Final Product....let's begin.
The first thing I do is prep the veggies. If you're in a time-crunch, you could multi-task
but since this is meant to be a comforting dish, let's not rush this, ok?
Let's take it slow...I just want to talk...baby.
sorry about that, enough of the cheesy 80's lines.
Take the ginger and try to cut off the small nubs to create big pieces for yourself.
Now either on a cutting board or over a bowl, take a spoon and peel the ginger. I've tried using a peeler before but it always manages to take off more than just the skin. Once you have them peeled, it's now time to cut them.
Keep in mind, ginger isn't something you want to get a big chunk of while you're eating. It's overpowering and can leave your mouth unable to taste other food properly. With that in mind, cut the ginger into strips, so you can easily avoid eating them. If your heart is set on eating ginger, I would advise you to either mince or grate the ginger into a bowl.
Your stomach will thank me for it.
Cut your onions into strips as well, it's nice to keep things uniform.
Peel and smash the garlic then mince them.
Take the spinach bunch and chop of a little of the stem. Wash them thoroughly and set aside. Do not chop them! The broth will turn these magical, green, popeye power boosters, into a stringy delicious treat that will make it easier to get a hold of while eating.
Heat some oil in a large pot and add the garlic and ginger. Let it cook for about 3 mins or until the garlic becomes golden brown. Do not burn the garlic because the broth ginger and broth won't hold up to the bitterness.
After the ginger and garlic get to know each other, throw in the onion. and I mean literally throw it in as hard as you can to ensure that it knows you're mad at it for making you cry. Add your salt and pepper, not too much though because when we simmer later, we'll be adding more to get the right taste.
While the onions are doing its thing, go ahead prep the chicken. I used chicken legs and thighs.
I trimmed the excess fat and some of the skin. I also cut some slits into the meat to let the flavor fuse with the meat. Always use bone-in chicken for this dish, the broth is nothing without the bone flavor!
Now it's time to add the chicken. The point is to give it a head start and add some color to it.
Bring it to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked. about 35-40 mins. or longer if you want the flavors to infuse the meath. Just don't over-cook the chicken, not cool bro. After the chicken is cooked, taste the broth and make sure it's not too bland. This is your time to add more salt. To be traditional, I added fish sauce. it's a salt substitute in Filipino cooking.
This is my favorite part. When the chicken is all nice and ready, turn the heat off and add the spinach. Cover the pot and let the steam and liquid wilt it. I use about 3 bunches of spinach because I love it. I also choose spinach with stems over the bagged variety because the heat will wilt these down and without the stem, they're almost impossible to get a hold of.
This is how it looks once it's wilted and ready! Drool mode in effect.
Just one more picture before eating. Liz is yelling at me at this point.
This is my favorite type of bite. See what I mean about the stems? perfect!
Ingredients List:
6 Thighs and 6 Legs of chicken - trimmed of fat and slit
One big root of ginger cut into stripts
2 medium sized onions cut into strips
8 garlic cloves minced (or more if you really want the garlic taste!)
3 bunches of spinach with stem
water, salt and pepper..or fish sauce if you want the realness!
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