Indulge in the sweet-spicy taste of this Afritada "Afraid-tada"

by: Vialyn Felipe

                 I can say with the utmost frankness that as much as possible, I will only eat my mother's recipe of foods. I don't know what is in my mouth that whenever I eat the foods cooked by others, I don't like it that much. I always compare those foods to the ones my mother had cooked before. It is always how delicious the foods are, the taste, the flavors they have that I have been always looking for. maybe, it is because my mouth is set and reserved for my mother's recipe that whenever I eat, I always make it to the point that I’m not full so that when I go home, there is a place for my stomach to fill in with the foods my mother had cooked. 

                  Every occasion that we celebrate, my mother is always the one who is assigned to cook the different dishes to be served to the guests and relatives. Our neighbors and also my mom’s close friends took her to cook when they also celebrate birthdays, christenings, and also weddings. I can see that they are also satisfied with the taste of the foods my mother had cooked and they appreciated it because every time they celebrate and repeat the same occasion, they always call my mom to cook for them.

            One of my favorites among my mother’s recipe is the afritada because I love the potatoes and the sauce is delicious. When my mother cooked afritada, I use to call it “Afraid-tada”. My mother put a little twist on her recipe of afritada. She made it a little spicy because that is what her customers are looking for. Especially, those people who often bought dishes to her. I used to call it “Afraid-tada” because I don’t like spicy foods. I’m not good in eating spicy foods even though its flavor is sweet and spicy. Another thing I don’t like with that afritada is that it gets more spicy as you continue eating it. That is why when I have no choice, but to eat the afraid-tada, I always have a glass of water by my side so that when it gets more spicy, I will drink a mouthful of water. About that afraid-tada, I ask my mom how to cook it. So, here it is, my mother’s version of afritada.

Ingredients:

Photo from Panlasang Pinoy

Chicken, cut into serving pieces

1 large potato, quartered

1 teaspoon granulated white sugar

4 tablespoons cooking oil

1 large carrot, sliced

8 ounces tomato sauce

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 pieces hotdogs, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

1 large bell pepper, sliced

1 cup green peas

2 pieces dried bay leaves

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

chili sauce

1 1/4 cups chicken broth or stock

Procedure:

First, heat the cooking pot or casserole then pour the cooking oil. Second, fry the chicken until it is cooked and its color turns into light brown. Next, remove the chicken from the cooking pot. Set aside. On the same cooking pot,  sauté  the onions and garlics. Put in the hotdogs. Pan-fried the chicken then cooked it for minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and the tomato sauce, add the bay leaves then simmer it for about 30-35 minutes. Add the potatoes and carrots. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Put the green bell pepper, green peas, and sugar. Season it with salt, chili sauce and pepper then cooked it for 3 minutes. Lastly, turn off the heat and served with steamed rice.

That was the food I somehow get afraid of to eat. Every time my relatives visit at our house, they request or look for the afraid-tada. Also my cousins appreciate it. They love the sauce it has. When my mother serves it, everyone is eager to take a spoonful of it because it really looks and smells delicious. Not only a food for the eye, but also food for the stomach.

                One lunch or dinner as always is reserved for afraid-tada even I don’t like its spicy flavor . Its soft tendered meat in tomato sauce with fresh and good-cooked vegetables is perfect with the steamed rice. It tastes good and saucy.

                I know that mother doesn’t finish a course of culinary arts but I think, it is her experience that made her good in cooking. So whenever we go home from the school, and the afraid-tada is on the table, my siblings and I automatically take a plate and serve rice. Even though it is a little bit spicy, I also serve my own and eat. No need for my mother to say “serve rice and let us eat”. Unlike the other days when we have a different dish, especially when it is a vegetable, my siblings sometimes lack the strength to eat anymore then my mother got angry.

Photo from: www.marketmanila.com

                In the past few years, eating has been a personal satisfaction and a social activity for many Filipinos. They even try all sorts of cuisines from the different parts of the world and I’m sure that there are already foods that suit their taste. Filipinos also like experimenting and trying new things so that is why old dishes came different as years pass by. Simply because Filipinos are creative and they create a twist for their favorite dishes. Like the afritada which was before, sweet but due to my mother’s customer request, it now became “afraid-tada” which was a little bit spicy. So, if you like to taste afraid-tada, come and do visit our house.