Mazapan de Pili (pili nut candies)

3 cups ground pili nuts
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. dayap juice
1 tsp. dayap rind
2 cups evaporated milk
½ cup fine bread crumbs
3 large egg yolks

Blanch the pili nuts and grind finely using a food processor or grinder. In a deep frying pan cook ground nuts, sugar, milk and water for about 15 minutes or until thick. Add the egg yolks, juice, rind and bread crumbs and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Place in small paper candy cases. Makes 10-15 large candies.

Tamales (rice and peanut cake with savory topping)

1 cup powdered rice or rice flour
1 cup coconut milk
2 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ tsp brown sugar
1 ½ tsps. salt
¼ tsp pepper
3 tbs. peanut butter
½ cup cooked lean pork meat cut into strips
½ cup cooked chicken breast cut into strips
1 sliced cooked ham
½ cup thinly sliced chorizo or pepperoni
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Toast the rice flour over medium heat until golden brown. Remove from heat and gradually add the coconut milk. Stir or whisk until smooth. Mix in peanut butter, salt, sugar and pepper. Add the chicken broth and continue cooking, constantly stirring until mixtures turns into a thick paste. Turn the heat down and continue cooking with constant stirring for 10 more minutes. Taste and correct the seasonings. Remove from the heat and add half of the pork, chicken, ham and chorizo pieces. Transfer to a lightly oiled 9x9x1½” square pan (or 9” pie plate). Smooth out the surface and arrange the remaining cooked meat slices and eggs over the top. 6 servings.

Talangka Soup with Green Onions (shore crab soup)

30 pcs. talangka, washed
3 cups water
2 tbs. cooking oil
¼ cup onions, chopped
½ cup tomatoes, chopped
2 tbs. patis
6 medium-sized kamias, washed
1 cup miki noodles
¼ cup green onions, cut into ½” long pieces

Extract aligue from talangka and set aside. Pound the shells, add 3 cups water, strain and boil. Set aside. Sauté onion, tomatoes and aligue. Season with patis. Add the talangka soup stock and kamias. Cover and cook until kamias is tender. Strain the kamias into a separate bowl, mash with a little stock, strain and return to the soup stock. Allow the soup to come to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 3 minutes (lower the heat if necessary). Add green onions about 1 minute before serving. Serve very hot. 6 servings.

Sinampalukang Manok (chicken soup with chili)

½ cup cooking oil
1 head garlic, crushed
1 large onion, sliced
2 tbs. ginger, crushed or sliced
4 medium-sized young raw green papaya, sliced
1 medium-sized chicken, sliced into serving pieces
Patis to taste
15 pcs. String beans cut into 1 to 1 1/2” pieces
3 pcs. Eggplant, cut into halves
4 pcs. siling pang-sigang for flavoring
2-3 cups young sili leaves, finely chopped (or substitute spinach)
4 cups water

In a deep saucepan sauté garlic, ginger and onion for 1 minute. Add chicken and sauté until chicken colors slightly. Season with patis and salt. Add water and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Add papaya and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Add sili leaves. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot. 5 to 6 servings.

Pinatisan (pork cooked in fish sauce)

½ cup small intestines, cleaned, cooked and sliced
1 tbs. cooking oil
1 tsp garlic, crushed
½ cup lean pork, cut into 6 slices
½ cup pork liver, cut into 6 pieces
¼ cup vinegar
2 tbs. patis
½ cup meat broth (pork or beef)

Turn small intestines inside out and rub with salt. Rinse well under running water. Boil 2 cups water, add small intestines. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Heat cooking oil and add garlic. Mix in small intestines, pork and liver. Lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Add vinegar, patis and meat broth. Increase the heat, cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot. 6 servings.

Kilawing Goto at Atay (tripe and liver cooked in vinegar)

1 kilo tripe goto
¼ kilo beef liver, cut into strips
2 tbs. cooking oil
½ cup vinegar
½ tsp. salt
1¼ tsps. freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 radish, peeled and thinly sliced
1 ½ tsp. sugar

In a deep saucepan add tripe and add water to cover. Let the water boil for 10 minutes. Drain in a big colander (or two). Over running water, rinse very well. Return the tripe to the saucepan and add water to cover. Let the mixture come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until tender (this may take as long as an hour. Drain well and then cut into strips. Marinate liver strips in a mixture of vinegar, salt and pepper for 15 minutes; drain and reserve marinade. Sauté garlic, onions and tomatoes. Add liver and sauté for about 5 minutes, press liver strips against the pan with the back of a spoon to extract some of the juice. Add the marinade, tripe, sugar and correct the seasoning. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in radish and continue cooking until radish is tender. Serve hot. 8 servings.

Kilawing Kambing (goat marinated in lemon and gin)

1 kilo goat meat, slice into bite-sized pieces
1 tbs. Tanduay dry gin
1 ½ cups sliced native red onion
½ cup lemon juice
Several siling labuyo, crushed
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and marinate meat for 2 hours or more before serving. (The longer you marinate the better the flavor) Serve with wine (or more gin). 6-8 servings.

Kare Kare with Coconut Milk (pork internal organs cooked in coconut milk and chilies)

1 cup pork intestine, sliced
1 cup water
2 cups pork lungs, sliced
½ cup pork liver, sliced
¼ cup pork kidney, sliced
2 tbs. cooking oil
1 tsp. garlic, minced
2 tbs. onion, chopped
2 tsp. salt
2 cups coconut milk, 2nd extraction
½ cup vinegar
1½ cups blood
6 pcs. Green pepper (siling pang-sigang)
½ cup coconut milk, 1st extraction
1/3 cup red pepper, minced
2 pcs. Siling labuyo (hot pepper)

Boil and then simmer the intestines for about one hour in 1 cup of water. Boil and then simmer sliced lungs, liver and kidney for 10 minutes. Sauté garlic, onion and the internal organs over medium heat. Season with salt. Add coconut milk (2nd extraction), vinegar and blood. Stir as soon as it boils lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Add green pepper and cook 10 minutes. Add coconut milk 1st extraction, minced red pepper and siling labuyo. Bring to a boil, stir thoroughly and remove from fire after 5 minutes. Serve hot. 6 servings.

2 tbs. cooking oil
1 tsp. garlic, crushed
2 tbs. onion, sliced
½ cup tomatoes, sliced
½ cup white shrimp, shelled
1 ½ cups shrimp juice
1 ½ tsp salt
Dash of pepper
2 cups squash fruit, cubed
1 cup string beans, cut into 2” long pieces

Sauté garlic, onion, tomatoes and shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add shrimp juice and season with salt and pepper. Let the mixture come to a boil. Add squash fruit and string beans. Lower heat and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until the squash and string beans are cooked. Serve hot. 6 servings.

Dinuguang Manok (chicken cooked in pig blood)

1 cup finely chopped pig internal organs (liver, heart, kidney or liver)
½ cup sliced tomatoes
2 cups chicken meat, finely chopped
½ cup sliced onions
½ cup vinegar
1 head garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chicken blood (diluted in 1 cup water)
1 laurel leaf
Fresh oregano leaves
Salt, [vetsin] and pepper

Sauté garlic, onions and tomatoes. Stir in finely chopped chicken meat and internal organs. Cover and continue cooking over medium heat for a few minutes. Add vinegar, salt, pepper, bay leaf and oregano leaves. Lower the heat and simmer until the meat is tender. Increase the heat to medium and add chicken blood diluted with a cup of water. Continue stirring for 10 minutes. Season with salt, [vetsin] and pepper. Serve hot. 6 servings.