I'd like to plant some pepper for its leaves which my wife cooks with chicken and papaya for a Filipino dish called "tinola". The problem is I don't know what kind of pepper I should plant. Does anyone know? Tinola is one of my favorite dish and it's hard to find those leaves at the store. Thanks much.

If you have access to Asian grocery stores, look for dahon ng sili (Chili pepper leaves). Not sure at this point exactly which variety of pepper this is (anyone?). If you can't find the leaves, look for small, dried (not smoked) chili peppers at Asian grocery stores in whole or "crushed" form. The seeds will likely be viable. Harvest the leaves when young one and a half to two inches long.

If you can fine the leaves still on the stalk and they are fresh enough, consider it a pepper plant cutting and try to root it.

There are online sources available, post here if you need them.

:)

Violet - your knowledge on asian veggies is quite impressive. Where did you learn all these?

Ianna

Sili Labuyo

Scientific Name: Capsicum frutescens L.
Family: Solanaceae
Common names: Sili labuyo (Tagalog); Capsicum pepper, chili bird pepper, bird’s eye chili (English).

Description: An annual herb or subshrub 0.5-1.5 m tall, erect much branched. Stem irregularly angular to to subterete up to 1 cm in diameter, green to brown-green with purplish spots near nodes . Leaves alternate, simple and very variable. Flowers usually borne singly, terminal. Fruit a non- pulpy berry, very variable in size, shape, color, and degree of pungency, up to 30 mm long green, yellow, cream or purplish when immature, red orange, yellow brown when mature.

Ecological distribution: New World origin, originated in South America, introduced and cultivated throughout South-East Asia. They grow at a wide range of altitudes, with rainfall between 600-1250 mm.

Parts used: Leaves, fruits.

Traditional uses: Externally – carminative and antispasmodic in colics; relief of rheumatic pain.

Used as spice in cooking.

info on siling labuyo from dave's garden

it could be piquin.

Just saw your question... any kind of pepper leaves will do as we don't have any particular pepper leaves for tinola. But you can try the medium-big leafy kind (like leaves of bellpepper, thai chilli or even pepperoncini). I grow bellpeppers in my garden mainly because of the leaves for my tinola... btw, I am a filipina that's why I know... :)

Do you have your own recipes you can share?

Tinola
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken, cut into 4" pcs.
1 inch ginger, crushed into pieces
1/2 pc of onion, sliced
2-3 tbsp fish sauce (can be bought in asian stores)
pepper leaves
1 sm. papaya, sliced into quarters, and each quarter sliced into 4 (or you can use chayote if papaya is not available)
2 c water (or better yet, use the water you washed your rice with, it gives better flavor)

Procedure:
1. Saute onion in hot oil for a minute, then add ginger and continue for another minute.
2. Add chicken and cook 4 mins more. Halfway through this, add fish sauce and let it simmer.
3. Put in water with the chicken and simmer until chicken is fork tender.
4. Add the papaya and let it cook just right (can be pierced with fork). Add the pepper leaves just before serving.

It gives more flavor to the broth

Chervil2