Ancestral Taste • Chicken Sopas

mhel(68)

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Chicken Sopas

Our culture and food have been heavily influenced by Spain. When Spain has given up our country to America due to the Treaty of Paris, another influence has been fused with our culture and food. One of those influences is the Chicken Sopas which is the Philippine version of the American Chicken Noodle Soup. This soup is also a comfort food in the Philippines and is enjoyed when the weather is cold or if you are feeling under the weather. Join us today as we share with you the well-loved Chicken Sopas.

Ingredients:

Two medium sized potatoes
One carrot
A quarter slice of pumpkin
Celery
One onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
Elbow macaroni
Chicken
Chicken Stock
One can of evaporated milk
Salt
Sugar
Pepper

These are four slices of chicken which we have boiled already and set the stock aside. You can add more chicken if desired.

The elbow macaroni has pre-boiled in the chicken stock. This has just only been half cooked so that the cooking time will be shortened later on.

Our favorite brand of evaporated milk has been said to have been around since the '70s.

Slicing the ingredients

Slicing of the vegetable is a little different for the Chicken Sopas. We will need our vegetables to be sliced into small pieces. This will allow our vegetables to soften a bit faster. If you have someone who is sick, it is the best way to serve the soup quicker than usual.

Slicing the pumpkin in this size is the best way to soften it quicker. As we know pumpkin takes time to soften.

The carrots will also be slices of this size.

Next are the potatoes which will also be sliced the same way. Potatoes also take a while to be soft.

Cut the celery as usual.

Slicing the celery horizontally is enough for this recipe.

Slicing is the hardest part but now all the vegetables are ready.

Chop the chicken into smaller pieces so everyone can have a piece of meat. Slices of ham are also added in other variants of the Sopas but we left it out as we wanted only pure chicken flavor.

Firing up the wood stove

I'm always excited when I fire up our wood stove. I love the smell of burning wood when cooking. It must be my desire to live out in the province living a simple life.

This is another antique soup pot that I salvaged from my aunt's storage room. It is best to put it to good use and I was allowed to have it as long as I give my aunt a bowl of our Chicken Sopas.

Cooking Time

As usual add some oil in the pot and allow the oil to heat up.

Sauté the garlic and onions. In this case, some carrots also fell in the pot but that is fine.

Add the chicken pieces and allow the meat to brown a bit.

Next, you can add carrots, pumpkins, potatoes, and celery. This will allow our vegetables to start softening up.

Mix all the ingredients for a few minutes.

Next, add the chicken stock and it should cover all the ingredients. Additional stock can be added as needed.

Add around a spoonful of salt.

Add some brown sugar.

Let's not forget about the pepper.

Now cover the pot and allow it to boil for a few minutes.

Once it is boiling you can now add the can of evaporated milk.

Cover once again and leave it for a few minutes.

You can then add the cabbage and the elbow macaroni.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and let boil for a few more minutes to allow the elbow macaroni to fully cook.

Time to test the doneness of our dish. Taste the macaroni, carrots, pumpkin and potatoes. If they are all soft then we are ready to eat.

Ready to Serve

Grab a bowl and enjoy the creamy, chicken flavor, a bit salty and a little hint of sweetness but not overpowering. Perfect for those cold weathers or when you are feeling down. One bowl is enough to bring a smile to your face.