Chamorro Chicken Kelaguen
Since many of my cookbooks are in storage, I had to go digging for this one. A traveling friend and former Guam coworker came through for me. This is a recipe made by a former coworker of ours who is a native of the island, Richard Taitano.
One whole chicken cut and BBQ’d, to remain juicy. (If you prefer you may substitute a fresh cooked rotisserie chicken.) De-bone the chicken and chop it into fine pieces. Keep the skin to add later to the kelaguen. This gives it a lot of added flavor.
Chop 1 onion and set aside or substitute 24 green onions. You will also need one fresh coconut husked, cracked and shredded. (This takes time.) Richard recommends buying a couple extra, as sometimes they have sat too long in the store and are dried out when you crack them open.
Additionally, you need salt, lemon powder and hot peppers to taste. If you are unable to locate lemon powder (it was prevalent on Guam but may be difficult elsewhere), you may substitute the juice of 2 lemons.
Take the set aside chicken skin and cook it a bit to make it more crispy, you may use a toaster oven for this. Chop it into fine pieces. Mix the chicken, grilled chicken skin, onion, lemon powder, peppers and salt together. When well mixed add the coconut and serve with pieces of flat bread.
There is also a beef version of kelaguen that is made with marinating the beef in lemon and soy sauce. We were told when we lived there that this was a technique used during the war when they couldn’t build campfires for risk of being captured. The acidity killed bacteria to the level where it was reasonably safe to consume. This is not for everyone’s taste however, as the meat is not cooked in a traditional manner and is only sterilized through the marination process. But if you like that sort of thing . . .
Being a Guamanian recipe, chicken kelaguen is a particularly appropriate summer menu item. Other foodie finds suitable for warm weather include this list of pineapple recipes, a roundup of summer cocktail ideas and tips on hosting a backyard barbecue affordably.
Photo Credit: Jetalone
13 comments
I LEARNED THIS CHICKEN KELAGUEN 37 YRS AGO AND NOW I AM STATESIDE AND FOLKS LOVE IT
!!
Hi Teri.
Thanks for stopping by to offer input. Always glad to chat with a former fellow Guam person!
Kelaguen is out of this world. my favorite being Beef. people here in seattle always say “ewww thats not cooked” btw, there isnt any soy sauce in beef kelaguen.
Yippee! Beef keleguen!
You know, since I’m actually visiting family right now, I dug out my Mom’s copy of the famous Dorothy’s Kitchen cookbook of Guamanian recipes.
She isn’t listing soy as an ingredient, either. However, while I had a cookbook when I lived there, I actually had a local show me how to make it. That being said, it could have been her personal little twist. And I don’t remember her using coconut either, although I’m looking at the Dorothy’s recipe right now and it calls for that. Coconut sounds like a yummy way to go.
Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to try whipping up a more traditional version than the one I thought I had for years.
At any rate, it’s good stuff, I agree.
what i miss the most is the dessert Potu. not the Filipino style which they pronounce Pu’toh. The Chamorro style which is large fluffy and sweet. see if you can dig up the recipe for that.
I too, am in search of the chamorro recipe for potu. Can anyone help….thanks in advance.
Hi Guys. I’ve been searching for the potu recipe without luck. However, a friend of mine is going to an expat teachers’ reunion in the next few weeks, and the husband of one of the teachers attending is a true local and cooks a lot of our old favorites from the island. I’ve put in the request to her, and she’s going to run it up the recipe request ladder during the event. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.
Thank you…..I can’t wait!! I hope someone shares the recipe, for some reason, it’s a guarded secret!!
STEAMED (RICE CAKE) PUTO
2 c. rice soaked in 1 1/2 c. water overnight
2 tsp. baking powder
1-1 1/2 c. white sugar
4 egg whites
2 tbsp. sugar for egg whites
You may use long grain.
In a heavy duty blender, puree soaked rice in water until very fine. Pour in a bowl; add sugar and 2 teaspoons baking powder. Mix well and set aside.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Add 2 tablespoons sugar to keep the air in the beaten egg whites. Fold the egg whites into the beaten rice batter and pour into muffin pans. Steam for about 20 minutes or until done. Optional: Sprinkle a few anise seeds on top of the puto. Serve with grated coconut.
Note: You may use basket steamer in a wok half filled with water.
Thanks, TC! I hadn’t had any luck with my quest. I’m sure the other readers will appreciate it too.
here is a link to our online encyclopedia (guampedia, Guam’s online encyclopedia) that has a recipe for “POTO” – spelling variance.
http://guampedia.com/category/161-desserts/entry/274
Thanks, Tanya!
I had no idea someone had started an online encyclopedia for Guam. I’ll be checking that out further for my education research. Again, thanks so much for the poto link.
I LOVE SOME PUTO TOO… MAYBE IF SOMEONE CAN GET A CHANCE TO GO TO THE VILLAGE OF MONGMONG AND SEE IF THE CRUZ FAMILY CAN SHARE THIS OLD TIME RECIPE THAT MAYBE WE CAN ALL GET HOOKED UP WITH THAT WILL BE WONDERFUL… A VERY GOOD PUTO IS MADE WITH A VERY YUMMY “TUBA”.......
) PLEASE SHARE THE CORRECT RECIPE TOO…. I USUALLY GET MY PUTO DOWN IN SAN DIEGO, CA.
THANK YOU…