List of Filipino Dishes

The location of the Philippines astride the great sea routes to Asia has resulted in varied foreign influence in its history and culture. The Filipinos are basically Malays . However, more than 300 years of Spanish colonization, half a century of American tutelage, the many years of visit from Chinese traders and Hindu merchants have left their mark on the island.

Filipino cooking reflects this cultural combination. The result is an exotic blend that is characteristically unique though the variety of regional dishes is never ending source of gourmet surprises.

Cooking styles and seasoning also vary from region to region although all the basic cooking methods such as boiling, roasting, frying, steaming and sauteing are used. The use of heavy sauce is not a traditional Filipino style of cooking but can be traced directly to Spanish influence. Some of these heavy thick sauces are however reserve for town fiesta, Christmas and other special occasion.

Today, there are millions of Filipinos living all over the world, but despite their easy adaptable to their new environment they still have retained their tail for Filipino food.

This hub is a descriptive guide to the different and popular dishes in the Philippines.

ADOBO

A meat dish prepared by marinating pieces of beef, chicken pork or a mixture of meat in vinegar, crushed garlic, spices and soy sauce. The mixture is simmered until meat is tender and finally allowed to brown in its own fat.

Fleshy fish may be cooked into adobo. Vegetables can also be cooked in this style such as Adobong sitao/sitaw or adobong kangkong.

ASADO

Meat dish simmered in soy sauce, bay leaves , onions, tomatoes and peppercorn.

CALDERETA

Meat dish usually goat meat, sauteed in lard, garlic, onions, potatoes, peas bell pepper and seasonings. Stock is reduced before liver paste is added as a thickener.

CAMARON

“Camaron Rebosado" is shrimp dipped in flour-egg batter, fried and served with catsup/ tomato sauce or a sweet-sour sauce.

ESTOFADO

Deep fat-fried pieces of meat usually tongue, chicken or pork are cooked in vinegar, salt, sugar, water and spices until tender. Garnished with fried potatoes.

EMBUTIDO

A traditional Filipino style meatloaf, wrapped in an aluminum foil and steamed.

GUINATAAN/ GINATAN

Dish cooked in coconut milk.

INABRAW

A typical recipe of the Ilocos region consisting of broiled pork boiled in rice washing. It is seasoned with bagoong. Patani and string beans are also added and are cooked until done.

INIHAW - local term for roasting.

KARI-KARI / KARE-KARE

Philippine meat-vegetables dish Shanks or oxtail are boiled until meat is tender, then sautéed in garlic with banana bud, stringbrings, eggplant, ground peanuts and toasted brown rice to thicken the sauce. Served with sauted bagoong.

KILAWIN

Popular dish among the Ilocos region, consisting of internal organs such as heart, tripe and sauteed in garlic and onion. It is seasoned with salt, pepper and vinegar and cooked.

KINILAW

Fresh shrimps marinated in nipa palm vinegar,chili and onion slices. In Samar or Leyte Philippines fleshy fish is used.

KINUKOT

A Bicol pork dish cooked with santol, bagoong hot pepper and coconut milk.

PAELLA

Rice prepared with meat, shellfish, sausages and variety of seasonings, the primary ones being garlic and saffron. It is cooked in deep pot and the ingredients are added as cooking progresses.

PAKSIW- local term for pickling fish or meat.

PINAKBET

Means wrinkled in Ilocano dialect. The Ilocano way is cooking bittemelon and eggplant in just enough water to cooked by steam. Tomatoes, bagoong-dilis with or without pork or fish are added. Ginger is optional.

PINANGAT

A method of cooking fish with salt and a little oil allowing it to dry over low heat.

PANSIT/ PANCIT - NOODLE DISH

Commonly used noodles in the Philippines are:

• Canton -noodles made from flour’s ducks eggs salt, soda and vegetable oil. Cooked by sauteing in small amount of lard or cooking oil, minced garlic, sliced onions, slivers of meat and shrimps. The noodles are added and when partially cooked vegetables are added. (usually cabbage, sweet peas pods, green onions.) Maybe garnished with slices of ham and chicken and served with lemon.
• Pansit Luglog– rice noodles are dipped in boiling water until cooked (luglog means to dip or soak). The noodles are drained well placed on a serving dished topped with Palabok.
• Palabok-local term for garnishing. In pancit palabok the starch thickened sauce colored with achuete and the flaked tinapa, pork crackling oysters, squid, pork cracklings, oysters, squid,hard cooked eggs, tokwa (tofu), green onions sliced shrimps are the garnishing. Pancit luglog and pancit palabok are essentially same dish the only difference is the kind of noodles used.
• Pancit Bihon - uses very thin rice noodles.

SINIGANG 

Philippine soupy meat or fish with vegetables added  such as taro, okra, water spicnach,  eggplants,  string beans. It is different from nilaga and pesa due to its acid ingredients like tamarind, kamias, tomato and green mangoes

SUAM/ SUWAM

Fish is sautéed in ginger, onion and garlic, then rice water is added and cooking is continued; chili leaves are added last.

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• Filipino Food Hubs

  A small collection of Filipino recipes, so simple and easy.