Hot Chicken Soup

CEBU, Philippines — The second half of the year is wet season in the Philippines. And the wet season is, of course, cold season too. More so recently, the recent weather disturbances make the days wetter and the nights colder.

During cold times, the popular craving for hot soups is high, for obvious reason. The common favorites among soups for a body warmer are beef, pork, and chicken. Okay, fish too, sometimes.

But chicken seems to be it in most home. There are certain things about chicken that makes it a very popular choice. Some of these: chicken is not as expensive as beef and pork, and it is equally versatile. Also, chicken is the healthier option to meat (especially considering the current problem with pork).

In certain cultures, including the Philippines, hot chicken soup is recognized for its nourishing and curative properties. A multi-national business has even been built around the “essence of chicken,” basically canned chicken stuff in broth form. People think that if canned chicken works, then most probably chicken cooked fresh works as well, if not better.

Chicken is very easily available. In the rural areas where there is no electricity – and thus no refrigerator – chicken is the ever reliable dish to serve to surprise house guests. There are always chickens roaming around the house. It is very easy to pick one for a delicious hot soup, which is always a special treat.

“Manok Tinibuok” or Whole Chicken Soup is a very popular dish in the Visayas region. It’s so simple to do that there’s even no need to chop the chicken into pieces. It’s simply boiled until cooked, and is good even with only “tanglad” (lemongrass) to spice up the soup.

The enhanced culinary consciousness among the population has made way for certain enhancements to the “Manok Tinibuok” recipe. For example, chopped green papaya or cabbage and tomatoes have become staple ingredients, as well, in addition to the earlier introduction of ginger and spring onion. These have proved to be either good extenders or flavor enhancers, or both.

The following is a modestly enhanced version of the classic Visayan

chicken soup recipe:

“Manok Tinibuok”

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken, about 1 kilo in weight

Sliced Cabbage, 2 cups

Lemongrass, 2 stalks

Garlic, 3 cloves, minced

Spring Onion, 3 stalks, cut in 2-inch lengths

Tomatoes, 2 pcs., quartered

Salt, 3 tsp.

Water, 4 to 5 cups or enough to cover the chicken

Procedure:

1. In a large pot, put the water, garlic, chicken, lemongrass, and salt.

2. Add more water, if necessary, to make sure that it covers the chicken.

3. Cover the pot and bring the contents to a boil until chicken is tender.

4. Then add the cabbage, and continue cooking for 5 more minutes.

5. Before serving, add the spring onions.

This recipe serves four to six persons. It’s great to go with freshly cooked rice – or as any true-bloodied Visayan would prefer, “kan-on mais.”