In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to make Achara! Achara is a pickled Filipino side dish made up of unripened green papaya.

Ingredients

• 1/2 of an Unripened Green Papaya

• Onions (1 cup, diced)

• Carrots (1/4 cup, finely diced)

• Red Bell Peppers (1/4 cup, finely diced)

• Ginger (1/2-3/4 tsp of juice)

• Pineapple Chunks (1/4 cup, sliced into strips)

• Raisins (1/4 cup)

• Sugar (1/2 cup)

• Vinegar (1/2 cup)

• Water (1/2 cup)

• Pineapple Juice (1 1/2 tbsp)

Steps

1) To make our family’s version of Achara, you’ll first need half an unripened green papaya. Start by scooping out all of the seeds in the papaya with a spoon. The seeds have tendency to fly and bounce around, so just do your best to keep it all contained. And then just scrape off any extra unwanted membrane. Next, peel off all the skin with a peeler.

2) When you’re done, it’s time to shred your papaya! To shred your papaya, you’ll want to use the side with the smallest cutouts on your grater. Make sure you have a firm grip. Then, get shredding!

3) Afterwards, you’ll want to extract the liquid from your papaya. To do this, just take a handful of shredded papaya, and using both your hands, squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Doing this is going to help it absorb more of the vinegar mixture later on. Continue doing this until you’ve gone through all of your papaya. Once you’re done just set it aside.

4) Next up, you’ll want to prepare your onions in a food chopper. Throw in a cups worth of diced onions into your food chopper. And then gradually pulse the chop button. What you’re looking for is somewhat of a chunky, mushy texture to your onions, but not necessarily puree.

5) At this point, you have to prep just a few more vegetables! First up is your carrot. Start by peeling the outer skin of a washed, large carrot. And then cut off the top. Next cut off about an eight to a tenth of the carrot. The amount doesn’t have to be super precise. Afterwards, cut your carrot into about 1/8 inch thick slices. Take each of those circles and cut them into little strips. And then cut those strips into tiny cubes. By the end, you’ll want roughly ¼ cups worth.

6) Next is your red bell pepper! First remove the stem, cut it in half, and remove the seeds. You only need about 1/3 to ¼ of one of the halves, but it’s really up to you. If there’s any white membrane, just cut it off and discard it. Now, cut your red bell pepper into little strips. And then cut up your strips into tiny cubes, similar to how you cut up the carrots. By the time you’re done, you want about ¼ cups worth.

7) Now it’s time to prep your ginger. Take a piece of ginger and peel the skin off of a sizeable chunk. And cut that chuck off of the rest of the ginger. Next you’ll want to cut it up similar to how you cut up your carrots and red bell peppers. Except this time, after cutting them into tiny cubes, continue to mince it. At this point take a piece of cheese cloth, and place your minced ginger in the center of it. Then pull up the edges and corners of the cheese cloth and give it a couple twists. Now just squeeze out all the juice out of the ginger into a bowl. You’ll want roughly ½ to ¾ of a teaspoon of ginger juice.

8) The last thing we like to do is prepare about ¼ of a cup of pineapple chunks. You can cut them up however you like, but we like to cut each chunk into 3 slices. And then cut each of those into 3 smaller strips. Once you’re done, you can finally combine all of the ingredients together!

9) In a large mixing bowl add in your onions from earlier, you pineapple, red bell peppers, carrots and ginger juice. Then follow it up with ¼ of a cup raisins, ½ a cup of sugar, ½ a cup of vinegar, ½ a cup of water, and 1 ½ Tbsp of pineapple juice (we actually just used the juice that the canned pineapple chunks were submerged in). Now all you want to do is thoroughly mix everything together.

10) After everything is fully incorporated, add in the liquid mixture to your papaya. We recommend spooning in and mixing the liquid mixture so that you have more control over how wet or dry your Achara is.

11) When you’re done mixing your achara, we recommend allowing it to chill in the fridge for at least a day, before you eat it. It’s talagang tasty!

Pro Tips

• You also have the option of canning your achara in mason jars

• Achara pairs well with Filipino fried/grilled food

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to cook Chicken Feet, which are also known as, Adidas in the Philippines. Usually, Filipinos like to cook adidas in an adobo sauce, but today we’ll be cooking them in a sauce that has more of a Chinese influence. If you’re a fan of beef tendon, or any other kind of gelatinous meats, then this recipe is definitely worth trying!

Ingredients

• Chicken Feet (1-1.5lbs)

• Salt (1/2 tbsp)

• Ginger (1/4 cup + 3 slices)

• Green Onions (1 bunch)

• 1 Star Anise

• Soy Sauce (1/3 cup)

• Sherry Cooking Wine (1/4 cup)

• Brown Sugar (1/4 cup)

• Chicken Stock (4 cups)

Steps

1) First chop off the tops of the fingers of around 1-1.5lbs of washed chicken feet, so that the nails are completely removed, as well as any calluses.

2) Then place the chicken feet into a pot. Add 1/2 tbsp of salt, 1/4 cup ginger, and just enough water to cover the chicken feet.

3) Boil the chicken feet for 15 minutes to cleanse them of any impurities.

4) Afterwards remove the chicken feet from the pot and set them aside.

5) In a new pot, add 1 bunch of green onions cut into 1 1/2 inch strips, 1 star anise, 3 slices of ginger. Then evenly place the chicken feet on top.

6) Next add 1/3 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of sherry cooking wine, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and 4 cups of chicken stock.

7) At this point simmer over medium heat for 2 hours and stir every 30-45 minutes.

8) And then you’re done! It’s talagang tasty!

Pro Tips

• You can eat adidas/chicken feet with rice or just snack on them as is!

Pork Adobo (Adobong Baboy) is an iconic Filipino dish stewed in a soy sauce and vinegar marinade. It is known for its combination of savory, tangy, salty, and sweet notes of flavor.

Ingredients

• Oil (2 tbsp)

• 1/2 Large Onion (diced)

• 6 Cloves Garlic

• 2 1/2 lbs Pork Butt

• Vinegar (1/2 cup)

• Soy Sauce (1/3 cup)

• Water (2/3 cup)

• 1-2 Bay Leaves

• Black Pepper (1/4 tsp)

• Basil (1/4 tsp)

• Oregano (1/4 tsp)

• Brown Sugar (1/2 tsp)

Steps

1) Sauté 1/2 a large diced onion and 6 minced garlic cloves in 2 tbsp of oil.

2) Then add cubed pork butt to your sauté and sear the sides to add a little more depth of flavor to the dish. 

3) Add 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/3 cup soy sauce and 2/3 cup water.

4) Next add 1-2 bay leaves, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp oregano, and 1/2 tsp brown sugar.

5) Let ingredients simmer on low heat for about 70 minutes covered. (DO NOT MIX ingredients during the simmering process. Doing so may cause the dish to become sour tasting.)

6) Once the meat is tender, your Pork Adobo is done! 

Pro Tips

• Adobo taste best when eaten the next day. 

• If you want it more salty, add 1/2 cup of soy sauce, instead of 1/3 cup. 

• Adobo can also be prepared as a "less soupy" dish. If you want a dry Adobo, remove the meat when tender, and continue to evaporate the soup until your desired Adobo soup texture is achieved. 

• You can add potatoes if you want. 

In this recipe, we're going to show you how we cook Arroz Caldo! Arroz Caldo is a Filipino version of congee, that consists of rice and chicken cooked in a ginger-based broth. It’s especially great for those cold winter months, or those days you’re feeling under the weather!

Ingredients

• Oil (2-3 tbsp)

• 1 Medium Onion (diced)

• Garlic (4 cloves, minced)

• Ginger (2oz, julienne-cut)

• Chicken Thigh (1/2lb, strips)

• Unsalted Chicken Stock (6 cups)

• White Rice (3/4 cup)

• Salt (1 1/2 - 1 3/4 tsp)

• White Pepper (1/2 tsp)

Condiments

• Fish Sauce

• Lemon

• White Pepper

• Green Onions (chopped)

• Fried Garlic

• Hard-boiled eggs (sliced)

Steps

1) Start off by pouring in 2-3 tablespoons of oil into a large pot over medium heat.

2) Once your oil is to temperature, throw in 1 medium diced onion, and saute it until it turns translucent and has a little give to it.

3) Next, add in 4 cloves of minced garlic, and cook the garlic until it starts to sweat and smell fragrant.

4) Then drop in 2 ounces of julienne-cut ginger, and saute them for a couple minutes as well.

5) Afterwards, add in ½ a pound of chicken thighs cut into strips about an inch long and 1/3 of an inch thick. Saute your strips of chicken until they’re fully cooked.

6) When they’re fully cooked, go ahead and pour in 6 cups of unsalted chicken stock. Followed by ¾ of a cup of white rice.

7) Continue simmering the ingredients for about 30-45 minutes, making sure to occasionally stir every 10-15 minutes, so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. What you’re looking for is a thick, but slightly liquid texture to your Arroz Caldo. If for some reason you feel like yours is too thick, you can gradually add water until its consistency is to your liking.

8) When its just about done, go ahead and sprinkle in 1 ½ to 1 ¾ teaspoon of salt, depending on your taste, and ½ a teaspoon of white pepper. Then just stir everything together, and your Arroz Caldo is ready to go!

9) When your Arroz Caldo is ready to serve just garnish it with the following condiments: fish sauce, lemon juice, white pepper, green onions, fried garlic, and sliced boiled eggs. How you dress Arroz Caldo with these condiments is really up to you!

Pro Tips

• If you’re reheating your Arroz Caldo, and it seems too thick/dry, just gradually add some more unsalted chicken stock until its consistency is to your liking!

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to make Filipino Pork Asado! In our family’s version of Pork Asado, we’ll be simmering fatty pork slices in a soy sauce and lemon based marinade, and garnishing it with red bell peppers and potatoes!

Ingredients

• Pork Butt (3lbs)

• 1 Red Bell Pepper (chopped)

• 1 Onion (sliced)

• Garlic (1 bulb, minced)

• Lemon Juice (1/4 cup)

• Soy Sauce (1/4 cup)

• Water (1 cup, and as needed)

• Oil

• 2 Red Potatoes (chopped)

• Tomato Sauce (1/4 cup)

Steps

1) To start, you’ll first need about 3lbs of pork butt. If there’s an excess amount of fat, feel free to trim it off. But if you’re cool with it, you can just keep it intact. Next, cut your pork into large chunks about the size of a fist.

2) Afterwards, in a large pot, evenly spread out half a chopped red bell pepper. Then arrange your pork chunks on top in a single layer. And then follow it up with half a sliced onion, half a bulb of minced garlic, ¼ of a cup of lemon juice, ¼ of a cup of soy sauce, and ½ a cup of water.

3) Cover your pot and bring it to a boil. If your lid has a venting hole, you’ll want to plug it so that the liquid doesn’t evaporate. We like to just use a wet, folded paper towel to cover it up. Once it’s at a boil, lower your heat, and bring it down to a simmer. And simmer everything for about 15-20 minutes. During those 15-20 minutes, you’ll want to rotate your meat a couple times, so that they soak up the flavors and cook evenly on all sides (we ended up adding another ½ cup of water midway through because the liquid was running a little low).

4) Once you’re done, place your pork into a strainer. Then, you’ll want to mash up the red bell peppers that are in the marinade. We used a potato masher, but you can easily just use a fork or whatever you find easiest. Don’t throw this marinade away, because you’re still going to use in a little bit!

5) Next, you’re going to fry the meat! Place your meat into a deep frying pan with about ¾ inches of oil, that’s been heated over medium heat. Frying the pork is going to help develop another layer of flavor into the meat, and also make it easier to slice up later on. What you’re looking to do is lightly crisp up the sides of your pork. When they’re done, just place them back into your strainer.

6) Now its time to slice up your pork butt! Making sure you’re cutting against the grain, all you want to do is take your pork chunks and slice them into about 1/3 inch slices.

7) After you’re done, take your pork, and evenly place everything back into the pot from earlier. Then go ahead and add in 2 chopped red potatoes. Next, cover your pot. And simmer everything over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

8) During those 10 minutes, you’ll want to make a quick saute, which you’ll be adding in with the pork. In a new pan, drop in half a sliced onion into a few tablespoons of oil that’s been heated over medium to medium low heat. Saute your onions for a little bit until they become translucent. Then add in half a bulb of minced garlic. And saute them in as well. When your onion and garlic saute is done, just add into the main pot. And give it a quick stir.

9) Your goal now is to cook the potatoes all the way through. Ours obviously weren’t fully cooked, so we covered our pot and simmered everything for another 15 minutes or so. Afterwards, fork your potatoes to see if they’re cooked. If they are, remove them from the pot, and set them aside. If you don’t set them aside, and keep cooking them in the pot, they’ll turn into mush, and that’s not really what you want.

10) Now go ahead and add in ¼ of a cup of tomato sauce. And dissolve it into the sauce. Cover your pot. And simmer it for about 15-30 minutes. What you’re trying to do is make your pork slices tender, so you’ll want to check a couple times during this simmering process to see if they’re tender. Once you find that your meat is tender, continue to simmering everything for about 10 minutes or so, uncovered. Your goal at this point is to simply thicken the sauce.

10) When the consistency of your sauce is pretty much there, add in half a chopped red bell pepper. And mix it in. Continue simmering for another 2 minutes or so, or just enough to soften the red bell peppers.

11) Finally, just add your potatoes back in. And give everything one good final stir! And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• At any time during the simmering process, if the liquid starts to run low, just add 1/2 cup of water at a time. But be careful not to make it too watery.

Balut is a fertilized duck egg that’s considered a Filipino delicacy. It’s one of those things that you’re either going to love it or hate it. As soon as you see it you’ll probably immediately know which category you fall into. We happen to think it is delicious and we hope that you give it a try, if you’re up for it!

Ingredients

• Balut (Fertilized Duck Embryo)

• Water

Steps

1) First, pour water into a pot. Make sure you pour enough water to submerge the eggs into.

2) Next, bring the water to a boil.

3) Once the water is at a boil, carefully place however many balut you’d like to cook into the water.

4) Cook the balut in the boiling water for 30-40 minutes.

5) Afterwards remove the eggs from the water and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes or so before eating.

How to Eat Balut

1) First, gently crack the wide/fat part of the egg.

2) Peel off a small hole on the part you just cracked, and any thin membrane.

3) Drink the soup/broth that’s inside the egg.

4) Sprinkle a little bit of salt as you eat the yellow yolk and duck inside.

5) The hard egg white at the bottom of the egg is edible, but is usually not eaten because of its hard, rubbery texture.

Bibingka is one of many types of Filipino rice cakes. It's slightly sweet and is filled with delightful pockets of cream cheese. Bibingka can be eaten for breakfast, just as a merienda (snack), or dessert. There really isn't a better time to eat it, unless the time is now! It's talagang tasty!

Ingredients

• Rice Flour (1 cup)

• Self-Rising Flour (1 cup)

• Sugar (1 1/2 cup)

• Coconut Milk (1 cup)

• Milk (1 cup)

• 2 Eggs

• Unsalted Butter (1/2 cup)

• Banana Leaves (optional)

• Non-Stick Spray

• Cream Cheese (1/2 a block)

Steps

1) First, melt 1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter, and set aside for later.

2) In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup rice flour, 1 cup self-rising flour, and 1 1/2 cup sugar.

3) Then mix in 1 cup of coconut milk, 1 cup of milk, and 2 eggs into your dry ingredients.

4) Next thoroughly mix in the melted butter into your bibingka batter.

5) Pour the batter into a greased baking pan. (Optional: Line your baking pan with clean banana leaves. Grease the banana leaves with non-stick spray, instead of the pan itself.)

6) Slice half a block of cream cheese into strips and place them evenly into the bibingka batter. (Watch video for reference)

7) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-30 minutes.

8) Once its done, pull out the bibingka and spread butter on the top. And then generously and evenly sprinkle sugar on top as well.

9) At this point, place the bibingka back in the oven. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden.

10) And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• If you don’t have rice flour and coconut milk available, you can alternatively use 2 cups of self-rising flour and 2 cups of milk for this recipe.

• Don’t use sweetened rice flour, otherwise, your bibingka might become mushy in texture.

Bicol Express is a spicy Filipino dish that consists of bite-sized pork pieces stewed in coconut milk, shrimp paste, and chili peppers. It's somewhat similar to Thai curries, like panang curry, so if you're a fan of them, this dish is definitely worth trying!

Ingredients

• Pork Belly (2lbs)

• Oil (2-4 tbsp)

• Garlic (6 cloves minced)

• Ginger (2 tbsp minced)

• Onion (1 small diced)

• Bagoong / Pink Shrimp Paste (2 Tbsp)

• Coconut Milk (3 cups)

• Red Thai Chili Peppers (3 chopped)

• Serrano Peppers (4 chopped)

Steps

1) First, cut 2lbs of pork belly into bite size pieces, and cut off the skin as well.

2) In a new pot, add 2-4 tbsp of oil and sear the sides of the pork belly on high heat until the sides are light golden.

3) Once the pork is cooked, remove the pork from the pot and set aside for later.

4) Sauté 6 cloves of minced garlic in the pot with the left over pork fat on medium heat. If there is not enough pork fat for sauté, you can add more oil.

5) Next add 2 tbsp of minced ginger to the sauté until fragrant.

6) Add 1 small diced onion to the sauté and sauté until translucent.

7) Afterwards, add 2 tbsp of bagoong to the sauté and stir for about 1 minute.

8) Add the cooked pork back into the pot and mix everything together.

9) Next add 3 cups of coconut milk

10) Simmer for 20-25 minutes and stir occasionally.

10) Then add 3 chopped red Thai chili peppers and 4 chopped Serrano peppers.

11) Simmer for another 20-25 mins.

12) Finally, remove any excess fat that floats to the top of the Bicol Express. And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Eat with white rice.

• This recipe makes a medium spice level Bicol Express. Feel free to use more or less peppers depending on your preference.

• Make sure to use the pink colored bagoong, versus the brown kind. The pink one is saltier, which is what this recipe calls for. The brown bagoong is different in that it’s much sweeter.

Bistek, or what I like to call Bistig, is a Filipino Beef Steak, marinated in soy sauce and calamansi juice, and is topped off with sautéed onion rings. Just reading that sentence makes my mouth water! This dish is the perfect blend of savory with a hint of tart. The way we make this dish is exactly how my mom prepared it as a kid. I like to think the extra steps give it a little extra somethin’ somethin’! We hope you like it as much as we do!

- Nicole

Ingredients

• Top Round Beef (2lbs)

• Onion (1 large, sliced into rings)

• Garlic (5 cloves, minced)

• Calamansi or Lemon Juice (1/4 cup)

• Soy Sauce (1/4 cup)

• Pepper (1 tsp)

• Garlic Powder (1tsp)

• Water (3/4 cup)

• Oil (3-4 tbsp)

Steps

1) First, cut 2lbs of beef into 1/8-1/4 inch thick slices and place them into a bowl.

2) Next make your marinade by pouring 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup calamansi juice, 1 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp of garlic powder into a separate bowl and stirring everything together.

3) Then add the marinade to the bowl with the beef slices. Mix the meat thoroughly before covering with saran wrap and let it marinate for about an 1 hour. (Optional: mix the meat again about 1/2 way through to make sure the marinade is evenly distributed)

4) Afterwards, pour about 2 tbsp of oil into a deep pan over medium heat and sauté 1/3 of a large onion (cut into rings) until they are slightly translucent. Then set the cooked onions aside in a separate bowl; they will be used to garnish the dish later on.

5) Then, in the same pan, cook the meat in single layer batches over medium heat for about 1-2 mins per side. Once the meat is cooked, place the meat in a strainer and allow the drippings to strain into a bowl. Repeat this step until all of the meat is cooked.

6) Once all the meat is cooked and strained, pour the juices that collected in the pan back into the bowl with the leftover marinade. (Do not throw the marinade away; this will be used in the dish later.)

7) Next, add about 1 tbsp of oil into the pan. Then in single layer batches, sear the sides of the meat for about 1 minute or until they develop a nice brown color and set aside in a separate container. Repeat this step until all of the meat has been seared.

8) In the same deep pan, you can add a smidge more oil if needed and sauté the remaining 2/3 of the large onion (cut into rings) over medium heat, until translucent.

9) Then add 5 cloves of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.

10) Afterwards, dump your meat back into the pan and pour in the left over marinade and any meat drippings that were strained earlier,

11) Then add in 3/4 cup of water.

12) Next, partially cover the pan and bring the Bistek to a soft boil. Once the sauce starts to bubble, bring the heat down to low to medium-low and let the dish simmer for another 30-40 minutes, or simmer until the meat reaches your desired tenderness and the thickness of the sauce is to your liking.

13) When the Bistek is just about done, garnish it with the sautéed onions that were set aside earlier.

14) Cover the pan and allow the Bistek to simmer for another minute or so in order to reheat the sautéd onions. And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Serve your Bistek with white rice!

• You can use other cuts of beef for this dish, such as Sirloin, Round, Chuck, and Tenderloin.

• Prior to cooking your meat, you can pound it with a meat tenderizer if you want it to be more tender.

• If you don’t have calamansi available, you can substitute with lemon juice.

Get ready to eat the best Bistek of your life! Big claim, I know, but once you try it, you’ll understand. In this recipe we’re going to use a ribeye steak and cook it via sous vide! Like a classic Bistek, it is marinated to perfection with calamansi, soy sauce and topped with sweet caramelized onions. I will always love how my mom makes Bistek, but Reinard’s twist on her recipe might be my favorite!

-Nicole

Ingredients

• Ribeye Steak (16oz)

• Onion (1 small, 1/2 sliced into rings and 1/2 diced)

• Garlic (3 cloves, minced)

• Calamansi or Lemon Juice (2 tbsp)

• Soy Sauce (2 tbsp)

• Pepper (1/2 tsp)

• Garlic Powder (1/2 tsp)

• Oil

Steps

1) To make your bistek marinade, first pour 2 tbsp of oil into a small frying pan and sauté 1/2 a small diced onion over medium heat until its translucent.

2) Next drop in 3 cloves of minced garlic and sauté them until they’re fragrant.

3) Then remove saute from the heat and transfer it to a small mixing bowl.

4) Next, add 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of calamansi juice, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder and 1/2 a tsp of pepper into the bowl, and mix all the ingredients together.

5) Now, briefly set your marinade aside and place your ribeye steak in a plastic ziplock freezer bag. Then pour the marinade in the bag. Seal the ziplock shut, and shift your steak around to disperse the marinade evenly.

6) Once the marinade is worked into the steak, set the bag aside and set up your sous vide tool.

7) Set your sous vide tool to your desired temperature and time based on the preferred doneness of your steak. (Cook times and temperatures are listed below for your reference)

8) Once the water has reached the desired temperature, partially open the ziplock as you submerge your bag of meat into the water; be careful not to get any water in the bag or food into the water. Use the water to displace the air in the bag. Once you’ve gotten as much air out as you can, re-seal the ziplock bag. Now just wait until your steak is done cooking. Ours took cooked for 1 hour @ 129°F.

9) When your meat is done cooking, remove the bag of meat from the water. Remove and pat dry the steak with a paper towel, and save the excess marinade in a separate bowl to be used at a later time.

10) Afterwards, heat up a frying pan over hight heat until it’s ripping hot and then add 2 tbsp of oil.

11) Then sear each side of your steak for 1 minute.

12) Finally, just plate your Bistek next to a scoop of white rice, pour the extra marinade over the steak, and top it off with caramelized onion rings!

Sous Vide Temp Settings + Cook Times

Temp Settings:

• Very Rare: 122°F

• Rare: 126°F

• Medium-Rare: 129°F

• Medium: 133°F

• Medium-Well: 140°F

• Well-Done: 147°F

• Very Well-Done: 154°F

Cook Times (for Fresh Meat):

• 0.5 in. thick steak: 30 min

• 0.75 in. thick steak: 45 min

• 1 in. thick steak: 1 hour

• 1.5 in. thick steak: 1.5 hours

• 2 in. thick steak: 2 hours

Cook Times (for Frozen Meat):

• 0.5 in. thick steak: 45 min

• 0.75 in. thick steak: 1 hour + 10 min

• 1 in. thick steak: 1 hour + 30 min

• 1.5 in. thick steak: 2 hours + 15 min

• 2 in. thick steak: 3 hours

*As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our channel and allows us to continue making videos. Thank you for the support!

In this recipe, we’re gonna show you how to make Buko Pandan Salad! Buko Pandan Salad is like a Filipino version of fruit salad, that draws its flavors from coconut and pandan leaves!

Ingredients

• Fresh Coconut Water (1/2 cup)

• Table Cream (1/2 cup)

• Condensed Milk (3 1/2 tbsp)

• Coconut Gel/Nata de Coco (1 1/3 cups)

• Fresh Coconut Shavings (1 cup)

• Pandan Flavored Gulaman (1 pack, cubed)

Steps

1) Start off by pouring in ½  a cup of fresh coconut water into a mixing bowl. Followed by ½ a cup of table cream, and 3 ½ tablespoons of condensed milk. Then just quickly mix everything together. If it’s still a little chunky after you mix it, it’s totally fine; it’ll eventually dissolve once you add in the other ingredients.

2) Afterwards add in 1 1/3 cups of coconut gel, which is also known as, nata de coco, 1 cup or more of fresh coconut shavings, and 1 package worth of pandan flavored gulaman (if you don’t know how to make gulaman, we’ll have a link on how to make it below!) And then just mix everything together. Buko Pandan salad tastes way better if you’re able to use coconut water and coconut meat from a fresh young coconut (if you want to learn how to extract them from a young coconut, also be sure to check that video out below too!)

Pro Tips

• How to Make Gulaman Video

• How to Open a Young Coconut Video

• Buko pandan salad is best served chilled or half frozen!

Cantaloupe juice is a super refreshing, sweet drink with pieces of shredded melon mixed in. It’s the perfect drink for cooling down on a hot summer day, or for whenever really!

Ingredients

• Sugar (1/2 cup)

• Water (1/2 cup)

• 1/2 Cantaloupe

• Ice (1-2 cups)

• Water (4-5 cups)

Steps

1) First, make a simple syrup by mixing 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water over medium heat until all of the sugar dissolves. Then set the syrup aside to cool for a few minutes.

2) Next, cut your cantaloupe in half. You’ll only need 1/2 a cantaloupe for this recipe. However, if you want to use the whole cantaloupe, just double the measurements of the other ingredients.

3) Next, using a spoon, scoop the seeds out of your 1/2 cantaloupe.

4) Then using a melon scraper, scrape the inside of the cantaloupe and collect the strips of cantaloupe in a separate bowl. You can stop scraping once you get close to the green rind.

5) Afterwards, drop all of the cantaloupe shavings into a pitcher and also pour in any cantaloupe juice that’s left in your bowl.

6) At this point, add 1-2 cups of ice.

7) Then add the syrup that you made earlier.

8) Next, pour in 4-5 cups of water.

9) You can always tweek the sweetness of the drink to your liking by adding more syrup or adjusting the amount of water.

10) And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• The sweetness of this drink depends on the ripeness of your cantaloupe. Adjust your sugar and water to your taste!

• We found it a little difficult finding a melon scraper in stores, so if you are looking to buy a one, you can purchase one through the following link: https://amzn.to/2AC4EQb

*As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our channel and allows us to continue making videos. Thank you for the support!

Cassava cake is a classic Filipino dessert that's made with grated cassava and topped off with a thin layer of caramelized condensed milk. It tastes great whether it's fresh out of the oven or cold out of the refrigerator!

Ingredients

• 1-3 Cassava (approximately 3 firmly packed cups when grated)

• Sugar (1/4 cup)

• Coconut Milk (3 1/2 cups)

• 2 Eggs

• 1 Egg Yolk

• Unsalted Butter (1/4 cup melted)

• Macapuno (1 1/2 cups)

• Non-Stick Spray

• Condensed Milk (1 3/4 cups)

Steps

1) First, peel and core 1-3 cassavas.

2) Next grate your peeled cassava into a mixing bowl. This should yield about 3 firmly packed cups of grated cassava.

3) Then add 1/4 cup sugar, 3 1/2 cups coconut milk, 2 eggs, and 1 1/2 cups macapuno and mix well.

4) Afterwards, pour and mix in 1/4 cup of melted unsalted butter.

5) Evenly pour your cassava cake batter into a greased baking pan (9inx13in).

6) Cover your cassava cake batter with foil, and bake for 1 hour in an oven preheated to 375°F .

7) While the cassava cake is baking, prepare the topping. Mix 1 3/4 cups condensed milk and 1 egg yolk.

8) After your cassava cake has been baking for an hour and has firmed up, evenly pour the condensed milk topping over it.

9) Then place it back into the oven uncovered and continue baking for another 20 minutes or until the topping is golden.

10) And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Frozen grated cassava can also be used as an alternative to grating your own fresh cassavas.

• You can use a 12 oz jar of macapuno for this recipe, which can be found at most asian super markets.

• Wait until the cassava cake cools before cutting and serving; it can get really messy if you don’t!

• Cassava cake is usually eaten warm, but can be stored in the fridge and eaten cold as well.

Champorado is a Filipino chocolate rice porridge that's occasionally eaten for breakfast and is sometimes served with salted fish, like anchovies. But in our recipe we, skip the salted fish, and try using a mix of Nutella and cocoa powder as the base for the chocolate flavor in our Champorado!

Ingredients

• Sweet Rice (1/2 cup)

• Water (2 cups)

• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (1 1/2 tbsp)

• Nutella (3 tbsp)

• Sugar (1 1/2 tsp)

• Evaporated Milk (if necessary)

• Sweetened Condensed Milk

Steps

1) First pour 1/2 a cup of sweet rice in a pot.

2) Next, add 2 cups of water.

3) Then cook the rice over medium low to medium heat for about 15-20 mins or until the the rice is soft. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The water should thicken, but not fully evaporate.

4) When the rice is done, add 1 1/2 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder and mix until it is dissolved.

5) Once the cocoa powder is dissolved, add in 3 tbsp of Nutella and stir until it is completely incorporated.

6) Afterwards, pour in 1 1/2 tsp of sugar and mix well.

7) If your champorado seems too thick, you can add evaporated milk until you reach the consistency you like.

8) Serve the champorado in a bowl and drizzle sweetened condensed milk over the top. And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• You can pair champorado with dry, salted fish, such as anchovies. Or you can sprinkle a pinch of salt before adding your condensed milk to help bring out the sweet flavor.

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to level up your ordinary can of corned beef, Filipino style! Canned meats, like corned beef, are a staple in Filipino households, and are talagang tasty, if you know how to cook them! Filipino corned beef is usually eaten for breakfast, but if you’re like us, you can eat it whenever the craving strikes! You can either make a breakfast sandwich out if it with a fried egg and pandesal, or pair it with some white rice, and a fried egg! You can also squirt some ketchup on top, or better yet, some hot sauce!

Ingredients

• Red Potato (1 peeled and cubed)

• Roma Tomato (1 sliced)

• Onion (1 small)

• Garlic (3 cloves, minced)

• Oil (2-3 tbsp)

• Corned Beef (1 can)

Steps

1) In a bowl, first microwave 1 red potato (already peeled and cubed) that’s fully submerged in water, for about 2 minutes. Then strain the potatoes and set them aside.

2) Afterwards, microwave 1 roma tomato that has been sliced into wedges for about 2 minutes until the tomatoes wilt (check in on your tomatoes about 1 to 1.5 minutes in, just in case they wilt sooner). Then set the tomatoes aside.

3) Next, pour in about 2-3 tbsp of oil into a frying pan and sauté 1 small sliced onion over medium heat it’s until soft and translucent.

4) Then, add 3 cloves of minced garlic and sauté them until they’re fragrant.

5) Afterwards, add the wilted tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

6) At this point, add 1 can of corned beef and cook it until the solid chunks of meat are heated and broken down.

7) Then, add the cooked potatoes to the corned beef and keep stirring for another 2 minutes or so.

8) And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Eat it with a side of white rice, fried garlic rice, or in a pandesal sandwich.

• Pairs well with a fried egg that has crispy edges and a runny yolk!

• You can also add condiments like ketchup or hot sauce!

Crispy fried eggs pair best with garlic fried rice, and your choice of meat like longanisa, tocino, spam, vienna sausage etc. It's one of the key components to all Filipino silogs!

Ingredients

• Oil

• Eggs

Steps

1) First, fill a wok with about 1/2 an inch of oil.

2) Allow the oil to heat over medium high to high heat for several minutes until the oil is hot.

3) Crack the egg into the oil. Make sure that you are cracking the egg as close to the oil as you can, to prevent the oil from splashing.

4) Using a flipper utensil, continuously push the oil over the top of the egg and keep frying until the edges of the egg turn light golden brown.

5) Remove the egg from the wok and you’re done! (The yolk should still be runny)

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to cook Dinuguan, aka chocolate meat! But there ain’t no chocolate in this meat! Dinuguan is a rich, savory meat stew, that contains cuts of fatty pork meat and pork organs, all of which is stewed in pig’s blood, vinegar and other spices!

Ingredients

• Pork Stomach (1.5lb)

• Salt (1/2-1 1/2 tbsp)

• Calamansi or Lemon Juice (2-6 tbsp)

• Oil (2-3 tbsp)

• Onion (1 medium diced)

• Garlic (4 cloves minced)

• Vingar (1 1/2 cups)

• Soy Sauce (2 tbsp)

• 2 Bay Leaves

• Oregano (1/2 tsp)

• Black Pepper (1 tsp)

• Pork Butt (2 lb)

• Pork Blood (10 oz)

• 2 Jalapeños

• Garlic Powder (1 tsp)

• Salt (1/2 tsp or to taste)

Steps

1) First, boil water in a large pot (just enough to fully submerge your pork stomach in). Once the water is brought to a rolling boil, blanch 1 1/2 lbs of pork stomach for 2 minutes.

2) Allow the pork stomach to cool for 10-15 minutes.

3) Once the pork stomach is cool, carefully trim the fat, and stringy fibers, and cut it up into 1 inch strips. Then cut each strip into bite sized diamonds.

4) Afterwards, put your pork stomach into a strainer and rinse the stomach with water for 20-30 seconds.

5) Then cleanse the stomach of any impurities by sprinkling 1/2 tbsp of salt and pouring in 2 tbsp of calamansi juice. Then squish the pork stomach with your hands for about a minute or so, before rinsing again with water. Repeat this step another 1-2 times until the stomach loses its funky smell and no longer feels slimy. Afterwards set the stomach aside.

6) Next, in a stainless steel pot, sauté 1 medium diced onion in 2-3 tbsp of oil until translucent.

7) Then add 4 minced cloves of garlic and sauté until fragrant.

8) At this point, add the stomach, 1 1/2 cups of vinegar, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp oregano, and 1 tsp of black pepper, and just enough water to cover your ingredients (we used about 3 cups). (IMPORTANT: Do not mix the ingredients, until the pork blood has been added later; mixing it may cause the dish to become extra sour from the vinegar)

9) Bring everything to a boil before dropping the temperature to medium low and simmer for about 45 minutes.

10) When the pork stomach is tender, drop in 2 lbs of pork butt, cut into cubes, and pour in about 2 cups of water or just enough to cover your ingredients.

11) Cover and simmer the stew for another 30 minutes.

12) Once the pork butt is tender, add 10 oz of pork blood and continue to simmer, uncovered, for another 1 hour. During this time, you can occasionally stir the ingredients.

13) Next add 2 jalapeños and mix in 1 tsp of garlic powder.

14) Taste the sauce and add salt to taste. In our case, we ended up adding a 1/2 tsp of salt.

15) Simmer for another 5-10 minutes until the peppers are soft. And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• You can substitute pork butt for pork belly.

• You can substitute jalapeños for any long green pepper.

Espasol is a simple, 4-ingredient, Filipino sweet rice cake, dusted in toasted sweet rice flour. It’s talagang tasty!

Ingredients

• Sweet Rice Flour (4 cups)

• Sugar (1 1/4 cup)

• Coconut Milk (2 13.5oz cans)

• Salt (1/2 tsp)

Steps

1) First, toast 4 cups of sweet rice flour in a pan over medium high heat for about 15-20 mins or until it’s a faint brown color.

2) Next, set aside 1 cup of the toasted rice flour for dusting the espasol later, and save the remaining 3 cups of rice flour for your espasol mixture.

3) In a separate pot, pour in 2 cans of coconut milk, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, and 1/2 a tsp of salt. Then mix the ingredients together and bring it to a boil.

4) Once the coconut milk mixture is brought to a boil, turn off the heat and add 3 cups of toasted sweet rice flour.

5) Mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

6) Use the left over toasted sweet rice flour that you set aside earlier to dust the surface of a cutting board or a clean counter top.

7) Take some of the espasol mixture and roll it into a ball about the size of an apple, and place it on the floured surface. Sprinkle some toasted rice flour over the top of your espasol ball and dust a rolling pin with some toasted rice flour as well. Evenly roll out your espasol until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

8) Next cut the espasol into little bite size diamonds using a pizza cutter, and remove the excess/incomplete pieces around the edges. You can place the leftover pieces back into the mixture. (Reference video)

9) Lightly coat each espasol diamond with the toasted rice flour, set aside earlier, before stacking/storing in order to prevent them from sticking together.

10) Repeat steps 6-9 until you’ve used all of your espasol mixture. And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• We recommend using the “Mochiko” sweet rice flour brand.

In this recipe, we’ll be showing you how to make Filipino Pork Estofado with Pineapple! Estofado is similar to Filipino adobo, but has a sweeter, tangier taste!

Ingredients

• Pork Butt (3lbs, cut into 2 in. cubes)

• Garlic (1 bulb, minced)

• Apple Cider Vinegar (1/2 cup)

• White Vinegar (1/2 cup)

• Pineapple Juice (3/4 cup)

• Soy Sauce (1 tbsp + optional 1 tbsp)

• Whole Black Peppercorns (2 tsp)

• Salt (2 tsp)

• Bay Leaves (2, crushed)

• Oil

• Brown Sugar (1 tbsp)

• Pineapple Chunks (2 cups)

Steps

1) In a large mixing bowl, start off with about 3lbs of pork butt, cut into 2 inch cubes. . Then sprinkle in 1 bulb of minced garlic. Followed by ½ cup of apple cider vinegar, ½ cup of white vinegar, ¾ of a cup of pineapple juice, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of whole black peppercorns, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 crushed bay leaves. Then just mix everything together, making sure that the marinade makes contact with all the meat. Afterwards, cover your pork and allow it to marinate overnight.

2) On the next day, remove it from the fridge. And then separate the meat out of the marinade. Next take your leftover marinade and pour it through a strainer. Make sure to save the liquid marinade and the strained ingredients because we’ll be using them in a little bit. Now it’s time to sear your pork!

3) Place your pork into a deep pan with a couple tablespoons of oil that’s been heated over medium high heat. All you want to do is sear each side for about 2-3 minutes, or until a nice sear develops, so that you get a little more flavor out of the meat. You don’t actually need to fully cook it all the way through at this point. If all your meat doesn’t fit in your pan the first time around, just set aside your first batch when its done, and sear up your second batch after.

4) When you’re done searing your pork, turn off your stove. Then, take any liquid that might have been leftover in your bowl of meat, and pour it into the bowl of marinade you strained from earlier. You don’t want to waste a drop of your marinade!

5) Next, take the strained ingredients from your marinade, and drop them into your pan. And set your stove over medium heat. Saute everything for about 2 minutes or so. Then go ahead and add the meat back in. And coat the meat with the saute.

6) At this point, just pour the strained marinade into your pan. And then bring everything to a boil. Once its at a boil, cover your pan, and drop your heat down to medium. And allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes.

7) Next, add in 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. And about 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, or however much you’d like. The purpose of adding the soy sauce here is really to just add a little more saltiness if it’s lacking. Then just give it a little stir. Afterwards, cover your pan again and continue simmer your estofado for another 30 to 40 minutes.

8) When time is up, uncover your pan, and fork one of your pieces of meat to see if its tenderness is to your liking. If it’s not, just continue simmering it covered until it is. But if it is tender, go ahead and add in about 2 cups of pineapple chunks. And mix them in! Then just simmer everything uncovered, for another 15 minutes or so, or until the thickness of the sauce is on point. And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Estofado tastes way better if you eat it a couple days after storing it in the fridge.

• You can also add Saba Bananas!

In this recipe, we're going to show you how to make Filipino Spaghetti in the Instant Pot! Unlike Italian spaghetti, Filipino Spaghetti is loaded with a bunch of hot dogs, and is made with banana ketchup, which gives it a distinctly sweeter taste!

Ingredients

• Oil (2-3 tbsp)

• 1 Small Onion ( diced)

• Ground Beef (1/2lb)

• Spaghetti Noodles (10oz)

• Pasta Sauce (24oz)

• Banana Ketchup (1/4 cup)

• 3 Hot Dogs (sliced)

• Shredded Cheddar Cheese (1/2 cup)

Steps

1) First, pour in 2-3 tablespoons of oil into your Instant Pot. Then set your Instant Pot to the “Saute” mode on the Normal/Medium setting.

2) Once the pot is hot, add in 1 small diced onion and saute it until its translucent.

3) Next throw in 1/2lb of ground beef. Break down the ground beef into little pieces, and cook it until there’s no pink color left in the beef.

4) Afterwards add 10oz of spaghetti noodles. Break your noodles in half, and arrange them in different directions in your pot to help prevent them from sticking together too much as they’re cooking.

5) Then pour in 24oz of pasta sauce, making sure to try to cover as much of the noodles as possible with it.

6) Now just add in 1/4 cup of banana ketchup, 3 sliced hot dogs, and 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

7) Secure the lid to your Instant Pot, and turn the steam release to the “sealing” position. Then set your Instant Pot to the “Manual” setting on high pressure for 8 minutes.

8) When it’s done, quick release your Instant Pot, by turning the steam release to the “venting” position. Once the float valve unlocks, you’re safe to open your Instant Pot.

9) Now just mix your Filipino spaghetti together, and you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Eat it with toasted pandesal and butter!
• We recommend wearing an oven mitt or using a folded paper towel when releasing the steam from the Instant Pot. The steam released can be super hot!

In this recipe, we’re going to be making Lumpiang Sariwa, also known as, Fresh Lumpia! Fresh Lumpia is a Filipino fresh spring roll that has a bunch of different vegetables wrapped in a thin crepe, and is topped off with a sweet brown sauce, crushed peanuts and freshly minced garlic.

—

CREPE RECIPE:

Ingredients

• Milk (1 1/2 cups)

• All Purpose Flour (1 1/2 cups)

• 3 Eggs

• Oil (2 tbsp)

• Salt (1 dash)

Steps

1) First, add 1 1/2 cups of milk, 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 3 eggs, 2 tbsp of oil and a dash of salt into a blender.

2) Blend all the ingredients on the max high setting until smooth.

3) Pour the crepe batter into a separate bowl.

4) Next, in a nonstick pan, pour in about 1 tsp of oil. And then spread it all over the pan with a paper towel.

5) Heat the pan to medium or medium-low.

6) Once the pan heats up, use a basting or pastry brush to spread the batter onto the pan. We recommend making 3 horizontal strokes, then quickly fill in the spares areas of the crepe. (reference the video)

7) After about 20-40 seconds or so, you can lift the sides of the crepe with a silicone spatula and flip it.

8) Cook the other side for about 20-40 seconds and when it is done, you can set it aside.

9) Repeat steps 6-8 until all of the batter is used. (You can stack the crepes as you’re making them)

10) Cover the crepes with foil and store it in the refrigerator overnight.

—

VEGETABLE FILLING RECIPE:

Ingredients

• Green Beans (1 3/4 cups, diagonally cut)

• Carrots (1 cup, julienne cut)

• Cabbage (3 cups, shredded)

• Oil (2 tbsp)

• Onion (1/2 small, cut into thin strips)

• Garlic (2 cloves, minced)

• Ground Pork (1/4 lb)

• Water (4 tbsp)

• Salt (3/4 tsp)

• Shrimp (1/4 lb, chopped)

• Potatoes (3/4 cup, cubed)

• Jicama (1 cup, cubed)

Steps

1) First, break off the ends of your green beans and chop them into diagonal 1/8 inch thick pieces, until you have 1 3/4 cups. (reference video)

2) Then cut the carrots into 1/8 inch thick circles and then cut each circle into thin strips. Continue cutting the carrots until you have 1 cup of cut carrots. (reference video)

3) Next cut 1/4 of a cabbage by shaving off shreds at an angle until you have about 3 cups.

4) Afterwards, pour 2 tbsp of oil into wok over medium heat and sauté 1/2 a small onion that’s been cut into thin strips. Sauté until the onion is translucent.

5) Then add 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.

6) Add 1/4lb of ground pork and cook until it’s fully cooked.

7) Once the ground pork is browned, add the green beans and mix them in.

8) Then add 1 tbsp water and cover the wok with a lid to steam the vegetables for 2 minutes.

9) Next, add in the shredded cabbage and add 1 tbsp water and 3/4 tsp of salt. Mix everything together.

10) Add an additional 2 tbsp of water if the vegetables are looking a little dry, then place the lid on the wok and steam for about 5 minutes.

11) Then add the carrots and mix them in. Place the lid over the wok and steam for another 1-2 minutes.

12) Afterwards, strain the vegetable filling in a large strainer and collect the broth in a bowl. Set aside the vegetables and the bowl of broth.

13) Next cut about 3/4 of a cup of potatoes into pieces that are about 1 in x 0.25in. Pour just enough water into the bowl to cover the potatoes and microwave them for 1 1/2 minutes.

14) Once the potatoes are cooked, strain them, and add them to the vegetable filling. Mix them in.

15) At this point, pour the left over vegetable broth into a new pot.

16) Add 1/4 lb of chopped shrimp, that has already been peeled and cleaned, into the pot. If there is not enough vegetable broth to cover the shrimp, you can add just enough chicken stock to cover the shrimp.

17) Bring the broth and shrimp to a boil. Once at a boil, immediately turn off the stove. Your shrimp should be fully cooked at this point.

18) Strain the chopped shrimp. Then add them to the vegetable filling and mix them in.

19) Allow the vegetable filling to cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

20) After the vegetable filling has cooled, add 1 cup of chopped jicama that is roughly the size of the chopped potatoes. And mix them in. And you’re done!

—

SWEET BROWN SAUCE RECIPE:

Ingredients

• Water (4 cups)

• Sugar (1 1/2 cups)

• Soy Sauce (6 tbsp)

• Salt (1 tsp)

• Cornstarch (1/2 cup)

• Water (1/2 cup)

Steps

1) First, add 4 cups of water, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 6 tbsp of soy sauce, and 1 tsp of salt into a pot. Continuously stir the ingredients together over high heat and bring to a boil.

2) Once the ingredients are at a boil, in a separate container, add 1/2 a cup of water to 1/2 a cup of cornstarch. Mix until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.

3) Add the cornstarch mixture to the other ingredients in order to thicken the sauce. Stir until the sauce has thickened.

—

HOW TO ASSEMBLE FRESH LUMPIA:

Additional Ingredients

• Red Leaf Lettuce

• Wax Paper

Steps

1) Cut wax paper that is proportional to the size of crepes that were made the day before.

2) Place a piece of wax paper down horizontally.

3) Position the crepe so that it is off center to the right side of the wax paper and, diagonally positioned like a diamond. (reference video)

4) Place a small lettuce leaf at the top of the crepe.

5) Add a small spoonful of the vegetable filling and spread it vertically down the center of the crepe, leaving a little bit of room at the bottom.

6) Tuck the bottom of the crepe up and fold the right and left sides of the crepe towards the center.

7) Use the wax paper to gently, but tightly, keep the fresh lumpia wrapped.

8) Repeat steps 2-7 until all of the crepe wrappers and vegetable filling is used.

—

Pro Tips

• The crepes will feel fragile and crisp initially, but after they are cooled in the refrigerated overnight, they will soften up.

• Don’t eat the wax paper! This is just to help keep your lumpia tight and make them stack-able!

• Don’t use the hard parts of the cabbage.

• Pour the brown sauce over your Fresh Lumpia. You can also sprinkle crushed peanuts and minced garlic over the top!

• If you run out of crepes, you can always eat the vegetable filling by itself or with rice!

In this recipe, we're going to show you how to make Filipino garlic fried rice! Garlic fried rice is the foundation of any proper Filipino breakfast, and its insanely delicious!

Ingredients

• Oil (3-4 tbsp)

• Garlic (1/2 bulb, minced)

• White Rice (2-cups, day-old)

• Garlic Salt

Steps

1) Start off by pouring 3-4 tablespoons of oil into a small pan. And set your heat to medium-low.

2) Next, drop in ½ a bulb of minced garlic. And spread them across the oil, so that all the garlic bits can fry evenly. The goal here is to get a nice light golden brown color to your garlic. The best way to do this, is to slowly fry them over low heat. If you heat is set too high, your garlic might fry too fast and end up burning and having a bitter taste. Slow and steady wins the race!

3) When your crispy garlic bits look just about done, take your pan and strain the garlic oil into a wok. And save your garlic bits and set them to the side.

4) Set your wok over medium to medium high heat. Afterwards, carefully drop in 2 cups of day old white rice that’s been in the fridge. As its cooking, break up and mix the rice with the garlic oil. (The reason why you want to use day-old rice is because if you use freshly cooked rice, your fried rice will turn out soggy and mushy)

5) Once the rice looks fairly cooked, add in your fried garlic bits! And mix them in!

6) Then sprinkle in some garlic salt and continue mixing everything.

7) At this point, sample your rice to check if it needs more salt. Otherwise, your garlic fried rice is ready to go!

Pro Tips

• Garlic fried rice is best served with a crispy fried egg, and your choice of Filipino breakfast meats like longanisa, tocino, corned beef, spam, vienna sausage, etc.!

In this video, we’re gonna show you how to make Gulaman! Gulaman is kind of like a firm version of Jello that’s used in a variety of Filipino dessert like Sago at Gulaman!

Ingredients

• Gulaman Bar or Powder

• Water

Pro Tips

• Add a little less water for a firmer texture to your gulaman

Beef Kaldereta (Kalderetang Baka) is a hearty filipino meat stew with a primary base of tomato sauce and liver pâté. It is often cooked with chevon (goat meat), but for those of you who can't stomach goat meat, we'll show you how to cook it with beef short ribs in an Instant Pot!

Ingredients

• Oil (2 tbsp)

• 1/2 Large Onion (diced)

• 4 Cloves Garlic

• Annatto Powder (1 tsp)

• 3 1/2 lbs Beef Short Ribs

• Water (1 1/2 cups)

• Beef Broth (1 1/2 cups)

• Unsalted Tomato Sauce (1/2 cup)

• Liver Pâté (4 tbsp)

• Salt (1 tsp)

• 3 Medium Red Potatoes (peeled and diced)

• 2 Large Carrots (chopped)

• Garbanzo Beans (1/2 cup)

• 1 Red Bell Pepper (diced)

• Green Olives (10-15 pieces)

Steps

1) Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode. 

2) Pour 2 tbsp of oil into your Instant Pot. Sauté your onions and garlic until fragrant. 

3) Stir in 1 tsp of annatto powder. Mix until the annatto powder is fully dissolved in the oil. 

4) Add 3 1/2 lbs of beef short ribs, and slightly sear the sides. 

5) Next add 1 1/2 cups water, 1 1/2 cups beef broth, and 1/2 cup of unsalted tomato sauce. 

6) Secure the Instant Pot lid and set it to the meat/stew setting and pressure cook on high for 15 mins. Make sure that the steam release valve is set on the "sealing" setting. 

7) Afterwards, quick release the Instant Pot until the float valve unlocks in order to safely remove the lid. 

8) Remove the excess fat floating on top of the stew. 

9) Transfer the stew to a different pot. This will give you more control over the temperature settings when simmering. 

10) Add 4 tbsp of liver pâté and 1 tsp of salt.

11) Let it simmer for at least 25 mins, uncovered, to allow the sauce to thicken.

12) Add 3 medium cut and peeled red potatoes and 2 chopped large carrots. 

13) Cover and simmer for 15 mins or until the potatoes are cooked. 

14) Next add 1/2 a cup of garbanzo beans, 1 diced red bell pepper, and 10-15 green olives. 

15) Cover and simmer for another  5-10 mins to cook the last ingredients.

16) Salt to taste, if needed, and you're done! 

*As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our channel and allows us to continue making videos. Thank you for the support! 

Kare Kare is a Filipino meat stew that consists of oxtail and vegetables, all covered in a thick, savory peanut sauce. It's definitely a crowd favorite! In our recipe we use an Instant Pot to quickly make the oxtail tender, which would normally take a couple hours.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 -3lbs Oxtail

• Onion (1 large)

• Garlic (4 cloves minced)

• Salt (2 tsp)

• Pepper (1 tsp)

• Oil (2-3 tbsp)

• Annatto Powder (2 tsp)

• 1 Chinese Eggplant

• Baby Bok Choy (3 bunches)

• Creamy Peanut Butter (1/2 cup)

Steps

1) Take your oxtail and cut slits parallel to the bone on the medium to large pieces. (Reference video if needed)

2) Next place the oxtail into your Instant Pot. Followed by 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 a large onion cut into fourths, and 5 cups of water.

3) Then, secure the lid and set the steam release to the “sealing setting.”

4) Set the Instant Pot at high pressure on the meat/stew setting for 45 mins.

5) When it done, quick release the steam release until the float valve unlocks so that you can safely remove the lid.

6) Next, julienne cut the other half of the large onion and sauté it in 2-3 tbsp of oil in a separate pan.

7) Once the onions are translucent, add 4 minced cloves of garlic to the pan and sauté them until they’re fragrant.

8) Then add in 2 teaspoons of annatto powder, and mix until the powder is dissolved.

9) Next, transfer all of the oxtail into the pan and coat them with the sautéed ingredients. Once coated, remove the oxtail from the pan and set aside for later.

10) At this point, add about 4 cups of oxtail broth left over in the Instant Pot to the pot with the sauté, and let it simmer over medium high heat. Submerge 1 Chinese eggplant (cut into 1 inch pieces), and 3 bunches of baby bok choy (with the stems cut off).

11) Place the lid over the pan and cook the vegetables for about 2 mins. Then remove the bok choy and set aside. Continue to cook the eggplant for an additional 3 mins. Then remove and set them aside as well

12) Once all the vegetables are removed from the pan, you can salt to taste the remaining broth, if needed.

13) Next, add 1/2 a cup of creamy peanut butter to the broth and mix over medium heat until your sauce thickens to your liking.

14) When the sauce is done, add the oxtail back in and coat them in the peanut sauce. And then add in your eggplant and bok choy as well. And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Kare Kare is always eaten with rice and usually, if not always, eaten with Bagaoong (shrimp paste)! Bagoong is used as somewhat of a “dipping sauce” or extra seasoning. It’s used to compliment the savory peanut sauce in the dish. Personally, we like the “pink” bagoong which has a saltier flavor profile, whereas the “brown” bagoong alternative has a sweeter flavor to it. Either is perfectly ok to eat with Kare Kare; it all just depends on you personal preference.

• Pour some of the peanut sauce on top of your rice and mix it in when you eat it.

• You can use Chinese long beans in the recipe as well.

• If you, want your oxtail to be a little more tender (almost fall off the bone) after the 45 minute timer is up, leave it in the Instant Pot for another 15-20 minutes before “quick releasing” the steam release.

Karioka is a sweet, deep-fried coconut rice ball dipped in a sweet caramel glaze. We prefer to have each Karioka ball on its own individual toothpick, rather than typically skewering 3 of them on one long stick, which makes the glazing process easier. Growing up, I (Nicole) remember sneaking these bite sized bad boys in my mouth before family parties because they always went fast!

Ingredients

• Sweet Rice Flour (2 1/2 cups)

• Milk (1 3/4 cups)

• Sweetened Coconut Flakes (1 cup)

• Sweetened Jackfruit (1 cup, chopped)

• Oil

• Salted Butter (1/2 cup)

• Brown Sugar (3/4 cup)

• Milk (1/4 cup)

Steps

1) First, chop up about 1 cup of jackfruit into tiny little pieces that are roughly 1/4” thick.

2) In a new bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of sweet rice flour, 1 3/4 cups of milk, 1 cup of sweetened coconut flakes, and your chopped jackfruit. Hand mix these ingredients until everything is fully incoporated.

3) Then start shaping the batter into little balls about the size of a ping pong ball, and place your Karioka balls on a tray, making sure that they don’t touch.

4) Once you’ve molded all of the batter into balls, heat up 1 1/2-2” of oil in a deep frying pan on medium high heat for about 10-15 minutes, just to make sure the oil is hot enough.

5) When your oil is ready, deep fry your Karioka Balls for about 15 minutes or until they become a golden brown color. Make sure not to drop the balls right on top of each other so they do not stick together when frying. And, you’ll want to occasionally shift the balls in the first few minutes of frying to help prevent them from sticking to the bottom of your pan.

6) When the Karioka balls are done frying, place them in a strainer to drain any excess oil.

7) Next, in a new pot, combine 1/2 a cup of salted butter, 3/4 cup of brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of milk over medium heat. Mix these ingredients until all parts are melted and smooth.

8) Finally, with a couple toothpicks, skewer a each of your Karioka balls and dip each one into the caramel glaze, and place your finished Karioka on a serving plate.

9) And you’re done! It’s talagang tasty!

Pro Tips

• When forming your batter into Karioka balls, keep a bowl of water near by so that you can quickly rinse off your hands when they get too sticky.

• If you don’t want to fry all of the Karioka balls in one sitting, you can save them for later! Freeze the balls while on a tray so that they’re not touching, for 30 minutes to an hour. That way, you can transfer them after into a freezer bag and the Karioka balls when clump and merge into each other.

In this recipe, we’re going to be making Kutsinta! Kutsinta is a sticky Filipino treat that's usually topped off with grated coconut, and is eaten as a snack or dessert!

Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour (1/2 cup)

• Brown Sugar (1/2 cup)

• Water (1 cup)

• Lye Water (1 tsp)

• Grated Coconut

Steps

1) First, add 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/2 a cup of brown sugar into a mixing bowl. Mix them together with a whisk.

2) Next, add 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of lye water to the bowl, and whisk all the ingredients together until all the dry ingredients are dissolved.

3) Then, place a cheese cloth on the bottom of a steamer tray (this will help prevent any built up moisture from dripping on the Kutsinta when they are steaming).

4) Fill the bottom base of your steamer about 1/2 way with water and start boiling the water, so that its at a soft boil once you’re ready to steam your Kutsinta.

5) Meanwhile, fill each of your Kutsinta molds/small pastry molds about 2/3 full with the Kutsinta mixture and arrange them evenly on the steamer tray.

6) Place the steamer tray over the bottom base of your steamer with the boiling water.

7) Then place the lid over the steamer tray (make sure to wrap the lid with a in cloth secured with clips - reference video). And steam for 15-20 minutes.

9) Once the Kutsinta are done, remove the tray from the steamer and allow the Kutsinta to cool for a few minutes or until they are cool to the touch.

10) Using a toothpick, loosen the sides of the Kutsinta and release them from their molds.

11) Top each Kutsinta with grated coconut or serve the grated coconut on the side. And you’re done!

Laing is a Filipino vegetable dish that consists of dried taro leaves, pork, and dried salted shrimp, all infused in a spicy coconut cream sauce! If you’re a fan of Thai coconut curries, Laing shares similar flavor profiles to them and is a dish worth trying out! We’re not lying when we say this Laing is talagang tasty!

Ingredients

• Onion (1 small, thinly sliced)

• Oil (2-3 tbsp)

• Garlic (1 bulb, minced)

• Pork Butt (1 1/2 lb)

• Ginger (1 tbsp, minced)

• Dried Salted Shrimp (1/2 cup)

• Pink Shrimp Paste (1/2 tbsp)

• Dried Taro Leaves (4oz)

• Coconut Cream (3 1/2 cups)

• Coconut Milk (3 1/2 cups)

• Green or Red Thai Chilies (6-10 chopped)

• Salt (1/2 tsp)

Steps

1) First pour in 2-3 tbsp of oil into a deep pan and sauté 1 small, thinly sliced onion until translucent.

2) Next add 1 bulb of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.

3) Then drop in 1 1/2 lbs of pork butt cut into 1/2 inch cubes and stir for about 7-10 minutes or until the meat is cooked.

4) Next, make room in the center of the pan and add 1/2 tbsp of pink shrimp paste. Cook the shrimp paste for 15 seconds or so in the middle of the pan before mixing it in with the meat.

5) Now, add 1/2 cup of dried salted shrimp and stir for another minute to a minute and a half.

6) Then add 3 1/2 cups of coconut cream and bring it to a gentle boil and simmering for about 15 minutes. Occasionally stir the ingredients to prevent the coconut cream from curdling.

7) Afterwards, lower the heat to medium or medium low and add 4 oz of dried taro leaves. Carefully immerse and combine the dried taro leaves with the coconut cream and pork.

8) Once the leaves are all wilted, add 3 1/2 cups of coconut milk and stir for about 2 minutes or until it is fully incorporated.

9) Next mix in 6-10 chopped Thai chilies.

10) Afterwards, add 1/2 tsp salt and continuously stir over medium low heat for another 10 minutes.

11) And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• You can use other cuts of pork for Laing, like pork shoulder or pork belly, and you can also add whole shrimp.

• Eat with white rice!

• Add more Thai chilies to turn up the heat!

Latik is a coconut curd topping that’s used to garnish a variety of Filipino desserts!

Ingredients

• Coconut Cream (1 can)

Steps

1) To make Latik, all you need is a can of coconut cream or even better, fresh coconut cream. Your results might vary depending on which brand you use (see which brands we like best under “Pro Tips”)

2) To start, just pour in 1 can of coconut cream into a pan. Set you stove to medium heat. And bring your coconut cream to a light simmer. And occasionally stir it every couple minutes or so. In total we’re going to allow it to simmer for about 40 minutes to an hour.

3) What we’re looking to do is reduce the coconut cream down, so that what you end up with is a bunch of light brown, fried coconut bits. Eventually, the white color of the coconut cream will disappear, and you should start to see coconut curds floating in a thin layer of coconut oil. At this point, take your latik, and pour everything through a strainer. And that’s all there is to it! Now all you have to do is use it to top off your favorite Filipino sweet rice cake!

Pro Tips

• If you want, you can use the coconut oil that strains out of the latik, to grease your pans, if you’re planning to make kalamay or one of the many Filipino sweet rice cakes!

• We highly recommend using “D’ Best Coconut Cream,” if you’re able to find it; it’s usually found in the frozen section of an asian supermarket. However, the other alternative is “Savoy Coconut Cream,” which we feature in our video!

Leche Flan is a super smooth and creamy, Filipino custard dessert, similar to crème brulee. But unlike crème brulee, it has a syrupy, caramel glaze on top, and its pretty amazing! This is definitely one of those Filipino desserts that is super easy to overindulge in!

Ingredients

• Sugar (1 cup)

• Evaporated Milk (1 1/2 cups)

• Sweetened Condensed Milk (1/2 cup)

• Egg Yolks (5-6)

• 1 Lime

• 2 Leche Flan Molds/Ramekins

Steps

1) First, pour 1/2 a cup of white sugar into a sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Then continuously stir the sugar until it dissolves into a golden brown caramel.

2) Pour the caramel into a Leche Flan mold or ramekin.

3) Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the second Leche Flan mold and set the molds aside while preparing the custard.

4) Then, in a separate mixing bowl, add 5 egg yolks. But, if you like your Leche Flan to be a little firmer, you can add a 6th egg yolk.

5) Afterwards, add 1 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/2 a cup of sweetened condensed milk.

6) Then whisk everything together.

7) Next, zest the rind of 1 lime into a separate bowl.

8) Pour out the lime zest onto the center of a cheesecloth. Twist the ends of the cheesecloth together and dip and swish the lime zest into the Leche Flan mixture. Wring out the lime zest juice into the mixture and repeat this process about 3 times before whisking everything together again.

9) At this point, pour the custard mixture into both Leche Flan molds until they contain about even amounts. Cover each mold with a sheet of foil.

10) Then carefully place each mold into a deep baking pan and add hot water to the pan until the water height reaches about 1/2 the height of the Leche Flan molds.

11) Preheat your oven to 350°F and bake for 1 hour.

12) Once your Leche Flan is done baking, remove the molds from the water bath and refrigerate them overnight.

13) After the Leche Flan is cool, remove the foil and loosen the edges by running a butter knife along the inside perimeter.

14) Next place a serving plate over your Leche Flan and quickly flip it over!

15) And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• When you’re making the caramel syrup, you could also just caramelize all the sugar at once, but just make sure to quickly pour them into the containers before the caramel hardens.

Lumpia, or Lumpiang Shanghai, is probably the most well-known of all Filipino foods. It’s essentially a roll of savory, perfectly seasoned meat and vegetables encased in a crispy, golden brown shell. If this ain’t talagang tasty, we don’t know what is!

Ingredients

(Recipe makes around 66 lumpia)

• Ground Pork (2 lbs)

• 2 Small Onions (chopped)

• 1/2 a Bunch of Green Onions (chopped)

• 1 Medium Carrot (chopped)

• 1 Egg (scrambled)

• Garlic Powder (4 tsp)

• Black Pepper (1/2 tsp)

• Salt (2 tsp)

• Lumpia Wrappers (‘Menlo’ brand preferred)

• Canola Oil

Steps

1) First, chop 2 small onions, 1/2 a bunch of green onions, and 1 medium sized carrot.

2) Place the onions, green onions and carrot in a food processor in order to chop them up more finely. (Be careful not to puree your vegetables)

3) Then add your chopped vegetables with 2 lbs of ground pork in a mixing bowl.

4) Add 4 tsp of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, and 2 tsp of salt to your ground pork and vegetables.

5) Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.

7) In a separate bowl, scramble 1 egg. This will be used to seal your lumpia later.

8) Remove the square lumpia wrappers from their packaging and cut them diagonally into triangles. Then separate the wrappers from each other. (Make sure to keep your separated lumpia wrappers covered with a moist paper towel to help prevent them from drying out while you’re wrapping your lumpia)

9) To help you roll the lumpia quicker, vertically lay out and slightly overlap 5 or so triangle lumpia wrappers, starting from the bottom up. (Watch video for reference)

10) Then fill a piping bag with the meat mixture, and squeeze out a little meat back into your mixing bowl to make sure the meat is primed and ready to pipe out.

11) Next, pipe horizontal strips of the meat mixture at the bottom edge of each triangle wrapper to your desired size. (We make ours around 5 inches long)

12) In a new pan, pour in and heat up some canola oil at high heat. (Wait a good 10 minutes or so for the oil to heat up before frying)

13) Fry the lumpia until they are fully cooked in the inside, and the outside is a golden brown color.

Pro Tips

• Dip your lumpia in sweet chili sauce, and eat by itself as a snack/appetizer, or make a meal out of it and eat it with rice!

• You can freeze your extra lumpia if you don’t plan on frying all of them.

In this recipe, we’re are going to show to make one of our favorite Filipino desserts - Mamon! Mamon is a super fluffy Filipino sponge cake, that’s topped off with shredded cheddar cheese and sugar! These Mamon are insanely fluffy, and their combination of sugar and cheese hits on the perfect balance of sweet and salty! If you’ve never had Mamon before, you’re missing out! They’re talagang tasty!

Ingredients

• Eggs (8 egg yolks & 10 egg whites)

• Cake Flour (2 1/4 cups)

• Sugar (1 cup, 1/2 cup & for topping)

• Salt (1 tsp)

• Baking Powder (3 tsp)

• Oil (1/2 cup)

• Water (3/4 cup)

• Vanilla Extract (1 tsp)

• Yellow Food Coloring (3-5 drops)

• Cream of Tartar (1 tsp)

• Cooking Spray

• Spreadable Butter

• Canned Cheddar Cheese (grated)

Steps

1) First you want to start off by separating some egg yolks and egg whites. In total, you’re going to need 10 eggs. By the end you’ll want 8 egg yolks and 10 egg whites, each in their own mixing bowls.

2) Next, we’re going to prepare our dry ingredients! In a new mixing bowl, start off by pouring in 2 ¼ cups of cake flour. Followed by 1 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 3 teaspoons of baking powder. Then just mix it all together!

3) Afterwards, you’ll want to prepare the wet ingredients! In the bowl with all of your egg yolks, first pour in ½ a cup of oil. Then add in ¾ cup of water, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 3-5 drops of yellow food coloring. Now just give everything a good thorough mix.

4) Next, take your wet ingredients mixture and pour it into your dry ingredients mixture. Using a whisk, blend everything together until the mixture is nice and smooth.

5) At this point, it’s time to fluff up your egg whites! If you’re using a Kitchen Aid, secure the bowl to its base. And set the speed to  high. Then, immediately add in 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar, and ½ a cup of sugar. We highly recommend using some type of electric mixture for this part, otherwise, your arm just might fall off trying to fluff up your egg whites. Allow your electric mixer to mix everything until you have stiff peak. By the time it’s done, it should be extra fluffy!

6) Now, take your fluffy egg white mixture and set it next to your other mixture you prepared from earlier. If necessary, you can wake the batter up with a whisk if it seems like it settled a bit. Afterwards, using a ladle or large serving spoon, pour in one scoop of the yellow Mamon mixture into the bowl with your egg whites. For this part, we’re going to be using the “cut and fold” method to incorporate the ingredients together, so that we don’t agitate the ingredients too much. It’s super important that you be as gentle as possible, otherwise you might end up with a denser texture to your cake. Continue to gradually add in the yellow batter, cutting and folding in between, until everything has been fully incorporated. When you’re done, it’s time to start filling your molds!

7) Before filling your molds, spray the insides with cooking spray, so that your Mamon don’t stick! Now just go ahead and pour in your batter into your molds. Make sure to fill them to about 3 quarters of an inch from the top, so that they have room to rise and not overflow. If you don’t have Mamon molds, you can easily just use a couple cupcake or muffin pans, or Brioche molds.

8) Once you’re done filling your molds, take each one and drop them onto your table a couple times. This’ll help release any trapped bubbles that might have formed in the batter. Afterwards, just bake your mamon in an oven that’s been preheated to 325 degrees for about 20 minutes.

9) When they’re done baking, you’re going to want to allow them to cool for a few minutes, or until they’re cool to the touch. Once they’re ok to handle, carefully remove your Mamon from their molds. If the edges get stuck, you can use a toothpick to help release them.

10) Next, spread a thin layer of spreadable butter on top of each of your Mamon. And then using a grater, shred a generous amount of canned cheddar cheese on top. Be sure to use canned cheddar cheese specifically because it complements the Mamon best.

11) Finally all you have to do is sprinkle some sugar on top! And your Mamon are good to go!

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to cook Filipino Menudo, not to be mistaken with Mexican Menudo! Unlike the Mexican soup, which is made up of tripe and red chili sauce, our Menudo consists of pork that’s cooked in a vinegar and tomato sauce stew. Traditionally, Filipino Menudo also includes chunks of liver, but we’re skipping that today!

Ingredients

• Pork Butt (2lbs)

• Onion (1 large, diced)

• Garlic (4 cloves, minced)

• Red Bell Pepper (1 whole diced)

• Salt (2 tsp)

• Pepper (1/2 tsp)

• Vinegar (1/4 cup)

• Water (1/2 cup)

• Oil (2-3 tbsp)

• Annatto Powder (2 tsp)

• Tomato Sauce (2 tbsp)

• Red Potatoes (3 cut and peeled)

• Hot Dogs (2, sliced)

• Peas (1/2 cup)

• Sugar (1 tsp)

Steps

1) First, cut 2lbs of pork butt into bite size strips (approximately 1 1/2-2in long x 1/2 in).

2) Next, slide your pork butt into a pot and add 1/2 a large diced onion, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/3 of a chopped red bell pepper, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper. Mix all the ingredients with the meat.

3) Then add a 1/4 a cup of vinegar and 1/2 a cup of water. Do not mix the ingredients once the vinegar is added, otherwise the dish may develop a strong taste of vinegar.

4) Afterwards, place a lid over your pot and bring the dish to a soft boil. Once at a soft boil, bring the heat down to medium low to simmer for 30-40 mins.

5) At this point, set the pork butt aside. In a separate pot, start sautéing the other half of your large diced onion in 2-3 tbsp of oil over medium heat until it’s translucent.

6) Then add in 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauté them until they’re fragrant.

7) Next, add 2 teaspoons of annatto powder and mix until it dissolves in the oil.

8) Then, mix in 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce to complete your sauté.

9) Afterwards, dump your sauté into your pot of seasoned pork belly and continue to cook the stew over medium to medium low heat.

10) Next submerge 3 peeled and cut red potatoes, and add 2 sliced hot dogs. Allow it to cook without the lid for another 15-20 minutes or until your potatoes can be easily forked.

11) Once your potatoes are cooked, add 1/2 a cup of peas and the remaining 2/3 of the chopped bell pepper from earlier.

12) Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and stir it in.

13) Allow everything to cook for another minute or so and you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Serve your menudo with white rice!

• If you like raisins, you can add about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of raisins instead of sugar.

• If you like liver, you can add 1/4lb of chopped pork liver.

In this recipe, we're going to show you how to make Ginisang Monggo/Munggo! It combines a wide variety of flavors, from the deep earthy notes of the mung beans, to the fatty pieces of pork belly and chicharron, to the tender shrimp. It’s usually eaten with white rice, but is also often paired with Filipino fried milkfish aka Daing na Bangus!

Ingredients

• Shrimp w/ Heads (1/2lb)

• Oil

• Pork Belly (1/3-1/2lb, cut into small strips)

• Mung Beans (1 cup)

• Water (6 1/2 cups)

• Shrimp w/ Heads (1/2lb)

• Tomato (1, sliced)

• Onion (1 small, thinly sliced)

• Shrimp w/ Heads (1/2lb)

• Garlic (5 cloves, minced)

• Salt (1 1/4 tsp)

• Pork Rinds (10-20 pieces)

• Spinach (2 cups)

Steps

1) First devein your shrimp by taking a toothpick and puncture straight through the 3rd and 2nd to the last segments from the tail end, right below where the poop line is. And then, just gently lift up, and carefully string out the poop sack. And then what you want to do is extract all of the shrimp guts out of the head. The best way to do this is to first carefully peel up the carapace. And then gently detach the front legs underneath the head. Then, using your fingers, squeeze out as much of the shrimp guts as you can into a bowl. Afterwards, just peel off the shell, tail and other legs of the shrimp. Repeat this process until you’ve peeled all of your shrimp! Then set your bowl of shrimp aside for later.

2) Next up, we’re gonna to fry up some pork belly! In a new pan, pour in 1-2 tablespoons of oil, and set your stove to medium heat. Once your pan is ready to go, drop in ½ - 1/3 of a pound of pork belly cut into little strips. Fry them up on both sides until they’re fully cooked and have a light crisp to their edges. And then place your pork belly in a bowl and set them aside for later.

 3) Now its time to start cooking your mung beans! In a new pot, drop in 1 cup of mung beans. And then add in 6 ½ cups of water. Cover your pot and bring everything to a soft boil. And cook your mung beans for about 40 minutes.

4) While the mung beans are boiling, you’ll want to prepare the saute that you’ll be adding to it. First what you want to do is microwave 1 sliced tomato for about a minute or 2, or until the tomato looks wilted. This will help it blend with the other ingredients a little easier. Next, in a new pan, pour in 2-3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. And toss in 1 small, thinly sliced onion. Saute your onions until they’re translucent. Afterwards, drop in 5 cloves of minced garlic. And saute them until they’re fragrant. Then add in your tomatoes. And stir them in for a couple seconds until it starts looking somewhat like a sauce. Finally, just toss in your shrimp, along with their guts, into your saute. And cook both sides of the shrimp, making sure not to overcook them.

5) As soon as your shrimp are fully cooked, add your saute to your mung beans. And stir everything together! Ideally, you’ll want to try to time it so that your mung beans finish cooking, when you’re done with your saute. Next, add in the pork belly strips we fried from earlier. And 1 ¼ teaspoons of salt. And give everything a good stir. Then continue simmering everything over medium to medium-low heat for about 15 minutes.

 6) When it’s done simmering, go ahead and add in 10-20 pork rinds. Or really, however much you want! And then submerge them so that they have a chance to soften a bit. Then follow it up with 2 cups of spinach. Just mix everything together! And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Eat your Ginisang Munggo with white rice, and Filipino Fried Milkfish (Daing na Bangus)!

• Garnish with more crispy chicharon (pork rinds) when ready to serve!

In this recipe, we’re gonna show you how we cook Beef Nilaga (Nilagang Baka)! Nilaga is a classic Filipino beef soup that consists of beef shank and an assortment of vegetables, all slowly simmered in a flavorful beef broth!

Ingredients

• Beef Shank, Bone-In (4lbs)

• Beef Soup Bones (3-4)

• Onion (1 large)

• Salt (2 tsp)

• Pepper (1 tsp)

• Water (12 cups)

• Red Potatoes (4 peeled and halved)

• Corn (2 cobs)

• Cabbage (1/2-3/4 head)

Steps

1) First, add in 4lbs of Beef Shank into a deep stock pot. If the meat pieces are large, you can cut them into more manageable pieces. (reference video)

2) Next add 3-4 beef soup bones, 1 large onion (cut into 6 sections), 2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper, and 12 cups of water (or enough water to submerge the ingredients).

3) Then, cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Once the soup is at a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3-4 hours.

4) Afterwards, skim off any excess fat floating at the top of the soup.

5) Also, at this time, fork the meat to check if it is tender.

6) If the meat is tender, remove the meat and set it aside while you continue to cover and simmer the bones for another hour to further develop the soup flavor.

7) After an hour, taste the soup and add salt to taste if needed.

8) Once your broth is to your liking, add 4 peeled red potatoes, each cut into halves, into the soup. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.

9) Next, remove the soup bones to make room for the vegetables. Then add 2 corn on the cobs (each sliced into 3 smaller pieces), the beef shank from earlier, and 1/2 to 3/4 of a head of cabbage. Cover and simmer for about 6 minutes.

10) And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Eat Nilaga with a side of white rice.

• Season each bite with a tiny bit of patis or fish sauce.

• Alternative or additional fruits and vegetables that can be added are saba bananas or green beans.

Pancit Bihon is a Filipino stir fried rice noodle dish that contains a variety of meats and vegetables. It’s talagang tasty!

Ingredients

• Oil (2-3tsp)

• Onion (1/2 large, julienne cut)

• Garlic (4 cloves, minced)

• Chicken Thigh (1/2lb cut into about 1 1/2 in. strips)

• Shrimp (1/2lb, peeled)

• Pepper (1/4 tsp)

• Carrot (1 cup, julienne cut)

• Celery (1 cup, diced)

• Cabbage (1/4 head, cut into strips)

• Soy Sauce (1/4 cup)

• Chicken Stock (2 cups, unsalted)

• Bihon Rice Noodles (8oz)

Steps

1) First, in a large wok, sauté 1/2 a large julienne cut onion in 2-3 tsp of oil until it’s translucent.

2) Next, add 4 cloves of minced garlic and sauté them until they’re fragrant.

3) Then add a 1/2 a pound of chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2 inch strips, and cook them until they’re about 80-90% cooked.

4) Afterwards, add a 1/2 a pound of peeled shrimp and cook them through.

5) Next added 1 cup of julienne cut carrots and cook for a minute or so. Make sure they do not become soggy and over cooked.

6) Then throw in 1 cup of sliced celery and cook for about a minute.

7) Afterwards, add 1/4 of a head of cabbage sliced into strips.

8) Then, season the vegetable and meat stir fry with 1/4 tsp of pepper, 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 1 cup of unsalted chicken stock.

9) Once everything is mixed and the flavors have infused into the stir fry, transfer the vegetables and meat to a different bowl leaving only the chicken stock and soy sauce in the wok.

10) Next add 1 more cup of unsalted chicken stock to the wok.

11) Then put 8oz of bihon rice noodles into the wok and allow it to soak up all of the stock and soy sauce.

12) After the noodles soften and all of the stock is soaked up, add the vegetables and meat back in to the wok.

13) Mix everything together thoroughly. We recommend using 2 serving utensils to make it easier to mix the ingredients. And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Squeeze calamansi or lemon juice on your pancit before eating!

In this recipe, we're going to show you how to make Pancit Canton! Pancit Canton is a Filipino noodle dish that’s contains canton/wheat noodles (in ours we also include bihon/rice noodles), and is loaded with a variety of meats and vegetables!

Ingredients

• Canton Noodles (8oz)

• Vermicelli Noodles (1oz)

• Celery (1/2 cup, sliced)

• Carrots (1 cup, julienne-cut)

• Cabbage (2 1/2 cup, chopped)

• Oil (2-3 tbsp)

• 1 Onion (medium, sliced)

• Garlic (4 cloves, minced)

• Chicken Thighs (1/4lb, cut into strips)

• Oyster Sauce (1 tbsp)

• Soy Sauce (2 tbsp)

• Unsalted Chicken Stock (1 1/2 cups)

• Shrimp (1/4lb, peeled)

• Black Pepper (1/4 tsp)

• Salt (to taste if necessary)

Steps

1) First fully submerge 1oz worth of rice vermicelli noodles in some water. This will allow the noodles to soften and be easier to work with come later.

2) In the meantime, you’re going to want to prepare and blanch the vegetables. In a new pot, pour in enough water to be able to boil your vegetables. We recommend filling your pot to about ½ to ¾ of the way full. Then cover your pot, and bring your water to a boil. While its getting to a boil, you also want to get a bowl of ice water ready for the 2nd part of the blanching process.

3) When your water is at a boil, go ahead and throw in ½ a cup of sliced celery, 1 cup of julienne cut carrots, and 2 ½ cups of chopped cabbage. Make sure your vegetables are submerged. And allow them to boil for 2 minutes.

4) Next, strain the vegetables from the pot. And then immediately throw them into the ice water to stop the vegetables from cooking any further.

5) Afterwards, strain the vegetables one last time. Once you’re done, just set your vegetables to the side for now.

6) Next, you’re going to want to use a wok to stir fry your Pancit Canton. To start, first pour in about 2-3 tablespoons of oil, and set your stove to medium heat. Then toss in ½ a medium sliced onion. Saute your onions until they’re translucent, and have a little give to them. And then add in 4 cloves of minced garlic. And saute them until you can smell that garlic aroma!

7) Afterwards, throw in ¼ of a pound of chicken thighs cut into strips. Fry up your chicken until they’re fully cooked, making sure to flip them to get all the sides.

8) At this point, lower your heat to medium/low to low, and pour in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. And allow everything to simmer for about 2 minutes.

9) Then add in 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce. And 1 ½ cups of unsalted chicken stock. Set your heat to medium, and continue simmering everything for another 10 minutes.

10) Next drop in ¼ of a pound of peeled shrimp. And simmer the shrimp for an additional 2 minutes. While the shrimp are cooking, strain the rice noodles that you soaked in water from earlier. And break them up if they’re still clumped together.

11) Once the shrimp are cooked, toss in 8oz of canton noodles. Using 2 serving utensils, mix the noodles around, and do you best to soak them into the liquid. When the noodles look like they’ve absorbed a fair amount of the liquid, but are still somewhat stiff, go ahead and add in your rice vermicelli noodles. And stir them in.

12) At this point you can salt to taste, if necessary. Afterwards just add in ¼ of a teaspoon of black pepper. And mix it in.

13) Finally, just drop in your vegetables from earlier, and give it one final good mix! And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Squirt on some lemon or calamansi juice

• You have the option of not adding the bihon rice noodles

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to make our all-time favorite pancit - Pancit Palabok! Pancit Palabok is a Filipino rice noodle dish that draws its distinct flavor from a super flavorful shrimp sauce, and is garnished with toppings like crushed chicharon, green onions, hard boiled eggs and lemon juice!

Ingredients

• Shrimp (1lb, w/ head)

• Oil (3-4 tbsp)

• Garlic (1/2 bulb, minced)

• Onion (1/2 medium, diced)

• Ground Pork (1/2lb)

• Rice Flour (1/4 cup)

• Corn Starch (1/4 cup)

• Annatto Powder (1 tbsp)

• Salt (2 tsp)

• Garlic Powder (1/2 tsp)

• Black Pepper (1/4 tsp)

• Sugar (3/4 tsp)

• Bihon Rice Noodles (8 oz)

• Crushed Pork Rinds

• Hard Boiled Egg Slices

• Green Onion (chopped)

• Fish Sauce

• Lemon

Steps

1) First, devein 1lb of shrimp with the head attached. Devein the shrimp by puncturing through the 3rd and the 2nd segments from the tail of an unpeeled shrimp, just under where the poop sack would be. Then carefully pull out the intestinal tract. (reference video)

2) Next, carefully lift the carapace of the shrimp and squished out the shrimp guts into a bowl.

3) Then, peel the rest of the shrimp shell, tail and legs off. Toss your peeled shrimp into the bowl with the shrimp guts.

4) Repeat steps 1-3 until you have peeled all of the shrimp and set it aside for later.

5) At this point, fry 1/4 a bulb of minced garlic in 3-4 tbsp of oil over medium low heat. Fry the garlic until it becomes a light golden brown color.

6) Strain the fried garlic oil into a larger pot and set aside the fried garlic to be used as a garnish later.

7) Sauté 1/2 a diced medium sized onion in the garlic oil over medium heat, until it becomes translucent.

8) Next, add 1/4 a bulb of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.

9) Add in a 1/2 lb of ground pork and brown the meat while breaking it up into smaller pieces.

10) Once the meat is browned, mix the shrimp with the shrimp guts and pour all of it in with the meat.

11) Add 2 1/2 cups of water and bring the water to a boil.

12) Once the water reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium. The shrimp should be fully cooked at this point.

13) In a separate bowl mix together 1/4 cup rice flour, 1/4 cup corn starch, and 1 tbsp of annatto powder. Then add this dry mixture to the pot.

14) Mix the sauce thoroughly until the sauce thickens and the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.

15) Then mix in 2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, 1/4 tsp of black pepper, and 3/4 tsp of sugar.

16) If you notice that your sauce is getting too thick, you can add in another 1/2-1 cup of water. Otherwise, your Palabok sauce is done!

17) During the time you’re cooking your Palabok sauce, you can also cook your noodles as well, or you can cook them right after. In a new deep, wide pan, add in enough water to fully submerge your Bihon rice noodles. (reference video)

18) Bring the water for your noodles to a soft boil, and then submerge 8oz of bihon rice noodles.

19) Using 2 cooking utensils, separate the noodles as they are cooking. This should take 4-6 minutes or until the texture of the noodles are al dente.

20) Strain your noodles and set them aside.

21) Serve yourself some noodles with a generous scoop of Palabok sauce. Then add your favorite toppings (fried garlic, crushed pork rinds, hard boiled egg slices, chopped green onions, shrimp sauce, and lemon juice) and dig in!

Pro Tips

• If you don’t plan on using your Palabok sauce for a few days, you can freeze it. Just heat it up on the stove when ready to eat and add water if it has become too thick.

• Eat with pandesal and cheese/butter!

Pandesal is a fluffy, slightly sweet Filipino bread roll. It’s a staple food item for Filipinos and can be eaten whenever with whatever! You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or merienda! We usually like to make spam and egg sandwiches out of them, or if we’re feeling like something sweet, a Nutella sandwich! It took us a few times to bake this just right, but after a lot of practice we nailed it!. Eat it however you want, but it’s always best fresh. Bake it yourself and you’ll have fresh Pandesal anytime!

Ingredients

• Milk (1 1/4 cup)

• Dry Active Yeast (1/2 tbsp)

• Sugar (1/2 tbsp, 1/2 cup)

• Bread Flour (3 cups)

• Salt (3/4 tsp)

• Unsalted Butter (2 tbsp)

• 1 Egg

• Bread Crumbs

Steps

1) In a mixing bowl, first warm up 1/2 a cup of milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until it is warm to the touch. Then, add 1/2 tbsp of active dry yeast and 1/2 a tbsp of sugar. Mix this a little and set it aside to activate for about 15 minutes.

2) While your yeast is activating, combine 2 1/2 cups of bread flour, 1/2 a cup of sugar, and 3/4 tsp of salt in a separate bowl. Mix these ingredients well and create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.

3) Next, in a new bowl, add 1/2 a cup of milk and 2 tbsp of unsalted butter. Heat the milk and butter in the microwave for about 1 minute or until the butter is melted. Then add 1/4 of a cup of cold milk to the warm milk and butter in order to help cool the mixture. Add 1 egg and mix until all ingredients are combined and smooth.

4) Once you’ve waited 15 minutes for the yeast mixture to activate, add the milk, butter and eggs to it and whisk it a little until all ingredients are combined.

5) At this point, pour the wet ingredients into the well you made earlier in the middle of the dry ingredients.

6) Mix the dough by hand by gently introducing the flour into the liquid and scraping the sides of the bowl with your hand and folding it into the center. (Reference video). Continue mixing until there is no dry flour left.

7) Next, gradually add the last 1/2 a cup of bread flour to the dough by sprinkling a little at a time and continuing to knead the dough in the bowl until all of the flour is added and there is no dry flour left. (Reference video)

8) Then, cover the bowl with a damp cloth and store the dough in a warm, draft free area, and allow it to rise for about 45 minutes.

9) After 45 minutes, the dough should have doubled in size. Drop the dough onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and holds it's shape.

10) Once you’re done kneading, cut the dough ball in half with a dough cutter/knife.

11) Taking one half of the dough, roll it back into itself and squish it to seal the ends. Repeat this a couple more times until the dough is rolled out into a log shape. (Reference Video)

12) Cut the log shaped dough into 1 1/2 inch thick slices. Roll each piece in bread crumbs and space them out on a cookie baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

13) Repeat steps 11-12 with the second half of the dough.

14) Once all of the dough is nicely arranged on the cookie baking sheet, allow the pandesal to rise again in a warm, draft free area for about 1 hour.

15) After the pandesal has risen, preheat the oven to 350°F. Once the oven is ready, place them in for 14-16 minutes. And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• When trying to make your dough rise, you can create a warm draft free area by turning your oven on to any temperature setting for 2 minutes. Then immediately turning it off, and placing your dough inside.

• Toast your pandesal before you eat it!

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to make Pastel de Lengua using an Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker! Pastel de Lengua is a Filipino dish that’s made up of beef tongue, mushrooms and corn, and is stewed in a garlic butter, creamy white sauce! We know that beef tongue can be a little intimidating for most, but if you’re down with it, we promise you that this dish does not disappoint!

Ingredients

• Beef Tongue (1)

• Onion (1 small, sliced)

• Bay Leaves (5)

• Water

• Butter (3 tbsp)

• Garlic (6-9, minced)

• Salt (1 tsp)

• Table Cream (1 - 7.6 fl oz can)

• Sliced Mushrooms (1 1/2 cups)

• Whole Corn Kernels (1 1/2 cups)

Steps

1) To make our version of Pastel de Lengua, you’ll first want to get a hold of a beef tongue. You can usually pick one up at an Asian or Mexican supermarket. Ours was frozen, so we thawed it out in the fridge for 2 days beforehand. Once it’s ready to go, take it out of its packaging and give it a good rinse.

2) Afterwards, place your beef tongue into a pressure cooker. Today, we’re using an Instant Pot to pressure cook it, but the process is pretty much the same if you’re using a normal pressure cooker. Now go ahead and add in 1 small sliced onion. And 5 bay leaves. Then pour in just enough water to cover your beef tongue.

3) Next, secure the lid to your Instant Pot. And make sure that steam release is set to the “sealing” setting. And then set the Instant Pot to the Meat/Stew setting at high pressure for 45 minutes. If you’re using a normal pressure cooker, you’ll want to pressure cook your beef tongue for 20-30 minutes.

4) When it’s done pressure cooking, allow it to natural release all the pressure. Once the float valve unlocks, it’s safe to open. Using a pair of tongs, take out your beef tongue and place it into a bowl. And allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes.

5) When It’s cool enough to handle, it’s time to start prepping and cutting it up! First what you want to do is peel off the outer skin of the beef tongue. If you need to, you can use a knife to get under the skin. And don’t forget to peel under the tongue also! Next cut off the extra stuff at the base of the tongue. As well as the furry things on the side. (reference video)

6) At this point, you can start slicing up your beef tongue! Starting at the base of the tongue, cut slices that are about a quarter of an inch thick. Next trim off the second layer of skin around the slices. Some people like to keep these back ridges of the tongue in the dish, but we like to cut it off. But it’s really up to you. Then continue slicing up the rest of your beef tongue the same way. We like to cut our beef tongue like this, just so it’s a little more presentable. Every beef tongue has a unique shape to it, so you’ll have to adapt your cutting to how it’s shaped. When you get to the very tip of the tongue, just shave off the remaining skin.

7) Now, it’s time to start cooking! Set a pot over medium low heat. And then drop in 3 tablespoons of butter. Using a mixing spoon, move the butter around until it fully melts. Next add in 6-9 cloves of minced garlic. And saute the garlic in the butter.

8) Afterwards, place your beef tongue into the pot. And coat it with the garlic butter saute. Then pour in 1 2/3 cups of water. Cover your pot, and leave it cracked open a little if your lid doesn’t have a venting hole. Bring your beef tongue to a boil, and once at a boil, bring it down to a simmer and simmer everything over medium low heat for 40-60 minutes.

9) When it’s done, take the lid off your pot, and fork the beef tongue to see if it’s tenderness is to your liking. If it’s not, just continue simmering it until it is. Next sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of salt. And stir it in. At this point if you find that the liquid is running a little low, you can add in a little bit more water. We ended up adding another 1 cup. Cover your pot again with the lid slightly cracked open, and continue simmering everything for another 15 minutes.

10) Afterwards, add in one 7.6 fluid oz can of table cream. And mix it in. Followed by 1 ½ cups of sliced mushrooms. 1 ½ cups of whole corn kernels. Stir everything together. At this point you’re trying to thicken the sauce, so continue simmering it for another 15 minutes uncovered.

11) Next go ahead and taste your sauce to check if it needs more salt. Ours was perfect, so we didn’t end up adding any. Our sauce wasn’t quite at our preferred thickness at this point, so we actually ended up simmering it for another 15 minutes. And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• The goal of pressure cooking it isn’t necessarily to make it super tender, but to clean it and speed up the overall cooking process. If it’s too tender, it will be difficult to cut.
• Add small amounts of water (about 1/2 cup) if necessary, when stewing. Your stewing process may be different depending on how hot your stove is and how much liquid evaporates over time.

Petite Casoy is a Filipino cashew macaroon that’s super easy to make and is ridiculously addicting. In our recipe, we top them off with maraschino cherries, because why not?!

Ingredients

• Chopped Cashews (1 cup)

• Sweetened Condensed Milk (3/4 cup)

• 2 Egg Yolks

• Maraschino Cherries (optional)

Steps

1) First, using a food processor, chop up enough cashews to yield 1 cup of chopped cashews.

2) Then, place your 1 cup of chopped cashews in a mixing bowl.

3) Next, add 3/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk and 2 egg yolks. Then mix well.

4) Optional: Prepare your maraschino cherries by cutting each one in half. These will be used for decorating the petite casoy, so set them aside for later.

5)  Afterwards, line a mini muffin pan with mini cupcake liners and fill each cup about 2/3 of the way full, then top each cup with 1 maraschino cherry half if you prepared them.

6) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 mins.

7) When they’re done allow the petite casoy to cool and rest for 1 day before eating. If you try to peel of the cupcake liner too early, the petite casoy will stick to the sides of the liner and fall apart! Enjoy!

In this recipe, we're going to show you how to make Pichi Pichi! Pichi Pichi is a sticky Filipino dessert made from grated cassava, and coated with grated coconut! Pichi pichi is best served for dessert, merienda or whenever the craving for them strikes!

Ingredients

• Freshly Grated Cassava (1lb)

• Pandan Leaves (2)

• Coconut Water (2 cups)

• Sugar (1/2 cup)

• Lye Water (1 tsp)

• Pandan Flavor Paste (1/2 tsp)

• Grated Coconut

Steps

1) First, start out with about 1 pound of freshly grated cassava (If you want to learn how to peel and grate your own cassava, we’ll link a video on how to do that below under “Pro Tips”). Otherwise you could also just use frozen grated cassava; you just have to let it thaw out first. So to start, you’ll want to first squeeze out all the liquid out of your cassava. Just take a handful of grated cassava at a time and using both your hands, squeeze out as much as you can. And repeat this process until you’ve gone through all of your cassava. Squeezing the excess liquid out will help to keep your pichi pichi stay firm, and not turn out goopy. Once you’re done, just set it aside for the time being.

2) Next, you’re going to boil some pandan leaves in some coconut water. Start off by taking 2 pandan leaves, and tie them into a knot. This helps prevent them from floating to the top and makes them a little easier to work with. Then just place your pandan leaves into a pot. And then pour in 2 cups of coconut water. Afterwards, place a lid over your pot. And bring everything to a boil. As soon as the coconut water starts bubbling, turn off the heat, and your pandan flavored coconut water is ready to go!

3) At this point, its time to mix all your ingredients together! In a large mixing bowl, throw in your grated cassava from earlier. Then add in ½ cup of sugar. And give it a good mix!

4) Next, pour in your pandan-coconut water. Followed by 1 teaspoon of lye water, and ½ a teaspoon of pandan flavor paste (Make sure to specifically use “pandan flavor paste” which has more of a thick consistency, and not “pandan flavored essence”). Afterwards, thoroughly combine all the ingredients together!

5) When you’re done, pour your pichi pichi mixture into a pan that’s small enough to place into a steamer.

6) Next, using a spatula or serving spoon, flatten out the surface of your pichi pichi mixture.

7) And then place it into a preheated steamer. Now just steam your pichi pichi for about 1 hour!

8) Once your pichi pichi is done steaming, remove it from the steamer. And allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes.

9) Finally, its time to roll your pichi pichi in some grated coconut! But first, using a spatula, release the outer edges. And then cut up your pichi pichi into little squares.

10) Then just scoop out a piece. And coat it with some grated coconut! And repeat!

Pro Tips

• Learn How to Peel & Grate Cassava!

• You also have the option of pouring your mixture into individual molds like we did in our Kutsinta and Puto videos, but it’s really up to you!

• We recommend wrapping a cloth around your steamer lid so that the water that usually collects in the inside of your lid doesn’t drip onto your pichi pichi

• Store your Pichi Pichi in the fridge and eat within 2-3 days.

In this video, we’re going to show you how to make Polvoron! Polvoron is a crumbly Filipino powered milk candy that’s super easy to make and is usually eaten during the holidays…but you can eat it anytime!

Ingredients

• Cake Flour (1 cup)

• Powdered Milk (1 1/2 cups)

• Sugar (1/2 cup)

• Salted Butter (1/2 cup)

Supplies

• Cellophane Wrappers

Steps

1) First drop in 1 cup of cake flour into a pan over medium high heat. Continuously stir the cake flour until it has a lightly toasted brown color (about 5-7 minutes).

2) Next, using a sieve, sift your toasted cake flour into a mixing bowl.

3) Then add in 1 1/2 cups of powdered milk, and 1/2 a cup of white sugar. Mix everything thoroughly.

4) Afterwards, in a new pot, melt 1/2 a stick of salted butter over medium heat. As soon as its fully melted, turn off your stove, and pour the butter into your dry mixture. Combine everything with your hands, or a rice paddle so that the butter gets fully integrated.

5) Before molding your polvoron, we recommend laying out your cellophane wrappers, so that its easier to wrap them (unless you don’t plan on wrapping them).

6) To mold your polvoron, you’re going to want to use a polvoron molder. Fill your molder with the polvoron mixture, and lightly pack it using the walls of your mixing bowl (you want to slightly overfill your mold because it will help to compact your polvoron). Next, place your polvoron mold on top of a plate, and apply firm, continuous pressure, while sliding the mold around, for a couple seconds ( you want the bottom of your polvoron to be fairly level by the time you’re done). Then lean your mold around all its edges to remove any excess polvoron mixture. (reference video)

7) Next, push out and diagonally place your polvoron onto the center of one of your cellophane wrappers. Then take two opposite corners of the cellophane wrapper and line them up, and press them together. And then fold them over onto one side 2-3 times. Finally, just twist the right and left open ends of your wrapper, and you’re done. Repeat steps 6-7 to make the rest of your polvoron!

Pro Tips

• After making your polvoron, allow them to rest for a couple of hours so that they solidify a little bit. Otherwise, they might be super crumble if you eat them right away.

In this recipe, we’re going to be making Filipino Puto aka Putong Puti or Putong Bigas! Puto is a steamed rice cake, that’s super easy to make, and even easier to gobble up! It’s talangang tasty!

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour (1/2 cup)

• Rice Flour (1/2 cup)

• Sugar (1/2 cup)

• Baking Powder (3 tsp)

• Salt (1/8 tsp)

• Milk (3/4 cup)

• Buttermilk (1/4 cup)

• Vanilla Extract (1 tsp)

• 1 Egg White

Steps

1) First, add 1/2 a cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 a cup of rice flour, 1/2 a cup of sugar, 3 tsp of baking powder, and 1/8 tsp of salt in a mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly.

2) Next add 3/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of butter milk, 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 1 egg white. Mix all of the ingredients together until everything is fully incorporated.

3) Then place a piece of cheesecloth on the surface of your steamer tray (each tray if you’re using multiple stacked trays). And then clip or tie a thin dish towel around the steamer lid. (The cheese cloth and dish towel will soak up any condensation and prevent it from dripping onto your puto)

4) Afterwards, start filling your puto molds (or small pastry molds) about 3/4 full and arrange them evenly on the steaming tray.

5) Fill the bottom of the steamer 1/2 way full with water and bring it to a soft boil.

6) Once the water is at a soft boil, lower the heat to medium.

7) Place the tray holding the puto molds over the water and cover with the lid.

8) Steam the puto for about 14 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick in the Puto and pull the toothpick out clean.

9) Allow the puto to cool for about 15 minutes. Remove the puto from the molds with a toothpick, gently squeezing/loosening the sides of the mold.

10) And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• You can grease the Puto molds with PAM prior to filling them to make it easier to remove when cooked, but greasing the molds beforehand may cause the puto to have a flatter looking top.

• If you want to save the extra Puto, you can freeze them and microwave them for later.

• Puto can be eaten by itself as a snack, or with other Filipino dishes like Pancit or Dinuguan!

Sago at Gulaman is a Filipino drink that consists of clear, tapioca-like balls and cubed gelatin, all swimming in an ice cold syrup drink!

Ingredients

• Brown Sugar (1 cup)

• Water (1 cup)

• Banana Essence (1/4 tsp)

• Sago

• Gulaman

• Ice Cubes

Steps

1) To make the syrup for Sago at Gulaman, first set a small pot over medium heat. Then you’ll want to put in 1 cup of brown sugar. Followed by 1 cup of water. And ¼ a teaspoon of banana essence. Continuously stir everything together until the brown sugar is fully dissolved.

2) Once its fully dissolved, just gather the following ingredients: water, gulaman cut into cubes, ice cubes, and sago pearls. (If you want to learn how to make gulaman or sago, we’ll link the videos for them under “Pro Tips!”)

3) Now all you have to do is assemble your Sago at Gulaman! Just put in as much sago and gulaman as you like. Depending on how sweet you like yours, you can adjust the ratio of the syrup to water that you add in. Then just drop in a couple ice cubes and you’re good to go! It’s talagang thirst quenching!

Pro Tips

• Learn How to Make Gulaman

• Learn How to Make Sago (Instant Pot)

In this recipe, we're going to show you how to cook Sago in the Instant Pot! Sago typically takes 4-6 hours to fully cook all the way through, but using the Instant Pot, you can cook it in about one third of the time!

Ingredients

• Sago Pearls (1/2 cup)

• Water

Steps

1) First pour in enough water into your Instant Pot to fully submerge your Sago. We filled ours at around the 4 cup mark. When in doubt, it’s better to have a little too much than too little water.

2) Next, press the “Saute” mode, and make sure it’s on the highest setting. And bring your water to a boil.

3) Once at a boil drop in your Sago pearls. It’s super important that you drop your Sago in boiling water so that it immediately develops a soft outer shell. Otherwise, your sago will disintegrate if you put them in before the water is boiling.

4) After you drop your Sago in, turn off your Instant Pot. And then immediately secure the lid on top. And turn the steam release to the “sealing” position. Next, tap the manual button, and set it at high pressure for 30 minutes. Allow your Sago to pressure cook for the allotted time.

5) When it’s done, turn off your Instant Pot. And “quick release” it by turning the steam release to the “venting” position. Once the float valve unlocks, set a timer for 30 minutes and allow the Sago to swell before opening the lid.

6) Afterwards, remove the lid. And then strain your Sago from the water. And thoroughly rinse them using cold water. At this point, your Sago should be half way cooked and a white core should still be visible in all of the Sago.

7) Repeat steps 1-6, one more time. By the time you’re done, the white cores of you Sago should be completely gone. And your Sago are finally ready to eat!

Pro Tips

• If you want to save your Sago, submerge them in a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) and refrigerate. The Sago should be consumed within 1-2 days.

If you liked our Pork Sinigang recipe, you’ll love our Sinigang version 2.0 using beef short ribs and the Instant Pot! If you don’t already know, Sinigang is a Filipino dish that consists of meat and an assortment of vegetables, all cooked in a tamarind-based broth. Beef Sinigang is Reinard’s favorite kind, but its pretty seldom that we make it because it takes forever to make the beef tender. But, in this recipe, we’re going to show you how to cook it with an Instant Pot so that you’ll get to eat tender Beef Sinigang in a pinch!

Ingredients

• Unripened Green Tamarinds (1/2 lb)

• Water (4 cups)

• Beef Short Ribs (2.5-3 lbs)

• Onion (1 medium, chopped)

• Tomato (1 medium, sliced)

• Salt (2 1/4 tsp)

• Taro Root (4-5 peeled & washed)

• 1-2 Jalapenos

• Chinese Long Beans (roughly 2 1/2 cups, cut into 3 inch strips)

Steps

1) First, in a small pot, place 1/2 lb of washed, unripened tamarinds into a pot and submerge them in about 1 1/2 cups of water.

2) Then, place the lid over the pot and boil the tamarinds over medium high heat for about 10-15 minutes.

3) Once your tamarinds are soft, mash them in the pot of water with a sturdy utensil and strain the tamarind liquid into a separate bowl.

4) Next, place your beef short ribs into the Instant Pot. Then proceed with adding 1 chopped medium sized onion, 1 sliced medium sized tomato, 2 1/4 tsp of salt, the strained tamarind liquid, and 2 1/2 cups of water.

5) Secure the lid to your Instant Pot and turn the steam release to the “sealing setting.” Set the Instant Pot to the “meat/stew” setting before pressure cooking the Sinigang on high pressure for 30 minutes.

6) Once the Sinigang is done pressure cooking, quick release the steam release. Once the float valve unlocks, you can safely open the Instant Pot.

7) At this point, submerge 4-5 washed and peeled taro root to Instant Pot.

8) Then set the Instant Pot to the "sauté” mode on the “normal” temperature setting.

9) While the soup is simmering, you have the option of skimming and removing some of the fat that is floating on the top of the soup. Also, at this time, its a good opportunity to taste your soup and add any extra salt if needed.

10) After the soup simmers for about 25 minutes, add about 2 1/2 cups of cut Chinese long beans, and 1-2 jalapenos to the Instant Pot. Continue cooking everything for another 5 minutes.

11) And you're done!

Pro Tips

• If you want your Sinigang to be more sour, you can just make and add more tamarind juice, or simply add lemon juice.

• Pair this dish with white rice and eat with fish sauce!

• You can drink the soup separately if you'd like

*As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our channel and allows us to continue making videos. Thank you for the support!

Pork Sinigang (Sinigang na Baboy) is a sour, Filipino, tamarind-based soup dish that is eaten with white rice. Fish sauce (and lemon-optional) is used as extra "seasoning/sauce" to enhance the flavors of Sinigang, similar to how salt and pepper are used to slightly pep up a dish.

Ingredients

• Unripened Green Tamarinds (1lb)

• Water (6 cups)

• 1- Rack of Cut Pork Ribs

• 1/2 Large Onion (diced)

• 1 Large Tomato (diced)

• Salt (2-1/2 tsp)

• 4 Taro Roots (peeled & washed)

• 1-2 Jalapenos

• 2 Bunches of Bok Choy (w/ stems cut off)

Steps

1) Add 3 cups of water to 1lb of green unripened tamarinds in a pot. Boil for 10-15 minutes.

2) Remove the pot from heat. Smash the softened tamarinds to release the sour juices and strain the tamarind liquid into a separate bowl. 

3) In a large pot, add the cut pork ribs, 1/2 diced onion, large diced tomato, 3 cups of water, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and the strained tamarind liquid. 

4) Let the ingredients boil for 40 minutes on medium heat. 

5) Optional: Remove the scum from the meat that will be floating on the top of the broth. 

6) Add 4 peeled taro root (gabi) to thicken the soup and add extra flavor. 

7) Boil for 30 minutes on medium heat. 

8) Check meat for tenderness and add salt to taste if needed!

9) Add 1-2 jalapenos and 2 bushels of bok choy. (optional: you can also  use Chinese long beans or okra)

10) Boil for 15 mins to cook the vegetables. 

11) And you're done!

Pro Tips

• Eat with fish sauce (and lemon - optional)

• Pour soup on your rice

• Drink soup separately if you'd like

• You can find fresh or frozen tamarinds, bok choy, and taro root at your local asian super market. 

Sisig is a Filipino dish that’s typically made up of chopped up parts of a pigs head, seasoned with calamansi juice. Nicole’s cousin, from Pampanga, Philippines taught us how to make this dish, but we tweaked the recipe a little, in order to use ingredients that were more accessible to us in America.

Ingredients

• Pork Belly (2lbs)

• Chicken Liver (1/2lb)

• Garlic (4 cloves crushed)

• 2 Bay Leaves

• Salt (1/2 tbsp)

• Pepper (1/2 tbsp)

• Water (approximately 7 cups)

• Oil (2 tbsp)

• Onion (1 large diced)

• Soy Sauce (2 tbsp)

• Lemon or Calamansi Juice (4 tbsp)

Steps

1) First, place 2lbs of pork belly into a pot. If you are using pre-sliced pork belly like we did, make sure they are not sliced thinner than 1/4 inch thick. 

2) Then, add 1/2lb chicken liver to the pot. 

3) Next, add 4 cloves of crushed garlic, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of pepper. 

4) Then you will need to add just enough water to submerge the meat. In our case, we used about 7 cups. 

5) Boil your ingredients for about 20-25 mins. 

6) Once you are done boiling your meat, remove the meat from the pot and place the meat on a plate lined with paper towel. You will also want to pat dry the other side of the meat in order to help it develop a crust when frying. 

7) In a separate frying pan, add about 2-3 tablespoons of oil and over high heat, fry the pork belly and chicken liver just until they develop a light golden crust. Be careful not to fry the meat too long, otherwise you may overcook the meat. 

8) After all of your meat is fried, chop up all the meat into little pieces (roughly 1cm). Combine the chopped pork belly and chopped chicken liver in a separate mixing bowl. 

9) Next, add 1 large diced onion, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 4 tablespoons of lemon (or calamansi) juice. Then mix thoroughly!

10) At this point, taste your Sisig and add salt if needed! 

11) On a preheated (smokin’ hot!) and pre-oiled skillet, serve your Sisig up sizzling! 

Pro Tips

• We highly recommend using calamansi juice instead of lemon juice if you have access to it.

• Don’t worry, the onions are not suppose to be fully cooked. They will be half cooked when placed on your preheated platter.

• You can replace the pork belly with pork jowl, if you have access to it.

• If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also add pig ears and snout to the dish.

Sopas is basically a chicken noodle soup, but has the added bonus of hot dogs and a rich, creamy broth! You can eat your Sopas as is, or you can do what we like to do, and eat it with a grilled cheese sandwich! If you want to step up your chicken noodle soup game, Filipino Sopas is the way to go!

Ingredients

• Oil (2-3 tbsp)

• Onion (1 small, sliced)

• Garlic (4 cloves, minced)

• Chicken Broth (8 cups)

• Elbow Macaroni (1 1/2 cups)

• Chicken Breast (1/2lb, shredded)

• Hot Dogs (2 sliced)

• Celery (1 cup, diced)

• Carrots (1/2 cup, julienne cut)

• Cabbage (1 1/2 cups)

• Salt (1/4-1/2 tsp)

• Black Pepper (1/2 tsp)

• Milk (3/4 cup)

Steps

1) First, sauté 1 small sliced onion in 2-3 tbsp of oil over medium heat until translucent.

2) Next, add 4 cloves of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.

3) Then, add 8 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil.

4) Once the chicken broth is at a boil, add 1 1/2 cups of elbow macaroni noodles and cook for 6 minutes or until al dente.

5) At this point, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Allow the noodles to swell over about 10 minutes.

6) After the 10 minutes, turn the stove on to medium heat. Then add 1/2lb of cooked shredded chicken breast, 2 sliced hot dogs, and 1 cup of celery. Cover your pot and cook for 5 minutes.

9) Then add 1/2 cup of julienne cut carrots. Cover your pot and cook for 2 minutes.

10) Afterwards, add 1 1/2 cup of cabbage to the soup, and stir it in (allow cabbage to slightly wilt)

11) Add 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt to taste.

12) Then add 1/2 tsp of black pepper.

13) Finally, add 3/4 cup of milk, stir everything together, and you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Use elbow macaroni without ridges. Ridged macaroni usually ends up splitting.

• Be careful using Filipino red hotdogs, as they may dye your soup pink. We used Hebrew National :)

• Add more milk to taste if you like your sopas a little more creamy.

• If you skip the step where you let the noodles rest and swell, your noodles may become mushy.

Suman is a sweet Filipino rice cake steamed in banana leaves, and can be eaten as merienda or dessert!

Ingredients

• Long Grain Sweet Rice (3 cups)

• Water

• Coconut Milk (1 3/4 cups)

• Fresh Coconut Cream (3/4 cup)

• Sugar (1 1/2 cups)

Materials

• Cleaned/Prepped Banana Leaves

• Ties

Steps

1) First pour in 3 cups of long grain sweet rice into a bowl. Then pour in enough water to fully submerge everything and then some. The purpose of this is to help soften the rice a bit. Allow the sweet rice to soak for 1 hour.

2) Afterwards, strain the water from the rice. And then drop the rice into a deep pan.

3) From here, you’ll want to pour in 1 ¾ cups of coconut milk. Followed by ¾ of a cup of fresh coconut cream. If you don’t use fresh coconut cream, your suman might end up sticking to your banana leaves after you cook them.

4) Next, set your stove to medium heat. And continuously stir everything for about 5 to 10 minutes. Eventually, you should start to feel the mixture slightly thicken a bit, but not too much. At this point, add in 1 ½ cups of sugar.

5) Keep stirring continuously for another 8-12 minutes. During this process, the sugar will liquify and make the mixture a little runny temporarily. But it’ll thicken up again soon after. What we’re aiming to do is to only cook the sweet rice half way through because we’re going to continue to cook it later in the steamer. You can check to see if your sweet rice is half way cooked by biting into a single grain. It should break easily, but still be a little hard.

6) Once the sweet rice mixture is good to go, its time to start wrapping up your suman! Before starting, you’ll want to have the following items ready to go: a steamer tray, a bowl of water, cleaned banana leaves cut into squares, and ties cut from the banana leaves (Click Here to Learn ‘How to Prepare Banana Leaves!’).

7) To start, first take a banana leaf and lay it out flat in front of you. Next, using a tablespoon, horizontally place 3 scoops of the suman mixture, a little off center towards the bottom, and use your fingers to even it out. While you’re doing this, your fingers will get pretty sticky, so it’s nice to have a bowl of water to quickly rinse in between. Afterwards, fold over the bottom edge of your banana leaf and roll your suman forward. As you’re rolling, try to maintain the original shape of your suman. And be gently with it, so that you don’t squish it to the point where the suman mixture starts coming out of the ends. Once its completely rolled, position the exposed edge of the leaf so that its centered and facing up. Next, using your fingers, feel for where the suman is on one end. As soon as you find it, make a fold to seal it in. And then just do the same thing on the other end. When you’re done, place the folded ends face down, and set it aside.

8) Now go ahead and just make another one. When you’re done wrapping your second suman, stack your first suman on top of it so that their folded sides are pressed up against each other. This will help to prevent them from unraveling. Afterwards, take one of your ties, and tuck it underneath near the end of one side. And then firmly, but gently tie a double knot. And then tie up the other end as well. Now just place it sideways into your steamer tray. And then just wrap the rest of your suman!

9) Once you’re done, all you have to do is steam your suman! We heated water in our steamer to a light simmer beforehand, so it was all ready to go. Place the lid on your steamer, and steam your suman for about 45 minutes to an hour. If you find that the sweet rice isn’t fully cooked by the time is up, you can continue to steam your suman. Just make sure not to overcook it, otherwise they might turn out mushy.

10) After your suman are done, remove them from the tray, and allow them to cool a couple minutes. When you’re ready to eat one, just undo or snip the ties off. Unravel the banana leaf. And dig in!

Pro Tips

• Sprinkle on some sugar or Latik (Click Here to Learn ‘How to Make Latik!’)

• You can store and freeze them in a ziploc bag if you don’t plan on eating them within the next few days.

Sweet Rice Cake is one of our favorite Filipino desserts. You'll find that the combination of sticky sweet rice topped with caramelized coconut cream topping is beyond addicting!

Ingredients

• Sweet Rice (2 1/4 cups)

• Water (2 3/4 cups)

• Cream of Coconut - Coco Lopez (2 3/4 cups)

• Evaporated Milk (1 1/2 cups)

• Cooking Spray (Pam)

Steps

1) Pour 2 1/4 cups of sweet rice into the rice cooker.

2) Add 2 3/4 cups of water to the sweet rice.

3) Cook the sweet rice on the “white rice setting.”

4) When the rice is cooked, add 3/4 cup cream of coconut (Coco Lopez) and mix thoroughly.

5) Spray cooking spray on a glass pan (9in x 13in or something similar). And then spread the rice evenly into the pan.

6) To make the coconut cream topping, in a new sauce pan, add 2 cups of cream of coconut (Coco Lopez) and 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk.

7) Stir the topping ingredients over medium-high heat until it thickens and becomes a caramelized brown color.

8) Once thickened, pour your coconut cream topping over the sweet rice and spread evenly.

9) Preheat the oven to 325°F and bake the rice cake for 40-45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

10) And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Let the rice cake cool before cutting and eating, otherwise, it may fall apart.

Tinola is one of the healthier Filipino soup-dishes that draws its primary flavors from chicken and ginger. It’s usually eaten with rice and a side of patis (fish sauce) for dipping the chicken.

Ingredients

• Chicken (1 whole)

• Oil (2 tbsp)

• Salt (2 tsp)

• 1 Small Onion (onion)

• 3 Cloves Garlic (minced)

• Julienne Cut Ginger (1/4 cup)

• Lemon Grass (cut 2 stalks into 2-2 1/2 in pieces)

• 2 Chayote (peeled and chopped)

• Malunggay Leaves (1/2 cup)

Steps

1) First, cut 1 whole chicken into 8 pieces and make sure to keep the backbone. You can also cut each chicken breast in half so that they’re better portioned (reference video if needed).

2) Next, in a pot, sauté 1 small onion in 2 tbsp of oil. Once they are translucent, add the 3 cloves of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.

3) Afterwards, add 1/4 cup of julienne cut ginger and 2 stalks of lemon grass and continue to sauté until fragrant.

4) Evenly place all the chicken pieces, including the backbone, into pot with the skin side down.

5) Pour about 5 cups of water into the pot, or until all the chicken pieces and backbone are adequately submerged.

6) Add 2 tsp salt.

7) Boil on medium heat for about 45 mins.

8) Next remove the backbone from the pot to make room for the vegetables.

9) Add 2 chopped and peeled chayote and 1/2 cup of malunggay leaves.

10) Continue to boil for another 10 minutes, or until the chayote can be easily forked.

11) Last but not least, salt to taste if needed, and then your tinola is ready to eat!

Pro Tips

• Wear gloves when you are peeling/chopping the chayote to avoid getting the sap that it secretes on your skin.

• You can eat your tinola with a side of patis (fish sauce). You can also add lemon to the patis as well.

• You can use precut, bone in chicken pieces, but we highly recommend cutting up a whole chicken so that you can boil the backbone to get more flavor out of your soup!

In this recipe, we're going to show you how to make Tocino aka Filipino Bacon! Tocino is a Filipino breakfast dish that consists of thin slices of pork, cured in a sugar and salt mixture, and fried to a caramelized perfection!

Ingredients

• Pork Butt/Shoulder (2lbs, thinly sliced: 1/4”-1/2” thick)

• Brown Sugar (1 cup)

• Salt (1 1/2 tbsp)

• Annatto Powder (3 tsp)

• Water

Steps

1) Start off by taking your pieces of sliced pork and tenderize each and every one of them.

2) Afterwards, you’ll want to prepare your curing mix. In a new mixing bowl throw in 1 cup of brown sugar. Followed by 1 ½ tablespoons of salt, and 3 teaspoons of annatto powder. Then mix everything thoroughly.

3) Before you start applying the dry rub, make sure to strap on some gloves, otherwise the annatto powder might stain your hands. When you’re ready, just go ahead and take one slice of pork and coat both sides, and gently rub in the cure mix. Then just place your meat into a storage container. Repeat this process, until all of your pork is coated with the Tocino mix.

4) Now just attach the lid to your storage container, and allow your Tocino to cure in the refrigerator for 1 week (you can also cure it for 2-4 days, if you’re not comfortable leaving it in for a week, or if you simply want to eat it sooner). 

5) Once its done curing, all you have to do is cook it up on the stove! Just place your Tocino in a single layer on a pan. If you have extra, you can easily just freeze whatever you don’t end up cooking, and save it for another day!

6) At this point, fill your pan with water until pork your pork slices are submerged. Next, cover your pan, and bring it to a boil. When its at a boil, take it down to a simmer, and slightly crack the lid open if your lid doesn’t have a venting hole. Continue simmering everything, until the meat is tender, and there’s a just a little bit of liquid left. Ours took about an hour or so to simmer. If you find that the meat isn’t tender yet, just add more water, and keep simmering it until it’s to your desired tenderness.

7) When there’s barely any liquid left, quickly mix your Tocino around so that it gets coated with the caramelized sugar from the rub. And then bada bing bada boom! You have yourself a sweet, savory pan of homemade Tocino!

Pro Tips

• Eat it with some garlic fried rice and a crispy fried egg! #tosilog

Torta, also known as Tortang Kapampangan, is a ground meat dish marinated in soy sauce, calamansi (lemon) juice, and pepper. It’s a fairly easy dish to make and pairs well with not only rice, but pandesal (Filipino sweet bread) as well!

Ingredients

• Ground Pork (2 lbs)

• Soy Sauce (1/2 cup)

• Calamansi or Lemon Juice (2 tbsp)

• Black Pepper (1 tsp)

• Scrambled Eggs (1 whole egg + 1 extra yolk)

• Oil (2 tbsp)

• 1/2 Onion (diced)

• 4 Cloves Garlic (minced)

• Annatto Powder (1 tsp)

• Chopped Potatoes (1 cup)

• Frozen Peas (1/2 cup)

• Sugar (1/2 tbsp)

• Chopped Red Bell Pepper (1 whole)

Steps

1) Add a 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of calamansi/lemon juice, and 1 tsp of black pepper to 2 lbs of ground pork in a bowl.

2) Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and let it marinade for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

5) Prepare your scrambled egg mixture by beating 1 whole egg + 1 extra egg yolk. Set this aside for later.

6) Once your meat is done marinating, sauté 1/2 an onion in 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat.

7) Add 4 minced cloves of garlic to the sauté.

8) Next add 1 tsp of annatto powder and fully dissolve in the oil.

9) Then add the marinated ground pork to the sauté and fully cook the meat.

10) Remove any excess fat and extra liquid.

11) Add 1 cup of chopped potatoes.

12) Once the potatoes are cooked, add 1/2 a cup of frozen peas.

13) Then add a 1/2 tbsp of sugar.

14) Add the scrambled egg mixture and mix into the ground pork.

15) Once the egg is fully incorporated and cooked, add 1 chopped red bell pepper.

16) Cook for another 2-3 minutes and you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Eat with rice or make a Torta sandwich with Pan De Sal!

• If you don’t have calamansi juice readily available, you can substitute with lemon juice.

In this recipe, we’re gonna to show you how to make Turon - a simple, but oh so yummy, fried Filipino dessert! It’s essentially a fried roll of banana and jackfruit, coated in a sugary caramel glaze! Turon is usually eaten as a dessert, but can also be eaten for merienda (mid-afternoon snack)! It’s also one of those treats where it’s impossible to eat only one! It's talagang tasty!

Ingredients

• Burro or Saba Bananas

• Sugar

• Jarred Jackfruit (cut into strips)

• Lumpia Wrappers

• Brown Sugar

Steps

1) First, chop the ends off of your bananas and peel them.

2) Then, cut each banana into thirds, the long way.

3) Next, lay down a lumpia wrapper on a flat surface so that it looks like a diamond from your point of view.

4) Then, coat both sides of one of the banana slices with sugar before laying it horizontally in the middle of the lumpia wrapper.

5) Afterwards, lay a couple pieces of jackfruit over the banana slice.

6) At this point, tightly fold the bottom point of the lumpia wrapper up over the banana. Tuck and fold the bottom end under the banana. Then bring the left and right sides to the center, and continue tightly rolling the lumpia. You can seal the remaining corner with a little bit of the jackfruit syrup. (reference video)

7) Repeat steps 3-6 until you have as many turon as you want to make.

8) Next fill a frying pan with about 1/3-1/2 inch of oil, and heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat.

9) Once the oil is hot and ready, fry each side of your turon for about 2 minutes or until each side is a light golden brown.

10) Then remove the turon from the oil and place them in a strainer.

11) While the oil is still hot, drop in 1/3 cup of brown sugar and immediately return the turon to the frying pan.

12) Coat each side of the turon with the brown sugar glaze (about 10 seconds per side).

13) Remove all the turon from the pan and make sure not to stack them.

14) Allow the turon to cool and you’re done!

Pro Tips

• You can use Burro, Saba, or Plantain bananas.

• Do not stack turon immediately after coating them with brown sugar, otherwise they’ll get stuck together.

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to make a popular Filipino dessert - Ube Kalamay! Ube Kalamay is a sweet, sticky, purple yam flavored rice cake that’s topped off with fried coconut milk curds!

Ingredients

• Grated Ube (8oz)

• Coconut Milk (1 1/4 cups)

• Sweet Rice Flour (1 cup)

• Sugar (3/4 cup)

• Condensed Milk (1/4 cup)

• Vanilla Extract ( 1/2 tsp)

• Kraft Canned Cheddar Cheese (1/2 cup, grated)

• Butter or Latik Oil

Steps

1) First drop in about 8 ounces of grated ube into a deep pan. Followed by 1 ¼ cups of coconut milk, 1 cup of sweet rice flour, and ¾ of a cup of sugar.

2) Afterwards set your stove to around low or medium low. Then just mix everything together. Every 10 minutes or so, you’re going to want to stir the ingredients. And you’re going to do this for about 1 ½ to 2 hours.

3) When you get to about 30 minutes in, go ahead and add in ¼ of a cup of condensed milk, ½ a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and ½ cup of canned white cheddar cheese. And mix everything together. For this recipe, you want to specifically use the canned Kraft cheddar cheese.

4) For the remaining hour to hour and a half, just continue to stir every 10 minutes. Eventually, your ube kalamay will start to thicken and come together. The longer you heat it, the deeper the purple color will get. It’ll also get denser, so you’ll have to put a little more muscle into it during the last couple of minutes.

5) After 2 hours of heating your ube kalamay, you’ll want to transfer your ube into a greased pan. You can use the coconut oil that’s extracted when making latik to grease your pan, but you can also just use a stick of butter.

6) Next what you want to do is flatten out your ube kalamay. Our preferred method is to just take a piece of saran wrap, and wrap it around one of your hands. Then grease the surface of your saran wrap with a stick of butter or latik oil if you have it available, and evenly spread your ube kalamay into the pan.

7) Next just take a spatula, and grease the edge of one side with butter or latik oil, and slice your ube kalamay into little squares or diamonds.

8) Finally, just top it off with some latik! And then its good to go!

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to turn your Thanksgiving into a Filipino Thanksgiving with this Purple Sweet Potato Ube Pie! It has the texture of regular sweet potato pie, but hits you with that signature Ube flavor! We went through a bunch of failed pies to get it just right, so hope you guys like it!

Ingredients

• Purple Sweet Potatoes (1 lb)

• Salted Butter (1/2 cup, softened)

• Sugar (1 cup)

• 2 Eggs

• Coconut Milk (1 cup)

• Unbaked Pie Crust (9in.)

Steps

1) First, add about 1lb of purple sweet potatoes into a pot. Add enough water so that there’s about 1-1 1/2 inches of water above your sweet potatoes.

2) Next, boil the sweet potatoes for about 50 minutes or until they are soft.

3) Then, place the sweet potatoes in a separate bowl and rinse them with cold water until they are cool enough to handle with your hands.

4) Afterwards, peel the potatoes and place them into a mixing bowl or kitchen aid bowl.

5) At this point, use a fork or other utensil to break up the sweet potatoes.

6) If you are using a kitchen aid, secure the bowl to its base.

7) Then add 1/2 a cup of softened salted butter and mix on the medium speed setting until everything is fully incorporated. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl once in a while to make sure that all your ingredients are being blended.

8) Next add 1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs (room temperature), and 1 cup of coconut milk (warmed), and mix until your pie filling is smooth.

9) Pour the pie filling into an unbaked pie crust.

10) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake your ube pie for about 1 hour, or until you can poke and pull out a clean toothpick from the center of the pie.

11) Allow the pie to cool to room temperature for about 2-4 hours. And you’re done!

Pro Tips

• Make sure your butter, eggs and coconut milk are at room temperature. This is to make sure that your ube filling/batter doesn't curdle. Also, just to make sure your coconut milk doesn't start to curdle, heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds or so, so that it's slightly steaming, but not boiling.

• Use fully developed/ripe purple sweet potatoes (when peeled, should have a deep purple color, with no light discoloration)

• Top your slice of pie off with whipped cream.

• You can store the pie in the fridge after cooling it to room temperature.

Ukoy or Okoy, is a deep fried Filipino shrimp fritter that can be made with different kinds of vegetables. But in this recipe, we’re making it the Kapampangan way ,with green papaya!

Ingredients

• Unripened Green Papaya (1lb)

• Shrimp (12-15, headless, unshelled & deveined)

• Salt ( 1/4 tsp, 1 tsp)

• Water

• Corn Starch (1 cup)

• All-Purpose Flour (1/4 cup)

• Annatto Powder (1 tsp)

• Black Pepper (1/4 tsp)

• Oil

Steps

1) First, you’ll need to prepare an unripened green papaya. Start off by cutting your papaya in half the long way. Our papaya was about 2lbs total, but we only used half of it, or 1lb worth for this recipe. After you cut it, take a spoon and scoop all the seeds out of your papaya. And then peel off all the skin with a peeler.

2) Once you’re done, it’s time to grate your papaya! You’ll want to use the side of your grater that has the biggest holes. Afterwards just set it aside.

3) Next, you’ll want to prep about 12-15 unshelled and deveined headless shrimp. Start off by cutting off all the legs of your shrimp. We like to cut them off just because they’re a little difficult to eat.

4) When you’re done, place your shrimp into a pan in a single layer. And then season them with about ¼ of a teaspoon of salt. Next pour in enough water to submerge your shrimp about half way. At this point, set your pan over medium heat. Once you start to see little glimpses of orange peeking around the edges, flip your shrimp over to partially cook the other side. The goal here is to cook the shrimp about half way through. That way, when you’re frying the ukoy later, you don’t have to wait for them to fully cook, and potentially burn the ukoy. When they’re done, place them in a bowl lined with a paper towel to help soak up some of the moisture.

5) The last thing we need to prep is the batter that’ll hold your ukoy together. To make it, first throw in 1 cup of corn starch into a mixing bowl. Followed by ¼ cup of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of annatto powder, and ¼ of a teaspoon of black pepper. Using a whisk, thoroughly mix everything together. Next pour in 1 cup of water. And stir everything together. As far as consistency goes, you want your batter to have a slight thickness to it, but still be free flowing.

6) Afterwards, it’s finally time to start frying up your ukoy! To get started, you’ll need a small plate, and a wok with about ½ an inch to an inch worth of oil that’s been heated over medium high heat.

7) With your first batch of ukoy, start off by mixing in only half of the grated papaya into the batter. The reason being is that if you put all the papaya in at once, your ukoy batter will become watery, and will make your ukoy soggy.

8) Next, fill a ¼ measuring cup with the ukoy mixture. And place it onto your plate. Using a spoon, make a small dent in the center. And then place one of your shrimp on top.

9) Now just take your plate, and slide your ukoy into the oil as gently and smoothly as possible with a turner. If it separates a little during this process, just quickly push it back together. As the first side is cooking, take some of the batter and drizzle it over the shrimp to help secure it to the ukoy. If you want, you can splash oil across the top of your ukoy, to help fry up the top side. When the bottom looks fairly crisp, just flip it over. It took us about 3 minutes to fry up each side, but it may take you more or less time. Just use your best judgement!

10) Once your ukoy is fried to perfection, just scoop it out, and place it into a strainer. Then just keep on cookin! When you’re almost out of your ukoy mixture, go ahead and mix in the rest of your papaya into the batter.

Pro Tips

• If you find that your batter is super runny, you can add another 1/8 cup of corn starch to it.

• Ukoy is best served with garlic vinegar sauce!

In this recipe, we're going to show you how we make Vegetable Lumpia, also known as, Lumpiang Gulay!  Vegetable Lumpia is a Filipino spring roll that’s stuffed with a variety of vegetables, and little morsels of ground pork and shrimp!

—

VEGETABLE FILLING RECIPE:

Ingredients

• Green Beans (1 3/4 cups, diagonally cut)

• Carrots (1 cup, julienne cut)

• Cabbage (3 cups, shredded)

• Oil (2 tbsp)

• Onion (1/2 small, cut into thin strips)

• Garlic (2 cloves, minced)

• Ground Pork (1/4 lb)

• Water (4 tbsp)

• Salt (3/4 tsp)

• Shrimp (1/4 lb, chopped)

Steps

1) First, break off the ends of your green beans and chop them into diagonal 1/8 inch thick pieces, until you have 1 3/4 cups. (reference video)

2) Then cut the carrots into 1/8 inch thick circles and then cut each circle into thin strips. Continue cutting the carrots until you have 1 cup of cut carrots. (reference video)

3) Next cut 1/4 of a cabbage by shaving off shreds at an angle until you have about 3 cups.

4) Afterwards, pour 2 tbsp of oil into wok over medium heat and sauté 1/2 a small onion that’s been cut into thin strips. Sauté until the onion is translucent.

5) Then add 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.

6) Add 1/4lb of ground pork and cook until it’s fully cooked.

7) Once the ground pork is browned, add the green beans and mix them in.

8) Then add 1 tbsp water and cover the wok with a lid to steam the vegetables for 2 minutes.

9) Next, add in the shredded cabbage and add 1 tbsp water and 3/4 tsp of salt. Mix everything together.

10) Add an additional 2 tbsp of water if the vegetables are looking a little dry, then place the lid on the wok and steam for about 5 minutes.

11) Then add the carrots and mix them in. Place the lid over the wok and steam for another 1-2 minutes.

12) Afterwards, strain the vegetable filling in a large strainer and collect the broth in a bowl. Set aside the vegetables and the bowl of broth.

13) At this point, pour the left over vegetable broth into a new pot.

14) Add 1/4 lb of chopped shrimp, that has already been peeled and cleaned, into the pot. If there is not enough vegetable broth to cover the shrimp, you can add just enough chicken stock to cover the shrimp.

15) Bring the broth and shrimp to a boil. Once at a boil, immediately turn off the stove. Your shrimp should be fully cooked at this point.

16) Strain the chopped shrimp. Then add them to the vegetable filling and mix them in. And you’re done!

—

GARLIC VINEGAR SAUCE RECIPE:

Ingredients

• Vinegar (3 tbsp)

• Garlic (2 cloves, crushed or minced)

• Fish Sauce (1/2 tsp)

• Black Pepper (1/8 tsp)

Steps

1) First, start out with 3 tablespoons of vinegar.

2) Then just add in 2 crushed or minced garlic cloves, ½ a teaspoon of fish sauce, and 1/8 a teaspoon of black pepper. And stir everything together, and you’re done!

—

HOW TO ASSEMBLE VEGETABLE LUMPIA:

Additional Ingredients

• Lumpia Wrappers

• Scrambled Egg / Egg Wash

Steps

1) First take a lumpia wrapper and place it on your rolling surface so that it looks like a diamond from your point of view.

2) Then take roughly 2-3 spoonfuls of your vegetable filling, and evenly spread it horizontally across the center.

3) Next, tightly fold up the bottom corner. And then firmly grab the portion with the vegetable filling, and fold it over once as well.

4) Now, fold over the right and left corners inwards.

5) Then, roll everything forward about twice over.

6) Afterwards, dab your finger in some egg wash, and spread it across the top corner of your wrapper. Now just roll it forward, and you’re done rolling your first vegetable lumpia!

7) Repeat these steps until you’ve used up all of your vegetable filling!

—

Pro Tips

• Vegetable lumpia is best eaten fresh!

• After assembling your vegetable lumpia, you can immediately freeze them, and fry them for another day!