Filipino

Gluten-Free

Dairy-Free

Dinner

Lunch

Frying

Braising & Stewing

Tulapho or crispy fried pork sounds delicious. I’ve been eating this dish since I was a little kid but didn’t know the name or how it was made. It’s a Filipino dish that originated in Iloilo, Philippines. Large chunks of pork belly slices are boiled in water with aromatics like salt, dried bay leaves, and whole black peppercorns until they’re soft and tender. The water evaporates and fat comes out of the pork. The meat then gets cooked in its fat until golden brown and crispy.

Sounds easy enough, right? But there are a few things you need to know before cooking this dish. The oil or fat from the pork splatters a lot during the frying stage, so you need to use a lid or an oil splatter screen to cover the pan. I almost burned myself when the oil splattered on my arm while sauteing the pork. Also, the oil splattered all over the stove and some on the floor. Next time, I’ll cook it outside in the backyard and not worry about the splatter mess.

This recipe only uses a few ingredients, which I love! I used 2 lbs of whole pork belly that I bought from a local Filipino supermarket. You can have them slice it for you, but I wanted to slice the meat myself. I used a generous amount of salt and whole black peppercorns to season the water which would also season the meat as it cooks.

TULAPHO (Crispy Fried Pork)

Sautéing

Sinigang or Filipino Sour Soup was once voted “The Best Soup in the World” by Taste Atlas. A staple dish in Filipino households. It typically uses meat or seafood stewed with tomatoes, tamarind or tamarind packet mix, garlic and onions. It’s sour, savory, comforting, delicious and one of my favorite soups.

For this recipe, we are going to use thick cuts of pork belly but you can also use pork or beef ribs, whole shrimp with shell on, sliced of salmon, salmon belly or any types of firm fish. Also, feel free to add as much or less vegetables as you want.

SINIGANG with PORK BELLY (Filipino Sour Soup)

BBQ & Grilling

Make this PORK BBQ ON A STICK for game day or fight night! Pork marinated in a sweet, savory, and tangy sauce and grilled over hot charcoal, absolutely delicious!!! I cooked it over a nonstick grill pan, and it still came out really good.

PORK BBQ SKEWERS Filipino-Style

There’s so many different ways to make Adobo, and this recipe is just one of them. Should I make an Adobo series?

PORK ADOBO SA GATA

Pork Adobo is the most popular Filipino dish. It takes the humblest of ingredients like pork, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce, and turns into a culinary rockstar with its bold and punchy flavors. Savory, tangy, salty…Oh, so delicious! 

One of the coolest things about Adobo is that there’s no one “right” way to make it. Recipes vary wildly depending on each household. Like my mom’s Adobo is very tangy and vinegar-forward. She doesn’t add sugar and doesn’t reduce the sauce, while my Adobo is richer, and more savory and on the sticky side. And don’t even get me started on the differences between Visayan and Tagalog Adobo – It’s like they’re two different dishes altogether! But hey, that’s what makes Adobo so amazing, right? The fact that it’s beautifully imperfect, adaptable dish that can be made a hundred ways.

PORK ADOBO

Don’t knock it till you try it! This DINUGUAN or Filipino Pork Blood Stew, aka “Chocolate Meat,” is rich, hearty, tangy, and delicious, especially with steamed white rice or sweet rice cakes. It’s a popular pork dish in the Philippines, but still an underrated Filipino dish outside the country. It’s worth a try!

Diniguan is traditionally made with any pork belly, pork shoulder, pig’s ears, intestines etc. But my version only had pork belly sliced into strips. Simmered in water, dried bay leaves, and a good amount of vinegar until tender. The pig’s blood is added and stirred continuously to prevent lumps. Seasoned with fish sauce and a little sugar to balance out the flavors and simmered for 15 more minutes, you have the most delicious pork blood stew! I hope you give it a chance 🥹

DINUGUAN (Pork Blood Stew)

Adobo is a popular way of cooking in the Philippines. It means to simmer or cook protein or vegetables in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, dried bay leaves, and black peppercorns. That said, you can Adobo any meat and vegetables you prefer. Here’s my recipe for “Adobong Sitaw” or long beans with pork belly. It’s an easy dinner or lunch recipe that’s delicious with steamed white rice.

ADOBONG SITAW (Long Beans with Pork Belly)

Chinese

Appetizer

Snack

Steaming

Food processor

These savory, succulent, and delicious Filipino Pork Siomai or pork dumplings are one of my favorite snacks growing up in the Philippines. It was sold in the streets and mall food courts and it was cheap and a filling treat. Hope you enjoy this recipe 🥰 

FILIPINO PORK SIOMAI

FILIPINO POCHERO/PUCHERO

PORK PATA HAMONADO is one of my favorite Filipino dishes that many people don’t know about. Pork hock/leg braised in a sweet and savory pineapple sauce until it’s soft and tender. This dish is typically served during special occasions in the Philippines but is very underrated in the US or outside of the Philippines.

PORK PATA HAMONADO

Filipino ALMONDIGAS with MISUA (Pork Meatballs with Chinese Vermicelli) is one of my favorite dishes that my mom used to make when I was a little kid She made it whenever she had leftover meat filling from making Lumpia. Now it’s my favorite dish to cook for my family.

ALMONDIGAS with MISUA

Breakfast

Once you try making your own PORK TOCINO, it’s gonna be difficult to go back to store bought. 😁 It’s so easy and honestly tastes so much better!

Pork Tocino is Filipino Bacon but sweet and sticky when cooked. Traditionally, you’re supposed to cure the meat, but I’ve always marinated mine, and it still works.

PORK TOCINO

American

No-cook

Jollibee discontinued their JOLLY HOT DOG so here is a copycat recipe.

Thanks to @chiieelovestoto for the recipe. It’s legit!

JOLLY HOT DOG (copy cat)

GINISANG MUNGGO with PORK or Filipino Sautéed Mung Beans with Pork is a staple dish in Filipino households because it’s affordable, healthy and easy to make. It’s also one of my comfort foods. I remember getting excited whenever my mom made it when I was a little kid. She sometimes garnished it with pork rinds. So good!

GINISANG MUNGGO with PORK (Sauteed Mung Beans)

Homemade sweet and garlicky SKINLESS PORK LONGGANISA. One of the best Filipino breakfasts you’ll ever try. Savory, garlicky, and a little sweet. It tastes a lot better than store-bought and it’s so easy to make.

SKINLESS PORK LONGGANISA

An underrated Filipino dish outside of the Philippines that deserves just as much attention as Adobo and Lumpia is “PORK BINAGOONGAN”. Tender and fatty pork belly in a rich shrimp paste sauce. It’s bursting with umami! It’s so good paired with steamed white rice.