Other Asian countries have their sour broth equivalents, but our very own “sinigang” stands on its own in all its “Filipino-ness”. Those who’ve left the country to work abroad invariably served their own versions of sinigang using ingredients from their new place of residence and that old reliable sachet of sinigang sour broth powder. Yes, we all travel with our sinigang, don’t we? But nothing beats home-cooked sinigang using fresh ingredients from home. And true, making sour broth (tamarind or kamias or miso or guava) from scratch never fails to win applause. So….. Have your guests savor a home-cooked sinigang! It should rank up there along with “adobo” in must-try dishes.
Prawns cooked in sour broth.
Adobo
Adobo Republic. Need I say more? Every Filipino meat lover digs his adobo — in any “version”. But wait, adobo need not be limited to pork or chicken. There’s my favorite adobong pusit! Have your guest try that. A legacy from Spain? Maybe. But we have “Filipinized” it and took “en su tinta” real seriously. Squid cooked in its ink in all that vinegary goodness!
Chipirones En Su Tinta ? The local version is called Adobong Pusit.
Of course, we want to introduce our “bagoong” (shrimp paste) to our guests. What better way than to pair it with the coveted “Kare Kare”? The ground rice and peanuts making up the sauce renders a very Oriental flavor. Our Malay ancestry reveals itself in this dish, made more special by the aromatic bagoong. Green mangoes too, please. And while others may claim Filipinos rarely serve salads, try our “Lato” (seagrapes) and our “pako” (fiddlehead fern) salads. Drop some slices of salted duck eggs, onions and tomatoes, if you like. Pops in your mouth. Yum!
Seagrapes. Called “lato” is good with slices of tomatoes, radish and onions.
Pako Salad. Fiddlehead Fern Salad.
You can’t go wrong with seafoods too — prawn, lobster, crab, oyster, mussel, scallop and fish. Steamed, grilled or fried. Keep it simple. And fresh!
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