Are you craving for hot and hearty food?
- Tinolang Manok
- Sinigang
- Arroz Caldo
In the Philippines, there’s only ever two seasons—the wet and dry monsoon. As everybody approaches the prior, the food on stock and on the table also start to transition. Maybe now there’s less of the ice cream and ice pops in the freezer, and more preserved chicken stock to reheat later on.
Your supermarket lists may also have different content. It might be reflecting more ready-to-cook soup from food manufacturing companies in the Philippines. Perhaps you’re adding more hot or citrus drinks in your cart, such as Chemag Pineapple and Chemag Four Seasons, to combat colds that are quite common during this time.
For this article, Chemag shares with you something you can both drink and eat! Albeit these are food recipes lean towards the hot side, it’s perfect for bringing warmth to your soul regardless of the season. The aforementioned is especially true if you have an affinity for Filipino food!
Recreate any of the classic Filipino soup recipes below, and find which best suits your palate!
Tinolang Manok
Are you really a a Filipino if you haven’t tasted this dish? Because it’s so easy to make, Tinola, as it is fondly called, is a staple in many Filipino households. Since it’s a variant of the famous chicken broth, it also has the unique ability to make your soul feel warm and alleviate symptoms you might be feeling.
Enjoy eating this with a warm cup of rice and a side of fish sauce to add more flavor. Add in a refreshing glass of Chemag Pineapple on the side, too!
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 chopped medium onion
- 2 minced cloves of garlic
- 1 1/2 inch peeled and thinly sliced piece of ginger
- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
- 1 1/2 kilo of chicken legs and thighs
- 2 cans of chicken broth
- Salt and ground black pepper (as preferred)
- 1 head of chopped pechay/bok choy
- 1 package of chopped fresh spinach
How to make:
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat
- Add onion and garlic and stir until fragrant
- Add ginger and fish sauce and stir for 2 minutes
- Place chicken and cook until center is no longer pink
- Pour chicken broth
- Season with salt and pepper
- Cook until boiling
- Once boiling, reduce heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes
- Put pechay and spinach and cook for 2 more minutes
Sinigang
Here’s another Filipino dish that’s well loved by not only Filipinos, but even foreigners who have experienced eating it. With many variations, the classic iterations use seafood, pork, or beef. But it is not touted as a classic dish because of the protein used. The piquant flavor is what makes it a resounding recipe all over the world. The acidity has even been replicated by various food manufacturing companies in the Philippines—often coined as “Sinigang mix”.
Check out the easy peasy recipe on how to make Pork Sinigang and get ready to squeal, “Asim kilig!”
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1 chopped small onion
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 inch piece of chopped and thinly sliced fresh ginger
- 2 tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 1 kilo of bone-in pork chop
- 4 cups of water
- 1 1/2 package of Sinigang Mix
- 1 package of kangkong leaves with stems
How to make:
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat
- Put the onion and cook until it’s translucent
- Place salt
- Stir in ginger, tomatoes, and pork chop
- Cover pot and reduce heat to low
- Cook pork until slightly brown on all sides
- Pour water and stir in Sinigang Mix
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat further
- Simmer until pork is tender enough to eat
- Once pork is soft enough, place kangkong leaves
Arroz Caldo
Here’s a type of soup that’s on the thicker side. Even when the weather isn’t cold, many Filipinos, typically older ones, like to eat this. Like Tinola, it’s also popularly consumed when one is feeling under the weather and cannot chew or digest solid food. Partner this with Chemag Pineapple and it will surely energize you!
Arroz Caldo is not just a variant of soup, but it also falls under a particularly prevalent category of food in the Philippines called “goto.”
Recreate and find out why so many consider this as their go-to food!
Ingredients:
- 2 1/8 cups of vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons of minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons of chopped red onion
- 1 cup of uncooked glutinous white rice
- 1 cup of uncooked jasmine rice
- 1/2 inch piece of thinly sliced ginger root
- 1 kilo of sliced skinless and boneless chicken breast halves
- 6 1/3 cups of chicken stock
- 1/4 cup of fish sauce
- 5 quartered hard-boiled eggs
- 3 tablespoons of chopped green onion
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Make:
- Heat 1 1/8 cup of vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat
- Put half of the garlic and cook until golden brown
- Set aside garlic
- Wash glutinous and jasmine rice in a bowl and rinse with water
- Heat remaining vegetable oil in the previously used large pot
- Put in red onion, ginger, and remaining garlic
- Cook until garlic is aromatic and onion is translucent
- Add chicken and cook until center is no longer pink
- Place rice and chicken stock
- Season with salt and pepper
- Bring to a boil
- Once boiling, reduce heat
- Stir occasionally while letting it simmer
- Before serving, taste if rice is cooked
- Garnish with eggs and green onion
Cold No More!
From it’s official arrival last May until November, the wet monsoon is all geared up to stay. Combat the wind and rain with recipes like the above! They not only bring you warmth, but they’re also perfect to serve for families. If you’re cooking only for yourself, no worries at all! This means more stock for you to devour and enjoy later on.
From your favorite powdered drink/food manufacturing company in the Philippines, Chemag hopes you stay safe, dry, and warm during this season!
