Filipino recipes

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BibingkaCoconut rice cake

During the nine dawn masses of Simbang Gabi, from 16 to 24 December, vendors set up outside churches across the Philippines baking bibingka in clay pots with hot coals both underneath and on top. Churchgoers buy them on the way out at 5 am, still steaming in their banana-leaf liners, with a hot drink. The cake is made from rice flour and coconut milk, springy and slightly chewy, with a browned, buttery top covered in salty white cheese, slices of salted duck egg, sugar and grated coconut. This version bakes it in an ordinary oven and finishes it under the grill for that charred top. Chef's tip: warm the banana leaves over a flame for a few seconds until they turn glossy and supple; cold leaves crack and the batter leaks under them.

50 min

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Bicol expressPork in coconut milk and chilli

Bicol, the peninsula at the southern tip of Luzon, cooks almost everything in coconut milk with plenty of chilli, and Bicol express is the pork dish that carries the region's name all over the country (locals often call it sinilihan, 'with chillies'). Pork shoulder is cooked down in coconut milk until the liquid turns to oil and the meat is tender, then finished with coconut cream, long green chillies and a spoon of shrimp paste. It is rich, salty and properly hot. Serve it with lots of plain rice. Chef's tip: let the coconut milk reduce until it 'breaks' and you see the oil; that is when the sauce gets its toasty, deep flavour.

65 min

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Budbud kabogMillet in coconut milk

Budbud is the Visayan name for sticky rice rolls steamed in banana leaf, and the famous kabog version from Tanjay, Negros Oriental, uses millet instead of rice. The millet is cooked thick in coconut milk and sugar, rolled into banana leaves and steamed until it sets into a soft, slightly grainy log. In Dumaguete it is breakfast with ripe mango and a cup of tablea hot chocolate. Chef's tip: wilt the banana leaves briefly over a flame or in hot water so they fold without splitting.

70 min

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Buko pieYoung coconut pie

Drive the old highway through Los Baños and Calauan in Laguna and roadside shops sell buko pie in white boxes by the stack, warm from the oven. The filling is tender strips of young coconut set in a creamy custard made with the coconut's own water and milk, sealed in a short, buttery crust. It is a pasalubong, a gift you bring back for people at home. Chef's tip: use only the soft, spoonable flesh of young coconuts; hard mature coconut turns the filling chewy.

85 min

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Durian candyDurian milk fudge

Davao City on Mindanao is the Philippines' durian capital, and its roadside stalls sell the fruit by the kilo next to boxes of durian candy for travellers who can't carry a whole one home. Ripe durian pulp is cooked slowly with condensed milk, sugar and butter until it becomes a dense, chewy fudge that tastes of caramel, custard and that famously strong fruit. Chef's tip: frozen durian pulp works perfectly; thaw it fully and pick out any seeds and fibrous bits before you start.

65 min

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Ginataang kalabasa at sitawSquash and long beans in coconut milk

Ginataan means 'cooked in coconut milk', and in the coconut country of Bicol and Southern Tagalog it is how a lot of weeknight vegetables end up on the table. Ginataang kalabasa at sitaw is the homely version: chunks of orange squash and lengths of yard-long beans simmered in coconut milk with garlic, onion and ginger until the squash just starts to melt into the sauce, turning it pale gold and lightly sweet. Bicolano cooks drop in a long green chilli or two for warmth. It is a one-pot dish served with rice, and many families make it on days when there is no money for meat. Chef's tip: keep back a few chunks of squash to mash into the sauce at the end; it thickens it naturally.

30 min

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Ginataang langkaYoung jackfruit in coconut milk

In Bicol and across the Tagalog provinces, ginataang langka is what happens when a jackfruit tree drops its fruit too early: the unripe flesh is sliced and cooked in coconut milk with plenty of ginger until tender and creamy. Unlike Java's sweet, dark gudeg or Padang's turmeric gulai nangka, it is pale, savoury and peppery, lifted at the end with malunggay (moringa) leaves and a splash of vinegar. Home cooks often add shrimp or pork; this version is vegetable-only. Chef's tip: oil your knife and hands before cutting fresh jackfruit, as its sap is very sticky; tinned young jackfruit avoids the problem altogether.

45 min

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Halo-haloShaved ice dessert

Halo-halo ('mix-mix') is what the Philippines eats through the hot dry months of March to May, bought from roadside stalls and snack shops and eaten slowly with a long spoon in a tall glass. Sweetened beans and chickpeas, banana cooked in brown sugar, jackfruit, nata de coco and sugar-palm fruit go in first, then a mountain of finely shaved ice, a splash of evaporated milk and a crown of ube halaya, a slice of leche flan or a scoop of ube ice cream, with crunchy pinipig (toasted pounded rice) on top. Unlike Malaysian ais kacang, there's no syrup over the ice: the sweetness comes from the layers and the milk. You stir everything together before eating. Chef's tip: chill the glasses and the toppings first so the ice doesn't melt before you have finished building.

30 min

Filipino Snacks & Starters

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Ilocos empanadaCrisp rice-flour turnovers

In Batac and Vigan, in the Ilocos region, empanada is not a baked pastry but a big, crunchy, bright-orange turnover fried to order at night markets and by the plaza. The thin rice-flour crust gets its colour from annatto, and inside goes shredded green papaya, mung bean sprouts, crumbled Vigan longganisa (a garlicky pork sausage) and a whole egg. Vendors fold it in seconds and slide it into hot oil, then hand it over with a little bowl of spiced sugarcane vinegar to pour in with every bite. It is a pork snack for evenings out. Chef's tip: roll the dough very thin on a banana leaf or baking paper; the leaf lets you flip the dough over the filling without tearing it.

75 min

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Kare-kareOxtail in peanut sauce

Kare-kare belongs to Pampanga, the province north of Manila that many Filipinos call the country's kitchen, and it is the stew families bring out for fiestas, birthdays and long Sunday lunches. Oxtail and beef shin are simmered until the meat falls from the bone, then finished in a thick, nutty sauce coloured orange with annatto and thickened with toasted ground rice. The sauce itself is barely salted on purpose: everyone adds a little sautéed shrimp paste (bagoong alamang) at the table, so the dish contains shellfish. Pile it over steamed rice with the aubergine, long beans and pak choi. Chef's tip: toast the rice in a dry pan until it is the colour of biscuits before grinding it; that roasted smell is what makes the sauce taste of kare-kare rather than plain peanut butter.

240 min

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La Paz batchoyPork noodle soup

La Paz batchoy was born in the market of La Paz, a district of Iloilo City on Panay, where stalls ladle it out from early morning to late at night. It is a pork noodle soup through and through: fresh egg noodles (miki) in a deep pork-bone broth seasoned with a little shrimp paste, topped with sliced pork, liver, crushed pork crackling (chicharrón) and lots of fried garlic. Locals often crack a raw egg into the bowl and ask for extra broth. It is a warming, savoury bowl for rainy afternoons. Chef's tip: make the broth the day before and chill it; the fat sets on top so you can lift most of it off and fry the garlic in it.

180 min

Filipino Soups

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LaingTaro leaves in coconut milk

Laing is the pride of Bicol, the chilli-loving region at the southern tip of Luzon. Dried taro leaves are simmered for close to an hour in coconut milk with ginger, lemongrass and siling labuyo until they collapse into a dark, creamy, spicy mass, then finished with thick coconut cream. Bicolano cooks usually add pork or dried fish and shrimp paste; this vegetarian version leans on extra ginger and a little salt and stays rich. Eat it with plain rice, often as a Friday or Lenten dish. Chef's tip: lay the leaves on top of the coconut milk and don't stir until they have soaked it up; stirring raw taro leaves early is said to leave an itchy taste.

70 min

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Leche flanCaramel custard

Leche flan is on the table for every Filipino Noche Buena on Christmas Eve, at fiestas and at birthdays, steamed in the oval aluminium tins called llaneras and turned out shining under a dark caramel. Unlike Spanish flan or the Brazilian pudim, it is made with egg yolks only, condensed milk and evaporated milk, so it is much denser and smoother, almost like a firm custard fudge, and a little goes a long way. A grating of calamansi or lime zest cuts the richness, and many cooks steam rather than bake it. The leftover whites go into meringue biscuits. Chef's tip: strain the custard twice and stir, don't whisk; air bubbles become holes in the finished flan.

60 min

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Lechon kawaliCrispy fried pork belly

Lechon kawali is pork belly, boiled with garlic and bay, dried, then fried in a wok (kawali) until the rind blisters into crackling. It is the everyday cousin of the whole roast pig: Manila carinderias sell it by the slice at lunchtime, and home cooks make it for weekend lunches all over Luzon. Each piece should be shatteringly crisp on top and juicy underneath. Serve it chopped with rice and a sharp garlic-vinegar dip, or with the sweet liver sauce sold in jars. Chef's tip: after boiling, leave the belly uncovered in the fridge overnight; a bone-dry rind puffs up and spits far less in the oil.

110 min

Filipino Snacks & Starters

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Lumpiang shanghaiPork spring rolls

No Filipino party table is complete without a platter of lumpiang shanghai, the pencil-thin pork spring rolls that disappear first at birthdays, Christmas Eve (Noche Buena) and family reunions. They came from the Chinese-Filipino cooks of Manila, and the filling is seasoned minced pork with carrot, onion and water chestnut, rolled tight in thin wrappers and fried until they crackle. Dip them in sweet chilli sauce or banana ketchup. Chef's tip: roll them no thicker than your finger; thin rolls cook through in the time the wrapper takes to turn golden.

65 min

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NgohiongFive-spice spring rolls

Ngohiong grew from the Chinese-Filipino kitchens of Cebu City and is now street food all over Cebu: a lumpia filled with heart of palm (ubod) or jicama seasoned with five-spice, then dipped in batter and fried, so it has a thick, golden coat rather than a thin crisp skin. It is eaten with a glossy, sweet-hot dipping sauce and often with rice. Cebu stalls mix in a little pork or shrimp; this version is all vegetable. Chef's tip: cook the filling until dry and cool it fully; wet filling tears the wrapper and spits in the oil.

55 min

Filipino Snacks & Starters

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Vegetable pancit bihonRice noodles with vegetables

No Filipino birthday is complete without a big tray of pancit, because long noodles stand for a long life; aunts arrive at the party carrying it in foil trays, and it sits on the table next to the cake. Pancit bihon uses thin rice vermicelli tossed with sautéed vegetables and a soy-seasoned stock until the noodles drink up every drop and turn light brown and glossy. This version is vegetarian, with fried tofu standing in for the usual chicken, shrimp and sausage, and vegetable stock in the pan. Squeeze calamansi (or lime) over each plate; the sharp citrus is what lifts it. Chef's tip: never cut the noodles before serving, for luck, and cook them in the stock rather than boiling them first.

25 min

Filipino Pasta & Noodles

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Pancit MoloPork dumpling soup

Pancit Molo is named after the Molo district of Iloilo City, where Chinese traders settled centuries ago. Despite the word pancit, there are no noodles: the wonton wrappers are the 'noodle', folded around a filling of pork and prawns and simmered in a clear chicken broth with plenty of fried garlic. Ilonggo families serve it on rainy days, at fiestas and at Christmas gatherings, often as a starter before the main feast. The broth should be light, the dumplings silky. Chef's tip: let the wrappers trail a loose 'tail' when you fold them; those soft, frilly edges are what make molo different from a tight Chinese wonton.

105 min

Filipino Soups

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PandesalSoft bread rolls

Pandesal is the bread of the Filipino morning: small, soft, slightly sweet rolls with a fine breadcrumb coating, bought hot at dawn in brown paper bags from the neighbourhood panaderia (bakery) and eaten before school or work. They are torn open and filled with butter, cheese or peanut butter, or dunked straight into a cup of coffee, and at night the leftovers are toasted. Despite the name ('salt bread'), they are gently sweet, with a pillowy crumb and a thin crust. Home-made ones are best eaten within hours of baking. Chef's tip: the classic shape comes from rolling the dough into a log, coating it in crumbs and cutting slices, which bake into those familiar oval rolls with cut sides up.

148 min

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PastilRice parcels with shredded chicken

Pastil is the grab-and-go breakfast of Cotabato City and the Maguindanao region of Mindanao: a mound of warm rice wrapped in a banana leaf, topped with shredded chicken that has been fried dry with garlic and onion (kagikit). Vendors sell them by the dozen from early morning, and Muslim families pack them for the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan. Each parcel is small, cheap and filling. Eat them warm with a hot chilli vinegar. Chef's tip: fry the chicken flakes until they are dry and fluffy, almost like floss; moist chicken makes the rice soggy inside the leaf.

90 min

Filipino Rice & Grains

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PiayaMuscovado-filled flatbread

Piaya is the sweet everyone brings home from Bacolod and the sugar-growing island of Negros: a thin, flaky round of unleavened dough with a layer of dark muscovado inside, cooked on a dry griddle until blistered, and dotted with sesame seeds. The sugar melts and turns chewy as it cools. It is eaten with coffee in the afternoon, and newer shops fill it with ube. Lard is traditional in the dough; vegetable shortening gives the same flakiness. Chef's tip: roll the filled dough gently from the centre outward and keep it thin, or the sugar bursts through.

70 min

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PinakbetMixed vegetable stew

Pinakbet comes from the Ilocos region in the far north-west of Luzon, where families cook whatever grows behind the house: bitter melon, small aubergines, okra, yard-long beans and tomatoes, simmered with very little water until the vegetables shrink and wrinkle (the name comes from the Ilocano for 'shrivelled'). Ilocanos season it with fermented fish paste; here white miso gives the same savoury, salty depth without any fish, and a little squash (more common in the Tagalog version) adds sweetness. It is an everyday lunch dish, eaten with rice and often a spoonful of extra miso on the side. Chef's tip: choose small, firm bitter melon and don't scrape out every bit of the pith; a little bitterness is the point.

35 min

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Pork sisigSizzling chopped pork

Sisig comes from Angeles City in Pampanga, where cooks turned pig's head and ears into a sizzling, sour, peppery bar snack that is now on almost every Filipino menu. This home version is pork, using pork belly (and pig's ears if your butcher has them) that is boiled, grilled until charred, then chopped finely and fried with onion, chilli and calamansi juice. It arrives at the table crackling on a hot cast-iron plate, often with a raw egg stirred in. Eat it with rice, or as pulutan with drinks; a cold calamansi juice works as well. Chef's tip: chop the pork small but not to mince; you want little crisp edges and chewy bits in every spoonful.

110 min

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Pork tocinoSweet cured pork

In Pampanga, tocino is breakfast: thin slices of pork shoulder in a sweet, garlicky marinade, fried until the sugar caramelises at the edges, then served with garlic fried rice and a fried egg as 'tosilog'. Shop tocino is often bright pink from curing salts; this home version leaves those out, so it is a sweet marinated pork rather than a true cure, gets its warm red colour from annatto and paprika, and must be kept in the fridge and cooked within 3 days (or frozen). Look for pork with a little fat running through it so it stays juicy. Chef's tip: start it in a splash of water; the pork simmers through first, then the sugar glazes once the water is gone, so it doesn't burn before it's cooked.

35 min

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PutoSteamed rice cakes

Puto are small steamed rice cakes found at every Filipino party and merienda table, with countless town styles from Biñan's flat rounds to Calasiao's tiny bites in Pangasinan. Traditionally the batter is fermented ground rice; this home version uses rice flour and baking powder for a quick, reliable rise and a fine, cottony crumb. A strip of cheese on top melts into the cake as it steams. They go with dinuguan in Luzon, but a cup of coffee or hot chocolate is just as good. Chef's tip: wrap the steamer lid in a tea towel so condensation doesn't drip onto the cakes and leave pockmarks.

40 min