Filipino Food: The Rising Star In Of Asian Cuisine

Filipino food has come a long way since coming to America, and whether you are an online culinary school student or a self-proclaimed foodie, this is one genre of Asian food you cannot miss. When hundreds and thousands of Filipinos decided to immigrate to the United States after World War II, their food was served primarily at home kitchen tables and reserved banquet halls for private parties. These days, the number of restaurants serving Filipino food is growing every year, with menus ranging from traditional recipes to never-before-seen fusion masterpieces. If you are looking for something new, try some of these favorite Filipino dishes.

Soups
One staple in the Filipino culinary world is soup. Traditional Filipino soups are usually made with homemade chicken or beef broth, loaded with green vegetables and potatoes and a variety of tender meats.

Bulalo – Bulalo is a beef shank soup that incorporates corn, potatoes, a bit of fish sauce, bok choy, peppercorn and of course, beef shank. What is special about this soup is that the shank usually comes bone-in and the marrow inside is boiled along with everything else. The marrow soaks up all the different flavors in the soup and makes for a delicious meal within a meal.

Arroz Caldo – This soup is the Filipino version of Chinese congee. It is a thick chicken rice porridge that is often prepared with scallions, fresh ginger and fish sauce. You can also add bits of tofu and pork after you drizzle some lemon on it for added flavor and texture.

Stews
Stews make up the bulk of Filipino cuisine. They range from sweet and sour to hot and spicy.

Adobo – Adobo is a style of flavoring adopted from Spanish colonists back in the 1500s. Although sharing the same name as its Spanish counterpart, the taste is quite different. Filipino adobo uses a balanced blend of soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, water, pepper and peppercorn as the base for the stew. A wide variety of meats can be used in adobo: pork ribs, beef ribs, chicken, even squid.

Kare kare –  Pronounced kah-ray kah-ray, this ox-tail stew’s sauce is prepared from ground, toasted rise and crushed peanuts. To add texture, vegetables like banana blossom, eggplant and string beans are added. Like most stews, kare kare is served with rice. It can also be served with shrimp paste, or bagoong.

Noodles
You can’t have a list of Asian food without adding one noodle dish.

Pancit– Pancit is the main choice of noodle for many Filipinos. The noodles it uses are thin to medium thickness and are often served with carrots, chayote and chicken, pork or beef.

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