Tinola

I don’t know exactly the translation of “tinola” except it is a soup dish, traditionally with pieces of green papaya and labuyo pepper leaves, usually cooked with chicken. I have cooked this dish without papaya and labuyo pepper leaves for many years. So my family is familiar with this dish but they may not recognize it from a recipe.

I have always used chayote squash that is readily available instead of green papaya and have always used spinach instead of pepper leaves that are not available to buy. In my opinion, the chayote squash and spinach are very good replacements, not just substitutes for the green papaya and pepper leaves. I think it is more delectable. A variant to chicken is pork or pork ribs (shown in the picture), which is equally good or better. The method of preparation is somewhat the same.

In my opinion, chayote squash has more flavor than the papaya and green papaya is hard to find anywhere here unless you grow your own tree.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Chicken cut up or 2 legs and thighs, separated, or a few pork spareribs separated
• A handful of pepper leaves, washed and drained
• Spinach can be used in lieu of pepper leaves
• One small green papaya peeled, seeded and cut into 2” cubes
• Or 2 Chayote squash peeled and cut in large chunks
• ¾” piece of ginger root grated or thinly julienned
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
• ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp. whole black peppercorns
• Patis, Salt, MSG
• 4 to 6 c water or 1 can chicken broth, water added to make up the volume
• 1 TBS cooking oil

Sauté the garlic with the ginger root until fragrant, then add the onion until onions are translucent but do not burn the garlic then drop in the chicken pieces or pork ribs pieces and stir for a minute until they turn white, then add water or chicken broth and 1 tsp Patis. If not using patis, add 1 tsp. salt. Remove the foam that forms when it starts to boil. Add the whole black peppercorns. Cover and simmer for a few minutes until the chicken or pork is done and tender to your liking. Chicken will be done faster than pork ribs. I like the pork ribs when it separates from the bone and is fork tender.

Drop in the chayote squash or the papaya chunks and the pepper leaves or spinach and continue to simmer until everything is nicely cooked. Taste, add a dash or ¼ to ½ tsp. MSG to enhance the flavor if you like. Adjust the salt to taste. Serve with rice and use patis with lemon or calamansi at the table for extra seasoning.