Dining Table and Recepies

This is a country where people love to eat.It is not unusual for Filipinos to eat four to five meals a day,with the med-afternoon snack usually as subtantial as lunch or dinner.Any big occasion,from a fiesta to the most humble birthday celebration,revolves around the dinning table.

When you invite locals to a gathering,or attend one hosted by a Filipino,it is expected that even the most informal party or cocktail hour must have food,and lots of it.Eating en grande,means basically buffet style.A typical feast consist of a dining table groaning with at least five main dishes in addition to rice,soup,appetizers plus at least two kind of desserts and some fruits.Even the crudest beer-drinking session must always have pulutan (appetizers) to go with the brew.

Drinking,Pinoy-style

Beer in the country is probably  finest and the cheapest in the East.Locally brewed San Miguel pale pilsen beer is far superior to its counterpart in Hongkong and its various versions from Super Dry to Blue Ice are very good.Other clones like Beer na Beer are also available though the urban crowd are developing a taste for Western brews,thanks to new pub like the Brewery and German restaurants which offer their signature lagers.Five-year-old Tanduay and locally produced gins and vodkas are all first-class spirits.

Eating,Pinoy -style

Filipino cuisine has not reached the international fame as Thai food but as visitors have correctly surmise,it is more out of lack of promotional effort rather than the essence of the dishes.

Filipino cuisine is an intriguing blend of Malaysian,Chinese,Spanish and American gastronomic influences.For instance,the use of coconut milk as an ingredient is a legacy from the Filipinos Malay ancestors.Popular dishes such as lumpia(egg rolls)and Pancit(noodles)are Chinese.Even the countrys most famost dish lechon(roast pig).originated in china.Some traditional dishes are still called by their Spanish names such as  mechado(beef with pork fat), menudo(diced meat with potatoes stewed in tomato sauce)and  pochero(pork,green beans,cabbage and other selected vegetables).

Within each region,you will find specialized dishes.

Baguio is famous for serving the best in fruit and vegetables from the  Trinidad Valley.

Pampanga is known for tocino(sweet cured sausage).

Bicol,the coconut-growing region,uses gata(coconut milk)in cooking,along with many spices.

Capiz,is known as the"Seafood Capital of the Philippines".

The following are the traditional Filipino dishes which first-time visitors should sample at least once during their stay in the country.Local bookstores offer various recipe books for these basic dishes in case food lovers would like to try them out at home.

    °Chicken and or Pork adobo-

imagine rich,dark,well-marinated stew of chicken and orpork,with flavors that hint of vinegar and soy sauce.This dish is probably considered as the Philippines national dish,if ever there is one.

    °Pancit-

a steaming mound of sauteed noodles with bits of fresh vegetables,thinly sliced savory sausage and tiny shrimps laced throughout.This is easy to prepare,and the  recipe is very flexible.Different types of noodles can be used:bihon(rice noodles),canton(flour noodles)sotanghon(soybeans noodles)and mike(pronounced as mee-kee,fresh egg noodles).These noodles are usually available in Asian stores. 

    °Inihaw na Talong-

a memorable side dish which is made of skinned and mashed brioled eggplant with chopped tomato.onions and bagoong(tiny shrimps fermented in salt.taste can range between salty,sweet to spicy).a variation is to peplace the eggplant with chopped green mangoes.

    °Lumpia-

either fresh(Lumpiang Sariwa)or fried(called pritong lumpia or lumpiang shanghai).Most foriegners call this love at first bite.Lumpiang Sariwa are like creoes(rice/egg pastry)filled with Chinese vegetables and topped with sweet peanut sauce while the Lumpianng Shanghais are like small Chinese spring rolls,with the thin rice pastry filled with ground beef or pork.Pritong lumpia are basically the fresh variety,deep fried to perfection and are usually eaten with garlic-vinegar dip.

    °Kare-Kare

is a meaty oxtail stew with pieces of tender tripe and vegetables in peanut sauce.Best eaten with bagoong.

    °Sinigang na Baboy-

an extremely refreshing and filling dish madee of cubed pork  in a salty-sour tamarind soup base and fresh vegetables.Pork can be replaced with shrimp or milkfish.In place of tamarind.Filipinos abroad are known to use lemon as the souring ingredient.

( The most of foreigner dont like this type of sour soup,But my husband love it soooo much!.Sure,me too.Im a Filipina ha!ha!he!he!)

    °Rellenong Manok-

this is a whole chicken.deboned and stuffed with a mixture of ground chicken,pork and ham,plus whole sausages and hard bioled eggs.When the chicken is sliced and serve.the dish looks good as it tastes.

Majority of the Filipinos has a sweet tooth and most need a sweet ending to consider a meal finished.For desserts,one can choose from Leche Flan(egg custard)as well as avariety of preserved fruit like macapuno(coconut in syrup or langka (jackfruit)to the baked goodies like the Brazo de Mercedes with is custard wrapped in maringue.Local ice cream are excellent and international standards.The mango-macapuno flavored ice cream are usually a hit with foreigners but if you like something truly exotic,try the yam or cheese.flavored ice cream.a strong favorite with Filipino kids who prefer the versions usually sold on the stzreet,sometimes known as "dirty ice cream"

One should also not miss out the summers favorite snack,the Halo-Halo, which is composed of mixed preserved fruit,jellies and yam in crushed ice and milk.The servings are often generous and best eaten alone as a late afternoon snack ratherr than as a dessert.

P H I L L I S  R E C I P E 

Menudo

1 ½ kilos pork, cubed (separate the fat from the lean meat)
½ kilo beef sirloin, cubed
¼ cup Kikkoman soy sauce
3 pieces calamansi
2 ½ heads garlic, minced
¼ kilo onions, sliced
1/8 kilo fresh tomatoes, skinned and diced
1 chorizo de bilbao, sliced thinly                               
1 small can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 small Chinese ham bone
water salt, pepper, and sugar to taste
1/8 kilo pork liver, cubed
½ cup raisins
1 small can pimiento, cut into strips
¼ cup butter 1 kilo potatoes, cubed and fried


Marinate the lean pork and beef cubes in soy sauce and calamansi juice for 1 hour. In a saucepan, put the pork fat and cook until the oil is extracted and the fat is brown. Remove the browned fat. In the pork oil, sauté the garlic, onions, tomatoes, and chorizo. Add the marinated meats.

Stir in the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Add the bay leaf and ham bone. Add the enough water to cook the meat.

CHICKEN ADOBO

1 regular sized chicken, cut into pieces
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1 bay leaf
1 c vinegar
a head garlic, macerated
1/4 c oil

Clean and cut chicken into pieces.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place in a saucepan and add bay leaf, garlic, and vinegar.  Let simmer until tender.  If water is needed, add 1/2 cup hot water at a time.  When the meat is tender, add the oil and saute until brown.  Serve ho

PORK ADOBO

1 kilo pork, shoulder or butt
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 cups water

Slice pork into serving pieces (about 2 inch cubes).  Combine ingredients and bring to boil.  Lower heat and cook at medium heat for around an hour or until pork is tender.  Add water if needed.  Add salt if needed; adjust taste.  In this version of adobo, you should have some sauce; other versions leave the meat dry or fried in its own fat.  This is great served with steamed rice 

Sinigang Na Baboy (Pork in Sour Broth

Sinigang na Hipon       Sinigang na Bangus

(shirmps )                                                          (Milkfish)

1 1/2 pounds Pork riblets or pork ribs, country style,cut to pieces

1/4 pound Green beans

5 cups Water

1/2 pounds Spinach (or cabbage, mustard greens or watercress)

4 medium Tomatoes, sliced 

1 medium Onion, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste 

5 medium Sampaloc (tamarind) [available as powdered package]

1 medium  radish, cut into 1" pieces

small piece of Ginger

1. In a large pot, bring water and pork to a boil . Add tomatoes, onion, salt and ginger. Simmer 1 hour or until pork is tender.

2. Optional: Remove tamarind and mash with some broth. Strain juice back into pot.

3. Taste for seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add green beans and radish,. Tamrind powder for 10 minutes.

4. Add spinach, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minute to finish cooking spinach.

(The accompanying vegetables, which complete the meal in a pot (soup, entrée and vegetables), vary according to what is customary, in season, or available in the backyard garden: string beans, kangkong, camote tops, eggplant, singkamas, radishes, okra, mustard greens, and more, singly or in combination.)

                    KARE KARE                    

Ingredients:
250 g beef ribs (tadyang)
250 g ox tripe (goto)
250 g oxtail
100 g string beans, cut 3" long
100 g eggplant, sliced diagonally
300 g puso ng saging(banana heart), cut into 3" cubes
80 g pechay

For the soup:
200 g peanuts, skin removed and grounded or milled
200 g peanut butter
2 tbsp atsuete seeds, blanched and drained in a half-cup of hot water
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp flour
ground rice (optional)

Procedure:
>> In a large pot, boil the meat ingredients till tender. Set aside and reserve stock.
>> In a large wok or pan, sauté garlic, then add meat, stock, ground peanuts, peanut butter and ground rice. When boiling, add atsuete-colored water and fish sauce. Slowly add the vegetables starting with the longer-cooking ones, such as the string beans. Simmer a few more minutes. Serve with bagoong alamang on the side

SOTANGHON GUISADO

Ingredients:

100 grams sotanghon(vermicili)
2 pcs.garlic crused

2 pcs.small carrots(slice tiny,lengthwise)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
¼ cup tengang daga (black ear fungus), soaked
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup water
1 7grams tiny shrimps

3 grams pork meat

4 pcs.med.size Baguio beans(slice tiny,lengthwise

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
>> Soak sotanghon to soften and drain. Set aside.
>> Heat cooking oil and stir-fry garlic,tengang daga.carrot ,shirmp,pork ,baguio beans and cabbage.
>> Pour water and add shrimps , bring to boil.
>> Add sotanghon and cook until noodles are done.
>> Season to taste.(put few drop of soy sauce to make color/subtitute of salt)

Beefsteak, Filipino style

Ingredients

·        1 lb of sirloin beefsteak, cut into 8 pieces

·        3 tablespoons soy sauce

·        1/2 lemon juice

·        1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

·        2 tablespoons vegetable oil

·        1 large onion, cut crosswise

Directions

1.     Beat each piece of beefsteak with a meat tenderizer mallet on both sides.

2.     Marinate with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.

3.     Let stand for an hour.

4.     Fry the beefsteaks in a very hot skillet with just a few drops of oil to moisten the surface.

5.     Cook quickly and take it out before it gets dry.

6.     Set aside.

7.     Saute the onions until transparent and add the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce.

8.Pour onions on top of the beefsteak and serve hot.

DESSERT

Ginataang Bilo-bilo

·        1 cup glutinous rice flour (malagkit, sold in Asian stores - also known as sweet rice)

·        1/3 cup water

·        3 cups coconut milk, thinned with 1/2 cup water

·        1 cup sugar

·        2 cups large tapioca pearls (optional)

·        1 1/2 cups coconut cream

Blend flour and water into a dough. Shape into balls 1/4 inch diameter.

In a large pot, boil coconut milk, sugar and tapioca. When tapioca is transparent, add rice balls. When the rice balls are soft but firm and start to float, add coconut cream and boil for another 5 minutes or so. Serve hot. 

BIKO

1 1/2 cups malagkit   (glutinous rice)
1 1/2 cups coco cream
2 cups coconut milk
1/8 ts. anise
2 cups sugar

Wash malagkit and drain. Place coco cream and coconut milk with anise in a saucepan. Add malagkit and cook over low flame. Stir once in a while to prevent scorching. When liquid is almost evaporated, add sugar and continously stir until thick. When done, serve with latek. 

 Leche Flan

Caramel

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup Water

Custard

12 egg yolk

2   13-ounce can evaporated milk

1    14-ounce can sweetened milk

1 tsp.Vanilla

 In a large bowl,combine all custard ingredients.Stir lightly when mixing to prevent or from forming.Strain slowly while pouring intocaramel lined flan mold.Preheat oven to 325°f.Cover mold with tin foil.Put mold in a bigger tray with water.Bake 1 hrs.or until mixture is firm.Cool before unmolding on a plater.

PEARL FRUIT SALAD

 Ingredients

1 can (439 g) DEL MONTE Fiesta Fruit Cocktail, drained (reserve syrup)

1/2 cup raw small sago (white tapioca

1 cup white sugar
crushed ice

Add water to DEL MONTE Fiesta Fruit Cocktail syrup to make 3-1/2 cups.