Filipino moms are magicians in the kitchen! You can transform simple ingredients into heartwarming homemade meals your kids know and love. But what exactly makes your dishes tasty and yummy?
Using fresh fish, meat, and veggies is a no-brainer, but the “secret sauce” that makes Filipino food delicious is the native ingredients you keep stocked in your kitchen cabinets. From soy sauce to vinegar, these cooking essentials enhance the deliciousness of your cooking!
Let’s maximize using these Filipino ingredients. Here’s how you can use these simple flavor enhancers to transform your everyday dishes into mouthwatering meals!
Umami Powerhouse: Soy Sauce
The umami-rich soy sauce, or toyo, is found in every Filipino kitchen—and for a good reason! It’s a go-to flavor booster for meat recipes. Simple dishes like grilled or fried pork, chicken, and beef become extra juicy and delicious when marinated in soy sauce—plus chopped garlic and ground black pepper—before grilling or frying.
Soy sauce also creates a more complex flavor when mixed with other ingredients! Combining it with white vinegar helps you capture the unique salty-sour taste of adobo, or with freshly squeezed calamansi for that distinct savory-citrusy flavor of bistek.
Of course, you can’t go wrong with using toyo as a base for dipping sauces (or sawsawan)! Mix it with vinegar or calamansi, add chopped onion and tomato, and make a yummy sawsawan for your crispy liempo or grilled fish.
Versatile Flavor Enhancer: Fish Sauce
Like soy sauce, fish sauce (patis) is a must-have in Filipino cooking! Its unique somewhat fishy, brine-like flavor makes seafood dishes sing. Think of it as your secret weapon when cooking shrimp, clams, or even an entire fish!
But wait, the versatile patis isn’t just for seafood! It can also enhance or balance out the flavors of meat-and-veggie soups and stews, such as the ever-popular sinigang na baboy and tinolang manok. Just go easy when adding it to your cooking. A little goes a long way. Make sure to stir it in well and give your dish a taste each time.
Tangy Superstar: Vinegar
If there’s one native ingredient that’s particularly multifaceted, it has to be vinegar, aka suka! Tangy, bright, and even a little bit sweet, this humble liquid enhances certain flavors, balances out overpowering ones, makes food appetizing, and more!
Depending on how you use it, suka can add a subtle sour flavor to your cooking (think chicken or pork adobo) or create a bright tanginess that livens up its taste (think paksiw na lechon or isda). It’s great for pickling veggies and fruits (have you tried making atcharang papaya or mangga?) and concocting all sorts of sauces (from sawsawan to salad dressing!).
Another benefit of vinegar? Its acidic nature helps tenderize tough meat cuts while infusing them with flavor. Before cooking, try marinating beef or pork in vinegar (plus other aromatics like garlic, onion, and other spices) overnight to make the flavors of your dish more robust!
Creamy Indulgence: Coconut Milk
Want richer and creamier stews? Gata is the answer! Coconut milk isn’t just for ginataang gulay or isda, you can also add it to beef caldereta and adobo. This ingredient helps make these meaty dishes richer and more indulgent.
Coconut milk is also a key ingredient in many Filipino desserts and snacks. For example, it adds a subtle nutty sweetness to beloved treats like maja blanca and ginataan.
Citrus Punch: Calamansi
Need to add a refreshing tanginess to your cooking? Look no further than the Philippine lime, popularly known as calamansi! This tiny green fruit adds a citrusy kick to many family-favorite dishes such as steamed fish and beef tapa.
It’s also a beloved garnish! Party faves like sisig and pancit become all the more mouthwatering with a squeeze or two of calamansi. Finally, fresh calamansi juice is also popularly used in Filipino marinades and dipping sauces and even in desserts and drinks!
You can create culinary magic even with the simplest ingredients. By arming yourself with these native cooking essentials, you can transform ordinary meals into ones that bring joy and flavor to your family’s dining table!
For more cooking tips and ideas, explore the GoodNes website.
