Filipino recipes

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Vegetarian ginisang monggoSautéed mung bean stew with tofu

All over the Philippines, ginisang monggo is what's on the table on Friday, a habit from the days of meatless Fridays that never went away. Whole green mung beans are simmered until they burst into a thick, savoury stew with lots of garlic, onion and tomato and finished with malunggay (moringa) or spinach leaves. Home cooks usually add pork or dried shrimp and season with fish sauce; this vegetarian version uses golden fried tofu and soy sauce instead. A portion gives about 25 g of protein from the mung beans and tofu, and it is filling enough to eat with rice as a whole meal. The most common mistake is adding the greens too early, so they turn grey and slimy; put them in at the very end and turn off the heat. Chef's tip: let the beans simmer until most have split their skins and some collapse into the liquid; that is what makes the stew creamy without any thickener.

65 min

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DinengdengVegetables in fish sauce broth

Dinengdeng is the everyday soup of the Ilocos region in the northern Philippines, made from whatever the backyard gives that day: squash and its flowers, string beans, okra, aubergine and moringa leaves, simmered briefly in water seasoned with bagoong (fermented fish sauce) and crowned with a piece of grilled fish. It is thin, savoury and green-tasting, and meant to be eaten with rice. A bowl has about 15 g of protein from the fish and vegetables, so it is a light meal rather than a high-protein one. The common mistake is putting all the vegetables in at once: add them hardest first so the leaves stay bright. Chef's tip: strain the bagoong into the pot through a sieve, so you get its flavour without the bones and grit.

40 min

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Pesang isdaGinger fish soup

Pesang isda comes from Pampanga and the provinces of Central Luzon, the gentle ginger soup Filipino families make on rainy days and for anyone who is unwell. Fish is poached in water from rinsing rice, which gives a faintly milky, rounded broth, with lots of ginger, onion and whole peppercorns, then cabbage and pechay (pak choi) wilt in at the end. It is mild, soothing and light, with about 25 g of protein a bowl from the fish; it is often served with a sautéed miso and tomato sauce on the side. The common mistake is throwing in the greens too early, so they go grey. Chef's tip: save the second rinsing of the rice, not the first, for the cleanest, creamiest broth.

40 min

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Paksiw na isdaFish simmered in vinegar

Paksiw na isda is cooked in homes all over the Philippines, from Manila to the Visayas, as an everyday lunch with rice; the vinegar keeps it for a day or two, and many people think it tastes better the next morning. Fish simmers in vinegar and a little water with ginger, garlic, peppercorns and long chillies, with aubergine and bitter melon, until the sauce is sharp, savoury and slightly reduced. A portion has about 26 g of protein from the fish. The classic mistake is stirring the pot before the vinegar has boiled: it leaves a raw, harsh taste, so let it come to the boil uncovered and untouched first. Chef's tip: use cane or coconut vinegar if you can find it; it is gentler than distilled white vinegar.

35 min

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Filipino egg pieBaked custard pie

Walk into a neighbourhood panaderya in Manila or Cebu in the afternoon and there is usually a round egg pie on the counter, sold by the slice for merienda. It is a deep, creamy custard of eggs and evaporated milk in a short, buttery crust, and its trademark is the top: some of the egg whites float up during baking and turn into a speckled brown skin. Eat it at room temperature or chilled, with a mug of coffee or a cold soft drink. Baking it too hot is the classic error, since it makes the custard puff, crack and weep. Chef's tip: beat the eggs gently with a fork rather than a whisk, so you don't whip in air; the fewer bubbles, the silkier the custard and the darker the top.

95 min

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Ginisang ampalaya (Filipino bitter gourd with egg)

Ginisang ampalaya is a weekday ulam in homes from Manila to Iloilo, cooked in one pan and eaten with a mound of white rice; Filipino parents swear by it as the vegetable that 'cleans the blood'. Thin slices of bitter gourd are sautéed with garlic, onion and tomato, then soft scrambled egg softens the bitterness and ties everything together. It is often seasoned with fish sauce or cooked with pork; this vegetarian version uses salt and a pinch of sugar. The common mistake is overcooking the gourd until it turns olive green and even more bitter; it should stay bright and just tender. Chef's tip: salt the slices for 10 minutes and squeeze them gently before cooking to draw out some of the bitterness, without rinsing all the flavour away.

20 min

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Brazo de MercedesMeringue roll with custard filling

A soft, golden-topped meringue rolled around a thick, sweet custard of egg yolks and condensed milk, brazo de Mercedes ('Mercedes's arm') is a fixture at Filipino parties, handaan feasts and Christmas noche buena. The meringue is marshmallowy inside with a lightly browned skin; the filling is rich and silky, much like yema. It uses up a whole carton of eggs and no flour. A runny custard is the usual letdown; it oozes out when you roll, so cook it until a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a trail that holds. Chef's tip: roll the meringue while it's still warm, using the baking paper to guide it, and don't worry about a few cracks; the icing sugar hides them.

85 min

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SilvanasCashew meringue sandwich cookies

Dumaguete, the university town on Negros Oriental, made silvanas famous: oval wafers of chewy cashew meringue sandwiched with rich yolk buttercream, coated all over in more buttercream and crumbs, then frozen. Visitors take boxes home in cool bags, and across the Philippines they are a birthday and pasalubong (homecoming gift) treat, eaten straight from the freezer when they are firm, crunchy and creamy at once. They are a cousin of the larger sans rival cake. The meringue needs patience; underbaked wafers go sticky and soft as soon as the buttercream touches them, so bake until they lift cleanly off the paper. Chef's tip: use the yolks left from the meringue for the buttercream, and pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl, not on the whisk, or it spins into threads.

150 min

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Bistek TagalogSoy and calamansi beef with onions

Bistek Tagalog is the Luzon home cook's answer to steak and onions: thin slices of beef soaked briefly in soy sauce and sour calamansi, seared hot, then bathed in their own glossy, salty-tart sauce with tumbles of soft onion rings. In Manila and the Tagalog provinces it turns up on weeknight tables with a mound of steamed white rice to catch every drop of sauce. The commonest mistake is crowding the pan, which stews the beef grey and tough instead of browning it, so sear in two batches. Calamansi is sold frozen in Asian shops; a mix of lime and lemon juice is a fair stand-in. Chef's tip: slice the beef across the grain while it is still very cold from the fridge, and it will be both thinner and more tender.

30 min

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Tortang ginilingMinced pork and potato omelette

Tortang giniling are small, thick omelettes packed with minced pork that has first been sautéed with garlic, onion, tomato and tiny cubes of potato. All over the Philippines they are a thrifty baon (packed lunch) and weeknight dish, eaten hot with rice and a dip of banana ketchup or vinegar with chilli. Most cooks get into trouble by adding the egg while the filling is still raw or wet, which gives soggy patties and undercooked pork, so cook the pork through and let the pan juices dry off first. Chef's tip: fry each torta in a small saucepan or a ladleful at a time in a frying pan, so they stay thick and fluffy rather than spreading thin.

28 min

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Adobong sitaw (Filipino long beans in vinegar and soy)

Adobong sitaw takes the Philippines' best-known cooking method, adobo, and applies it to long beans: a quick, thrifty dinner in homes across Luzon and the Visayas, eaten with rice and often a fried egg on top. The beans soak up a sharp, savoury, peppery sauce of cane vinegar, soy sauce and plenty of garlic, and stay just tender. Many families add pork; this version keeps it vegan. The classic mistake is stirring the pan straight after the vinegar goes in; Filipino cooks let it boil untouched for a minute first, so the raw, harsh edge cooks off. Chef's tip: lightly crush the peppercorns rather than using ground pepper; you get little bursts of heat in each bite.

18 min

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Hopia mungoMung bean pastries

Binondo, Manila's old Chinatown, is where Filipinos queue for hopia, flat little pastries with a paper-thin, flaky skin and a dense, sweet filling. Brought over by Hokkien bakers, they are now sold everywhere from provincial bus stations to convenience stores, and a box is a standard pasalubong (gift) after a trip. The classic is hopia mungo, filled with yellow mung bean paste; purple ube is the other favourite, and you can swap 300 g of sweetened ube halaya for the mung beans. Hopia pastry is traditionally made with lard; this version uses vegetable oil and shortening, so it is vegan. Chef's tip: dry the mung bean paste in the pan until a spoonful holds its shape when rolled; a soft paste is the commonest mistake, and it squeezes out of the seams as you flatten the pastries.

112 min

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Sans rivalCashew meringue buttercream cake

Sans rival ('without rival') took its French name in the mid-twentieth century and has become a Filipino celebration cake, most famously from Dumaguete in Negros Oriental, where it is boxed up for visitors. Four or more sheets of chewy-crisp cashew meringue are stacked with rich French buttercream and covered in chopped toasted cashews, then served cold from the fridge in thin slices for fiestas, Christmas and birthdays. There's no flour at all. Adding the butter while the yolk mixture is still warm is the classic disaster; the buttercream turns to soup, so beat until the bowl feels cool to the touch first. Chef's tip: draw rectangles on the baking paper and spread the meringue right to the lines; even layers stack straight and slice cleanly.

150 min

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MamonButter chiffon cupcakes

Filipino bakeshops sell mamon by the dozen, each tall, fluffy little cake baked in a fluted tin, brushed with butter and rolled in sugar, sometimes with grated cheese on top. They go into merienda boxes, children's party bags and pasalubong (gifts brought home), and they're best with hot chocolate or coffee. The crumb is a soft, buttery chiffon that squashes and springs back. Taking them out too soon is what makes them shrink and wrinkle as they cool, so wait until the tops spring back fully. Chef's tip: turn the tin upside down as soon as it comes out of the oven, resting the rim on two cups, and cool them that way for 10 minutes; they keep their height.

50 min

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Buko saladYoung coconut fruit salad

Buko salad is the dessert Filipino families bring to every birthday, christening and Christmas Noche Buena: strips of soft young coconut, mixed fruit, chewy nata de coco and sweet cream, chilled until icy cold. Children fish out the cherries first. It is quick to make the day before and is gluten free; it contains milk. Grapes in tinned fruit are already halved, but quarter any whole grapes lengthwise for younger children. Chef's tip: drain the fruit and nata de coco really well in a sieve for 15 minutes, or the salad turns watery overnight.

20 min

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Champorado (Filipino chocolate rice porridge)

Champorado is the Filipino comfort bowl for rainy-season mornings and afternoon merienda, when children come home soaked from school in the monsoon. Glutinous rice is simmered with tablea, the pure roasted cacao tablets from Batangas and Cebu, into a thick, glossy, chocolatey porridge, then swirled with milk at the table. It is sweet, so this version uses less sugar than most and leans on the dark chocolate. It contains milk (and may contain soya in the chocolate). Chef's tip: keep stirring once the rice thickens; glutinous rice catches on the bottom of the pan very quickly.

35 min

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Graham balls

Graham balls are often the first sweet a Filipino child makes, usually for a class party or a cousin's birthday: crushed graham crackers kneaded with condensed milk into a dough, wrapped round a mini marshmallow and rolled in more crumbs, then set in paper cases in the fridge. They need no oven, just clean hands. They contain gluten and milk, and marshmallows usually contain gelatine, so they are not vegetarian unless you use gelatine-free marshmallows or a vegetarian gelling agent version. Graham crackers can be swapped for digestive biscuits. Chef's tip: chill the mixture for 20 minutes before rolling and it stops sticking to your palms.

30 min

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Maruya (Filipino banana fritters)

Maruya is classic Filipino merienda: in barrios from Luzon to Mindanao, saba bananas are sliced into fans, dipped in batter and fried for the children's afternoon snack. Outside is crisp and lacy, inside the banana turns soft, sticky and tangy-sweet. A light dusting of sugar is enough because the fruit is sweet. It contains gluten, milk and egg. Saba bananas can be found in Asian shops; firm, just-ripe plantains work too. Chef's tip: choose bananas that are yellow with a few brown spots; under-ripe saba stays starchy, overripe falls apart in the oil.

25 min

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Mango floatMango icebox cake

Mango float is the no-bake party cake of the Philippines, made in a big dish for birthdays, graduations and fiestas when Philippine mangoes are at their sweetest. Layers of crackers soften overnight in sweet cream until they slice like cake, with ripe mango in every forkful. Older children can assemble it themselves. It contains milk and gluten. Chef's tip: use mangoes that are fully ripe and fragrant but still firm enough to slice neatly; stringy, sour mangoes spoil it.

30 min

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Kamote cueFried caramelised sweet potato

Kamote cue is merienda sold from roadside woks across the Philippines, and children buy a stick or two on the walk home from school. Chunks of sweet potato are fried with brown sugar, which melts and wraps them in a crackly, shiny caramel crust while the inside goes soft and fluffy. It is a sweet treat, so portions are small. None of the common allergens are in it. Chef's tip: add the sugar only once the oil is hot and let it float and melt on the surface before stirring; stirring too early clumps it.

25 min

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Am (Filipino rice-water first porridge)

Filipino lolas remember giving babies am, the thick, cloudy liquid that rises to the top as rice boils, ladled off and cooled before the rest of the pot is cooked for the family's lunch. Today it is offered as a thin, smooth first porridge, a few spoonfuls alongside other first foods such as mashed squash or banana, rather than on its own. It tastes mild and slightly sweet. It contains none of the common allergens (milk, egg, gluten, peanut, tree nuts, soya, sesame, fish). Chef's tip: use more water than usual and keep the lid off, so the liquid thickens into a creamy am instead of evaporating away.

25 min

Filipino Drinks

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Hotdog and marshmallow skewers

No Filipino children's party, from a seventh birthday in Quezon City to a barrio fiesta, is complete without a cabbage or pineapple bristling with sticks of red cocktail hotdogs and soft marshmallows. The sweet-salty pairing sounds odd and is loved by every child at the table, and it doubles as the party centrepiece. Most marshmallows contain gelatine, so this is not vegetarian; look for gelatine-free marshmallows if needed. Chef's tip: fry the hotdogs just until they split slightly and curl, then let them cool before threading so the marshmallows don't melt.

18 min

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Tinolang manok for babies and toddlersGinger chicken soup for little ones

Tinolang manok, chicken simmered in a clear ginger broth with green papaya or chayote and malunggay (moringa) leaves, is the soup Filipino families make on rainy days and for anyone who needs looking after, and babies get their first taste of it from about nine months. Their portion is taken out before the patis (fish sauce) goes in, with the chicken shredded and the vegetables mashed. The baby's portion has none of the common allergens (milk, egg, gluten, peanut, tree nuts, soya, sesame, fish); the family's patis adds fish. Chef's tip: fry the ginger until it smells sweet before adding the chicken; that is the backbone of the broth.

50 min

Filipino Chicken

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Lugaw for babies with squash and malunggay

In the Philippines, lugaw is the porridge every household turns to, and for babies it is cooked plain and extra soft, without the patis (fish sauce) or salt the family adds. Mothers often stir in mashed kalabasa, the orange squash from the market, and a few malunggay (moringa) leaves picked from the backyard tree, giving a sweet, gently green bowl for lunch or merienda. A slice of ginger in the pot is traditional and adds warmth. It has none of the common allergens (milk, egg, gluten, peanut, tree nuts, soya, sesame, fish). Chef's tip: strip malunggay leaves from their stalks completely; the little stems stay tough even after long cooking.

50 min

Filipino Rice & Grains

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Sopas for toddlersCreamy chicken macaroni soup

Sopas is the creamy chicken macaroni soup that Filipino mothers make on rainy afternoons, and it is a childhood favourite across the islands: soft elbow pasta, shredded chicken, carrot and cabbage in a broth made milky with evaporated milk. This toddler version leaves out the usual sliced hot dogs and patis and uses no-salt stock, so it suits little ones from a year old. It contains gluten (wheat pasta) and milk. Chef's tip: add the evaporated milk at the end and keep the soup just below a boil, so it stays smooth and doesn't split.

40 min

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Kwek-kwekBattered fried quail eggs

After dark in Quiapo and around university belts in Manila, fishball carts sell kwek-kwek: hard-boiled quail eggs dunked in a bright orange batter and fried until puffed and crunchy, then speared and dipped in sour vinegar with onion and chilli. The orange comes from annatto, not egg yolk or food colouring, and the batter stays thin so you bite straight through to the creamy egg. Chicken eggs done the same way are called tokneneng. Chef's tip: dust the peeled eggs with cornflour before battering; wet, slippery eggs shed their coat in the oil.

30 min

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EnsaymadaSweet cheese brioche

Filipino bakeries took the coiled Mallorcan ensaïmada and made it richer and softer: an egg-yolk brioche rolled with butter into a snail, baked pale gold, then spread with more butter, dusted with sugar and heaped with finely grated cheese. Boxes of them are carried to Christmas visits and town fiestas, and a single one with hot tsokolate makes a proper merienda. The salty cheese against the sweet crumb is the whole point. Chef's tip: the dough must be sticky and soft when you knead it; adding flour until it is easy to handle gives you dry, bready buns instead of feather-light ones.

170 min

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Filipino fruit salad

Ask any Filipino family what Christmas tastes like and fruit salad will be near the top of the list: tinned fruit cocktail, chewy nata de coco, sugar-palm kaong and sometimes cubes of cheese, all folded into sweetened cream and chilled until icy. It is made a day ahead for Noche Buena and New Year's Eve and served straight from the coldest corner of the fridge. Chef's tip: drain the fruit really well, even overnight in a sieve; leftover syrup thins the cream into a watery puddle.

15 min

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KutsintaSteamed brown sugar cakes

Sold in neat stacks beside puto at every Filipino market and bakery, kutsinta are small, dark amber cakes with a bouncy, jelly-like chew that comes from a few drops of lye water. Steamed in little cups and topped with fresh grated coconut, they are eaten for breakfast or merienda with coffee. Lye water (lihia) is strongly alkaline: buy food-grade only, measure it carefully, keep it away from children and rinse off any splashes on skin at once. Chef's tip: let the batter rest before steaming; skipping the rest gives cakes with a gritty, uneven texture and dark spots of undissolved sugar.

60 min

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Tibok-tibokMilk pudding with latik

In Pampanga, tibok-tibok is made with rich carabao's milk and served at fiestas in shallow trays lined with banana leaf. Its name means heartbeat, after the slow, pulsing bubbles that rise as it thickens and the gentle wobble when the tray is set down. It is creamy, delicately sweet and scented with dayap (lime) zest, then topped with crunchy latik. Whole cow's milk or buffalo milk makes a good stand-in at home. Chef's tip: grind or blend the soaked rice very fine and strain it; coarse rice leaves a grainy pudding instead of a silky one.

60 min

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EspasolRice flour coconut logs

Bus passengers through Laguna buy espasol by the paper-wrapped bundle at stops in Santa Rosa and Calamba. The cylinders are made from glutinous rice flour toasted until nutty, then cooked into a thick dough with coconut milk, sugar and young coconut strips, rolled out and dusted in more toasted flour, so they are soft and chewy inside with a dry, powdery coat. They are eaten for pasalubong (homecoming gifts) and with afternoon coffee. Chef's tip: toast the flour slowly and stir all the time; it goes from cream to burnt in a minute, and burnt flour makes the whole batch bitter.

60 min

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Relyenong bangusStuffed milkfish

Stuffed milkfish is a party piece in Tagalog homes for Christmas Eve and big fiestas. The cook loosens the skin of a whole bangus and pushes out the flesh in one piece, picks out the many fine bones, sautés the flesh with onion, tomato, carrot, peas and raisins, binds it with egg and packs it back into the skin, so it looks like a whole fish again. It is then fried until golden and sliced crossways, with banana ketchup on the side. Chef's tip: work slowly when separating the skin and use the back of a spoon, not a knife; one tear and the stuffing leaks out in the pan.

110 min

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PalitawSticky rice discs with coconut

Palitaw comes from the Tagalog word for rising to the surface, which is exactly how you know they are cooked. Flat ovals of glutinous rice dough are dropped into boiling water, sink, then float up a minute later; they are lifted out, rolled in freshly grated coconut and finished with a sprinkle of sugar mixed with toasted sesame. Vendors in Laguna and Batangas sell them warm on banana leaves for merienda. Chef's tip: roll the dough thin, about 5 mm; thick palitaw float before the centre is cooked and stay pasty inside.

30 min

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Pichi-pichiCassava gummies with coconut

Grated cassava, sugar and water steamed in little cups turn into pichi-pichi: soft, translucent, wobbly bites the colour of amber or tinted with ube or pandan, then rolled in grated coconut. They are a party staple across Quezon and Manila, and bakeshops also roll them in grated cheese, though the coconut version keeps them vegan. Served chilled or at room temperature with coffee. Chef's tip: squeeze the grated cassava only lightly; wringing out all the juice gives you dry, crumbly cakes instead of chewy, glossy ones.

60 min

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MorconStuffed beef roll

Morcon is a fiesta and Christmas centrepiece from Spanish-era kitchens in Pampanga and Batangas: a thin sheet of beef wrapped around strips of sausage, carrot, pickle and boiled egg, tied up, browned and braised slowly in tomato sauce until meltingly tender. Sliced, it shows a colourful mosaic, and the reduced sauce is spooned over steamed rice. It takes time but can be cooked a day ahead and reheated in its sauce. Chef's tip: pound the beef to an even thickness before rolling; thick patches tear the roll and stay tough while thin ones fall apart.

165 min

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Sapin-sapinLayered sticky rice cake

The name means layered, and in Pampanga, the kitchen of the Philippines, sapin-sapin is a showpiece for fiestas and Christmas tables: a steamed glutinous rice and coconut cake built in stripes of purple ube, plain white and golden jackfruit, each set before the next is poured. It is cut in diamonds and scattered with latik, the toasted coconut curds left when coconut cream is cooked down. The texture is soft, sticky and cool. Chef's tip: steam each layer until it is just set before pouring the next; pour too early and the colours bleed into one muddy layer.

120 min

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Buko pandanCoconut pandan jelly dessert

Big bowls of buko pandan come out of Filipino fridges for Christmas, New Year and every family reunion in between. Soft strips of young coconut and cubes of bright green pandan jelly are folded into chilled sweetened cream, so each spoonful is cool, fragrant and slightly chewy. This version sets the jelly with agar (gulaman) rather than gelatin, so it is fully vegetarian. Chef's tip: let the jelly set completely before cutting and folding; half-set agar breaks into mush and turns the cream cloudy green.

25 min

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IsawGrilled chicken intestines

Around the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman and in night markets across Manila, isaw is the street-grill snack people queue for: chicken intestines threaded in coils on sticks, grilled over charcoal until crisp and smoky, and dipped in sour, chilli-spiked vinegar. At home the key is hygiene: the intestines are slit open, scrubbed with salt and vinegar, then simmered before grilling, so they are clean and cooked through to 74 °C. Chef's tip: never skip the simmering step; grilled-from-raw intestines char outside long before the inside is safe.

90 min

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EmbutidoSteamed pork roll

Foil-wrapped logs of embutido are steamed days ahead of Noche Buena in kitchens all over the Philippines, then sliced cold or fried for the Christmas Eve spread. The roll is made from minced pork bound with egg and breadcrumbs and studded with carrot, sweet pickle relish and raisins, with boiled egg running through the middle so each slice shows a yellow-and-white centre. Serve with banana ketchup and rice, or in pandesal. Chef's tip: roll the foil tightly and twist the ends like a sweet; a loose wrap lets steam in and the roll comes out soggy and crumbly.

90 min

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Spanish breadSweet buttery bread rolls

Despite the name, nobody in Spain would recognise these: they belong to the neighbourhood panaderya, sold warm from glass cases at dawn and again at four o'clock alongside pandesal. A soft milk dough is rolled around a paste of butter, sugar and breadcrumbs, then coated in more crumbs before baking, so the filling melts into a sticky, caramel-like ribbon. Dunk one in coffee for merienda. Chef's tip: roll the dough thin before adding the filling; thick dough swallows the butter paste and you lose that gooey centre.

138 min

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SumanCoconut sticky rice rolls

Every province has its own suman, but the everyday one sold in bundles at Antipolo's church steps and on Tagalog breakfast tables is suman sa gata: glutinous rice half-cooked in salted coconut milk, rolled tightly in banana leaf and steamed until dense and chewy. Unwrap one and dip it in sugar, or eat it with ripe mango and hot chocolate in the morning. They travel well and are handed out at fiestas by the dozen. Chef's tip: wilt the banana leaves over a flame or in hot water first; cold leaves crack as you roll and the rice leaks out while steaming.

120 min

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Sago't gulamanTapioca and jelly drink

Tall plastic cups of sago't gulaman are what Manila drinks on hot afternoons, ladled from a big drum at street corners and sold next to fried snacks. Chewy tapioca pearls and cubes of firm agar jelly float in cold water sweetened with a dark, almost caramelised brown-sugar syrup scented with pandan. Kids slurp it through a wide straw; adults buy it with every plate of banana cue. Chef's tip: cook the syrup until it smells of caramel but stop before it smokes; pale syrup tastes only of sugar, burnt syrup tastes bitter.

40 min

Filipino Drinks

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Okoy (shrimp and squash fritters)

In coastal towns of Laguna and Pampanga, okoy are fried to order at the market: a thin batter barely holding together small shrimp, matchsticks of squash or sweet potato and bean sprouts, flattened on a saucer and slid into hot oil until lacy and shatteringly crisp. They are eaten hot, dipped in garlicky vinegar, as merienda or as a starter before rice. Chef's tip: use just enough batter to bind; a thick batter makes heavy pancakes instead of crunchy, see-through nests.

40 min

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TsokolateThick hot chocolate

Discs of pure roasted cacao called tablea, pressed by hand in Batangas and Cebu, melt into the thick, slightly gritty tsokolate that Filipinos drink on Christmas mornings with puto bumbong or bibingka. It is whisked in a tall pot with a wooden batidor rolled between the palms until it foams, and it tastes deep, bitter-sweet and earthy rather than milky. A little milk softens it; many families drink it with water only. Chef's tip: keep the heat low once the tablea melts; boiling cacao hard makes it scorch and taste burnt.

17 min

Filipino Drinks

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Banana cueCaramelised fried bananas

Walk past any Manila school gate or jeepney stop around three in the afternoon and you will find a vendor turning saba bananas in a wok of bubbling oil and brown sugar. The sugar melts and clings to the fruit, setting into a thin, crackly amber shell over soft, slightly tart flesh, and the bananas are sold two or three to a bamboo stick. Sweet potato cooked the same way is called camote cue. Eat them warm with a glass of iced sago't gulaman. Chef's tip: add the sugar only once the bananas are already golden; sugar thrown in at the start burns black before the fruit is cooked through.

25 min

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Arroz caldoChicken rice porridge

Rainy-season mornings, sick days and late nights after a party all end with a bowl of arroz caldo somewhere in the Philippines. Sticky rice simmers with chicken and a fistful of ginger until it breaks into a thick, savoury porridge, tinted gold with safflower, then each bowl gets crunchy fried garlic, spring onion, a halved boiled egg and a squeeze of calamansi. It is the Filipino cousin of congee, with a sharper ginger bite. Chef's tip: stir often in the last half hour; glutinous rice settles and scorches on the base, and one burnt patch flavours the whole pot.

65 min

Filipino Rice & Grains

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Maja blancaCoconut corn pudding

Wobbly squares of maja blanca sit on almost every Filipino Christmas Eve table, beside the leche flan and the fruit salad. Coconut milk and milk are thickened with cornflour into a smooth white pudding studded with sweet corn, poured into a tray and set firm enough to slice, then crowned with latik or toasted coconut. It tastes cool, milky and gently sweet, and kids love it. Chef's tip: whisk the cornflour into cold liquid first and keep stirring as it heats; added to hot milk it seizes into lumps you can't whisk out.

35 min

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Mais con yeloSweet corn shaved ice

The simplest of the Filipino ice desserts, mais con yelo turns up at carinderias and beach stalls from Batangas to Davao in the dry months of March to May. A tall glass is layered with sweet corn kernels and sugar, buried in finely shaved ice and drowned in evaporated milk, and you stir it all into a cold, milky slush with a long spoon. Some add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or crisp rice cereal on top. Chef's tip: shave or crush the ice as finely as you can; chunky ice cubes leave the milk and corn sitting apart instead of blending into a soft slush.

10 min

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Filipino pork barbecue

Smoke from charcoal grills drifts down every barangay street at dusk, where sticks of Filipino pork barbecue are fanned over coals and brushed again and again with their sweet marinade until the edges caramelise. Thin slices of pork shoulder soak in soy sauce, calamansi, garlic, brown sugar and banana ketchup, and the result is sticky, sweet-salty and a little charred. Eat them with garlic rice and spiced vinegar, or straight off the stick. Chef's tip: slice the pork thin and thread it in loose ribbons; thick chunks char outside before they reach a safe 71 °C inside.

60 min

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BikoSweet sticky rice cake

Bring biko to a Tagalog or Visayan gathering, whether a wake, a birthday or a fiesta, and the tray will be scraped clean. Glutinous rice is cooked, then stirred hard in a thick coconut milk and brown-sugar caramel until every grain is coated and the mass is dark, glossy and heavy on the spoon. Pressed into a tray and topped with crisp latik, it is cut into squares that are chewy, sweet and rich. Chef's tip: keep stirring once the rice goes into the caramel; leave it for a minute and the sugar catches and burns on the pan base.

75 min

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Ginataang bilo-biloRice balls in coconut milk

On rainy afternoons across Luzon, a big pot of ginataan bubbles on the stove and the whole street seems to know about it. Little balls of glutinous rice dough, saba banana, purple and orange sweet potato, strips of ripe jackfruit and sago pearls all simmer together in sweet coconut milk until it thickens into a soft, fragrant soup. Serve it hot in bowls, or cold the next day when it sets almost like pudding. Chef's tip: make the rice balls no bigger than a marble; large ones stay raw and gummy in the middle long after the bananas have collapsed.

50 min

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Dynamite lumpiaCheese-stuffed chilli rolls

Bar chow menus in Quezon City and roadside stalls in Pampanga both claim dinamita: a whole long green chilli, seeded, stuffed with a stick of cheese and wrapped tightly in lumpia pastry with its stalk poking out like a fuse. Fried until blistered and crisp, the chilli turns sweet and only mildly hot while the cheese melts into it. A sweet chilli or banana ketchup dip is usual. Many versions add seasoned meat; this one keeps it to cheese. Chef's tip: dry the chillies well inside after seeding; trapped water bursts the wrapper in the hot oil.

30 min

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Pancit palabokRice noodles with shrimp sauce

No Manila birthday party or office merienda is complete without a tray of palabok. Soft rice noodles are smothered in a thick, bright orange sauce made from shrimp stock, minced pork and annatto, then scattered with crushed pork crackling (chicharrón), flaked smoked fish, sliced egg, shrimp and spring onion, with calamansi squeezed over at the table. It is rich, savoury and a little smoky. The pork in this recipe is minced pork shoulder, cooked through in the sauce. Chef's tip: simmer the shrimp heads and shells for the stock; sauce made from water and stock cubes tastes flat and dull.

75 min

Filipino Pasta & Noodles

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Puto bumbongPurple sticky rice tubes

During the nine dawn masses of Simbang Gabi, from 16 to 24 December, vendors outside churches across Luzon steam puto bumbong in bamboo tubes over hissing kettles. The violet logs of ground purple and white glutinous rice are slid onto banana leaf, slathered with butter or margarine and showered with muscovado sugar and grated coconut, then eaten warm in the cold morning air. At home, small heatproof moulds or rolls of banana leaf stand in for the bamboo. Chef's tip: the ground rice must feel like damp sand, not batter; wet dough steams into a heavy paste instead of a loose, fluffy log.

60 min

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Filipino spaghetti

At children's birthday parties and on the Christmas Eve table in the Philippines, spaghetti comes sweet: a tomato sauce sweetened with banana ketchup and sugar, packed with minced pork and coins of red hot dog, and buried under grated cheese. It is pure nostalgia, beloved by kids and adults alike. The pork here is minced pork, simmered until well cooked through. Chef's tip: brown the hot dog slices separately before they go into the sauce; simmered from raw they turn soft and rubbery instead of slightly crisp at the edges.

45 min

Filipino Pasta & Noodles

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Sinamak

Iloilo is the home of La Paz batchoy and chicken inasal, and on every table there sits a tall bottle of sinamak, cane or coconut vinegar crowded with chillies, garlic and ginger. Visayan families keep a bottle going all year, and the dip turns up with grilled pork belly, crisp lechon kawali, fried fish and longganisa at breakfast. After a few days of steeping it is clean and sour, hot from siling labuyo, warm with ginger and peppery, with a faint sweetness from the cane vinegar. Common mistake: making a huge bottle and leaving it in a warm kitchen for months; fresh garlic and ginger are low-acid, so use full-strength vinegar, keep it in the fridge and make a fresh batch every couple of months. Toasting the garlic is not traditional and is not needed. It is ready when the vinegar has turned faintly golden and smells strongly of chilli and garlic, usually after 3 days. Chef's tip: bruise the chillies with the flat of a knife instead of slicing them; the heat comes out slowly and the vinegar stays clear. Cider vinegar can stand in for cane or coconut vinegar.

15 min

Filipino Basics

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Ginataang sigarilyasWinged beans in coconut milk

Winged beans, sigarilyas, climb the backyard fences of Luzon and Visayan homes, and on rainy-season weekdays they are sliced and simmered in coconut milk for a quick ulam to go with rice. The frilly beans stay crisp-tender and soak up the garlicky, gently spicy gata. Many cooks add shrimp paste; this version keeps it vegan with a little soy sauce. The usual mistake is overcooking: winged beans lose their crunch and go dull green in minutes, so add them only when the coconut milk has reduced. Chef's tip: cut the beans on a sharp diagonal so each slice shows off the four ruffled wings.

25 min

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Ginataang puso ng sagingBanana blossom in coconut milk

Every banana tree in the Philippine countryside gives a heavy purple flower, and in Bicol, Batangas and the Visayas it is shredded and stewed in coconut milk as an everyday ulam for lunch with rice. The banana blossom has a tender, slightly flaky texture and soaks up the ginger, garlic and chilli. The traditional version includes shrimp or fish; this one is vegan. The usual mistake is skipping the salt rub: unrubbed banana blossom stays bitter and turns the sauce grey, so squeeze out its dark sap first. Chef's tip: keep the shredded blossom in water with a spoon of vinegar while you work, so it stays pale.

35 min

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Bagoong alamangFried krill paste

Across Luzon, a jar of ginisang bagoong sits in nearly every kitchen. In the hot months from March to May, when green mangoes are sour and crisp, it becomes the classic merienda: thin slices of unripe mango dragged through sweet, salty, garlicky shrimp paste, often shared on a porch in the afternoon. It is also the essential partner to kare-kare and the base of binagoongang baboy. Raw salted alamang (tiny krill or shrimp) is sold pink and wet; frying it with garlic, onion and tomato, then sugar and cane vinegar, turns it deep reddish brown, thick, glossy and rounded, with the briny punch still there. The raw paste is a raw-cured seafood, so this recipe always cooks it right through; pregnant people, babies, older people and anyone with weak immunity should only eat bagoong that has been fully sautéed and kept cold. Common mistake: high heat after the sugar goes in, which scorches it and turns the bagoong bitter. Keep it at a medium-low simmer. It is ready when the oil separates and shines on top and it smells toasty rather than fishy. Chef's tip: a few slivers of crisp pork belly fried first make it richer.

40 min

Filipino Chutneys & Dips

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LongganisaGarlic pork sausages

Every Philippine province has its longganisa, from the garlicky, sour sausages of Vigan to the oregano-scented ones of Lucban and the sweet, sticky Pampanga style; this homemade skinless (hubad) version sits between them. These pork sausages are fried until caramelised, then packed into the baon (packed lunch) with sinangag garlic rice and a fried egg. The common mistake is frying them hard from raw, which burns the sugar before the pork is cooked; simmer them in a little water first. Chef's tip: roll the mixture in baking paper and chill overnight, and the sausages slice and fry far more neatly.

45 min

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Ensaladang talbos ng kamote (sweet potato leaf salad)

In Filipino provinces from Pampanga to Leyte, the tender tips of sweet potato vines grow by every house, and this quick salad of blanched leaves, ripe tomato and red onion in sukang Iloko vinegar sits beside fried fish or rice in baon and family lunches. The leaves turn silky and mild, and the vinegar keeps it fresh in a closed tub. The mistake is boiling the leaves for minutes until they turn dark and slimy; thirty seconds is enough. Chef's tip: plunge the leaves into iced water straight from the pot, so they stay bright green until lunchtime.

13 min

Filipino Salads

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Nilagang saba mash for babiesBoiled banana mash for babies

Saba, the short, square-edged cooking banana piled in every palengke from Quezon City to Davao, is boiled in its skin for nilagang saging, a merienda (afternoon snack) eaten with a cup of coffee. For babies, the same boiled saba is peeled and mashed into a soft, peachy, honey-sweet purée, and it is one of the most common first foods in Filipino homes. Saba is firmer and starchier than an eating banana, which is why it is always cooked. Nothing is added: no salt, sugar or condensed milk under one. It is free of the major allergens. Chef's tip: pick saba whose skins are yellow with black spots; green ones are too starchy and can upset small tummies.

20 min

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BinatogBoiled hominy with coconut

Binatog is an afternoon snack sold from bicycle carts that ring their way through the side streets of Manila, especially around Tondo and Sampaloc, the vendor scooping steaming white corn from a big tin can into small cups. The kernels are plump, chewy and nutty, piled with snowy grated coconut and finished with salt or sugar to taste, so everyone gets it the way they like. It is simple, filling and naturally vegan. Dried white hominy (pozole corn) has already been treated with lime, which gives the chewy, popped kernels; if you can only find canned hominy, rinse it and warm it for 10 minutes instead. Chef's tip: keep the kernels at a gentle simmer; a hard boil splits them before they become tender.

120 min

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Cheese pimiento sandwich

Cheese pimiento is the orange spread every Filipino child knows from school baon, birthday party trays and afternoon merienda in Manila: grated cheese mashed with mayonnaise, chopped pimiento and a little sugar, spread thick on soft white bread with the crusts cut off. The mistake is grating the cheese too coarsely, which gives a lumpy spread that tears the soft bread; grate it finely and let it soften for a few minutes in the mayonnaise. Many processed and cheddar cheeses are made with animal rennet, so choose one labelled vegetarian. Chef's tip: a spoon of evaporated milk makes the spread silkier and easier to spread on soft bread. Contains milk, egg (mayonnaise) and gluten.

10 min

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Adobong talong (aubergine adobo)

Adobo is a method in the Philippines, not a single dish, and when meat is short or it's Lent, Filipino families make it with long eggplant: fried until soft and browned, then simmered briefly in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay and peppercorns. Like any adobo it tastes better the next day, which makes it a favourite for baon with rice. The common mistake is stirring as soon as the vinegar goes in; let it boil untouched for a minute first, or the sauce keeps a raw, sharp edge. Chef's tip: crush the garlic and fry half of it until golden to scatter on top at the end, for crunch.

30 min

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Burong isdaFermented fish and rice

Burong isda is a Kapampangan treasure. In Pampanga, and in neighbouring Bulacan and Tarlac, families make buro in the rainy months when mudfish and tilapia are plentiful, and the sautéed paste is set out at home lunches with fried or grilled fish, steamed okra and eggplant, and blanched mustard leaves (mustasa) to wrap it in. Cooked rice and salted fish ferment together for about a week until the rice has melted into a soft, pinkish porridge and the fish bones soften. Sautéed with garlic, onion and tomato, it becomes creamy, sour, salty and deeply savoury, a little like a cheese spread. Because the fish ferments raw, two rules matter: cure it first in 20% salt, and always cook the buro until bubbling hot before eating; never eat it straight from the jar. Pregnant people, babies, older people and anyone with weak immunity should only eat it freshly cooked, or skip it. Common mistake: packing hot rice, which spoils the ferment; cool it fully. It is ready to cook when it smells pleasantly sour, like sourdough, and the rice is soft. Chef's tip: a teaspoon of angkak (red yeast rice) gives the traditional pink colour.

75 min

Filipino Chutneys & Dips

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Burong manggaPickled green mango

From Pampanga to Pangasinan, the hot months of March to May bring piles of hard green carabao mangoes to every palengke, and many households slice them into a jar of burong mangga. A week in a sweet salt brine turns the mango from mouth-puckering to bright and juicy: still crunchy, sour at the core, salty-sweet on the outside. It is eaten on the side of inihaw na isda and pritong tilapia, with rice and fried pork at lunch, or as an afternoon merienda straight from the jar, and the brine is sometimes sipped too. Common mistake: using mangoes that have started to ripen; a yellow blush makes the slices go soft and slimy, so choose rock-hard, deep-green fruit. Because the brine has no vinegar it keeps only in the fridge. It is ready when the slices have turned from opaque white to a translucent yellow-green and taste evenly seasoned right through. Chef's tip: let the boiled brine cool completely before pouring, and add a few slices of fresh chilli if you like heat. Outside Asia, use firm green Thai or Indian mangoes from an Asian grocer.

25 min

Filipino Chutneys & Dips

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Camote cueCaramelised fried sweet potato

Camote cue is the three-o'clock merienda of Manila, fried in big woks by vendors on the corners of Quiapo, outside university gates on España Boulevard and along every jeepney route, alongside banana cue. Chunks of sweet potato are fried until tender, then brown sugar is scattered into the hot oil, where it melts and wraps each piece in a glassy, crackly caramel coat. They are threaded onto bamboo sticks and eaten warm, with a soft, sweet, chestnut-like centre. Chef's tip: let the oil cool slightly before adding the sugar; sugar dropped into very hot oil burns and turns bitter in seconds.

25 min

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Daing na bangusMarinated fried milkfish

Bangus (milkfish) is the national fish of the Philippines, and daing na bangus, butterflied and soaked overnight in vinegar, garlic and pepper, then fried until the skin shatters, is a favourite morning plate from Pangasinan to Manila. It comes with garlic rice, a fried egg and a dip of spiced vinegar. Buy it boneless (deboned bangus) from Filipino shops, or use mackerel fillets. The usual mistake is putting the wet fish straight into the oil, which spits and stops it crisping. Chef's tip: pat the fish completely dry and fry skin side down first, pressing gently, without moving it for five minutes.

40 min

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BulanglangMixed vegetable stew

Bulanglang is the plain, light vegetable soup of Batangas and the Tagalog provinces, made in farmhouses at lunchtime from whatever is in the garden: squash, okra, string beans, eggplant and a handful of malunggay or sweet potato leaves. Instead of stock it uses hugas bigas, the cloudy water from washing rice, which gives the broth a soft, milky body. It is often eaten with grilled fish and a dip of bagoong; this version stays vegan and is served with a soy-and-calamansi dip. The usual mistake is boiling everything together from the start, which leaves mushy squash and raw-tasting okra; add the vegetables in order of firmness. Chef's tip: save the second rice wash, not the first, for the cleanest, creamiest broth.

30 min

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ProbenBattered chicken gizzard skewers

Proben is the cheap, crunchy favourite of Manila's late-afternoon fishball carts, fried beside kwek-kwek and squidballs on the street corners of Cubao and outside the colleges of the University Belt. It is made from the proventriculus, the small glandular part of a chicken's stomach that sits just before the gizzard, boiled until tender, coated in a thin annatto-tinted batter and fried until shatteringly crisp. Diners skewer the pieces themselves and dunk them in sukang maanghang, a vinegar spiked with garlic, onion and chilli. Ask a poultry butcher or an Asian grocery for proventriculus; well-cleaned gizzards cut into small pieces are the closest swap. Contains wheat. Chef's tip: boil the proventriculus first until fully tender; frying alone leaves it rubbery.

50 min