Chaulafan

This is a paid collaboration with Kikkoman and Latina Bloggers Connect. The story, opinions and pictures are all me.

In my realization that I did not raise my son with the beauty that is my (our) Latino culture (It’s been very watered down) in an attempt to assimilate myself to his prominent influence (I talk about it here), I’m bringing all the things I’ve learned to the table. Literally. Until we can make that trip to Ecuador, I’m going to replace a few meals with the ones that represent our heritage. I think food (and music) is one of the best ways to celebrate culture, don’t you? For example, my son loves fried rice, especially with Peruvian flavors. But Ecuador has their own version of this much loved Chinese cuisine called Chaulafan. It has all the flavors found in typical fried rice but with more peppers and a Latino twist.

When I agreed to be part of the #KikkomanSabor blog campaign, I knew I wanted to make this particular dish. I also agreed to work specifically with Kikkoman because I’m all for brands that have an amazing story. Kikkoman was started by a woman during a time when women didn’t start companies (17th century), and operates on the family philosophy – Isogaba maware, which means “Make Haste Slowly”.  Advance and grow, but do it with tremendous thought and care. The message cannot be more perfect for me right now.

Kikkoman is a naturally brewed soy sauce that is so versatile, it goes pretty much with any type of meat or rice dish. You can use it as a marinade or condiment. It’s also great if you want to stir fry your veggies. I love switching up my greens with a boost of flavor. Yum. But if you want to go the full fried rice route, I totally recommend trying out one of the Latin American rice dishes for a different experience.
Chaulafan is very easy to make. However, it does take a bit of time to prepare (like up to two hours) so I totally recommend making this a family activity. My son helped make the chicken while Kevin diced up the onions and peppers. The recipe below is a variation of this one, which is actually really good. I really want to try this with shrimp! But then again, there are so many other Kikkoman recipes I can try.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken:
2.5 lbs of organic white meat chicken (preferably already in cutlets)
8 cups water
1 white onion, diced
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
5 cilantro sprigs
Adobo, salt and pepper to taste
Thyme to taste
Rosemary to taste

Rice
1 tbs of olive oil
2 tbs white or red onion
3 ¼ cups chicken broth (this makes all the difference)
3 cups white long grain uncooked rice
Adobo, salt and pepper to taste

Chaulafan
2-3 tbs olive oil
1 cup diced white onions
8 garlic cloves, crushed
3-4 slices of honey baked bacon (diced)
2 tbs finely chopped cilantro (to taste)
1 tbs siracha
1 tsp ground cumin
1 large bell pepper (or 2 small ones red and yellow)
1 cup cooked peas
1 cup of cooked carrots, diced
6 eggs already scrambled
10 tbs of Kikkoman soy sauce
4 tbs Worcester sauce
3 tbs finely chopped cilantro
2 handfuls of green onions, finely chopped (or more if you’re like me!)

PREPARE

Chicken: Bring the water, onions and celery to a boil. Add your chicken and cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes to an hour or until meat is cooked and tender. Remove the chicken from the broth, set aside and save the broth. Rice: Boil your chicken broth, add your herbs, olive oil and chicken and let it simmer for about 20 minutes with low heat. While your rice is cooking, break up your chicken into small pieces. Chaulafan: In a wok, add your chopped onions, diced bacon, garlic, Worcester sauce, Kikkoman soy sauce, cumin, cilantro, siracha and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the cooked rice, chicken and pepper. Stir well and slowly while cooking it over a medium high heat. Add your scrambled eggs, peas and carrots, green onions and mix well.