The winter months in San Francisco are always wet and cold and this usually means someone in our household gets sick. Instead of chicken noodle soup, I love to prepare Filipino sopas to cure the throat and the soul.
Sopas is a beloved dish of my mother-in-law’s that everyone loves. I’m pretty sure this is the first dish I learned from her 20 years ago. My #armyofboys will eat it up – usually 3-4 servings in one sitting! Growing teenagers!
It is funny that this soup even came from the tropical climate of the Philippines but as you can see, a lot of the recipe comes from canned food. But there is a reason for that.
Refrigeration is a luxury, not a necessity, in the typical Filipino household. And even if you’re lucky to have a refrigerator, it’s a small one. Next time you shop at Costco, peep a Filipino person’s cart. I guarantee you there are boxes of Vienna and Spam and that is because they’re sending a big box of treasures back home called a balikbayan box. Canned food is a treasured staple overseas.
My mother-in-law will prepare her sopas starting at Thanksgiving dinner and this signals the start of the holiday season for us. The boys cannot wait to eat and they will tell me this is a holiday memory they cherish dearly. As a busy mom, I know we aren’t always available for everything that happens at home but if we can help tie childhood memories to a favorite meal, we have succeeded.
Do you have a favorite meal that invokes happy, warm memories?
Instant Pot Sopas
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion
- 1-2 tbsp garlic
- 3-4 chicken breasts cut into cubes (or you can shred later)
- 4 cubes chicken bouillon
- 4 chicken broth boxes (48 oz)
- 4 cans Vienna sausages cut
- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1-2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 box macaroni elbow noodles (1 lb)
- 1-2 cans evaporated milk
- carrots optional
- celery optional
Instructions
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Prepare the macaroni noodles according to the box instructions on the stovetop and drain. Cook time is 9 mins.
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Turn on Instant Pot to SAUTE. Brown onion and garlic in some oil. Brown chicken for a few minutes (doesn't have to be fully cooked). Remove chicken to start the deglazing process.
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Deglaze bottom of pot by adding a little of the water or broth. Using a wooden spoon, stir bottom of pot to help the "good bits" lift off the bottom.
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Return the chicken to the pot. Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, fish sauce, chicken bouillon, chicken broth and Vienna sausages to the pot.
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Close the Instant Pot lid and turn the knob to seal.
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Cook on MANUAL function, 5 minutes. Once done, let sit for 5 minutes (NPR natural pressure release) before turning knob to quick release (QR).
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Turn pot on to SAUTE. Bring the pot to a light boil and add the evaporated milk. Then, add the cooked macaroni noodles. Add veggies.
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Season with more salt and add pepper. Serve with love.
Recipe Notes
- My mother-in-law’s recipe doesn’t include veggies but please feel free to add carrots, celery, etc.
- This recipe is meant to feed my army of boys! It’s made for a to-the-brim 8 quart Instant Pot and you know how big that is. Please adjust to your serving size.
- Do not be tempted to pour in the evaporated milk earlier. Milk will curdle under pressure.
- Two cans of evaporated milk made the sopas creamy; next time, I’d opt for one and a half cans.
- You can save time by cooking the uncooked macaroni noodles in the Instant Pot after releasing the pressure but this altered the taste because of the “pasta water” so I don’t recommend it. If you must, after you release the pressure, add the uncooked noodles, and then add the evaporated milk at the very end.
