If Japan have ramen, the Philippines have mami. Noodles was introduced and was brought to us and Japan by the Chinese. As history has shown Filipino food is highly influenced by China. Noodles plays a big part in the Filipino food scene.

Chicken mami is considered merienda fare. Before burgers and pizza joints can be found in every street corner of Manila; chicken mami, lugaw, pancit are typically the choice for midafternoon snack.

Making the broth for chicken mami is very straightforward and not as complicated as the soup base for ramen. The traditional way of making the broth for mami is boiling bone in chicken meat in water with several aromatics and spices like onion, garlic, peppercorns and spring onion. I made my broth using leftover rotisserie chicken. First, get your chicken carcass and add about 6-7 cups water, then add 1 medium onion roughly chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 Tbsp. of whole peppercorns. Let this come to a boil and then lower heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain stock, keep warm and set aside.

Take a pack of fresh egg noodles and cook it by boiling in water for about 4-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in running water if you are not using it immediately.

Place your egg noodle in a deep bowl. Then arrange some shredded chicken breast (I used the leftover from my rotisserie chicken), boiled eggs cut in half, some spring onions and garlic chips on top. I also added a tablespoon of garlic oil as I found it enhanced the flavor of the soup. Then ladle some of your chicken broth and serve immediately. Note: I seasoned my chicken broth with a little bit of fish sauce for some umami.

IMG_7057

IMG_7060

IMG_7052