Chamorro Finadene - Island Sauce for EVERYTHING

Finedene Sauce is to Guam what ketchup is to the mainland as a condiment but with a lot more nutritional value and flavor.  It hits all the right notes; tart, tangy, slightly salty, spicy, and just plain tasty! I first tasted Finedene Sauce at what used to be the Georgia Street Grill and thankfully Cindy at The Good Day Café kept serving this sauce when she bought the restaurant.                                Chamorro cooking is one that I am planning to add to my repertoire this summer

 

Chamorro People, 1915

There are several versions of Finedene Sauce recipes at Food. com that incorporate coconut milk for a bit of a sweeter version or lemon juice you can interchange depending on what you are serving.  The soy and vinegar sauce is traditionally served with chicken and pork, the coconut sauce with seafood and poultry, and the lemon sauce with fish. Note on the yield: the coconut and lemon sauces each make 1 1/2 cups; the soy and vinegar makes 1 cup.

Here is my favorite version from Christina Magtoto, dip into it or pour it over EVERYTHING. Islanders NEVER do without it, and off-island visitors bring this fabulous Guamanian recipe back home.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup lemon juice and rind
2/3 cup soy sauce
1 cup chopped onion
2 stalks of green onion, chopped
10-12 medium hot peppers, chopped or mashed according to your 'heat' preference

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS:
Cherry tomatoes - sliced
Cucumbers - sliced

DIRECTIONS:
Make this a few hours ahead or the night before. Mix all ingredients together and store the Finandene in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve!

SERVE:
Pour it over rice (a standard for ALL Guamanians and found at every party), over barbecued, grilled or fried chicken, steaks, ribs, fish, and vegetables. The sauce, because of its lemon base, gets tastier every day. Make sure to store unused sauce in the refrigerator and enjoy for weeks afterwards.

FUN FACT:
Guam's Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants hand out Finadene like ketchup!