A rich and scrumptious Tagalog Philippine cuisine is “Almon Bigas.” This Tagalog dish traces its origin back in Spanish times. Having the looks and aroma of Chinese cooking and food preparation intricacies of Spanish culinary, this Tagalog cuisine is a savory dish of enriched meatballs in thick, white luscious soup.
For a kilo of ground beef or pork (beef is better) prepare the following ingredients for this Tagalog cuisine:
A clove of chopped garlic, three chopped onions, ten pieces chopped onion leaves, 8 eggs, and one fourth kilo fresh shrimp. As spices for this Tagalog Philippine cuisine we also need three small bundles “kinchay” leaves, two small plastic packs of “miswa” or very thin rice noodles, a small cup of soy sauce, six cups water, half table spoon salt, and 4 pieces “kalamansi” or lemon. Now we’re ready for this Tagalog dish.
To mix and prepare this Tagalog cuisine: Bore a small hole on the shell of the eggs to spill out the egg whites. Put in a container. Then spill out all the egg yolk, put in a container. Next, separate shrimp heads from their bodies. Pull off shell with horn from the shrimps’ heads; throw the shell and put the insides of the head in a pestle or pounder. Take off the shell on the shrimps’ bodies; throw the shells and put the shrimp flesh on a container. Ground head particles in the pestle and squeeze out juice using a strainer. Squeeze thrice with some water. Keep juice in a container and throw remaining head fragments. Then chop shrimp flesh finely.
To cook this Tagalog cuisine: Thoroughly mix ground beef with egg yolk, finely chopped shrimp flesh, chopped onions, onion leaves, and garlic. Pour small cup soy sauce and mix again. While allowing beef mix to cure, sauté new batch of 4 chopped garlic and chopped onions on a one-liter capacity pot. When garlic pieces are light brown, put fire on high and pour 6 cups water. When water is boiling, gradually put in spoonfuls of beef mix patties. When all the beef is in, cook for 5 minutes. Then pour in the egg whites, spreading it evenly. Add salt, “miswa” or thin noodles, and kinchay leaves. Cook for three minutes.
Serve this Tagalog dish hot with a separate sauce mix of soy and four pieces “kalamansi” or lemon squeeze in a small container. Serve this Tagalog cuisine in small bowls for each guest with an accompanying small saucer of the soy-lemon sauce mix. This recipe can serve five person.
This mouth-watering Tagalog cuisine can demand several servings from dinner guests, but despair not. One can always invite them back for another round of this Tagalog dish.
Beef is a versatile ingredient in Philippine gastronomic art and adds a lot of life to native dishes. Take the Philippine cuisine Boiled Spiced Beef, or “Nilagang Baka” for instance.
Tender loin is best for this native recipe but thigh portions of “pige” are also good. For a budget recipe, bony beef portions may also do for this native dish. Any beef part option, however, will need a kilo for this native dish. Also prepare a bundle of Baguio beans or “bitswelas” sliced in half, a small ball of cabbage, 4 medium size potatoes (peeled and sliced into 4 each), 3 small packs of whole black pepper, 3 small balls of onions, a teaspoon of salt, and 5 cups of water. With all these set, we’re ready to cook this Philippine cuisine, Boiled Spiced Beef or “Nilagang Baka.”
Tenderize the beef first. Beef often takes about 2 hours of gentle simmering to soften. Some put in a fork while tenderizing the beef of this native dish for a “quick tenderizing agent.” This experiment may also be good, just make sure the fork is not served in this Philippine cuisine on the dining table later. So put in the beef plus the potatoes, onions, salt, and the 5 cups water in a pot and simmer for 2 hours. Add salt if this native recipe still lacks taste.
Some people add a beef broth or two to enhance the taste of beef of this Philippine cuisine. This may also be done. But if one’s after a natural native recipe (no harmful chemicals) then the broth option may be disregarded. Natural beef is healthy and it would be a shame to spoil this native dish with something synthetic.
Now, when the beef is tender, the potatoes and others would surely follow suit, and the Baguio beans, cabbage, and the rest may now be poured into this native dish. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add salt for a tastier Philippine cuisine, if needed. When everything is soft and tasty enough, put out the fire, and serve hot. This native recipe serves 5 persons.
Bony beef for this Philippine cuisine enhances beef flavor due to the action of prolonged simmering on the bones. The marrow also adds more taste to this native recipe.
Philippine cuisine Boiled Spiced Beef is tasty native recipe. Natural beef is enhanced and made subtle by the simmering action on the bone and marrow to enrich this native dish.
Choice and tender pork cuts mixed in a delicately spiced stew of native, crunchy vegetables cooked fast and easy as one, two, and three.
Sound good?
Pinakbet is a popular dish in the Philippines. In fact, almost every region in the country has its own version of this native cuisine. But nothing beats an original, especially an original recipe. And there’s no Pinakbet like the original Ilocano Pinakbet. Beware of imitations---they’re well-intentioned concoctions, but they fall short of being fully representative of the real McCoy, the popular dish of Ilocanos.
This native cuisine is a display of small but terrible Ilocano fresh vegetables ranging from small eggplants to small ampalaya or biter melon to small okra and small flat string beans or “patani.” We need a small bunch of all these, plus a fourth of a small squash, ten small peeled unchopped onions, 6 pieces small and ripe tomatoes, a bunch of “kangkong” leaves (an inch of the stems from the leaves included), about a half-fist of peeled ginger (or smaller), 3 pieces long native chili (“sili” for “sinigang”), 5 cups water, and 5 spoonfuls of Ilocano-style preserved small fish. Almost everything small but one can get a big kick out of this popular dish.
A kilo of tender choice cut pork is needed for this native cuisine, cut into small cubes---about 3X3 inches. Tender loin pork may be used. What Filipinos call “liempo” is often the favorite. After chopping the pork, put 5 cups of water in a pot and throw in everything else: pork, vegetables tomatoes, onion, preserved fish, and all. Boil on medium fire. Once in full boil bring immediately to a gentle simmer until pork is tenderly cooked. Do not overcook. Once the pork is cooked enough (about 20 minutes or so), everything’s ready for serving. Serves 5 persons. This popular dish is better eaten when dipped in a sauce of fish sauce (“patis”) with crushed long chili from the cooked dish.
The stew of this special native cuisine, pinakbet, is the result of a delicate mix of succulent flavors oozed from the subtle taste of pork and the sweetness of fresh vegetables plus the qualities of melted tomatoes. The tangy features of ginger and long native chili add a “kick” to the overall pungent taste of this popular dish.
Pinakbet in its original Ilocano form is a native cuisine that can satisfy discriminating taste buds and health aficionados. Among Filipino popular dishes this rates an "A" in overall aspects.
Traditionally, Filipinos eat food with bare hands. It is a centuries old practice, and it is totally convenient for the traditional Filipino. If you want to have a try at it then you are very welcome to sample this eating method in a restaurant that allows just that -- Kamayan.
Kamay is the Filipino word for hand. Kamayan means to either shake hands or since we're talking about food and this particular restaurant it would mean eating using only your hands. Kamayan has placed this traditional way of eating with hands on a pedestal and turned it into a real art form.
Eating by bare hands is still practiced by Filipinos nowadays. But if you're not really into it, Kamayan does have spoons and forks and knives to help you out with the eating. If you don't want to spoil the interesting experience then try it a few times at first.
The Kamayan restaurant opened way back in 1977. Kamayan now has many different branches all over Metro Manila. They showcase the finest in Philippine cuisine. So if you really want to try out real Filipino food and eat the Filipino way, then try Kamayan.
First on the list of house specialties in every Kamayan restaurant is called Lechon de Leche. It is a roasted native pig, usually a suckling pig. This is a clear favorite among the regular Kamayan customers. Lechon de Leche is not only a favorite here, but is a superstar in many Philippine Fiestas. This crispy Filipino cuisine is at the heart of every celebration in the country. Just remember to watch the calories and guard your heart.
You might want to turn down some servings of the roasted pig to give way to more of Kamayan's other Philippine cuisine. Kamayan also serves a delectable Seafood Platter. It consists of crabs, prawns, mussels, and squid among other great seafood to delight your taste buds.
You may also want to sample some of Kamayan's vegetable dishes like Pinakbet (stewed vegetables) and Bicol Express (i.e. vegetables cooked in coconut milk with a lot of green peppers that make a really spicy stew).
For dessert Kamayan serves a wonderful array of food that includes caramel custard, Halo Halo (i.e. mixed fruit topped with crushed ice), and fresh fruit juices. Beer, wine, and sodas are served as well.
Every Kamayan restaurant is designed with a family setting in mind, since eating as a family is a timeless Filipino tradition. If you want to glimpse what it's like to eat like a Filipino then eat at Kamayan.
“Bachoy” is originally an Ilonggo native cuisine. But several versions were made of it, among which was the native Tagalog dish “bachoy. Most Philippine cuisines are characterized by flexibility. A native dish originally from a certain province or region will be redone in another. But the availability or lack of original ingredients in a locality will force improvisation of the native dish and later result into a different version of it.
Original Ilonggo La Paz “bachoy” is a soup noodle native cuisine with ample pieces of beef and spices. Native Tagalog dish “bachoy” on the other hand is a stew of swine organs and pork lean meat without noodles. What’s the difference? Cook and eat it to find out.
We need half kilo each of swine heart, liver, and lean meat. Some add a portion of lungs. These swine parts are often cheaper than pork meat itself, so this native cuisine is often economical to cook. Clean swine inner parts with water and soak in a basin of water for 5 minutes. Later, slice into cubes of about half an inch by half an inch. Then, prepare 5 pieces crushed and sliced garlic, three balls sliced onions, three small bundles of “kinchay” leaves, half of a whole ginger (peeled and sliced small), and 5 cups water. Then we’re ready to cook this native Tagalog dish.
Sauté garlic in oil in a medium-size pot until light brown. Put in onions and ginger until light brown. The natural ginger flavoring brings out the pungent spicy taste and aroma of this native cuisine coupled with the strong culinary features of “kinchay” leaves. “Kinchay” is known to normalize high blood pressure by its fibrous action and flashing out cholesterol. So this native Tagalog dish is also healthy,
Then put swine flesh and lean meat in. Cook while turning over continually for a minute. Pour 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. When swine flesh and lean meat are tender, put in “kinchay” leaves. Boil for another minute, put out the fire, and serve this native cuisine hot. Serves 5 persons. This native Tagalog dish is best eaten when supplemented with a dash of fish sauce or “patis.”
This native cuisine is considered a royal treat in Philippine dining and few popular restaurant know this almost secret recipe. This is mostly served in homes for special guests.
Philippine native Tagalog dish “bachoy” is a unique and tasty treat. This native cuisine is also healthy with a anti-cholesterol action.
Lechon is the star of the Philippine fiesta. Lechon is Spanish for suckling pig. In the Philippines, however, it means a pig, beef, or chicken roasted slowly over charcoal. Cooking the lechon would sometimes take a whole day. But since the roasted pig's moist meat and crispy skin is a mouth water maker, it's worth the time and effort.
One of the famous restaurants in the Philippines is known as Lydia's Lechon. The main dish, as the name of the place suggests, is lechon. Let's take a look at how Lydia's Lechon started and it's eventual success today.
In 1968, a family's lechon store in the Philippines, known as Mang Turing and Aling Ingga's Native Lechon, was doing good business. They started with a modest store which was located at the Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Baclaran. The daughter, Lydia, helped out in the said store. This would be her introduction into the lechon business in the Philippines.
About a year later, after some courtship, Benigno de Roca (a son of another lechon business owner) and Lydia got married in the year 1969. The happy couple had a joyous occasion after their wedding and ended up Php 500 as starting capital. Guess what business they put up? They started Lydia's Lechon.
Lydia's Lechon started to gain a name and a good share of the market in 1971. It seems that the combined recipes from the two families worked out pretty well.
Customer's would flock to Lydia's Lechon to sample the good food sold there. A big break for the couple's business came along when one day when executives from the Hyatt Regency Hotel came along to buy some Lydia's Lechon specialties. From that simple visit came the orders from satisfied clients from the hotel.
The fame and praise for Lydia's Lechon spread by word of mouth to many prospective clients, including other hotels and restaurants, and food caterers. From that time on, the Lydia's Lechon's business continued to prosper.
The Chef's on Parade was an annual event featuring a competition of local chefs. In the 1970's, the Lydia's Lechon boneless with paella recipe got the first prize and it soon became one of the specialties of restaurant. It was a boost for the de Roca couple's business.
The 80's opened new doors for Lydia's Lechon in the form of new branches in Metro Manila. Business looks good, and today, Lydia's Lechon has grown to more than 21 restaurants.
You'll easily find Lydia's Lechon stores and branches in malls and town centers in the northern Philippines, especially in Metro Manila. Lydia's Lechon specialties are sold either by kilo or as a whole. Prices would range from a little over a hundred pesos for a kilo of lechon to more than eleven thousand pesos for a whole roasted pig.
Lydia's Lechon is a mark of passion for cooking and business acumen in the Philippines. Try one of the specialties of Lydia's Lechon and have a taste of Filipino passion for food.
[Tags]Lechon, Filipino Cuisine, Food, BBQ, Philippines[/Tags]
Native dishes using pork are excellent viands on the dinner table. But a secret in cooking native recipes with pork as main ingredient is knowing what pork cut to buy for a particular native dish.
Shoulder pork cut or popularly called “Kasim” in the wet market is that part from the upper foreleg to the shoulders of a swine. It is sometimes also called “picnic.” This portion is usually best for native dishes like pork Adobo and pork Estofado. Stewed native recipes like pork Nilaga and pork Picadilio also go well with shoulder cuts.
Pork chops. Chops are found near the nape of the swine. They are pork portions attached to inverted T-shaped bones with a layer of fat and skin on top. Pork chops are very versatile cuts and can be used as a primary ingredient in most native dishes using pork, or as substitute ingredients for the same. For instance, if no “Kasim” is available for pork Nilaga, pork chops may be used instead. Pork chops are best for native recipes like fried or grilled or barbecued pork chops.
Tenderloin. Pork tenderloins are boneless, chisel shaped pork portions found in the upper mid section of a swine. As the name goes, they are super tender and super tasty. They are perfect as main ingredients for native dishes like roasted, baked, grilled, fried, and barbecued pork dishes. Tenderloins also go well as main ingredients of sauced native dishes like pork Mechado, Dinuguan, and Menudo.
Leg cut. Pork legs are often classified into the following: ham, leg, and ground pork. The ham part is often from the hind legs. It contains the edge bone, rear shank, and bulky muscles. Ham parts are one of the leanest parts of a swine. They can be used for stewed native dishes and native cuisines that need curing or smoking like native spiced or sweetened hams. Leg parts are best for native dishes as Paksiw na Pata, Crispy Pata, or Pata Roast. Ground pork from the leg part is good as a main ingredient or as supplementary ingredient.
Pork belly is a cut from under the loin. It is lavish with fat and contains the spareribs with strips of meat attached to the ribs. This is one of the tastiest parts of pork and is best for native dishes like Sopas (macaroni soup), pork Sinigang, and the native cuisine Chop Suey.
With native dishes that use pork as main ingredient, it is important that the right pork cut goes to the particular native cuisine being cooked.
A special recipe of tender and mouth-watering pork “liempo” mixed with sliced jackfruit pulps, all floating in a thick, delectable tomato sauce. What could be more tempting at dinner time than this native cuisine?
Pork “liempo” is that portion of the pig’s belly near the ribs. It is mixed with tender pork’s meat and fat. In the Philippine wet market, it is often times referred to as “sigangin” or that part of the pork suitable for the native cuisine, sour stewed pork, or “sinigang na baboy.” Just say “sigangin” and “sliced” and wet market butchers will do everything as specified: the right pork part sliced to the specification of this recipe. Unripe jackfruit, on the other hand, is found in the fruit section of the market or grocery. It can be ordered peeled and sliced, ready for washing and cooking.
To cook this special recipe, we need the following ingredients: 350 grams pork “liempo” chopped into serving portions, another 350 grams of sliced unripe jackfruit (langka), sliced medium-sized onion, one cup white “kadyos” (pigeon peas) soaked in water for about twenty minutes then drained, one can (227 grams) tomato sauce, one piece native finger chili or “siling haba”, and two bunches swamp cabbage or “kangkong,” leaves and tender stalks only. With these ingredients prepared, we are ready to cook this native cuisine.
This native recipe is cooked this way: combine all ingredients except swamp cabbage or “kangkong” in a casserole. Add five cups of water, one and one fourth teaspoons iodized fine salt, and a fourth teaspoon of peppercorn. Simmer everything on low fire until pork is tender. Then add the swamp cabbage. Simmer for another five minutes or until swamp cabbage or “kangkong’ is cooked. This native cuisine serves 5 persons.
This cuisine is best when dipped in preserved fish or “patis” with crushed native finger chili from the recipe. Having been cooked just right with the pork and jackfruit, this finger chili minced in the fish sauce gives off the right hot chili flavor. The delectable blend of pork, jackfruit, tomato sauce, and chili flavor is what makes the palate crave for more servings of the cuisine. Thus, this recipe is best simmered patiently. Quick boiling might ruin the blending potential of pork flavors and tomato sauce.
This recipe is a subtle combination of tasty pork “liempo,” jackfruit, tomato sauce, and native finger chili. This delicate blend results in a delectable native cuisine.
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.