Soup, There It Is

FILIPINOS are fond of their soup. Locally called sabaw, it’s a mainstay on the table to perk up any fried or dry dish entree. Forget your cup of instant noodles and try one of these bowls of healthy.

BACHOY

INGREDIENTS

Home-prepared stock:

1 kilo pork bones (with marrow)

½ kilo pork pigue

½ gallon water

Salt to taste

Noodles:

2 cups Gold Medal All-purpose Flour

¼ cup water

1 tsp. lye

1 tsp. salt

¼ kilo pork liver, parboiled, julienne

¼ kilo shrimps, blanched, shelled, and halved

3 pcs. eggs, hard-cooked then sliced           

½ cup fried garlic

For garnish:

Spring onions, chopped

Chicharon, crushed           

PROCEDURE

To prepare stock: Boil pork bones and pigue in water until tender. Reserve broth and season to taste. Cut cooked meat into julienne strips. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the noodles.  Knead until smooth. Flatten with a rolling pin or pass through a pasta machine. Cut into long, thin strips. Boil in salted water until done. Drain.

In a serving bowl, arrange some noodles. Top with meat strips, liver, shrimps, egg, garlic, spring onions, and chicharon.  Pour in the reserved hot broth and serve at once.

PUREE OF VEGETABLE SOUP

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsps. butter

1/2 cup celery, diced

1 cup potatoes, quartered

1 cup carrots, quartered

1 cup green beans, sliced

1 cup cauliflowerettes

2 Tbsps. rice, uncooked

Salt and pepper to taste

6-8 cups chicken stock      

1 package all-purpose cream

1-2 Tbsps. Gold Medal All-Purpose flour

1 Tbsp. butter

PROCEDURE         

            Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir-fry vegetables and rice for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer in a casserole and add the chicken stock. Cover and simmer until vegetables and rice are cooked. Let it cool. Pass through a blender until fine. Again, pour the mixture in a casserole and boil. Add flour if desired for a thicker consistency of soup. Turn off fire. Stir in all-purpose cream. Finish soup with a tablespoon of butter. Serve hot.

Lomi

INGREDIENTS

¼ kilo pork strips

2 Tbsps. oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pc. onion, chopped

125 gms. shrimps

1 pc. chicken cube

¾ gallon water

500 gms. lomi

¼ cup carrots, chopped

125 gms. chicken liver

2 cups cabbage, shredded

2 Tbsps. Maya Cornstarch (dissolved in water)

4 pcs. eggs, raw

¼ cup fish sauce

Salt to taste

PROCEDURE

      Boil pork strips in half cup of water. Cover and simmer until water is almost dry.

Stir in oil and fry pork strips until light brown. Push on the side of the pan. Sauté garlic and onion. Stir in shrimps and add chicken cube. Add water and let it boil.

            Drop in noodles, carrots, chicken liver, and cabbage. Let boil for 3 minutes and thicken with cornstarch. Put off heat. Beat eggs and stir in. Season to taste. Do not boil. Serve with Puto prepared from Maya Original Hotcake Mix.

TRIVIA

Lomi is an example of clear soup. It is usually garnished just before service to prevent soup from being cloudy and to keep the garnish fresh.

Pancit Molo

INGREDIENTS

Filling:

¼ kilo ground pork

¼ kilo shrimps, chopped

1 small singkamas, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

½ tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 pc. egg

2 Tbsps. Maya Cornstarch

1 pack molo wrapper

Stock:

2 Tbsps. oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 chicken breast, cooked and flaked

3 slices Chinese ham, chopped

½ cup shelled shrimps

6 cups chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped spring onions

Fried garlic

PROCEDURE

Combine all ingredients for the filling except for the molo wrapper. Put some filling on one corner of a molo wrapper. Roll up to enclose. Get the two ends and pinch together to seal. Do this for all the filling and wrappers. Set aside.

            In a saucepan, heat oil then sauté garlic and onions. Add chicken, ham, and shrimps. Cook for a few minutes then add the broth. Bring to a boil then drop in the stuffed molo wrappers.  Season to taste. Cover and let boil. Serve hot topped with spring onions and fried garlic.

TRIVIA

            A famous dish from the food-loving Ilonggos, pancit molo is named after a well-known district in the province. Instead of the dry stir-fried pancit, it’s served with broth and makes use of wanton wrappers instead of the long, thin noodles made from rice flour. Leftover wanton wrappers may also be cut into strips and dropped into the hot broth.

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