Chicken Inasal

Commonly known simply as inasal, is a variant of the Filipino chicken dish known as lechon manok. It is chicken marinated in a mixture of calamansi, pepper, coconut vinegar and annatto, then grilled over hot coals while basted with the marinade. This is very popular in Bacolod but not many are selling it here in Cavite City.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken cut into serving pieces

2 tablespoons garlic minced

3/4 cup lemongrass chopped

1 cup coconut vinegar

1/2 cup lemon or calamansi juice

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup 7 Up

1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

Basting Sauce:

3 tablespoons atsuete oil

1/2 cup margarine softened

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon or calamansi juice

Procedure:

In a large bowl, combine chicken, lemongrass, salt, ground black pepper, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, vinegar, 7Up, and lemon juice.

Stir mixture. Marinade overnight.

In a bowl, combine margarine, atsuete oil, salt, and lemon juice then stir. Set aside.

Grill the chicken while basting generous amount of the margarine mixture.

Transfer the grilled chicken to a serving plate.

Adobo Seca / Adobong Pula / Adobo sa Achuete / Adobong Caviteño

Adobo Seca or Adobong Pula or Adobo sa Achuete or Adobong Caviteño is the Caviteño way of cooking adobo without soy sauce but with achuete.

Ingredients:

1 kilo pork or chicken or mixed, cut into pieces
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 head garlic, crushed
2 tsp patis or more to taste
1/2 tsp. peppercorns
2-3 pieces bay leaves
achuete oil or achuete powder
cooking oil
water

Procedure:
Pan-fry pork until brown. Set aside. Pour enough water on the same pan add back pork. Add in the vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, add more water as necessary. Add in the pork or chicken and achuete oil or powder, simmer until tender,. and the remaining liquid has turned to oily sauce, correct saltiness as required. Serve over rice.

Bangus Bistek

Ingredients:

1 pcs medium sized milkfish, sliced

1 large white onions, sliced to form onion rings

juice from 10 pcs calamansi

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

1 tsp cornstarch

salt

freshly ground black pepper

oil

Procedure:

Sauté onions do not overcook. Set aside.

Season milkfish with salt and pepper

In a pan, heat oil and fry the milkfish. Set aside.

Mix together cornstarch, water and soy sauce. Once free of lumps pour mixture in the pan then bring to a boil. Add more water if you find it salty.

Once the sauce boils add calamansi, season with salt and ground pepper then turn off the heat.

On a plate arrange milkfish then pour the sauce on top. Put onions on top.

Arroz ala Cubana

Arroz a la Cubana is a popular dish in Spain. The Spanish version is made-up of white rice, fried egg, and tomato sauce. 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
½ cup raisins
1 cup frozen green peas
1 medium yellow onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 medium potato, diced(optional)
1 medium carrot, diced (optional)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
fried saba banana
fried eggs
steamed rice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Procedure:
In a large cooking pan, sauté the onion and garlic.
Put-in the ground beef and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
Pour-in tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, raisins, potatoes and carrots. Stir and then cover the pan. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until the liquid evaporates.
Remove the cover and then put-in the green peas. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes in low to medium heat.
Arrange in individual plates with steamed rice, fried bananas, and fried egg.
Serve !

Note: I use brown rice

Crispy Kare-Kare

The marriage of kare-kare and crispy pork, two of the most yummiest foods in the Philippines.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil
1/2 tablespoons annatto (achuete) seeds
1 medium red onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups pork broth
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 to 3 tablespoons ground glutinous (malagkit) rice, toasted
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 bundle of string beans
2 bundles of pechay
4-5 pcs of eggplant, sliced
Fried Pork Cubes or Liempo or Lechon Kawali or Crispy Pata

Procedure:

Heat oil in a medium saucepan until very hot. Add annatto seeds and turn off fire. Stir until oil becomes red. Strain seeds and pour oil back to the pan. Add onions and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.Add broth and bring to a boil, then simmer. Whisk peanut butter until sauce becomes smooth. Add ground malagkit rice and whisk until thick. Season with fish sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes.

Blanched vegetables and string beans. Set aside.

Fry eggplant until cooked.

Place kare-kare sauce and vegetables on a serving platter. Arrange pork on top. Serve with bagoong.

Honey-Miso Glazed Salmon Bellies

A honey-sweetened, ginger, garlic, miso and soy sauce marinated and glazed over salmon belly strips.

Ingredients:
250 grams salmon belly strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp grated ginger
1 tsp miso paste
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce

Procedure:
Combine soy sauce, honey, miso paste, ginger and garlic in a bowl and whisk well.
Marinade salmon bellies for at least 30 minutes or better overnight.
Heat a teaspoon of oil. Fry until half cooked then add the marinated. Wait until it caramelizes and coats the bellies. Serve.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Potato-Cheese Topping

Ingredients:

For the potato and cheese topping

1 cup cooked potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon milk

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup grated cheese

½ block cream cheese (softened)

1/4 kilo store-bought lumpiang Shanghai mix

4 large green bell peppers

Procedure:

Cut tops from green peppers; discard seeds and membranes. Cook the whole green peppers, uncovered in boiling water for about 5 minutes; invert to drain well. Sprinkle insides of peppers lightly with salt.

Mash potatoes and add butter, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Add cream cheese. Mix well. Set aside.

Sauté the lumpia shanghai mix until meat is cooked.

Stuff peppers with the cooked Lumpia Shanghai mix until three-fourths full. Top each pepper with potato-cheese topping until filled. Add grated cheese on top and bake in a preheated 350˚F oven for 20 minutes.

Tuna Balls Caldereta

Ingredients:

For the tuna meatball:  Refer to Tuna Balls Recipe

1 cup potato diced, boiled
1 cup carrots diced, boiled
green Peas
Salt and pepper

For the caldereta sauce:

2 tsp oil
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small bell pepper, sliced
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup brown Sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup beef broth


Procedure:

Heat up oil, sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper, and chili.
Add tomato paste, peanut, and sugar. Continue to sauté.
Pour broth and let it simmer. Add meat balls and then reduce heat. Cook until sauce is slightly thick.
Add the rest of ingredients. Season to taste.
Serve hot.

Tuna Balls

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked mashed potatoes
1 can tuna
1/2 Tbsp
chopped onion
3 eggs
salt, pepper
corn starch if necessary

Procedure:
Mix potatoes, tuna, egg yolks and seasonings.
Beat egg whites for 5 minutes and add to mixture make balls (ping pong ball sized) and fry in hot oil.


Inspired by: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/appetizer/seafood-appetizer/italian-best-tuna-balls.html

Lechon sa Oven

Home cooked version of the popular Pinoy Lechong Baboy in the oven.

Ingredients:

1 kilo pork belly roast

1 bundle spring onion, chopped/sliced

3 stalks lemongrass, chopped/sliced

1 small size onion, chopped

2-3 pcs. bay leaf

1/2 head garlic, crushed, chopped

1 small packet sampalok sinigang mix

1/4 cup butter, melted

soy sauce

salt and pepper

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 300°F to 350°F. In a roasting pan with the same size with the pork belly place and arrange to form a bed the spring onion, lemongrass, onion and garlic, keep aside. 

Pat dry the pork belly. 

Rub the inner side with the sampalok sinigang mix then with salt and pepper to taste. 

Place the seasoned pork belly in the roasting pan with the skin outside. Drizzle the pork belly skin with soy sauce and rub to evenly coat. 

Place the roasting pan in the pre-heated oven and roast for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Occasionally brush the skin with butter. Adjust, lower the temperature if the skin is drying or cooking to fast. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F to 450°F during the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking or until reddish in color and the skin should be crisp at this stage. Remove from oven and cover the roasting pan with aluminium foil and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Cut into serving pieces and serve with your choice of dipping sauce.

Asao de Carajay

Asao de Carajay, a “sankutiado” dish of pork , liver and chicken cooked in wok, flavored with  vinegar, atsuete for color and taste, bay leaf and camote, more of a cross between adobo and afritada but richer).

This is just an attempt to replicate it based on the ingredients described above. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken (cut in pcs)

1 lb pork (cut in 1-1/2 inch squares)

1/4 kilo chicken liver

1 head garlic (crushed)

1 medium onion (chopped)

yellow camote, sliced and fried

vinegar

atsuete oil 

bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

flour

cooking oil

Procedure:

Marinate chicken, liver and pork pieces in vinegar and garlic. Brown quickly in hot oil. Remove from pan. Saute garlic and onions. Add browned chicken, liver, pork and bayleaf. Add back marinate and simmer until tender.  Add salt and pepper according to taste. Add achuete oil. Add fried camote and let the sauce thickened more. Serve with rice.

Watermelon Beef Short Rib Sinigang

Watermelon Beef Short Rib Sinigang is sinigang na baka with slices of watermelon. The watermelon blended well with the sour taste of paasim that its like tom yum. 

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons cooking oil
1 kilo beef short ribs
1 tablespoon garlic, crushed
1 white onion, chopped
½ of whole watermelon (medium-sized), cut into chunks
5-8 pieces native tomatoes, quartered
4 pieces Gabi, cut into chunks
4 cups water
2 tablespoons Maggi Sinigang Watermelon Surprise
1 bunch sitaw
1 bunch kangkong
Patis to taste
Pepper to taste

Procedure:
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Sear beef short ribs. Set aside.
In the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, saute onion and garlic until translucent.
Add the beef, tomatoes, watermelon, gabi and water. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until beef is tender (about 1-2 hours).
Add sinigang powder mix and sitaw. Simmer until vegetables are cooked.
Add kangkong last. Season with patis and pepper.

#AllWeNeedIsMagic

Recipe Source: http://www.bitesized.ph/manam-style-watermelon-sinigang/

Sinigang na Bangus

Sinigang Na Bangus or milkfish in sour broth is an all time favorite dish of Filipino best eaten with rice.
 

Ingredients:
1 piece large bangus, cleaned and sliced into serving pieces
5 cups water
2 pieces tomatoes, quartered
1 medium onion, sliced
2 medium eggplants, cut into serving pieces (optional)
5 pieces string beans, cut into serving pieces (optional)
2 cups kamote leaves
2 crushed tamarind or 1 small pack Magic sinigang mix
1 tsp salt or Magic isda


Procedure:

In a casserole, bring water to a boil. Add the bangus, tomatoes, and onion and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tamarind powder and salt to taste. Add the eggplant and string beans and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the camote leaves, and let stand covered for 5 minutes.

#AllWeNeedIsMagic

Pan Grilled Tuna Panga

Inihaw Na Panga or Grilled Jaws is a popular dish in the Philippines where soy sauce marinated fish jaws are grilled in charcoal. This is our favorite easy to do but very tasty recipe of tuna panga. 

Ingredients:

Marinade:

2 kg Large Fish (Tuna, Hapuka, Grouper) Jaw

½ cup soy sauce

calamansi juice

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Basting Sauce:

⅓ cup soy sauce

¼ cup water

⅓ cup packed brown sugar

calamansi juice

2 tsp cornstarch

garlic cloves

2 tbsp oil

Procedure:

Combine all marinade ingredients together.

Place fish in a zip lock bag together with the marinade, let it marinate for at least 2 hours.

Prepare your basting sauce. Place oil in a sauce pan then sauté garlic on low heat.

Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl then mix until free of lumps, pour over the sauce pan then bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes or until it thickens.

Drain marinade from fish then place them on a grill (charcoal grill preferred) but I used a Tefal Fan. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes on each side while continuously basting with prepared basting sauce on the last 5 minutes of the cooking time.

Ginataang Tulingan

Another simple and easy Filipino fish dish.

Ginataang Tulingan is a fish dish made from tulingan simmered in coconut-based sauce.

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds tulingan (tilapia, milkfish or any fish of your choice can also be an alternative)

2 cups coconut milk

3 long green peppers

1 tablespoon garlic

salt and pepper

banana leaves (optional)

Procedure:

Prepare the fish for cooking. Cut the fish in desirable pieces. Boil the coconut milk, garlic, salt and pepper until oily. Add the fish(wrapped in cut rectangular-sized banana leaves) and long green peppers continue cooking until fish is done. Serve on top of hot steamed rice.

Seven Kinds

Seven Kinds is mixed vegetable dish composed of seven kinds of vegetables.

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo chicken breast, cut into small pieces

2 medium carrots, peeled (cut into cubes)

2 large turnips, peeled (cut into cubes)

1 cup green peas

1 can young corn, sliced

1 can whole mushroom, sliced

1/2 cup cashew nuts, plain

25 pieces quail egg, hard-boiled

1 small head garlic, minced

1 small white onion, sliced

1 pack or can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

In a pan, heat oil and butter. Saute' garlic and onion. Add chicken breasts cubes and saute until cook.  Add carrots and turnips. Let it cover and stir occasionally until half cook. Add young corn, mushroom and green peas. Add little water and let simmer. Gradually add cream of mushroom then stir well.    Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add quail eggs, cook until sauce are thicken. Removed from fire and sti in cashew nuts.

Adobong Dilaw

Adobong Dilaw or Adobo Seca is another way of cooking adobo without soy sauce and using turmeric instead.

Ingredients:
1 kilo pork, cut into large cubes
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 head garlic, crushed
1/2 thumb size ginger , cut into strips
2 tsp patis or more to taste
1/2 tsp. peppercorns
2-3 pieces bay leaves
2 tsp. turmeric powder
cooking oil
water

Procedure:
Pan-fry pork until brown. Set aside. Pour enough water on the same pan add back pork. Add in the vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, ginger, salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, add more water as necessary. Add in the pork and turmeric powder, simmer until tender,. and the remaining liquid has turned to oily sauce, correct saltiness as required. Serve over rice.

Chicken Menudo

Chicken Menudo is a variation of the popular Filipino savory stew made of pork, hot dogs, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers in a thick tomato and liver sauce. This recipe uses cubed chicken breast.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg chicken breast, cubed
3 medium potatoes, cubed
2 medium carrots, cubed
1/2 cup raisins
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
500 ml tomato sauce or tomato paste
1 can liver spread
1 medium onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
grated cheese
2 pieces large hotdog (optional)
green peas (optional)

Marinade
2 bay leaves
1 cup Sprite
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons calamansi juice
ground black pepper


Procedure:
Combine all marinade ingredients. Divide the marinade in halves. Save half. Add pork cubes on the other half with the bay leaf and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from the marinade, drip dry.
Sauté garlic and onion, add chicken and the unused half of the marinade and bay leaf, simmer uncovered, reduce the liquid to half.
Add tomato sauce, liver paste, carrots, potatoes and raisins, simmer.
Add peppers and adjust the seasoning.
Add the grated cheese, let it melt, stir and distribute evenly. Serve hot.

Baked Salmon

An expensive, healthy and yummy dish suited for the holidays.

Baked Salmon is a fish dish of salmon slab topped with cream cheese and more cheese then baked until crust turns lightly brown.

Ingredients:

1 salmon fillet

salt and pepper

juice of half a lemon

Cheese Garlic-Mayo topping:

½ block cream cheese - softened

3 tbsp mayo

1 to 1 1/2 tbsp garlic chopped finely (if you want it more garlicky, just add a bit more)

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup for the cream mixture and 1/4 for the topping)

Salt and pepper to taste

breadcrumbs (optional. I like it w/ breadcrumbs, but the one served at Conti's does not have this)

Garnish - Buttered Vegetables:

mixed vegetables

broccoli flowerets

2 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Rub salmon fillet with salt and pepper, then lemon juice for about 20 minutes

While salmon is marinating, mix thoroughly the cream cheese, mayo, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. set aside.

Pan fry salmon about 2 to 3 mins on both sides

Preheat toaster/turbo. Assemble the fried fish on baking tray, then top w/ cheese garlic mayo mixture, sprinkle w/ remaining parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, bake in toaster/turbo for about 10 to 15 mins at 175C.

Saute mixed vegetables w/ 2 tbsp butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Put out the baking tray and surround the baked salmon with butter vegetables. 

Crispy Pata

Crispy Pata is a whole pork leg boiled, dried and cooled overnight and then deep-fried until crispy golden brown. This is one of the all time favorite pork dish aside from lechon.

Ingredients:

1 Pata (front or hind leg of a pig including the knuckles)

1 bottle of soda (7Up or sprite)

1 tablespoon of salt

2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)

1/2 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)

4 tablespoons of flour

Enough oil for deep frying

Enough water for boiling

Procedure:

Clean the pork pata by removing all hairs and by scraping the skin with a knife. Wash thoroughly.

Make four to five inch cuts on the sides of the pata.

On a deep stock pot, place the pata in water with soda and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the baking soda and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.

Remove the pata from the pot and hang and allow to drip dry for 24 hours. An alternative to this is to thoroughly drain the pork pata and refrigerate for a few hours.

After the above process, rub patis on the pata and sprinkle flour liberally.

In a deep frying pot, heat cooking oil and deep fry the pork pata until golden brown.

Crispy Pata Dip Sauce:

Mix 3/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 head of diced onion and 1 hot pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.

Happy Fiesta !!!