molto molo!

i've never been one of the soup kind. you know, those guys who had to HAVE SOUP before they eat anything else as an appetizer. i grew up eating soup with rice, seriously. i eat soup as a main course.

take, for instance, molo soup. this soup originated in the province of iloilo and is usually served as merienda (snack).   according to the natives of iloilo, the secret is in the broth. they boil chicken carcasses and add aromatics over wooden fire. as they say, you dont rush good food.

this is the way my mom made it: ground meat (pork or chicken) is mixed with chopped onions and chopped carrots, then seasoned. eggs are used a binder, and these mixture is scooped onto little wonton wrapper cups. the leftover wonton wrappers are cut into strips and will be added to the soup. garlic and onions are sauteed, then add the chicken cutlets. add chicken broth (store bought or made from scratch) and let it boil.  when the chicken is tender, take them out of the broth and drop the meat wrapped in wonton. remove the chicken from the bones; the chicken chunks will be added before serving. once the dumplings are cooked, turn off the heat and drop the chicken. serve with calamansi (asian key limes).

as i cook what my son now calls mono soup, i remember the years past. we only have this soup for new year's eve, believing that the round shape of the dumpling symbolizes money. more molo soup, more money (we hoped). this is one tradition i hope to pass on to my son.

then again, i'd rather not wait for new year's eve to let my son slurp its warm broth. and just like his mother, this little boy prefers to eat rice with his soup.