Pork Adobo

Adobo is one of my favorite dish and is quite popular in Philippines. Typically made up of pork or chicken or a combination of both, it is usually cooked slowly with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf and peppercorns. Adobo has relative long shelf life due to its vinegar ingredients and so its commonly packed by mountaineers.

Ingredients
1 kg. Pork Belly cut into serving pieces
1/2 head garlic, crushed
1 tsp. peppercorns
1/2 c. vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 pcs. bay leaf
salt
pepper
cooking oil

Procedure:
a. Saute the garlic, and when golden brown add the pork and continue to saute until pork becomes golden brown and starts to sizzle.
b. Pour in 6 to 8 cups of water, vinegar and soy sauce and bring to boil.
c. Continue boiling until meat is tender (add water as necessary).
d. Add peppercorns, bay leaf and continue to simmer until liquid is reduced to almost dry.
e. Serve hot with rice.


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Dila Dila

Dila Dila (or Palitaw in Tagalog) is a Filipino delicacy I used to enjoy eating as snacks when I was growing up. It is made up of sticky rice, coated with grated coconut and sprinkled with sugar and sesame seeds. Its quite simple to prepare. Here's how :

Ingredients
2 cups glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of salt
3/4 to 1 cup water
2 cups freshly grated coconut
Sugar
Sesame seed (optional)

Instructions
a. In a bowl, combine glutinous rice, sugar and salt.
b. Slowly add enough water to make a dough.
c. Shape the dough into balls about (1" to 1.5 inches) then flatten it to the shape of a tongue (where this ilocano delicacy got its name as "Dila" means tongue).
d. Bring a pot of water to boil
e. Drop several pieces of flatten dough into the boiling water
f. When the flatten dough floats, remove and place in strainer.
g. Drain the water and let it cool a little bit.
h. Coat it with coconut by rolling it in a plate with grated coconut
i. Sprinkle with sugar and sesame seed.

Enjoy your snack with your favorite drink.


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Regional Delicacies in Philippines

Philippine food is relatively unknown in many parts of the world.  Malay, Chinese, Spanish and American influences have greatly influence Philippine cuisine and also have complemented the Filipino's way of traditional cooking style.  Popular dishes adopted from Chinese are "lumpiang shanghai" (spring rolls) and "pancit" (rice noodles). A lot of traditional dishes still retain their Spanish names such as "mechado," "menudo," and "pochero."

Below are some well known food that could be found in certain localities in Phillipines.

Ilocos Region (Northen part of Luzon)   -  well known for its longganisa and pinakbet

Negros, Iloilo and Cebu -   Lechon and Otap

Pampanga -  tocino (sweet meat)

Batangas   -   famous for its "bulalo" and Barako (coffee beans)

Bicol   -   famous for its "laing" and "Bicol Express"  (dishes that used coconut milk and spices)

Iloilo   -   popular for its "pancit molo and "La Paz Batchoy"

Davao   -   famous for its "inihaw na panga ng tuna" and exotic fruits like "durian" , mangosteen, rambutan and pomelo

Zamboanga   -   famous for its delicious prawns, crabs, lobster and "curacha"


I am not sure of the well known foods for other regions.   Can you help me out ?

Pinakbet

This is one of my favorite Filipino dish (Ilocano) and its quite easy to prepare. You just need to put all the ingredients inside the casserole with the fish sauce cook in a slow fire and that's it.


Ingredients :
1/4 k. pork, cut into big cubes
3 small size eggplant, slit crosswise
3 small bitter gourds (ampalaya), cut into 4
1 bundle long string beans (sitaw), cut into 2" length
1 bundle okra
2 tomato (cut into 4)
1 spring onion, chopped
1 garlic, pressed
1 small size ginger
1/2 cup fish sauce (bagoong)

Cooking procedure:

In a casserole pour, put all the ingredients ie. arrange the ingredients so that you put the pork first then tomato, garlic, bitter gourd, string beans, eggplant, okra, then add the fish sauce. Cover it and cook in a medium fire. After 20 minutes or when you could smell the cooked fish sauce, sprinkle the spring onion. Mix the ingredients then cook for few more minutes. Serve hot.

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Dinengdeng na Labong with SALUYOT (Bamboo Shoots with Jute)

Dinendeng na labong with Saluyot is a popular dish in Northern Luzon (Ilocano dish)

Ingredients:
4 to 5 cups water
4 tsp bagoong isda
1-2 stalks of Bamboo shoots (cut it from stalks into thin strips)
1 bundle of saluyot leaves
1 grilled or fried fish (bangus or milkfish), cut into 3 slices
2 medium size tomato (sliced into 4)

Procedure:
a. Boil bamboo shoots for 1 hour then drain water and set aside the bamboo shoot
b. Bring to boil 4 to 5 cups of water in a caserole
c. In a small bowl, put in fish anchovy (bagoong) sauce and add boiling water, stir.
d. Using a strainer, pour in mixture of water and anchovy sauce into the caserole, e. simmer for 3 - 5 minutes.
f. Add bamboo shoots and tomato. Simmer for 3 minutes.
g. Add saluyot and continue simmering until saluyot leaves are cook.
h. Add grilled or fried bangus and simmer for another 2 minutes.
i. Serve hot.


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Sweet and Spicy Shrimp

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp

Ingredients :
1/2  or 1 kg of medium size shrimps
Big bunch of spring onion cut into 2 inches long
4 to 6 pcs  RED Long chilli (sliced)
1 big white onion (sliced)
4  dried bay leaves
2 tbps butter
3 tbps cooking oil
brown sugar
dark soy sauce

Procedure  :
a.       In a deep pan, heat oil and butter together
b.      add  onion and bay leaves and stir fry for 30 seconds to 1 minutes
c.      add shrimp stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes
d.      then add sliced chilli and mixture of sugar and soy
e.      if you are not satisfied with the taste add more sugar or soy, stir one more time
f.       then add the spring onion, turn off fire and stir once more. 
g.      Serve hot.
 
Note: It should taste bit spicy, bit salty and sweet.

Pork Sinigang or Sinigang Na Baboy

Ingredients
1 kg  pork liempo or ribs cut into 1 inch
string beans (cut into 2 to 3 inches length)
3 gabi ( taro )  cut into cubes
garlic (pressed or minced)
1 big onion chopped
kangkong leaves
2 tomatoes
1 raddish, sliced
2 siling mahaba (long green pepper) (pangsigang)
salt or fish sauce
Knorr Tamarind Sinigang Mix
Water (better if tubig na pinaghugasan ng biga)


Directions  
1.  Saute the garlic, onions and tomatoes until tomatoes turned into a bit mushy.
2.  Add the pork ribs and saute a little bit  (add salt or fish sauce to taste)
3.  Pour in the water (pinaghugasan ng bigas) until the pork is well submerged and let it boil
4.  When pork is tender, add the Knorr Tamarind sinigang mix (according to your taste)
5.  Add the taro, raddish and string beans then let it boil
6.  Lastly add the long green pepper and kangkong and let it boil for few more minutes
7.  Season with fish sauce or salt
8.  Serve hot with your kanin (rice).

Shrimp Sinigang sa Kamatis

Ingredients :
1/2 kg Shrimp
4 pcs big tomatoes (sliced)
1 pc onion (sliced)
sliced ginger
sliced garlic
mustasa

Procedure :
a. Wash and clean the shrimps
b. Put to boil the following ingredients tomatoes, sliced onion, garlic and ginger with just enough water to submerged the ingredients.
c. When the tomatoes are cook, put the shrimps and mustasa. Boil for another 10 minutes.
d. Add a little bit of salt (depending on your taste)

Serve hot.

(Note : fish could be use as an alternative to shrimp)

Leche Plan (Egg Custard)

Ingredients
1 can of Condensed Milk
3-4 egg yolks (could add more if u want)
water
sugar
grated lemon skin or vanilla

Procedure
a. Beat the eggs yolks in a mixing bowl. Add the contents of the condensed milk and a can of water and mixed it thoroughly. Add a bit of grated lemon skin as flavoring (or add a bit of vanilla).

b. Heat a small amount of sugar with a bit of water added on a saucepan until the sugrar turns brown and sticky (syrup)

c. Pour the mixture from step a (ie. milk, water and egg) onto the saucepan to a desired height or thickness

d. Cover the saucepan with foil and steam it for about 45 mins to 1 hour.

e. Let it cool and then put inside the ref.

f. Before serving, slice the edge of the leche plan and turn it over a plate. Serve as a dessert.


You're welcome to leave any comments. Thanks.

Saluyot Dinengdeng (Ilocano Dish)

This simple saluyot dinengdeng dish is an Ilocano dish. Its basically just a bunch of saluyot with the garlic, fish anchovy sauce and calamansi juice as the main ingredients to bring out the taste. Try it out.

Ingredients :
a bunch of saluyot leaves
1 pc calamansi (juice extracted)
garlic (pressed)
fish anchovy sauce

Procedure :
wash and then boil the saluyot leaves. When the leaves are cook, add the press garlic and fish anchovy sauce (amount will depend on your taste, more will be better though). Boil for another 2 minutes, then add the extracted calamansi juice. Serve hot.

Pork Menudo

INGREDIENTS:

lean pork or pork belly (more meat less fat)

pork liver (1/2 cup) (slice into strips)

garlic (chopped)

onion (sliced)

green bell pepper ( sliced)

red bell (optional)

tomato (sliced)

potato (cubes)

knorr seasoning

ground black pepper

raisin

PROCEDURES:

Cut pork into cubes or bite size, add in ground black pepper and knorr seasoning. Mix and set aside for 30minute or an hour.

Half fry the potato cubes, set aside. Fry garlic, add onion saute or about 1 minute add tomato saute until almost dry then add the marinated pork saute until juice come out, cook until almost dry, stir until oil comes out. Stir for about 2 minutes, add half cup of water, cover and simmer 2-3 minutes or until pork is well done.

Add fried potato and raisin, stir, cook 1 minute more. Now, add pork liver and stir for 1 minute. Do not over cook liver as it will become hard. Lastly, add in bell pepper, stir and cook for 1 more minute. SERVE HOT.

FISH QUEKIAM

Materials:

½ kilo dalagang bukid

1 egg well-beaten

1/4 kilo shelled shrimps

½ cup chopped turnip

½ cup chopped onions

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped carrot

½ cup flour

1/4 cup nguyong powder

½ tsp. pepper

1½ tsp. salt

3 pcs. taupe (wrapper)

Procedure:

1. Remove all bones and skin from the fish.

2. Grind together with the shrimps.

3. Mix all ingredients and steam for 20 minutes.

4. Wrap in taupe or aluminum foil.

5. Fry in hot lard.

6. Slice in desired sizes.

Sweet sour sauce:

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp. cornstarch

3/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp. vinegar

2 tbsp. soy sauce

vetsin

Mix all together and heat until the desired thickness

BEAN CURD (Tokwa)

Materials:

1 cup soybeans

1 teaspoon vinegar

Procedure:

1. Soak the beans in water overnight. Change water several times and remove floating grains.

2. Wash, grind the soybeans. Add about 6 cups water for every cup of beans while grinding.

3. Boil the ground beans in water for ½ hour while stirring.

4. Strain in muslin cloth.

5. Mix in well a teaspoon of vinegar.

6. Wrap in cloth the curdled soybean.

7. Remove the express water by putting weight on top of it.

The curdled tokwa can be a substitute for meat.