Receta Inubarang Manok (Coconut-simmered Chicken)

by Rene Astudillo

The province of Aklan in Central Philippines is best known for its Ati-Atihan festival, one that would almost put the Mardi Gras to shame. It is also famous for one of the top beach resorts in the world, Boracay.

This dish is called Inubarang Manok and is a signature dish in Aklan. It is a simple recipe consisting of chicken simmered in coconut milk, along with a few spices. The traditional dish is made with banana bud, but outside of the Philippines, this ingredient might be difficult to find. But no worries, for this recipe, I used banana pith which is the fibrous tissue lining the banana peel. All you need to do is scrape the peel of the banana with a knife or spoon.

I've seen similar recipes that call this dish Hinubarang Manok, but I'd rather not use the "H" because the term literally means chicken that has been undressed!