chicken inasal is not only popular in the Philippines as a native Filipino dish but is widely loved by Australians. As soon as you smell the smoke, you can't resist grabbing a piece of it while saying the Ilonggo words, 'baw, kanamit gid!'
eating chicken inasal with bare hands is an experience.Bacolod's Manokan Country Source: Bacolod's Manokan Country
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