Helene's Chicken Binakol

BINAKOL is a Filipino warm chicken soup with coconut meat, but my version is using pure young coconut juice as soup instead of mixing it with rice wash water. I also added fresh oyster mushrooms.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon canola oil
• 3  garlic cloves, chopped
• 1  medium onion, finely chopped
• 25  g gingerroot, chopped then squashed
• 4  pieces chicken legs, cut into chunks
• 3  pieces  whole young fresh coconut (juice & meat)
• 200  g  fresh  oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 7  pieces peppercorns
• 1  dash salt
• 1  tablespoon fish sauce (patis)
• 1  bunch fresh spinach

Directions

1. Heat canola oil.
2. Sauté garlic, onion and ginger. (Be careful not to burn 'em, or you will have a burnt flavour soup).
3. Toss in all the chicken pieces then pour a tablespoon of fish sauce.
4. Sauté until the chicken meat releases its own juice without adding water. stir often.
5. Chop open the top shell of the three young coconut and pour all the fresh coconut juice into the chicken pot. Let boil for 5 minutes over medium heat.
6. Scrape the young coconut meat and mix it with the chicken.
7. Drop about 7 pieces of peppercorns.
8. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
9. Put the sliced fresh oyster mushrooms into the simmering soup.
10. Let boil for another 3 minutes.
11. Add in the spinach leaves, and continue to simmer for another minute.
12. Season with salt to taste.
13. NOTES : Do not add water into the soup.
14. Use only fresh young coconut juice as soup.
15. Chicken binakol MUST be served warm!
16. Fancy using the coconut shells as Chicken Binakol's serving bowls.
17. Garnish with parsley or top the soup with chopped fresh red chilies if you prefer the soup with a bit of spicy bite.
18. Slurp it good!