Tinola is a delicious staple which can be enjoyed by Filipinos any time of the day. With a light taste of the chicken broth, the added sweetness of sayote, and the hint of spice from the added chili leaves or whole green chili.
Inspired by the Hainanese chicken originating from China, the rice is cooked with the tinola to allow it to absorb all the succulent chicken broth. Doing so provides you and your family with a complete meal that will surely fill you up. With a soft and juicy chicken, sweet sayote, and rice that has absorbed the flavors of tinola, it is a quick and easy recipe where all you need to do is put all the ingredients in, then wait for it to finish cooking.
Ingredients
– Oil, for searing
– 1 tbsp Ginger
– 1 pc Onion Minced
– 1 tbsp Garlic Minced
– 2 cups Rice
– Season with salt
– 3 cups Water
– 1 pc Maggi Magic Cubes
– 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
– 600g Chicken (Leg & Breast)
– Season with salt
– 1 pc Sayote
– ½ cup Chili Leaves
Procedure
1. Season your chicken with salt and set it aside. Put oil into the pan and sauté ginger, onions, garlic, and lemongrass until it becomes translucent and aromatic.
2. Add two cups of rice. Make sure to season with salt. After mixing it all together, add three cups of water and your Maggi Magic Cubes. Season with fish sauce and mix well to dissolve the cubes.
3. Toss in your green chilies, then add in your chicken. Cover and cook until the rice is half-cooked. Add the sayote and cover until it becomes soft. Once cooked, remove the sayote from the pot and set aside. Separate the chicken and put it in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
4. Add your chili leaves into the rice and mix. Season with black pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until fully cooked.
5. Slice the cooled chicken. Arrange the cooked rice, sliced chicken, and sayote on a plate. Serve while hot.
Not only can this one pot cooking hack be used for tinola, it can also be used for other soupy dishes like sinigang, adobo, bulalo, and many others. You can make use of various ingredients and flavor profiles to make your one pot recipe even more special.
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