My Favorite Filipino Recipes

When I still lived at home, I never bothered to learn any Filipino dishes. And when I moved out almost 8 years ago, I made a point to learn a couple basic recipes but otherwise, I found myself mostly cooking other cuisines. I had wanted a change since all my family ever cooked was Filipino food (although my dad would occasionally make spaghetti). But as time went on, especially in the last couple of years, I've really made a point to learn more – whether it's asking relatives for recipes or turning to my favorite resource, Panlasang Pinoy. It's become important to me to honor my culture in that way. Plus lately I've been randomly remembering foods my mom used to make and that's been another reason why I've made the effort. 

Here are my 8 favorite recipes: 

1. Giniling

This is my go-to recipe whenever I'm feeling lazy. It's so easy to make and I pair it with either white or cauliflower rice. The ingredients I follow are based on what my older cousin told me to do but the recipe I've linked is pretty close. I use turkey instead of pork (because it's healthier) and I've never added quail eggs but I may have to try that next time! 

2. Chicken adobo
Adobo is a classic Filipino dish so if there's one recipe you need to learn, it's this one. There are two styles, adobong puti (this is the one I've linked and my personal preference) which is a white sauce or the more standard version with soy sauce and apple cider vinegar. 

3. Sinigang na salmon
This is one of my mom's go-to meals that I found myself randomly craving and now it's become one of my staples too. It's made with salmon head but I'll add salmon steak to it as well to make it more filling and I prefer my sauce to be on the sour side so this recipe is perfect. Salmon head can be hard to find though so check out your local Asian supermarket. But honestly you can can use fillets of any kind of fish you want. 

4.  Ginataang monggo with shrimp
Truth time: I hated my mom's version of monggo. It tasted like sand (not that I know what sand tastes like) and the texture of the mung beans just put me off. When my older cousin arrived from the Philippines, she made it for us and I politely declined but she insisted I try it. Wow, what a difference! I loved her version and when I moved out, I immediately asked her to teach me. The recipe I linked is very close to my cousin's but here are the differences: you don't need to soak the mung beans overnight, instead of ampalaya (which is hard to find) just substitute with more spinach, use shrimp or pork depending on your preference, and the chili peppers are also your preference (I hate spicy food). 

5. Taho

We used to buy taho, which is a breakfast dessert type dish, all the time from the Filipino store while I was growing up. I don't know what made me think of it last year but it was another one of those random cravings. But instead of buying it, I wanted to make it myself and it's surprisingly easy! If you love tapioca pearls, silken tofu, and sweets – give this a try! 

6. Fried pompano

One of my favorite things about the Asian supermarket is their seafood section. They have such a wide variety and most of what they have, I can never find in Stop & Shop or Trader Joe's. The last time I was there, I wanted to try a different kind of fish when I saw the pompano/butterfish. It looked familiar so I went on Panlasang Pinoy and sure enough, they had a recipe that looked like something I'd had before. It was so easy and delicious! I think it's best with rice and veggies on the side. 

7. Adobong pusit (squid)

I loved this dish while growing up but I think the last time I had it was in high school. This ended up being yet another (and my final) random craving from last year. My aunt said it was easy to make so when I found the recipe, I gave it a try. It actually is easy and just as good as I remembered! In fact, I've made it three times already. My sauce isn't always as dark as the one pictured in the recipe because it depends on how much ink is in the squid you buy. So don't worry about that if you try to make this dish. 

8. Buko salad

I've mentioned this dessert dish before but this was one of my mom's classics and I made sure to get her recipe a couple years ago. My aunts have their own versions but if you ask me, my mom's is the best. The recipe I linked is extremely close, the only difference is that I don't use pineapple chunks. And my advice is to use your own judgement when it comes to how much heavy cream and especially condensed milk to add. You want the dish to be sweet but not overly so!

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So those are my favorites!
Is there anything here you'd want to try?
And for my fellow Filipinos, do you have any recipes you'd like to recommend?