Tour of Taste (10) : Philippine

The style of cooking and the food associated with Filipino cuisine have evolved over many centuries from its Austronesian origins to a mixed cuisine of Malay, Spanish, Chinese, and American. Moreover, other Asian and Latin influences adapted to indigenous ingredients and the local palate. Filipino cuisine is distinguished by its bold combination of sweet (tamis), sour (asim), and salty (alat) flavors. Filipino cuisine is often delivered all at once in a single presentation while other Asian cuisines may be known for a more subtle delivery and presentation.

Kare-kare

Kare-kare is a Filipino stew made by beef chunks, tripe, oxtail and a variety of vegetables. The meat is boiled until tender before mixed with roasted peanuts and rice/sticky rice, then ground to a fine powder that thickens the sauce and gives it the unique flavor. Nowadays, peanut butter is used to replace the ground peanuts and rice. The saltiness is derived from the sautéed shrimp paste (bagoong) that is served with it.

Adobo

Adobo is well-love national meal for all Filipino. Typically, pork or chicken, or a combination of both, is slowly cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, crushed garlic, bay leaf, and black peppercorns. Vegetable like sitaw or kangkong can also be added for healthier alternative. Siling labuyo and recado can be adding for spicier versions of adobo and enhances the over-all zest of the meal. 

Torta

'Torta' refers to a kind of omelette made with eggs, ground meat and sometimes minced onion and potato in Philippines, particularly among Northern and Tagalog-speaking provinces and islands. 

Sinigang

"Sinigang" is a soup that it can be cooked in different ways and with different set of vegetables and meat either pork, beef, chicken, various fish or seafood. Sinigang is best served hot at lunch eaten together with rice. Sinigang is refreshing to the palate because of its sour taste and various vegetables. The tamarind is the most popular ingredient because it makes the soup tastes sour.

Lumpia/Lumpia Shanghai

Lumpia Shanghai is Filipino spring roll that filled with ground pork or beef, minced onion, carrots, and spices with the mixture held together by beaten egg. It may sometimes contain green peas. Attests to the Chinese influence, Both lumpia shanghai and the sweet and sour sauce are served together. This variety is by standard an inch in diameter and approximately 4-6 inches in length. However, most restaurants and street vendors often serve lumpia shanghai in smaller diameters and is served with a spicy sauce. 

Pinakbet

Pinakbet is a combination of several variety of vegetable, such as native bitter melon, eggplant, tomato, ginger, okra, string beans, lima beans, chili peppers, parda and winged beans. Traditionally Ilocano cook Pinakbet by using bagoong, of fermented monamon or other fish, while further south, bagoong alamang is used. Pinakbet can be considered as a very healthy food and convenient in relation to the harsh and rugged, yet fruitful Northern and Ilocos regions of the Philippines.

Halo-halo

Halo-halo is a sweet and creamy Filipino dessert or snack. It is basically a mixture of sweet preserved beans(red beans, chick peas), coconut meat, jackfruit, pounded dried rice, sweet yam, cream flan, shreds of sweetened plantain, filled with crushed ice, milk (or coconut milk) and topped with ice cream. 

Suman

Suman is a kind of rice cake made from glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, and often steamed in banana leaves. It is served wrapped in buli or buri palm leaves and usually eaten sprinkled with sugar or sweet sauce. 

Retrieved from:

http://www.squidoo.com/philippines-food

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_cuisine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torta