7 Philippine cuisines – Halo-Halo, Adobo, Kare-Kare

Delicious Pinoy dishes

Here are the top Philippine cuisines. The Philippines aren’t known for their food. Still, you need to taste these unique Pinoy dishes. I’ve listed my 7 top Pinoy dishes that stand out from my month in the country, and one Pinoy food that I would not eat.

Spoiler alert – it’s a duck fetus – scroll the bottom to see Anthony Bourdain eat it.

Halo Halo!

1. Halo-halo! I rank Halo Halo as the number one food to order in the Philippines. It’s not number one for the taste, but for the joy people get just saying the name. I really wish I made a montage of Filipinos reaction to me ordering it. It might be impossible to pronounce Halo Halo! properly without smiling. Yes, I’m serious!

During my month in the Philippines, I heard the dessert Halo Halo spoken dozens of times. Immediately after each time, I’d see a wide smile. Every time! Every smile was wider than the last. Ordering Halo Halo is worth it just for the reaction.

I really wanted to like it!  Despite the welcomed enthusiasm, I found it to be disappointingly not that tasty.

What’s in halo-halo?

The name translates in english to “mix-mix” and it’s fitting. Halo Halo is made of shaved ice, evaporated milk, and sugar. Then, it appears to be whatever they have to throw in. After that, they’ll add red beans, coconut gel, jackfruit, and tapioca. Next, some add in corn flakes cereal and even jelly beans. Finally, you’ll even see yams and plantains caramelized in sugar included. Yeah! Throw it in!

You may remember Halo-halo! from Top Chef:

Halo-halo was featured as a Quickfire Challenge dish in the seventh episode of the fourth season of reality television series Top Chef. Filipino-American contestant Dale Talde prepared halo-halo. It’s avocado, mango, kiwi and nuts. They named it as one of the top three Quickfire Challenge dishes by guest judge Johnny Iuzzini of Jean-Georges.

Kare-Kare

2. Kare-Kare is classic Pinoy dish featuring oxtail and vegetables cooked in a thick peanut sauce. Yum!

Chicken Adobo – Pork Adobo

3. Chicken Adobo / Pork Adobo is a simple yet reliably delicious Filipino meal staple. It’s chicken or pork (or both!) braised in garlic, vinegar, oil, soy sauce. This Philippine cuisine tastes better than it looks!

Adobo is the only cuisine on this list that I’ve ordered when I was home.

Are you ready to cook some Adobo? For recipes, check out the Asian Grandmother’s Cookbook blog. They say that every Filipino family has their own adobo recipe. They share a few variations of adobo to try out.

Puchero

4. Puchero translates to stew pot. This is a Philippine dish with beef in bananas and tomato sauce:

Longganisa

5.  Longganisa is Filipino sausage. It’s similar to chorizo. First, take a bite to let the steam out. Then, eat the rest. It’s so delicious!

Here is a photo of Longganisa below:

Hamonado

6. Hamonado is a dish with pork sweetened in pineapple sauce. Yum!

Beef Kaldereta 

7. Beef Kaldereta is another simple pinoy dish. It’s beef (or often goat shoulders!) in a tomato sauce stew.

And one Philippine dish that I most certainly will NOT eat

Next, let me introduce you to a food I would not eat in the Philippines.

Balut – duck fetus??

Balut are duck eggs. They’re incubated until the fetus is all feathery and beaky, and then boiled. I’m told you can taste the feathers. That’s right – it’s a duck fetus!  ewwwh!

After reading this post, check out my full post on Balut. In my Balut post, I explain what it is, how it’s prepared, and show videos of people enjoying it for the first time.

Bacon wrapped hot dogs & sausage

Bonus! I like how these are prepared. You’ll notice that this isn’t unique to the Philippines, but it’s certainly interesting!

Which is your favorite Philippine cuisines? 

Do you have a favorite Filipino dish? I’m ready to eat!