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Corned beef guisadoSautéed corned beef and potato

In Manila and all over the Philippines, a tin of corned beef in the cupboard means dinner is never more than 15 minutes away. Corned beef guisado is the beef fried with lots of garlic, onion and small cubes of potato until the edges crisp, and it's eaten with garlic rice and a fried egg for breakfast or with plain rice for a fast weeknight supper. The common mistake is cutting the potato too big, so it's still hard when the beef is ready; keep the cubes to 1 cm. Chef's tip: once the beef is in, leave it alone for a minute or two so it catches and crisps on the bottom before you stir.

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Ginisang pechaySautéed bok choy

Ginisang pechay is a no-fuss Filipino weeknight vegetable, cooked in homes from Manila to Cebu to go with rice and a piece of fried fish or tofu. Bok choy (pechay) is sautéed in the classic Filipino base of garlic, onion and tomato, then seasoned with a dash of soy so the leaves turn glossy and the stems stay juicy. Many cooks add ground pork, shrimp or a splash of fish sauce; this version is vegan. The common mistake is covering the pan, which steams the pechay olive-grey; keep the lid off and cook fast. Chef's tip: cook the tomato until it slumps into a jammy sauce before the greens go in; that's where the flavour comes from.

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Ginisang sardinasSautéed sardines with egg

Ginisang sardinas is everyday Filipino home cooking, especially in the rainy season and towards the end of the month when the budget is tight: a tin or two of sardines in tomato sauce sautéed with garlic, onion and fresh tomato, then stretched with egg. It's eaten for dinner with plenty of hot rice; some families add misua noodles to make it a soup. The common mistake is stirring too much once the sardines are in, which breaks them into mush. Chef's tip: fry the garlic until just golden before anything else goes in; that toasty garlic is what makes the tin taste homemade.

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Ginisang repolyoSautéed cabbage and carrot

Ginisang repolyo is the budget-friendly side every Filipino family seems to know, cooked on a weekday evening in Manila or Davao to stretch a meal with plenty of rice. Shredded cabbage and carrot are sautéed with garlic and onion and seasoned with soy until just wilted, sweet and still crunchy. Cooks often add pork, shrimp or sliced hot dog; add fried tofu instead if you want it more filling and vegetarian. The common mistake is cooking the cabbage until it sags and smells sulphurous; stop while the shreds are still bright and springy. Chef's tip: give the carrot a minute alone in the pan first, because it takes longer than the cabbage to soften.

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Ginisang upoSautéed bottle gourd

Ginisang upo is humble everyday food in Filipino homes, especially in the provinces where upo (bottle gourd) climbs over backyard trellises: the pale gourd is sautéed with garlic, onion and tomato until just tender and juicy, then eaten with rice for lunch or a light supper. Families often add ground pork, shrimp or fish sauce; this vegan version leans on tomato and a little salt and pepper. The common mistake is cutting the gourd into thick chunks, which take too long and go watery; thin half-moons cook in minutes. Chef's tip: don't add water at the start, because the upo releases plenty of its own juice once salted.

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KalanehWild leek stuffed flatbread

In Kurdistan and Kermanshah, Newroz arrives with the first spring greens on the hillsides, and families gather wild leeks to fold into kalaneh, thin griddle breads cooked over a fire or a hot pan and soaked in melted butter. The dough is plain and soft, rolled very thin around a pile of chopped leek or chives with a little salt and pepper, so the greens steam inside as the bread blisters. Eat it hot, torn into strips, with yogurt and tea at a Newroz picnic. The common mistake is wet greens, which turn the dough soggy and make it tear; dry them well after washing. Chef's tip: brush the butter on the moment the bread leaves the pan so it soaks right in.

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Rellenong manokStuffed deboned chicken

Rellenong manok is a showpiece of the Filipino Noche Buena, the Christmas Eve feast after midnight Mass. A whole chicken is boned out, leaving the skin in one piece, then stuffed with a mixture of minced pork, sausage, raisins, carrot, cheese and whole hard-boiled eggs, sewn up and roasted. Sliced, every round shows the egg in the middle. Ask your butcher to bone the chicken if you prefer. Because the pork stuffing is inside, check that its centre reaches 74 °C. Chef's tip: chill the stuffed chicken for an hour before roasting so it keeps its shape.

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KaguyjyWhite corn pudding

On the night of 23–24 June, Paraguayans celebrate San Juan with bonfires, games like walking over hot coals and the 'paso de fuego', and a table of traditional foods, and kaguyjy (also mazamorra) is one of them. It is a soft, creamy pudding of cracked white corn (locro) simmered slowly in water and then milk with sugar or honey, sometimes with orange peel. It is eaten warm or cold. It is gluten free. Chef's tip: soak the corn overnight and cook it until each kernel is tender before adding the milk, or it never turns creamy.

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SkābputraSoured barley porridge drink

Skābputra, 'sour porridge', is one of the oldest Latvian foods, and at Jāņi, Midsummer on 23–24 June, it is served cold alongside caraway cheese, pīrāgi and wreaths of flowers. Pearl barley is cooked soft, then soured with buttermilk or kefir for a day or two until it is tangy and fresh-tasting, and it is thinned with milk into a thick, cooling drink sipped or eaten with a spoon on hot summer days. This home version uses bought live buttermilk to start the souring safely. Chef's tip: use clean jars and utensils, and taste it each day; once it is pleasantly sour, chill it so it stops souring.

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RabarbrikookRhubarb crumble cake

By Jaanipäev, Estonian Midsummer on 24 June, the rhubarb in every country garden is tall and red, and Estonians take rhubarb cake to the Jaaniõhtu bonfire evening along with grilled sausages, cheese and the beer for the grown-ups. Rabarbrikook is a simple, soft butter cake packed with sharp rhubarb under a thick, sweet crumble that soaks up the juices. Serve it warm with vanilla sauce or cold in squares. Chef's tip: toss the rhubarb in a spoonful of sugar and flour first; the flour thickens the juice so the cake below does not go soggy.

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KipingLeaf-shaped rice wafers

Every 15 May, the town of Lucban in Quezon province celebrates San Isidro Labrador, patron of farmers, with the Pahiyas festival, when houses are covered in rice, vegetables and kiping: bright, translucent wafers of ground rice dough pressed onto leaves so they take the leaf's shape and veins, then dried. After the procession, the kiping are taken down and grilled or fried and eaten crisp, sometimes with sugar. This home version presses the dough thinly onto baking paper with a leaf-shaped cutter and the back of a clean banana leaf for texture. It is vegan and gluten free. Chef's tip: spread the dough as thin as you can, almost see-through, so it dries crisp.

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Chipa so'oCheese bread with spiced beef

In Paraguay, families bake chipa in the clay tatakua ovens on Holy Wednesday so there is food for Thursday and Good Friday, when cooking stops. Chipa so'o ('chipa with meat') is a cassava-starch and cheese bread wrapped around a little filling of minced beef cooked with onion and egg, then baked until crisp outside and chewy within. It is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: knead the dough until it no longer cracks at the edges when pressed; dry dough splits around the filling.

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Pajagua mascadaBeef and cassava patties

Pajagua mascada is a Paraguayan street-food classic that appears on every table for the San Juan festival on 24 June, when bonfires burn and the night is full of games and traditional food. Minced beef is mixed with mashed cassava, onion, garlic and a little egg and flour, shaped into flat patties and fried until crisp. The name comes from Guaraní and refers to the 'chewing' of old Paraguayan cooks, who made it from leftover meat. Chef's tip: dry the boiled cassava well and remove its woody core, which keeps the patties light and crunchy.

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Dowina (Kurdish yogurt soup)

Dowina, called ash-e doogh in Persian, is warming spring food in Kurdish homes around Newroz, when yogurt is plentiful and the first herbs are cut from the garden. Rice and chickpeas simmer in a tangy, lightly thickened yogurt broth, finished with fresh dill, coriander and a sizzle of dried mint in oil. It is eaten warm, never boiling hot, with flatbread. The common mistake is to heat the yogurt too fast without stirring, which makes it split into grainy curds. Chef's tip: whisk an egg yolk and a spoonful of rice flour into the yogurt before it goes on the heat; it holds the soup smooth all the way to the simmer.

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Ginataang mais (sweet corn coconut porridge)

Across the Philippines, ginataang mais turns up on the quiet, meatless days of Holy Week, when many families keep Good Friday as a day of fasting and abstinence and want something warm and simple to share in the afternoon. Glutinous rice swells in coconut milk until the pot turns thick and glossy, and sweet corn kernels pop through it with little bursts of sweetness. It is eaten warm from small bowls, sometimes with a swirl of extra coconut cream or crunchy toasted pinipig, and is just as good cold from the fridge the next day. Chef's tip: save the sugar until the rice is fully soft; added too early it slows the grains and they stay chalky in the middle.

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Lengua estofado (braised ox tongue)

Lengua estofado is a Spanish-era special-occasion dish that Luzon families still cook for town fiestas, when it sits beside the lechon as the dish for people who know their food. An ox (beef) tongue is first simmered slowly until it is silky and tender, then peeled, sliced and finished in a tomato sauce with mushrooms, olives and a touch of soy. The slices are soft, fine-grained and rich, almost buttery, and the sauce is glossy and savoury. Serve with rice or warm pandesal to mop up the sauce. Chef's tip: the tongue is done when a skewer slides into the thickest part with no resistance; under-cooked tongue is chewy however long you braise the slices afterwards.

180 minFilipinoMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Panutsa (Batangas peanut and cane-sugar candy)

In Batangas and Laguna, south of Manila, panutsa is the rustic peanut candy made from roasted peanuts and dark, unrefined cane sugar, traditionally poured into halved coconut shells to set into domes. It is sold at roadside stalls and town markets and eaten as a snack with the strong local barako coffee, often in the morning or mid-afternoon. It is hard and crunchy, with a deep molasses flavour and lots of nuts. Break it into pieces to serve, or grate it over rice cakes as a sweetener. Panutsa is naturally egg-free: the cane sugar, boiled to the soft-crack stage, sets hard as it cools and holds the peanuts in place. Chef's tip: have the moulds oiled and ready before the syrup goes on. The common mistake is pulling the syrup too early, which gives a sticky, bendy candy that never sets properly.

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Pork menudoPork and liver tomato stew

Filipino menudo is a fiesta stew from Luzon of finely diced pork shoulder and pork liver, cooked in tomato sauce with little cubes of potato and carrot, red pepper and raisins; it has nothing in common with the Mexican tripe soup of the same name. Because everything is cut small, it is easy to spoon onto a crowded fiesta plate, and big trays of it are cooked in advance and kept warm for guests arriving all day. It tastes savoury, gently sweet from the raisins and a little sharp from calamansi. Serve with steamed rice. Chef's tip: dice the pork, liver and vegetables all the same size, about 1.5 cm, so every spoonful holds a bit of everything.

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Bringhe (Kapampangan festive sticky rice)

Bringhe is the rice Pampanga cooks bring out for town fiestas, a local cousin of Spanish paella in which sticky rice, coconut milk and turmeric stand in for saffron and stock. It is cooked over banana leaves so the bottom forms a toasty crust, and served in a big tray topped with hard-boiled eggs and red pepper, its bright yellow colour making it the centrepiece of the fiesta spread. The grains are soft, rich and a little chewy, perfumed with ginger and coconut, and the chicken stays juicy inside. Serve with atchara or a crisp green salad to cut the richness. Chef's tip: stir only until the liquid is mostly absorbed, then leave the rice alone on low heat so the bottom can crust without burning.

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Beef kalderetaBeef stew in tomato liver sauce

Kaldereta is the stew Luzon towns cook by the potful for fiestas, a dish with Spanish roots that Filipino cooks made their own with mashed liver to thicken and enrich the sauce. This version uses beef chuck, which is braised slowly in tomatoes until it is spoon-tender, then finished with potatoes, carrots and red and green peppers; goat is the other traditional choice. The sauce is deep red, savoury and slightly spicy if you add the chillies, with a velvety body from the liver. Serve with plenty of steamed rice. Chef's tip: canned liver spread is the classic shortcut; it works well, but check the label if you need the dish gluten free, since many contain wheat flour.

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Pancit MalabonThick noodles with seafood

Pancit Malabon comes from Malabon, an old fishing town in Metro Manila, and at its fiestas and birthdays the long noodles carry the usual wish for a long life. It is not the same as pancit palabok: Malabon uses thick, chewy rice noodles that are tossed right through a thinner, prawn-rich annatto sauce, and the topping is a generous pile of seafood from the town's fish port, squid, oysters, prawns and smoked fish flakes, plus egg and crushed pork crackling. The result is savoury, briny and bright orange, with every strand coated. Squeeze calamansi over and eat it with puto or a simple soup. Chef's tip: make the prawn stock from the heads and shells; that is where the deep sea flavour of the sauce comes from.

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Igado (Ilocano pork and liver)

Igado comes from the Ilocos region in the far north of Luzon, where it is a favourite at town fiestas and family celebrations: thin strips of pork and pork liver braised with soy sauce, sukang Iloko (the local cane vinegar), lots of garlic, black pepper and bay, with peas and red pepper for colour. It is sharper and more peppery than menudo, with no tomato, and the liver gives the sauce a rich, savoury depth. Serve with hot rice and a cold drink. Chef's tip: any mild cane or rice vinegar works if you cannot find sukang Iloko, but avoid harsh distilled vinegar.

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MechadoLarded beef braised in tomato

Mechado takes its name from the Spanish mecha, a wick, because large pieces of beef are threaded with strips of pork back fat before they go into the pot; as the beef braises the pork fat melts into the meat and keeps it moist. It is a fixture of Luzon town fiestas, often ladled from huge pots in the host family's yard, and its tomato, soy and calamansi sauce is tangy, savoury and slightly sweet. The beef should be tender enough to cut with a spoon, the potatoes soft and soaked in sauce. Serve with rice and atchara. Chef's tip: freeze the pork fat for 20 minutes before cutting; firm strips are much easier to push through the beef.

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Pastillas de leche (Bulacan milk candy)

San Miguel in Bulacan, north of Manila, has made pastillas de leche from the rich milk of carabao, the water buffalo, for generations, and the town celebrates it every May with a festival. The candies are slow-cooked from little more than milk and sugar, rolled into fingers, coated in sugar and wrapped in coloured paper, often with fringed, cut-paper wrappers for fiestas and Christmas. They taste like a soft, milky fudge that melts on the tongue. Hand them round with coffee or tuck them into gift boxes. Carabao milk is hard to find, so this version uses whole cow's milk boosted with a little milk powder for the same richness. It is naturally egg-free: the milk solids, reduced with sugar, set into a firm paste on their own. Chef's tip: keep the heat at medium-low and scrape the base often. The common mistake is turning the heat up to save time, which scorches the milk and makes the paste grainy.

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