Chicken Curry

Curry is a traditional Indian dish, however, its popularity has caused other countries to assimilate it in their cuisine and make their own versions of it. Here is the Filipino approach to curry.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken
  
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
  
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 2 tbsp margarine
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  

1. Clean chicken and cut into serving pieces.
   
2. Brown onion in margarine then saute chicken.
   
3. Add curry powder and coconut milk.
   
4. Cook until chicken is fully done and sauce thickens.
   
5. Season with salt and pepper.
   

Pork Tapa

Tapa is the process of curing meat in spices then drying under the sun. Beef is one of the most popular tapa meats but pork can be prepared for tapa, too.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. pork, sliced thinly
  
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
  
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
  
• salt
  

1. Massage into sliced pork the garlic, vinegar and salt.
   
2. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
   
3. Dry in the sun before frying.
   

Menudo

Not to be confused with the Mexican soup Menudo, Filipino Menudo consists of stewed pork, liver, potatoes and garbanzos.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups diced pork tenderloin
  
• 1 cup diced liver
  
• 3 potatoes, cubed
  
• 1 small can skinned garbanzos
  
• 1 medium sized tomato, diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
  
• 1 tsp paprika
  
• salt
  

1. Boil pork until tender.
   
2. Saute garlic, onion and tomatoes.
   
3. Add pork and liver, then cook for about 5 minutes.
   
4. Add water, salt and paprika.
   
5. Add potatoes and garbanzos.
   
6. Cook until potatoes are done.
   

Mechado

A popular stew of beef cooked in potatoes, mechado was traditionally prepared as a roll of beef with a strip of pork fat in the center. The pork fat looked like a mitsa or candle wick in the middle of the beef "candle," giving it the name mitsa-do.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. beef round
  
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 onion, sliced
  
• 2 medium-sized potatoes, quartered
  
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  
• 8 peppercorns
  
• 1 small can tomato sauce
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 2 cups water
  
• 1 lemon's worth of lemon juice
  
• salt and pepper
  

1. Slice beef in serving pieces. Brown in a little cooking oil, then set aside.
   
2. In a saucepan, saute garlic, onion and tomato sauce.
   
3. Stir in meat and let it simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.
   
4. Add lemon juice, soy sauce, peppercorns, potatoes, bay leaf and salt.
   
5. Continue cooking until meat is tender and liquid has evaporated.
   

Embutido

Embutido is the Filipino answer to meat loaf. A log of ground pork rolled with chorizos, raisins and eggs, the embutido is a welcome addition to any fiesta.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. ground pork
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 2 Chorizos de bilbao, ground
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
  
• 3 tbsp pickle relish
  
• 1 small pack seedless raisins
  
• salt and white pepper
  

1. Mix all ingredients.
   
2. Mold into a large, sausage-like log.
   
3. Wrap tightly in untosinsal or leaflard. If unavailable, wrap your embutido log in foil instead.
   
4. Place in saucepan with just enough water to cover.
   
5. Bring to boil and simmer until done.
   
6. Slice and serve.
   

Banana Fritters / Maruya

Maruya or banana fritters is a classic Filipino snack food. Serve it fresh for a nice crisp coating.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas or plantains (saging na saba)
  
• 1 cup flour
  
• 1 tsp baking powder
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/3 cup water
  
• 2 tbsp sugar
  
• 4 tbsp milk
  
• 1 egg, beaten
  
• sugar for dusting
  

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
   
2. Add milk, water and egg. Mix until batter is smooth.
   
3. Peel the banana then slight lengthwise.
   
4. Roll in flour, dip in batter, then deep fry until golden brown.
   
5. Drain on paper towels.
   
6. Dust liberally with sugar, if desired.
   

Pinatisang Manok

Pinatisang Manok is chicken cooked in fish sauce or Patis. Choose a good quality patis for good quality pinatisang manok

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole chicken
  
• 1 Tbsp diced fresh ginger
  
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
  
• 2 Tbsp patis or fish sauce
  
• 3 cups hugas-bigas or water that has been used to wash rice
  
• Fresh chili leaves
  

1. Clean chicken and cut into serving pieces.
   
2. Saute in a pan garlic, onions and ginger.
   
3. Add chicken and patis.
   
4. Simmer until chicken is almost done.
   
5. Add hugas bigas and fresh chili leaves.
   
6. Let boil and continue cooking until chicken is done.
   

Corned Beef Guisado / Corned Beef Hash

Most Filipinos have cans of corned beef stashed in their pantries as emergency food. Forgot to shop? Unexpected guests? Sudden cravings? Corned beef to the rescue. One of the most popular ways to prepare this is Corned Beef Guisado. This version has a liquidy sauce, perfect for pouring over rice.

Ingredients

• 1 can corned beef
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 small onion, chopped
  
• 1 small tomato, diced
  
• 1 small potato, diced
  
• water
  
• 1-2 Tbsp cooking oil
  



1. Heat oil. Saute together garlic, onions and tomatoes. Cook until onions have softened.
   
2. Add corned beef and mix thoroughly.
   
3. Add water in a 1:1 ratio with the corned beef. Best to use the can the corned beef came in to measure.
   
4. Stir then bring to boil.
   
5. When boiling, add the potatoes. Heat to boiling again.
   
6. Simmer until potatoes are tender.
   

Lumpia Shanghai

Lumpiang shanghai is the ever popular fried egg roll. Thin wrappers are rolled out, stuffed with a filling that's similar to siomai dumplings, rolled into logs, then deep fried until the skin is crispy.

Ingredients:

• 250 g ground pork
  
• 100 g shrimp, peeled and chopped
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 1/3 cup shredded carrots
  
• 1/3 cup shredded jicamas / singkamas
  
• 1 egg
  
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  
• lumpia wrappers
  
• water


1. Place in a bowl the pork, shrimp, onion, carrots, jicamas, egg and soy sauce.
   
2. Knead until well-blended.
   
3. On a laid out lumpia wrapper, spoon a tablespoon or two of the mixture. Mold it into a long cylinder.
   
4. Roll the wrapper tightly, making sure the meat is encased securely.
   
5. Dab some water on the edge of the wrapper, then close the roll. This acts as a glue to keep the roll from unravelling.
   
6. Deep fry over medium heat until nicely brown.
   

Morcon (Beef Rolls)

Morcon is a festive dish made made of flat sheets of beef that's stuffed with other ingredients, rolled into logs, fried then sliced. Techniquewise, they're like Japanese maki or Korean bibimbap.

Ingredients

• 1 kg kalitiran or round, cut in flat sheets.
  
• 1/4 cup calamansi juice (around 10-12 pcs)
  
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
  
• whole sweet pickles, quartered lengthwise
  
• 1/4 cup pickling solution (reserved from pickles
  
• red hotdogs, halved lengthwise
  
• hardboiled eggs, quartered lengthwise
  
• pimientos, sliced into strips
  
• oil for frying
  
• beef stock
  
• salt and pepper
  

1. Marinate beef in soy sauce, calamansi juice and pickling solution for a few hours.
   
2. Spread beef on a flat surface. Add strips of hotdog, pickles, egg and pimientos.
   
3. Roll beef, keeping filling together in center, to create logs.
   
4. Truss the roll with string.
   
5. Pan-fry the morcon until browned. Drain fat.
   
6. Braise in beef stock and leftover marinade. Simmer for 2 hours or until tender.
   
7. Drain and let dry.
   
8. Pan-fry to a nice, brown crisp.
   
9. Slice into inch-thick slices.
   

Crispy Pata

Crispy Pata is a favorite way to cook pig's knuckles. Crispy and meaty, it's best served with a soy and vinegar dipping sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 pig's feet / knuckles
  
• Salt
  
• Bay leaf
  
• Peppercorns
  

Sauce

• Vinegar
  
• Soy Sauce
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
  
• sugar
  

1. Boil meat in enough water to cover it.
   
2. Add salt, bay leaf and peppercorns.
   
3. Cook until tender.
   
4. Drain and let it air dry.
   
5. Deep fat fry until skin is crispy.
   
6. Mix sauce ingredients, adjusting amounts of vinegar, soy and sugar to suit your taste. Serve as a separate dipping sauce for the crispy pata.
   

Halabos na Hipon (Steamed Shrimp)

The simplest way to cook shrimp is to halabos, that is, to cook it quickly in its own juices. This preserves the purity of the shrimp's flavor.

Ingredients:

• Shrimp or Tiger prawns, shells intact
  
• Rock salt
  

1. Wash the shrimps well, then drain quickly.
   
2. Place shrimps in a heavy saucepan with cover.
   
3. Sprinkle liberally with rock salt.
   
4. Place over a medium flame then cover, shaking every few seconds or so to distribute heat evenly.
   
5. Cook until the shrimps change color to bright orange / red.
   
6. Serve in shells, with a dipping sauce of vinegar and salt on the side. Add siling labuyo for extra heat.
   

Bagoong Guisado (Sauteed Shrimp Paste)

Bagoong Guisado is a perennial favorite for green mangoes and singkamas.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh bagoong alamang (shrimp paste)
  
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
  
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
  

1. Heat cooking oil in a saucepan, preferably a glass pan or palayok.
   
2. Add garlic and saute until almost brown.
   
3. Add bagoong and vinegar.
   
4. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer until done.
   

Paksiw na Isda (Fish stewed in vinegar)

Paksiw na isda can be prepared with a variety of fish. It's best to use small fishes like ayungin.

Ingredients:

• Fish of your choice
  
• 1-inch long portion of fresh ginger, peeled then crushed.
  
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
  
• 1 cup water
  
• Salt and pepper
  

1. Clean fish.
   
2. Combine all the other ingredients.
   
3. Place fish in a pan, then pour other ingredients over it.
   
4. Bring to a boil without mixing, until fish is done.
   

Palitao

Palitao is a sticky dumpling-like sweet patty, made of ground rice flour. It's traditionally served with sugar, grated coconut, and toasted sesame seeds. Kiddie rhymes provide a good description of the cooking method, "Lulubog, lilitaw, parang palitao." (It sinks, it rises, like palitaw)

Ingredients

• 2 cups sweet rice powder (powdered glutinous rice)
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  
• 1 cup white sugar
  
• meat of one coconut, grated
  

1. Mix rice powder and water, kneading well until it doesn't stick to your palms anymore when you work it.
   
2. Boil water in a heavy saucepan.
   
3. Roll the mix into small oval balls, then flatten until around 1/8-1/4 inch thick.
   
4. Drop dough patties into boiling water.
   
5. Once the dough floats, remove from water. Shake excess water off.
   
6. Roll in freshly grated coconut.
   
7. Mix together toasted sesame seeds and sugar.
   
8. Serve palitao with sesame seed-sugar mix served on the side.
   

Ensaladang Labanos (Radish Salad)

This salad is a popular side dish for seafood. Rubbing the radish in salt removes the bitterness from the radish.

INGREDIENTS

• white radish, cut into thin strips with a potato peeler
  
• tomatoes, diced
  
• red onion, chopped
  
• rock salt
  

PROCEDURE

1. Wash the radish strips, then drain.
   
2. Sprinkle liberal amounts of salt on the radish strips. Massage the salt vigorously with the radish. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
   
3. Wash the salt off the radish well. Drain.
   
4. Toss with tomatoes and red onion.
   

Pinakbet

Pinakbet is a vegetable medley cooked in bagoong or shrimp paste. While it originally hails from the Ilocos region, a lot of other regions have their own versions of it.

Ingredients

• 3 medium-sized eggplants, sliced lengthwise then cut into 1-inch segments
  
• 1 medium-sized ampalaya (bittermelon), sliced lengthwise, seeded, then cut into thin slices
  
• 1 large tomato, diced
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 3 tablespoons bagoong or shrimp paste
  
• 1 cup pork, diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 cup hugas bigas (water drained from washing rice) or water
  
• Patis (fish sauce)
  

1. Saute garlic, onion, tomato, bagoong and pork.
   
2. Let simmer until pork is tender.
   
3. Add eggplant and ampalaya, then cover with hugas bigas.
   
4. Simmer until veggies are done.
   
5. If necessary, season with patis.
   

Guinatang Mais

Guinatang Mais, literally corn cooked in coconut, is a sweet rice, coconut cream and corn porridge. It's traditionally served for merienda or the mid-afternoon snack.

Ingredients

• 3 young ears of corn, shredded from the cob or 1 can Cream-style Corn
  
• 1 can coconut milk
  
• 6 cups water
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 3/4 cup sweet glutinous rice
  

1. Mix together in a pan water, coconut milk, sugar and sweet rice.
   
2. Simmer until the rice is soft.
   
3. Add the corn.
   
4. Cook until corn is done.
   

Pork Adobo

Adobo is a definitive Filipino dish. It's meat cooked adobo-style, that is, with vinegar, peppercorns and lots of garlic. This version uses pork.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean pork
  
• 1 1/2 cups water
  
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
  
• 10 peppercorns
  
• 1/2 cup sukang puti (white vinegar)
  
• salt to taste
  

1. Clean pork and cube into serving-sized pieces.
   
2. In a pan, place pork, water, garlic, vinegar, peppercorns and salt.
   
3. Simmer until the pork is tender.
   

Leche Flan (Filipino Flan Caramel)

Leche flan is a Spanish-inspired, traditional Filipino dessert that's made with milk and egg yolks. It is traditionally served during fiestas and other celebrations.

Ingredients

• 7 large egg yolks

• 1 can (378 ml) evaporated milk

• 1/2 can (150 ml) condensed milk

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• sugar
  

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Lightly mix together the egg yolks, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and vanilla. Don't beat too hard to minimize the formation of bubbles.
   
3. Sprinkle sugar in your llanera. Hold the llanera over open flame until sugar caramelizes and spreads evenly.
   
4. Distribute the egg yolk mix between two llanera. Set llanera in a baine marie / oven steam bath then bake for 50 minutes to one hour.
   
5. Test for doneness using a toothpick. It should come out clean when done.
   
6. To serve, slide a butter knife around the edges of your flan, then invert over a large plate.
   

Llanera is an oval aluminum pan designed especially for leche flan. If you don't have one, a thin cake pan will do.