PDF We grew up surrounded by many trees in our backyard back in the Philippines. I woke up everyday, knowing we had an abundance of coconuts and mangoes. I wish we had taken more pictures back then. Picture taking was a luxury , before the internet, pre-digital age. But come to think of it, if I had pictures, then I wouldn’t be blogging, and instead will just be staring at old photos to relive the memories.
But now, I recreate my childhood memories from the Philippines, through cooking, writing and then sharing it on my blog . And in this mosaic of words, food, and pictures, I am able to create wonderful images of timeless recipes.
Most of you know that my recipes were from what my late Mom taught me when I was growing up. One thing I have always wished was to cook for her again, one more time, one last time. Instead of pining for the past, I have rechanneled energies to the present and have taught my sons how to cook.
One of Mom’s best recipes was CHICKEN CURRY paired with MANGO CHUTNEY. I clearly recall that once Mango season was about to end in July, we would get busy in the kitchen cooking with mangoes and doing everything to use up and store the surplus of this delicious golden fruit. We made jam, candies, pickles, smoothies, juice,ice cream. We used mangoes in salads, as ingredients, side dishes.
Often, Mom made Mango Chutney and I remember how crazy things got on hot summer days. There I was, in my teens, peeling, slicing, chopping. Boiling, mixing, blending, and then canning and preserving. After we had an endless supply of the Mango Chutney, then Mom would whip up a favorite family dish : CHICKEN CURRY, one of the best dishes she made using coconut.
And yes, Mom used fresh coconuts. While she was preparing the “native chicken” (organic, free-range chickens), someone else was climbing the coconut tree in our backyard, chopping it open, so that Mom could squeeze the cream out of the coconut meat. If I close my eyes, I can still hear the heavy plop of coconuts when they landed on the grass in our yard. It was followed by the sound of a swift blow, a sign that the coconut had been cut open, its juice oozing out, the fresh meat ready to be scraped out. And how can I forget the sweet aroma of a freshly cut coconut?
When we moved to America, I worried I would not be able to recreate Mom’s chicken curry. Where was I going to find a coconut tree, I asked myself? Where was I going to find mangoes in the winter? In time I learned how to improvise and substitute. And even better, as I got better recreating Mom’s Chicken Curry, I made sure I taught my sons how to cook the dish.
Today, not only does my son, Toby* make the Chicken Curry with expert precision, but he actually TEACHES me how to make the dish better.The Chicken Curry comes alive once Toby gets cooking. In a few minutes, the familiar aroma of a spicy, pungent, flavorful curry dish simmering in a sweet coconut broth soars from the skillet.
Life indeed has come full circle. Mom’s recipe is something I taught Toby. And now Toby, not just cooks for me when he comes home from college, but he is my CHICKEN CURRY Guru….Grasshopper, I have taught you well! And my late Mom would have been so proud of her grandson’s version of Chicken Curry and Mango Chutney!
CHICKEN CURRY Filipino Style
*Toby Quirino’s version, adapted from my Mom’s recipe
2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless, cut in 2-inch serving pieces (about 3 large pieces)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 cans coconut milk
¾ cup chicken broth or water
2 Tablespoons yellow curry powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup cubed carrots
1 cup green beans
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Red bell pepper strips, for garnish
1 whole hardboiled egg, sliced for garnish
Mango chutney, for a side dish (recipe follows)
Naan (Indian bread), to serve with meal
Jasmine rice, to go with meal
Onion rings, deep-fried to serve with meal
Eggplant slices, deep-fried to serve with meal
1 cup raisins, pan-seared, to serve with meal
1 cup crushed peanuts, to serve with meal
1. In a large skillet, over medium heat, sauté in the oil the onions and garlic.
2. Add the chicken pieces and pan-sear for a few minutes till it is slightly brown.
3. Add the coconut cream and broth. Blend in the curry powder and cinnamon.
4. Once the coconut has blended and starts to boil, lower the heat to a slow simmer. Keep stirring so that the ingredients do not stick to the bottom of the skillet.
5. Keep cooking over slow heat till the chicken is tender. This should take about 35 minutes.
6. Towards the last ten minutes of cooking, add the potatoes, carrots and last the green beans. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Garnish with red bell pepper strips, hardboiled egg slices and serve over hot steamed jasmine rice or some Naan.
8. Accompany this dish with : crisp onion rings, deep-fried eggplant slices, pan-seared raisins, crushed peanuts and a generous cup of Mango Chutney.
MOM’S MANGO CHUTNEY
2 large overripe fresh mangoes, peeled, pitted, and sliced
½ cup white vinegar
1 and ½ cups brown sugar
1 cup water
1 large red bell pepper, sliced in strips
1 large green bell pepper, sliced in strips
1 tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 large red onion, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 red chili
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
2 large bay leaves
½ cup raisins
1. In a medium pot, mix together the brown sugar, vinegar and salt.
2. Add the sliced mangoes, and all the other ingredients. Blend well.
3. Let the mixture boil, then lower to a slow simmer. The chutney will turn to a thick, jam-like consistency. Keep stirring while cooking so that it does not burn.
4. Once mango chutney has cooked, allow to cool. Then store in pre-sterilized jars and keep in a cool place. Keep refrigerated if possible.
COOK’S COMMENTS: The ingredients for the Chicken Curry are easy to find in regular markets, in the Asian cooking aisle. This is a good curry recipe base, but packed with flavors. Feel free to be creative and use other types of vegetables desired. Try green peas, bok choy (Chinese cabbage), chayote or even squash. Or if preferred, make it an all-vegetarian dish.
For the Mango chutney: mangoes are available in the USA from the early spring to the late summer months. They can be found in large groceries or the Asian markets. Since I know they will not be available in the winter months, I buy a large supply of mangoes in the summer, peel and slice them, then keep them in Ziploc containers in the freezer. They keep till the next mango season comes around.
*TOBY QUIRINO, Drexel University 2012 will graduate this summer with a degree in BA Communications/Global Journalism & Sociology.
I share your experience, mine is with my grand dad- the endless peeling and chopping in the kitchen, I was my grandad’s sous chef, LOL! i also grew up in a farm where fruit trees are just within reach, how I love the olden days!
Lovely to hear that Toby has interest in the kitchen as well. Love the recipe especially the mango chutney!
Thanks, Dudut! Yes, those are lovely memories of growing up and spending time with the family. Glad you stop by. And yes, both my sons Toby and Tim are great chefs when they visit !
Wow ! This looks sooooo goood !!! this is a special recipe ! Thanks for sharing your food memory !=)
Thanks, Day! Every dish brings back lots of memories, always special! Thanks for stopping by:) Appreciate your kindness and support!
wow! I have to try your recipe!
Thanks, Peachy. This is so good with lots of rice! Glad you stopped by!
Mango queen does it again
what a great looking dish!
Thanks, Yuri…nice of you to stop by. Yes, Mango rules!
Yuri, you are so kind ! And yes, the Mango Queen does not disappoint! Panda HUGS!
Love your son’s version of chicken curry! Sounds more flavorful than the Filipino chicken curry I know! Yum!
Thanks, Tina! Yes, Tob’s version is our favorite here at home. Glad you stopped by!
Thank you Elizabeth for sharing not only this delicious recipe but your fond memories with your mother. I truly enjoyed reading it and I must admit, a little lump in throat but I’m okay now.
This is a nice Kulinarya post, Elizabeth and thank you for participating especially on my first hosting, hehehe. 
Thanks, Chef Ray ! So kind of you to always be supportive! Yes, we remember Mom through the recipes she taught us. Thanks for organizing this KCC event…great theme!
Earlier today I commented on another blog about how lovely it would be to have fresh fruit trees in my yard. I can only imagine how wonderful it was for you as a child to just walk outside and pick the bounty.
I think that you Mom would be very proud of her grandsons and I think she would be tickled pink that your son Toby has taken liberties with her Chicken Curry recipe and made it his own. It looks wonderful as does that bowl of mango chutney!
P.S. You Mother was beautiful!
Thanks, Paula. Your kind support means so much. And yes, Mom was beautiful and we miss her everyday!
Earlier today I commented on another blog about how lovely it would be to have fresh fruit trees in my yard. I can only imagine how wonderful it was for you as a child to just walk outside and pick the bounty.
I think that you Mom would be very proud of her grandsons and I think she would be tickled pink that your son Toby has taken liberties with her Chicken Curry recipe and made it his own. It looks wonderful as does that bowl of mango chutney!
P.S. Your Mother was beautiful!
I like chicken curry when it’s done the Filipino way. I have been living in Sri Lanka and exposed to their chicken curry every occasion but my taste buds remain biased to that milder flavor of Filipino curry.
Thanks, Boyet. Yes, this is a milder version of the chicken curry. That’s why it’s a frequent dish on our table! Glad you stopped by!
It’s good to discover this site. Is that your mom in the picture? She is beautiful.
Like you, I learned my cooking skills from my mom by being her assistant in the kitchen as early as when I was 8 years old. Through the years, I have honed my skills, nothing spectacular though in my cooking, but I can whip up something in the kitchen.
Now that I have kids of my own, they become my guinea pigs.
Thanks for stopping by. Appreciate your kind comments!
Chicken curry and mango chutney is one of my favorite dishes ever. Will have to try your son’s version. And your story to introduce it was simply moving, as well.
Thanks, WordsandNosh, glad you stopped by! Glad to cook along with you on the KCC Challenge!
Thanks you for sharing your cooking days with your mom, She’s beautiful, BTW. This a wonderful dish and post.
Oops, thank you…not thanks you. lol
Thanks, Oggi! So kind of you to stop by. Enjoyed cooking along with you on this KCC Challenge!
My kids were just asking me about chutney! I usually serve it with ham and they wanted details about ingredients. Normally I purchase it. Shhhhh. ; ) ; )
This sounds easy enough and VERY delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Michelle! If mangoes are no longer in season, you can do this with Apples, too. Try it and let me know! Glad you stopped by!
Thanks for sharing your mom’s Chicken Curry. A delicious dish and it is great that not only you but your son are now making her recipe. I can’t wait for mango season so I can make your Mom’s mango chutney.
Thanks, Caroline! It’s a way to remember Mom…cooking all her recipes from memory! Glad you stopped by!
Oh what a lovely story. Your mom was a beautiful woman. It’s great to see how family recipes and traditions are passed down through the generations. Your mom would be proud.
Thanks, Deb! Yes, Mom was beautiful and well-loved. Wish she was still around to see my blogs and watch her grandsons in the kitch!
this dish is one of my family’s favorite and mind you, i don’t dare to serve it without the condiments of mango chutney and boiled eggs and sliced onions or else, i never hear the end of it that the curry isn’t complete.
Great take on the KCC theme Betty, Your story of childhood memories and cascading these memories through cooking and passing it on to your sons make it more apt to the true patriotism that this month’s theme wants to capture. Bravo!
happy tuesday mi amiga!
Malou
Hi Malou, so happy to hear from you! Yes, this curry dish is NEVER complete without the Mango Chutney. We miss my Mom and the best way to remember her is thro’ the old family recipes. Glad you stopped by!
Love, love anything curried. and this is extra special with your mom’s mango chutney. Beautiful post, Betty-Ann. Lovely red, white, blue, and yellow colors, too.
Thanks, Jun! Appreciate your stopping by and the kind comments! Yes, this was one of Mom’s favorites and we now cook it often!
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While reading I made a wish that I could also teach my 2yr old boy what I learned from my family’s kitchen. So love the story and recipes.
Thanks, Abigail. I’m sure you’ll enjoy teaching your little boy someday ! It’ll be fun!
You are indeed the mango Queen! This is a beautiful dish with lot’s of love for sure.
I will definitely will trying this version.
Thanks, Tita Flips! So kind of you. Glad you stopped by
Mangoes are my most favorite fruit. I have yet to make my own mango chutney but would love to give it a go,
Thanks, Cherrie! We love our mangoes when in season. Try this chutney, it was so easy.
Mangoes are my most favorite fruit. I have yet to make my own mango chutney but would love to give it a go.
Is that your mum’s photograph? If yes, she is such a gorgeous lady. The dish looks so tempting. I appreciate that you are taking so much time out to recreate flavours from your childhood to keep intact your mum’s culinary legacy.
Thanks,Anita. Yes, that was my late Mom, Lulu Reyes-Besa, from Tarlac,Philippines. I try to remember her through the dishes I cook. Nice of you to stop by.
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Beautiful post! The recipe is so inviting. You do a great job passing on the tradition of cooking good to your sons. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks, Mari. This chicken curry & mango chutney recipe always reminds me of my Mom. I’m so happy my son now cooks it well. Glad you came by!