Saipan Good Eatin'

http://www.exploring-america.com/northern-mariana-islands.htm

I lived on the island of Saipan in the Northern Marianas Islands.  I worked at a small international school teaching 4th grade.  I went there without knowing anyone. I even had a telephone interview, so I never actually MET anyone before arriving on my tiny island.   I figured I could do anything for a year and leave if I didn't like it. But I fell in love with the island and the people!  I so loved it there--sand, sun, fun. I loved the kids and I made lots of great friends.  Seven years(99-06), a husband, and a son later, I left kicking and screaming. 

www.infoplease.com/atlas/state/northernmarianaislands.html

Parties on the beach were abundant and so fun.  They always included barbecue, red rice, potato salad, and BEER.  Always lots of BEER!!!  The barbecue was usually some kind of meat (beef, pork, ribs, chicken and/or fish) that had been marinaded in usually a fina deni kind of sauce.  Always quite tastey. 

So, on this Spring Day, I decided to have me a Kansas City/Saipan barbecue for my family!  Here's the results:

Chamorro marinaded chicken, red rice, zucchini & yellow squash

Chamorro Marinade

2 cups soy sauce (I used less sodium variety)

1 cup sugar

2 tsp fresh chopped ginger

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

black pepper, to taste

crushed red pepper, to taste

2-3 pounds meat (pork, beef, chicken)

Heat soy sauce, sugar and ginger in a pan until sugar dissolves.  Do not let it boil over.  Simmer for a few minutes.  Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Pour over meat in a seal able container (Tupperware, or ziploc bag).  Marinade for 2-3 hours or over night in the refrigerator, stir occasionally (once I ended up letting it marinade for two days...and it was DEVINE!).  Grill over charcoal.  Be careful not to let the marinade burn, because it does have sugar in it. 

Chamorro Red Rice



2 cups rice (NOT INSTANT!)

3 cups water (amount that it says on the package of rice)

2-3 strips of bacon (or two bratwurst chopped, spam also works, as does ham)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 packets of Sazon Goya Con Culantro Y Achiote (Coriander & Annatto)spice mix

(Look for it in the Mexican Food section of your grocery store.  It comes in a small box)  Or if you can find it 2 tablespoons of Achote spice (you can find it at an Asian food store.)

Fry bacon, remove from an to drain.  Add onions to the bacon drippings.  Saute until translucent.  Chop bacon.  Return to pan and mix with onions and add garlic.  Put water in rice cooker (or pan if you don't have a rice cooker).  Mix in spice packets.  Add onion/bacon mixture.  Add Rice.  Cook according to directions on the rice package. 

**If you are using other types of meat besides bacon.  Add it to the onions as you saute them.    You might need to add some oil to the onions then.  It depends on how oily the meat you are using is.

Zucchini & Squash

1 yellow squash, washed and cut into pieces

1 zucchini, washed and cut into pieces

(julienned them!)

1/2 medium onion, sliced and cut in half, or coarsely diced

1 packet of dry onion soup mix

2 T of olive oil

aluminium foil

Put vegetables in a large Ziploc bag or a large bowl.  Drizzle with the oil.  Sprinkle half of the soup mix on the veggies.  Seal the bag and shake.  Then add the remaining mix.  Shake again.  Tear off two good sized pieces of foil.  Put half of the veggie mixture on the foil.  Then fold the foil and roll the edges, so it is good and closed.  Put on the grill for about 20-30 minutes until tender.  Be sure to turn once or twice. 

** I put them on the grill about 5 minutes before cooking the chicken and then let them cook for about 5 more minutes after the chicken was done!

If you have any chicken leftovers, you can make an island favorite called Chicken Keleguen.

Chicken Keleguen

1 pound chicken, cooked and chopped (left over rotisserie works, baked, etc.)

Roasted red sweet pepper

The juice from one lemon

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped

1 cup unsweetened grated coconut (You can grate a whole coconut if you want!)

1 tsp chili paste

Salt and pepper to taste

Flour tortillas

Roast pepper.  Remove skin and seeds.  Dice.  Mix all ingredients.  Serve with warm tortillas.  It is good with Fina dene sauce.

Fina Dene

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup plain white vinegar

1 chopped onion

1 bunch chopped green onion

1 tsp chili pepper paste

Mix all ingredients.  Refrigerate for a day before using.  Then keep refrigerated.

I hope enjoy this yummy islandy barbecue dinner!