Filipinos love to bond over food. Whether it’s a simple snack or a five-course meal, every occasion is marked with a good gathering around the table. Apart from the food, what makes these moments precious is the bonding created and the stories shared during mealtime with Filipino recipes.
This Christmas, make your menu more special for your family and friends. The season is best observed with the presence of your loved ones. This once-a-year celebration is the perfect chance to treat your guests with a nice hearty meal as a way of thanksgiving for all the blessings this year. Christmas after all is the season of giving. Make it memorable by serving simple yet satisfying Christmas favorites that are easy to do and not too heavy on the pocket. With the holiday season quickly approaching, we recommend preparing your Christmas menu as early as now so as to avoid the rush in the markets.
In the list below, we’ve gathered eight Filipino recipes you can try this Christmas. From the crowd favorite dishes to the simple snacks kids love, you can choose from a variety of Filipino recipes that the locals enjoy every holiday season. Create an impressive feast that your family members would not forget. You don’t have to spend much to turn a simple dish into an extraordinary banquet. You will find below some simple tips and tricks you can do to help you in the kitchen.
Celebrating Christmas may be a little different this year because of the ongoing pandemic, but that doesn’t mean we cannot enjoy. Despite the situation, we can find simple ways to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and that is sharing and spending time with our loved ones over good food.
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8 Filipino Recipes to add to your Christmas Menu
Looking for the perfect food to serve this Christmas? Don’t worry, we’ve got your covered from the appetizer to dessert. Check the list below for a fun spread this season with awesome Filipino recipes. Happy cooking!
1. Lumpiang Shanghai
Lumpiang shanghai, as we know it, is an essential part of every Filipino celebration. Regardless of the occasion, whether it’s a birthday, a milestone, or any special gathering, trust that this appetizer would be a true hit among guests. Lumpiang shanghai might look meticulous to prepare because of the wrapping part, but it’s actually easy once you’ve got all ingredients ready. It is the Filipino version of the spring roll.
The delightful dish will surely put a smile in everyone’s faces. To prepare, all you need are ground pork, minced onions, carrots, and seasoning such as salt and pepper. Lumpiang Shanghai is made basically by adding all raw ingredients and then wrapping inside the lumpia wrapper and then frying. Both kids and adult would appreciate seeing lumpia on the table.
Get the full Filipino recipe from Panlasang Pinoy
2. Filipino Recipe of Fiesta Salad
Adding a salad to your menu will give your guests a healthier option. Many would like to incorporate some greens in their diet even this holiday season. This appetizer is a refreshing starter because of the fresh vegetables added with a vinaigrette. A Filipino fiesta salad is an easy Filipino recipe to anyone who just wants a quick toss of veggies. Gather string beans, singkamas, cucumber, salted eggs, tomatoes, the vinaigrette and then mix and toss. The string beans or sitaw should be blanched in a pot of boiling salted water. A quick tip for the vinaigrette, start by melting sugar with water in a saucepan. Once it melts and cools, that’s when you can the other ingredients such as vinegar, pepper, fish sauce, onions, etc.
Get the full Filipino recipe from Yummy.ph
3. Baked Ham with Fruit Glaze
One of the most highly anticipated food in every noche buena, nothing says Christmas feast than a slab of Christmas ham in the table. The ham is sliced and shared on Christmas eve among family members together with quezo de bola, another Christmas classic.
To make your ham more special, glaze it with fruits to give it more flavor. You can easily make a baked ham with fruit glaze with the help of three simple ingredients: ham, jam, and mustard. Choose a fully- cooked smoked ham then add the glaze (mixed jam and mustard) and then bake for a few hours. This super fab main course will make your Christmas feast truly unforgettable.
Get the full Filipino recipe from The Spruce Eats
4. Special Filipino Recipe: Embutido
Embutido is the Filipino version of a meatloaf. It’s almost a staple in every celebration including fiestas, birthday, or any other family gatherings. You can easily spot an embutido wrapped in a silver foil. There are several variations when it comes to the content of an embutido. It’s usually made of ground pork, onions, carrots, bell pepper, relish, and raisins. Some add egg and hotdog filling to make it more special. With cheese is also a recent version that gives it a surprise twist. To make an embutido, you will need a steamer once you’ve got all the ingredients ready. The size of the finished product would also depend on how you wrap it. Make them smaller if you want more servings. This dish can be served as an appetizer or added as one of the viands.
Get the full Filipino recipe from Lutong Bahay recipes
5. Filipino Recipe of Kare Kare
A widely popular Filipino dish, Kare kare is oxtail with peanut sauce. If you want to add a classic main course that is uniquely Filipino, you shouldn’t miss adding kare kare to your menu this coming Christmas. Kare kare is a balanced meal made with meat and vegetables.
Oxtail is often used as the highlight of the kare kare. Tripe is also used on other variations. Vegetables such as eggplant, bokchoy, banana blossom, (puso ng saging) and string beans (sitaw) are also added. It is often paired with bagoong or shrimp paste. There are many variations of kare kare depending on your family’s Filipino recipe. A modern twist sometimes uses lechon kawali as meat while some would use seafood. Serving kare kare this Christmas season would definitely feel like a Filipino feast.
Get the full Filipino recipe from Panlasang Pinoy
6. Beef Mechado
Special occasions like Christmas call for a special dish like beef mechado. As the name suggests, mechado features beef stewed in tomatoes, carrots, onions. The dish is inspired by a Spanish style of cooking with “mecha” meaning “wick” in Spanish. It uses beef chunks with “wicks” of fats called lardons. This makes it tender as it melts during the cooking process. The traditional way of cooking mechado involves inserting strips of fat to avoid drying. However, the more modern versions include using a different kind of meat such as chicken, beef ribs, and even fish.
Cooking mechado might take you some time because you need time to simmer the beef. If you have time to spare, allot 90 minutes to prepare this. It might take some time to prepare this, but it’s definitely worth the wait. Cooking it with the correct process will bring out the natural flavors of the beef- one that would truly feel like it’s a Christmas feast.
Get the full Filipino recipe from Panlasang Pinoy
7. Bibingka
Now it’s time to add a true Christmas delicacy to the table. Bibingka or Filipino coconut rice cake is a staple eat for anyone this holiday season. You will find bibingka in almost anywhere, from streets to restaurants, eaten by the young and old. Moreover, you can see bibingka stalls near a church during dawn masses or Simbang gabi. Bibingka and its partner puto bumbong (Sticky rice cake) are the ultimate signs that the holidays are here.
Even Filipinos living abroad crave to eat this during this time of the year. Bibingka consists of milled glutinous rice (galapong), coconut milk, margarine, and sugar. Salted egg sits on top together with coconut shavings and on other versions, along with cheese. The steam cooks its top and bottom using a traditional clay pot. Preparation however may take some time.
Get the full Filipino recipe from Panlasang Pinoy
8. Leche Flan
Leche flan or custard creme Filipino style is an all-time favorite dessert for any fun and festive celebration. It’s rich and creamy consistency with a golden caramel topping is something guests will find hard to resist. You can never go wrong with it as it is a true winner on every occasion. This is the ultimate treat for anyone with a sweet tooth. Moreover, leche flan is a product made with love because of the time you invest in doing it. It has several phases that entail steaming, caramelizing, and cooling off. The ingredients include egg yolks, sugar, evaporated milk, condensed milk, vanilla extract, key lime, and the metal containers called llanera.
Get the full recipe from Kawaling Pinoy
At Home this Christmas
With the holiday season now just around the corner, preparing your Christmas menu as early as now will save you from the hassle of rush or panic buying. It will allow you to plan your dishes more thoroughly and score the best ingredients. Your kitchen will surely get hectic with all the cooking and preparing this season. Therefore, make sure to ready your kitchen as early as possible. Celebrate this once-a-year festivity at home with the company of your family and friends. Treat them to one unforgettable feast to celebrate this joyous occasion.
In this time of a pandemic, celebrating Christmas inside the comforts of your home would be your best option. Keep it safe and small bearing in mind the safety and wellbeing of each attendee. Despite the challenging times, we find creative ways to celebrate and spend time with others. The food from the above list is available for delivery. Expect the dish right at the doorsteps of your loved ones. Subsequently, you will be able to share the spirit of Christmas even while you are apart.
Start preparing your condo for the holiday season. If you’re looking for an affordable condo in Batangas, you can check one of Camella Manor’s resort-themed condo found in Lipa, Batangas. The province of Batangas offers a good balance of the urban and subruban living. Furthermore, real estate investment in Lipa holds a bright future due to the city’s promising growth. Lipa City has a vibrant economic forecast with the presence of a thriving Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) industry, call centers, and other IT related firms. Moreover, the city is one of the Top 10 cyber growth corridor in the Philippines in the recent years.
Spend Christmas with Filipino Recipes at Camella Manors Lipa
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