Chicken Tinola Soup using Rice Water as a Base
Chicken tinola soup has always been my comfort food since I was young, for it's my Mom's favorite recipe to cook especially on a rainy season. It is also a memorable one for me because it is the first dish that I learned to cook, and it is also the first dish served for Eugene. :)
What's special about my chicken tinola?
My mom taught me how to cook this recipe, and out of all the tinolas I've tasted for the past 22 years of my life, hers is the most delicious (not being that bias cos she's my mom, but swear, it really is!)
The secret? Instead of using water as the base for my chicken soup, I use rice water. As my mom says, rice water decreases the "lansa" of the chicken, instead of using lemongrass on a soup, which has a distinctive taste. In addition, there are also some research that rice water is beneficial to health according to Google.
It is also a "plus" points if you'll use the "native" chicken. Well,
as we all know, native chickens are abundant in the province, and known
for their excellent taste perfect for tinola. Enjoy cooking! :)
What you'll need:
- 1 kilo of chicken (Tinola cut is available on SM Supermarket, Magnolia Station, Monterey and Fresh Options)
- 6 cups of rice water (drained from 2nd washing)
- 1 unripe papaya or sayote, quartered
- 1 cup chili leaves or moringa leaves
- Ginger root, cut into strips (as for me, the more, the merrier! It also eliminates the "lansa" from the chicken)
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 head of onion, sliced
- Cooking oil
- Fish sauce or "patis"
- Salt and pepper or chicken bouillon cube to taste
What you'll do:
1) Heat oil over medium heat on a saucepan.
2) Saute ginger first until fragrant, followed by garlic. Make sure that garlic will not be toasted.
3) Add onions, stir-fry until it becomes translucent.
4) Add the tinola cuts, stir-fry until the chicken meat becomes color white.
5) Pour in the rice water and cover to boil.
6) Simmer the chicken over low heat and add the papaya or sayote. Continue to simmer until both chicken and papaya are tender. Swear, half cooked veggies are good than fully cooked! You don't want your veggies to be mushy!
7) Season with salt and pepper, fish sauce or chicken bouillon cubes.
8) Lastly, add the chili leaves or moringa leaves and let it simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes.
The hearty Chicken Tinola soup is ready to eat! Must be served hot, or you'll miss half of the fun!
Enjoy! <3
