Filipino Recipes / Food and Recipes

Tiyula Itum: Recipe for royalty

halleramiscalLeave a comment

Tiyula Itum, a dish from Tausug, Sulu in Mindanao. This black soup is usually served during special occasion like Muslim weddings and is known to be one of the dishes served to Royalties.

This dish takes its name from Tiyula which means soup or stew and Itum which means black. The soup’s color came from the burnt coconut meat which flavors the dish making it unique from any other dish found in the Philippines.

burn coconut meat in stove top and grind it in a blender or food processor to make a powder

Tiyula Itum is a dish which can be compared to Nilaga or Tinola from the northern part of the Philippines, but has a bolder flavor. This dish is surely unique and is rarely served in typical Filipino restaurants.

I actually researched about this dish and came across only a couple of articles about it. It is a pretty hard to find recipe, so I just gathered what I can find and also rely on the taste that I remember when I ate this during our trip in Zamboanga. All in all, I did find the taste that I am looking for.

So here is my recipe for Tiyula Itum. This might not be the traditional one but the taste is pretty much the same. I used chicken instead of Beef since I can’t find the perfect cut for this dish in our neighbourhood.

Note: If you decided to go for Beef go ahead and find the Sirlion steak and cut it thinly to make the cooking process easier.

TIYULA ITUM RECIPE

Serving: 3-4

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins to 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 kilo of Chicken
  • 3 tbsp or 1/8cup of Ginger, finely chopped
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 small onions
  • 3 stalks of lemon grass, tied in a knot
  • 1/3 cup of burnt coconut meat powder
  • 3 tbsp of turmeric powder
  • 3-5 tbsp of sambal or sriracha sauce (depends on your spice level tolerance)
  • 2-3 cups of beef stock
  • 1/2 cup of coconut milk (optional)
  • 2-3 tbsp of refined coconut oil (You may use any cooking oil with neutral taste)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. In a pot, add the cooking oil and saute onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, sambal, and burnt coconut until fragrant.

2. Then, add the chicken or beef and stir until well combined.

3. Add the beef stock and lemongrass. Let it simmer for 15-30 mins. (For beef slow cook it in low fore for 45 mins to an hour until meat is tender)

4. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for another 10 minutes.

5. Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Enjoy your very own Tiyula Itum. It was a favorite when I served this to my family and I hope you would like it too!

Cheers and till my next recipe!

Halle

Leave a comment