A Healthy Menu for the Table

December 19, 2020

Saturday

It's Saturday! And most of the people is on their break at work, spending their whole day to rest and chill. Today, we had an amazing Saturday. Aside from the upcoming 25th day of December, Christmas day, today's my partner's day off. And it means it's family time!

We've experienced rainy days these past few days. There's a storm signal in our locality, gladly we're only at signal no. 1, and this afternoon, the storm signal was on its way out of the country. The rain and the gloomy weather added more coldness to the season. It's so cold, and I'm freezing every time the wind blows. We had our breakfast, just a typical breakfast in the morning. Steamed rice, sweet ham, chicken joy (my partner brought it last night), and a hot coffee. While having our breakfast, I was looking at our Christmas tree in the living room.

“It's lacking something,” I said.

“Hmm. Gifts.”

Six more days to go and it's Christmas, but I didn't buy any gifts yet for my kids. I'm still thinking of what to buy. I find it hard to concentrate when it's cold, I don't know, maybe because of the gloomy feeling I felt every time I saw how dark it was outside and how cold the wind touches my skin.

When noon came, we haven't decided what to have for lunch. But, my aunt went straight to our house with a bowl of a hot “tinolang manok”.

Here in the Philippines, the neighborhood is fond of sharing meals or food with their neighbors, especially if they've cooked something special on that day. It is one of the traits of us, Filipinos.

Here's the tinolang manok or chicken tinola, our aunt gave us. This dish is perfect for this kind of cold weather. This is a soup made of chicken, green papaya, fresh spinach or malunggay leaves, and a ginger-flavored broth, this Filipino soup is hearty, healthy, and tasty. Here in the province, we liked our tinola made with native chicken or in our dialect, we call it “Bisaya nga manok”. Commercial or dressed chicken tastes differently from a native one. Maybe because the native chicken eats more fresh grasses than the commercial ones which grew up of feeds. But on the menu today, native chicken isn't available.

If you're a Filipino, I bet you can consider this dish as effective comfort food. Consuming a hot bowl of soup can instantly help one feel better, and it's true. It can help you to brighten up your mood and feel energized instantly. If you're a non-Filipino reader, you can try this at home, it's easy to prepare and cook, and I can assure you that you will certainly like its taste.

For you to try it, I'll share here the recipe for Chicken tinola. It's cooking time!

Chicken Tinola

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken; cut into serving pieces

4 cloves garlic; crushed

1 onion; sliced

1 root ginger; sliced

1 green papaya; sliced

1/2 cup malunggay leaves

Chicken broth

Fish sauce (Patis)

Procedure:

• Sauté garlic, onion, and ginger. When the onion becomes translucent, add the chicken.

• Sauté until chicken becomes light brown, then season with fish sauce.

• Simmer for few minutes or until the chicken absorbs the flavor of the mixture.

• Pour chicken broth and boil until the chicken is tender.

• Add the papaya and when tender, add the malunggay leaves.

• Serve and enjoy!

So easy isn't it? You can also add chilies for an extra spicy kick.

It's best paired with hot steamed rice, also perfect for the cold weather.

Also, tinola is one of the best food to consume if you're not feeling well. I've read about this before, written by a Filipino Doctor, Dr. Willie Ong on his official page on Facebook. Aside from its yummy taste, tinola is a very healthy recipe. The hot soup warms up the insides just definitely, and the soup itself is full of nutrients that are easy to eat up and digest.

Health Benefits of Chicken Tinola

As you can see from its ingredients, it was packed with nutrients coming from green leafy vegetables such as malunggay leaves. To know more about its health benefits, let's break down it one by one.

Rich in Protein

Why tinola is rich in protein? Of course! because of the chicken. The chicken itself is rich in protein which is essential for our little kiddos to grow. Also, protein helps the body generate new cells and repair existing ones. Additionally, chicken meat is low in saturated fat. If you want to enjoy it more healthily, remove the skin of the chicken before adding it to the dish, that's what I've read from Dr. Ong's article too.

Malunggay, a Superfood

Malunggay or also known as Moringa oleifera is a wonder gulay (vegetable). It contains a variety of proteins, minerals, and vitamins such as vitamins A, B, and C. It is also very low in fats and contains no bad cholesterol. Malunggay is also a very good quencher of unstable free radicals that can counter and damage molecules that cause aging. It also helps to prevent the beginning of several chronic ailments like arthritis, cancer, and heart and kidney diseases. What's good about this plant is, it is locally available throughout the neighborhood. You can have them in your backyard too.

Antioxidants in Papaya

Papaya is well-known for its benefits, most especially on the skin, that's because of the presence of antioxidants, substances that help fight against breakdown and damaging free radicals inside the body. Papaya is also a good source of fiber and magnesium, which promotes healthy nerve and muscle development. Additionally, papaya is also good food for lactating moms like me. Eating green papaya can boost the production of the Oxycontin hormone, the hormone used to regulate the production of breast milk, increasing milk flow. And papaya helped me a lot in my breastfeeding journey.

Folate in Sayote

There can be times wherein papaya isn't available, but the good thing is, you can use sayote or chayote instead. It is one of the best alternatives for this recipe. Folate is present in sayote which boosts to enhance and strengthen the body's cardiovascular systems. Moreover, it contains vitamins and minerals, incorporating loads of vitamin C and folic acid, plus moderate portions of vitamin K, B6, manganese, copper, and zinc. Sayote also contains small amounts of calcium and iron.

Anti-cancer properties and Antioxidants in Garlic and Onion

These tiny shredded bits in the recipe added a more natural flavor to tinola, aside from the taste they'd added they also have antioxidant properties and have been known to help reduce breast and colon cancers. They may appear to be just a minor ingredient, they have with them helpful benefits too if you only eat them and won't put them aside on your plate.

We Filipinos loved it so much, you should try this and know with yourself why we love this dish. I was so busy and I didn't finish my works last night. I told myself to finish it on Saturday, however, it didn't happen. Instead, I wrote something different from the plan, and thanks to the free tinola of my aunt. I'm glad to share here with you a menu, perfect for lunch or even dinner.

Serve it while it's hot and every bowl of it is an extra nutrient that keeps you guilt-free and healthy.

Also, this day reminds me of why this season is a season of giving. As our aunt shared with us their dish for lunchtime, they also shared with us little joys in our hearts. Even the simplest things being shared can cause bigger impacts on someone's life. We don't have to wait the Christmas day for us to share. something. We can always share, we can make every day a Christmas day. Share your blessings and be a blessing.

Written by: @eommaZel✍🏻🥀