Tinola is a Filipino soup usually served as a main course with white rice. Traditionally, this dish is cooked with chicken or fish, wedges of papaya and/or chayote, and leaves of the siling labuyo chili pepper in broth flavored with ginger, onions and fish sauce.
Kare-kare is a Philippine stew that features a thick savory peanut sauce. It is generally made from a base of stewed oxtail, beef tripe, pork hocks, calves' feet, pig's feet or trotters, various cuts of pork, beef stew meat, and occasionally offal. Vegetables, such as eggplant, Chinese cabbage, or other greens, daikon, green beans, okra, and asparagus beans, are added. The stew is flavored with ground roasted peanuts or peanut butter, onions, and garlic. It is colored with annatto and can be thickened with toasted or plain ground rice. Variations of kare-kare can be made with seafood, such as prawns, squid, and mussels, or exclusively from vegetables.
The generic term for condiments in the Filipino cuisine is sawsawan. Unlike sauces in other Southeast Asian regions, most sawsawan are not prepared beforehand, but are assembled on the table according to the preferences of the diner.
Bicol express, known natively in Bikol as sinilihan, is a popular Filipino dish which was popularized in the district of Malate, Manila, but made in traditional Bicolano style. It is a stew made from long chili peppers or small chili peppers, coconut milk/coconut cream, shrimp paste or stockfish, onion, pork, ginger and garlic. The dish was termed by Laguna resident, Cely Kalaw, during a cooking competition in the 1970s in Malate, Manila. The name of the dish was inspired by the Bicol Express railway train that operated from Tutuban, Manila to Legazpi, Albay. The widely-known name for this dish in the Bicol Region of the Philippines was identified as gulay na may lada, which is currently one of the vegetarian variants of the Bicol express dish. As time progressed, variants of the Bicol express dish expanded with seafood, beef, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, and other versions. The preparations for these dishes vary according to the meat present within the dish. In terms of nutritional value, the original version of the Bicol express dish is beneficial in protein but unhealthy in regards to its high levels of saturated fats and cholesterol. The dish has moved into food processing and commercial production so that it can be sold conveniently and stored for a longer period of time.
Bagnet, also locally known as "chicharon" or tsitsaron in Ilocano, is a Filipino dish consisting of pork belly (liempo) boiled and deep fried until it is crispy. It is seasoned with garlic, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and salt. First, the meat is boiled, and, then allowed to thoroughly drain excess moisture overnight before frying, to achieve its characteristic chicharon-like texture. Bagnet can be eaten on its own or with white rice. It can also be used as an ingredient or paired with other dishes like pinakbet and dinardaraan.
Lechon kawali, also known as lechon de carajay or litsong kawali in Tagalog, is a Filipino recipe consisting of pork belly slabs deep-fried in a pan or wok (kawali). It is seasoned beforehand, cooked then served in cubes. It is usually accompanied with a dipping sauce such as sarsa ng litson made from vinegar and pork liver or toyomansi.
Stir-fried water spinach is a common Asian vegetable dish, known by various names in Asian languages. Water spinach is stir-fried with a variety of vegetables, spices, and sometimes meats. It is commonly found throughout East, South and Southeast Asia; from Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine in China, to Indonesian, Burmese, Cambodian, Filipino, Malaysian, Singaporean, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese cuisine; to Sri Lankan cuisine and Bengali cuisine in South Asia.
Pinatisan is a Filipino cooking process consisting of meat braised in patis, garlic, ginger, onion, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. Some recipes also add non-traditional ingredients like tomatoes, chili peppers, and other herbs and spices. Vinegar may also be added. It is very similar to binagoongan, which is made using fermented shrimp. It is also similar to Philippine adobo and paksiw, but is distinguished by the primary use of fish sauce in place of vinegar. Pinatisan has a strong umami flavor rather than the characteristic sour and sweet flavor of adobo.
Gising-gising, also known as ginataang sigarilyas, is a spicy Filipino vegetable soup or stew originating from the province of Nueva Ecija, and was later introduced by Novo Ecijanos to Pampanga province. It is traditionally made with chopped winged beans, and coconut milk spiced with labuyo chili, garlic, onions, and bagoong alamang. The name literally means "wake up, wake up". It can be eaten alone, on top of rice, or as a side dish to grilled meat dishes. It is a type of ginataan.
Afritada is a Philippine dish consisting of chicken, beef, or pork braised in tomato sauce with carrots, potatoes, and red and green bell peppers. It is served on white rice and is a common Filipino meal. It can also be cooked with seafood.
Paelya or paella (Spanish) is a Philippine rice dish adapted from the Valencian paella. However, it differs significantly in its use of native glutinous rice (malagkít), giving it a soft and sticky texture, unlike the al dente texture favoured in Spanish paella. It is also characteristically topped with sliced eggs. Filipino paelya does not use saffron, but is instead coloured with atsuete (anatto), luyang diláw (turmeric), or kasubhâ (safflower).
Ginataang kalabasa, also known as kalabasa sa gata, is a Filipino vegetable stew made from calabaza in coconut milk and spices. It commonly includes shrimp and yardlong beans and either bagoong or patis. It can also be cooked with fish, crab, or meat and a variety of other ingredients. It is a creamy umami-laden dish that is naturally slightly sweet due to the calabaza. It is a type of ginataan.
Ginataang langka, is a Filipino vegetable stew made from unripe jackfruit in coconut milk and spices. The dish includes a wide variety of secondary ingredients like seafood, meat, and other vegetables. The dish also commonly adds bagoong alamang and may be spiced with chilis or soured with vinegar. Notable variants of the dish are ginataang kamansi and ginataang rimas which use breadnut and breadfruit, respectively. Ginataang langka is a type of ginataan.
Philippine asado refers to two different Filipino braised meat dishes. The name originates from Spanish asado ("grilled"), a reference to the original dish it was applied to, the Chinese-Filipino version of char siu barbecues usually known as pork asado. However, the Filipino versions have evolved to be braised, not grilled. The other Filipino dishes also known as asado are asado de carajay and asado matua. Unlike the Chinese-derived version, they are savory rather than sweet.
Ginataang hipon is a Filipino seafood soup made from shrimp (hipon) in coconut milk (gata) and spices. It differs from other types of ginataan, in that it does not use vegetables. It is a type of ginataan. Variants of the dish include ginataang curacha and ginataang sugpo, which use spanner crabs and prawn, respectively, in place of shrimp.
Ginataang ampalaya, is a Filipino vegetable stew made from bitter melon and tinapa in coconut milk, bagoong alamang, and spices. The dish can also be made with pork or shrimp and other vegetables. The dish is characteristically savory and slightly bitter due to the ingredients used. It is a type of ginataan.
Ginataang isda is a Filipino fish stew made from fish and leafy vegetables in coconut milk with garlic, ginger, onion, patis or bagoong alamang, and salt and pepper. It is a type of ginataan. A common version of the dish, known as ginataang paksiw na isda or paksiw na isda sa gata, is additionally soured with vinegar. Ginataang isda is a type of ginataan.
Ginataang manok is a Filipino chicken stew made from chicken in coconut milk with green papaya and other vegetables, garlic, ginger, onion, patis or bagoong alamang, and salt and pepper. It is a type of ginataan. A common variant of the dish adds curry powder or non-native Indian spices and is known as Filipino chicken curry.
Ginataang kuhol is a Filipino snail stew made from apple snails in coconut milk with leafy vegetables, onion, garlic, ginger, siling haba chilis, bagoong alamang, and salt and pepper. Labuyo chilis are also commonly added for a spicier version. The leafy vegetables can include water spinach, moringa leaves, and chili pepper leaves, among others.
Bagoong fried rice, also known as binagoongan fried rice or anglicized as shrimp paste fried rice, is a Filipino fried rice dish cooked by stir-frying pre-cooked rice with sauteed bagoong alamang, toasted garlic, spring onions, shallots, julienned sour green mangoes, and optionally other ingredients like chilis, cucumbers, jicamas, carrots, scrambled eggs, chicharon, and tomatoes. It is usually light pink in color due to the use of angkak coloring agent from the bagoong. It is eaten paired with meat and seafood dishes, or is cooked with chunks of meat and seafood and eaten as is.
