One of the best things about Guam is the food. There is so much flavor and spice in the meals and all of the foods are so different. Guam food offers such a range of flavors and dishes for all occasions. If you have ever visited the place I am sure that you crave the food often! We have compiled a list of dishes from Guam that you can make at home, hopefully, after this, your cravings will be satisfied.
Kadon Pika
Kadon Pika is a simple and popular Guam dish that all Guam natives grow up eating. This chicken dish is mainly served over hot rice with steamed vegetables on the side, vegetables can be picked as well if that is your preference. Depending if you are a spice lover you can opt to add peppers and chili on to your liking but it’s super flavorful without them already. Once you start making this dish everyone will be knocking on your door asking for some because it is very aromatic–everyone will want to have a taste.
The main ingredients in this dish, like for most curry dishes, are soy sauce, vinegar and coconut milk. The key here is to make a great meat marinade using soy sauce and vinegar as the base. It is also common to use a soy sauce together with a hot sauce, in a part of the marinading process. Of course you can skip the hot sauce part if you aren’t a lover of spicy food. If you have any Guam friends and want to impress them with your cooking skills, this dish should be a winner. It will make them feel super nostalgic since it is such a comfort food. After cooking this dish once you will definitely be hooked, it is one of those meals where you won’t ever get tired of.
Guam-Style Fried Rice
Now, sorry to all the vegetarians but this is also known as the meat lover’s fried rice, probably because there is tons of meat in it. By meat we mean Spam. This is a common food in Guam because it’s super easy to make. It may not be the best looking or the most lavish dish but that’s what makes it special to all the people of Guam. This dish can quickly be whipped up after a long day where you just crave some good comfort food. Its also a great meal to put out at a barbeque where people can just heap a spoonful onto their own plates.
The ingredients in this dish are supposed to allow it to be made from scratch so most of the ingredients are probably already in your fridge. The main ingredients are eggs, any type of sausages, bacon, Spam, onion and garlic and rice. Then you add in your other ingredients like your seasonings or choice and some green onions or leafy greens if that suits your taste buds.
Yes, this meal is filled with fatty meats. One way to cut down on the fat content is by using turkey bacon and Spam Lite which is lower in sodium as well. You can also pre-cook the bacon and sausages so most of the fat is cooked out of the meat before you combine it with the rice.
Guam Grilled Chicken
The way grilled chicken is done in Guam is to marinate it in a spicy sauce which has been dubbed the ‘Chamorro sauce’ (Chamorro is the name for local Guam people). All of the ingredients combine to create a salty, sour, and spicy dish full of mouth-watering flavors. Before soy sauce was introduced to the island by the Japanese, the local people made the ‘Chamorro sauce’ by combining fermented coconut sap, salt, lemon, water, and fresh pepper. If you’ve visited Guam before you probably know that you can get this dish in almost every restaurant or cafe on the streets. The Guam grilled chicken is a great easy dish that can be a snack and is very close to Guam street food.
The main ingredients in this dish are soy sauce, calamansi juice, shallots, garlic, ginger, and chilies. All this recipe requires is for you to mix all of the Chamorro sauce ingredients and pour it over the chicken to let it marinate for 8 hours. After this, the chicken will be ready to be grilled or baked. The grilling takes around 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. This dish is usually served with red rice. To get the red color, the rice is cooked in water that has had annatto seeds soaked in it. The seeds change the color of the rice to a bright orange or red color (depending on how many seeds have been soaked in the water).
Pear Sauce and Pancakes
Pancakes are a food that is enjoyed all over the world, they aren’t originated from Guam however so many locals enjoy them because they are very easy to make. The main thing that makes this dish more Guam-style is the pear sauce. Since pears are one of Guam’s tropical fruits they can be found easily. If you are someone who enjoys something sweet for breakfast then you shouldn’t miss out on pancakes with caramelized pear sauce.
Other than the pear sauce you can pair these pancakes with mangos, bananas, even oranges! Don’t forget to add some honey, agave, or maple syrup. Making these pancakes takes the usual pancake ingredients, eggs, milk, flour, oil, or butter. Instead of using an already pre-mixed box of pancake flour, making them from scratch is a fun way to get creative in the kitchen. If you have kids then it’s also a great dish to make together that they will enjoy.
Kelaguen
This dish is a native signature, Chamorros are known for their Kelaguen-making skills. This dish has a very distinctive feature to it compared to other nations’ chicken dishes. Kelaguen is based around the cooking properties and tastes of lemon juice and it is famous for its similarities to ceviche. A mixture of lemon juice, onion, fiery local peppers, salt, and sometimes shredded coconut, any meat (beef, chicken, or spam), is used to make Kelaguen.
The most popular meat to use when making this dish is chicken, it also tastes the best when it’s barbecued before being added to the dish. As you can probably tell, Guam dishes mostly use chicken as their main source of animal protein. This is because it is super easy to get on the island, it also makes it cheaper, of course, it also just tastes amazing with the tastes in the food.
It’s definitely harder to find seafood Kelaguen with octopus or squid in it. But it is very delicious and is one of the best tasting Kelaguen. So if you can get your hands on some seafood to make a seafood Kelaguen give it a go. After making this dish you’ll be craving for more. The tanginess of the lemon mixes with the peppers and once infused into the meat this dish creates tastes you have never experienced before.
