• 2 T vegetable oil • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced • 1 medium onion, finely sliced • ½ chicken cut into bite-size pieces • ½ c shrimps, heads removed and shelled • Medium pack of sotanghon (mung bean vermicelli) 250-300 gms, soaked in water to soften • 5-6 cups water or shrimp broth • ¼ c carrots, julienned • ½ c cabbage, julienned • Salt (or patis) and pepper to taste

In a medium pot or deep pan, sauté garlic in oil until fragrant and light yellow, add onions and continue to sauté until soft. Add chicken pieces and stir until the pink flesh turns white, finally add the shrimps and saute till orange-y. Add the broth and let it simmer over medium heat until chicken is fully cooked. This won’t take long since the chicken is cut into bite size pieces. Cook’s choice: I prefer my chicken in bite size pieces because the bones cooked in the broth give full flavor. Add the sotanghon and let it cook in the flavorful broth. Here you can start seasoning with salt and pepper. (Some prefer to season with patis.) Finally add the julienned veggies, put the cover on and turn off the heat. Let the heat in the pot cook the veggies, that way—when you serve it they are still vibrant in color, slightly crisp and still nutritious!

Cook’s Tip: To get the most oomph of flavor from the shrimp make the broth this way. Sauté shrimp heads in about 2 T oil, until it turns orange. Then add 5-6 cups of water. Let it boil briskly for 5-10 minutes then strain. The difference? More flavorful and fragrant.

chicken