A Pictorial Collection of the Most Popular Filipino Dishes

While reading My E-mail last month, I found this article on Quora.com describing Filipino Dishes versus Thai and other Asian dishes. I am posting the answer below and photos of some mouth-watering Pinoy Dishes. I hope looking at the pictures will me you hungry and order a Filipino Dish today from your local favorite Pinoy restaurant or on line through Shef.com (Referral code Davidk35). Bon Apetit!     

Traditional Filipino desserts

• Rice Cakes

• ‘Ginataang Bilo-Bilo’, this actually looks similar to the Thai dessert ‘Bua Loi’.

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Examples of Thai food for visual comparison.

Source: Quora.com (Digest)

Why is Filipino food not popular overseas apart from in places where there are workers from the Philippines?

Personally I think that Filipino cuisine lacks promotion… but I also know that some people have professed their hatred of Filipino cuisine. As a Filipino I love Filipino cuisine, but if other people don’t like it, then who cares?… let them be, as long as they’re not spreading misinformation.

Dayang Marikit

Philippine History Professor

Is Filipino cuisine similar to Thai cuisine?

As a Filipino who had been to Thailand, I’d say that visually speaking they could generally look “quite similar” to each other because both cultures love stews, broth soups, noodles, rice, rice cakes, spring rolls, etc… however I’d say that the main difference is in the flavor, Filipino cuisine has a lot of "umami flavor" but it's generally “milder” and less spicy and less herby than Thai cuisine, they use a lot of aromatics like cilantro, which Filipino don’t typically use. Though I must say that some of the flavors are quite familiar to me.

My Korean and Japanese friends tend to say that Filipino food is very flavorful to their palates but still “tolerable” unlike Thai cuisine. Many Koreans could tolerate the spiciness of Thai cuisine, but not its strong herbal flavor… I think that makes sense because comparatively speaking, Korean and Japanese cuisine generally tends to be “blander” than Southeast Asian cuisine, in my opinion.

Do you have a favorite in this pictorial? Let me Know!

 

The Ten Types of Most Popular Sauces in the World

Tzatziki Sauce- Photo Credit- menuprice.com

Last week, I posted the three sauces that I recently used for my empanadas and dumplings. This article is on the 10-types of the most popular sauces. If you are a Food enthusiast you are probably familiar with all of them. 

The list below are the 10 most popular sauces according to the menuprice.com

How many of these sauces are you using? I have used all nine of them. The only sauce I have not tried is #4-Tzatziki*. This is the first time I heard of the sauce. The following article from the blog of menuprice.com is very informative.

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Sauces are liquid or semi-liquid forms of food served with various food dishes in different cuisines. It's also used while making food recipes that give taste, flavor and textures to the final food products. Some of the sauces are an essential ingredient in some food recipes to bring the specific taste and flavor. Soy sauce is predominantly used in Japanese cuisines. In addition, they’re also used in salad dressing as well as side dishes. Commonly used sauces include hot sauce, sriracha sauce, tomato sauce and ketchup.

1. Hot Sauce
2. Sriracha Sauce
3. BBQ Sauce
4. Tzatziki Sauce
5. Buffalo Sauce
6. Tomato Sauce
7. Bolognese Sauce
8. Hoisin Sauce
9. Worcestershire Sauce
10. Garlic Sauce
11.  *Tzatziki Sauce is an Ottoman origin sauce made from salted strained yogurt mixed with olive oil, salt, garlic, cucumbers and herbs. It is also served as a cold appetizer and side dish. With its long history of evolution, different varieties of Tzatziki Sauce are seen from Turkish cacik to Balkan Tartar and jajeez in Middle East countries.
12. Not included in the List are my favorites,- Picante ( Medium), A-1 for Steaks and Hollandaise Sauce. 
    

For complete details read:  

 https://menuprice.co/blog/top-10-types-of-popular-sauces

For a List of Common Seasonings and Flavoring Ingredients read:

https://www.johnnyskitchen.us/professional-cooking/common-seasoning-and-flavoring-ingredients.html 

Meanwhile enjoy this photo of my Pompano Fish

 

 

Use of Sauces and Seasonings for Your Pasta, Dumplings, Empanadas and Other Dishes

This week, I am learning how to use sauces and seasonings to enhance the taste and flavor of Dumplings, Pasta, Empanada and Other Dishes.  

The three sauces that accompanied with my Order of Dumplings on Line ( Chili Crisp, Umami and Classic Vinegar)

 

The other day, I ordered Argentinian Chicken and Steak Empanadas from Shef.com.  For some reason or another, my order did not include the chimichurri sauce as advertised. I was a bit disappointed, but I remembered I had an Umami Seasoning I ordered several weeks ago that accompanied with my order of Shrimp and Pork Dumplings. I tried it with the empanadas and it was delicious. For those of you who are not familiar with Umami seasoning ( see photo above).

 

Umami Seasoning is made of Salt, dried mushrooms (including shiitake, porcini, champignon), garlic, tomato powder, dried chiles, onion, miso powder (soybeans, rice, salt, aspergillus orzae), balsamic vinegar powder (maltodextrin, balsamic vinegar), spices, lemon powder (IP corn syrup solids, lemon juice concentrate, lemon oil),and silicon dioxide. What does umami seasoning taste like?

 

Umami, which is also known as monosodium glutamate is one of the core fifth tastes including sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Umami means “essence of deliciousness” in Japanese, and its taste is often described as the meaty, savory deliciousness that deepens flavor.

I also used Peppercorn Chile oil and Hot and Regular Sesame Oils, If I need a little spicy taste in my fried Fish, Dumplings or Pasta. 
 

Red Chimichurri and the Regular Green Chimichurri

The above are the red and green chimichurri Sauces.  Chimichurri sauce is made with fresh herbs, garlic, vinegar, chili pepper and olive oil.

My next order of Fried Pompano from Shef.com will have on the side-a red Chimichurri sauce.

Meanwhile here's a photo of the UBE Spread that Ditas Gave me Last Week

 

Three Dishes I Ordered Yesterday from Shef Delivery Food Service

 

Three new dishes that I have not tasted I ordered today from Shef.com -a food delivery service that I recently discovered. The first dish is filipino, the second is Argentinian and the 3rd is Southern Indian.  Here are a brief description of the dishes. If you decide to order from Shef.com please refer to my code DavidK35. Thank you.

1.Bone-in Pork Estofado-Philippines (photo above)

Estofado is from the Spanish word estofar which means to braise in a covered pan. Yes, there is an array of Spanish estofado dishes but the Filipino adaptation is a fusion of the traditional Spanish cooking method, Chinese seasoning (soy sauce), and Filipino ingredients (saba bananas). My father used to make this during fiestas.

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Main ingredients

Pork Leg Meat, Chinese Sausage, organic potato, organic carrots, plantain, Vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, bay leaves, black pepper corn, organic garlic, salt to taste, turmeric.

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 2. Chicken Empanada Saltena - Argentina

I am familiar with Filipino empanadas but not the baked chicken empanada from Salta, Argentina. This is filled with cage-free chicken thighs, potatoes, caramelized onions, green onions, and bell pepper. It is served with the traditional Argentinian chimichurri sauce on the side.

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Main ingredients

Cage-free chicken thighs, potatoes, caramelized onions, green onions, garlic, parsley, flour, oregano, butter, and bell pepper. Vegan empanadas ( spinach, mushrooms or roasted eggplant are also available besides the standard beef, steak or chicken empanadas).

 

3. Bone-IN Fried Pompano- South India

This is the 3rd dish I am trying this week. The Pompano fish fry makes for a staple side dish in Indian meals. It goes great with a rice dish, adding a crispy and moderately spicy bite to your meal. Cooked with authentic masalas and shallow fried at the perfect temperature. Mouthwatering recipe.

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Main ingredients

Green chili paste, coriander leaves, lemon juice, pompano fish, ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, black pepper, turmeric powder, salt, corn flour, olive oil, chili powder.

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For the last 2 weeks, I have ordered several Filipino dishes from Shef.com The dishes were mongo with dried shrimp, chicken afritada, pork menudo, chicken tinola and pork dinuguan.  The dishes were all good and tasty. The dishes were delivered in red insulated bags and were easy to heat.

Food from all over the world are available to order and prepared at home and delivered in your front door within 4 to 5 days. I recommend you try it. Some of the dishes are pricey, but a few are reasonable. The expense is the price you pay for not cooking and messing up your kitchen.

Meanwhile, here are 2 photos of my okra seedlings:

Trying to protect them from the jay birds and 3-Digit temperatures

 

A New Discovery on Food Delivery Service- Shef.com

 

Photo Credit: Speedyrecipe.com- Guinisa  Na Mungo ( Sauteed Mung Beans) with dried shrimps and spinach
 

Ditas send me the link on this food delivery service today. This service has a  Filipino cook ( Albert), but you can order any kind of dishes from cooks all over the world. 

For my first order, I ordered a monggo dish ( I have not tasted this dish for quite a while) with dried shrimps, a filipino fruit salad and a cassava cake at a total cost of $35 plus 10% tip. I got a $10 discount being my first order and free shipping because it was more than $25. Expected delivery one week from today.  I am looking forward for the delivery. For other dishes read the site below:

https://blog.shef.com/our-story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h7tdDIdk0o&t=54s 

Other Pinoy dishes available to order are: adobo, menudo, paksiw, pancit and a dozen more common Pinoy Dishes.(https://shef.com/order/shef/albert-f-1)

This is my first time to order. My favorite Food Delivery Services are DoorDash and Caviar. 

Meanwhile, enjoy this photo of my mini cacti garden in my back patio.

Just turned your head counter clockwise. I am doing this on purpose so you can exercise your neck muscles!! Ha! Ha!!

 

 

Dungeness Crab Omelet ( Torta de Cangrejo)

Two days ago, I prepared my favorite dish, normally served only on special occasion. It is the Dungeness Crab Omelet ( torta de Cangrejo) with shredded cabbage and sweet Vidalia Onions from Hawaii. Today is not my birthday or some other special occasion, but I have two whole crabs left-over from our New Year Lunch. The Dungeness crabs were on sale( for only $7.99/lb) at Safeway for the last couple of days.

The last time I tasted this dish was a couple of years ago, but the crab was from the Maryland crabs known also as the blue crabs. Preparing the dish is simple. The hardest part is to remove the crab meat from body, the claws and legs. 

 

The cabbage is shredded (1 bowl) and sauteed with the onions in olive oil until partially cooked. An equivalent amount of crab meat is added to the shredded cabbage and onions and cooked in olive oil until the cabbage is fully cooked . The crab and cabbage patty mix is added to beaten eggs with a small amount of corn starch. The patty is then fried in olive oil until the egg is cooked. The omelet is served with Picante Sauce (Hot or Mild) with steam rice. If you do not a cabbage, just the onions will suffice. The cabbage also give bulk to the dish.

My other recipe is the use of cube potatoes, bean sprouts or green beans( julienne) instead of the shredded cabbage. Try it and let me know if it is good.

Do you know the difference between the Dungeness and Maryland Crabs. The Maryland crabs, also known as blue crabs are much smaller in size and very similar to the Philippine crabs in appearance and taste. The Dungeness crabs are big and are caught here in the San Francisco Bay area and northward up to Alaska. The Maryland crabs are from the Chesapeake Bay of Northern Maryland and Virginia.

The Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister (formerly Cancer magister), is a species of crab that inhabits eelgrass beds and water bottoms on the west coast of North America. It typically grows to 20 cm (7.9 in) across the carapace and is a popular seafood. Its common name comes from the port of Dungeness, Washington. The crabs is a special attraction to tourists in the San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf during the Crab Season. The season for the San Francisco Bay starts in the second Tuesday of November. I have posted several videos on Crabbing in my recent article in case you have not read it.

 

 This dish is also the favorite of my mother- Paz Balleza Katague(RIP)

 

Side Dishes to Complement Whole Dungeness Crabs

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  Three of the Six Dungeness Crabs We Had for Lunch on New Years' Day. We also had garlic noodles prepared by Ditas.

  
  The other day I posted responses to my query in the Filipino Cooking FB page regarding side dishes and what to do with Dungeness Crabs that I recently purchased. Some of the responses were recipes for Crabs ( not side dishes) so today

   

  I am posting some of the side dishes that I found in the Internet. The side dishes are as follows:
  

  • Double Garlic Herb Garlic Bread
  • Hush Puppies
    
  • Tri-Color Slaw with Lime Dressing
  • Teeny Tiny Roasted New Potatoes
  • Chewy Molasses Cookies with Crunchy Lemon Icing
  • Plenty of cold beer (PBR, pale ales, and IPAs are encouraged), white wine, or if you’re feeling extra fancy, champagne
• https://www.thekitchn.com/dungeness-crab-garlic-bread-crab-fest-menu-to-feed-a-crowd-party-menus-from-the-kitchn-184181 
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  Our New Year Lunch, Jan 1, 2022
   
•  From another web site:
  
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• https://www.mainelobsternow.com/blog/crab-dinner-sides
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• Steamed Artichokes with Garlic and Butter
• Cottage-Cut French Fries
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Lemon and Garlic Butter Dipping Sauce
• Brandy-Infused Mayonnaise Dip
• Twice-Baked Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Zucchini, Onion and Corn Hash
• Almond Caesar Salad
• Cold Sesame and Ginger Noodles with a Peanut Sauce
• Avocado Deviled Eggs

Finally, here's the article on Roasted Garlic Crab and Noodle( see link below*) that I heard from Ditas.

 

Enjoying Crabs with Your Hands

Roasted Garlic Crab and Garlic Noodle

Roasted garlic crab and garlic noodle is a scrumptious seafood dish that will make you drool. The garlic noodle complement the roasted garlic crab so well. I use linguine and it is delicious.

This roasted garlic crab copycat recipe was inspired by Thanh Long in San Francisco and Crustacean in Beverly Hills, California.

If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. They are well known for their roasted garlic crab and garlic noodle which is a family secret recipe.

Blue crabs is a great substitute for Dungeness crabs. It is sweet and tasty compared to any other type of crab. Thank God for this copycat recipe, we can now have roasted garlic crab and garlic noodle at the comfort of our home for a lot less money.

*https://www.todaysdelight.com/roasted-garlic-crab-and-garlic-noodle/ 

 

Feasting with Dungeness Crabs- Jan 1, 2022