Adobong Sitaw with Pork: Long Beans in Soy-Vinegar Sauce
A little pork goes a long way in adobong sitaw. Browned pieces season the pan before vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic become a reduced sauce for the beans, which go in late enough to keep a little bite.
Adobong Pusit: Squid Adobo with Ink
Squid adobo needs a short stay in the pan, even when the sauce needs longer. Vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and onion give this version its sharp, savory base; optional squid ink darkens the sauce that clings to the sliced bodies and tentacles.
Adobong Puti: Filipino White Chicken Adobo
Without soy sauce, adobong puti puts cane vinegar, garlic, and black pepper in clear focus. Browning the chicken adds depth before the gentle simmer, and a final reduction leaves just enough tangy sauce to spoon over rice.
Pork Adobo: Classic Adobong Baboy
Pork shoulder gives this adobo both tender meat and a sauce worth spooning over rice. Vinegar leads, soy sauce adds salt and depth, and eight smashed garlic cloves soften through the braise before the liquid reduces to a glossy coating.
Rellenong Manok: Filipino Celebration Stuffed Chicken
This adaptation of rellenong manok keeps the chicken bone-in and pairs it with a cooked pork filling of onion, garlic, carrot, peas, and raisins. Soy sauce and citrus season the bird, while hard-boiled eggs make the stuffing more substantial.
Tortang Talong: Filipino Eggplant Omelet
The eggplant should be soft enough to flatten before it ever meets the beaten egg. That is the key to this tortang talong: smoky, yielding flesh held inside a golden egg coating, with the stem left attached for handling.
Tinolang Manok: Filipino Ginger Chicken Soup
Ginger leads this tinolang manok, with bone-in chicken supplying the broth and chayote or green papaya giving each bowl a tender vegetable bite. Leafy greens go in last, keeping the soup distinct from a pot where everything has simmered together from the start.
Sinangag: Filipino Garlic Fried Rice
Good sinangag starts before the rice reaches the pan: break up the cold grains, then give the garlic time to turn pale gold. The result should be hot, separate rice carrying plenty of garlic, ready for eggs or savory breakfast meats.
Pork Sisig: Sizzling Filipino Pork with Calamansi
Pork belly supplies the rich edges and shoulder supplies the meaty bite in this sisig. After simmering and browning, both are chopped small and finished with red onion, chiles, and calamansi, then pressed into hot cast iron for a crisp underside.
Pinakbet: Filipino Vegetables with Bagoong
Squash needs a head start in this pinakbet. Once it is partly tender, eggplant, beans, okra, and optional bitter melon can steam in the tomato-bagoong juices, giving you a vegetable dish with substance rather than a pot of softened odds and ends.