This cozy mystery will introduce you to a Filipino-American family who loves as much as the cook. Lila returns home to help her Tita Rosie and is drawn into an investigation when her former high school boyfriend dies in her aunt’s restaurant. Don’t skip the recipes in this novel, they are amazing. The Chicken Adobo was a huge hit with my family.
This is the first book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series. A cozy mystery that seems part small town rom-com and part murder mystery. Main character Lila balances life in a close knit family, her friends, and her own career goals. With a cast of intriguing characters, this series will capture your imagination, I’ve already bought the next book in this series!
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
Chicken Adobo Recipe
from a cozy mystery:
Arsenic and Adobo
by Mia P. Manansala
Book Outline and Tone:
Step into a new and yet familiar world. Lila Macapagal is a typical small town girl with a supportive family who is there to catch her when her love life falls apart in the big city. Her small town is filled with gossips, old high school friends, and plenty of rumors. Now open yourself to the ‘new’ side. Lila is from a Filipino-American family. Her extended family uses a cross between Tagalog and English and the meals they make are definitely based on traditional recipes from the Philippines.
This cozy mystery is a prime example of why readers are superior thinkers. By simply reading this novel I learned about a different culture and was inspired to try new cuisine.
Lila seems to have walked into a disaster in her home town. While trying to help her Tita Rosie make the family restaurant more successful, Lila’s former high school boyfriend dies inside the restaurant. To make matters worse, arsenic is found in his system and on the plate of food that he was eating when he died.
Readers are immediately drawn into Lila and her small town. Lila uses her intelligence and family trait of stubbornness to make sure this crime is correctly solved.
The Best Quote:
“[Terrence]‘Yes! What time? Should I bring anything?’…[Lila] Tita, what time are people coming over? I invited Detective Park’s brother to dinner and he wants to know if he should bring anything.’ [Lola Flor] ‘Why? Does he think we won’t feed him properly?’”
Point of View:
The novel is told in first person point of view from Lila Macapagal’s perspective.
The Author: Mia P. Manansala
This is author Mia P. Manansala’s first of many novels. According to her website, she is an award winning author such as the Anthony Award for Best First novel in 2022 as well as several other distinguished awards. She has many active pages on her website. She includes a page of her recipes, a newsletter sign up, and descriptions of all her book series. She does have a social media presence and her Facebook page seems to be the most active. She does have an Instagram and X page as well.
An impeccable quote on her website “ The New York Times stated, “Manansala peppers the narrative with enough red herrings to keep readers from guessing the killer, but the strength of the novel is how family, food and love intertwine in meaningful and complex ways,” which are common themes in her writing.” The author of that review really nailed the strong tie-ins of family, food and love. It best describes this series.
What is not to like?:
Lila has several love interests, I can’t decide if I’m jealous of her or I just can’t decide which relationship I am cheering for.
The verdict:
I am absolutely delighted that I finally read this book! I’m excited to learn more about Lila and her Filipino-American family.
Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).
Chicken Adobo Recipe
Assemble the Ingredients
NOTE: This dish tastes best when marinated for several hours, so start it early. Also, the ingredients are highly adjustable. Want it saltier? Add more soy sauce. Tangier? More vinegar. Is the flavor too strong? Add more
water. Want to switch up the meats? Sub in a pound of pork belly for a pound of the chicken. Adobo is a personal experience.
Put all ingredients in a large pot or sealable plastic bag, making sure the chicken is mostly submerged.
The best way to prepare the garlic is to use a garlic rocking press. Start by rolling the cloves in a silicone tube designed to shed the garlic outer layer.
The use a sturdy rocking press to press each clove.
This one is dishwasher save and cleans easily.
Marinate in the fridge for four hours to overnight, turning the chicken or bag around several times so the marinade is distributed evenly. You can skip this step or cut the time down to only thirty minutes, but it won’t be as tasty.
If you used a bag, empty the contents into a large pot and turn the heat to high. If it’s already in a pot, you can skip straight to heating everything to boiling.
Once the liquid boils, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, but not falling off the bone.
Remove the chicken to a plate using tongs, but keep the marinade simmering in the pot.
Heat a separate pan on high and add a splash of oil. Brown the chicken on all sides, in batches, until the skin is crisp. Alternatively, crisp the skin under the broiler. Set aside.
Turn the heat back up to high under the marinade pot and boil the sauce for 20 minutes or more, until it’s reduced by at least half. Some people like it a little drier, others saucier, so boil it until you have the desired amount. Return the chicken to the pot and stir to coat with sauce, then serve with white rice.
*Filipino cane vinegar is preferred (Datu Puti is the most common brand), but apple cider vinegar is an OK substitute. White distilled vinegar is a bit harsh, so you might need an extra bit of sugar or water to balance it.
When I went to a Filipino market to look any instant desserts and found a box of Ube Pudding. They recipe called to cook, cool, and cut in squares to serve. It seems more like a gelatin than a pudding.
Chicken Adobo
Ingredients
- 4 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken legs, thighs, or drumsticks (avoid chicken breasts, which are too dry for this style of cooking)
- ¾ cup soy sauce (Datu Puti brand preferred)
- 1 cup vinegar*
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 10 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a large pot or sealable plastic bag, making sure the chicken is mostly submerged.
- Marinate in the fridge for four hours to overnight, turning the chicken or bag around several times so the marinade is distributed evenly. You can skip this step or cut the time down to only thirty minutes, but it won't be as tasty.
- If you used a bag, empty the contents into a large pot and turn the heat to high. If it's already in a pot, you can skip straight to heating everything to boiling.
- Once the liquid boils, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, but not falling off the bone.
- Remove the chicken to a plate using tongs, but keep the marinade simmering in the pot.
- Heat a separate pan on high and add a splash of oil. Brown the chicken on all sides, in batches, until the skin is crisp. Alternatively, crisp the skin under the broiler. Set aside.
- Turn the heat back up to high under the marinade pot and boil the sauce for 20 minutes or more, until it's reduced by at least half. Some people like it a little drier, others saucier, so boil it until you have the desired amount.
- Return the chicken to the pot and stir to coat with sauce, then serve with white rice.
- *Filipino cane vinegar is preferred (Datu Puti is the most common brand), but apple cider vinegar is an OK substitute. White distilled vinegar is a bit harsh, so you might need an extra bit of sugar or water to balance it.
What would I do differently next time?
I thought this chicken was deliciously garlicy a must do!
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Bolos Lêvedos, Portuguese Bread from Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay
