Sinampalukang Manok (Chicken in Tamarind Soup Base)

Cutting on your calorie intake? Trying to eat healthy? But your all time favorite filipino dish or "ulam" is sinigang na baboy? And so far according to the Question and Answer part of my blog, sinigang na baboy right now is on top of the list of "What is your favorite filipino dish"? Who would not like it? Aside from it is tasty,delicious and would warm you up, it has plenty of vegetables. But....here comes the but.. if you are trying to cut your calorie intake I guess you could not have it as often as you want. So if you've had it just a few days back and once again craving for it, the best alternative is the " Sinampalukang Manok". It is as tasty, delicious and all of the vegetables in the sinigang pork could be used also in this dish. So the only difference is the kind of meat, chicken instead of pork.
And as I've mention before, spring came and we hardly eat any kind of red meat. And since I would like to keep it that way, sinampalukang manok came to mind to cook as sinigang . I have cooked it lots of time before I got married so I know it would be the best alternative for sinigang na baboy in some occasion ( now and then we crave for the sinigang the baboy so we give in. once in a while is not bad than all the time right?).
Anyway, even before, my parents,brother and other relatives loved it when I make it for them. Once, while eating it, one said: "hmmm sarap ah. parang nasa philippines tayo ah..". And now married why not cook it again. I did and my husband and son absolutely love it. I normally serve it steaming hot with hot steamed rice and all the time they were both asking for more and would ask the next day if we have more. And now that it is staring to get cold, eating it is much better than ever. We just had it a week ago and my husband requested for me to cook it again. So I did, and sinampalukang manok was prepared on our "meza" last nite once again. It is healthy, loaded with different kind of vegetables and the tamarind soup base contained vitamin c. So now that cold season is coming soon, sinampalukang manok would definitely frequent our "meza" or table.

Ingredients: Chicken cut into desired size. String beans,raddish,eggplant, okra(optional),anaheim pepper, 2 siling labuyo (crushed), young tamarind leaves if none, use green mustard leaves, sinigang tamarind powder packet, salt to taste or use just a tad of patis with calamansi.

Procedure: Brown chicken and put aside. Saute onion,garlic, (ginger optional) put back the chicken add the crushed siling labuya,power tamarind and a bit of patis with calamansi. Let it simmer and then add water just enough to cover the chicken and add the anaheim pepper. Cook until chicken is done. Add all the vegetables last and half cook only. Serve hot with hot steamed white rice or hot steamed brown rice. ( shhhh.. others have patis with calamansi or lemon on the side for added taste)