Tinolang Manok is a Filipino chicken soup usually served as starter dish or main dish. It is a quick fixed savory dish that is very simple to make. Traditionally it is cooked with just a few key ingredients such as chicken and some vegetables, which makes this super easy and is perfect for cold weather or if one is under the weather. What makes this dish a true Filipino dish is the green papaya, chili pepper leaves (labuyo - red chili pepper) or malungay leaves (moringa), ginger, garlic, onion and fish sauce. Perfect for any time of the day, just serve it with a small bowl of rice and a side dipping sauce of soy and lemon.
Chicken Tinola (filipino chicken soup)
2 lbs Chicken( chopped to bite size) Leg Meat or boned chicken
1 to 2 lbs Green Papaya* sliced about ⅜ inches
5 - 8 Garlic clove minced
1- 2 inches Ginger sliced
½ Onions chopped
1 cube of chicken bouillon
1 cup of Pepper leaves (fresh or frozen)
6 cups of water
Fish sauce to taste
1. In a medium heated Pot, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
2. Saute ginger, garlic and onion until garlic is brown.
3. Add the chicken, season with Black Pepper stir in bouillon until it melts.
4. Cook until slightly brown.
5. Add water, cover and bring to a boil.
6. After a few minutes, check and skim off impurities (fat and blood) from surface.
7. Add the sliced green papaya and cook on medium low heat for about 20 minutes.
8 Test for doneness by poking the papaya with a fork, if the fork goes thru, it is cooked.
9. Add the fish sauce about 2 teaspoons, don’t add too much because some fish sauce is saltier than the other. You can always add more on your plate.
10. Add the Pepper Leaves** and simmer for 1 minutes.
11. Finally Remove from Heat, Serve and Eat! Enjoy!
In a small bowl, put some soy sauce and squeeze a lemon, calamansi*** or lime, dip your chicken and papaya and eat with rice.
*Green Papaya can be found in most Asian Market produce section. Be sure that it is firm and not soft as it may already began to ripened. So, if you cannot find green papaya, “Sayote” or “Chayote” (green colored squash shaped and sized like a pear). To prepare the Papaya, cut in half and remove the seeds and inner skin with a spoon, and peel the skin with a veggie peeler, then sliced to about ⅔ to ½ inches.
**If you cannot find fresh or frozen chili pepper leaves, or malungay leaves( moringa), you can substitute with spinach.
***Calamansi is a fruit native to the Philippines. It is also grown in other Southeast Asian countries, Central America and the State of Hawaii. The fruit has a juicy pulp with extremely sour flavor. It actually tastes a lot like lemon. It also has big seeds. On the outside, calamansi looks like a small, greenish lime fruit. It is sold in the produce section of most Asian Market.
****Sayote is a is a pear-shaped, light green vegetable belonging to the gourd or squash family. It has a mild flavor and a slightly crunchy texture that resembles a combination of a cucumber and a potato.
FOR PHOTOS OF THE ABOVE VEGETABLES .... SEE PHOTO PAGES
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