The Binakoe of Malinao, Aklan
A documentation of an indigenous cooking method
For many Akeanons, nothing warms the soul better than a bowl of Binakoe. The Binakol or Binakoe, as it is pronounced in the Akeanon language, is a traditional dish common in the rural areas of Panay. Although there are many variations of this dish across the country, a common characteristic found in the communities in Panay is its indigenous cooking method, wherein the pieces of native chicken, spices, and other condiments are stuffed inside the hallow cavity of young bamboo nodes and placed in a pit surrounded by burning coals or firewood.
The Municipality of Malinao, in the Province of Aklan, is particularly known for its skilled cooks and for its tradition of making Binakoe. Apart from the optional use of coconut juice for the soup’s base or additional seasonings such as Bay leaves, the cooks of Malinao follow a relatively simple recipe for their Binakoe, which comprises of the following: native chicken, onions, ginger, salt, pepper, tangead or lemon grass, and Eabihig/Aeabihig leaves (Spondias pinnata).
In most rural communities in Aklan, the Binakoe is cooked and served during various occasions — from birthday parties, town fiestas, baptisms, to wedding celebrations. It is done by the cooks of the community, who are usually men, upon the request of a host. Jurlie Macahilig or “Digoy”, 41, who is a local cook and habal-habal driver in Biga-a, Malinao, has been cooking traditional Binakoe for more than 20 years. It is a skill which he had learned through observing and helping his grandfather and father who were both known cooks in the community. He recounts that during his adolescent years they would cook ten to twenty pieces of Binakoe and sell them during the baylehan or town dance/ball. The Binakoe, he says, is also served for visitors who have come from outside the barrio or town. In some cases it is also given, with the Binakoe still sealed inside the bamboo nodes, as a parting gift for important visitors such as the godparents during baptisms and wedding celebrations.
The Process of Cooking the Binakoe
The cook starts by choosing the perfect bamboo nodes which will act as the cooking vessel. This process alone requires skill and experience, as one has to ensure that the bamboo is young and its internode spacing and hollow cavities are of the right size for cooking. It is cut with the upper portion open — leaving its base with an intact node — and is then washed with clean water.
Setting aside the cut bamboo or butong, the cook proceeds to slaughter and clean the native chicken. For locals, it is essential that native chicken be used in the Binakoe, as its natural diet and lean flesh is ideal for making soup as compared to the commercially grown chicken. It is sliced into small pieces and its gut, comb, wattles, and internal organs are discarded, except for the heart and liver which are retained. After slicing, it is rinsed thoroughly with running water and set aside.
The spices to be added to the chicken are then prepared by the cook — red onions to enrich the flavor, salt and pepper to season the meat, ginger and tangead or lemon grass to naturalize the meaty flavor of the chicken broth and to add some tang, and most importantly, the eabihig/aeabihig leaves (Spondias pinnata), which acts as the primary souring agent of the dish.
Locally known in Aklan as eabihig or aeabihig, the Spondias pinnata is a species of tree native to India, Southern China, Indochina, Malesia, and the Philippines. Apart from these fundamental ingredients, one may also opt to add Bay leaves or any other flavor enhancers.
The salt, pepper, ginger, onions, and other spices are then added to the pieces of chicken and are mixed by hand in a large mixing bowl.
After mixing the spices with the pieces of chicken meat, the cook then stuffs the base of the cut bamboo with the eabihig/aeabihig leaves. The pieces of chicken are then put inside the cooking vessel, together with the liquids which had accumulated after being mixed with the spices. A small amount of clean water is then added into the cut bamboo. In some variations and depending on personal preferences, the juice of young coconuts is used instead of plain water, which makes the soup much sweeter.
It is then topped-off by lemon grass, which are twisted, coiled and fitted tightly into the opening of the bamboo. Apart from providing a citrusy fragrance, the coiled lemon grass also acts as a cover which retains the steam while the soup is being cooked. Other than the lemon grass, cooks may also seal the opening with strips of banana leaves that are tied securely near the mouth of the cut bamboo.
For the cooking process, a hole is usually dug in the ground, which should be deep enough to hold the bamboo nodes upright. Firewood and/or charcoal is then stacked around the base of the cut bamboo and kindled. To ensure that the bamboo nodes remain upright throughout the cooking process, any kind of sturdy buttress or support may be used. In some cases, cooks also make use of large empty tin cans, such as those used in storing commercial cooking oil, instead of digging a hole. When it is raining or when the ground is too damp, the Binakoe can also be cooked at the dapog or hearth of the kitchen.
The Binakoe is cooked for about one hour, depending on the intensity of the fire. However, the final judgment lies with the cook who, with watchful eyes, determines if the bamboo nodes are ready to be brought out of the fire pit. Usually, by the time the Binakoe is cooked, the lower portions of the cut bamboo are already scorched black. The substantial thickness of the bamboo’s walls and base, as well as the tight seal of the Binakoe allows the soup to boil slowly, releasing the tanginess of the ginger and lemongrass and the sourness of the eabihig/aeabihig leaves which blends perfectly with the richness of the chicken broth. Once brought out of the fire, the covering of banana leaves and lemon grass are removed, and the piping hot Binakoe is poured in a bowl, ready to be served.
