Authentic and Delicious Food in the Philippines

The Philippines Flag

Exploring the beauty of one's country is really fun while learning other cultures will enrich  one's  knowledge and will broaden the understanding of our individual uniqueness.

Traveling  gives us an opportunity to discover more of  Mother Nature's gifts to us , while those captured memories will linger on and will always put a smile on  our face.

My country, The Philippines holds a unique beauty to explore and admire. I wrote  an amazing places in the Philippines blog that one will truly enjoy . Please take a virtual trip with me here  http://placesinthephilippine.blogspot.com/2012/02/lets-have-more-fun-in-philippines.html

Amazed with those places I mentioned on my previous blog. It's time to  introduce  Filipino's unique, delicious and irresistible cuisine . If India, Indonesia and Malaysia are " chili" lover countries while China, Singapore and Thailand are known for spices and herbs aside from noodles then The Philippines, is known for "gata" ( coconut milk ) and "asim " ( sour ) on  their recipes.

Filipino food names are usually in Spanish because Spain ruled over The Philippines for 333 years, from 1565 to  1898. Spanish was taught at school until  it was abolished in the  late 80's.

Food is our body's fuel, eating healthy food isn't just about food in a  plate but more than that, it can reduce the risks of illnesses which promote the increase of  longevity, will boost one's energy and sharpen a person's memory. Well-planned and well-prepared meals are important for Filipinos aside from meticulously  choosing  fresh ingredients on their recipes .

My mother always reminds me and my siblings that cooking / preparing meals for the family must not be considered as " chores / task " but as an expression of love and devotion to the family.

Rice is a staple food in the Philippines . It is served during breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oh, sometimes, left over rice "bahaw" sprinkled with cooking oil , soy sauce and a pinch of salt becomes an afternoon snacks to Filipinos ( including me ! )

Breakfast is either light or heavy . Light breakfast includes:

1) coffee and hot " pandesal"  ( pan de sal is a spanish term for salt bread ) 

Filipinos love to dip pandesal (salt bread ) into a  coffee .

wash or dip ? Strange ?!

2) coffee and " puto "  ( local name for steam rice cake ).

 " Puto " has many variants to choose from and  "ibos " glutenous rice wrapped in a coconut leaf .

coffee

ibos

puto ( rice cake )

3. coffee and broiled sweet potatoes, cassava  and banana or any other root crops

coffee

sweet potato ( kamote )

Heavy Breakfast

" silog " is a popular breakfast in the Philippines either at home or at the restaurant ." Silog " is an abbreviation  of " sinangag ( fried rice ) and  itlog  (egg ) "  but it always accompanied by an extra name . Silog at a simple restaurant cost only 48 pesos to 50 pesos or about 1 US $.

Different kinds   of " silog "

Bangsilog  ( bangus - sinangag -itlog ) 

   marinated fried milk fish , fried rice and sunny-side-up egg

bangsilog is perfect with kalamansi

Tocilog  ( tocino -sinangag -itlog )

Tocino is a Spanish term for bacon

tocilog

Longsilog (longanisa - sinangag -itlog )

longanisa is a local term for  sausage

longanisa is perfect with sawsawan

Tapsilog (tapa-sinangag-itlog )

Tapa is  marinated  thinly  slice  beef 

tapsilog with tomato

Champorado  ( Chocolate rice porridge )

The name was adapted from Spanish term " Champurrado " which is a chocolate - based atole ( popular beverages in Spain made of water and corn meal and served hot with flavorings such as chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon ). " Champorado " is best served for breakfast during cold / rainy morning . It is traditionally made of boiling glutinous rice with locally -produced chocolate known as " tabliya " . It is served with milk, sugar and dried fish .

Champorado is perfect with "tuyo "

Arroz Caldo ( con gee )

Arroz Caldo is a spanish term . " Arroz " which means rice and "caldo "  means hot . This Filipino recipe is a ginger flavoured rice -chicken soup and commonly found in most street side vendors and a  usual home cooked breakfast especially during rainy season . 

It is made of a first class rice , ginger, garlic,  chicken fillet , chicken or pork  broth , spring onion and topped with hard boiled egg.

Arroz Caldo

Restaurant and "carinderia " ( food stall offering different viands with rice )  are usually jam packed during lunch time . Prices varies according to the menus and a single dine at a restaurant for a single person will cost around 150 pesos (3.2 US $ ) while only 50 pesos  ( 1.08 US $ )   at the "carinderia " . Package meals are available too for those who are in  a group or with their  family .

Delicious Filipino Cuisine 

1. Sinigang

 " Sinigang "  comes in many types. It is a soup  characterized by its sour flavor most often with the use of tamarind . Pork , bangus ( milk fish ) and prawn  " sinigang " are the most famous . 

prawn sinigang

bangus sinigang

pork sinigang

2.  Nilaga  

" Nilaga "  is literally means boiled . From the name itself, ingredients are just prepared  and put one after another in a pot until it is done . One of the easiest menu of Filipino. To achieve the best flavor,  use bone marrow and cooked for about an hour before adding the remaining ingredients .

Nilaga

3. Kare- Kare 

Beef and or  oxtail stew with vegetables. The sauce of  this dish  is thickened with peanut butter . Vegetable like string beans , eggplant , pechay and banana bud  ( ubod ) gives the dish a delicious taste and oh,  kare-kare  taste wonderful with  shrimp paste .

kare-kare

 

4. Dinuguan

 Other categorized this dish as a little bit exotic . The main ingredients are pork's blood and other internal organs like intestines and liver . Careful preparation is a must for this recipe to achieve  an impressive taste . Dinuguan is perfect with "puto " ( rice cake ) . My favorite restaurant which served the best "dinuguan " in the Philippines is Goldilocks http://www.goldilocks.com.ph/ 

Dinuguan and puto

5. Adobo and Paksiw

 " Adobo and Paksiw " are  dishes which are very common   in the Philippines especially in the villages  ( barrios) mainly because it stays longer without refrigeration. Villagers need to travel far and even crossed  the mountains and rivers to get to the market. In The Philippines, Sunday is the market day , which means, during these days , locals are flocking in the market, both the vendors and the shoppers . Fresh vegetables, sea foods, fish and even live stocks are in cheap prices and can even have barter ( trading of goods ) .

Adobo is a Spanish term for marinade. Despite the name is in Spanish, it should not be confused with the Spanish "adobo " since the cooking process involved stewing with vinegar, soy sauce and garlic and has been practiced before the Spanish colonization. When Spaniards saw this cooking method which for them is a bit similar to Spanish adobo , they named it "adobo" too. Nevertheless, The Filipino "adobo" is entirely a  different method .


There are many variations of "adobo" in the Philippines like "adobong  baboy " (marinated pork ) , "adobong manok " ( marinated chicken ) " adobong gulay " ( vegetables cooked  in soy sauce , garlic and vinegar ) and  "adobong pusit " , a squid-based dish which uses the squids ink as the broth together with the vinegar and garlic.

Adobong baboy

Adobong manok

Adobong pusit

This dish is commonly packed for Filipino travelers because it keeps well without refrigeration. "Adobo" long shelf-life is due to one of it's primary ingredient, the vinegar, which inhibit the growth of bacteria.

Adobong takway 

"takway" is a local term for roots of taru ( kind of root crop ). This dish requires careful preparations due to "takway " itchy skin . This slimy -smooth dish is tastier when topped with shrimp paste.

Adobong takway

Paksiw na isda  may kamyas

 Stewing fish in vinegar with tree sorrel fruit, eggplant and "ampalaya " bitter melon.

Paksiw

6. Kaldereta

It is a beef stew spiced with tomato sauce, chili paste, liver spread, cheese, potatoes, bell pepper ( preferably green and red) . To achieve a perfect taste, wise choice of beef part
( other use lamb) is considered.

http://www.filipino-foods.com/filipino-foods/kalderetang-kambing-goat-kaldereta

7. Laswa/ Diningding

Health conscious?

This is a perfect dish to every one who dislike fats or cholesterol and hate to use preservatives. The ingredients are fresh various vegetables such as squash or pumpkin, string beans, eggplant , "okra" and "malunggay " horse radish tree leaf and fresh fish or shrimp.Just  boil the water in a pot and put fish /shrimp first  followed by vegetables one after another until almost 75% cooked. This dish must be served instantly . Organic vegetables are recommended for this recipe.

http://ilonggolivingincanada.com/?tag=laswa

8. Pinakbet

This dish is opposite to " laswa" in cooking method . Though the ingredients are almost the same but "pinakbet " is  stir-fried  and seasoned with  shrimp paste.

http://www.dencioskamayan.com/menu

9. Tinolang manok

Chicken ginger stew. One of the easiest Filipino recipe. The best chicken for this recipe is the farm-raised chicken . Added with ginger,  lemon grass, slice unripe papaya fruit and "malunggay" leaf, the aroma and flavor is irresistible. This dish  is traditionally served for mother who newly gave birth because of the belief that " papaya " and "  malungay " are good for mothers who breast feed.

http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/tinolang-manok-chicken-soup-with-green-papaya-and-chilli-leaves

10. Sinugba / Inihaw / Inasal ( Grilled )

This is favorite amongst Filipino food which can be served with or without rice. It is very common during family gatherings and outings. Grilled marinated pork or chicken is perfect with "atsara"( pickled green papaya) while marinated fish is best paired with a mixture of tidbits green mango , chunked tomato, slice shallot and spicy shrimp paste.

There are popular local restaurants in the Philippines called Mang Inasal and Binalot which served delicious "inasal" .

http://www.manginasal.com/

http://www.binalot.com/

Yummy inasal

Table etiquette is temporarily set aside when this dish is being served because Filipinos enjoy eating bare hands .

11. Kinilaw ( Ceviche/ Cebiche/ Seviche)

Dish of marinated raw fish , clams , sea weeds or vegetables.
Filipinos primary sources of living are fishing and farming, therefore, raw products are fresh where " kinilaw" is perfect.

http://www.pinoyrecipe.net/kilawin-kinilaw-na-tanigue-recipe/#axzz1nMjA6DWq

http://www.kickasschef.com/out-front/12-strange-filipino-food-that-mark-ate-in-the-ph/

12. Ginataan

Dish cooked in coconut milk. Every region in the Philippines has its own unique recipe of ginataan and through the years, it has been shared to other regions.

Here are various delicious "ginataan "dishes.

Ginataang alimasag

Crab cooked in coconut milk , pumpkin or squash, shallot , "malunggay "leaf (horse radish tree leaf) and chili.

http://www.busogsarap.com/2010/07/sand-crabs-in-coconut-milk-ginataang.htm

Ginataang isda 

A dish very popular in Bicol Region. It includes fish preferably tuna and " tilapia " ( fresh water cultured fish) wrapped in " taro" ( an edible root crop ) leaf , ginger, chili and cooked in coconut milk.

http://quickfire-recipes.blogspot.com/

Bicol Express

Another Bicolana recipe that is very popular through out the country. It is made of chunked pork, shrimp paste, chili and cooked in coconut milk.

http://recipe.foohta.com/bicol-express-spicy-hot-pork-in-coconut-milk/

 Ginataang kuhol

" Kuhol" is  fresh water snail. It is a dish popular in Western Visayas . Cooked in coconut milk, ginger, chili and "taro" leaf bud, rolled and knot. If " kuhol" isn't available, it can be replaced with other mollusk.

http://witsandnuts.com/2008/01/02/exotik-restaurant/

Laing

It is made of dried " taro " leaf, finely chopped , pork, chili and cooked in coconut milk. This dish has a long shelf-life

http://www.pinoyrecipe.net/laing-recipe-or-ginataang-gabi/#axzz1nMjA6DWq

Food must not only provide nutritional support for our body but  when home cooked meals are enjoyed with the entire family , it will absolutely strengthen the family relationship rather than dining at a restaurant alone or with friends, which will cost you more and food cooked in too much preservatives and any other inorganic ingredients probably . A  popular Filipino statement which says "A family that dines together , stays together ".

 

"One cannot think well, love well and sleep well if not has dined well  "

                      Virginia Woolf