Filipino cuisine is composed of the hundreds of ethnolinguistic groups and regions in the Philippines. There are also different elements of cuisine that originate from neighbouring countries and influences from countries such as Spain and America.

Here are 5 unique Filipino dishes you should try when traveling to the Philippines or to try at home to expand your recipe books!

5. Kare Kare or Oxtail Stew

While kare kare is quite popular and traditional, it is still considered a unique dish based on its key ingredients. Kare kare or oxtail stew is a rich stew that is usually made with oxtail or beef. The secret ingredient that makes the dish so rich and unique is the peanut sauce. People tend to use peanut butter or mashed peanuts in the dish to provide that rich flavour. This unique dish is often served on a bed of white rice and “bagoong” or fermented shrimp paste on the side to provide the dish with another layer of flavour. Only small portions of this paste should be used at a time as it quite strong.

When visiting the Philippines, there are several restaurants that serve this delicious dish that you must try! Some restaurants in Manila are Oini Authentic Kapampangan Cuisine, Alta by Relik, and Ombu Kusina all putting their own twist and style to the dish. All provide a different price, depending on the restaurant’s style, so check out each website to see which best fits your budget.

For a full view of how to create this delicious dish at home, click here to find a full recipe or watch this quick and easy tutorial.

4. Dinuguan or Blood Stew

Dinuguan is also known as blood stew or chocolate meat. This savoury dish gets its name of blood pudding since it is made of diced pork, pork blood, and various spices. When the blood is cooked, it turns into a brownish colour which resembles chocolate.

The main ingredients to the stew are pig’s blood, bite-sized pieces of pork, vinegar, garlic, onions, and chili peppers. This dish is usually cooked with pork belly; however, many use various pig parts such as intestines, heart, lungs and kidneys. Others also enjoy using different types of meat such as chicken or beef.

If you are eating this dish as a meal, the best way to eat dinuguan is on a bed of steamed white rice. If you choose to eat it as a midday snack, Filipinos tend to enjoy the dish with a side of puto rice cakes that is used to dip and soak the sauce of the dish. Puto is a versatile Filipino food that can be eaten as a side, snack, or desert. Click here to follow a quick and easy recipe to make puto at home.

Watch the following video and recipe by Tastemade to see how you can make this dish in the comfort of your own home!

3. Sisig

Similar to dinuguan, this dish is made of various parts of the pig, most importantly the pig head. This dish is often served as an appetizer, side dish, or a snack paired with alcoholic drinks, especially beer, which is known as “pulutan” in the Philippines.

The traditional ingredients for sisig are pig snout, ears, tongue and brain and even sometimes includes the liver. There are adaptations to the recipe by using fish, chicken, or lechon (roasted pig). The protein included in the dish is diced and mixed in with onions, chili peppers and adding a citrus component, preferably calamansi.

Sisig is a popular dish, so you won’t have any trouble finding a restaurant that serves it when you visit the Philippines. One of the best places to get a taste of this dish is at Manam’s House Crispy Sisig for only P135 which converts to about $3.50 CAD.  

To try this dish as home, you can follow this video or check out this step by step recipe that provides a Filipino-American twist to sisig!

2. Ginataang Puso ng Saging or Coconut Stew with Banana Heart

A less popular, but just as flavourful dish, is coconut stew with banana heart. It is a creamy and unique dish that can be a side dish or transformed into a main dish by adding protein such as diced pork, grilled meat or fish. The main ingredient to achieve the creaminess of the dish is a spicy coconut sauce, which is indicated in the name of the dish by the word “ginataang”, meaning cooked or stewed in coconut milk.

Adding various proteins is not necessarily essential to the dish because banana hearts are actually an excellent meat alternative. Similar to meat alternatives such as tofu, the banana heart absorbs the flavours of the spices and ingredients you cook with it, so you can make the banana heart resemble meats such as pulled pork or chicken.

Try this savoury dish at home by following this recipe!

1. Papaitan Ilocano

This dish is most popular in the Ilocano region. It is a stew that usually includes cow or goat innards. Papaitan is derived from the Filipino word “pait” which means bitter. The bitterness of the dish come from the bile of either the goat or the cow and it is the bitter juice that is extracted from the gallbladder which helps the animal in their process of digestion.

This dish is best served with a side of white rice and a squeeze of calamansi juice if you are planning to have it as your main dish, but it can also be eaten as a snack or pulutan. It should also be noted that this dish is an acquired taste so when trying it for the first time, go in with an open mind; you might not like it right away!

A restaurant to visit while in the Philippines that offers this dish is Mang Rudy’s Tuna Grill & Papaitan. Papaitan is a specialty dish they offer and is one of their best sellers.

Here is a recipe to follow if you want to try it out at home!

When travelling to the Philippines, have an open mind and you will be pleasantly surprised with the flavours you will experience!

Contact me if you have any questions about these dishes or if you recommend any others that you think everyone must try!