Filipino cooking rewards the curious. Beyond adobo and lumpia, the Philippines has a deep bench of dishes built on charred pork, briny shellfish, funky fermented shrimp paste, and blood-thickened broths that taste far richer than they sound. These are the dishes locals cook for Sunday lunches and street-food cravings, not tourist menus.
Pork Sisig stands out as the dish most home cooks should try first, since it turns humble pig parts into a sizzling, citrusy plate that beats anything from a sports bar appetizer menu. From there, dishes like Dinuguan and Papaitan push into bolder territory, while Bibingka and Halo-Halo round things out with sweetness.
Trying these recipes at home means sourcing a few unfamiliar ingredients and getting comfortable with techniques like kinilaw (citrus-curing raw fish) or working with pork blood. None of it is complicated once you know what to look for, and the payoff is a table full of dishes most of your neighbors have never tasted.
1. Pork Sisig
Sisig is chopped pork face, ears, and liver, grilled until crisp, then tossed with calamansi juice, chopped onion, and chili on a hot plate. Servings: 4. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 40 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs pig face and ears, boiled 45 minutes
- 1/4 cup pork liver, boiled
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 calamansi or 2 limes, juiced
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 Thai chilies, sliced
- Salt and pepper
Method: Grill boiled pork until crisp edges form. Chop finely with liver. Mix with onion, calamansi, mayo, and chilies on a sizzling plate.
2. Kare-Kare
Kare-Kare is an oxtail and tripe stew in a thick peanut sauce, traditionally served with sautéed shrimp paste (bagoong) on the side. Servings: 6. Prep: 25 minutes. Cook: 2.5 hours.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs oxtail, cut into pieces
- 1 lb tripe, cleaned
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1 banana blossom
- 1 bundle string beans
- 2 eggplants, sliced
- Bagoong for serving
Method: Simmer oxtail and tripe until tender, about 2 hours. Stir in peanut butter and rice flour slurry. Add vegetables, cook 15 minutes, serve with bagoong.
3. Laing
Laing simmers dried taro leaves in coconut milk with chili and shrimp paste until creamy and slightly spicy. Servings: 4. Prep: 10 minutes. Cook: 45 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups dried taro leaves
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 2 tbsp shrimp paste
- 3 Thai chilies
- 1 onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
Method: Layer taro leaves in a pot without stirring. Pour coconut milk over, add aromatics and shrimp paste. Simmer low and slow until oil separates, about 40 minutes.
4. Bicol Express
Bicol Express is a fiery pork stew named for a Philippine train line, built on coconut milk, shrimp paste, and a generous load of chilies. Servings: 4. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 35 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs pork belly, sliced thin
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1/4 cup shrimp paste
- 6 long green chilies
- 4 Thai chilies, chopped
- 1 onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
Method: Sauté garlic and onion, brown pork belly. Add coconut milk and shrimp paste, simmer 20 minutes. Stir in chilies, cook until sauce thickens.
5. Dinuguan
Dinuguan is a savory pork stew thickened with pork blood and vinegar, often called “chocolate meat” for its dark color. Servings: 5. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 45 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs pork belly, cubed
- 2 cups pork blood
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 long green chilies
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cups water
Method: Sauté garlic, onion, and pork until browned. Add water, simmer 25 minutes. Stir in vinegar and blood, simmer gently until thick. Season and add chilies.
6. Kinilaw na Tanigue
Kinilaw is raw Spanish mackerel “cooked” in vinegar and calamansi, similar to ceviche but sharper with ginger and chili. Servings: 4. Prep: 20 minutes plus 15 minutes curing.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb fresh tanigue (Spanish mackerel), cubed
- 1/2 cup coconut vinegar
- 1/4 cup calamansi juice
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 1 onion, sliced thin
- 2 Thai chilies, sliced
- Salt to taste
Method: Toss fish cubes with vinegar and calamansi, let sit 5 minutes, drain excess liquid. Mix in ginger, onion, chili, and salt. Chill 10 minutes before serving.
7. Adobong Pusit
Adobong Pusit braises whole squid, including the ink, in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic for a briny, slightly sweet dish. Servings: 4. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 20 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs whole squid, cleaned, ink reserved
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 tsp sugar
- Black pepper
Method: Sauté garlic and onion. Add squid, soy sauce, vinegar, and ink. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes until sauce reduces and squid turns tender.
8. Sinigang na Hipon
Sinigang na Hipon is a sour shrimp soup souring with tamarind, packed with vegetables like radish and okra. Servings: 4. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 25 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb shrimp, shell-on
- 4 cups water
- 1 packet tamarind soup base
- 1 radish, sliced
- 1 cup okra
- 2 tomatoes, quartered
- 1 bunch kangkong (water spinach)
Method: Boil water with tomatoes and radish 8 minutes. Add tamarind base and shrimp, simmer 5 minutes. Add okra and kangkong, cook until wilted.
9. Crispy Pata
Crispy Pata is a whole pork leg, boiled until tender then deep-fried until the skin shatters like glass. Servings: 6. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 1.5 hours plus frying.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole pork leg (pata), about 3 lbs
- 1 onion, quartered
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- Salt
- Oil for deep frying
Method: Boil pork leg with aromatics until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Dry thoroughly, chill 1 hour. Deep fry at 350°F until skin is golden and crackling.
10. Pinakbet
Pinakbet is a vegetable medley, bitter melon, squash, eggplant, and okra, simmered with shrimp paste and pork. Servings: 4. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 25 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb pork belly, sliced
- 1 bitter melon, sliced
- 1 cup squash, cubed
- 2 eggplants, sliced
- 1 cup okra
- 2 tbsp shrimp paste
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
Method: Sauté garlic and pork until browned. Add shrimp paste and a splash of water. Layer vegetables, cover, and steam until just tender, about 15 minutes.
11. Pianggang Manok
Pianggang Manok is a Tausug dish of chicken grilled in burnt coconut sauce, smoky, dark, and deeply savory. Servings: 4. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 45 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
- 1 cup burnt grated coconut (or dark coconut paste)
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 2 lemongrass stalks
Method: Char coconut until deep brown and bitter-sweet. Simmer chicken in coconut milk with aromatics 25 minutes. Grill chicken, basting with burnt coconut sauce until charred.
12. Papaitan
Papaitan is a bold Ilocano goat or beef innard stew, bitter from bile, and definitely not for first-timers. Servings: 5. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 1 hour.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs goat or beef innards, cleaned
- 1/4 cup bile (papait), to taste
- 1 inch ginger, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cups broth
- Chili, optional
Method: Boil innards until tender, slice thin. Sauté aromatics, add innards and broth, simmer 30 minutes. Stir in bile gradually, tasting until the right bitterness builds.
13. Ginataang Kuhol
Ginataang Kuhol simmers apple snails in coconut milk with chili leaves and ginger, a farm-table favorite in rice-growing regions. Servings: 4. Prep: 20 minutes (soaking snails). Cook: 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs apple snails (kuhol), cleaned
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup chili leaves or spinach
- 1 inch ginger, sliced
- 3 Thai chilies
- 1 onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
Method: Purge snails in water a few hours before cooking. Sauté aromatics, add coconut milk and snails, simmer 20 minutes. Stir in chili leaves last 5 minutes.
14. Pancit Palabok
Pancit Palabok tosses rice noodles in a shrimp-and-annatto sauce, topped with crushed pork rinds, egg, and scallion. Servings: 6. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb rice noodles (bihon)
- 2 cups shrimp broth
- 2 tbsp annatto powder
- 1/4 cup cornstarch slurry
- 1 cup cooked shrimp
- 1/2 cup pork rinds, crushed
- 2 boiled eggs, sliced
Method: Soak noodles until soft, boil briefly. Simmer broth with annatto, thicken with slurry. Pour sauce over noodles, top with shrimp, pork rinds, and egg.
15. Binakol na Manok
Binakol na Manok is chicken soup simmered in coconut water, often cooked in bamboo tubes for a smoky, sweet broth. Servings: 4. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 35 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
- 4 cups young coconut water
- 1 cup coconut meat, strips
- 1 inch ginger, sliced
- 1 chayote, sliced
- Lemongrass, 2 stalks
- Malunggay leaves, 1 cup
Method: Simmer chicken in coconut water with ginger and lemongrass 25 minutes. Add chayote and coconut meat, cook 8 minutes. Stir in malunggay leaves before serving.
16. Rellenong Bangus
Rellenong Bangus is a whole milkfish, boned, stuffed with its own sautéed flesh and vegetables, then fried whole. Servings: 4. Prep: 35 minutes. Cook: 20 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole bangus (milkfish), deboned, skin intact
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1/2 cup green peas
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup raisins
- Flour for dredging
Method: Sauté flaked fish flesh with vegetables and raisins, bind with egg. Stuff mixture back into fish skin, shape, dredge in flour, and pan-fry until golden.
17. Bibingka
Bibingka is a baked rice cake studded with salted egg and cheese, traditionally cooked in banana leaf over coals during Christmas season. Servings: 6. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 25 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups rice flour
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 salted egg, sliced
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
- Banana leaves for lining
Method: Whisk batter ingredients until smooth. Pour into banana-leaf-lined pans. Top with salted egg and cheese, bake at 375°F for 20 minutes until set.
18. Halo-Halo
Halo-Halo means “mix-mix,” a shaved ice dessert layered with sweet beans, jackfruit, leche flan, and ube ice cream. Servings: 4. Prep: 20 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups shaved ice
- 1/2 cup sweetened red mung beans
- 1/2 cup sweetened white beans
- 1/2 cup jackfruit strips
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 4 scoops ube ice cream
- 4 slices leche flan
Method: Layer beans and jackfruit in tall glasses. Pack shaved ice on top. Pour evaporated milk over, top with ube ice cream and leche flan. Mix before eating.
19. Ube Halaya
Ube Halaya is a thick purple yam jam, slow-cooked with coconut milk and butter until glossy and spreadable. Servings: 8. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 40 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs purple yam (ube), boiled and mashed
- 1 can condensed milk
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
Method: Combine mashed ube with milks and sugar in a pot. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick and glossy, about 35 minutes. Stir in butter last.
Finding Ingredients and Making Substitutions
Asian grocery stores carry most of these ingredients, including shrimp paste, calamansi, and dried taro leaves. Frozen calamansi juice works fine when fresh fruit isn’t available, and bottled tamarind soup base saves time over fresh tamarind pods.
Pork blood for Dinuguan is sold fresh or frozen at Filipino and Asian markets; ask the butcher counter if it isn’t on the shelf. Banana leaves can be swapped for parchment paper in Bibingka, though the flavor won’t be quite as fragrant.
If you can’t find bagoong (shrimp paste), anchovy paste makes a reasonable stand-in for Pinakbet and Kare-Kare. Burnt coconut for Pianggang Manok takes patience; toast grated coconut in a dry pan over low heat, stirring often, until it turns deep brown, not black.
For more dishes using similar pantry staples, browse through 30 exotic Filipino recipes or explore other Asian recipes built around coconut milk, chili, and fish sauce. Fans of sweet rice cakes and tropical desserts might also enjoy a few Filipino desserts beyond what’s covered here.
Food Safety for Raw Seafood and Pork Blood
Fresh fish is the key to safe Kinilaw. Buy tanigue the same day you plan to cure it, keep it ice-cold, and look for firm, glossy flesh with no fishy smell before cutting it into cubes.
Pork blood for Dinuguan needs the same care as any raw animal product. Buy it from a trusted butcher or Asian market, keep it refrigerated or frozen until use, and cook it to a full simmer, never serve it undercooked.
Apple snails for Ginataang Kuhol need purging in clean water for several hours before cooking to clear out grit and impurities. Discard any snails that stay closed after tapping the shell, since that signals they’re no longer alive.
Wash hands and cutting boards thoroughly after handling raw pork blood or raw fish, and keep those ingredients separate from produce during prep. These dishes carry real tradition behind them, and a little extra care in the kitchen keeps that tradition safe to enjoy.
