Main Dish

5 Known Main Dish You must try in the Phillipines

Filipinos love to eat, and since they're naturally hospitable and gregarious, food is the basis of their social life.  

1. Adobong Manok

Chicken adobo is one of the most famous foods to try in the Philippines, known and loved by everyone.Adobo means “marinade” in Spanish and this is just that: chicken (or pork) marinated in a mixture of soya sauce and vinegar. Other ingredients are added depending on whose recipe you follow.

2. Sinigang na Baboy

Sinigang is a meat based sour stew or soup with lots of vegetables. The most popular souring agent is tamarind (sampalok). Pork (baboy) is the most common meat used but chicken, beef and fish are also popular.

Alternative souring agents include guava, tomatoes or kalamansi (Filipino lime). We enjoyed this soup so much that our Filipina friend BC Lee was kind enough to give us her recipe for sinigang.

3. Kare-kare

Kare kare is an oxtail and ox tripes stew with lots of vegetables, flavoured with ground roasted peanuts or peanut butter, onions and garlic. It is served with shrimp sauce (‘bagoong’), sometimes spiced with chill and sprinkled with calamansi juice (Filipino lime).

Kare Kare is famous throughout the whole country. The alleged origin of its name is from the word ‘curry’ due to the influence of the Indian community in Metro Manila’s Cainta, Rizal area.

4. Kinilaw

Kinilaw is similar to the famous Peruvian dish called ceviche. It is a raw fish salad served in an acidic juice, usually kalamansi (Filipino lime) and vinegar, which “cooks” the meat. Kinilaw comes from the word, “kilaw” which means, ‘eaten fresh’.Other ingredients usually include garlic, ginger, onion, pepper and chilli.

5.  Paksiw na Letchon

Lechon means ‘suckling pig’ in Spanish and is literally a whole pig roasted over charcoal for many hours for special occasions. This is considered the national dish of the Philippines and the city of Cebu is considered one of the most famous places to eat it.

The leftovers of the lechon are stewed with vinegar and spices and become a delicious dish called paksiw na lechon. Paksiw literally means: to cook and simmer with vinegar.