Dinuguan ( Blood Stew)

Dinuguan is uniquely Filipino. It is a delicious Filipino stew made from pig’s blood and meat.

• 1 lb pork, diced
• 2 tbsp oil
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/4 lb pork liver, diced
• 1/2 c vinegar
  
• 2 tbsp patis (fish sauce)
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/4 tsp MSG (optional)
• 1 1/2 c broth
• 1 c frozen pigs blood
• 2 tsp sugar
  
• 3 Hot banana peppers
• 1/4 tsp oregano (optional)

Directions

1. Cover pork with water and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from broth and dice. Save 1-1/2 cups of broth.

2. In a 2-quart stainless steel or porcelain saucepan, heat oil and saute garlic and onions for a few minutes. Add pork liver, patis, salt and MSG. Saute for 5 minutes more.

3. Add vinegar and bring to a boil without stirring. Lower heat and simmer uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated.

4. Add broth. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in blood and sugar, cook until thick, stirring occasionally to avoid curdling.

5. Add hot banana peppers and oregano and cook 5 minutes more. Serve hot.

Tinolang Tahong

Tinolang tahong is a soup made with plump mussels steamed in ginger root, spinach and a bit of onion.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb mussels, still in shell (black mussels are available at Asian stores)
• medium sized piece of ginger root, peeled and sliced into julienne strips
• 1 medium sized onion, sliced
• several spinach leaves
• freshly ground pepper
• salt to taste

Directions:

Boil mussels in water just enough to cover them. Add ginger and onions. Once the shells are opened, add the spinach leaves. Simmer for about two minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Ginataang Manok

This is chicken cooked in coconut milk. My dad cooked this during the weekend, he was just so excited about the recipe books I gave him.

Ingredients

• 1 2 to 3 pound chicken, cut into serving pieces
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 12-ounce can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• ginger, cut thinly
• lemongrass

Directions

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer about 20 minutes until practically all the liquid has evaporated and a thick sauce remains. Serve hot.

Ube Halaya

Ube is a purple yam, a root crop that grows mostly everywhere in the Philippines. The most popular way of cooking ube is to make it into halaya hence called Ube Halaya. Violet yam (Ube), boiled and grated, mixed with coconut milk and sugar, and cooked until thick. The taste and texture is really neat - it comes across as a heavy ice cream, custard type pudding. It is a sweet sticky jam-like concoction that may be eaten by itself or as an ingredient in other desserts like halo-halo. My mom used to make this during birthdays, christmas, some special ocassions or when she just feels like it.

Ingredients:

• Purple yam
• butter
  
• fresh milk
  
• evaporated milk
• coconut milk
  
• sugar ( optional )

Directions

The traditional way of cooking ube halaya is to boil the ube, peel off the skin and grate the meat. Place butter in a saucepan under medium fire. Add in the ube, fesh milk, coconut milk and the evaporated milk. Mix all the ingredients very well. Continuously stir the mixture; never leave it unattended, until it turns thick. Adding sugar is optional.

Maja Mais / Maja Blanca

This dessert reminds me of my childhood. I used to make this on Sundays or whenever the whole family is together for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 coconuts, grated (or 2 cans coconut milk)
• 2 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup corn kernels (canned or frozen)

Directions

1. Place grated coconut in a cheesecloth. Squeeze to get 1 cup thick coco milk (kakang gata). Strain and set aside. 2. Mix 2 cups warm water with the grated coconut and squeeze to get thin coco milk. Set aside..

3. Boil thick coco milk (or 1 can coco milk) until oil comes out and "latik" is formed and browned. Set aside

4. In a blender or food processor puree the kernel corn. Combine cornstarch, sugar and pureed kernel corn thoroughly in a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil thin coco milk stirring constantly.

5. Add sugar-cornstarch-kernel corn mixture and boil for 2-3 minutes until mixture is thick and tastes cooked. Spray a baking dish with. 'Pam' and pour maja mixture into it and allow to set in the refrigerator.

6. When set slice in square or diamond shape and serve with latik.