Chicken with Green Papaya aka Tinolang Manok

green papaya peeled and sliced

Japanese long squash for substitute

green papayas

basic ingredients

Let's kaukau mangan tayon!!

Ingredients:

1 whole 3-4 lb fryer Chicken chopped into 1-2 inch bit sized chunks, remove skin if you want it less fatty
2-3 Tbsp Cooking oil
1 large White or yellow onion, chopped fine
3-6 Garlic cloves, chopped and minced fine
3-4 inch fresh Ginger root knuckle, sliced into coins and crushed
2-4 bay leaves laurel ripped into 1/4 pieces to release aromatics
2 Tbsp Fish sauce, patis, or nam pla or nuoc mam.
4-6 Cups of water to cover chicken
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
4 Cups peeled and cubed unripened green papaya or you may substitute with peeled and cubed chayote or Japanese long squash (upo).
2 C fresh marunggay (horse radish tree) leaves or ampalaya (bittermelon) leaves
2-4 sweet sili or chili peppers or 1-2 serrano chili peppers(if you like it hot)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot. 
2. Add the onions and saute until transparent, about 3-4 minutes. 
3. Add the garlic and ginger and saute another 2-3 minutes. 
4. Add bay leaves and coninue to saute.
5. Add the chicken pieces and saute another 5 minutes to partially cook and lightly brown. 
6. Add water to cover the chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 25-30 minutes, stirring and skimming off fat and scum occasionally. 
7. Add the fish sauce and stir well.
8. Add cubed papaya and sili peppers and simmer another 5-10 minutes until papaya is tender. 
9. Add black pepper to taste and stir in the marunggay leaves. 
10. Taste sabaw or broth and add ore patis for additional saltiness if needed.
11. Remove from heat as you don't want to overcook your papaya and get it smashed and mushy.  Unless you like it that way. :)

This is a great dish for when you have a cold or flu.  Nice hot and rich savory sabaw or broth flavored with a strong bold ginger flavor.  And if you love ginger you can eat the slices too! I do! :)  Eat and serve with hot steamed white rice for a dish that reminds you of growing up in Hawaii or in the Philippines.  Enjoy!

Let's kaukau!!  :D

Pork Sarisari (Pork with Mixed Vegetables)

Here is a dish my grandfather would cook for us when we were little. It brings back so much memories. The pork is soft and tender with the sweet taste of the squash. The broth is rich and delightful on a cold night. Heat the soup and add cold rice and you got a typical Ilocano dish easy to cook and prepare.
This dish is locally also known as "Pork Sarisari" as in a mix of vegetables.  The local Ilocano restaurants make a shrimp version also.  Also a word of note.  This dish is only indigenous to Hawaii from the local Ilocanos which migrated to Hawaiian Islands during the plantation era of the 1900's.  Try go Philippines and ask them you want to order this dish or go to Max's Restaurant and they'll look at you funny.  :)

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs fresh pork chops, sliced thin (pork ribs is also good)
1 2 lb small Chinese long squash, peeled, cut lengthwise, then cut into 1/4" slices
1/2 round yellow union, sliced thin
1 whole red ripe tomato, halved and sliced thin
2 fresh cloves of garlic, crushed, peeled, and minced fine
1 whole bay leaf, ripped in half
2-4 Tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam or patis)
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
dash MSG to taste (optional)
1 Tbsp white vinegar
fresh cold water
vegetable oil for frying
Optional vegetables :
2 long eggplants, diagonal slant slices
1-2 lb. Chinese long beans or sitaw, cut in 2 inch length pieces
1 bunch of ong choy or water spinach, cut in 2 inch length pieces.  Separate leafy part from stems.
Add stems first to simmering broth then add leafy part last.  Try not to overcook it.

Procedure:

Heat a 6 qt pot with cover. Add 2 Tbsp oil and heat til smoking. Add pork and stir fry. Brown and cook pork well done about 10-15 mins on high heat. Season with pepper and bay leaf while frying. Add onions, tomato, and garlic. Continue to stir fry until vegetables are translucent and wilted. Add additional oil if needed. Add 4-6 cups of fresh water to pot, cover and bring meat to a nice boil then lower heat to simmer. Simmer til meat is tender. Add fish sauce, MSG, and white vinegar to soup. Add squash to pot and cover. Cook til squash is soft. Add more pepper and patis to adjust to your taste. Serve with white rice.

This dish is closely similar to Pork Sinigang but without the tamarind powder mix.  The broth or sabaw is not tangy.  Also I add a Tbsp of vinegar to the broth so the dish keeps and doesn't "turn" or spoil quickly on account of the tomatoes.  It makes the sabaw acidic like how adobo doesn't spoil without refrigeration.

Serves 3-4

Ok I hungry let's kaukau!!

Pork Tabungao (Pork with Chinese Long Squash Soup)

Here is a dish my grandfather would cook for us when we were little. It brings back so much memories. The pork is soft and tender with the sweet taste of the squash. The broth is rich and delightful on a cold night. Heat the soup and add cold rice and you got a typical Ilocano dish easy to cook and prepare.
This dish is locally also known as "Pork Sari-Sari" as in a mix of vegetables.  The local Ilocano restaurants make a shrimp version also.

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs fresh pork chops, sliced thin (pork ribs is also good)
1 2 lb small Chinese long squash, peeled, cut lengthwise, then cut into 1/4" slices
1/2 round yellow union, sliced thin
1 whole red ripe tomato, halved and sliced thin
2 fresh cloves of garlic, crushed, peeled, and minced fine
1 whole bay leaf, ripped in half
2-4 Tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam or patis)
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
dash MSG to taste (optional)
1 Tbsp white vinegar
fresh cold water
vegetable oil for frying
Optional vegetables :
2 long eggplants, diagonal slant slices
1-2 lb. Chinese long beans or sitaw, cut in 2 inch length pieces.

Procedure:

Heat a 6 qt pot with cover. Add 2 Tbsp oil and heat til smoking. Add pork and stir fry. Brown and cook pork well done about 10-15 mins on high heat. Season with pepper and bay leaf while frying. Add onions, tomato, and garlic. Continue to stir fry until vegetables are translucent and wilted. Add additional oil if needed. Add 4-6 cups of fresh water to pot, cover and bring meat to a nice boil then lower heat to simmer. Simmer til meat is tender. Add fish sauce, MSG, and white vinegar to soup. Add squash to pot and cover. Cook til squash is soft. Add more pepper and patis to adjust to your taste. Serve with white rice.

This dish is closely similar to Pork Sinigang but without the tamarind powder mix.  The broth or sabaw is not tangy.  Also I add a Tbsp of vinegar to the broth so the dish keeps and doesn't "turn" or spoil quickly on account of the tomatoes.  It makes the sabaw acidic like how adobo doesn't spoil without refrigeration.

Serves 3-4

Chinese long squash or tabungao in Ilocano and Upo in Tagalog.

Let's kaukau!! Enjoy! :O)