Tinola

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1.2 kgchicken, jointed, on the bone

Aromatics

• 5cm ginger, sliced into thin coins
• 1onion, sliced
• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 2 tbspoil

Seasoning

• 3 tbspfish sauce, patis
• 1.5 litreswater or rice washing
• salt and black pepper

Vegetables

• 1small green papaya, peeled, seeded and cut in wedges
• or 2 chayote
• 2large handfuls chilli leaves, dahon ng sili
• or moringa leaves, malunggay

To serve

• steamed rice
• patis with calamansi and chilli, on the side

Directions

1. Slice it into thin coins rather than chopping or grating it. Use far more than seems reasonable, since tinola should taste unmistakably of ginger.
2. Fry the ginger, onion and garlic in oil until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Sautéing the aromatics before adding liquid is what separates tinola from a plain boiled soup, and it takes five minutes.
3. Let the ginger colour slightly at the edges. Browning the chicken gives the broth its depth, and skipping it leaves a pale thin soup. Bring it to a boil and skim the scum off carefully.
4. Skim it properly in the first ten minutes, since tinola broth should be clear and clean. Now reduce it to a gentle simmer and cook for 25 to 30 minutes until the chicken is tender.
5. Keep it at a bare simmer rather than a boil, which clouds the broth and toughens the meat. Now the green papaya, which must be unripe. Use an unripe green papaya, which is firm and almost vegetable-like rather than sweet.
6. Peel it, scrape out the white seeds, and cut it into thick wedges. Add it and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until it is tender but still holding together. Stir in the chilli leaves or moringa leaves and take the pot off the heat immediately. They need only the residual heat, 30 seconds at most.
7. Season it with fish sauce rather than salt, which adds savour as well as saltiness. It should be clear, gingery and savoury, and gentle rather than assertive. Serve it in deep bowls with plenty of broth, over or alongside steamed rice. Set out a small dish of patis with calamansi and crushed chilli.

Technique

• The Rizal reference is genuinely well known in the Philippines.
• Chilli leaves are mildly peppery and not hot.
• Rice washing water, hugas bigas, is the traditional liquid.

Substitutions

• Chayote in place of green papaya.
• Spinach in place of chilli or moringa leaves.

Variations

• Made with chayote, which is very common.
• With malunggay leaves.
• Made with fish, as tinolang isda.

History

Chicken with green papaya and chilli leaves, named in the opening chapter of Jose Rizal’s 1887 novel Noli Me Tangere.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tinola?

Tinola is a soup & stew from Philippines: ginger chicken soup with green papaya and chili leaves. Chicken with green papaya and chilli leaves, named in the opening chapter of Jose Rizal’s 1887 novel Noli Me Tangere.

How long does Tinola take to make?

Tinola takes 20 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Tinola?

Yes, within limits. Chayote in place of green papaya. Spinach in place of chilli or moringa leaves.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tinola?

Slice it into thin coins rather than chopping or grating it. Use far more than seems reasonable, since tinola should taste unmistakably of ginger.