Arroz Caldo

Although Arroz Caldo is of Chinese origin, the name was actually given by the Spaniards because of pronunciation issues. You might be familiar with lugaw and goto. These congee closely resembles each other, correct? The distinguishing ingredient of arroz caldo is the use of chicken, while goto usually requires the use of tripe, beef, and innards. Lugaw, on the other hand, is as plain as it can get.

Arroz caldo is a Filipino congee in which rice and chicken are boiled in a large amount of water until the rice softens significantly.  In addition to onions and ginger; saffron, black peppers and fish sauce may be added to give this rice dish more flavors. This dish is often served as a meal on its own.

 

Balut

A balut (spelled standardized as balot) is a developing bird embryo (usually a duck or chicken) that is boiled and eaten from the shell. It originates and is commonly sold as street-food in the Philippines. They are common food in countries in Southeast Asia, such as Laos (khai look ໄຂ່ລູກ in Lao), Cambodia (pong tia koun ពងទាកូន in Cambodian), Thailand (Khai Khao ไข่ข้าว in Thai) and Vietnam (trứng vịt lộn or hột vịt lộn in Vietnamese). They are often served with beer. The Tagalog and Malay word balut means “wrapped”.

The length of incubation before the egg is cooked is a matter of local preference, but generally ranges between 14 and 21 days.

The eating of balut is controversial due to religious, animal welfare and human health concerns.

 

Halo-Halo

Haluhalo or Halo-halo (Tagalog: [haluˈhaloʔ], “mixed together”) is a popular Filipino dessert with mixtures of shaved ice and evaporated milk to which are added various ingredients, including boiled sweet beans, coconut, sago, gulaman (agar jelly), tubers and fruits. It is served in a tall glass or bowl.

this is THE famous Filipino desert. Halo Halo (meaning ‘mixed together’ in Filipino) is served in a tall glass containing ice shavings, evaporated milk and various small chunks of yummy goodies all mixed in together.

Yummy goodies include boiled kidney beans, chickpeas (“garbanzo”), sugar palm fruit (“kaong”), jackfruit, tapioca, sweet potato, sweet beans, coconut gel, ice cream, guava paste, purple yam and many more!

Sinigang na Baboy

Sinigang is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savoury taste most often associated with tamarind (Filipino: sampalok). It is one of the more popular viands in Philippine cuisine, and is related to the Malaysian dish singgang.

While present nationwide, sinigang is seen to be culturally Tagalog in origin, thus the versions found in the Visayas and Mindanao may differ in taste.

Sinigang is a meat based sour stew or soup with lots of vegetables. The most popular souring agent is tamarind (sampalok). Pork (baboy) is the most common meat used but chicken, beef and fish are also popular.

Kare-Kare

Kare-kare is a Philippine stew complimented with a thick savory peanut sauce. It is made from a base of stewed oxtail (sometimes this is the only meat used), pork hocks, calves feet, pig feet, beef stew meat, and occasionally offal or tripe. Kare Kare can also be made with seafood (prawns, squid, and mussels) or all vegetables. Vegetables, which include (but are not limited to) eggplant, Chinese cabbage, or other greens, daikon, green beans, and asparagus beans are added — usually equaling or exceeding the amount of meats. The stew is flavored with ground roasted peanuts or peanut butter, onions, and garlic. It is colored with annatto (extracted from annatto seeds in oil or water) and can be thickened with toasted or plain ground rice. Other flavorings may be added, but the dish is usually quite plain, compared to other Filipino dishes. Other seasonings are added at the table. Variants may include goat meat or (rarely) chicken. It is often eaten with bagoong (shrimp paste), sometimes spiced with chili, bagoong guisado (spiced and sautéed shrimp paste), and sprinkled with calamansi juice. Traditionally, any Filipino fiesta (particularly in Pampanga region) is not complete without kare-kare. In some Filipino-American versions of the dish, oxtail is exclusively used as the meat.

Adobo

Philippine Adobo (from Spanish adobar: “marinade,” “sauce” or “seasoning”) is a popular dish and cooking process in Philippine cuisine that involves meat, seafood, or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic, which is browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade. It has sometimes been considered as the unofficial national dish in the Philippines.

Bicol Express

Bicol Express 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 chilies (siling mahaba in Tagalog, lada panjang in Malay/Indonesian), coconut milk, shrimp paste or stockfish, onion, pork, and garlic. It is said to have been inspired by the fiery Bicolano dish gulay na may lada, which is nowadays presented as one of the many variants of Bicol Express.

Bicol Express was named after the passenger train service from Manila to the Bicol region, a region in the Philippines famous for its spicy cuisine.