The last few days I’ve been having serious cravings for Nicaraguan food. Carne asada, indio viejo, chancho con yucca…the list is endless. If I went back to live in Nicaragua I would definitely gorge on every food item in sight. And I would learn how to make my favourite dishes because I would have access to the right ingredients. No more substitutions!

But for now, I am happy to settle with what I can make with the ingredients found in Vancouver. For tonight’s meal I have made Mom-Style Chicken with Corn Flour Tortillas, Gallo Pinto and Salad.

I’m not exactly sure if the chicken I made is in fact a Nicaraguan specialty but it’s the way my Mom always cooked chicken when I was younger and I’ve tried to best of my ability to remember all the ingredients. Of course I probably should have called her to confirm the ingredients but I decided to take a risk.

For the chicken and marinade:

3 whole chicken legs

1/2 an onion, coarsely chopped

Yellow mustard, I didn’t measure but it was probably a tbsp and a bit

Worcestershire sauce, again I didn’t measure but was approx a tbsp

Salt to taste, I’m really bad at gauging the right amount of salt for food.

Fresh ground pepper

Juice of one orange. I used navel but if you can score naranja agria or sour orange, that would be best.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and add chicken pieces, making sure they’re all coated. Let it sit, covered, for a few hours. My Mom would always pan cook the chicken or when we lived in Nicaragua she would use a coal bbq. But because I don’t have a bbq and I’m not a big fan of the way meat turns out when I use my frying pans I chose to bake my chicken at about 400F for approx 40 minutes, flipping the chicken pieces every 10 minutes.

For the tortillas:

2 cups corn flour (Maseca)

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

I found this great video that helped me A LOT. Usually my tortilla shapes turn out looking like South America and pieces break and it’s a big mess. Not only that but I never know when to flip them. And without my Mom peering over my shoulder it makes the tortilla-making process even harder. I don’t have a tortilla press so I used the underside of a round cake pan.

For the Gallo Pinto:

Approx 1 cup white rice, rinsed

1/4 onion, coarsely chopped

1 can of black beans

Salt

Oil for cooking

Okay, this one is still a tough one for me. You would think that after several attempts I would have this one down pat but WOW do I ever know how to screw up a simple pan of gallo pinto. In an ideal world the rice would turn out perfectly fried, each grain separate from the rest, soft but firm. And upon adding the beans, a lovely mixture of colour would ensue. But instead I end up with mushy rice mixed with beans and no colour blending at all. So if anyone has tips on how to make a proper pot of gallo pinto, please share. To make the rice, first you have to fry the onions for a few minutes and then add the rice and continue to fry until toasted on medium-high heat. Next add enough water to cover the rice and once the water has come to a boil turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. The rice is done when all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is somewhat dry-looking. In a larger frying pan, heat oil and add the beans and rice and fry together until well-blended.

For the salad:

Approx 1/3 head of cabbage, shredded

1 tomato, diced

White vinegar

Salt to taste

Simply toss all ingredients together and there’s your salad. If you have any limes kicking around feel free to squeeze some juice into the mix.

I like to eat my gallo pinto with sour cream and a dash of Tabasco sauce.