Introducing "Sopas" - A Favorite Dish in my Country (Cooked Traditi...

Greetings!

It has been raining for three days and this is the perfect time to cook a dish that is everyone's favorite in my country. This dish is so versatile you can eat it on its own or partner it with rice - the dish is called "Sopas". When I was young Sopas is popularly cooked when there are special occasions like birthdays, Christmas Eve, or New Year's Eve.

But when I relocated to the city where I worked for less than twenty years I noticed that small restaurants are cooking Sopas for breakfast. At first, it was a culture shock for me since I am not used to seeing Sopas sold and eaten as breakfast.

In the town where I grew up, Sopas is only eaten and served during special occasions (mainly as a snack in the afternoon not for breakfast, lunch, or dinner).

Fast forward today, within the years that I stayed in the city where I worked and lived I eventually got used to seeing Sopas being sold, served, and eaten any time of the day.

With that said, I am going to cook Sopas for our snack and dinner today.

By the way, Sopas is characterized mainly by the use of elbow macaroni (macaroni is the most popular). But you can certainly use other kinds of pasta such as Gnocchi, Bucatini, Linguine, Tagliatelle, Cavatelli, Rigatoni, Spaghetti, and many more.

You can also definitely use vegetables other than the one that I am going to use today. The most popular vegetables used in cooking Sopas are cabbage, carrots, and Baguio beans (in any combination or you can use only one of them). But today I am only going to use Chayote because it is the only vegetable available on our fridge. My favorite vegetables that I always use in cooking Sopas are cabbage and carrots combined with chicken stock and chicken strips. I seldom use Baguio beans.

Also, since I am now back in my hometown, I missed cooking dishes in a traditional way (using wood). So, I am going to cook this dish using wood.

So, without further ado here's how to cook this very delicious dish.

Elbow Macaroni (500 grams)
Chayote
Two large hotdogs
Onion
Garlic
Margarine (two tablespoons)
Evaporated Milk (140 ml)
Chicken cube (1 pc), you can use chicken stock in absence of chicken cube
Salt

Peel and slice the chayote then slice it into strips (you can use cabbage and carrots as a substitutes)

Wash and slice the two large hotdogs then slice it into circles

Peel and slice the onion

Peel and slice the garlic

Prepare the margarine

Prepate the evaporated milk (you can use more evaporated milk according to your preference)

Prepare the elbow macaroni (you can use any type of pasta according to your own preference)

Prepare the chicken cube

1. On a large cooking pot melt the margarine

2. Sautee the onion and garlic

3. Sautee the sliced hotdogs

4. Add about two liters of water (or you can add more if you want depending on your preference)

5. Add the elbow macaroni, add the chicken cube, add some salt, add the chayote then let it boil, when all the ingredients are cooked and when the taste is now okay, remove from the fire then add the evaporated milk, and it is done... and best when served hot.

I am a Computer Engineer, blogger, farmer, father, and husband. I love countryside living, nature, farming (rice/vegetables), and has two decades of experience as an I.T. professional

Introducing "Sopas" - A Favorite Dish in my Country (Cooked Traditionally - Using Wood)

1. On a large cooking pot melt the margarine

2. Sautee the onion and garlic

3. Sautee the sliced hotdogs

4. Add about two liters of water (or you can add more if you want depending on your preference)

5. Add the elbow macaroni, add the chicken cube, add some salt, add the chayote then let it boil, when all the ingredients are cooked and when the taste is now okay, remove from the fire then add the evaporated milk, and it is done... and best when served hot.