Filipinas and Rice

@Cherryann0 writes, - "A very interesting story about Old Godmother, reminds me a bit about a gentleman called Leroy Roots who pitched his spicy Reggae Reggae Sauce on TV .. making him a multi millionaire." -@Cherryann01

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Interesting CA, and you've made me want to research other interesting Filipina foods.

Here one site I found: https://wanderingwheatleys.com/best-foo … hilippines

"Famous Filipino Food: 15 Must-Eat Dishes in the Philippines!"

By Nick Wheatley, May 7th 2022

The food culture of the Philippines is sometimes overshadowed by it’s northwestern neighbors – Thailand and Vietnam.

But the Philippines can easily hold its own on the global culinary stage and even came in second in a 2015 CNN poll asking readers what country was their favorite food destination.

From the ubiquitous adobo to the cringe-worthy balut, Filipino cuisine is varied and delicious (though not always particularly healthy). In fact, Anthony Bourdain claimed the best pork he ever ate was in the Philippines.

We spent 2 months traveling around the islands and trying all of the amazing Filipino food we could find. We have compiled 15 of the best dishes in the Philippines for your sampling pleasure – make sure you try them all!

15 Must-Try Foods in the Philippines

1. Tocino

Breakfast of champions. Tocino is the Filipino version of bacon. It is pork belly cured in sugar, salt, and various other spices then fried – yum! It is served as part of a common Filipino breakfast called tosilog. The name is a combination of its 3 parts: tocino, sinangag (garlic fried rice), and pritong itlog  (fried egg).

There are lots of different versions of the silog breakfast trio that simply replace the Tocino with another meat options. Tapsilog features marinated beef (‘tapa’), bansilog has fried fish (‘bangus’), and maybe the least adventurous choice is hotsilog which simply includes a hot dog.  Our favorite by a landslide was tosilog because who doesn’t love bacon?

2. Kinilaw

Kinilaw is a delicious seafood dish served up all over the Philippines. It consists of slices of raw fish marinated in vinegar along with other ingredients like calamansi juice, salt, pepper, and chili peppers. The name kinilaw literally means “eaten raw”.  Very similar to ceviche, the main difference is that Kinilaw relies on vinegar rather than lime juice to “cook” the fish.

Filipino food can be pretty heavy so if you’re feeling like you need a healthy alternative, kinilaw makes a great appetizer or light lunch.

3. Sinigang

Sinigang is a sour soup that is typically made with pork and tamarind though sometimes other sour fruits like guava, green mango, or calamansi are used instead. Tomatoes, garlic, onion, and various other vegetables complete the stew.

It’s a delicious Filipino comfort food and makes for a hearty hangover breakfast if you had a few to many Pilsens the night before.

4. Kare-Kare

Kare-kare is a thick stew made from oxtail, vegetables, and a peanut sauce. It reminded us a bit of massaman curry from Thailand which makes sense as the word ‘kare’ is derived from the Filipino word for curry.  Supposedly the best kare-kare comes from Pampanga which is just north of Manila, but you’ll find this dish served all over the Philippines.

Try ordering kare-kare along with lechon kawali (deep fried pork belly) and then use the thick kare-kare sauce for dipping the lechon. It’s a delicious Filipino meal that will have you won’t soon forget, but best to plan on taking a nap afterwards…

5. Sisig

You’ll know someone has ordered sisig when you hear the sizzling and see the steam rising off of the cast-iron skillet. It’s like Filipino fajitas and is an extremely popular dish in the Philippines!

Pork sisig is most common and it consists of chopped up pig ears, jowls and liver, onion, and chili peppers delivered on a sizzling hot skillet with a raw egg on top. You’ll need to mix in the egg to cook it before the skillet cools down. It usually comes with a couple calamansi halves so you can squeeze the juice over the top.

Other versions of sisig include pork belly, chicken, tuna, eggplant, and pretty much anything else you can put on a sizzling hot plate.

6. Adobo

Adobo is often called the national dish of the Philippines and it’s certainly the most famous Filipino dish. The flavor is created using vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and black pepper. Also chili peppers are sometimes added to give it a little spice.

The most typical adobo dishes are chicken and pork but you’ll find every restaurant in the Philippines has their own take. The meat can either be cooked into a stew or marinated in the adobo sauce and then pan fried.

If there is one dish you should try before you leave the Philippines it’s pork adobo!

7. Humba

Humba is very similar to adobo, but also includes banana blossoms and tausi (fermented black bean paste). This gives humba a sweeter taste than adobo and results in an amazing spicy/salty/sweet flavor. Whereas you can find the adobo flavor applied to all types of meat and vegetable dishes, humba is almost always made with pork.

You’ll encounter humba in the southern islands of the Philippines and it’s even sometimes referred to as Cebu’s version of adobo. Make sure you try both these famous Filipino dishes and see which you prefer!

8. Lechon

Lechon is a broad term that refers to a suckling pig that has been seasoned, skewered on a bamboo pole, and roasted whole over charcoal. It is particularly famous on the island of Cebu and you’ll see lots of shops along the roads with whole roast pigs in the window. On his trip to the Philippines Anthony Boudain asserted that the lechon on Cebu Island was “the best pig ever!”

Just as there are many ways to prepare pork (and many different cuts of meat) there are plenty of ways to prepare and serve lechon after it has finished roasting. It can be eaten right off of the carcass with a side of sinangag (garlic fried rice) or the leftovers can be added to dishes like sinigang or paksiw na lechon.

Our favorite was lechon kawali which is crispy fried pork belly served with two dipping sauces: toyomansî (a spicy sweet combination of soy sauce, calamansi juice, and diced chili peppers) and mang tomas (made from ground up pork liver).

9. Pancit Guisado

Another famous Filipino food, Pancit guisado is basically just fried noodles and you’ll see this dish offered at almost every restaurant you visit. They typically come in three varieties: pancit canton, pancit bihon, and bam-i.

Pancit canton has thick noodles

Pancit sotanghon has thin vermicelli noodles

Bam-i is a combination of the two

Pancit guisado is a delicious side dish to add to your meal but be aware that the portions are often huge so it’s best to plan on eating family style with several other people when ordering.

10. Sinangag (Garlic Fried Rice)

Sinangag is pretty simple and straightforward – it’s just garlic fried rice. It’s made by frying white rice in a wok or pan with lots of garlic. Other ingredients like egg or vegetables can be added in a similar way to Chinese-style fried rice. But in the Philippines it is typically prepared with just garlic so it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the meat it is being served with.

Basically every Filipino restaurant will offer garlic rice as an alternative to plain old white rice, but you may have to pay a little more for it with your meal. In our experience it was always worth it!

11. Balut

Balut is probably the most infamous street food in the Philippines and the most likely to be a part of a drunken dare involving tourists. It is basically just a boiled duck egg. However, the duck eggs used for Balut have been fertilized and allowed to incubate anywhere from 14 to 18 days. Ihe ideal incubation period for the perfect balut is 17 days.

The result of this fertilization and incubation is an embryo that is well on its way to becoming a duck. This means you’ll be gobbling down partially formed bones, feathers, and even a tiny crunchy duck beak and squishy eyeballs, yum!

To eat balut, first break a hole in the top of the boiled egg and add the mix of vinegar, salt, and chili that you’ll be given to the liquid surrounding the embryo. Slurp this broth from the hole in the top. Then you’ll consume the embryo either with a spoon or just crack the entire egg open and eat it in the same way you would eat a boiled egg.

If you’re a bit shy about trying this dish then go for the 14-day version as the embryo won’t be as developed and you won’t have to chew your way through as many bones and feathers.

12. Buko

Spend a single day in the Philippines and you see the word ‘buko’ everywhere – on roadside stands, restaurant menus, and on half the drink labels at the convenience store. It can be a bit confusing at first until you realize that buko is just the Filipino word for “fresh young green coconuts”.

The Philippines grows over 15 million tons of coconuts a year, the second most in the world right behind Indonesia, so it’s no wonder that you’ll find them for sale everywhere.

Be sure to order an ice cold buko while lounging on the white sand beaches of the Philippines!

13. Calamansi

Calamansi are small green and yellow fruits that taste like a mix of an orange and a lime.  If you have actually read this post up to this point you’re probably starting to see just how important calamansi juice is in Filipino cuisine. It’s used in just about every dish as a marinade or sauce.

While many of the dishes you’ll be eating in the Philippines will already be flavored by calamansi, you can also order a glass of the juice at most restaurants. The juice by itself is quite sour so you’ll usually be asked if you would like to have sugar added. Some restaurants also add honey or ginger as both are excellent compliments for the citrus flavor of calamansi juice.

14. Ice Candy

Ice candy is an incredibly popular dessert in the Philippines. Many enterprising locals hover around popular tourist attractions carrying coolers filled with these delicious, refreshing treats.

Ice candy is made by mixing fruit juice with sugar and milk, then pouring it into slender plastic bags that are tied shut and frozen. Ice candy is eaten just like a homemade push-pop. Tear or bite off the top of the plastic and squeeze from the bottom.

You’ll encounter all kinds of flavors of ice candy such as mango, chocolate, ube (purple yam), buko salad (which includes lots of little bits of chopped up fruit mixed), buko pandan (pandan tastes a bit like vanilla), melon, and avocado.

Ice candy is also amazingly cheap. No matter where we were in the Philippines it always cost just 10 pisos (~ $0.20). We recommend that you buy one every chance you get!

15. Halo Halo

Literally meaning “mix mix” the name halo-halo is a pretty apt description for this traditional Filipino dessert that includes every sweet treat the restaurant has in their refrigerator and freezer.

The main ingredients of halo-halo are shaved ice, ice cream, and condensed milk. It could also include fruits such as lychee or mango, sweetened red beans, jellies, corn flakes, and coconut strings, just to name a few.

It’s served in a clear glass so you can see all of the layered ingredients, and it’s up to you to mix it all up into a sugary delicious mess. Enjoy!

Did we miss anything?

Add your favorite Filipino dish in the comments below.

21 COMMENTS

Gloria Bort  1 year ago

And our famous Magnolia or Selecta ice creams, with different Filipino fruit flavors, our different rice cakes, Ube cakes, tapioca cakes and other sweet delicacies. Our famous San Miguel Beer . Our pork longganissa. Our chicharon. Our fresh or fried , mostly vegetable lumpia. I miss all these in Germany.

Caroline 9 months ago

Turon, Fresh Pumpia, Biko, Sapin Sapin, Pinakbet, Dinuguan, Bulalo, Ginataang Mais at Bilo bilo, Laing, Lahat Ng klase Ng kalamay – Lalo na ung mga binebenta sa bus

Jojo 3 months ago

What! No lumpia?

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And must say, when one actually looks, there are heaps of websites regarding Filipino foods

Instead of the Philippines being known for one-pot cooking, really there are some delightful dishes.

And must say, when one actually looks, there are heaps of websites regarding Filipino foods
Instead of the Philippines being known for one-pot cooking, really there are some delightful dishes.
-@PalawOne

I do not see Mango Float on the list, probably my favourite. I must admit on a visit to the cinema in Davao once, I was shocked to see the different flavours of popcorn. Sour Cream and cheese flavoured popcorn is a big no no for me.

Agree P1, most are delicious but the odd few are nasty but O/A no complaints. I have 2 coffees in the morning with no sugar but milk, 4 am riser, Ben 6 am riser makes his Milo (already full of sugar), 3 teaspoons and adds 2 to 3 teaspoons of sugar and milk. Each to their own I suppose, he has deleted shrimp paste and backed off big time on soy and salt when he cooks and can add extra but that never seems to happen these days.

Perhaps too many years in Australia for him? Mind you his pork Sisig is the best I have eaten no matter restaurants or mum and dad stores.

Cheers, Steve.

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Must say, BP you're an early riser. Up at 4 am ?? and I'm needing 3 or 4 coffees.

Good on you. We don't have sugar either. In fact at the moment, I don't think there's any in the house?

We also go easy on the salt too. Good on your Ben .. he sounds smart and capable, and you say he is a good cook?

Haha. If he can also speak or at least understand Tagalog, he will be like a god among the local young folks.

Anyway, suppose we should continue talking about food, so as to get this thread back on some form of topic.

Often when we visit family, we will all have the usual meal, which includes one-inch-squares of pure animal fat.

Not meat, just pure fat. Lately I have run out of ways to avoid them, instead of eating these lumps as expected with genuine relish.

Last time I took lots more rice, and then left them hiding there under the rice.

Don't know what I'll do next time!

Sigh, the things we secretly do in order to save everyone face.

Thanks for the compliment for Ben P1. He is Ilicano so primary language but also fluent in Tagalog, English, Bicolano, and a lot of Spanish. Yes he is well respected in the community and even more so now after spending 5 or 6 years working/living in Australia.

For a guy that I met 11/12 years ago that could only cook eggs or cup noodles? Now he is an excellent cook and a lot more organized than I ever was. Like all he has his downfalls as I do so I suppose it's yin and yang for us.

Yeah the fat thing,,,,, nasty. We only buy lean pork and beef but not easy to buy skinless chicken as ben has an allergy with that but I like. The only lash out we have is the pork belly for the Sisig and not that often. Plenty of fresh veggies available in the local wet market or street vendors.

Cheers, Steve.

Steve writes: Thanks for the compliment for Ben P1. He is Ilicano so primary language but also fluent in Tagalog, English, Bicolano, and a lot of Spanish. Yes he is well respected in the community and even more so now after spending 5 or 6 years working/living in Australia. For a guy that I met 11/12 years ago that could only cook eggs or cup noodles? Now he is an excellent cook and a lot more organized than I ever was. Cheers, Steve. -@bigpearl

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Ah, thanks for that. For some reason I had the thought Ben was your younger son. He certainly does sound like a well accomplished gentleman, and, probably much like yourself. All good. From what you say your diet sounds healthy, but then again, you work hard and like us all you need well-balanced nourishment.

I know you are originally an Aussie, same as myself. There are lots of Aussies in the Phils, the place seems to appeal to us quite strongly for some reason? Don't know why. Do you have any thought on that, out of interest? You being born in Australia and Ben having spent 5 or 6 years in Australia, yet you're now becoming well-established, do you believe you will stay? My wife and I will be back in Palawan soon, perhaps before Xmas to further establish another business there properly.

Longer term we will need to decide where we favour living more. It's the normal Expat Decision, I guess. At this stage, the thinking is maybe 6 months per year in each country, and so having the best of both worlds. Money is not a problem, so it's a pleasant choice we will make at some stage. Currently, the differing Covid strains and the medical treatment available in both countries are possibly the decisive factors for us still being here in Australia, being perfectly honest.

Anyway health-wise, we're also thinking of looking seriously at the Keto diet, for health benefits. So do you, or does anyone, know much about it from personal experience? We've been researching but will like some experienced opinions?