Sweet and Sour Pork

Estimated cooking time: 45 minutes

Sweet & Sour Pork Ingredients:

1/2 kilo pork loin, sliced into pieces
1 small can pineapple chunks
1 large onion, quartered
1 red & 1 green bell peppers, sliced into strips
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
3 tablespoons of peanut oil
4 tablespoons of cornstarch
3 tablespoons of ketchup
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
3 cloves of minced garlic

Sweet and Sour Pork Cooking Instructions:

In a pot, boil pork in 2 cups of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt until tender, then drain (keep the pork stock for later).
Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and soy sauce then coat the pork with the cornstarch mixture.
Fry the pork in a skillet until golden brown, set aside.
Dissolve the remaining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch on 1/2 cup of pork stock - set aside.
Sauté garlic and onions on oil, then add the bell peppers, pineapple chunks (including the syrup), ketchup, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the dissolved cornstarch. Stir until sauce thickens.
Pour over fried pork then serve with rice.

Longganisa Recipe | Filipino Sausage

Estimated preparation & cooking time:
1 hour excluding standing and refrigeration time

Longganisa Ingredients:

1 kilo ground pork (include the pork fat)
1 spoon salt
1 spoon brown sugar
1 spoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon saltpeter (salitre)
1/2 teaspoon crushed laurel leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red peppers, minced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed then minced
1/4 cup vinegar
1/8 cup soy sauce
Sausage casings

Longganisa Cooking Instructions:

In a big mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the sausage casings
Mix well and let stand for an hour
Tie one end of the sausage casing and slowly fill the casing with the ground pork mixture until the end of the casing, then tie the end
Tie the middle of the sausage casing in intervals of about 3 inches.
Keep refrigerated for 2 to 3 days
To cook, boil longganisa in 1/2 cup of water on a pan or wok. Water will soon evaporate then oil will ooze from the longganisa. Fry it on its own oil or add a few tablespoons of cooking oil and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the sausage casings turn brownishLongganisa

Serving Tips:

Longganisa is ideally served with steamed rice or Fried Rice

Pork Kilawin Recipe

Estimated cooking time:

Pork Kilawin Ingredients:

1 kilo pork
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup Vinegar
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cups of water
1 teaspoon salt

Pork Kilawin Cooking Instructions:

In a casserole, put pork in water and some salt.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the pork is tender and the skin is soft.
Remove pork from water.
Slice the pork into bite sized pieces while still hot.
Place in a bowl and add vinegar, soy sauce and chopped, uncooked onions.

Serve immediately!

Pinaupong Manok

Ingredients :

For the chicken :

1 whole chicken, about 1 kilo
2 whole onions
1 whole garlic
4 pcs 1″ chunks of ginger
5-6 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2-3 cup of rock salt


For the dunking sauce :

1 tbsp. finely minced ginger
1 tbsp. finely minced garlic
1/2 cup of olive oil
salt to taste

How to cook pinaupong manok :

Peel the onions. Pierce the garlic in several places using a sharp, pointed knife. Rub the cavity of the chicken with rock salt. Stuff the cavity with the onions, garlic, ginger, peppercorns and bay leaf. Rub the skin with rock salt.
Make the bed of rock salt. Pour enough rock salt, about an inch high, into a large, deep stainless steel casserole. Place the chicken on the bed of salt, breast side down, making sure that no part of the chicken touches the metal. Cover the casserole and cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour. If using a pressure-cooker, cook for 20 minutes counting from the time the valve starts to whistle.
Do not uncover during cooking time. Meanwhile, prepare the dunking sauce. Stir the minced garlic and ginger with the olive oil. Season with salt (add more or less depending on your preference).
When cooking time is up, insert a long, large fork into the chicken cavity to lift it without breaking. Transfer to a plate. Take about a tablespoonful of the olive oil from the sauce and brush the chicken all over. Serve hot.

Beef Morcon Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 2 to 3 hours.

Morcon Ingredients:

1 kilo beef, sliced 1/4 inch thick (3 pcs.)
1/4 kilo ground beef liver
200 grams sliced sausages or ham
200 grams pork fat (cut is strips)
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
100 grams cheddar cheese in strips
100 grams grated cheddar cheese
2 onions, chopped
5 bay leaf (laurel)
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1/2 cup vinegar
2 teaspoon salt
2 cups of water
2 meters thread or string (for tying)

Beef Morcon Cooking Instructions:

Spread and stretch the sliced beef on your working table.
Arrange the filling on the sliced beef: sausage strips, cheese strips, sliced eggs, pork fat and some ground liver.
Roll the sliced beef with all the filling inside and secure with a thread or string.
Repeat the procedure for the two remaining beef slices.
On a pot, place the beef rolls and put the water, the remaining ground liver, grated cheese, chopped onions, bay leaves, ground black pepper and salt.
Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for one hour.
Add the vinegar and continue to simmer of another hour or until beef is tender.
Slice the beef morcon, arrange on a platter and top with the sauce/ gravy poured on top.

Cooking Tips:

A spoon or two of flour can be added to water to thicken the sauce.
Instead of boiling in a pot, you can use a pressure cooker for faster cooking.
Optional: Garnish with olives before serving.

Crispy Pata Recipe

Preparation & drying: 4 hours to 1 day
Estimated cooking time: 20 minutes

Crispy Pata Ingredients:

1 Pata (front or hind leg of a pig including the knuckles)
1 bottle of soda (7Up or sprite)
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)
4 tablespoons of flour
Enough oil for deep frying
Enough water for boiling

Crispy Pata Cooking Instructions:

Clean the pork pata by removing all hairs and by scraping the skin with a knife. Wash thoroughly.
Make four to five inch cuts on the sides of the pata.
On a deep stock pot, place the pata in water with soda and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the baking soda and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
Remove the pata from the pot and hang and allow to drip dry for 24 hours. An alternative to this is to thoroughly drain the pork pata and refrigerate for a few hours.
After the above process, rub patis on the pata and sprinkle flour liberally.
In a deep frying pot, heat cooking oil and deep fry the pork pata until golden brown.Crispy Pata Dip Sauce:
Mix 3/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 head of diced onion and 1 hot pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.

Beef Mechado Recipe

Estimated cooking time: 1 hour

Mechado Ingredients:

1 kilo of beef cut into chunks
1/8 kilo of pork fat cut into strips
4 onions, peeled and quartered
5 medium potatoes, quartered (optional: fried)
1 medium sized carrot, sliced in 1/2" sections
2 red bell pepper, sliced
2 cups beef stock or 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in water
3 bay leaves (laurel leaves)
1/4 -cup vinegar
2 cups tomato sauce or 1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Mechado Cooking Instructions:

Cut an incision on the beef chunks and insert a pork strip in the middle (mitsa)
In a casserole, combine the beef (with the fat), tomato sauce, soy sauce, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beef is almost tender
Add the vinegar and let boil for a minute or two
Add the potatoes, onions, carrot, and bell pepper
Let simmer until potatoes and carrots are cooked - occasionally stir to thicken sauce
Serve hot with white rice

Beef Mechado Cooking Tips:

Pressure cook the beef with the beef stock for faster cooking time.
Fry the potatoes before adding to the casserole.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil and stir when the mechado dish is almost done for added flavor.