Pica pollo (Breaded deep fried chicken)

In a slight but not complete departure from Dominican themes this week, we explore the delights of food in the movies. This article is part of the build-up to our forthcoming ‘World Cuisine’ section on the Dominican Cooking sites. More about this soon.

There are some movies one should never go to see on an empty stomach. The first time that I learned this lesson was over 15 years ago when I went to see ‘Dim Sum’ (Wayne Wang, 1984) set in San Francisco’s Chinese community, with many detailed scenes of food preparation, presentation and consumption. ‘Dim Sum’ is the name given to scrumptious Chinese appetisers like prawn dumplings. My most vivid memory of it is stepping out of the cinema, tummy growling, and setting out to find the nearest open Chinese restaurant.

I don’t think anyone has managed to better the most lavish treat, ‘Babette’s Feast’ (Gabriel Axel, 1987). Based on the novella by Danish author Isak Dinesen who is perhaps most famous for writing ‘Out of Africa’, this is an unusual tale and an extraordinary cinematic feat. Set in a bleak and remote community in Jutland, it tells the tale of a French woman, Babette, who has fled the French revolution and works as a housekeeper for two pious spinster sisters. Her only contact with her homeland is through writing letters to a friend in Paris. Her friend sends her lottery tickets, and one day Babette discovers she has won a large prize. She then sets out to cook an incredible feast to show her gratitude to her employers, with the most exquisite and expensive ingredients that she has to order from afar. The movie shows this in great detail, and manages to rivet even the most skeptical viewer.

Some years later came ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ (Alfonso Arau, 1992) and on the menu in this film is Mexican haute-cuisine. There is not an enchilada in sight! Between outrageous frolics, high drama and Latin passion, the family sit down to eat succulent feasts rich in exotic ingredients. The novel by Laura Esquivel actually has a recipe at the head of each chapter.

More Chinese culinary celluloid delights came in the 1990s with films such as ‘Eat Drink Man Woman’ (1994) and ‘The Wedding Banquet’ (1993), both by Taiwanese director Ang Lee who went on to make mainstream hits like ‘Sense and Sensibility’, ‘The Ice Storm’ and ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’.

We also have films with food scenes memorable for their ability to turn your stomach, like the eating of sheep eyes in Indiana Jones, or that scene in Monty Python’s the ‘Meaning of Life’. Mondongo anyone?

So to return to matters Dominican in my parting shot, what would a film featuring Dominican food consist of? A family saga where four generations banter and bicker over a steaming sancocho? A road movie where the main characters eat their way up the Autopista Duarte? A childish farce packed with jokes about the effects of beans? Or a romantic comedy with an unforgettable risqué scene in a Pica Pollo restaurant? As always, I welcome more suggestions…

Aunt Ilana

Step aside KFC, here comes the Dominican version of deep fried chicken. You will find this humble dish in every small town and city in the Dominican Republic, and it is the meal of choice after a night of party and beers.

Time: 30 mins. Serves: 4

Before starting to cook: Cut the chicken into small pieces.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of chicken
• 2 limes cut into halves
• 1/2 cup of chopped parsley
• 1 small red onion chopped into small cubes
• 2 cups of oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of mashed garlic
• 1 cup of all purpose wheat flour
• Salt

Preparation:

1. In a pot boil the chicken, onion, parsley, a pinch of salt and garlic until the chicken is tender but firm. Adjust salt to taste. Take the chicken out of the water and reserve.
2. Mix 1 teaspoon of salt with the flour. In a pot heat the oil. Cover the meat pieces in the flour and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain excess oil on a paper towel.[*Garnish with the lime wedges. Serve with tostones and ketchup.