Recipe: Chicken cooked in coconut juice
MANILA, Philippines — Of all the local chicken dishes that we often cook, Chicken Binakol is extra special.
A chicken soup dish that resembles Chicken Tinola, particularly in the way it is cooked, Chicken Binakol is unique because it is cooked not in the usual water but in coconut juice. The coconut juice gives it natural sweetness and a deeper flavor, making this Visayan chicken soup dish very special.
Cebu-born Chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou whips up a mean version of it.
Chicken Binakol
Ingredients:
1 kg. whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 pc. large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 pc. thumb-sized ginger, sliced
Juice and meat from 2 pcs. large young coconuts
2 stalks lemongrass, white end part only, crushed
A handful of chili leaves
Salt or fish sauce and black pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. Rub the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then set aside.
2. Sauté onion, garlic and ginger along with the chicken pieces until fragrant.
3. Add coconut water, lemongrass (*if the coconut meat is a bit hard, you can add it at this stage, otherwise add it at the end), then bring mixture to a boil.
4. Simmer over low heat for 25 minutes (*if using native chicken, you have to simmer it for at least an hour or longer until chicken is tender).
5. Add the chili leaves (*this is when you add the coconut meat if it’s soft), then simmer for 30 seconds.
6. Season with sea salt or fish sauce and pepper to taste.
7. Serve in soup bowls or coconut shells.
*Serves 4 to 5.
RELATED: Mang Inasal taps Maris Racal, Anthony Jennings as endorsers; piloting breakfast meals
