EASY & DELICIOUS
The warm summer of Vancouver this year reminds me of this popular Filipino soup-based dish called Tinola. It may be a warm dish but it’s the best summer dish for us Filipinos. The best thing about this dish is it tastes way better the next day as all ingredients have incorporated its flavours. Another great tip is to add the Zayote last so it doesn’t overcook and come out mushy.
My fond memories of eating Chicken Tinola is back in the day in Manila when my Mom would make a big pot to feed about 10 people. She used green papaya and I remember always being the first one to eat it all. I wasn’t a big fan of meat when I was a young girl. We would all gather at the table, tell stories and jokes, laugh and just enjoy each other as a family. Food always brought us closer together.
In this recipe, I’m using Zayote or Spinach and Bok-Choy. I had fun peeling the Zayote as it becomes a slippery sucker when you try and cut it. Just make sure you wash your hands really well. You can also wear gloves while peeling the Zayote. The combination of onions, ginger and garlic makes the broth fragrant and flavourful.
I added Bird’s Eye Chili, or as we call it Siling Labuyo, in the broth. You can take out the chili after, place it in a really small condiment dish and add fish sauce. A perfect condiment for a great Filipino dish.
MABUHAY!
Ingredients:
- 1 whole Chicken, chopped
- 5 Bok-Choy
- 1 bundle of Spinach
- 3 Zayote, peeled and cut wedge style
- 3 Bird’s Eye Chillies or Siling Labuyo
- 1 medium sized Onion, quartered
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- Ginger, about the size of two thumbs, peeled and cut length wise
- 5 – 6 cups of Water
- 1 Chicken Bouillon Cube
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp. Fish Sauce or Patis
- Cooking Oil
Directions:
- Heat soup pot or just a regular pot on medium heat. Add cooking oil in the pot. Sauté’ ginger until golden brown but not burned. Add onions and garlic. Let it sweat for a minute or two and then sauté.
- When the onions are translucent and the garlic soft, add chicken pieces and sauté. Add fish sauce and sauté for another 4 to 5 minutes until the chicken looks cooked. Add water, salt and chicken bouillon in the pot and let it simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken pieces are fully cooked and the meat is tender.
- Add Bok-Choy and Bird’s Eye Chilies in the pot and let it cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Add the Zayote and Spinach in the pot. With your ladle, gently push down the vegetables and cover in broth. Put lid on the pot and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes and let the Zayote and Spinach cook.
- Serve with steamed Rice and chilies and fish sauce condiment. You can also eat this as a hearty soup.
Enjoy!
