- 2 cups mung bean (mungo) sprouts
- 1 2/3 cups shrimp juice (do this by taking the heads out and crushing it in 1 2/3 cups water)
Directions
Mix flour, egg, shrimp juice, baking powder, garlic and salt. Blanch the mung bean sprouts and shrimp. Finely cut green onions and mix all ingredients together. Heat oil for frying. When oil is hot enough, take the mixture and fry it in the shape of pancakes. The ukoy will be done when the outside is brown and crispy. Serve with a sauce made with vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic.
Siomai
Siomai is a dimsum of Chinese origin which is also quite common in the Philippines. One can order different kinds of siomai but the base is always pork. The ground meat should have some fat otherwise the cooked siomai will be too tough. I tried to experiment on chicken siomai some years back and made the mistake of taking out the skin and fat and it turned out to be tough. Prawns or shrimps can be substituted for part of the pork if desired. For the binder, some use flour or corn starch but I find it to leave a raw taste so I use egg instead (proportion is 1 egg to 1 kg pork). I strongly recommend adding vegetables to give the dimsum some crunch and for nutritional reasons too. If desired ¼ cup of chopped mushrooms or black ear fungus and 1/3 cup fresh or frozen green peas can be added to the recipe below:
Ingredients
1 kg ground pork (suggested proportion of fat to lean meat is 1:3)
1/3 cup chopped water chestnuts or turnips (singkamas)
1/3 cup chopped carrots
2 medium or 1 large minced onion(s)
bunch of spring onions or leeks
1 egg
5 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
50 pcs. large or 100 pcs. small wanton or siomai wrapper
soy sauce, calamansi (lemon or kumquats), sesame oil and chilli paste (for the sauce)
Directions
Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture into each wrapper. Fold and seal.
Meanwhile, boil water and brush steamer with oil.
When the water gets to a rolling boil, arrange the siomai in the steamer and let stand for 15-20 minutes, longer for larger pieces.
Serve with soy sauce, calamansi and sesame oil. Chilli past is optional.
Update: Someone asked me for the recipe of chilli paste and siomai wrapper that’s why I’m reproducing it here.
Siomai Wrapper
Ingredients
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable or corn oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
Beat egg and mix with flour till free of lumps.
Bring water, cooking oil and salt to a boil, then pour in flour.
Remove from heat and beat until mixture forms a ball.
Divide the dough into 1 1/4 -inch balls.
Roll each ball on a floured board until paper thin. Set aside.
Simplest version of chilli sauce would be to chop chillies well and fry them in oil, sesame or vegetable oil, never olive oil if you want it to have an Asian taste.
The chilli paste found in restaurants is a combination of chillies, garlic and oil. Combine chopped chillies and mashed garlic then simmer for around 20 minutes or till most of the water has evaporated. Add oil, simmer and stir well.
From: http://karen.mychronicles.net/wp-trackback.php/6
Adobo
It's Mexican origin, but Filipino found that cooking meat (often chicken and pork) in vinegar, salt, garlic, pepper, soy sauce and other spices, was a practical way to preserve meat without refrigeration.This cooking style can be applied to different meats or even seafoods.
Pork adobo ingredients
- 1lb pork loin-cut into chunks
- 1 head garlic
- 1/4 c soy sauce
- 1 t Black pepper, freshly ground
- 1/2 c White vinegar
- 1 tvegetable oil
baboy (pork adobo)
1. Place the pork in a medium-size pot together with the garlic, soy sauce, pepper and vinegar and let stand for 2 hours.
2. *(see note below) cook slowly in the same pot until the pork is tender (about 30 minutes).
3. Transfer pieces of garlic to a seperate pan and fry in hot oil until brown.
4. Add the pork pieces to the garlic and the fry until brown.
5. Drain.
6. Add the broth to the fried pork and garlic and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. * note (i usually brown the pork before i add it to the soy sauce mixture in order to render more of the fat out.
8. mark soennichsen.
Lechon
The lechon is the most invited party guest in the Philippines. The entire pig is spit-roasted over coals, with the crisp, golden-brown skin served with liver sauce, the most coveted part.In Cebu, the stomach of the pig is stuffed with star anise, pepper, spring onions, laurel leaves and lemongrass resulting in an extremely tasty lechon, which needs no sauce. In Manila, get your piggy from Elar's Lechon, while in Cebu, the best is CnT Lechon.
Sisig
Nothing goes to waste in the Filipino kitchen. In the culinary capital of Pampanga, they turn the pork’s cheeks, head and liver into a sizzling dish called Sisig.
The crunchy and chewy texture of this appetizer is a perfect match for an cold beer. Serve with hot sauce and Knorr seasoning to suit the preference of you and your buddies.
Credit goes to Aling Lucing who invented this dish at a humble stall along the train railways in Angeles City, Pampanga. While Sisig can be found in many restaurants, try the original version at Aling Lucing Sisig.
Crispy pata
Not for the easily spooked, this pork knuckle is simmered, drained and deep fried until crisp. The meat is tender and juicy inside, with a crisp, crackling exterior.
Served with vinegar, soy sauce and chili. If you have a craving for this at any time, Aristocrat is open 24 hours.
Aristocrat, 432 San Andres St., corner Roxas Blvd., Malate Manila; + 63 2 524 7671; www.aristocrat.com.ph
Chicken inasal
Yes, it's grilled chicken. But in Bacolod, this is no ordinary grilled chicken.
The meat is marinated in lemongrass, calamansi, salt, pepper and garlic and brushed with achuete (annatto seeds) oil.
Every part of the chicken is grilled here from the paa (drumstick), pecho (breast), baticulon (gizzard), atay (liver), pakpak (wings) and corazon (heart). It must be eaten with a generous serving of garlic rice, with some of the orange oil used to marinade the chicken poured over the rice.
Go chicken crazy at Manukan Country where there is a row of authentic Inasal restaurants.
Taba ng talangka
The fat of a small variety of crabs are pressed and sautéed in garlic. This cholesterol-laden dish is often used as a sauce for prawns or eaten with fried fish and rice.
The best taba ng talangka comes from the provinces of Pampanga, Tarlac and Bulacan. Buy a bottle or two from the markets there, or pasalubong shops like Bulacan Sweets.
Bulacan Sweets, 155 N.S. Amoranto Ave., Quezon City, Metro Manila; +63 2 740 2171
Bulalo
Despite the perennial heat, Filipinos often enjoy sipping piping hot bulalo soup made with from freshly slaughtered Batangas beef.
The broth is rich with flavors seeped from the beef after boiling for hours. The bones are big, meaning more bone marrow to enjoy.
In Santo Tomas, Batangas, there's a row of restaurants along the highway serving bulalo. But the best one stands out further away in nearby Tagaytay city, called Diner Café.
Kare-kare
This stew of oxtail has the most delicious sauce made from ground toasted rice and crushed peanuts. Banana blossom, eggplants and string beans add more interesting textures, to make it a complete meal on its own.
It's eaten with steamed rice and bagoong (shrimp paste). While mom’s kare-kare is always best, the version at Café Juanita is authentic.
Café Juanita, 19 West Capitol Drive, Barrio Capitolyo; +63 2 632 0357
Kamaro
Serious gourmands know the best cooks come from Pampanga. So do kamaro, these mole crickets they cook into a delicious appetizer.
What makes this delicacy special? Well if catching these bugs is tough, so is cooking them. Legs and wings must be removed, then the body is boiled in vinegar and garlic. It's then sautéed in oil, onion and chopped tomatoes until chocolate brown.
These bite-size appetizers are crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. Sample Kamaru at Everybody’s Café, an authentic Pampango dining institution for many decades now.
Kamaro
Serious gourmands know the best cooks come from Pampanga. So do kamaro, these mole crickets they cook into a delicious appetizer.
What makes this delicacy special? Well if catching these bugs is tough, so is cooking them. Legs and wings must be removed, then the body is boiled in vinegar and garlic. It's then sautéed in oil, onion and chopped tomatoes until chocolate brown.
These bite-size appetizers are crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. Sample Kamaru at Everybody’s Café, an authentic Pampango dining institution for many decades now.
Tapa
Filipinos are huge rice eaters, and breakfast is no exception.
A tap-si-log consists of thin slices of dried marinated beef served with fried egg and garlic rice.
While it is breakfast fare, it's also a quick, satisfying meal you can eat anytime and available in most places. Making it accessible all the time and even available for deliveries, Tapa King serves it in the classic, sweetish and spicy versions.
Dinuguan at puto
While it may not look appetizing, this black dish of pork and pig innards stewed in fresh pig blood seasoned with garlic, onion and oregano and eaten with a white puto (rice cake) or steamed rice, is a comforting dish for many Filipinos.
Café Milky Way’s version tastes homemade and clean.
Café Milky Way, 2/F 900 A. Arnaiz Ave. Cor Paseo de Roxas, Makati; +63 2 843 4124
Arroz Caldo
While chicken soup soothes sick Westerners, Filipinos turn to arroz caldo, a thick chicken rice porridge.
Cooked with ginger and sometimes garnished with a hard-boiled egg, toasted garlic and green onions, this comfort food is sold in street-side stalls.
If dining al fresco doesn’t suit you, try it at the Via Mare outlets around Manila.
Laing
This dish of taro leaves cooked in rich coconut milk is an everyday staple in Bicol. Morsels of meat and chili are added to give punch to the Laing.
It's eaten with steamed rice. The authentic versions from kitchens in Naga and Albay are most delicious. In Manila, try it at Dencio’s.
Pinakbet
Up north in Ilocos, the vegetable dish of okra, eggplant, bitter gourd, squash, tomatoes and bagoong (shrimp or fish paste) called pinakbet is a favorite.
And now, this healthy, cheap, and easy to cook dish has made its way around the archipelago. It is cooked in most households and local restaurants.
Try it at Max’s Fried Chicken, Manila.
Bagnet
While the lechon kawali, the deep fried pork, is a popular dish all over the country, bagnet, from the northern province of Ilocos, is coveted for its irresistible crunchy skin dipped in the sweet-sour vinegar sukang Iloko.
Buy it from the markets of Ilocos, or try it at Café Juanita.
Pancit habhab
Trust Filipino ingenuity to adapt noodles to their lifestyle. In Lucban, Quezon, pancit habhab is served on a banana leaf and slurped. Garnished with carrots, chayote, and a few pieces of meat, this cheap noodle dish is most often eaten by students and jeepney drivers on the go.
For an extra special version, try Old Center Panciteria who has been making the noodles since 1937. They add lechon, generous serving of vegetables, and even hand you a fork.
Longaniza
Every province has their version of the pork sausage called longaniza. It varies from sweet to garlicky to spicy.
Usually eaten for breakfast with garlic rice, fried egg and a dipping sauce of vinegar.
Zoricho, 118 Silver City, Frontera Verde, Ugong, Pasig City, Metro Manila; +63 2 571 3269
Lumpiang ubod
The fruit, leaves and even the pith of the coconut tree is used in Filipino cuisine. The pith makes a sweet and tender filling for the fresh lumpia, our version of the spring roll.
A delicate egg wrapper contains a savory filling of ubod (the pith of the coconut tree), shrimps, pork, onions and a garlicky sweet sauce.
Bacolod city is known for its petite version of this spring roll.
Bicol express
A fitting tribute to people who love coconut and spicy food is bicol express, a fiery chili, pork and coconut milk stew. Try it at the hole-in-the-wall eatery called Top Haus in Makati.
Top Haus, 5994 J.D. Villena St., corner Mabini Street, Poblacion, Makati
Balut
No trip to the Philippines would be complete without sampling its famous balut. Vendors peddling these eggs on the street chant “Baluuuuut!” to entice buyers.
This 17-day-old duck embryo is boiled, served with rock salt or spicy vinegar and is often consumed with beer.
Fish kinilaw
The day’s fresh catch is dressed in palm coconut vinegar, ginger, chili and spices. Each province has its own way of preparing kinilaw.
Most wet markets will prepare this for you. Most popular in Cebu is to eat it in Su-tu-kil, the row of seafood eateries (Lapu-LapuCity, Mactan,Cebu).
Kuhol sa gata
Fresh snails cooked in coconut milk and leafy vegetables. The snails are served in the shell and a tiny fork (or toothpick) is used to loosen the meat inside.
This is usually served as an appetizer or a snack, but it works well with hot rice.
Try it at Barrio Fiesta Greenhills
Sinanglay
Fresh tilapia stuffed with tomatoes and onions, then simmered in coconut milk and wrapped in pechay leaves (similar to bokchoy), which helps keep the fish together and adds a peppery taste.
Try it at Adarna Food and Culture
Inihaw na Liempo
A Filipino-style barbecue using a popular pork part: liempo (pork belly). Arguably, the best is Cebuano style -- a slab of liempo stuffed with herbs and spices and roasted, resulting in juicy flavorsome meat inside and crackling skin outside.
