Top 3 Filipino dishes that will keep you warm this cold season

Living in the Philippines, we only experience two seasons throughout the year. Now that the summer is over, the rainy season is finally here! Time to grab your favorite snacks and blanket as you binge-watch your favorite Netflix series, while you lay in bed all day. The cold breeze will probably make you feel sleepy and kinda lazy, but good food will surely give you the energy to still be productive despite the bed weather.


Filipinos are known for their rich, unique, and diverse cuisine. In fact, several recipes are available only during a specific season such as Halo-halo in summer and Puto bumbóng in Christmas. Meanwhile, there are also Filipino foods perfect for the rainy season.


Here are the top three Filipino comfort foods that will keep you warm this cold season:


  • Bulalo

    • Bulalo is a Filipino soup dish made of beef leg bones and marrow which are boiled for several hours. This dish can be traced back to the Philippine pre-Hispanic period, or before 1565, when the most common methods of cooking were boiling, grilling, steaming, and roasting. However, its place of origin is still debatable today. While many people believe that Bulalo is native to the Southern Luzon region, opinions on its particular city or province are divided. Some argued that Bulalo originated in the province of Batangas as it is an extremely popular dish among Batanguenos. They even called it “ulalo” before, which means “pagkaing pambata” or a kind of food that will make you young. Meanwhile, others think that Bulalo started in Tagaytay as it can be found in most restaurants in the town. Bulalo is definitely a must-try dish during the rainy season!


    Below are the list of ingredients and easy-to-follow steps on how to cook Bulalo:


    Preparation Time: 10 minutes

    Cook Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

    Total Time: 2 hours

    Servings: 4 people


    Ingredients:

    • 2 lbs beef shank from Fresh Options - Php 277.37/500g
    • ½ cabbage (whole leaf individually detached)
    • 1 bundle bok choy
    • 2 corn cobs (each cut into 3 parts)
    • 2 Tablespoons whole peppercorn
    • 1/2 cup green onions (cut into 1½ inch pieces)
    • 1 onion
    • 34 ounces water
    • fish sauce to taste (optional)

    Instructions:

    1. Pour and boil water in a big cooking pot
    2. Put in the beef shank followed by the onion and whole pepper corn then simmer for 1.5 hours (30 mins if using a pressure cooker) or until the meat is tender
    3. Add the corn and simmer for another 10 minutes
    4. Add the fish sauce, cabbage, pechay, and green onion (onion leeks)
    5. Serve it hot. Share and Enjoy!

  • Sinigang na Baboy (Pork)

    • Another Filipino food suitable for this cold weather is the famous Philippine sour soup—Sinigang. It was derived from the word “sigang” which means “to stew.” This dish can also be cooked in various ways depending on its main ingredient—baka (beef), hipon (shrimp), or bangus (milkfish), but the most common among these is Sinigang na Baboy. Although Sinigang is one of the country’s oldest dishes as it existed long before the colonization period, there are no written records or detailed origins of this food.


    Follow these simple steps in cooking Sinigang to satisfy your cravings:


    Preparation Time: 10 minutes

    Cook Time: 50 minutes

    Total Time: 1 hour

    Servings: 4 people


    Ingredients:

    • 2 pounds pork spare ribs from Fresh Options - Php 214.88/500g (cut into 2-inch pieces)
    • 8 cups water
    • 2 large tomatoes, quartered
    • 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
    • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
    • 6 pieces gabi, (peeled and halved depending on size)
    • 1 6-inch radish (labanos), peeled and sliced to 1/2-inch thick half-rounds
    • 2 finger chilies (siling haba)
    • 1/2 bunch long beans (sitaw), ends trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths
    • 1 eggplant, ends trimmed and sliced to 1/2-inch thick half-rounds
    • 6 pieces okra, ends trimmed
    • 15 pieces large tamarind or 1 1/2 (1.41 ounces each) packages tamarind base powder
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 bunch bok choy or pechay, ends trimmed and separated into leaves

    Instructions:

    1. Rinse pork ribs and drain well.
    2. In a pot over medium heat, combine pork and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, skimming scum that accumulates on top.
    3. Once broth clears, add tomatoes, onion, and fish sauce. Lower heat and simmer for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender, adding more water as necessary to maintain about 8 cups.
    4. Add gabi and cook for about 4 to 6 minutes or until tender.
    5. Add chili peppers and radish. Continue to simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.
    6. Add long beans. Continue to cook for about 2 minutes.
    7. Add eggplant and okra and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
    8. Add the tamarind soup base to the pot and stir until completely dissolved.
    9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    10. Add bok choy and continue to cook for about 1 minute. Serve it hot.

  • Tinolang Manok (Chicken)

    • Aside from Bulalo and Sinigang na Baboy, Tinolang Manok is also one of the best dishes during rainy days. This Pinoy chicken soup was invented in the 1800s as a result of cultural exchange with China.


    Here are the list of ingredients and steps to cook Tinolang Manok:


    Preparation Time: 5 minutes

    Cook Time: 1 hour

    Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

    Servings: 5 people


    Ingredients:

    • 2 lbs. Chicken or Chicken Soup Pack from Fresh Options - Php 74.88/500g (cut into serving pieces)
    • 1 cup malunggay leaves
    • 1 cup hot pepper leaves
    • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 piece of unripe papaya (wedged)
    • 6 cups water
    • 1 piece chicken cube
    • 1 piece onion (sliced)
    • 4 cloves garlic (crushed and chopped)
    • 3 thumbs ginger (julienne)
    • 2 tablespoons fish sauce (patis)
    • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil


    Instructions:

    1. Heat oil in a pot.
    2. Sauté garlic, onion, and ginger. Add the ground black pepper.
    3. When the onion starts to get soft, add the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes or until it turns light brown.
    4. Pour the water. Let boil. Cover and then set the heat to low. Boil for 40 minutes.
    5. Scoop and discard the scum and oil on the soup.
    6. Add the chicken cube and chayote or papaya. Stir. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
    7. Put the malunggay and hot pepper leaves in the pot and pour the fish sauce in. Continue to cook for 2 minutes.
    8. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve it hot.

    You can purchase your fresh and affordable meat and ingredients here: https://freshoptions.ph/collections/all-products 


    Don’t forget to also check Fresh Options’ blogs: https://freshoptions.ph/blogs/twisted-recipes  for more delicious recipes!



    References:


    https://camellamanors.com/2021/06/24/ten-filipino-comfort-food-to-keep-you-warm-in-rainy-season/


    https://www.taraletsanywhere.com/filipino-comfort-food-rainy-season/


    https://www.crownasia.com.ph/news-and-blogs/lifestyle-blogs/selected/best-filipino-comfort-foods-to-try-for-the-rainy-season 


    https://beef2live.com/story-bulalo-0-120070#:~:text=Bulalo%20is%20native%20to%20the,are%20a%20lot%20of%20cows.


    https://www.196flavors.com/philippines-bulalo/


    https://www.executivegourmet.ph/bulalo-soup-in-the-philippines/ 


    https://taylormaighdlin.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/history-of-sinigang/


    https://foodicles.com/sinigang-history/


    https://www.lutongpinoyrecipe.com/blog/sinigang-the-story-of-a-traditional-dish/

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