5 Easy Filipino Recipes You Can Make At Home

Take your travels home with you by enjoying these mouthwatering and easy Filipino recipes wherever you are. These Filipino dishes will leave you speechless.

The island nation of the Philippines holds a special place in the heart of everyone in my family. Not only were our travels in the Philippines one of the most incredible experiences that we have ever had but my wife, Christina, was born in Manila. She lived there until she was 10, and Filipino culture is still a part of our every day lives. As my family sits at home, unable to travel due to the travel shut down, we’ve taken to reliving our favorite travel experiences in the kitchen. Over the past few weeks I’ve shared my favorite Icelandic recipes and my favorite Jordanian recipes. But thanks to my wife’s incredible cooking, and the access that I’ve had to her parents, who are two of the most incredible cooks I’ve ever met, these easy Filipino recipes are going to blow your taste buds away!

When my family spent our three weeks exploring the capital of Manila, the beaches of Boracay, and all the things to do in Palawan, one thing that we just couldn’t get enough of was the mouthwatering Filipino food. Everything that we tasted, from the classic restaurants in Puerto Princessa to the fish markets of El Nido was among the best that I’ve ever tasted. These Filipino recipes take those flavors and bring them home. You’ll find delicious Filipino adobo, classic lumpia, delicious turon, and more.

What Is Filipino Food Like?

Filipino cuisine is often referred to as the original “fusion” food. Part of what makes Filipino food so unique is that it draws inspiration from such a huge variety of cultures. In Filipino dishes, you’ll find hints of Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Malaysian, and even American flavors. But one thing is for sure, Filipino dishes are rich, flavorful, and offer something that will satisfy nearly every palate.

Filipino recipes are often heavy on meat. Pork and chicken both play a large part in the diet of the islanders. Being that the Philippines is an island nation, seafood, of course, also plays a huge part in the diet.

At its core, Filipino food is focused around family. Every dish is best when enjoyed with others. But as much as it the meals that match the incredibly hospitable culture of the country, the dishes can vary widely from region to region. From classics such as kaldereta and pancit the incredible range of seafood fare delved from the over 7,000 islands that make up the country of the Philippines. Even among restaurants in the Philippines, you’ll find every manner of twist of Philippine recipes.

Here Are My Favorite Favorite Filipino Recipes To Make At Home

One of the things that I love most about travel is that the memory of the experience hangs around far longer than the travel experience itself. When I’m at home, especially during lockdown times like this, I often find myself wanting to relive the moments of my favorite travel experiences. Sometimes that means sitting down with one of my favorite travel books. But one of the best ways is by cooking an incredible meal and to live the trip all over again through your taste buds.

So warm up the oven and grab the apron. These 5 fantastic Filipino recipes will take you back to the Pearl of the Orient.

Filipino Pork Barbeque Recipe

There is probably no Filipino food that is more coveted within the Philippine side of our family than Filipino pork barbeque. Whether we order from the local Filipino restaurants or make pork bbq from scratch, there are countless dirty games that take place as everyone tries to get away with more than their own fair share.

This classic Filipino bbq recipe combines an amazing marinade and a sweet bbq sauce to make one of the most delicious Filipino bbq kebabs I’ve ever tasted.

Pork Sinigang Recipe

When it comes to the best Filipino recipes, Sinigang, or Filipino soup is the hands-down favorite of Christina and the boys. This easy Filipino sinigang recipe is on the menu at least a few times a week. It’s often cooked with either pork or seafood. And sinigang is traditionally served with rice. The soup is either poured over the top of the rice or mixed within.

Sinigang is usually mixed with tamarind powder to get a sour, tangy taste that helps to perk up the senses. And we typically cook it in large batches and reheat it throughout the week for snacks, lunches, and dinners.

Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe

Next to sinigang, none of these Filipino recipes are made nearly as often as the classic chicken adobo. There is, perhaps, no other Filipino dish that is as personal, and close to the heart as this classic fare. It seems that everyone and their Lola have their own secret chicken adobo recipe. And every family believes their recipe is the best, most authentic chicken adobo recipe that exists.

This is an easy Pinoy dish to make. But that doesn’t mean that this is the easiest Filipino recipe to master. But I will say that if you want to understand Filipino cuisine, taking your time to become a chicken adobo expert is the best way. But it won’t make you any friends. Because, as I  said, everyone believes that their mama or Lola’s recipe is better than yours. But your Filipino friends might say, it’s pretty good. And that’s a huge compliment.

Filipino Stuffed (Pinaputok na) Tilapia Recipe

We could not get enough of all of the fresh fish and seafood throughout our travels in the Philippines. It seemed that everywhere we went, from San Vicente to Coron we were gorging on massive platters of the most incredible seafood we had ever tasted.

One of the best Filipino fish recipes is Pinaputok na Tilapia. This scrumptious dish features a Tilapia stuffed to bursting with tomatoes, onions, ginger, and other fresh veggies. In fact, Pinaputok is Tagalog for “explode or burst”. And that pretty much sums up the state in which this fish looks once this delicious Tilapia recipe is completed.

Filipino stuffed Tilapia can be grilled or baked. And we’ll be baking it in this version.

Filipino Turon (Banana Lumpia) Recipe

There are no better Filipino dessert recipes that are more beloved by me and my kids than the ultra-simple banana lumpia known as turon. This easy Filipino turon recipe takes the plantain base and lumpia wrapper to new flavor levels. This easy turon dessert is something that we absolutely love eating on summer days or during our big family get-togethers.

We can’t wait to travel again and taste these Filipino dishes when we head back to the Philippines. Do you have a favorite recipe from the Philippines that I haven’t covered here? Tell us about it in the comments below. Or swing by our Facebook page and share it with us there.

Do you have a favorite Filipino dish? Share it with us in the comments. Or head over to our Facebook group and say hello! You can find our web story for these articles here.

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