Pansit Palabok

A popular pinoy noodle dish that has an orange sauce and topped with lots of flavours from crunchy chicharon, prawns, hard boiled eggs, smoked fish flakes and whatever else you want to add.

Ingredients:

Palabok Noodles / Sauce
1/2 kilo miki noodles
1/2 kilo small crabs
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of atchuete seeds or oil
2 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)
4 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in water
1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG) (optional)
1 1/2 cups of water
Palabok Toppings
Tinapa flakes (smoked fish)
Cooked shrimps, shelled
Squid adobo, sliced into rings
Pork chicharon, grounded
Spring onions, chopped
Hard boiled eggs, shelled, sliced
Fried garlic, minced
Fresh calamansi (lemon), sliced

Procedure:

1. Extract fat and meat from clean crabs, set aside.
2. Pound crab and extract juice on 1 1/2 cups of water
3. On a pan, saute’ garlic and onions until golden brown then add crab fat, crab meat, 1 1/2 cups of crab wash, patis and MSG. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add corn starch and continue to simmer while constantly stirring until thick.
5. Put miki noodles in a strainer and dip in boiling water for 5 minutes or until cooked.
6. Lay drained noodles on a platter and pour the palabok sauce.
7. Garnish with toppings and serve.

Bagnet

The Bagnet, known locally chicaron name, is one of the famous food of the Philippines located in the Ilocos.  It is usually dip vinegar, anchovies and garlic.

Ingredients:

2 kilo pork liempo (pork belly), whole cut
1/2 head garlic
1 tsp. peppercorns
2 tbsp salt
1 bay leaves
cooking oil for frying

Procedure:

1. Wash pork belly, cut into large chunks and place in a large pot.Add enough water to cover the pork belly.
2. Add in salt, peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil, simmer for 30-45 minutes or until tender. Remove all scum that rises.
3. Remove from the pot and place in a colander and let sit for a while so the liquid will drain. Prick the skin many times using the tines of a fork then Dry with paper towels if necessary. Keep refrigerated for several hours.
4. In a large kawali heat enough cooking oil and deep fry pork belly at low heat for 30-45 minutes.
5. Remove pork belly from the kawali and drain oil in a colander or paper towels, allow to cool completely.
6. Reheat the same oil over moderate heat deep fry the pork belly once more for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, crisp and blisters appear on the skin. Drain on paper towels.
7. Chop bagnet to serving pieces and serve immediately with a selection of sukang Iloko or tomatoes and onions with bagoong isda dip

Batchoy

Batchoy is a noodle soup made with pork organs, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin and round noodles. Its origins can be traced to the district of La Paz, Iloilo City in the Philippines, hence it is often referred to as La Paz Batchoy.

Ingredients:

1 lb miki noodles, boiled for 1 minute and drained
1 lb pork
1 lb pigs intentesines; cleaned, boiled, and sliced
1/4 lb pig liver, sliced into strips
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon shimp paste (bagoong or guinamus) * optional
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 cup pork cracklings (chicharon), crushed
3 tablespoons spring onion, chopped
1/4 cup toasted garlic
7 cups water

Cooking procedure:

1. Boil water in a cooking pot.
2. Put-in salt, sugar, onion powder, ground black pepper, and shrimp paste. Cook for a minute.
3. Add the pork and cook until tender (about 30 to 45 minutes)
4. Put-in the intestines and liver, and then cook for 6 to 10 minutes.
5. Remove the pork, liver, and intestine from the broth (caldo). Set aside.
6. Slice the pork into strips.
7. Arranged the cooked miki noodles in a single serving bowl.
8. Place the strips of pork, liver, and intestine on top of the miki noodles.
9. Pour the broth in the bowl, and then garnish with spring onions and toasted garlic.

Adobong Pusit

Adobong Pusit / Squid Adobo is a very popular dish in the Philippines; want to know the reason why? Well, Filipinos love squid no matter how it is cooked and Adobo is definitely a Filipino’s top choice when it comes to cooking any dish.

Ingredients:

2 lbs medium-sized squid, cleaned and ink separated
1 piece large onion, diced
2 pieces medium sized tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup water
5 cloves crushed garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil

Cooking procedure:

1. Heat a wok or cooking pot them pour-in soy sauce, vinegar, and water then bring to a boil.
2. Add the squid and wait for the liquid to re-boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat then separate the squid from the liquid. Set aside.
4. Pour-in cooking oil on a separate wok of cooking pot then apply heat.
5. When the oil is hot enough, saute the garlic, onions, and tomatoes.
6. Put-in the squid then cook for a few seconds.
7. Pour-in the soy sauce-vinegar-water mixture that was used to cook the squid a while back. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
8. Add the ink, salt, ground black pepper, and sugar then stir. Simmer for 3 minutes.
9. Transfer to a serving bowl then serve.

Pakbet Tagalog

Pinakbet is made from mixed vegetables steamed in fish or shrimp sauce. Most of these vegetables are easily accessible, and are grown in backyards and gardens.

Ingredients:

1/4 lb pork, thinly sliced
1 large egg plant, chopped
1 medium-sized bitter melon, chopped
1/4 lb squash, chopped into 2x1 inch cubes
3 pieces large tomato, sliced
1 piece onion, sliced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 to 8 pieces okra
1 bunch string beans, cut in 3 inches length
4 tbsp shrimp paste
1 cup water
3 tbsp cooking oil
salt and pepper

Cooking Procedure:

1. Heat the pan and put the cooking oil.
2. When oil is hot enough, saute the garlic, ginger, onion, and tomato
3. Add the pork and cook until color turns light brown (about 5 to 8 minutes)
4. Put-in the shrimp paste and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until pork is tender
6. Put-in the squash and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until texture becomes soft
7. Add the remaining vegetables and mix with the other ingredients.Simmer for 5 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked. (Do not overcook the vegetables)
8. Serve hot with steamed white rice. Share and Enjoy!

Chicken Sotanghon Soup

Chicken Sotanghon is a noodle soup dish made of chicken meat boiled in stock together with sotanghon noodles and vegetables. This is commonly served during rainy season.

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken, cleaned
4 ounces sotanghon (vermicelli noodles)
1 medium onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup anatto water
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
3 tablespoons onion leeks, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
5 cups water
2 tablespoons toasted garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons Patis (fish sauce)
3/4 cup cabbage, shredded
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 piece chicken bouillon
1 piece dried bay leaf



Cooking procedure:
1. Pour water in a saucepan, apply heat, and let boil.
2. Put-in bay leaf and chicken. Simmer until chicken is tender.
3. Remove the chicken and bay leaf from the cooking pot and let cool. Save the water used to tenderize the chicken for later use (as chicken stock).
4. Separate the chicken meat from the bone then tear the meat into small pieces. Set aside.
5. Soak sotanghon noodles in water for 6 minutes
6. In a cooking pot, pour-in cooking oil then saute garlic and onion.
7. Put-in the chicken, fish sauce and ground black pepper then pour-in annatto water, and chicken bouillon.
8. Pour the chicken stock and let boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.
9. Add the carrots and celery then cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.
10. Put-in cabbage, onion leeks, and sotanghon noodles then cook for 2 minutes more.
11. Turn-off heat and transfer to a serving bowl.
12. Top with toasted garlic and serve while hot.

Chicken Inasal

The chicken inasal is a popular dish from the City of Bacolod, Philippines. Unlike the usual barbecue or grilled chicken that uses soy sauce, this dish uses different ingredients for its marinade and basting sauce that create a unique flavor. The smoked flavor added by cooking the meat on a hot charcoal grill imbibes the marinade and makes the dish tastier. This dish is also distinct for its yellowish color brought about by the application of achuete or annatto oil.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken cut into serving pieces
Marinade:
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
3/4 cup lemongrass, chopped
1 cup coconut vinegar
1/2 cup lemon or calamansi juice
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup lemon soda (softdrink)
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
Basting Sauce:
3 tablespoons annatto oil (atsuete oil)
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon or calamansi juice

Cooking procedure:

1. In a freezer bag or large bowl, combine chicken, lemongrass, salt, ground black pepper, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon-lime soda, and lemon juice.
2. Stir or shake the mixture until every ingredient is well incorporated. Marinade for 1 to 3 hours.
3. In a bowl, combine margarine, annatto oil, salt, and lemon juice then stir. Set aside.
4. Grill the chicken while basting generous amount of the margarine mixture.
5. Transfer the grilled chicken to a serving plate.