F*ck Yes, 40 Filipino Food Recipes! (2024)

Hello and welcome to this thing we’re doing where we help you figure out what you’re gonna put in your mouth this week. Some of these are recipes we’ve tried, some of these are recipes we’re looking forward to trying, all of them are fucking delicious. Tell us what you want to put in your piehole or suggest your own recipes, and we’ll talk about which things we made, which things we loved, and which things have changed us irreversibly as people. Last week, we chilled out with summer soup.

The Philippines is a chain of islands located geographicallynear Malaysia, but emotionally nearthe center of my heart. I have complicated feelings about a lot of things, but my love of Filipino food is not one of those things. Like, 3/4of the words I know in Filipino arefood-related. If I were the lead characteron Inside Out, “Filipino food island” would probably be one of my core personality centers. Filipino food is just so good.

Anyway. I’ve personally eaten every dish on this list (albeit not with these exact recipes), and I will personally attest to the deliciousness of each and every one. Enjoy.

1. Kare-Kare(Peanut Butter Stew)

2. Sinigang(Tamarind Soup)

This recipe uses pork, but you can substitute different proteins like chicken or seafood. That’s true of many (most?) Filipino recipes.

3. Lechon(Roasted Pig)

Okay, not this one. Lechon has to be made of pork.

4. Turon(Banana Roll)

When my Ate Rose taught me how to make this, she told me Icould skip the jackfruit if Icouldn’t find it. Butjust so you know, it’s way better with jackfruit.

5. Pancit Palabok(Rice Noodle With Hardboiled Eggs)

6. Pancit Bihon (Rice Noodles With Meat And Vegetables)

This pancit variation is the one my family usually has. It tastes like hugs and laughter.

7. Tocino(Grilled Cured Pork)

8. Longganisa(Sweet Sausage)

Both longganisa and tocino arefor breakfast. If you have leftovers, you can chop themup and put themin fried rice.

9. Chicken Adobo

F*ck Yes, 40 Filipino Food Recipes! (10)

Via Autostraddle.

10. Leche Flan(Custard)

It tastes better than the photo I took of it here, I promise.

11.Sinangag (Garlic Fried Rice)

If you add itlog (fried egg), the combination is referred to as“silog” (sinangag + itlog). Or if you add other things, those dishes getother cute shortened names. For example:Spamsilog.

Also, you should all read Phoenix’s delightfulode to Spam. The Philippines has a complicatedpolitical-economic dependency on the United States. I’m not going to get into it here, but that Spam article would be an okay place to start if you wanted to read about theimpact of colonialism on Filipino food.

12. Beef Caldereta (Stewed Beef)

13. Puto (Steamed Rice Cake)

14. Kutsinta (Rice Cake Dessert)

15. Ensaymada (Sweet Bun)

The most important thing about this is that there’s cheese and sugar on top.

16. Pastillas De Leche (Milk Candy)

Do you want a history lesson on decorative candy wrappers?Yes, you do.

17. Pork Menudo

18. Arroz Caldo (Congee)

19. Pandesal (Sweet Dinner Rolls)

Man cannot live on bread alone, but this bitch could probably live on nothing but pandesal.

20. Mechado (Braised Beef)

21. Ginataang Manok (Coconut Chicken)

22. Lumpia (Egg Roll)

Eat lumpia, and Chinese takeout spring rolls will forever be asoggy, one-note disappointment in comparison. You’ve been warned.

23. Bistek Tagalog (Braised Beef With Citrus)

24. Tinola (Chicken Soup)

25. Pork BBQ

26. Biko (Sweet Sticky Rice)

This was my favorite Filipino dessert as a kid. I always went back for second, third, and fourth helpings at Filipino parties.

27. Bicol Express(Coconut and Chile Stew)

FYI, Bicol is a region in the Philippines. There’s also a small fast food chain called Bicol Express.

28. Sitaw Guisado (Stir Fried Long Beans)

One of the few vegan friendly dishes in traditional Filipino cooking.

If you’re interested in the topic, there are some interesting discussions to be had about food justice and decolonization!

29. Chicharon (Pork Crisps)

30. Mamon(Sponge Cake)

31. Crispy Pata(Deep Fried Pork)

32. Sisig (Sizzling Pork)

This dish is traditionally (and best) made with pig face skin and assorted bits. I believe this dishwas borne out ofa colonialist period in whichFilipinoshad restricted access to “good” pork products. But like, joke’s on you, Spain. Sisig is awesome.

33. Inihaw Na Liempo (Grilled Pork Belly)

34. Siopao (Steamed Bun With Filling)

This recipe has apork asado filling, which is my favorite. But you can put leftover adobo inside, or any number of other fillings.

35. Paella

Similar to the Spanish version, but the Filipino kind usesa tomato base.

36. Banana Que (Deep Fried Banana Skewers)

37. Suman (Sweet Rice Wrapped In Banana Leaves)

38. Chicken Inasal

39. Braso De Mercedes (Custard Roll)

40. Hopia(Pastry With Bean Filling)

My (white) mother once made a passing mentionto my dad’s (Filipino) relatives that she liked hopia. They sent her four gigantic boxes full of it when they got home, and the love-and-hopia-filled shipmentscontinued coming at regularintervals afterwards. We’ve learned thathopia freezes really well. So stock up!

F*ck Yes, 40 Filipino Food Recipes! (42)

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F*ck Yes, 40 Filipino Food Recipes! (2024)

FAQs

What is the signature dish of the Philippines? ›

1. Adobo. No list of the top 10 Filipino foods can begin without the famous Adobo on top. The unofficial Philippines national food is made with pork or chicken simmered in soy sauce and vinegar with loads of black pepper and crushed garlic.

What is a typical Filipino lunch? ›

A typical Filipino lunch (tanghalian) is composed of a food variant (or two for some) and rice, sometimes with soup. Whether grilled, stewed, or fried, rice is eaten with everything. Due to the tropical climate of the Philippines, the preference is to serve ice-cold water, juices, or soft drinks with meals.

What are the original Filipino foods? ›

15 Traditional Filipino Foods and Drinks To Try on Your Next Trip
  • Cebu lechon. Roasted suckling pig is a staple of Filipino cuisine. ...
  • Kare-kare. Kare-kare is a rich oxtail stew, often served with rice. ...
  • Adobo. Adobo is both a traditional dish and a cooking method in the Philippines. ...
  • Sisig. ...
  • Balut. ...
  • Sinigang. ...
  • Pinakbet. ...
  • Halo-halo.

What is the most authentic Filipino food? ›

Lechon is one of the Philippines' most well-known foods whose name translates to “roasted piglet.” However, this dish isn't usually made with piglets, rather with one fully-grown pig, lightly seasoned and roasted whole. Part of what makes lechon so world-famous is its striking visual appearance.

What is the national dish of the Philippines? ›

In the Philippines, adobo is considered the unofficial national dish, taking many forms across the country, but the base ingredients for the stew are typically the same: vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, black pepper and bay leaves, along with some kind of marinated meat or vegetables.

What do Filipinos eat for breakfast? ›

In the Philippines, the classic and traditional Pinoy breakfast meals are “kape at pandesal” (black coffee and bread) and fried rice, sunny side up or scrambled egg and tuyo (dried salted fish) with grilled tomatoes on the side.

What is the national drink of the Philippines? ›

The Philippines boasts an array of beverages that encapsulate the country's spirit. If one were to be singled out, San Miguel Beer, known for its rich flavor and widespread popularity, could arguably be considered the Philippines' national beverage.

What kind of rice do Filipinos eat? ›

Filipinos consume a variety of rice including nonsticky, glutinous, fancy, specialty, and even rice with medicinal properties. The rice types cater to daily consumption and special occasions.

How many meals do Filipinos eat a day? ›

An average Filipino eats five meals a day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. So, at any time, there are big chances that you might be interrupting a meal.

What is the number 1 Filipino dish? ›

The most popular main dish in the Philippines is adobo, which contains chicken, pork, or both. Besides adobo, there are several other main dishes to try.

Why do Filipinos eat so much rice? ›

Maria, the Spanish colonisers implemented a food quota to stave off hunger. To hasten production of food, they brought agricutural tools like the Southern Chinese plow pulled by a carabao. Rice production increased, and more and more Filipinos began to eat rice on a daily basis for sustenance.

What is the most unique food in the Philippines? ›

Most first-time visitors to the Philippines will find themselves challenged by the locals into eating one of the country's best-known exotic delicacies, balut. It's basically a boiled egg with a semi-developed duck embryo aged between 16 to 21 days.

What is Pinoy's favorite food? ›

The favorite food of the Pinoy are tapa, apahap,lapu-lapu, tapang usa, escargots(snails), frog' legs and of course rice. Apahap- known locally as Apahap, these Barramundi or Asian Seabass as they are also known are excellent gamefish.

What is the best food to eat in the Philippines? ›

9 Filipino Foods You Must Try
  • Balut. Good for: Food. ...
  • Lechon. Good for: Food. ...
  • See also. Black Market Club Manila. Philippines. ...
  • Sinigang. Good for: Food. ...
  • Adobo. Good for: Food. ...
  • Sizzling pork sisig. Good for: Food. ...
  • Bicol express. Good for: Food. ...
  • Betute Tugak. Good for: Food.

What is the most popular Filipino dessert? ›

Leche flan tops the list of Filipino desserts because of its soft and rich texture. Interestingly, leche flan is the Filipino version of creme caramel. However, leche flan uses condensed and evaporated milk as its base.

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