Lemongrass Chicken with Papaya

The best Filipino dishes are the ones that do not have a written recipe other than the knowledge passed on from generation to another. The chicken adobo sa gata is a great example and it is one of my all time favorite comfort food. That's why when my childhood sweetheart visited me on my birthday last year, (we haven't seen each other for 43 years) I asked her to teach me how to cook this dish.

Estimated preparation and cooking time:

3 hours and 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken cut into pieces (adobo size)
1 small unripe papaya
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 stalks lemongrass, pounded
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 pc onion, chopped
½ cup white vinegar (Datu Puti)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp whole peppercorns
2 cans thick coconut milk (14 oz. each)
1 pc finger pepper or jalapeno