Tinola

A clear chicken broth led by ginger, with no souring agent at all.

Chicken. Not vegetarian — contains chicken, fish sauce.

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg chicken, in pieces on the bone
• a large thumb of ginger, sliced thinly
• 1 green papaya, peeled and in wedges
• a handful of chilli leaves, or spinach
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1.5 litres water
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon oil

Method

1. FRY THE GINGER FIRST, in the oil, with the garlic and onion, for 3 minutes until it smells sharp. Ginger simply boiled in the broth tastes thin; bloomed in fat first it carries the whole soup.
2. Add the chicken pieces and turn them in the aromatics for 5 minutes without browning them.
3. Add the fish sauce, let it sizzle for a moment, then the water.
4. Simmer 30 minutes, skimming. Keep it gentle for a clear broth.
5. THERE IS NO SOURING AGENT IN THIS. No tamarind, no vinegar, no tomato — that is a sinigang. Tinola is sharp from ginger and nothing else, and the two soups are confused constantly.
6. Add the green papaya for the last 12 minutes, until translucent but not collapsing. Unripe papaya, not ripe: ripe fruit turns to sweet mush. Chayote is the usual stand-in.
7. Throw the chilli leaves in off the heat and serve at once.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Philippines · All recipes