MetroVan Independent News September 2015 | Page 18
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MetroVanIndependent.com
September 2015
Food
ingredients
Photo by Tota Mendez
Chicken Tinola.
Chicken Tinola
EASY & DELICIOUS
By Tota Mendez
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!
Directions:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Serve with steamed Rice and chilies
and fish sauce condiment. You can
also eat this as a hearty soup.
Enjoy!
Tota Mendez is a musician and avid food
lover originally from Manila, Philippines.
Her recipes are inspired from her days of
traveling all over the world which is mostly
Asian Cuisine.