Philippines Guide
For Travelers, Expats and Pinoys
Chicken Cuisine Binakol Wonder
Chicken Binakol Wonder is a unique native cuisine that brings out the charged-up taste of an all-spiced up chicken, and then everything presented on the dinner table in a very indigenous way. This native recipe has the potential to drive the appetite and imagination crazy. Here’s how this native cuisine is cooked and presented.
For this native recipe, we need the following ingredients: one kilo chicken chopped into small pieces, two chicken broths or cubes, two cups water used in washing rice, or”pinaghugasan ng bigas”, three cloves of minced garlic, two teaspoons of sliced ginger, three cups of water, a half cup of green peas, one medium sliced onion, one potato cut in six, and two tomatoes sliced thinly. Now, for a little variation and unique savor, we add into this native recipe about a half cup diced sift meat of coconut. This addition perks up the flavor of the dish sauce and the cuisine presentation. With these ingredients prepared, we’re ready to cook this native cuisine.
Here’s the procedure in cooking this native recipe: First, we combine all the ingredients in a small pot, stir a little to even up the cooking, and bring everything to a boil on high fire. Then once boiling add the chicken broths or cubes for that extra zing, boosting further the flavor of chicken. Then set the fire low as soon as the cubes dissolve. Then, to further achieve a subtle blend and thickness in the sauce, this native recipe needs to continue simmering until the chicken is completely tender and cooked. The sauce is perfected by the continuous but slow action of low-heat simmering. Check the tenderness of the chicken meat occasionally with a fork. When the chicken meat is done, serve this native cuisine while hot. This chicken “binakol” cuisine serves 5 people. An optional food presentation is to give it an exotic twist by serving it in clean coconut shells.
This native cuisine, chicken “binakol” wonder, goes perfectly with a dip of native preserved fish sauce or “patis” and a piece or two of crushed native chili pepper. It also combines well with a sauce of preserved (“buro”) mangoes or onions on the side. Also as an option, and to avoid wastage, mix the coconut juice with some water and sugar. Then chill and serve in glasses.
Chicken “binakol” wonder is a unique native recipe that reflects Filipino ingenuity in cooking native cuisines and in food presentation, having as little food wastage as possible.
Mixed Beef and Sea Foods Kare-kare
Now here’s a variant of a native cuisine that put the Philippines on the culinary world map: the all-time favorite native recipe Mixed Beef and Sea Foods Kare-Kare. This recipe has been a hit in Filipino dinner tables since early times.
Watch these recipe ingredients. Be sure everything is accounted for before cooking this native cuisine: First, we need a fourth of a kilo of Tapa fillet (all lean beef), a fourth of a kilo of squid (cleaned and cut into rings), a fourth of a kilo of mussels, two-third cup of cooking oil, one piece of diced onions, two cloves of minced garlic, two-third cup “asuete” essence mixed with water, a half cup of non-greasy peanut butter, a half cup of string beans or “sitaw”, a half cup of diagonally sliced eggplant or “talong”, two cups sliced and boiled banana heart or “puso ng saging”, salt and pepper to taste, and one cup seafood stock, and one cup coconut milk. This cuisine also needs preserved shrimps or “bagoong alamang” as siding. With these ingredients all in, we’re ready to cook this native recipe.
This classy cuisine is cooked this way: first, we prepare the “asuete” essence or oil: Sauté on medium fire the two tablespoons of “asuete” seeds in two-third cup of cooking oil until everything becomes orange in color. Then, strain to remove the “asuete” seeds. After this, sauté onions and garlic in one-third cup of “asuete” oil. Then add the seafoods, with a twenty-second interval: the squids, mussels and the tapa fillet. Then mix everything in this recipe and cook on high fire for one minute until everything is half-cooked. Then, remove everything from the pan and set aside.
Next, to cook this native recipe, we add the remaining “asuete” oil in the pan. Then put the peanut butter in. Mix well. Then add the coconut milk. Stir well on high fire until it boils. Bring to a simmer until sauce thickens. Add the vegetables, with one-minute interval: the banana heart or “puso ng saging”, string beans or “sitaw”, and the eggplant or ”talong.” Cook for three minutes. Then add the seafoods and cook well for half a minute. After this, sauté in a separate pan the “bagoong” and minced ginger and garlic. This serves as the sauce of this native cuisine.
Mixed Beef and Sea Foods Kare-Kare is a unique rendition of the native cuisine Kare-Kare, and has been a favorite recipe in Filipino homes.
Native Cuisine Pineapple Steak
A subtle savory of beef steak cooked with canned pineapple goodness. Native cuisine Pineapple steak, or “pinya con bistek,” is a native dish wonder that suits every discriminating taste bud well. And also, beef is a good source of iron for healthy red blood cells. Here’s how this native cuisine is cooked.
The ingredients of this native cuisine are as follows: a fourth kilogram of tender beef sirloin (sliced tapa-style); a piece of large onion (sliced into rings); a can (234 grams) of pineapple tidbits (drain and reserve syrup). After this comes the marinade of this native dish.
For the marinade of this native cuisine we need: eight cloves garlic which are crushed, three tablespoon soy sauce; one and one-half tablespoons calamansi or lemon juice; one-fourth teaspoon ground black pepper, and the reserved pineapple tidbit syrup. With this marinade prepared, we’re ready to cook this native dish.
To cook this native cuisine: First, we marinate the tender sirloin beef for about one hour in the refrigerator. After this, drain and reserve the marinade. Then fry the tender sirloin beef in one-fourth cup of oil until light brown. After frying, set it aside. Next, retain two tablespoons of oil in the pan. Use this to sauté onion until tender enough (about 10 seconds). Then add the marinade. Simmer everything for about two minutes. Then add the fried beef and Pineapple tidbits into the pan. Then let the whole thing simmer once. This native dish serves 5 persons.
Pineapple steaks are said to have originated from a Spanish recipe localized by early kitchen chefs working in Spanish haciendas and mansions in the country. This localized version was later called “pinya con bistek” or “pinya con carne” and handed down to grandmoms and moms for home cooking.
Some versions of this native cuisine apply pounding strokes on the beef using a big mortar and pestle to tenderize tough beef. Some people felt back then that tenderizing beef by simmering in water took away some of this native dish’s health benefits and flavors. So they pounded the meat instead. The effect was something like a crumpled or overused cardboard, unappealing to the sight. The taste was still intact, but its presentation was compromised.
Other beef tenderizing techniques for this native cuisine in the past were marinating beef in salt for a few minutes before cooking or drying the beef under the sun for days, as in the tenderizing technique used for the native dish beef “tapa.”
Lechon: Philippines’ Favorite Delicacy
Lechon is a Spanish word meaning “suckling pig”. In the Philippines, Lechon always means a whole roasted pig commonly known as Lechon Baboy. Beef and chicken are also popular as lechon commonly known as Lechon Baka and Lechon Manok, respectively.
The method of cooking the lechon is that the whole pig is roasted slowly over live charcoal. This method is also similar to the way the Chinese Peking duck or the Balines Guling celeng is cooked. The tedious method of long-hours roasting the whole pig leaves the meat very tender inside and a crispy skin outside.
The lechon is a popular dish in any of the festivities in the Philippines such as fiestas, holiday seasons, and special occasions like birthdays, weddings, and other family gatherings. It is said that celebrations are not complete without the lechon as the table’s centerpiece. It is always served with a liver-based sauce making it more tasteful and delicious.
The lechon kawali is another version of lechon in the Philippines. The method of cooking includes boiling the pieces of pork first then fry till it turns into golden brown.
The leftover lechon is recycled in the Philippines. It is easily turned into another delicious dish called Lechon Paksiw.
In Manila, Philippines, La Loma is the popular place where one can buy the delicious lechon. Many food establishments are selling it throughout the year in this area.
Cebu City, Philippines is famous for cooking the mouthwatering lechon. Other regions in the Philippines have their own way to cook lechon but the ones from Cebu City are the favorite. The lechons are air-shipped from Cebu City to different food establishments throughout the Philippines.
The lechon in Cebu City has its own distinctive taste that is why it is the Filipinos’ favorite. Cooking lechon is very simple but arduous.
A whole pig is cleaned very well, taking the pig’s internal organs out at the belly’s opening. After cleaning, seasonings are stuffed into the pig’s stomach such as garlic, onions, soy sauce, lemongrass, salt, and monosodium glutamate. The measurements of the seasonings are according to the desired taste.
When the seasonings are all stuffed in, the pig’s stomach is stitched to keep the seasonings from spilling out. The whole pig is impaled on a clean bamboo pole like a barbecue. The pig is then bathed in soy sauce and roasted over live charcoal.
The average time for roasting the pig is about two hours. When it is cooked, the pig is now turned into a lechon. A crispy and juicy lechon can really satisfy your appetite.
Sweet and Sour Adobo Pork and Chicken
A sweetened and all spiced up pork and chicken adobo is another variation of the general native cuisine adobo. This native recipe caters well to those who prefer a subtle blend of sweet, sour, and spicy pork and chicken.
To cook this native cuisine, here are the ingredients we need: half a kilo of Pork Kasim chopped for adobo, half a kilo of fresh chicken chopped into serving pieces, four pieces of sliced hotdog, three tablespoons minced garlic, one tablespoon ground pepper corns, two tablespoons sugar, one piece laurel leaf, half cup of soy sauce, three-fourth cup of cane vinegar, 2 cups of boiled water, and a dozen hard quail eggs. With these ingredients ready, we’re all set to cook this native recipe.
To cook this native cuisine we first combine all ingredients in a saucepan (except the quail eggs and hotdogs). Then boil the mixture on high fire. On boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with the lid for some forty five minutes. Then, remove the lid cover and simmer again for some five minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce. Check the tenderness of the pork. If the meat and skin of the pork is tender enough, the rest of the ingredients should follow. Check also the sweetness and sourness of the sauce. Aim for a balanced sweet and sour flavor. Lessen the taste by adding a little water. Add to the taste by adding either more sugar or more vinegar. Finally, when everything is balanced, add the quail eggs and hotdogs for another two to three minutes. This native recipe serves 5 people.
This recipe is a favorite native cuisine in picnics and outdoor potlucks, as well as in elegant dinner meals for the family and guests. Because of the introduction of vinegar into this native recipe, sweet and sour pork and chicken adobo lasts longer than other native cuisine. Hence, it is suitable as a picnic viand for a packed dinner when traveling far to eat out. It goes well with sliced and salted tomatoes on the side, coupled with some sliced preserved eggs with chopped onions and tomatoes. This native recipe is also partnered with chopped green mangoes and onions with a dash of native preserved fish or “bagoong.”
Sweet and sour pork and chicken adobo is a popular native cuisine almost always present in every Filipino dinner table, at home or in native restaurants. It is one of the Filipinos’ culinary legacies.
Common Spices in Modern Philippine Recipes
Modern Filipino recipes are delectable dishes that are at par with the world’s best. But modern recipes depend on both modern and native spices. Common spices in cooking modern recipes and dishes are the following:
Annatto or “atsuete” in the vernacular are dark red seeds used for natural food coloring of vegetables, meat, and fish recipes. These are tear-shaped seeds found in clusters inside one-inch diameter balls covered with curly fibers. Annatto is bland, but Philippine cooking considers it a “spice” that often goes with other spices. Recipes are enhanced by coloring. Some food colorings are synthetic and may prove harmful to health, but not annatto seeds. They’re natural. Modern Philippine red dishes are “spiced” up with them.
Butter is also a favorite, not only as a cooking oil substitute, but also to improve flavors of dishes. In this sense, butter is commonly thought of as a spice. It is wholly of milk and cream and is applied in recipes for a thick, creamy touch. Butter is used for frying, sautéing, mixing in the middle of cooking, or a melting topping on dishes.
Cheese is another modern Philippine spice. A lot of recipes use it for creamy dish textures and taste. Cheese is also used as a melting topping on various dishes like lasagna, baked spaghetti or macaroni, beef mechado and local hamburgers. Cheese is also grated and mixed as a spice in many dishes like vegetable salads, beef caldereta. Cheese is wholly of dairy products, and popular varieties are cheddar, edam, white cheese (from goats’ milk), and parmesan. Cheese melts are also used as dips to supplement other recipes.
Native chili. This is an all-time favorite in Philippine culinary arts. They are a very dependable hot spice to liven up the taste buds and appetite. They can be applied as a recipe ingredient while cooking hot and spicy dishes, and they can also serve in hot sauces and dips. Chicken “tinola” and pork “sinigang” are among the recipes that may include native chili as an ingredient.
Cornstarch is also commonly used in a lot of recipes as a spice. It achieves a thick, creamy, and subtle sauce or stew for a lot of dishes. It is also a cheaper substitute for milk and cream for the same purpose. Cornstarch is dilute in water first before mixed in recipes.
Modern Philippine recipes are rich in ingredients and spices that perk up the savory qualities of dishes. Common spices responsible for delectable dishes are often cheap recipe mixes.
