Chicken in Tamarind Soup or "Sinampalukang Manok"

 
   I've been kind of debating with my self whether I'd post this or not, this might explain why this post is late.    When I first read about the announcement for July's Kulinarya theme, I got excited.   Sinigang has always been a comfort food in our dining table.   My kids would hurry coming home, knowing that we will have Sinigang for lunch or dinner.   Okay I'll be honest, I don't cook Sinigang at home, we'll I had though for quite a number of times, but it is my husband who does my kids favorite Sinigang.   Pork Sinigang or Sinigang sa Miso, would definitely not be missed in our weekly menu.   According to my husband,  he got inspired when he saw my father cooked the dish about 15 years ago or so, even when he had tried it.   He never cooked then, and when I let him into our family's secret, we thought himself how to do his own thing in the kitchen.   The "secret," it was my Papa who cooked for us, from breakfast, lunch to dinner, even our packed lunch for school.   He would be the one to prepare the dishes that goes into to our stomach.   Even though we'd have help in the house, he still was the manager in the kitchen, and that is also the reason, why me and my husband cooks for our own children ourselves.
My kids grew up eating their Dad's Sinigang, and they know if it would be prepared by others, including me.   So this is quite a challenge for me.   So I thought of  something that is easy to do, a bit different form the ordinary and something I could share with friends who loves to fuss cooking like me.   My choice, "Sinampalukang Manok,"   The original recipe asks for tamarind leaves, but hard as may seem to find in Manila, I'm sure it would be more a hassle to other Kulinarya friends abroad.  May be harder to pronounce but way easier to prepare.

Ingredients:
1/2 K Chicken in serving pieces
1 TBSP vegetable oil, just for sauteing
2 thumb-size ginger, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
medium shallot, minced or quartered
1 sachet of Knorr Sinigang sa Sampalok
a cup of sliced sitaw
a cup of Kangkong leaves
salt and pepper

Here is how to cook Sinampalukang Manok:
1.   Saute, ginger.   Once it darkens in color, and smelling the ginger, put the garlic, then the onions.
2    Once the onions are a bit transparent, without having the garlic and ginger being burned, put in the chicken and cook a bit.   Season with salt or patis (fish sauce).
3.   Put 3 cups of water and allow to simmer.    Put in the sinigang flavoring and pepper.
4.   Once the meat is cooked, put in the sitaw and cover in low fire.
5.  If the sitaw are cooked but still a bit hard, put the kangkong leaves and turn off the fire, and the cover put back on.
6.   Serve once the leaves are cooked, without having the veggies softened.

So is that easy or what?

Happy Kulinarya Cooking!