How to cook Pinaupong Manok

We have many ways to cook the chicken, whether it has a sauce or just plainly baked or fried. Due to lots of workloads of many of our kababayans we prefer to cook those easy to prepare recipe but also a delicious one.

Do you love chicken as I do? Well, what we will be cooking now is the Pinaupong Manok. Cooking Pinaupong Manok is easy, The chicken is cook in the combined steam generated from the water content of the salt as well as its own. It also absorbs all the natural flavor of the rock salt.

The old way of cooking this recipe was to use a palayok, but since palayok is not anymore mostly available, there’s nothing wrong with using any large, thick stainless steel casserole or any available in your kitchen.

Ingredients: For the chicken :

1kilo whole chicken
2 pcs. whole onions
4 pcs 1″ chunks of ginger
5-6 pcs peppercorns
1 pc. whole garlic
3 pc. Lemon grass
2-3 cups of rock salt
1/2 cup of olive oil or sunflower oil

For the sauce :

1 tbsp. of finely minced garlic
1 medium size of onion, minced
3 tbsp. of kalamansi juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
salt to taste

Cooking Pinaupong Manok Procedure:

1) Peel the onions. Pierce the garlic in several places using a sharp, pointed knife. Rub the cavity of the chicken with rock salt.

2) Stuff the cavity with the onions, garlic, ginger, peppercorns and lemon grass. Rub the skin with rock salt. Make the bed of rock salt. Pour enough rock salt, about an inch high, into a large, deep stainless steel casserole.

3) Place the chicken on the bed of salt, breast side down, making sure that no part of the chicken touches the metal.

4) Cover the casserole and cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour.

5) If using a pressure-cooker, cook for 20 minutes counting from the time the valve starts to whistle.

6) Do not uncover during cooking time.

7) Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.

8) Mix all the ingredients and stir. Season with salt.

9) When cooking time is up, insert a long, large fork into the chicken cavity to lift it without breaking.

10) Transfer to a plate. Take about a tablespoonful of the olive oil and brush the chicken all over.

11) Serve hot and dip to a dunking sauce.

This is a perfect recipe this Christmas Season and any celebration such as birthday party.

Photo courtesy of marjmallow0528