Philippine Cooking Ingredients
Philippine Ingredient Substitutions
Vegetables
Alogbati - Malabar spinach
Ampalaya - bitter melon
Dahon ng sili - chili pepper leaves
Gabi - taro
Kabute - fungus
Kamote - sweet potatoes
Kamoteng Kahoy - cassava
Kangkong - swamp cabbage
Labanos - white radish
Labong - bamboo shoots
Malunggay - horseradish tree
Munggo - mung beans
Pechay - bok choi
Puso ng Saging - Banana blossoms
Sigarilyas - winged bean
Singkamas - Jicama
Sitaw - string beans
Talong - egg plant
Toge - bean sprouts
Ube - purple yam
Upo - winter melon
Fruits
Atis - Sweetsop (sugar apple?)
Bayabas - Guava
Balimbing - Carambola
Cacao -
Chico - ?
Mangga - Mango
Papaya
Saging
Sampalok - Tamarind
Tubo - Sugar Cane
Spices
Atsuete - Annatto
Kinchay - Asian celerey
Luya - fresh ginger
Murang sibuyas - spring onions
Sili - chili peppers
Tanglad - lemon grass
Here are some ingredients or types of foods that only Filipinos could love. :-)
Gulaman - agar-agar
Bagoong - fermented small shrimps or anchovies
Dilis
Lumpia WrapperItlog na Maalat - salted eggs
Pancit - Philippine pastas
Patis - condiment made from fish drippings
Balut - embryonated duck eggs
Goto - tripe
Tainga ng Baboy - pig ears
Pata - pig hocks and pig feet
Achara-pickled fruits or vegetables served as a relish with grated green papaya or sauerkraut.
Achuete or Achiote-annatto seeds used to give food a reddish color. Seeds are soaked in water to extract the color. Usually available in bottles in most supermarkets or Hispanic food stores.
Adobo-a generic term of cooking meat, fish or vegetables in garlic, vinegar, soy sauce and pepper. It is the name of the dish as well as the style of cooking.
Alimasag-a variety of crab with large pincers.
Apritada-meat dish with tomato sauce and vegetables; a Spanish-influenced dish.
Arroz-Spanish word for "rice."
Asado-a meat dish cooked with romatoes, onions and other seasonings.
Baboy-Tagalog term for "pork" or "pig."
Bagoong-salty, fermented sauce or paste made from small shrimps or fish, used as an accompaniment to main dishes; also known as ancovy sauce. It is available regular or sauteed.
Bistek-beefsteak.
Buko-a young coconut.
Calamansi-a small limelike fruit found in the tropics. Lemon is the best substitute.
Caldereta-goat-meat stew.
Camaron rebosado-shelled shrimps (with tail on) dipped in a batter and deep fried.
Cassava-an edible, starchy root used in making bread or tapioca.
Chicharon-crisp fried pork rind or skin.
Chorizo de Bilbao-Spanish sausage used for flavoring dishes.
Dilis-long-jawed anchovy.
Embutido-ground meat roll, usually made with ground pork stuffed with ham, pickles, eggs and raisins.
Empanada-meat turnover with ground beef, chopped olives, raisins and a slice of hardboiled egg.
Empanadita-small turnover with honey and nuts.
Ensalda-Spanish term for "salad."
Escabeche-fish in sweet-and-sour sauce.
Estofado-stewed meat dish cooked with vinegar, sugar and other spices.
Frito-Tagalog term for "fried."
Flan-custard made of milk and egg yolks.
Fritada-see Apritada.
Gallina-Spanish word for "chicken."
Gata-Tagalog word for "coconut milk."
Ginataan-method of cooking food in coconut milk.
Guisado-Tagalog word for "sauteed."
Hamon-Tagalog spelling of the Spanish word for ham (jamon).
Inihaw-Tagalog term for "charcoal-broiled."
Kangkong-green, smooth-leafed vegetable native to the Philipines. It has a flavor that is milder than spinach and a texture similar to watercress.
Kare-Kare-Philippine meat-vegetable stew with ox tail, beef or tripe, eggplant, banana buds and other vegetables cooked in peanut sauce and ground toasted rice
Kawali-Tagalog word for "snails."
Kutsay-Tagalog word for "leeks."
Labong-Tagalog word for "bamboo shoots."
Leche flan-leche is the Spanish word for milk; a milk and egg yolk custard.
Lechon-roast suckling pig.
Lengua-Spanish word for "tongue."
Lomo-Beef loin
Longaniza-native sausage.
Lumpia-Philippine egg rolls
Manok-Tagalog word for "chicken."
Mechado-meat into which long strips of fat have been inserted, then simmered in tomato sauce and spices.
Menudo-diced pork and liver stew with vegetables
Merienda-afternoon tea.
Miki-rice noodle.
Misua or Miswa-threadlike wheat noodle; a vermicelli
Misu-soybean paste
Mongo-mung beans.
Morcon-beef meat roll stuffed with eggs, ham, pickles and sausages.
Nilaga-Tagalog word for "boiled."
Paksiw-fish or meat cooked in vinegar, garlic and hot cooking peppers.
Pansit-noodle dish.
Pastillas-sweets in the form of little bars made of milk and sugar, with or without nuts.
Patis-very salty, amber-colored, thin liquid extract from salted and fermented seafood (usually fish). Very similar to the Vietnamese nuoc mam and the Thai nampla, which may be substituted.
Pesa-fish or meat dish with vegetables simmered with fresh ginger.
Pipino-Tagalog for "cucumber."
Pochero-dish of boiled beef, chicken, dumplings and vegetables, which is similar to the Spanish cocida.
Pusit-Tagalog word for "squid."
Puto-steamed rice cake.
Relleno-Spanish word for "stuffed;" used for any stuffed dish.
Salabat-ginger tea.
Sili-long green cooking pepper.
Sinigang-sour soup dish of meat or fish with vegetables, seasoned with tomatoes, onions and lemon juice.
Siomai-dumplings
Sitao-string beans, a yard-long bean.
Sotanghon-transparent bean noodles; also known as cellophane noodles.
Sugpo-giant tiger prawn.
Talaba-Tagalog term for "oyster."
Talong-Tagalog term for "eggplant."
Tapa-dried meat cured with salt and vinegar.
Tausi-black soy beans, salted and fermented.
Tinola-fish or meat dish flavored with ginger.
Togue-bean sprout.
Tokwa-soy bean cake.
Tulya-freshwater clams.
Ubod-hearts of palm.
Upo-Philippine gourd.
Yema-Spanish for "egg yolk."
Philippino Ingredient Substitutes
Achuete, atsuete, 1 tbsp ..... 1/8 tsp. red food coloring or (used in pancit molo) ..... 2 tsp paprika
Bulaklak ng saging .... dried lily blossoms available at most Chinese stores
Chorizo de Bilbao .... Pepperoni, garlic sausage or oxford sausage
Gabi ..... Yam
Kalamansi ..... Lime or Lemon
Kamias ..... Lemon juice or rhubarb
Kangkong ...... Watercress or spinach
Labanos ..... Red or white radish
isua ...... Very fine noodles (vermicelli)
Singkamas ....... Turnips
Talbos ng Ampalaya ...... Watercress or spinach
Talbos ng sili ..... Spinach