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C E L E B R A T I O N T I M E
Binacol
Negros
Binacol
means to cook or steam in a
container such as bamboo or coconut
shell. Those are the traditional vessels
used to cook chicken binacol, both
containers sitting on a bed of charcoal,
in classic slow cooking mode. Today,
it can be prepared using modern
cookware. To replicate the aroma of
bamboo, you can add fresh bamboo
sprouts called
tangingking
to the broth.
Binacol is a clean tasting soup with
a hint of sweetness from the young
coconut meat and water added to the
broth. During celebrations, it can be the
warmth needed to prepare the stomach
for the rich eating to come or a palate
cleanser after gorging on everything.
If cooked in the old way, binacol is a
reminder of farm cooking done in the
vast sugarcane fields of Negros.
Kalel says
Simmering the chicken
in low fire helps soften
the meat.
