Filipino Recipes Collection - Vol 1

Transcription

Delicious and Nutritious
Filipino Recipes:
Affordable, Easy and
Tasty Meals You Will
Love From Morning ‘Til
Night
Chapter One: Breakfast
What is Filipino food?
Atchara
Cooked Rice
Meats
Tocino
Tapa
Longganisa
Skinless Longganisa
Fish
Daing na bangus
Spanish Sardines in Olive Oil
Spanish-style Sardines in Tomato Sauce
Tinapa (Smoked Fish)
Porridge
Arroz Caldo (Chicken-rice porridge)
Champorado
Chapter Two: Lunch and Dinner
Everyday Dishes
Pork Adobo
Beef Mechado
Chicken Afritada
Lechon Kawali (Fried Pork)
Pork Sinigang
Paksiw na Isda (Ginger and Vinegar Fish)
Torta (Ground Meat Omelet)
Chicken Inasal
Bistek Filipino (Filipino Beef Steak)
Fiesta and Exotic Fare
Pork Estofado
Kare Kare (Beef in Peanut Sauce)
Dinuguan (Pork Blood Stew)
Vegetables
Pinakbet (Bitter Melon Medley)
Chop Suey (Chinese Mixed Vegetables)
Ensalada
Tortang Talong (Eggplant Omelet)
Chapter Three: Desserts and Merienda
What is Merienda?
Ginataan Halo-halo
Siomai (Pork and Shrimp Dumpling)
Pancit Molo (Dumpling Soup)
Pancit Bihon (Sauteed Thin Rice Noodles)
Sopas (Macaroni and Chicken Soup)
Chicken Empanada (Chicken Pockets)
Guinatang Mais (Coconut Corn)
Maruya (Banana Fritters)
Desserts
Halo – Halo
Ube Halaya
Leche Flan (Cream Caramel Custard)
Maja Blanca (Coconut Pudding)
Pichi-Pichi (Steamed Cassava Rounds)
Pastillas de Leche (Soft Milk Bars)
Turon (Caramelized Banana Fritters)
Polvoron (Powdered Milk Candy)
Yema Balls (Custard Balls)
Chapter One:
Breakfast
What is Filipino food?
Well, if there’s a head scratcher, that
one is. Filipino food is an eclectic mix
of cuisines, ranging from Asian to
European to North American. The
history of the Philippines is such that
many influences have been brought to
bear on the population, and it has been
expressed most fully in its cuisine.
Is it haut cuisine? Hardly. Much of
Filipino food is simple and homey, but
chockfull of flavor and textures, much
like the people. But for each dish that
has come from offshore, the Filipino
taste has lent a twist that makes Filipino
unique and distinct from the original
inspiration.
It should be noted that there are some
ingredients that may not be easily
available that are indispensable to
Filipino cooking:
Patis (fish sauce) – there are many
versions of this in Southeast Asia, but
the variety most common in the
Philippines is derived from fermented
fish or shrimp and is a clear, yellowish
fluid. It is a savory, salty condiment used
in many Filipino dishes as either a
cooking ingredient or dipping sauce.
Other varieties are sweet, such as the
ones used by the Vietnamese. That won’t
work. Go to a Filipino store in your area
or get it online to get authentic Filipino
patis. It costs about $2.50 for a 750 ml
bottle, which is plenty (Pufina or Tentay
are good brands)
Toyo (soy sauce) – there are also many
versions of this soy-based condiment,
but the Filipino version is generally
saltier yet milder, most like the Japanese
shoyu. It is fermented from soybeans,
wheat, salt, and caramel, and often
combined with calamansi or white cane
vinegar. In Filipino stores, it usually
costs about $2.50 for a 620 ml bottle
(Silver Swan the brand of choice)
Calamansi – a small, sour citrus fruit
native to the Philippines, it is being
grown in warm states such as Florida,
and may be available in the larger
supermarkets. It is easy to cultivate it
even indoors, so you may want to grow
your own! To cut calamansi properly,
hold the fruit at the stem and bottom side
and cutting through the middle. Cutting
through the stem side makes it difficult to
squeeze the juice out.
Atchara (pickled green papaya) – this is
used as a siding, so it’s not precisely an
ingredient. But it goes really well with
many Filipino dishes. You can pick this
up from the Filipino store at about $2
per bottle or you can make your own.
Atchara
You will need
2 cups green papaya, peeled and grated
1/8 cup salt
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced thinly
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and
sliced thinly
1 small piece (about 1 inch) ginger root,
peeled and thinly sliced
1 green chili pepper, cut into thin rings
½ a small box of raisins
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1. Combine grated papaya and 1/8
teaspoon salt. Set aside for an hour.
The salt will extrude the water from
the papaya; discard the liquid
2. Scoop the papaya into a piece of
cheese cloth and squeeze out as much
of the water as possible
3. Combine the dehydrated papaya
with the rest of the vegetables, chili
and raisins in a bowl
4. Pack the mixture in clean jars with
lids (preferably plastic; the vinegar
corrodes metal lids), leaving about a
10% clearance on top
5. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar
and ½ teaspoon salt in a small bowl
and pour enough into the filled jars to
cover the vegetables
6. Cover and refrigerate for at least a
day before using
The atchara will keep for three months
provided it is tightly covered and
refrigerated.
As you may have deduced, Filipino food
tends to be somewhat strongly flavored,
which goes very well with a staple of
the Filipino diet: rice. This is good news
for those who may have a sensitivity or
intolerance to gluten, as wheat, or even
flour, is not a major component of
Filipino cuisine. Rice is gluten free.
Since cooked rice will most certainly
figure prominently in your Filipino meal,
we should get that out of the way. It’s
really easy, but you do need to get into
the habit of it.
Typically, Filipinos take their rice with
most of the moisture gone. It’s not like a
risotto, which is loose and usually
bathed in a creamy sauce.
There are many varieties of rice, and
each will absorb water while cooking
differently. The most common variety in
the Philippines is called “sinandomeng”
which is shorter and rounder than the
Southern Long Grain. Southern Long
Grain tends to be firmer than
sinandomeng, and less fragrant.
Most Filipinos like their cooked rice
“buhaghag” or firm and loose enough to
separate the cooked grains with a fork.
Some like it softer and more clumped
together. For softer rice, add more
water. Below is the typical way to cook
rice:
Cooked Rice
You will need
1 part uncooked rice
1½ parts water (2 parts if you want it
softer)
1. Rice tends to swell to twice its
size when cooked. With this in mind,
take an appropriately sized heavy
sauce pan with a cover, dump in the
uncooked rice and rinse it by
covering it with water, swirling the
rice around then draining it. Do this
twice.
2. Measure out the cooking water and
add to the washed rice. It will look
cloudy; that’s okay. Don’t rinse it
until the water runs clear, the rice
will lose its fragrance
3. Place the sauce pan covered on
high heat and wait for it to boil, about
five minutes
4. When it starts to boil, reduce the
heat to low and prop the lid slightly
open to let the steam out to avoid the
water boiling over
5. When the water has been mostly
absorbed and showing surface pits,
about 7 to 8 minutes, fully cover the
pan and continue cooking for 5
minutes.
6. Remove from heat without taking
off the cover. Let the rice rest for 10
minutes so it is easy to scoop out.
7. Serve from a central dish.
If you have a rice cooker, you only need
to do steps 1 and 2, and let the cooker do
the rest. Just make sure you have your
proportions right!
Okay, let’s move on to the best Filipino
breakfast recipes!
Meats
Filipino breakfasts are characterized by
its heaviness. They usually include meat
in some form, and the most traditional
ones are tocino, tapa and longganisa
(sausages).
These breakfast recipes need to be
prepared ahead of time. The good news
is they keep for quite a while, so you can
make as much as you like, freeze them,
and just take out what you need at any
time.
One note: Most of the meats described in
this section are served with fried egg,
sinangag (fried rice) and atchara. In
fact, this type of meal is referred to as
silog, a combination of sinangag and
itlog (egg). If the main component is
tocino, the meal is referred to as tosilog.
Just a little Filipino trivia there.
The fried rice is typically made from
day old rice refrigerated uncovered,
minced garlic, salt and cooking oil. The
garlic should be toasted lightly in the oil
before the old rice is crumbled by hand
over it and seasoned with salt. Constant
tossing separates the grains and infuses
the rice with the garlic essence.
Okay, on with the show!
Tocino
Tocino is sweet cured pork similar to
the taste but not the texture of glazed
honey-cured ham. Chicken can be
substituted for pork if desired. It goes
very well with fried rice and is a great
Filipino breakfast favorite.
Ingredients:
2 pounds pork loin with some fat, no
skin, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
2 Tbsp salt
5 Tbsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon curing salt (Prague
powder)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tbsp rum, gin OR white wine
1. Wash the pork slices and place in a
large plastic container with a cover.
2. In a smaller bowl, thoroughly mix
the salt, sugar, curing salt, garlic
powder and rum.
3. Put the curing mixture on the meat
and massage it into the meat slices.
4. Cover the container and allow to
cure in the refrigerator for 3 days.
To cook:
1. Cut the cured meat into strips.
2. Using a small heavy nonstick
skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of canola or oil
over high heat
3. When hot, reduce heat to medium
and place the cut meat in a single
layer
4. Pan-fry the meat until slightly burnt
on both sides, about 5 minutes. Serve
with fried rice, eggs and atchara.
5. If you aren’t using everything after
it’s been cured, pack the remaining
meat in self-sealing freezer bags in
the freezer. It’ll keep for up to 5
months
Tapa
While also a cured meat, tapa is not
sweet. It is usually made from beef, but
pork can also be used. It is a savory dish
that can really get you going in the
morning.
This is not to be confused with the
Spanish tapas which are bite-sized
appetizers or snacks. As a breakfast
meal, tapa is often served as tapsilog.
You will need
2 lbs beef sirloin with some fat, cut
across the grain into ¼ inch thick slices
4 Tbsp sugar
2 teaspoons black pepper powder
2 teaspoons salt
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups toyo
1. Wash the beef and place in a large
bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, thoroughly mix
the sugar, pepper, salt, garlic and
toyo.
3. Put the curing mixture on the meat
and massage it into the meat slices.
4. Place the seasoned meat in a selfsealing freezer bag and allow to cure
in the refrigerator for at least 12
hours.
To cook:
1. Cut the cured meat into strips.
2. Using a small heavy nonstick
skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of canola or oil
over high heat
3. When hot, reduce heat to medium
and place the cut meat in a single
layer
4. Pan-fry the meat until slightly burnt
on both sides, about 5 minutes. Serve
with fried rice, eggs and atchara.
Longganisa
There are 7,107 islands making up the
Philippine archipelago, and while there
are not that many types of longganisa or
ntive sausages, it could be close. The
most common, however, is this slightly
sweet variety. As a breakfast meal, it’s
called – you guessed it—longsilog.
This recipe makes about a dozen
sausages
You will need
1 lb ground pork
1 Tbsp salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon curing salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Sausage casings
1. Mix all the ingredients except for
the casings in a large bowl.
2. Let it stand covered for about 2
hours
3. If you don’t have a sausage maker,
use a funnel to stuff the meat into the
sausage casings, tying it off every 6
inches
4. Dry in the sun
5. Store in the freezer until needed
To cook:
1. In a nonstick skillet, put sausages
and enough water to cover and boil
until the water is gone
2. Prick the casings with a fork
3. Use 2 Tbsp of cooking oil to fry
the sausages
4. Serve with fried rice, fried or
scrambled egg and vinegar with
minced garlic
Skinless Longganisa
If you don’t have or don’t want casings
(which is cleaned out pork intestines),
there is a variety of longganisa that does
not require it.
This recipe makes about 20 sausages.
You will need
2 pounds ground pork
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1½ teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp toyo (soy sauce)
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
½ teaspoon black pepper powder
1. Combine all the ingredients well
2. Place a heaping teaspoon of the
mixture into wax paper squares about
4.5 x 3 inches and roll, tucking in the
sides
3. Freeze for at least 3 hours or until
needed
To cook:
1. Heat 2 Tbsp of cooking oil in a
nonstick skillet
2. Take out the longganisa from the
wax paper and fry to desired
doneness
3. Serve with fried rice, fried or
scrambled egg and vinegar with
minced garlic
Fish
The Philippines is an archipelago, and
therefore most places are surrounded by
water. It’s no wonder then that some of
the most scrumptious Filipino breakfast
fares include some sort of fish, usually
dried or marinated.
Again, most of these dishes require prior
preparation. This is because many
Filipino foods used to be preserved
during times of plenty in preparation
against times of want. With modern
refrigeration, this is no longer a
necessity, but they are so tasty you don’t
really need an excuse to keep doing it!
Of course, many of the dishes here may
be a bit of an acquired taste. But once
you get it, you’ll want it all the time!
Daing na bangus
Daing na bangus (marinated milkfish) is
perhaps the best-tasting fish in the
Philippines; the flesh is firm and white,
with a slightly sweet flavor if it’s really
fresh. However, it may not be readily
available everywhere, so you can
substitute rainbow trout, mullet or
halibut for it if there is no Asian or
Filipino grocery handy. But nothing
beats using milkfish for this dish. If it’s
available as deboned and precut, even
better.
If you’re no hand at cleaning fish, ask
your grocer or fishmonger to do it for
you. This dish is good for a hearty
breakfast for two.
1 large bangus (milkfish), cleaned and
sliced in a butterfly cut
1 cup white vinegar
½ bulb garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
Oil for frying
1. In a large serving plate or baking
pan, place the milkfish inside facing
up.
2. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar,
garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Pour the mixture over the fish and
cover with plastic wrap.
4. Marinate in the refrigerator
overnight.
5. In a heated nonstick skillet over
medium flame, pour enough oil to a ¼
inch height
6. Place the fish skin down and fry
until crispy and brown.
7. Carefully turn it over and do the
same for the meat side.
8. Remove from heat and cut along
the middle to make two pieces.
9. Serve with rice and a dipping
sauce of patis with minced garlic.
You may also add a fried egg to make
bangsilog.
Spanish
Sardines in Olive
Oil
You can buy Spanish sardines in a bottle
or can, but you can also make it at home.
It’s wonderful with freshly cooked rice
and a side of scrambled eggs. It also
goes well with a tomato and salted duck
egg salad. The salted duck egg is a
popular side dish in the Philippines, and
tastes great! It’s easy to make (though it
can take some time), as you can see from
the recipe below (Itlog na Pula).
But first thing’s first. Here’s how to
make Spanish sardines!
You will need
1 pound sardines (pilchards) or other
small fish*
1 small carrot, round cut
3 pieces pickles, also round cut
2 pieces bay leaf
½ cup olive or sunflower oil
½ cup water
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Salt and patis to taste
Small red chili, optional for added spice
1. Have the fish cleaned and scaled.
Cut off the heads and tails and roll in
salt. Set aside.
2. Combine carrot slices, pickles, bay
leaf, oil, water and spices in a
pressure cooker.
3. Shake off excess salt and pay the
fish in with the oil mixture. The
liquid should just about cover the
ingredients.
4. Place the cover and pressure cook
for 35 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and
depressurize before removing the
cover.
6. Serve with freshly-cooked rice and
a siding of diced tomatoes with itlog
na pula (salted egg).
7. Any leftovers should be sealed
with the oil in a glass jar with a tight
lid or a Mason jar. It can keep for
two months when refrigerated.
*You can also use bangus or similar
fish, but it has to be cross-cut into three
or four pieces, depending on the size of
the fish
Itlog na Pula (Salted Duck Egg)
This pickled duck egg is called red egg
or itlog na pula because it is
traditionally stained red to distinguish it
from regular duck eggs or balut. It’s
easy to make and keeps for two months
when refrigerated.
You can use chicken eggs if you can’t get
duck eggs. The texture is not the same,
but it’s still a good siding for many
Filipino dishes. This is quite salty and is
an acquired taste so you might want to
try it out first by halving all the
ingredients listed below, or buying one
from a convenient Asian or Filipino
grocery if available.
You will need
10 duck or chicken eggs, washed
1½ cups salt
6 cups water
Red food coloring (optional)
1. Dissolve the salt in water by
heating gently in a large pot with a
cover. Cool.
2. Add the eggs.
3. Put a plate weighed down with a
sealed bag of rice on top to keep the
eggs submerged. Put the cover and
leave for up to 30 days for duck eggs
and 15 days for chicken eggs for
maximum saltiness. If you want it less
salty, brine for a shorter amount, but
no less than 18 days for duck eggs
and 12 days for chicken eggs.
4. Boil the eggs for 30 minutes.
Allow to cool.
5. Disperse the red food coloring in
water and place the cooked eggs until
it absorbs some of the dye. Remove
and dry on paper towels.
6. Store in refrigerator until ready for
use.
To use:
Simply cut the egg in half length-wise
and scoop out with a spoon
Spanish-style Sardines in
Tomato Sauce
You may prefer a tomato-based version
of the Spanish-style sardines. It’s a
different experience from the oil-based
version, and doesn’t really go well with
itlog na pula. It goes great with
scrambled eggs, though!
This recipe makes for quite a bit of the
dish, so be ready with clean glass
bottles with tight lids or Mason jars.
They keep for up to one month when
refrigerated.
You will need
2 pounds sardines or other small fish
2 cups tomato sauce
6 garlic cloves, peeled whole
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1. Place all ingredients in a pressure
cooker and close the lid tightly.
2. Bring to a boil on high heat until
the valve starts to whistle. Reduce
heat to low.
3. Cook for 20 minutes, then remove
from heat.
4. Release the pressure but keep lid
closed. Allow to cool.
5. Store in clean sealed bottles in the
refrigerator until ready for use.
6. Serve heated or straight from the
bottle with freshly-cooked rice and
scrambled eggs.
Tinapa (Smoked Fish)
Another popular breakfast item is
tinapa. It’s easy to make if you have a
smoker. The ready-to-cook ones are not
readily available outside the Philippines
so it may be better to try to make it
yourself. You won’t regret it.
Usually, tinapa refers to smoked blue
mackerel scad, but you can also use
bangus for this.
You will need
2 lbs fish
½ cup salt
4 cups water
Brine solution:
6 Tbsp salt
4 cups water
1. Have the fish gutted and cleaned by
the fishmonger, requesting that it be
cut along the
2. Backbone. Wash thoroughly.
3. In a pan or large, deep platter, mix
the water and salt before immersing
the fish in a single later and leave for
30 minutes.
4. Arrange the fish in a steamer or
woven basket and place in a larger
pot with the brine solution brought to
a boil. Boil until the fish eyes turn
white.
5. Remove the fish and allow to dry
on smoking trays or racks in a cool
dry place for 3 hours.
6. Place the fish in a smoker for up to
2 hours or until the fish turn into a
golden brown.
7. Remove fish from the smoker and
allow to cool before brushing on a
thin layer of canola or corn oil.
8. Pack in resealable plastic bags and
refrigerate. It will keep for one month
To cook:
1. Heat 2 Tbsp of cooking oil in a
nonstick skillet over medium heat.
2. Place tinapa in single file and fry
for 2 minutes on each side. Replenish
oil if necessary.
3. Serve with rice and tomato-salted
egg siding.
Porridge
Yet there are some Filipinos who prefer
lighter fare, or who like to have a siding
that will counteract the richness of the
typical Filipino breakfast. There are
some rice dishes that dispense with
dried or marinated meat which are also
popular: arroz caldo and champorado.
Here we see the influence of the
Spaniards, who occupied the islands for
more than 300 years during the formative
period of what is now modern Filipino
culture. Arroz caldo is easily
translatable to chicken-rice porridge,
and champorado is a sweet chocolateinfused rice dish, often accompanied by
dried fish.
These dishes are also popular as an
afternoon snack, or merienda.
Arroz Caldo (Chicken-rice
porridge)
The lugaw or rice porridge, the base for
arroz caldo, is accomplished by boiling
a small quantity of rice in a quantity of
water until it reaches a gelatinous
consistency. The best kind of lugaw
makes use of a rice variety called
malagkit which has a higher starch
consistency than regular rice. However,
it is all right to use regular rice when
malagkit is not available.
Arroz caldo is distinguished from lugaw
by the addition of chicken pieces. Other
varieties make use of thin slices of tripe
(goto) and beef brisket (beef lugaw)
instead of chicken. In fact, any
precooked meet can be added to lugaw
to make a satisfying meal.
For this recipe, we are using chicken
breast cut into small strips and yields 6
full servings.
You will need
1½ lbs chicken breast fillet, cut into
strips (you can also use a whole chicken
chopped into serving pieces)
1½ cups regular rice, uncooked and
washed
4½ cups water
2 Tbsp patis
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 small pieces ginger, peeled and finely
sliced
1 cube chicken bouillon
2 Tbsp cooking oil
Garnishings
4 hard boiled eggs, shelled and sliced
1 cup scallions or spring onions, minced
Dried and crumbled safflower (optional)
Toasted garlic bits
Calamansi, cut in half
1. Using a large pot, sauté garlic,
onions and ginger in the oil.
2. Add ground black pepper and
chicken buillion.
3. Drop in chicken strips and pan fry
until lightly brown.
4. Season with patis.
5. Add the rice and sauté for 2
minutes.
6. Put in the water all at once and
bring to a boil, stirring frequently to
prevent the rice from sticking to the
pot.
7. Simmer for 40 minutes, adding
water if necessary.
8. Serve hot in large bowls topped
with egg slices, spring onions, garlic
bits and safflower with calamansi
halves on the side.
Champorado
This sweet concoction is another type of
porridge making use of rice,
unsweetened chocolate, water and sugar.
It’s very simple to make and will cast
cereals and other breakfast sweets in the
shade!
It is also better to use malagkit, but not
necessary. The following recipe is good
for six servings.
1 cup rice or malagkit, washed
5 cups water
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate OR 8
Tbsp cocoa powder dispersed in ¼ cup
warm water
1/3 cup sugar
Milk
1. Melt the unsweetened chocolate
bar in a double boiler or combine
warm water and cocoa powder in a
small bowl. Set aside.
2. Put rice and water in a large
saucepan and bring to a boil over
high heat.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer
for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add chocolate or cocoa and sugar
to the rice and mix thoroughly.
5. Simmer for 10 more minutes.
6. Serve hot or cold in large bowls
with a drizzle of milk, and a siding of
dried fish if desired.
So, there you have it, the most popular
and delicious Filipino breakfast recipes
around. It would make a nice change
from the usual bacon and pancakes, and
they can be prepared ahead for those
hectic weekday mornings! Stay tuned for
the next part of the series which will
feature the easiest and most delicious
lunches you will find!
Chapter Two:
Lunch and Dinner
This section will deal with the
other two main meals of the day. All
Filipino lunch recipes can also be dinner
fare, so we’re combining the two. An
addition to this section that wasn’t in the
breakfast section of unusual terms is that
of bagoong, which will be used both as
a condiment and an ingredient in some of
the following recipes.
Bagoong (fermented fish or
shrimp) – this is a very popular Filipino
delicacy, but for most Westerners it
smells and looks like something you
need to pitch into the garbage can. It is
used as a condiment or as an ingredient
in many Filipino dishes, and once
you’ve acquired the taste is wonderful.
Different varieties are used differently,
but the fish type is mostly used for
cooking. It can be bought in the Filipino
store for $2.99 to $3.99, depending on
the type.
Everyday Dishes
Filipino lunch or dinner meals typically
include rice, something in a stew or
fried, and side dishes. Dessert is usually
a serving of fruit, such as bananas,
mangoes, papaya, watermelon or
pineapple.
While Filipino cuisine is usually rich,
servings are small by Western standards,
which explain why few Filipinos are
obese. Perhaps the very richness of the
dishes, combined with boiled rice,
contributes to the smallness of the
portions. At any rate, Filipino dishes are
often served centrally, so each person at
the table can get as much or as little as
desired.
The following dishes are not properly
called entrees as Filipino custom is to
serve everything at once, rather than in
courses. At any rate, this chapter will
deal with the most popular main dishes
that typically grace a Filipino table.
Pork Adobo
This dish was raved about by
Mikhail Baryshnikov when the premier
danseur visited the Philippines in the
1980s, and many visitors who come to
the islands often cite the dish as the most
memorable dish they were ever served.
The adobo in the Philippines is
not to be confused with the Spanish
version which is raw meat marinated in
a spice-heavy sauce and then cooked.
The Filipino adobo is a stew where the
meat is cooked in a combination of
vinegar, water and garlic and then fried
before the sauce is reintroduced.
Even in the Philippines, there are
many versions of adobo but this recipe
is the most popular Tagalog version,
which makes use of toyo as well. Adobo
keeps well in the refrigerator because
it’s cooked in vinegar, and actually
tastes better after being reheated a
couple of times, although the sauce may
dwindle to almost nothing. Make a lot at
one time and keep the leftovers in a
covered container in the refrigerator for
up to one week.
Adobo is also a great sandwich
filling. Simply refry the meat and flake
before putting it in bread.
This recipe serves 5 to 6 people
and takes an hour and a half from start to
finish.
You will need
1 kilo (2.2 pounds) pork belly or pork
shoulder, cubed and washed
5 chicken livers (optional, but adds great
texture)
½ head garlic, mashed
½ cup white vinegar
2 dried bay leaves
Water to cover
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 cup soy sauce
1. In a large saucepan over medium
high heat, drop in the pork pieces and
stir it around a bit, browning the
surface slightly, about 5 minutes. If
you’re using pork belly, the oil from
the fat will extrude quite easily, but
pork shoulder will take a little
longer.
2. When more or less all the pork
pieces are slightly brown, drop in the
garlic and give it a good stir before
putting in the vinegar. DO NOT STIR
at this point because that will cause
the dish to go too sour. Allow it to
come to a boil and add enough water
to cover the pork. Bring to a boil
before dropping in the bay leaves and
pepper. Cover and reduce the heat to
medium low, keeping the water on a
merry simmer. Cook for about 40
minutes. Add water as needed,
bringing the water to a boil every
time before replacing the cover.
3. Add the chicken livers and cook
for another five minutes.
4. Remove from heat and set aside to
cool slightly. You will need the
broth, so don’t throw it out! You can
skim off the fat that may float on top
and discard. Remove the bay leaves
as well.
5. In a large wok over medium high
heat, add the oil. With a slotted
spoon, quickly remove the pork and
chicken liver from the saucepan and
put in the wok, sautéing it briskly.
When the pork starts to turn golden
brown on all sides, add in the soy
sauce all at once. Stir briskly to keep
the meat from burning, crushing a bit
of the chicken livers to thicken the
sauce.
6. When the pork is a uniform brown
color, add in a little of the broth, a
half cup at a time, bringing the
contents of the wok to a boil every
time. You need to reduce the sauce
after each addition until it becomes
thick before adding any more broth,
until it’s all gone. Make sure you add
in the garlic bits in the broth. Cook
for 10 minutes, adding water if the
sauce reduces too much.
7. Remove from heat and allow to
rest before serving from a central
bowl. Serve with rice and diced
tomatoes on the side.
Beef Mechado
Mechado is a long piece of beef,
preferably 3 to 4 inches in diameter, in
which pork fat is threaded through the
length. This is a Spanish cooking
technique to keep the moisture of the
tougher pieces of beef intact while
cooking.
The Filipino mechado, however,
may or may not use of this hybrid meat in
this popular stew. Camto (flank steak)
or beef brisket are the best parts to be
used here because the gristle adds great
flavor and texture to the finished
product.
This is an all-in beef stew that goes very
well with boiled rice, but will also
work with bread. It should be served
warm for the best culinary experience.
This recipe is good for 5-6 people and
takes four hours from start to finish.
You will need
4 Tbsp cooking oil
1 kilo (2.2 pounds) beef flank or brisket,
cut into cubes and washed
4 cloves garlic, mashed
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
Patis, to taste
2 pieces bay leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
Juice from 2 calamansi
3 Tbsp soy sauce
Dash powdered paprika
Dash powdered oregano
1 can diced tomatoes with sauce OR 6
medium ripe tomatoes, diced
4 cups beef broth or water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into
quarters
2 medium carrots, peered and cut into
thick rounds then cut in half
1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into 8
pieces
1 can chick peas, drained (optional)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
(optional)
1. In a large saucepan, place 2 Tbsp
oil over medium high heat and add
garlic and onions. Saute for a minute
until garlic is slightly brown and add
in beef. Saute for 5 minutes until the
beef loses its red color. Add in patis
and cook for another minute. Add in
bay leaves, pepper, calamansi, soy
sauce, paprika, oregano and diced
tomatoes (with the sauce if canned).
Cook for 10 minutes.
2. Add in the beef broth a cup at a
time, bringing it to a boil every time,
until it’s all gone. Cover and reduce
heat to low. Cook for 2½ hours or
until beef is fork tender. Add water
as needed, stirring occasionally to
keep the sauce from sticking to the
bottom.
3. In the meantime, add remaining oil
to a non-stick skillet heated at
medium high. Tip in potato quarters
and reduce heat to low. Cook
potatoes until golden brown, stirring
occasionally. Remove from heat and
set aside.
4. When beef is tender, amp up heat
to high and add in the fried potatoes,
carrots and chick peas. Boil briskly
for 5 minutes then add in green peas
and red pepper. Cook for another 5
minutes.
5. Remove from heat and dish up into
a large serving bowl. Serve with
freshly boiled rice.
Chicken Afritada
Afritada is also a tomato-based
stew similar to mechado, but it has a
thinner sauce and the texture is cleaner
because it is cooked with a leaner type
of meat. While afritada can be cooked
with pork, to add variety to your dishes
we’ll be looking at chicken as a base
meat for this version.
You can use any part of the
chicken for this recipe, but the whole
chicken cut into serving pieces is the
best option because of its combination of
white and dark meat. Some people don’t
like the Vienna sausages, so you can
leave that out if you want.
Because chicken is delicate, presauteing it needs to be done carefully.
That part of the cooking process is
important, however, to keep the juices
locked into the meat.
This recipe is good for 4 to 5
people and is an all-in dish, so all you
need is boiled rice to complete the
picture! It takes an hour from start to
finish.
You will need
4 Tbsp cooking oil
1 kilo (2.2. pounds) broiler chicken, cut
into serving pieces
4 Tbsp toyo
Juice of 2 calamansi
1 medium white onion, peeled and
quartered
1 can diced tomatoes with sauce OR 6
medium ripe tomatoes, diced
Patis
4 medium potatoes, peeled and
quartered
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into
rounds
1 cup frozen green peas
1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into 8
pieces
1 can Vienna sausages, cut across into
halves (optional)
1. Marinate chicken pieces in the toyo
and calamansi for 30 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan, place 2 Tbsp
oil over medium high heat and add
garlic and onions. Saute for a minute
until garlic is slightly brown and add
in chicken, reserving the marinade.
Saute for 5 minutes until the chicken
is slightly brown. Add in patis and
cook for another minute. Add in diced
tomatoes (with the sauce if canned),
bringing it to a boil. Add in the
marinade and bring to a boil. Cover
and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20
minutes. Add water as needed,
stirring occasionally to keep the
sauce from sticking to the bottom.
3. In the meantime, add remaining oil
to a non-stick skillet heated at
medium high. Tip in potato quarters
and reduce heat to low. Cook
potatoes until golden brown, stirring
occasionally. Remove from heat and
set aside.
4. When chicken is cooked, amp up
heat to high and add in the fried
potatoes, carrots and green peas. Boil
briskly for 5 minutes then add in
green peas, red pepper and Vienna
sausage. Cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and dish up into
a large serving bowl. Serve with
freshly boiled rice.
Lechon Kawali (Fried Pork)
Another popular Filipino dish is
lechon kawali which is a bit of a
misnomer. Lechon is typically
associated with pit-roasted whole pig or
cow. Lechon kawali is neither whole
nor pit-roasted. Lechon kawali is
primarily fried pork distinguished by the
crisp skin and soft meat.
This is a very simple dish to make,
and goes well with freshly cooked rice,
atchara and lechon sauce (liver sauce).
Lechon sauce is typically bought
prepared and the Filipino store sells it
for about $1.75 for a small bottle (Mang
Tomas All-Purpose Sauce). Lacking
that, you can also make a dip of crushed
garlic, finely diced onion, soy sauce and
vinegar.
This recipe makes 4 servings and
takes about 2 ½ hours from start to
finish.
You will need
1 rack pork belly, skin on (about 2.2
pounds)
3 Tbsp. salt
Water
Cooking oil
1. Wash and place the pork belly in a
large saucepan. Add in salt and
enough water to cover the pork under
one inch of water. Cover and place
on high heat. Bring to a boil and
reduce to medium low heat. Boil for
an hour or until pork is fork-tender.
Remove from heat.
2. Remove the pork from the cooking
water and place on a plate. Allow to
air until cool to the touch.
3. In a wok or large skillet with a
cover, put enough cooking oil to rise
to a 1-inch level and heat through on
high heat. When hot, carefully lower
the pork belly, skin-side down. Cover
quickly as the oil will splutter.
Reduce heat to medium high and cook
for 7 minutes, or until skin is golden
brown. Turn off the heat before taking
off the cover. Carefully turn the belly
over and turn on the heat to medium
high again. Cover and cook for
another 7 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and place the
pork belly on paper towels to absorb
the oil. Allow to cool before
chopping into matchbox-sized pieces.
Serve with rice, atchara and dipping
sauce.
Pork Sinigang
Sinigang is a sour-salty soup with
a medley of vegetables that goes great
with fried fish. It is also served with
bagoong, the shrimp type, as a siding.
The soup base is made from tamarind, a
pod-like fruit that extrudes a milky-white
sour paste after it is boiled and strained.
It can be a bit of a bother to do it fresh
so this recipe makes use of the tamarind
soup base mix. It is available in most
Asian stores. In the Filipino store, it is
available for $0.89.
Kangkong (water spinach) is
something that is crucial for this dish.
The crisp stems add just that panache to
this dish, so you really need to find it for
this dish. Another good thing to add is
the siling gulay or long pepper. This is a
large, mildly spicy pepper. This is
optional, though.
This dish serves 5 to 6 people and takes
an hour and a half from start to finish.
You will need
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 kilo (2.2 pounds) pork belly or
shoulder, cut into cubes
4 cloves garlic, mashed
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into
quarters
2 medium ripe tomatoes, roughly
chopped
1 medium gabi (taro root), peeled and
quartered*
Patis
1 pack tamarind soup base mix
4 cups rice wash or plain water**
1 medium horseradish, peeled and sliced
diagonally
1 piece eggplant, washed and sliced
diagonally
½ pound long string beans, stringed and
cut into 4 inch lengths
1 bunch kangkong (water spinach),
thoroughly washed, leaves and stems
separated, stems cut into 4 inch lengths
(discard the very end of the stems)
2 pieces siling gulay (long pepper)
(optional)
1. In a large sauce pan, put in the oil
over medium heat and put in the
garlic, onions and tomatoes. Cook for
about 2 minutes or until tomatoes are
soft. Add in the pork belly and sauté
until the pink color of the meat is
gone on all sides, about 6 to 8
minutes. Add in the taro root, patis
and tamarind soup base mix. Saute
for 30 seconds.
2. Add in the water ½ cup at a time,
letting the come to a boil each time,
scraping the brown bits from the
bottom of the pan. Keep adding the
water until it’s all gone. Cover,
reduce the heat to medium low, and
cook for 40 minutes. Add plain water
as needed
3. When pork is tender, increase heat
to medium high and add in the
horseradish and siling gulay. Cook
for 10 minutes, uncovered. Add in
string beans and after a minute add
the eggplant and kangkong stems.
Cook for 2 minutes then add
kangkong leaves. Cook a further 1
minute.
4. Remove from heat and put into a
tureen. Serve with boiled rice, fried
fish and bagoong.
*Be careful when peeling taro root, the
sap can make your hands itchy. To avoid
this, use disposable plastic gloves to
hold the root while peeling.
** When you cook rice, you wash it two
to three times. Discard the first wash
then reserve subsequent rice wash. This
adds nice body to the soup.
Paksiw na Isda (Ginger and
Vinegar Fish)
Paksiw is a Filipino cooking style
that requires cooking in vinegar. In some
cases, it’s sweet with sour overtones,
but this dish is distinctly sour, balanced
out by the ginger.
It may sound a bit exotic but this is
a great dish if you don’t mind picking out
the fish bones. Filipinos eat this with
their hands, but it takes a bit of skill to
do it properly. At any rate, be careful
about fish bones!
The fish featured here is the
bangus or milkfish, a delicately sweet
white meat fish that goes well with the
vinegar-based soup. You can find
bangus in Asian stores, and even though
some say it’s similar to kingfish, there’s
really no substitute for it.
This is an extremely simple dish to
make, but it is important NOT TO STIR
IT once you apply heat. If you stir it
before it begins to boil, the vinegar takes
on a peculiar taste, like tannin, and it
will ruin the dish.
This recipe is good for 2 to 3
people and takes about 25 minutes from
start to finish.
You will need
1 large bangus, cleaned and scaled, cut
diagonally
2 pieces siling gulay (long chili pepper)
1/3 cup vinegar
1 small piece ginger, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 small eggplant, washed and cut
diagonally
1. Combine all the ingredients in a
small saucepan. Bring to a boil
WITHOUT STIRRING.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer,
uncovered, for 5 minutes. If you
cover it, there’s a tendency to boil
over. Turn over fish pieces and cook
for another 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and serve with
boiled rice and bagoong as a side
dish. That’s it!
Torta (Ground Meat
Omelet)
Torta means many things,
depending on the country. In the Tagalog
region in the Philippines, a torta is an
omelet that uses ground meat and
potatoes. In the Visayas, a torta is a
heavy, sweet bread. This recipe is the
Tagalog version, and it goes great with
ketchup. It can also be an
accompaniment to sinigang.
The filling for this dish is also a
great sandwich filling if you have any
leftover. Slap it inside a hamburger bun
and you’re set!
This recipe makes one mediumsized torta that serves 2 to 3 people.
The acuete (annatto seeds) gives a nice
yellow-red color, but it isn’t actually
necessary to the dish. If you don’t have
it, simply take it out of the equation. It
takes about 45 minutes from start to
finish.
You will need
3 Tbsp cooking oil
1 large potato, peeled and diced small
½ kilo (1.1 pound) ground beef OR pork
1 medium white onion, minced
1 medium ripe tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon powdered achuete (annatto)
2 Tbsp patis
1 medium green pepper, seeded and
diced small
2 eggs, separated
¼ teaspoon salt
1. In a medium skillet, heat 2 Tbsp oil
over medium heat. Tip in the diced
potatoes and fry until crisp. Remove
from heat and set aside.
2. In the meantime, crumble ground
meat into another nonstick skillet on
medium heat. Stir to keep the meat
from burning. The fat will extrude as
the meat separates into small pebblelike pieces and browns. Add in
garlic, onion and tomatoes and sauté
for 10 minutes, getting all the brown
pieces at the bottom of the pan. Add
in the achuete, patis, fried potatoes
and green pepper. Cook for another 5
minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg
whites until frothy. Add the egg yolks
and mix briefly.
4. In the pan where you cooked the
potatoes, put in the remaining oil and
heat on medium. Pour in a little over
half the whisked egg and allow to
spread over the entire bottom of the
pan. Let cook for 1 minute to set the
bottom. Sprinkle the meat mixture
evenly over the cooking egg mixture.
You can put in all the meat for a
thicker torta or just about cover the
bottom for a thinner one. Pour in the
remaining egg mixture and allow to
cook for one minute, lifting the sides
of the omelet to loosen it from the
pan. When you jiggle the pan, it
should slide around a bit.
5. Take a plate that just fits in the
skillet and place on top of the torta.
Invert the pan so that the torta plops
onto the plate. Slide the torta back
into pan, the top side down to cook it
thoroughly. After one minute, check if
it is lightly brown. Use the same plate
and invert the torta again. Slide it
back into the pan so that the bottom
part is now on bottom again. Remove
from heat.
6. Take a clean serving plate and
invert over the pan. Flip the pan so
that the clean bottom part is on top.
Serve with boiled rice and ketchup.
Chicken Inasal
Also called Bacolod chicken, this dish
originated from Bacolod. It is a savory
grilled chicken with an unusual tang, a
departure from the usual sweet chicken
barbeque. Inasal means “cooked over
fire” but it can also be baked if you
don’t have, or don’t want to use, a grill.
Inasal goes very well with fried
rice with garlic, atchara and a spicy
vinegar dip called sinamak. The dipping
sauce can be made by soaking onions,
ginger, garlic, peppercorns and siling
labuyo (red chili pepper) in vinegar for
at least 3 days before use.
This recipe serves 4-5 people and
takes about an hour from start to finish.
You will need
1 whole chicken, quartered OR 1 kilo
(2.2 pounds) chicken cuts of your
choice*
1/3 cup calamansi juice
2 stalks tanglad (lemon grass), thinly
sliced
¼ cup achuete oil**
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tbsp butter
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
½ cup vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 red chili peppers minced
¼ cup soy sauce
Barbeque sticks (only if grilling)
1. In a baking pan, combine the
vinegar, garlic, lemon grass, salt,
sugar and pepper and marinade the
chicken for at least one hour. Put on
barbeque sticks and set aside.
2. Fir up your grill or preheat oven to
400 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Add in the achuete oil, butter,
calamansi juice and soy sauce to the
marinating sauce to be used for
basting.
4. If you are grilling the chicken,
baste it regularly as it roasts. If you
are baking it, use a rimmed baking
sheet and baste about halfway through
(20 minutes) and then every 10
minutes for a total of 40 minutes.
5. Serve with garlic fried rice,
sinamak and atchara.
* Chicken gizzards and livers are also
popular parts for this recipe in the
Philippines, but it’s not everyone’s
choice.
**Make achuete (annatto) oil by
immersing the seeds in cooking oil and
heating it over low heat in a stainless
steel sauce pan until the oil turns red.
Store the oil with the seeds in a tightly-
covered glass jar in a cool, dark place.
Don’t include the seeds when using the
oil.
Bistek Filipino (Filipino
Beef Steak)
Beef steak in Western cuisine is a
thick, juicy piece of tender beef
seasoned with salt and pepper than
grilled or seared in butter. In the
Philippines, however, the beef variety is
seldom tender enough to make a good
steak. However, in response to their
American influence, the Filipinos have
come up with a “steak” that takes good
care of that! Bistek is, after all, a
bastardization of the word “beef steak.”
But don’t order it “rare.” It will always
be “well done”!
You will find “toyomansi” is some
Filipino stores. It will do at a pinch, but
it’s much better to use fresh calamansi to
make your beef steak.
This recipe is good for 4-5 persons and
takes 2 ½ hours from start to finish. It is
best served with boiled rice,
accompanied by a ripe banana if
desired.
You will need
1 kilo (2.2 pounds) beef sirloin, cut
thinly across the grain (ask you butcher
to do this, it’s not easy)
1 cup soy sauce
12 pieces calamansi, squeezed
1 large white onion, cut into rings
4 Tbsp cooking oil
1. In a large bowl, place the beef and
add in the calamansi juice and soy
sauce, working the mixture into the
meat with your fingers. Set aside for
at least an hour or overnight in the
refrigerator. Reserve the marinade.
2. In a large walk, heat 3 Tbsp oil
over high heat. Place the beef slices
in one at a time, searing both sides
quickly before being removed to a
plate. When all the pieces have been
seared, reduce the heat to low and
return the meat and the juices that ran
out into the wok. Cover and cook for
10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add in the marinade and increase
the heat to high to bring to a boil.
Reduce heat back to low and cover.
Cook for another 45 minutes. If the
sauce dries out, add a little water.
4. When beef is tender, removed from
the pan to a deep serving plate and
pour sauce over it. Fry the onion
rings in the remaining oil until just
seared on both sides, and use to
garnish the bistek.* Serve warm with
hot rice and fresh bananas.
*Some prefer to add the onions in the
last 2 minutes of cooking the beef, but
it does impart a different flavor to the
dish. Try it both ways and decide
which one you like better.
Fiesta and Exotic Fare
Fiesta means party or celebration in the
Philippines, and some dishes are only
cooked during special occasions. This is
mostly because the ingredients are
expensive, or the preparations are
elaborate. Some dishes where neither
case is true, it just became traditional to
cook it only on certain occasions.
Many of the dishes here make use of
parts that are not typically used in
Western cooking but are considered
delicacies in the Philippines. Thus, the
exotic part. Some do constitute an
acquired taste but they all reflect the
eclectic nature of Filipino cuisine.
Pork Estofado
Estofado actually means stew, but in the
Philippines pork estofado is so much
more. It is a sweet mix of pata (pork
hock) and chicken in a sticky, savory
sauce. This is traditionally served during
New Year’s Eve for some reason.
There’s a lot of frying done in this dish,
so you may want to have a supply of
lauric or soya oil on you. Once it’s done,
estofado goes great with anything fried.
This recipe serves four and takes
about 3 hours from start to finish.
You will need
1 pound pork hock, sliced across the
bone into 1 inch sections
Salt, for rubbing
1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 whole garlic, washed
1 medium onion, washed
3 pieces saba (Cardaba banana or
plantains), peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled and
quartered
1 cup vinegar
½ cup packed brown sugar, plus more to
taste
2 pieces dried laurel leaves
Oil for frying
Patis and ground black pepper to taste
1. Wash pork hock and drain. Rub
some salt all over the surface and set
aside.
2. Heat up enough oil in a wok or
skillet over medium high to submerge
the hocks, about two inches in depth.
Fry hocks until they turn golden
brown. Remove and place in a large
saucepan.
3. Fry whole garlic and onion (both
unpeeled), chicken, saba and sweet
potato one after the other until the
everything is golden brown. Set aside
as each one gets done into the sauce
pan, arranging them evenly.
4. Add in vinegar, ½ cup brown and
laurel leaves. Place saucepan over
medium high heat until it starts to
boil. Cover and lower the heat to
medium. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Open the cover and add ½ cup
water, increasing heat until the sauce
starts to boil. Cover and return the
heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes.
Do this 3 more cycles.
6. Without removing from heat, take
out chicken pieces and set aside. Add
sugar for desired sweetness, a little at
a time. Add enough water to cover
everything and bring to a boil. Cover
and lower the heat to low. Cook for
30 minutes.
7. Remove sweet potatoes and add to
the chicken. Cover the sauce pan
again and cook for a further 30
minutes or until hock is fork tender.
Add patis and pepper to taste. Return
chicken and sweet potatoes to the
stew to heat through.
8. In a deep serving dish, arrange
pork hocks, chicken, plantains and
sweet potatoes. Pour over the sauce,
careful to filter out garlic, onion and
laurel leaves. Garnish with chopped
spring onions or sprig of parsley if
desired. Serve warm with boiled
rice.
Kare Kare (Beef in Peanut
Sauce)
This is a dish that is reminiscent of
some Indian dishes, but without the
spices. It is a robust stew with panoply
of vegetables that goes excellently with
shrimp bagoong. The recipe calls for
alamang, which is a variety of bagoong
made from anchovies, and has a brown
color. But at a pinch, the shrimp variety
will do as well.
Tripe is the lining of the cow’s
stomach, and resembles a swatch of
honeycomb when it’s properly cleaned.
The best way to do this is to submerge
the tripe in boiling water for 5 minutes
and then scraping it on both sides with
the back of a knife when it’s cooled
enough to be handled. If tripe is a bit
much for you to handle, leave it out and
use more beef sirloin instead. Oxtail,
however, is more central to the dish, so
it should be left in.
Toasting the rice is a way to add
color to the dish, which should be a rich,
golden color. This recipe serves 5-6
persons and takes about 2 ½ hours from
start to finish.
You will need
1 kilo of sirloin beef, cut into cubes
1 beef tripe, cut into strips (optional)
1 oxtail, cut into 2 inch pieces
3 cups of creamy peanut butter
¼ cup uncooked rice, toasted in a dry
pan and processed into powder
½ cup bagoong alamang (anchovies)
2 medium onions, diced
2 whole garlic heads, peeled and minced
4 Tbsp atchuete oil*
4 pieces eggplant, washed and sliced
into 1 inch pieces
1 bundle pechay (Chinese cabbage or
bok choy), stems separated from leaves
1 bundle of sitaw (long string beans), cut
into 2 inch lengths
1 banana heart, lice into rounds and
blanched in boiling water
½ cup oil
8 cups of water
Patis, to taste
1. In a large sauce pan, combine the
beef cubes, ox tail pieces and tripe
strips in enough water to cover. Bring
to boil over high heat, then cook
covered for 1 hour over medium heat,
or until tripe and ox tail are fork
tender. Take out the meat, reserving
the stock.
2. In a large wok, combine oil and
achuete oil and heat through over
medium heat. Saute garlic and onions
until softened, the mix in the toasted
rice, meats and peanut butter. Bring to
a boil and add the stock slowly,
stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and
cover. Reduce heat to low and
simmer for 15 minutes
3. Uncover and increase the heat to
medium high. Add vegetables and
patis and cook for 5 minutes. Remove
from heat and arrange on a deep
serving bowl.
4. Serve with boiled rice and shrimp
bagoong on the side.
*Make achuete (annatto) oil by
immersing the seeds in cooking oil and
heating it over low heat in a stainless
steel sauce pan until the oil turns red.
Store the oil with the seeds in a tightlycovered glass jar in a cool, dark place.
Don’t include the seeds when using the
oil.
Dinuguan (Pork Blood
Stew)
Yes, it sounds terrible, but it is
actually a great dish if you have a taste
for the unusual. Not all Filipinos like it,
but then not everyone goes for blood
sausages, either! Dinuguan literally
means “cooked in blood.”
It is usually eaten with puto or
Filipino cakes made from rice flour, but
it also goes well with boiled rice. It can
be spicy or not, depending on taste. It
may leave your teeth black, though, so
this may not be such a good dish for a
romantic dinner!
Pig’s blood should be bought fresh, with
little or minimal clotting. Ask your local
butcher if they have it.
This serves 4-5 people but can
also serve up to 10 as merienda (snack),
and takes about 1 ½ hours from start to
finish.
1 kilo (2.2 pounds) pork belly, cut into
cubes
¼ kilo beef liver, cubed
1 cup vinegar
1½ Tbsp brown sugar
4 cups fresh pig’s blood
3 siling gulay (long chili peppers)
1 head of garlic, minced
1 small piece ginger, minced
3 onions, sliced thinly
1 pouch of sinigang mix
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1. In a large sauce pan, heat the oil
over medium and sauté the garlic and
onion. Add pork cubes and cook for 5
minutes, or until the pink color from
the meat is gone. Add enough water
to cover and simmer for 30 minutes
or until pork is fork-tender.
2. Add the beef liver and cook for 10
minutes.
3. Add the pork blood bring to a
simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring
occasionally.
4. Add the vinegar, DO NOT STIR.
Simmer for another 15 minutes.
5. Add in the brown sugar, long green
pepper, salt and pepper to taste and
simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Serve hot in bowls with a siding of
puto.
Vegetables
While most of the dishes above make
use of vegetables, there are some dishes
in Filipino cuisine where the main
attraction are the vegetables. The
influence is a mix of Chinese and
Spanish cooking, but all Filipino.
Pinakbet (Bitter Melon
Medley)
Pinakbet or pakbet means
“shrunk” in the Ilocano vernacular,
where the dish is almost a staple. It has
many versions, but it is mainly confined
to what is topped on the dish to make it a
side dish or a main dish. In some
versions, it is topped with a generous
portion of lechon or roasted pig. This
dish is Ilocano in origin, but popular all
over the country.
Bitter melon or ampalaya is always
present in this dish, and it is important to
cook it right so that it’s bitterness (yes,
it’s bitter) complements instead of
overwhelms it. Some people rub the
sliced bitter melon with rock salt and let
them sit for 5 minutes before rinsing the
salt off. This draws out a good portion
of the juice, which is what makes the
vegetable bitter.
This recipe is good for 4 people as a
main dish and 6-8 as a side dish and
takes about 30 minutes from start to
finish.
You will need
¼ kilo pork with fat, cut into small
pieces OR ¼ kilo shrimp, peeled
2 pieces ampalaya (bitter melons), cut
in half lengthwise, inner flesh and seeds
completely removed, then cut into
diagonal slices
2 eggplants, sliced in half then sliced
into large diagonal slices
5 pieces of okra, stems and tip removed,
then cut into ½ inch lengths
1 bunch long string beans, cut into 2 inch
lengths
1 head garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
5 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp ginger, crushed and sliced
4 Tbsp bagoong
3 Tbsp oil
1½ cup water
1. In a wok or large frying pan, sauté
pork or shrimp on medium high heat
until lightly browned. Add in garlic,
onions, ginger and tomatoes, sautéing
for 5 minutes on medium low heat.
2. Add the bagoong, stir briefly, then
add the bitter melon slices with ¼
cup water. Bring to a boil WITHOUT
STIRRING, and simmer for 5
minutes.
3. Add the rest of the water and bring
to a boil over high heat before adding
the rest of the ingredients. Season to
taste, tossing the vegetables lightly to
mix, and cook for 5 minutes more.
4. Remove from heat and garnish with
chicharon (pork rind) or other fried
or roasted meat if desired. Serve
warm with rice.
Chop Suey (Chinese Mixed
Vegetables)
Now this is truly a vegetable main
dish. Clearly Chinese in origin, the
Filipino version if generally more
elaborate and makes use of more
vegetables. Some add whole boiled
quail eggs, shelled of course, as a
garnish.
This dish can serve 4-5 people
and takes 35 minutes from start to finish.
It is important not to overcook the
vegetables to retain their color and
crispness. The heat is always on high
once the vegetables are added.
You will need
¼ kilo pork, sliced into small pieces
¼ kilo shrimps, shelled
¼ kilo chicken liver and gizzard, sliced
to small pieces
1 head cauliflower, separated into
“flowers”
¼ kilo long string beans
¼ kilo snow peas
¼ kilo baby corn, sliced in half
1 small can sliced mushrooms
½ head cabbage, cut into strips
2 stalks of leeks, cut into 2" long pieces
3 stalks celery, cut into 2" long pieces
2 onions, diced
1 carrot, sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
1 green bell pepper. cut in strips
2 Tbsp cornstarch, dispersed in ¼ cup of
water
2 cups chicken stock
3 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp patis
4 Tbsp cooking oil
1. In a large heavy wok or frying pan,
heat oil and fry pork over medium
high heat until lightly brown. Add in
garlic, onions, chicken liver and
gizzard. Saute for 5 minutes. Add 1
cup stock and bring to boil before
covering. Reduce heat to low and
simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to high and add in
the shrimp, remaining stock and patis.
Bring to a boil before adding all the
vegetables and cornstarch. Cook
uncovered on high for 5 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Add sesame oil
then remove from heat.
3. Garnish with boiled quail eggs
(optional). Serve centrally with rice.
Ensalada
This is the Filipino version of the green
salad, but it’s definitely not a lettuce and
dressing type of salad. The ensalada
(literally “salad”) makes use of grilled
eggplant, green mango, itlog na pula
(salted duck eggs) and onions, with
bagoong as dressing. The prep time is
all there is as there’s a lot of slicing and
dicing, except for the eggplants, which
are cooked. This goes well with any
grilled, fried or roasted meat or fish.
This recipe is good for up to 10 people
as a side dish and takes about 30 minutes
from start to finish.
You will need
4 large eggplants, washed
2 green (unripe) mangoes
1 large white onion, diced small
6 large ripe tomatoes, diced small
4 pieces itlog na pula*
Bagoong
1. Using a low flame, place washed
eggplants directly on the burner,
turning each one until the skin is
burned on all sides. It’s a bit messy
but that’s the best way to cook
eggplants for this dish. When all are
cooked, cool slightly before peeling.
You can do this by holding up the
cooked eggplant by the stem, pinching
the blackened skin between fingers of
your other hand and stripping it off. It
should come off easily if it’s cooked
enough. You will be left with the
slightly green meat of the eggplant.
Chop this roughly into small pieces.
2. In the meantime, use a peeler to
peel the green mangoes. The fruit will
be very firm, like a tart apple. Once
they are peeled, slice off the flesh as
close to the seed as possible and
diced finely. Set aside.
3. Slice the itlog na pula through the
shell lengthwise, then scoop out the
egg into a small bowl. Chop roughly
and set aside. If you have storebought itlog na pula, the red coloring
can wreak havoc with your fingers so
hold the shell with a paper towel. If
you made your own and left off the
food coloring, you’re good to go sans
paper towel.
4. In a large platter, place a small
bowl of bagoong in the center, and
surround the bowl with the prepared
ingredients. Serve centrally.
*Itlog na pula can be bought from Asian
stores or you can make your own (recipe
in Chapter One)
Tortang Talong (Eggplant
Omelet)
You may have your doubts about this
one, but it’s actually a pretty good dish,
plus it’s quite healthy if you have a light
hand with the oil. Talong is eggplant in
Tagalog. This is good for anytime of the
day and is a dish in itself. Take out the
meat and it turns into a side dish.
This recipe makes 4 servings and takes
about 45 minutes from start to finish.
You will need
¼ kilo of ground pork
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 medium onions, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
4 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp flour
4 large talong (eggplants)
Salt and pepper
Cooking oil
1. Combine all ingredients, except for
the eggplants, into a bowl. Mix them
thoroughly with a wooden spoon or
your hands. Set aside.
2. Cook the eggplant in the usual way:
Using a low flame, place washed
eggplants directly on the burner,
turning each one until the skin is
burned on all sides. It’s a bit messy
but that’s the best way to cook
eggplants for this dish. When all are
cooked, cool slightly before peeling.
You can do this by holding up the
cooked eggplant by the stem, pinching
the blackened skin between fingers of
your other hand and stripping it off. It
should come off easily if it’s cooked
enough. You will be left with the
slightly green meat of the eggplant.
Place the eggplants on a large platter
and flatten each with a fork, leaving
the stem attached.
3. Divide your meat mixture into 4
equal parts, and place each portion
firmly on top of the flattened
eggplant, making it into an ovoid
shape.
4. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a flat-bottomed ,
nonstick skillet over medium high.
When oil is hot enough to start
smoking, carefully transfer one meattopped eggplant onto the pan. Cook
for 5 minutes on each side, or until
golden brown. Add oil as needed for
each eggplant.
5. Serve with ketchup and boiled
rice.
So there you have it, the most popular
dishes in the Philippines. Ask any
Filipino you know about their favorite
dishes and this book is guaranteed to
have at least one, if not all, of them!
Kain na!
Chapter Three:
Desserts and
Merienda
Filipino food has often be described as
an eclectic mix of Spanish, Chinese and
American influence, but it has a
character of its own. It’s often robust,
seldom mild-tasting, and some may say
quite unhealthy. And yet the average
Filipino is seldom overweight, and
recent discoveries of rising obesity in
the Filipino population is largely
attributed to the adoption of a Western
lifestyle and diet.
In itself, Filipino food is down to earth
and draws from the natural resources
available. In Filipino desserts and
merienda, there is a definite emphasis
on the use of coconut milk and other
natural products, and they are definitely
sweet. And because Filipino food is
heavy, smaller portions are usually
enough to satisfy the appetite and palate.
That being said, the following recipes
may cause the average first world or
Western reader to throw their hands up
in horror and think in terms of
cholesterol count and incipient diabetes,
but the fact is very few of these recipes
make use of processed ingredients, and
few require such things as heavy cream
or complicated processes. Pound for
pound, Filipino desserts and merienda
do precisely what they’re supposed to
do: delight the palate.
Let’s get cooking!
What is Merienda?
Merienda is the Filipino term for a
“snack.” It’s usually taken in the midafternoon, but you can also have a midmorning merienda. However, since the
Filipino breakfast as described in
Volume 1 of this series is typically a
heavy meal, few Filipinos actually have
a midmorning snack.
The Filipino idea of a snack is
anything that isn’t eaten with rice. It can
run from light to heavy, it can be sweet
or savory, and it can be accompanied
with hot chocolate or coffee. Some
merienda fare also doubles as desserts
which is why we’re doubling up again in
this volume. All right, less talk, more
cooking. Merienda na!
Ginataan Halo-halo
This is a hot merienda, meaning
it’s warm, not sexy. It’s a sweet
coconut-based concoction that can
double as a merienda and dessert. A
unique ingredient in this snack-cumdessert is the glutinous rice balls that
require sweet rice flour mixed with
water to form a thick paste.
The sago or tapioca pearls from
the Asian store can be either in dried or
cooked form. If you can only get dried
ones, you need to soak these overnight
and cook for 10 minutes or so in water,
until the pearls are completely
translucent but not soggy.
This recipe is good for 5-6
servings and takes about 45 minutes
from start to finish if the sago is
precooked.
You will need
2 cans coconut milk
4 cups water
2 sweet potatoes, cubed
4 ripe saba (plantains), cubed
2 pieces gabi (taro root), cubed
1 cup dried sago (tapioca pearls) OR 2
cups cooked sago
1 cup white sugar
4 cups sweet rice flour or glutinous flour
1¾ cups water
1. In a large bowl, mix thoroughly
together the rice flour and 1¾ water.
Using your hands, form into smooth
balls ½ inch in diameter. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, combine
coconut milk, 4 cups water and sugar.
Bring to a boil before dropping in
rice balls. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add in sweet potatoes and taro
root, then cook for 5 minutes more.
Add saba and sago. Continue
cooking until the taro root and gabi
are fork tender, about another 5
minutes.
4. Serve warm in bowls.
Siomai (Pork and Shrimp
Dumpling)
Siomai is of Chinese origin, and
has retained much of its original flavor
and cooking method. It’s a steamed
dumpling with a meat filling which can
be almost anything you like, including
shark’s fin! Most Filipinos don’t bother
to make this at home as it is readily
available from malls. But making your
own dumplings ensures that it is all
meat, unlike commercial ones that have a
lot of extenders in them.
You can also fry these dumplings
instead of steaming. Submerge in hot oil
for 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat until
it turns a golden brown.
You can also use the uncooked
siomai as part of pancit molo (recipe
follows).
The following recipe is the most
popular version of the siomai in the
Philippines. This makes about 40
dumplings and takes about an hour from
start to finish.
You will need
1 pack wonton wrappers*
1 egg, beaten
1½ pounds ground pork
½ pound shrimp, shelled and chopped
½ pound ground chicken
2 cups water chestnuts, minced
1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely diced chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1. Bring the water in the steamer to a
boil.
2. In the meantime, mix all
ingredients together except for the
wonton wrapper in a large bowl.
3. In your cupped palm, place the
wonton wrapper and put in
approximately ½ teaspoon of the mix
in the middle, allowing the sides of
the wrapper to cling to the mix. This
will form a kind of cup.
4. Place the siomai in the basket part
of the steamer and steam it for 25
minutes.
5. Serve the siomai with a dip made
of chili garlic paste, soy sauce and
calamansi.
*You can also make your own
wrappers if you like. Combine 2 cups
all-purpose flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt
and a beaten egg in a food processor.
Add enough water a little at a time
until the mixture comes together.
Knead the mixture into a dough on a
floured flat surface until it becomes a
smooth ball. Form into small balls
and flatten each one as thin as
possible. Let each one dry out a bit
but not too much before putting in the
filling.
Pancit Molo (Dumpling
Soup)
Pancit Molo is not really a pancit
by definition because there are no
noodles in the dish. It’s called molo
because it was first introduced out of a
place called Molo in Iloilo City in the
southern area of the Philippines. What it
does have is siomai (dumplings)
described in the previous recipe, which
some consider a flat, filled noodle like
ravioli. You can either make it or buy it
from Asian markets.
At any rate, a variation of the dish would
be the addition of sotanghon (glass)
noodles but the original recipe does not
require it. This recipe is good for 4 to 5
people and takes 45 minutes from start to
finish.
20 pieces uncooked siomai
2 pounds boneless chicken breast
1 medium carrots, diced
6 stalks spring onions, chopped
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
1 small piece ginger, peeled and cut into
strips
½ teaspoon ground pepper
3 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp cooking oil
Fried, minced garlic
1. In a large saucepan, boil the
chicken with half the piece onion and
2 quarts of water. Cook for 10
minutes. Remove from the heat, scoop
out the chicken meat and shred. Set
aside. Reserve broth into a bowl.
2. In the same sauce pan, put in oil
over medium heat and sauté the
garlic, the rest of the onions and
ginger until lightly brown. Add the
shredded chicken, carrots and half the
spring onions and cook for a further 2
minutes.
3. Add the reserved broth and bring
to a boil. Season with salt and
pepper. Add the dumplings and bring
to a boil again. Cook for 20 minutes
over low heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat and ladle into
bowls, garnished with chopped
spring onions and fried minced
garlic.
Pancit Bihon (Sauteed Thin
Rice Noodles)
Pancit or pansit refers to the
noodles introduced into the Philippines
by the Chinese. It is is derived from the
Chinese term Hokkien pian i sit that
means "something easy and fast to
cook.”
Filipinos have noodles during
birthdays to signify the wish for the long
life of the celebrant. Traditionally,
noodles should be long. There are over
20 varieties of pansit, but bihon is one
that can be found anywhere in the
Philippines. It is a thin noodle that easily
breaks up when cooked, so be careful
not to overcook it. It’s a popular “short
order” item in many corner restaurants
as a merienda.
The bihon variety can be found in
many local supermarkets, sometimes
referred to as Rice Sticks.
This recipe serves 4 merienda
size servings and takes 50 minutes from
start to finish.
You will need
1 pack (8 oz) Rice Noodles or Rice
Sticks
1 pound boneless chicken breast, boiled
and shredded
4 cups chicken broth
¼ pound green beans, cut diagonally
1 carrot, julienned
½ cup celery, diced
2 cups cabbage, shredded
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 medium onion, chopped
Patis and pepper to taste
1. In a large bowl, soak the bihon in
water for about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, sauté garlic and onion
until lightly brown. Add in chicken,
soy sauce, and carrots for 2 minutes.
3. Mix in the chicken broth and
bouillon and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and add in softened
and drained noodles, vegetable, patis
and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes or
until the water is mostly absorbed.
5. Remove from heat and serve in a
large platter with calamansi on the
side.
Sopas (Macaroni and
Chicken Soup)
The term “sopas” is derived from
the Spanish word for soup (sopa) but
refers exclusively to a creamy chicken
soup fortified by elbow macaroni in the
Philippines. It's a simple yet delicious
comfort food that fills the tummy and
warms the heart.
This recipe is good for 8 servings
and takes 35 minutes from start to finish.
You will need
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 pound chicken breast, diced
½ cup evaporated milk
4 Tbsp Butter
½ cup carrots, cubed
1 cube chicken bouillion
1 Tbsp patis
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups cabbage, shredded
8 cups water
1. Boil the chicken breast and ¼ cup
of the chopped onion in 2 cups of
water for 10 minutes. Remove the
chicken and shred the meat. Set aside.
Reserve the broth.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter
over medium heat and sauté garlic
and the rest of the chopped onion
until soft. Add the chicken, patis,
carrots and macaroni and cook for 2
minutes.
3. Add in the bouillion, broth and
remaining water. Bring to a boil over
high heat before reducing heat back to
medium. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add in the milk and cabbage.
Ccontinue cooking for 5 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Season with
salt and pepper.
5. Serve hot in deep bowls.
Chicken Empanada
(Chicken Pockets)
An empanada is a pastry-wrapped
meat concoction that can be either fried
or baked. The term comes from the
Spanish verb empanar which means “to
cover in a pastry case.” In the
Philippines, chicken is the most popular
filling for empanada, although in South
America, beef is the preferred filling. At
any rate, this recipe is a Filipino
favorite.
This recipe yields 12 empanadas and
takes 2 hours from start to finish. The
empanadas can be stored uncooked and
frozen in air-tight freezer-bags for one
week.
Chicken Filling
1½ pounds boneless chicken breast,
cubed
1 medium-sized onion, minced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 cup water
1 cube chicken bouillion
1 large potato, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 cup green peas
¼ cup raisins
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 Tbsp cooking oil
Pastry
3 cups flour
4 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp cold water
1 egg
1 cup butter, cubed
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1. In a non-stick wok or large frying
pan, sauté garlic and onions in the oil
over medium high heat until lightly
brown. Add in the chicken and cook,
stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2. Mix in 1 cup water and bouillion
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to
medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add in potatoes and carrots and cook
a further 5 minutes.
3. Add green peas, raisins and sugar
then simmer for another 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Remove
from heat and allow to cool.
4. In the meantime, mix the flour,
baking powder, salt and sugar. Drop
in butter and cut into the flour mix
until mixture resembles coarse sand.
Add the cold water (6 Tbsp) a little
at a time until a dough is formed.
Form into a ball with your hands.
5. To form the pastry, divide the
dough into 12 and roll each one into
smaller balls. Cover the dough balls
with a clean dishcloth and cool in the
refrigerator for 20 minutes.
To assemble:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Fahrenheit.
2. Grease a cookie sheet with some
oil or butter.
3. Take each dough ball and flatten
with a rolling pin over a floured flat
surface. Place a dollop of filling in
the center and fold the dough over the
filling, sealing the edges by folding
them in slightly and crimping with a
fork. Place each finished empanada
on the baking pan.
4. When done, prepare your egg
wash: Separate the egg and beat the
egg white with a little water. Using a
pastry brush, paint the surface of each
empanada.
5. Pop the pan into the oven and bake
for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven and allow
to cool slightly before serving.
Guinatang Mais (Coconut
Corn)
Using coconut cream and milk is popular
in Filipino cooking, mostly because it’s
readily available. It comes from niyog
or mature coconut where the flesh is
very firm. Extracting the cream from
grated coconut can be a pain, which is
why it is now also available as a
powder and in cans. The advantage of
this is that it keeps longer, as fresh
coconut cream easily spoils.
This is good for 6 servings and takes 45
minutes from start to finish.
You will need
1 10 oz. can corn niblets
½ cup malagkit (glutinous rice)
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 cans coconut milk OR 3 packs coconut
milk powder, diluted with water to make
6 cups
1 cup coconut cream (for serving,
optional)
1. Using a heavy saucepan, combine
washed rice and coconut milk. Bring
to a boil, then reduce heat to low,
stirring occasionally to keep the rice
from sticking to the bottom. Simmer
for 30 minutes.
2. Mix in corn and salt, and cook for
5 minutes more. Stir in sugar until it
is completely dissolved.
3. Serve in bowls with coconut cream
on the side if desired.
Maruya (Banana Fritters)
Saba or plantains are another popular
ingredient in many Filipino dishes. It is
fat, sweet when ripe and makes a
satisfying mouthful, raw or cooked. This
preparation is only one way to serve
saba as a merienda dish.
This makes 6 fritters and takes 20
minutes from start to finish. You can also
substitute the plantains for 2 medium
sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into
thick rounds as a variation.
You will need
3 ripe saba (plantain bananas), peeled
and halved lengthwise
2 cups cooking oil
1 cup flour
1½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
Flour for dredging
Sugar for sprinkling
1. Combine flour, baking powder and
salt in a bowl. Add in milk and the
egg to make a batter.
2. Heat oil in a heavy skillet or wok
over medium high heat.
3. Dredge saba halves in flour and
then in the batter before carefully
lowering them into the hot oil. Fry
until golden brown.
4. Remove from the oil and drain on
paper towels before rolling in sugar.
5. Serve warm.
Desserts
Dessert in the Philippines is called
panghimagas, which literally means
“for dessert” or simply “dessert.”
Filipino desserts are always sweet and
straightforward. There are no subtleties
of taste and no complexity of processes.
It is often boiled, steamed or fried,
seldom baked.
Some make use of unusual
ingredients from the Western point of
view, but since Asian markets now
proliferate, they’re not as difficult to get
hold of as before. It is a chance for those
who have yet to sample them to try new
tastes and textures without considerable
expense or effort. Without doubt, this
chapter will be an enjoyable experience
into the Filipino culture and attitudes.
Halo – Halo
Halo-halo literally means “a mix”
and this refreshing Filipino sweet
concoction with ready-to-use preserves
in bottles that can be found in Filipino
stores. You can use as much or as little
of the following ingredients, or even add
your own. The constants in this dish are
crushed ice, milk and sugar. There is no
actual cooking required, although some
of the ingredients can be homemade.
This can be a dessert as well as a
merienda.
You will need
Sweetened red beans
Sweetened garbanzos
Sweetened saba banana (plantains)*
Sweetened kamote (sweet potato)*
Sweetened langka (jackfruit)
Sweetened kaong (sugar palm)
Cooked sago (tapioca pearls)**
Pinipig Macapuno
Crushed ice
Ice cream
Ube haleya (boiled and grated purple
yam) (recipe below)
Leche flan (milk custard)***
Milk (fresh or evaporated)
White sugar
1. Using a tall glass or parfait glass,
put in any of the sweets as desired to
the halfway mark.
2. Fill up the rest of the glass with
crushed ice and top with a scoop of
ice cream, a spoonful of ube halaya
and/or a strip of leche flan. Serve
with a long dessert spoon, milk and
sugar.
3. Make as many as you want as long
as your ingredients last.
* Plantains and sweet potatoes can be
prepared at home by simply boiling
them in a mixture of water and sugar
until cooked and has taken on a
brown color.
**Some stores carry the dried tapioca
pearls instead of the cooked ones.
Simply soak the dried pearls
overnight and boil in water for 5
minutes or until the pearls become
translucent.
***Leche flan is a milk-based dessert
that can be easily prepared at home
(recipe follows).
Ube Halaya
Ingredients
2 lb ube (purple yam) (you can also buy
powdered ube from Asian stores)
250 g sugar
1 cup sugar (or as desired)
1 can condensed milk
2 cups coconut milk
butter
Directions
Boil yam until tender and cut into cubes,
then grind in a food processor with sugar
and coconut milk (if you have the
powdered variety, mix ingredients).
Transfer to a sauce pan, add the
condensed milk (if starting from fresh)
and cook over a low fire, stirring
continuously. Continue stirring until the
mixture turns into a thick paste and
separates from the pan. Transfer to a
shallow platter or pan and allow to cool.
Serve.
Leche Flan (Cream
Caramel Custard)
Leche means “milk” and this is a
traditional Filipino dessert for both
ordinary days and special occasions. It
is basically a custard that is glazed with
caramel. It can be eaten as a dessert by
itself or an ingredient for Halo-Halo.
It is easy to make and quite
delicious. You will need an oval or
round aluminum pan.
This recipe yields 6 servings and
takes 1½ hours from start to finish.
You will need
10 egg yolks
1 cup fresh or evaporated milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup brown sugar
1. Set water to boil in the steamer.
2. Shake the brown sugar into the
clean aluminum baking pan and set on
low heat. The brown sugar will start
to melt almost immediately. Using an
oven mitt, grasp the side of the pan
and swirl the brown sugar around to
prevent burning and to melt the brown
sugar evenly along the bottom of the
pan. When all the sugar is melted,
remove from heat and set aside to
cool completely.
3. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks
until creamy, then add the condensed
milk, fresh or evaporated milk,
granulated sugar and vanilla. Mix
together thoroughly.
4. Pour into the prepared pan and
cover with aluminum foil.
5. Place in the steamer and cook for
35 minutes.
6. Remove from the steamer and
allow to cool before removing from
the mold by loosening the sides with
a butter knife and upending onto a
large platter.
7. Serve cold.
Maja Blanca (Coconut
Pudding)
The name maja blanca is
obviously of Spanish origin, and is fact
means “white delicacy.” It is a pudding
made from coconut cream and milk and
may or may not include sweet corn. It is
a delicate dessert much like a flan,
mostly sweet with nutty undertones
emphasized by the topping of latik
(boiled down coconut cream) and/or
toasted coconut flakes.
This recipe yields 12 servings and takes
30 minutes from start to finish.
You will need
½ cup of coconut cream
1 cup rice flour*
1 cup of sugar
½ cup of cornstarch
3 Tbsp sweet corn kernels (optional)
4 cups fresh coconut milk or 2 packs
coconut milk powder, diluted to make 4
cups
½ cup finely grated coconut milk,
toasted in a dry, nonstick skillet
(optional)
1. In a small saucepan, reduce
coconut cream over low heat until
only a golden brown, oily residue
remains. This is latik, and is used as
a topping for this dish. Separate the
latik from the excess oil (but not
completely) and set aside.
2. In the meantime, use some of the
coconut oil extruding from the latik to
grease a rectangular baking dish.
3. In a separate saucepan, combine
rice flour, sugar and cornstarch
thoroughly. Mix in coconut milk,
stirring constantly with a hand whisk.
Toss in the sweet corn when the
mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
4. Bring the mixture to a slow boil
using medium low heat, stirring
constantly to keep the mixture from
congealing. After it has been boiling
for 5 minutes, remove from heat. The
mixture should take on a slightly
translucent cast.
5. Decant the hot mixture into the
prepared pan and set aside to cool
and set. Once it is set, sprinkle evenly
with the latik and/or the toasted
coconut. Serve cold.
6. *You can make your own rice flour
if it isn’t readily available in your
area. Simply put in 2 cups of rice to
soak in an equal amount of water for
12 hours. This will soften the grains.
Grind in a food blender until smooth.
You can also try using a coffee
grinder to make a quick cup of rice
flour. Just make sure you wash out the
grinder before doing so unless you
want coffee-flavored rice flour,
which isn’t a bad idea at all!
Pichi-Pichi (Steamed
Cassava Rounds)
Kamoteng kahoy (cassava, from which
tapioca is made of) is another popular
ingredient in many Filipino desserts. The
pichi-pichi is a native delicacy in the
province of Quezon, but is readily
available in all parts of the Philippines.
It is flavored with pandan, a plant
with sword-like leaves often used in
many Asian dishes. It can also be used to
make fragrant boiled rice simply by
dropping in a washed blade or two of
the plant into the rice while it’s cooking.
Pichi-pichi is a great dessert, and
can also be a merienda. It is often tinted
delicately with food coloring to make it
look more festive, but the untinted
version yields a pale yellow product.
This recipe makes about 20 pichipichi depending on the size of the scoops
and takes about
You will need
1½ cups grated cassava
food coloring (optional)
1 cup sugar
1 bundle of pandan leaves, boiled in 2
cups of water until reduced to one cup,
cooled*
½ tsp lye water** (optional)
grated coconut for topping in a shallow
bowl
1. Bring steamer to a boil.
2. In the meantime, mix sugar and
cooled pandan water in a large boil
until fully dissolved. Mix in the
grated cassava, dropping the lye
water in drop by drop as you do so.
3. Pour the mixture in a stainless teel
bowl or round pan that will fit into
the steamer. Steam until the mixture
turns translucent, about 45 minutes.
4. Turn off heat but keep the pichi-
pichi in the steamer. Spoon out
portions of the mixture immediately
and roll in the grated coconut. Set
aside on a platter to cool completely.
Keep doing this until all the pichipichi has been covered in grated
coconut. Serve.
*You can also use 1 cup of the canned
pandan concentrate, or a few drops of
pandan essence in a cup of 1 cup warm
water
**This is available in bottles in many
Asian and Filipino food stores. Be very
careful when using this as it is a caustic
agent, and can cause burns to the throat
and esophagus if used in large amounts.
Keep out of reach of children.
Pastillas de Leche (Soft
Milk Bars)
This is a sweet mouthful that’s a
bit like Pringles in that once you pop the
top, you can’t stop! They’re bite-sized
cooked cream that melts in your mouth,
and it’s so easy to make! It also makes a
great gift.
Pastillas de Leche literally
translates to “milk candy” and is
traditionally made from milk of the
carabao (water buffalo) but this may not
be easy to get outside the Philippines.
Even there, carabao’s milk is usually
only found in the farmer’s market very
early in the morning and it’s always in
short supply. Cow’s milk is a good
substitute.
This recipe is good for 40 pieces, but if
you like bigger pieces, go right ahead!
This takes 20 minutes from start to
finish.
You will need
3 cups fresh milk
1/3 cup sugar plus more for rolling
2 teaspoons butter
2/3 cup powdered milk
1. In a heavy sauce pan, combine milk
and sugar and cook over medium
heat, stirring constantly. Be careful
not to let the sugar burn. It will start
to thicken until it gets to the
consistency of paste.
2. Add in butter and powdered milk
and blend thoroughly. Remove from
heat, still stirring constantly. Set it
aside until cool enough to handle.
3. Turn out into a waxed surface and
using a butter knife, divide into 40
pieces or so. Form into a short
cylinder and roll in sugar to coat.
Wrap in small pieces of clean pieces
of plain paper or loosely pack into an
airtight container. Enjoy!
Turon (Caramelized Banana
Fritters)
This is an extremely popular
merienda and dessert in the Philippines.
You can buy them off a street stall, and
many restaurants feature it as a dessert.
It is easy to make, and always popular
with the kids.
Lumpia wrappers are thin flour
wrappers sold as shrimp roll shells in
Asian stores. When fried, it develops a
crisp texture. Langka is jackfruit, and
the preserved fruit is available in bottles
or cans in Filipino stores for about
$2.00.
This recipe is good for 12 servings and
takes 20 minutes from start to finish.
6 ripe saba (plantains), peeled and
halved lengthwise
½ brown sugar
Oil for frying
12 lumpia wrappers (shrimp roll shells)
1/2 cup langka preserves (optional)
1. Heat enough oil in a skillet or wok
to raise the height to 1½ inches.
2. In the meantime, coat banana
halves in sugar.
3. Take one sheet of the lumpia
wrapper and lay it on a flat surface.
Place the sugar-coated banana close
to one side and lay a strip of the
langka preserve on top. Tuck in the
sides of the wrapper on either side of
the short side of the banana before
tucking in the nearest long-side part
to completely cover the banana.
Proceed to roll until the end of the
wrapper, wetting the last bit with
water to seal.
4. Carefully drop each prepared
cylinder in the hot oil and fry on all
sides until golden brown. Drain on
paper towels and arrange on a large
platter. Springle with sugar if
desired. Serve warm.
Polvoron (Powdered Milk
Candy)
This is a quick snack that’s fun to make.
It is easy enough for even kids to do,
although you may just have them do the
molding.
You will need a polvoron molder,
although at a pinch you can also use any
small mold you might have. It is better if
you get the molder though, which is
available on Amazon and probably some
Filipino stores as well.
You will need
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered milk
½ cup melted butter
1. In a dry nonstick skillet, toast the
flour over medium heat until it turns
light brown with frequent tossing.
Add powdered milk and toss for
another 5 minutes. Remove from heat
and set aside to cool.
2. Transfer toasted flour-milk mixture
to a large bowl and add the sugar and
melted butter, mixing thoroughly. It
will be slightly damp but not clumpy.
3. Using the molder, make cakes by
pressing the molder into the mixture
and tamping it down firmly,
smoothing the surface out flat.
Release the cakes into a plate and
carefully stack or wrap in Japanese
paper squares or tissue.
4. Serve.
Yema Balls (Custard Balls)
This is a yummy and sticky milk and egg
custard that is uniquely Filipino. You
can dip in caramel such as in this recipe,
or simply coat with white sugar. This is
a great party dessert as well as family
treat.
You will need
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
100 g sugar
60 ml water
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1. Melt butter over low heat in a
saucepan.
2. Add the condensed milk and cook
for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add egg yolks while stirring, cook
for 2 minutes.
4. Increase heat to medium and cook
until mixture thickens but still slightly
runny, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat
to low just before the desired texture.
5. Remove from heat and set aside to
cool enough to handle.
6. Scoop out a spoonful and roll using
your hands to form into a ball.
Continue doing this until all the
mixture is used up. Set aside for
glazing.
7. Combine sugar, water and cream
of tartar in a small saucepan and
bring to a boil. Simmer until the sugar
is dissolved and develops a light
brown color. Dip the yema balls
using a toothpick into the caramel and
set aside to cool.
8. Serve on a plate or wrap in
cellophane.
So there you have it, the best of Filipino
desserts and merienda to delight the
palate. Whenever you feel stumped for
something new to serve up to your
family and friends, try out one of these
and make a hit!
The preceding recipes encompass the
most popular dishes that are found in
Filipino cuisine. There are a ton of other
recipes that may not be easily acceptable
for people who have yet to acquire the
taste. As the initial incursion into the
culture, this book represents a
satisfactory introduction into the heart
and soul of the Filipino.

Filipino Recipes Collection - Vol 1

Transcription

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