From Backyard to bowl: Cooking Tinolang Manok the Filipino Way with My Homegrown Ingredients

Hello hivers!
Today, I want to share a very special dish- Tinolang Manok! But not just any Tinola.
This one is close to my heart because almost everything used in this recipe came from my own backyard garden and our own native chicken. It’s a real farm to table moment that many of us in the province can relate to, it reminds us of our home.

Growing your own food is not easy, but it’s very fulfilling. I planted some useful cooking ingredients like ginger, lemongrass, chili, papaya and even chili leaves. These may look simple, but for someone like me who loves cooking for my family, they are treasures and happy moment.

Before we started cooking, we had to say goodbye to one of our native chickens. This chicken was raised with care fed with natural food like corn and rice and running around in our backyard. It’s a bittersweet moment because we treat our animals like part of family. But in filipino, we also know that a fresh native chicken makes the best tinola- tastier, delicious and more special.

Here are the fresh ingredients I prepared, very typical in a Pinoy Kitchen.
Ginger, Garlic, Onion, Lemongrass, Chili leaves, Green sili, Papaya
A simple ingredient from my backyard garden.

Let’s now get to the part, the cooking moment.

Saute time: In a big pot, heat some oil and saute the garlic, onion and ginger. Let the smell fill our kitchen.

Add the Chicken slices, let it cook for few minutes until the flavor soaks in. You will notice the color turning golden and this perfect.

Let’s pour enough water to cover the chicken and add tied lemongrass and let it boil for 20 minutes oor until the chicken becomes tender.

Once the chicken is soft add the unripe papaya and long green chili, cooked for another 5 minutes until the papaya is soft but not overcooked.
Finally, add the chili leaves. The leaves should still look fresh and green. This one is my favorite.

Season with salt depending on your taste.

Tinolang Manok is always the best and first to be gone during gatherings like birthdays. I remember after I gave birth, this was the very first I eat. For almost a week, I enjoyed it daily, a very comforting food and full of heling love.

While eating I looked at my family, everyone is enjoying with this recipe. My daughte’s favorite soup and this is what life is about simple meals, shared with love.

In every sip of tinola, I could taste the effort from raising the chicken, preparing the ingredients to cooking with love, It reminded me how simple Filipino life may be, but its always full of heart and flavor

If you’re looking for a warm, comforting meal that brings back memories of home and family, try cooking Tinolang Manok for the filipino way. It’s not just about the food – it’s about the story, the tradition and the love poured into every step.

This is my owned pictures and I edited in Canva.

Thank you for reading hivers. Let me know if you’ve tried this too or if you have your own version of tinola. Happy cooking and let’s keep our Filipino flavors alive! Keep sharing simple joys everyone. ❤️