One of the special delicacies I love to eat when I visit Ilocos is empanada.  It is a popular bread dish in most Latin countries like Spain and Portugal but the Filipino version is something very close to our taste.  You can do it in pork, chicken and even in beef.  It is a good way to make use of your leftover meat.

Ingredients:

for the Empanada dough

3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

half a cup of water

1 egg

1 egg white

1 teaspon of vinegar

3 tablespoons of shortening

Preparation:

Start by preparing your empanada dough.  In a bowl beat water, egg, egg white and vinegar together.  Set this aside.  In another bowl,  mix together the flour and the salt.  Put the shortening into the flour mix using a pastry blender to be sure they are evenly mix. Put a well in the middle and pour the liquid ingredients from the first bowl into the center. Mix them altogether until it becomes stiff and they don’t stick to your fingers anymore. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.  Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but never more than 24 hours.

Empanada Filling

half a medium size onion chopped

1 garlic clove minced

half a teaspoon of cumin powder

half a teaspoon of dried oregano

half a kilo of ground beef (you can also eat cooked chicken meat shredded or cooked pork meat chopped)

one small can of tomato sauce

one tablespoon of dried raisins

1 tablespoon of pimiento chopped

some cooking oil

salt and pepper

Cooking the Empanada filling:

In a casserole warm up your oil.  Sauté the garlic and onion.  Add your meat, put the spices, salt, pepper, cumin and oregano.  Add your tomato sauce , riasins and pimiento.  Let it simmer.

Making the Empanada:

Once the empanada dough is ready, flatten them and make circles using any rounded tool you have at home.  Put your desired filling in the middle.  Close it and crimp the sides using a fork.  Fry them on deep casserole with hot oil for three to four minutes or until they are golden brown.

Related posts:

1. Siopao
2. Adobo Flakes Pandesal
3. Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic pounded

1 thumbsized ginger pounded

1 onion chopped

4 stalks of lemongrass (tanglad) white part only

1 kilo of chicken cut in serving portions

1 cup of scraped coconut meat (buko)

2 cups of water

3 cups of coconut water (the liquid inside the coconut)

some fish sauce to taste (patis)

some cracked pepper corn

1 chicken cube

1 cup of leaves of siling labuyo (chili leaves)

some cooking oil

Procedure:

Start by sautéing the garlic, ginger and onion with some cooking oil. Add the chicken when the onion becomes transparent. Dissolve the chicken cube in the 2 cups of water then let it boil. Add some fish sauce, peppercorn to taste. Pour the 3 cups coconut water and let it simmer for another hour or until the chicken is soft and tender. Add the coconut meat and chili leaves then turn off the fire. You can serve this inside a coconut for a fancier presentation.

Related posts:

1. Chicken Tinola
2. Chicken Curry
3. Chicken Pork Adobo

Claudine’s Adobong Ilonggo

Ingredients:

½ kg chicken
½ kg pork liempo
1 tsp garlic, crushed
2 slices ginger, crushed
1 pc onion, sliced
1 tsp whole peppercorn
1/3 c vinegar
2 tbsp Knorr Liquid Seasoning
½ c water
1 tsp achuete powder
1 sachet Knorr Real Sarap

Procedure:

In a small bowl combine all ingredients except chicken, pork and achuete. Add Knorr Real Sarap to season.

In a wok, place the pork and the chicken, taking care that the pork is closer to the bottom of the pan.

Pour in the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer until tender.

Dissolve achuete powder in 1 tbsp of water and mix into the meat.

Continue cooking until the oil comes out. Mix well. Serve.

Related posts:

1. Beef Salpicao of Claudine Barretto
2. Chicken Pineapple
3. Chicken Pork Adobo

I am one of the few people that doesn’t like pizza. For simple reason that its too good yet lavishly rich in calories. Not that I’m concerned with my weight but I feel guilty everytime I’m indulging this italian pie that has been internationally embraced as their own. Anywhere we go we’ll definitely find pizza with the local flavor of its own. Here’s my own rendition of Filipino Style Pizza

Filipino Style Pizza (Lechon Manok Flakes topped with kesong puti)

Pizza Dough ( check the recipe here)

For Pizza Sauce
8 ripe tomatoes
salt, pepper
thyme and rosemary
2 tbsps of olive oil
1 clove of garlic

In a boiling water drop the tomatoes and take them off after 3 seconds. Wash the tomatoes in running water. This procedure will help you take off the skin. Quarter each tomatoes and take off the seeds. In an electric mixer, start by throwing in the thyme and rosemary, then add the garlic. Put all the tomatoes, the olive oil ,salt and pepper and mix well.

Pizza Toppings
Chicken flakes meat from your Chicken Lechon left-over
1 small shallots
1 tsp of curry powder
salt
2 tbsps of olive oil
1 ripe mango

1 cup of pineapple chunks
1 onion sliced
1 red pepper
1 cup of Kesong puti

Sauté first the chicken flakes in olive oil with shallots for about 3 minutes. Then add the curry powder. Deglace the chicken with 1 tbsp of lemon juice, add a little bit of salt then turn of the fire. Spread over the pizza tomato sauce prepared over the pizza dough. Arrange the chicken flakes alternately with mango slices, onion, red pepper and mozzarella cheese. Drizzle it with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes at 200° Celsius.

Related posts:

1. Home-made Pizza Dough
2. Lechon Manok
3. Lechon with Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

half a kilo of chicken cut in smaller portions

5 pieces of hotdog cut in about 2cm thick

2 cloves of garlic

1 onion sliced

1 carrot cut in julienne strips

1 cup of cabbage

1/4 cup of evaporated milk

half a kilo of macaroni noodles

1 liter of water

1 chicken bouillon cube

salt, pepper

Procedure:

In a casserole put some cookign oil. Sauté your garlic, onion and carrots. Add your chicken and continue mixing. Put the hotdog and cook for about two more minutes. Pour your water with the chicken bouillon cube dissolved in it. Cover and let it boil. After the first boil add your macaroni noodles and continue cooking for another ten minutes. Then add up your cabbage, milk, salt and pepper. Turn of the fire, the warm liquid will continue cooking the rest of the ingredients. You can also add some chicken liver and gizzards in this soup if you want.

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1. Cheese Sticks
2. Simple Chicken Sopas
3. Beef Meatballs Lomi Soup

Ingredients:

3/4 kilo of chicken cut in serving portions

1 can of tomato sauce

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 carrot cut in cubes

4 potatoes peeled and quartered

1 red bell pepper

1 teaspoon of patis (fish sauce)

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

salt and pepper

some cooking oil

half a cup of water

Procedure:

Heat the pan with oil. Put your garlic and onion and start sautéeing them. Once they change color add your cut chicken. Mix well cook for about five minutes or until surface have beautiful coloration. Put your carrots, potatoes and bell pepper. Continue mixing. Pour the soy sauce, fish sauce and tomato sauce. Pour your water. Cover and let it simmer for thirty minutes over medium fire. Salt and pepper to taste.

Related posts:

1. Pork Afritada
2. Chicken Menudo
3. Chicken Pineapple

I know that we are all die hard fans of Pork Menudo. No parties will ever be complete without menudo but have you ever tried Chicken Menudo. Try this special recipe of mine and you’ll forget about pork menudo.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast cut in bite size cubes

250 g of chicken liver

2 tablespoons of kalamansi juice

1 onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

salt and pepper

3 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 teasepoon of tomato paste

half a cup of tomato sauce

3 cloves of garlic

1 onion sliced

some cooking oil

3 carrots cut in cubes

1 big bell pepper cut in cubes

3 potatoes peeled and cut in cubes

2 tablespoons of raisins

2 to three bay leaves

Procedure:

Start by mixing in a small bowl the kalamansi juice, soy sauce, tomato paste, garlic and onion chopped. Mix well. Use this a marinade for your chicken and liver let them marinade for about an hour in your fridge. After about an hour of marination, put all the meat in a casserole with the marinating sauce and let it boil covered over low fire. As soon as the liquid reduced, turn off the fire. Heat a pan and pour the cooking oil. Start sauteéeing your garlic, onions and bell peppers. Next add the carrots, and potatoes, continue stirring. Add the boiled chicken and liver in the sautéeing pan. Put the pepper, the bay leaves and the tomatoe sauce. Cover it and let it simmer for about ten minutes. Add the raisin and continue simmering covered. Wait until the sauce thickens and turn off the fire.

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1. Chicken Afritada
2. Chicken Curry
3. Beef Morcon

Lechon Manok was one the big hits of the 80′s that stayed longer than his street counterparts , Shawarma. a Lechon Manok popped out like mushrooms in the streets of Manila. Certainly this is one of the best and healthy way of cooking a chicken.

This recipe is something you can do for special occassions. You can cook it outside in a pitsburn or in your oven.

Ingredients:

1 whole dressed chicken

1 teasepoon of iodized salt

1 tablespoon of butter (about 10 to 15 g)

2 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 whole garlic

one bunch of lemon grass (tanglad)

3 bay leaves (laurel leaves)

some pepper

Procedure:

Start by cleaning the chicken. Wash and pat it dry with paper towel. Rub some salt on the surface and on inside cavity of the chicken. Rub the skin with butter, garlic and pepper. Inside the chicken cavity put the bay leaves, lemon grass, half of the garlic and some pepper. Roast for about an hour (depending on the size) at 210° celsius. Serve with spicy vinegar and chopped onions or Sarsa ng lechon.

Related posts:

1. Filipino Style Pizza (Lechon Manok with Kesong puti)
2. Lechon with Apple Sauce
3. Chicken Binakol

No birthdays or filipino family gathering is complete without a pancit on the table. A sign of longevity and strong family ties. Definitely we owe this to strong chinese influence but our version is truly filipino in its sense. Pancit could be long or short, with sauce or not but always a sure hit among the guests. I love it in between my pandesal in the morning or eaten with rice during lunchtime.

Ingredients:

1 kilo of pancit canton

*1 kilo could serve about ten to twelve guests. But it depends on their capacity to eat and if there are other dishes on the table.

half a kilo of pork belly (slice thinly)

2 cooked chicken breasts (meat shreaded)

1/4 kilo of shrimps (shells removed )

1/4 kilo of squid balls (cut into two)

2 onions sliced

3 cloves of garlic

one cup of sliced cabbage

2 carrots (cut in julienne strips)

half a cup of caulliflower (cut in small pieces) you can also use some broccolli

half a cup of celery stalks sliced

one bunch of fresh kintsay (chinese parley)

1/4 cup of soy sauce

pepper

1 pork cube (dissolve in half a liter of water)

half a cup of water

Procedure:

There are many versions of cooking canton. This one is the version of my friend’s mom she taught us, and I swear its really good. In a big wok or sautéing pan, put the pork and half a cup of water. Cover it and let it boil. After few minutes of simmering you can take now the liquid from the wok. You will save it for future use later. Add oil on the wok and start frying the pork, once they change color, take them off and put the shrimps. Cook them lightly until they change color. Next put the squid balls and do the same. After all these fry all the vegetables lighlty. You can add more oil if necessary. The vegetables need to rest crunchy and sweet. Reserve in one big plate all the fried vegetables, pork, shrimp, squid balls and cooked chicken breast. On the same wok, sauté the garlic and onion and pour the pork broth cube dissolved in water. Let it boil. Add the pancit canton. Pour the soy sauce. Do not put everything immediately, try to taste it, to determine whether you will need to put more or less. Let the canton noodles soften and absorbed the juice. If you like your pancit canton with a little bit of liquid you can already turn off the fire as soon as the noodles tenderized. But if you prefer a pancit canton drier you need to wait that the juice have already evaporated. But do not overcook because noodles have tendency to become soggy. At this point mix half of all the fried ingredients you have on the pancit. Mix them well to be sure they are proportionally distributed everywhere. The other remaining half of your fried veggies and meat goes on top of the noodles so that it will look more appetizing. Serve with kalamansi (lemon or lime) mixed with soy sauce and siling labuyo (chili hot pepper).

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1. Pancit Palabok (Pancit ng Malabon)
2. Beef Meatballs Lomi Soup
3. Pinoy Spaghetti Meatballs

Curry is a delicious dish that’s very international. Although India has popularized it, almost each nation have their own version of this dish. Japanese curry is dark and sweet, Thai’s could be green, yellow or red that’s characterized by its spicyness. Pinoy curry is less aggressive compared to other curries but I just love it the way it is.

Ingredients:

1 kilo of chicken cut in serving portion

1 tablespoon of curry powder

3 cloves of garlic

1 onion sliced

1 small ginger sliced

1 red bell pepper cut in cubes

1 carrot peeled and cut in cubes

half a cup of potato peeled and cut in cubes

2 eggplants sliced (you can soak them in water to avoid discoloration)

2 bay leaves (laurel leaves)

half a cup of kakang gata (coconut cream)

half a cup of coconut milk

Procedure:

Always start by heating the saucepan. Pour the cooking oil, fry the chicken. You dont need to cook them we are just sealing the juice and we want some discoloration. As soon as the color turn light brown you can already take them out from the pan. You can add more oil if necessary, then fry the eggplants. Be sure to squeeze the water and juice of the eggplant before putting it in the pan. Cook them well on all sides, then take them off from the pan. Add the ginger and garlic. As soon as the beautiful odor comes out put the onion, bell pepper, potato and carrots. Put back the chicken and stir. Sprinkle the curry powder and add the bay leaves. Sautéing the ingredients dry with the curry increases the flavor. Always add your herbes before adding your water or any liquid for that matter. Pour your coconut milk. Let it simmer covered over medium fire, about fifteen to twenty minutes. As soon as the chicken and the vegetables have become soft and tender you can pour now the coconut cream. Put salt to taste. Cover and simmer for a couple of minutes. Before finally finishing off the cooking, add the fried eggplant and put back the cover. Turn off the heat. You can add siling labuyo (hot chili pepper) to you curry if you want it spicy. You can also put some pineapple chunks on your chicken curry to add a little bit of sweetness.

You can also try Shrimp Curry in pineapple

Related posts:

1. Chicken Pineapple
2. Prawn Pineapple Curry
3. Chicken Afritada

Jose Rizal wrote on his famous novel Noli me Tangere, that chicken tinola is Padre Damaso’s favorite dish. I wouldn’t disagree with him for this chicken soup is truly one of the best comfort food that highlights filipino’s abundant local ingredients. When my grandad loses in a cockfighting we knew we will feast on a delicious tinola soup after!! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

one whole chicken cut in serving portion

* for this dish it is advisable to use native chicken. The taste is uncomparable. But you need more patience and more water to cook this.

2 cloves of garlic

1 onion sliced

1 small ginger sliced

one cup of green papaya cut in cubes

* my father loves to use semi-ripe papaya for his tinola. The taste of the soup is marvelous, really worth trying!

*you can replace this with Sayote (Christophine), Carrots or Zucchini

Sili leaves about one bunch

*I think this is irreplacable in a Tinola soup. So if finding this ingredient is hard in your area, I suggest you plant your own chili at home. Chilis and peppers can be cultivated in pots and indoors!

one liter of water

1 cube of chickenbroth

Procedure:

Start by heating a saucepan, pour the cooking oil (about two to three spoons). As it heats up put the ginger and garlic. As soon as it changes color add the onion. Wait that it becomes translucent to add your chicken. Stir them well to be sure they are being cooked at all sides. Add your green papaya (sayote, carrots or zucchine) at this stage. Dissolve your chickenbroth cube on your one liter of water. Pour this water eventually to your tinola. The chicken should be all submerged by the water. If you need more you can add at this point or if you need to put less do not pour everything. The most important thing when cooking soupy dishes like sinigang, tinola or nilaga is to put all the water necessary right from the start. In this way the soup taste uniformly meaty. Let it simmer for about twenty minutes at a medium fire. After the first boiling, verify the tenderness of the chicken. Put the cover back and let it simmer again for few minutes over low fire. Once the chicken are tender, add the sili leaves put the cover and turn off the heat. This dish is best eaten with patis and chopped siling labuyo (hot chili pepper).

Related posts:

1. Chicken Curry
2. Chicken Sopas
3. Chicken Binakol

That delicious blend of pineapple sweetness and sourness in a creamy chicken dish, a taste you will surely love!

Ingredients:

1 kilo of chicken (you can use whole chicken cut into pieces or choice of our favorite parts)

1 tsp of grated ginger

3 cloves of crushed garlic

one onion sliced

half a cup of pineapple chunks

one red bell pepper cut in cubes

2 laurel leaves (bay leaf)

1 tsp of patis (or 1 tsp of salt)

pepper

one carrot peeled and cut into cubes

1 tsp of curry powder

1/4 cup of evaporated milk

2 to 3 tbsps of cooking oil

half a glass of water

Procedure:

In a casserole put the cooking oil then sauté the ingredients starting with the garlic, add up the onion as soon as the flavor of garlic comes out. Put the garlic right after the onion, continue sauteeing. Then add the chicken and red bell peppers sauté for about three minutes or until the chicken has changed color on all sides. Add the carrots and the pineapple. Mix well. Put all the spices; pepper, patis, bay leaves, curry and the salt. Put the water and let it simmer for about ten to fifteen minutes. When the juice has reduced add the evaporated milk and lower the fire and continue simmering for five more minutes. Then this dish is ready.

Related posts:

1. Chicken Curry
2. Chicken Afritada
3. Chicken Menudo

For Pinoy foodies die-hard fans, nothing beats a good chicken adobo!

Ingredients:

one whole chicken cut into serving pieces

one clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp of grated ginger

1 tsp of peppercorn (pamintang buo)

1 tsp of sugar

1/4 soy sauce

1/4 cup of vinegar

2 tbsp of cooking oil

Procedure:

The secret to any adobo is the marinating sauce. And the key to its success is slow cooking. In a salad bowl mix half of the pounded garlic, with sugar, peppercorn, vinegar and soysauce; mix well. Put the cut chicken into this mixture and cover it. Let it marinate for about 24 hours. The next day put the marinated chicken along with the sauce plus half a glass of water in a casserole and cover it. Let it simmer slowly over medium fire until the juice of the chicken has come out and sauce has reduced. Remove the cover of the casserole then put the cooking oil and the remaining garlic freshly pounded. Fry them altogether. Best served with pandan rice and eaten with your hands!

Related posts:

1. Chicken Pork Adobo
2. Pork Adobo
3. Chicken Binakol