Wednesday, 16 May 2012

All about Filipino Cuisine :)

SOUPS


Pork Sinigang


Pork Sinigang is one of the most Popular Filipino Cuisine that every Filipino loves to eat. Not only that, but even the foreigners who came to visit our country had learned to love Pork Sinigang. Because of it's souring taste, the Pork Sinigang is even well known outside our country.


Ingredients:
2 Lbs of Pork Belly cut in 2 in. cubes (Liempo)
1 Small radish cut in 2 in. small pieces (Labanos/Daikon)
1 Medium Onion sliced thinly
1 Small tomato diced
1 Eggplant cut diagonally
1 Cup of Sitaw cut in 2 in. length (String Beans)
3 Cups of Kangkong (Water Spinach)
2 Pcs. Of Siling Mahaba (Finger Peppers)
1½ Packet of Knorr Sinigang Mix
1 Tsp. MSG (Vetsin)
Salt to taste
1½ Quarts of water
Directions:
In a large pot add water and bring to a boil. Next add pork, cover, and let it simmer for 3 minutes. Remove scum from the broth and then add onions, tomatoes, siling mahaba, (finger peppers) msg, (vetsin) and the sinigang mix and let cook for 10 minutes. Then add the Labanos, (radish) cover, and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. Add eggplant and cook it for an additional 10 minutes. Finally add the water spinach (Kangkong) and add salt if needed. Let it cook for three more minutes and it’s ready. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Nilagang Baka

Nilagang Baka is one of my favorite Filipino Cuisine. It's tenderness and the savoring taste of meat is awesome. Most, Filipino enjoy this cuisine when it's in the rainy season or when it is in lunch time. The hotness of this cuisine gives us sweat while eating this. Btw, there are alot of Nilagang Baka version since Filipino's are creative when it comes to cooking.





Ingredients:
3½ Lbs. Boneless beef chuck roast cut in 2 in. cubes
2 Medium onions sliced thinly
1 Small Cabbage de-cored and cut in wedges
3 Medium carrots peeled and cut in 2 in. pieces
4 Medium potatoes peeled and quartered
Water for braising (boiling) don’t use beef broth*
8 Whole peppercorns
1 Tbs. Salt
½ Tbs. MSG (vetsin)
Note: * It will alter the taste.
Directions:
In a large pot place beef and cover with water about 2 inches above the meat. Bring it to a rapid boil. Remove the scum as it rises, add the onions, and lower the heat to medium high. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Next add salt, msg, and whole peppercorns. Cover and let it cook for 1½ hours or until beef is very tender. Add water if necessary maintaining the 2 inch water level above the meat. At this time you may add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and let them cook for an additional 15 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender. Add cabbage, cover, and let it cook for 3 more minutes. Adjust the taste by adding more salt if necessary. Serve with white rice and the fish sauce condiments. Enjoy!
Translation:
Nilaga = Braised or Boiled
Thai Peppers = Siling Labuyo or Birds Eye Chili
Baka = Beef

Chicken Sopas

Another Filipino Favorite Cuisine is the Chicken Sopas. Chicken Sopas is always present in Rainy days or Cold weather. It is also present in burial gatherings or family gatherings since it is easy to cook and prepare. With its strong Chicken savoring, it also taste good because of it's creaminess and the vegetables in it.


Ingredients:
1 Boneless chicken breast
2 Cups macaroni shells (elbow is fine if you prefer)
12 Cups chicken stock
1 Cube chicken bouillon
1½ Cups milk
¼ Cup shredded carrots
1 Cup shredded cabbage
2 Hotdogs cut into matchsticks pieces
4 Garlic cloves
½ Tsp. Ground black pepper
2 Tbs. Patis (fish sauce)
7 Cups water
3 Cans chicken stock (6 cups)
Start by boiling the chicken breast with 7 cups of chicken stock. Have six (three cans) more cups ready for the rest of the ingredients.
Cooking Process:
Brown garlic with 4 tbs. of cooking oil, then add onions, and let it cook until softened.
After the onions are ready, add your shredded chicken breast, and season it lightly with salt and pepper. Let the chicken breast cook for about 2 minutes, add the hotdogs, and allow it to cook for two minutes also.
After the hotdogs are ready go ahead and season it with 2 tbs. patis. (fish sauce) At this time you may go ahead and add the 12 cups chicken stock.
Bring the stock to a boil and let it simmer for two minutes, then add the 2 cups of macaroni shells. At this point, it is very important that you stir it constantly to avoid the macaroni from sticking to each other.
Time it from this point. See the cooking instructions of your macaroni for how long you should cook it. Normally, it should take anywhere from 7-9 minutes.
The idea is that you want to get all your ingredients in and cooking at least two minutes under the time that is required to cook your macaroni. Do not, I repeat, do not cook it the full 7 or 9 minutes before removing it from the heat. If you do, you will over cook your macaroni every time.
Your macaroni will continue to cook after you turn the heat off, therefore you have to give it time for that.
Okay let’s get back to cooking: After three minutes, add the milk and let it cook for 2 minutes. Then add your carrots and let it cook for another minute. Adjust the taste by adding more salt, ground pepper, or patis if needed and add your final ingredient, which is the cabbage. Stir it good, put the cover back on, and remove it from the heat. Let it stand for five minutes before serving.

Stews

Pork Adobo



OMG! One of my favorite Filipino Cuisine! Pork Adobo is well known all over the world. Not only here in the Philippines but also in other Foreign Country. With it's well balance taste because of its rich ingredients, Pork Adobo is a crowd favorite. Chicken, fish, vegetables etc. can be also cooked into Adobo. 



Ingredients:
2 Lbs. of Meat (Chicken or Pork or combination of both)
1 Tbs. oil (optional) if you choose to cook Chicken only
1½ oz. Soy sauce
½ oz. Vinegar
6 oz. Water
6 Cloves of Garlic, smashed
3 Bay leafs
8 Whole black peppercorns
½ Tbs. Ground black pepper
½ Tbs. MSG
2 Medium size potatoes peeled & quartered
Liquid Mixture 1 Cup:
1½ oz. of soy sauce
½ oz. of vinegar
6 oz. water
How Much Mixture?
The rule of thumb is to put enough mixture just below the meat level. The measurement above is for one cup of liquid mixture. Only make one cup of mixture at a time to pour onto the meat and if one cup is not enough just make another cup and pour it on there until you reach the right level. (Just below the meat level) Discard the rest of the mixture, if there’s any left. Do not use too much mixture or you will end up with a very salty Adobo.
Cooking Directions:
In the pot add the Meat, Garlic, Ground Black Pepper, Whole Peppercorns, Bay leafs, and MSG. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium low, and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Then add the potatoes and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. At this point you need to increase the heat to high and keep checking in 2-minute increments until the liquid is almost or totally evaporated if you prefer a dry Adobo. Serve with rice and enjoy!
Personal Note!
I learned from trial and error when cooking Adobo. The key part is getting just the right measurements for the liquid mixture, otherwise your Adobo could end up way too salty. This is also one of the reasons the common version of Adobo is prepared dry with no gravy. What most recipes suggest is to take the meat out of the liquid mixture about half way through the cooking process and frying it after that.
In this recipe I will show you the proper measurements of a soy sauce, vinegar, and water combination to achieve the true finger licking taste of Adobo without wondering whether it’s going to be salty or not. With these measurements you can either cook it until all the liquid totally evaporates or you can have a little bit left for the ones who like the gravy. Either way you can’t go wrong.
For best results prepare this dish a day ahead, let sit in the fridge overnight, and re-heat before serving. It gives the flavors time to blend in. This process also works well for Caldereta’s.
The Oops:
If your liquid dried out by accident, don’t panic just add ¼ cup of water, agitate the pot, and taste it. You might have to add a pinch of salt.
Tip One:
When stirring avoid using a spoon, it will break the meat and potatoes apart as it tenderizes. Use the method below when stirring!
Tip Two:
If you decide to use Pork, use pork butt and bring the liquid mixture just above the meat (not below) and let it cook for 2 hours on medium low in order for the meat to be very tender.
Tip Three:
If you use Chicken only, add 1 Tbs. of oil into the pot.
Warning!
After increasing the heat to HIGH stir frequently to avoid scorching. The best way to stir it is to agitate the pot GENTLY in a CIRCULAR motion while HOLDING the lid firmly. Cook safely and enjoy your Adobo!

Afritada Chicken

Chicken Afritada is one of my Favorite Filipino Cuisine. Its taste gives me a ticket to the moon. 


Ingredients:
2 Large chicken breasts cut into 2 in. cubes
5 Beef franks hotdogs cut in 1 in. diagonal pieces
1-15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1-8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 Medium sized onion sliced thinly
4 Garlic cloves peeled and smashed
2 Medium potatoes peeled and quartered
1 Large carrot cut in 2 in. long pieces
1 Red bell pepper seeded and cut in 1 in. strips
1 Bay leaf
1 Tsp. Ground black peppercorns
½ Tsp. MSG
½ Tbs. Salt
Note:
You can substitute the hotdogs with chicken liver if you prefer. I have also combined chicken and pork belly before with great results.
Directions:
In a large pot combine chicken, garlic, onion, ground black pepper, msg, tomato sauce, (both cans) and bay leaf. Stir and bring it to a simmer. Cover pot and let it cook for 12 minutes on medium low heat. Add hotdogs, carrots, and potatoes. Stir and cover pot and let it cook for another 15 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Adjust taste by adding more salt & pepper if needed. Finally add the red bell peppers and cook it for another 5 minutes. Serve rice and top with chicken Afritada and patis for dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Fried/Grilled

Pinoy Pork Barbecue

Barbecue is Famous to all filipinos. Barbecues are always present on parties and gatherings. It is also present on streets and even in the Restaurants, in fact there is a Restaurants which there main dish is Barbecue or Grilled Pork, fish etc.


Ingredients:
2 Lbs. of Pork butt or belly (if using pork belly remove the skin)
1 Cup of soy sauce
1 Whole garlic peeled & smashed
1 Small onion minced
2 Lemons
½ Cup of 7UP
1 Tsp. Ground black pepper
5 Tbs. Dark brown sugar
1 Cup of Banana sauce (ketchup)
1 Tsp. MSG (optional)
Directions:
Soak bamboo skewers in water overnight to avoid splitting and burning before using. Cut pork into ½ thick x 1 inch wide x 1 ½ inch long pieces. Slide pork onto skewers and set aside.
In a large bowl combine soy sauce, garlic, onion, juice of 2 lemons, 7-UP, ground black pepper, dark brown sugar, banana ketchup, and msg. Using a whisk mix and dissolve ingredients really well and pour marinade mixture onto the pork. Cover and set in the fridge at least overnight or up to 2 days. Barbecue over hot coals or gas grill until pork is done. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy your BBQ. 
Tip:
Baste the pork with the remaining marinade to further enhance the flavor while barbecuing. Basting the meat will also help to keep it moist through the entire cooking process. Make sure you allow the marinade to cook when using it for basting, remember this is a left over marinade.

Lumpia

Lumpia is one of my favorite finger foods. Me and my cousin always do this at home, for miryenda or even for dinner. It is easy to cook and prepare!


Ingredients:
2-3 cups fresh bean sprouts
2 cups shredded cabbage
½ cup shredded carrots (matchsticks)
1 Lb. Ground pork
½ Teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cloves Garlic, smashed
1 Medium onion, diced
1 Tbs. Fish sauce (patis)
¼ Tbs. Salt
6-7 Stalks green onions (chopped)
Vegetable oil for Deep-frying
Lumpia wrappers
Cooking Process:
Start by pre-heating your wok and then adding the garlic and frying it until golden brown. After the garlic browns, then you can add the onions and cook until soft.
Next, add the meat to the wok and brown it while stirring constantly. When the meat is done, you can add the carrots and let it cook for about a minute. Then add the cabbage and let it cook for about a minute also.
Season your vegetables with fish sauce, ground black pepper, and after a minute go ahead and add the beans sprouts and green onions and let it cook for half a minute while stirring it. Remove the wok from the heat and let it cool off a bit before you start wrapping it.
After the stuffing mixture has cooled down, begin wrapping it immediately and then deep fry over medium high heat for about 1-2 minutes per batch. That’s  it, you’re done.
Dipping Sauce:
Mix together finely diced onion, smashed garlic, 1:1 vinegar/water mixture, pinch of salt & pepper and several Thai peppers into a bowl.





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