Being considered a holiday dish in the Philippines, you will often see morcon served during the festive season of Christmas and New Year. It is a meat-roll stuffed with egg, cheese, pickles, carrots, hotdogs or sausages.

Filipinos believe that serving round-shaped foods during the New Year will bring luck and prosperity. So that explains why morcon is ever-present on most tables when families welcome the arrival of yet another New Year because it is round-shaped when sliced.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo beef (thinly sliced)
• 4 slices pork fat
• 2 slices ham
• 2 pcs sausage (Bilbao or Vienna)
• 2 eggs (hard-boiled)
• 10 pepper-corns
• 12 olives
• ½ bay leaf (Laurel)
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 whole onion
• 2 segments garlic
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• ¼ cup vinegar
• 2 cups water
• Salt (to taste)

Cooking Instructions:

• Cut the beef thin about 12 by 16 inches then pound to flatten it. Pound the garlic and peppercorns then add the vinegar. Soak the beef in the vinegar mixture for a few minutes.
• Cut hard-boiled eggs into halves. Cut the ham, sausage and pork fat into long strips and chop the olives.
• Spread the beef on a wooden board. Arrange the ham, sausage and pork fat in alternate rows. Arrange the eggs and add the olives. Roll and tie with string.
• Fry in deep hot fat until brown.
• In the vinegar mixture used to soak the beef, add water, bay leaf, onion, tomatoes and salt. Add the deep-fried beef roll. Simmer until tender.
• Add the tomato sauce and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Remove the roll and cut into slices.
• Arrange on a platter and pour the sauce over the meat. Garnish and serve.

Technorati Tags: Beef, Filipino recipes, Meatroll, Morcon Recipe, pinoy food

The Taro root mixture is contained in polished coconut shells, thus the name binagol from the root word “bagol”, a visayan term which literally means coconut shells. Because of the abundance of coconut trees in this tropical country, you will surely find many kinds of delicacies using coconut shells as packaging. Cooking this recipe may be a tedious process but the finished product is worth the effort.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rich coconut milk (from 2 medium coconuts)
• ¾ cups raw gabi or Taro root (shredded)
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ can full cream condensed milk
• 4 egg yolks
• wilted banana leaves
• 4 medium coconut shells (cleaned)
• string for tying

Cooking Instructions:

• Combine shredded Taro root, coconut milk and brown sugar. Place in a thick-bottomed pan and cook over medium heat for about 6 minutes while stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and go on cooking for 10 more minutes.
• Add the condensed milk and cook for another 20 minutes over low heat, stirring continuously.
• Fill the coconut shells with the cooked mixture. In the center, make a well and drop 1 raw egg yolk for each. Cover top with the cooked Taro mixture and spread smoothly. Fill very close to the coconut shell’s brim.
• Use two layers of the wilted banana leaves to cover the filled coconut shells and use the strings to tie securely.
• Steam for half an hour.

Technorati Tags: Binagol Recipe, Filipino recipes, Gabi Root, Pinoy Delicacy, pinoy food, Taro Root

Ingredients:

• 1 young chicken (cut into regular pieces)
• ½ kilo pork (cut into regular pieces)
• 2 pcs Chorizo de Bilbao (sliced)
• 6 potatoes (quartered)
• ½ cup shortening
• 2 segments garlic (macerated)
• 1 onion (sliced)
• 1 cup tomatoes
• 1 cup sweet peas
• ¼ cup olives
• 3 cups rice (boiled in 2 cups coconut milk and 3 cups water)
• 1 tsp salt
• Slices of hard-boiled eggs
• Slices of sweet red pepper
• Salt, pepper and paprika (to taste)

Cooking Instructions:

• Season chicken and pork meat with salt and pepper. Fry until color is slightly brown.
• In a deep pan, sauté the garlic, onions and tomatoes. Then add the potatoes, chicken, pork, and chorizos. Mix well then cover the pan and allow to cook until the potatoes and meat are tender. Add water if needed.
• Add the sweet pepper, sweet peas and olives. Take out some of the stock from the pan and set aside when the vegetables and meat are done.
• Add the cooked rice to the meat mixture and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until well blended. Add the remaining stock and seasoning to taste. Cook on low heat until the mixture becomes quite dry.
• Garnish top with sliced hard-boiled eggs, stuffed olives and red pepper slices.

Technorati Tags: Arroz Valenciana Recipe, Filipino recipes, pinoy food, Rice Recipe, Valenciana

Of the wide range of banana blossom recipes that one can choose from, I find it best cooked with coconut milk. The fact is: I love anything that is cooked with coconut milk. It is one of the ingredients that never fail to fascinate my taste buds. You can try this recipe for yourself and you will know what I mean.

Ingredients:

• 2 banana blossoms
• 1 cup pure coconut milk
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• ¼ cup sliced tomatoes
• ¼ cup sliced onions
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Cooking Instructions:

• Remove the tough covering of the blossoms. Slice thin crosswise. Add 2 tablespoons coarse salt and squeeze off bitter juice. Rinse with water and squeeze dry. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a skillet and sauté garlic until light brown. Add the onion and tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes. Add vinegar and banana blossom and bring to a boil. Don’t stir. Simmer for another 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir. Continue cooking until banana blossom is tender. Add pure coconut milk and turn off the heat.
• Serve and enjoy with plain white rice.

Technorati Tags: Banana Blossom in Coconut Milk, Filipino recipes, Guinataang Puso ng Saging Recipe, Philippines vegetable, pinoy food

If you are looking for a special chicken recipe, this is something that you should try.

Ingredients:

• 1 young chicken
• 1 Spanish sausage (Chorizo de Bilbao)
• 1 can Vienna sausage
• 1 can drained peas
• 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 6 tbsp butter
• 5 cups cold water
• pie crust
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Cooking Instructions:

• Dress and debone the young chicken. Slice into small pieces and place in a bowl. Squeeze the lemon into the chicken and add the soy sauce. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Place the chicken with marinade in a saucepan with water, salt and pepper. Simmer until the chicken is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Slice the hard-boiled eggs, Vienna sausage and chorizo. Fry cooked chicken and chorizo in butter until color turns brown. Remove from the pan and place in a Pyrex serving dish with the remaining sauce.
• Arrange the sliced Vienna sausage, peas and eggs on top of the chicken and let cool.
• Cover top with pie crust. Press edges. Bake in moderate oven until brown. Serve hot.

Technorati Tags: Chicken Pastel Recipe, Chicken Recipe, Filipino recipes, philipines chicken recipe, pinoy food

Crabs cooked in coconut milk is one of the recipes that my father is truly proud of. We would automatically know that he is cooking this delicious recipe because the smell is recognizable even from a distance. Our cousins from the city once spent a week’s vacation in our place and they could never get enough of this amazing dish. And because crabs are somewhat costly in the city, it’s no wonder that they seldom get the chance to have crabs set on their table. With the power of coconut milk put into play, I can understand why they loved it even more.

Ingredients:

• 3 fat crabs
• 1 cup scraped buko (young coconut)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup thin coconut milk
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• 1 clove garlic (crushed)
• 2 tbsp onion (minced)
• 2 fresh hot peppers (whole)
• a small slice of ginger
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Cooking Instructions:

• Clean crabs well. Dip briefly in boiling water. Open and remove the fat lining the fat lining the shells. Mix fat with grated buko and ¼ teaspoon salt. Fill shells with the mixture. Wrap each in young banana leaf.
• In a saucepan, arrange the crabs and place the shells wrapped in banana leaf over them. Boil in 1 cup thin coconut milk with whole peppers, salt and pepper for added flavor. As soon as crabs are cooked, add thick coconut milk and simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Best served with plain white rice.

Technorati Tags: Alimango, Coconut Milk, Crabs, Crabs in Coconut Milk Recipe, Filipino recipes, pinoy food, Seafood

This version uses fried dried fish but toasted anchovies can also be used as an alternative.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb unripe jackfruit (peeled and chopped)
• ½ cup fried dried fish or daing (bones removed)
• 3 cups coconut milk
• 5 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 1 large onion (diced)
• ¾ cup tomatoes (diced)
• 3 to 5 pieces red chilies
• 1 shrimp cube
• ¾ cup water

Cooking Instructions:

• Heat a cooking pot or a wok and pour in the coconut milk. Bring the liquid to a boil.
• Add the onions and garlic. Cook for about 3-5 minutes and stir the mixture continuously.
• Add the red chilies and tomatoes. Go on stirring to avoid lumps from forming.
• Add the fried dried fish and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Pour the water and bring to a boil again.
• Add the chopped jackfruit and stir to mix well. Allow to simmer for 5-8 minutes.
• Add the shrimp cube for flavor and stir to mix with the other ingredients. Simmer until most of the liquid has already evaporated.
• Place in a serving dish and serve.

Technorati Tags: Coconut Milk, Filipino recipes, Guinataang Langka Recipe, Jackfruit, pinoy food, Vegetable

Ingredients:

• ¼ kilo lean pork
• ¼ kilo shrimp
• 1 small chicken
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup fresh peas
• ½ cups mushrooms
• 1 cup sotanghon
• 1 small onion (chopped fine)
• 1 egg (beaten lightly)
• 1 tbsp flour
• cooking oil
• patis (fish sauce)
• wrappers
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Cooking Instructions:

• Grind or chop pork fine. Peel and devein shrimps, set aside ⅓ chop the rest to fine bits. In a small saucepan, cook chicken in water enough to cover the meat.
• In separate bowls, soak the sotanghon and mushrooms in water. Pound heads of shrimp and extract juice. Prepare wrappers.
• Sauté onion, add chopped shrimp, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool then wrap by teaspoonfuls in wrappers.
• Mix chopped pork, egg, flour, salt and pepper. Form into balls. Cut chicken meat into small pieces.
• Sauté chopped garlic in a little cooking oil until brown. Add shrimps and cook until they turn pink. Add juice (from shrimp heads) and allow to simmer for a 2-3 minutes. Add chicken pieces and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Drop the meat balls one by one. Add wrapped shrimp mixture, mushrooms and sotanghon. Season with patis and pepper. When done, add the fresh peas and remove from the heat.

How to make the wrappers:

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup flour
• 1 egg yolk
• a little water
• a pinch of salt

Preparation:

• Sift flour well. Place in a small bowl or deep plate. Place egg yolk and a pinch of salt in the center of flour. Mix ingredients using a fork, adding just a little water if needed, until a stiff dough is formed. Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Cover and set aside until for 20 minutes. Roll out dough as thin as possible and divide into small squares about 3×3 inches. Fill each with a teaspoonful of shrimp mixture. Moisten edges with water, fold one corner over and press edges together.

Technorati Tags: Filipino recipes, Lang-lang Recipe, Mixed Meat, pinoy food, Rice Noodle

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cake-flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose-flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar (divided)
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 pcs egg yolks
• 2 pcs egg whites
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• cheese (sliced into small strips)

Cooking Instructions:

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift the cake flour, all-purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Repeat the step three times then set aside.
• Beat yolks until the color is lemon yellow. Gradually add ½ cup sugar while beating continuously.
• Fold in the flour mixture, alternately with milk and water, to the beaten egg yolks. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
• Beat egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and go on beating the mixture until stiff. Fold in the egg batter. Mix well and pour mixture in puto molder about ¾ full.
• Top with slices of cheese. Cover with clean cheese cloth.
• Steam for 25-30 minutes. You will know the puto cheese is cooked when you insert a tester in the center and it comes out clean.
• To retain the solid shape of the puto cheese, let cool for a few minutes before removing from the puto molds.

Technorati Tags: Cheese, Filipino recipes, pinoy food, Puto, Puto Cheese Recipe

This recipe makes about 30 pieces of Suman Moron 4-inches long each.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups glutinous rice flour
• 6 cups ordinary rice flour
• 2 kilos grated coconut meat
• 1 big can evaporated milk
• ½ kilo white (refined) granulated sugar
• 1 kilo muscovado sugar
• 30 chocolate tableya, melted with 1/4 cup water
• 1 bar cheddar cheese (julienned)
• 1 cup chopped peanuts
• 1 small bottle vanilla extract
• 8 cups boiling water
• about 30 pieces banana leaves, cut into rectangles (8″x10″)

Cooking Instructions:

• In a basin, place the grated coconut meat and pour boiling water. Set aside. (Note: 8 cups of canned coconut milk can be used as alternative.)
• Mix the 2 types of flour well until thoroughly incorporated. Divide the flour mixture equally into two parts.
• Squeeze the grated meat when the coconut mixture is already cool enough to handle. Use a fine strainer to separate the coconut milk. Divide the coconut milk equally into two parts.
• In a thick-bottomed pan, place ½ of the flour mixture and pour in one part coconut milk, muscovado sugar, melted chocolate, vanilla extract and peanuts. Mix well and place over medium heat. Keep on stirring while cooking the mixture. At first, uneven lumps will form. But as you keep stirring, the mixture will even out as it thickens. Turn off the heat when oil starts to come out. Set aside to cool.
• To the second half of flour mixture, add the remaining coconut milk. Then pour about half of the white sugar and the evaporated milk. Mix thoroughly. Place in a separate pan and cook over medium heat while stirring continuously. Remove from the heat when the mixture is thickened. Set aside to cool.
• Pass the banana leaves over the heat to make them supple. Then use the squeezed-dry coconut meat over the leaves.
• Take a heaping tablespoonful of the first mixture (chocolate) and place on the banana leaf wrapper. Sprinkle a little cheese on it before rolling, with the banana leaf covering the mixture. Therefore, you hands won’t be touching the mixture being rolled.
• Take another heaping tablespoonful of the second mixture (milk) and do the same process.
• Place the two cylinders (milk and chocolate) and roll to form a thicker cylinder with the two colors fused together.
• Roll the banana leaf to wrap tightly and tie a string at both ends to secure.
• Repeat the process until all of the two mixtures have been wrapped.
• Steam for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Let cool before serving.

Technorati Tags: Filipino recipes, Moron, pinoy food, Rice Recipes, Suman, Suman Moron Recipe