You can cook your tinola with a twist

First of all, tinola isn’t just chicken water. If it tastes like that, you’re not doing it right. Here’s how not to make your tinola taste like water. Get down to the essentials: ginger, lemongrass, malunggay, chili leaves, and green papaya, and you should be enjoying this simple dish. These are pretty much the basic ingredients for a good tinola but if you want to take it up a notch, add some coconut milk.

Ginisang Monggo

Best paired with a fried ulam, ginisang monggo is a dish packed with superfoods. It’s the type of soup you’d prepare on Fridays — when the fridge is nearly emptied and you’re out of ideas for your next meal. To make it better, top it off with crispy chicharon, just like this recipe! Be wary if you have members of the family dealing with arthritis though, cause this may not be the dish for them.

Pork Sinigang sa Kamatis

Sinigang is a no-fail recipe because everyone loves it and all you have to do is boil everything in one pot. It’s got an assortment of vegetables, any choice of meat, and the key ingredient: sampaloc (or any souring agent of your choice), which makes every sip of hot soup sour and savory. Sinigang is one of the most popular dishes in the country, and the soup alone is enough to make you have multiple servings of rice. So worth it!

Bulalo

Many say bulalo is not the healthiest because of the bone marrow; we say we’re here for a good time, not long time. It’s a dish that would make you go for a drive to Tagaytay just to enjoy the dish in cool weather. This Pinoy fave has similarities with nilaga – it’s just the bone marrow that makes all the difference. While we’re on lockdown again, you can master the perfect bulalo at home with this recipe.

Sopas

Sopas is basically the Pinoy version of chicken noodle soup but has a slight twist with the use of evaporated milk, which makes the base creamier. It starts with the basics: garlic, onions, celery, and carrots – the makings of a flavorful soup. Add your chicken stock, shredded chicken, cabbage, and evaporated milk, and you’re good to go! Some Pinoy households even like adding in slices of hotdog and boiled egg; a weird combination, but fits the Pinoy palate well.

La Paz Batchoy

If you want to have a nice bowl of La Paz Batchoy, you know you have to go on a plane ride to Iloilo to get a taste of the OG. But with existing travel restrictions, learning from home would be your best suit. Traditionally made with miki bihon, slices of pork, and pork broth, this popular Ilonggo dish would make any gloomy day better. Don’t forget the crispy chicharon and slices of boiled egg!

Pork Nilaga

Nilaga is one of the easiest Pinoy soup dishes to prepare — all you have to do is boil everything in one pot and it’s totally beginner-friendly for those just learning their way around preparing their own meals. It has potatoes, sweet corn, saging na saba, and pechay, and best-served with patis on the side. Now, where’s the extra rice?

Utan Bisaya

Here’s a classic recipe for non-meat eaters: Utan Bisaya. It’s basically boiled vegetables and has different variations in different regions: bulanglang in CALABARZON, inabraw in the Ilocos Region, and law-uy in other Visayan regions. Fish is also added sometimes, just like this recipe! It looks plain AF but if you enjoy the taste of vegetables, this simple recipe would make you appreciate its taste.

What’s you fave Pinoy soup dish? Tell us below!