Sinigang na Baboy sa Sampalok

Sinigang na Baboy sa Sampalok

(Pork in Tamarind Soup Base)

Ingredients:

6 to 8 medium red tomatoes, sliced

½ kilo pork, cut to size

1 to 2 medium taro, peeled and chopped

1 medium radish, peeled and chopped

2 bundles pechay leaves

8 to 12 pieces unripe tamarind

2 to 4 cups water

2 to 4 tablespoons fish sauce

4 to 6 long chili (siling haba)

Cooking Instructions:

Stir in red tomatoes in a heated pot.  Once the tomatoes are tender, add pork.  Cover and allow the mixture to simmer.  Stir the mixture occasionally.  Once the liquid is reduced and starts to thicken, stir for a few more minutes then add water.  Toss in the taro.  Allow the mixture to boil.  Layer the tamarind on top.  Do not stir.  Cover the pot and boil the tamarind for approximately three minutes. 

Remove the tamarind from the pot and place in a small bowl.  Add a few scoops of the soup and mash the tamarind.  Drain the extract into the pot.  Be careful not to include the peel and seeds.  Extract two more times. 

Add the radish and long chili into the pot.  Continue to simmer until the radish is tender.  You may add fish sauce if the soup is too sour.  Layer the pechay leaves on top.  Cover and continue to simmer for five more minutes.

This recipe will serve up to three people.

Sinaing na Tulingan

Sinaing na Tulingan

(Steamed Tulingan)

Ingredients:

3 medium-sized tulingan, entrails removed

¼ kilo pork fat

½ cup white vinegar

2 to 3 cups water

2 to 3 tablespoons common table salt

5 to 10 cloves garlic, crushed and unpeeled

1 to 2 tablespoons black pepper, freshly ground

4 to 5 tablespoons fish sauce

Cooking Instructions:

Prepare the tulingan by making one long lateral incision on both sides of the fish.  Using the flat side of a knife, lightly press on the body of the fish.  Make sure not to press too hard as this could deform the fish entirely. 

Line the bottom of the pan with pork fat.  Layer the fish on top of the fat and pour in the white vinegar.  Add water until the layer of fat is completely submerged or the fish is submerged half way through.  Sprinkle some salt.  Cover the pan and allow the mixture to simmer in low to medium flame.  Remove any foam that will form.  Once the broth is cleared from foam, add fish sauce.  Continue to simmer until the water is reduced.  Add garlic and black pepper.  If the broth is too salty, balance it with vinegar.  If it is too sour, balance with fish sauce.

This recipe will serve up to three people.

Kilawing Baboy

Kilawing Baboy

(Pork Kilawin)

Ingredients:

1 kilo pork, sliced and cut diagonally

½ kilo pork liver, sliced and cut diagonally

15 to 20 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 tablespoons black pepper, freshly ground

4 blades dried bay laurel leaves

3 cups white vinegar

3 teaspoons common table salt

4 medium bulb onion, chopped

3 tablespoons fish sauce

Cooking Instructions:

In a bowl, mix the vinegar, salt, garlic, black pepper and bay leaves.  Be careful when adding salt.  You need not put all the salt at once.  There should be a balance of sourness and saltiness in the mixture.  Add the pork and liver.  Mix and marinate for at least one hour. 

Heat the cooking oil in the pan.  Toss in some garlic and sauté until medium brown.  Add the onion and stir until slightly tender.  Put fish sauce.  Mix until the fish sauce is reduced.  Add the marinated pork mixture.  Cover the pan and allow the pork to be boiled in its own juice.  Stir occasionally until the water is reduced.  If the pork is still not tender at this point, you may add water.  Once the water is reduced, you may opt to add more salt to attain the right balance between sourness and saltiness.

This recipe will serve up to eight people.

Adobong Manok sa Mangga

Adobong Manok sa Mangga

(Chicken Adobo in Green Mango)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons cooking oil

1 thumb-size ginger, cut to strips

5 to 10 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium bulb onion, chopped

2 to 4 tablespoons fish sauce

1 whole spring chicken, cut to pieces

1 large green mango (manggang kalabaw or any sour variety), peeled and diced

2 tablespoons black pepper, freshly ground

2 to 4 tablespoons water

Cooking Instructions:

Heat the cooking oil in the pan.  Toss in the ginger.  When the ginger turns light brown, add garlic and sauté until medium brown.  Add the onion and stir until slightly tender.  Put fish sauce.  Mix until the fish sauce is reduced.  Stir in the chicken.  Cover the pan and allow the chicken to be boiled in its own juice.  Stir occasionally until the water is reduced.  Allow the chicken to be fried in its own fat.  Add cooking oil if necessary.  When the chicken turns to medium brown, put the mango to one side of the pan.  Cover the pan.  Put in low flame.  When the mango softens, remove it from the mixture and mash in a small bowl.  Put back the mashed mango in the mixture.  You may add two to four tablespoons of water at this point if the pan is too dry.  Add ground black pepper.  Use fish sauce to balance the sourness with saltiness.

This recipe will serve up to five people.

Ginisang Upo with Miswa

Ginisang Upo with Miswa

(Sautéed Bottle Gourd with Misua)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons cooking oil

5 to 10 cloves of garlic, minced

2 medium bulbs onion, chopped

2 to 4 tablespoons fish sauce

¼ kilo pork, ground

1 medium upo, peeled and sliced to size

2 bundles miswa

2 to 4 cups water

Cooking Instructions:

Heat the cooking oil in the pan.  Add garlic and sauté until medium brown.  Add the onion and stir until slightly tender.  Put fish sauce.  Mix until the fish sauce is reduced.  Stir in the ground pork.  Cover the pan and allow the pork to be boiled in its own juice.  Stir occasionally until the water is reduced.  Allow the pork to be fried in its own fat.  Add cooking oil if necessary.  When the pork turns to medium brown, stir in the upo.  Cover the pan and allow the upo to be boiled in its own juice.  Stir occasionally until the water is reduced or until the upo is half-cooked.  Add water and miswa.  Stir to prevent the miswa from clumping together.  Allow the mixture to boil and turn off the heat.

This recipe will serve up to four people.