Sinigang na Ulo ng Salmon (Salmon's Head in Tamarind-Soured Broth)

2 tbsp cooking oil
4 plum tomatoes, sliced
2 small red onions, sliced
thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced and smashed
3 pcs siling labuyo (bird's eye chilis), chopped
4-5 pcs of tamarind broth cubes (or 1 packet of the powdered stuff)
1 1/2 liters water (I usually just eyeball it)
6 pcs siling mahaba/pansigang (long green chilis)
3/4 c daikon radish, sliced
3/4 c string beans, sliced into 1-inch pcs
1 salmon's head, chopped into 6-8 pieces
2 handfuls of kangkong (swamp cabbage) leaves

Saute the siling labuyo, tomatoes, and onions in oil. After a couple of minutes, melt the broth cubes in the mixture; add water and bring to a boil. Throw in the vegetables, except the kangkong, and bring to a boil again. Add the salmon pieces, cook covered until done. Add the kangkong leaves and remove from fire after 2 minutes.

Spaghetti Puttanesca

400 g spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
drizzle of olive oil
4 pcs bird's eye chilis (siling labuyo), seeded and chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
3 pinky-sized canned anchovies
handful of black pitted olives, sliced (you can also buy the sliced kind)
1 regular can of diced or crushed tomatoes (you can also use peeled whole canned tomatoes, but the squashed version saves you the bicep workout)
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of sugar

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the chilis first if you want a more intense kick to the sauce (if not, add them after the tomatoes). Saute the garlic, then add the anchovies, mash and smash in the pan. Some people like to wash the anchovies in milk to take the salty edge off; I don't bother. Put in the olives, then the tomatoes. Cook for a couple minutes, season to taste. Add the pasta, heat through and serve (some freshly grated parmesan would be great with this, but I didn't have any in stock). Andiamo a mangiare!

Fishball Sauce, Street-Style

1/2 c white vinegar
1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 c water
1 1/2 tbsp flour, dissolved in 1/4 c water
3 bird's eye chilis (siling labuyo), minced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and water in a small sauce pan. Add the chilis and garlic; allow to boil. Pour in the dissolved flour and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Serve with crispy fried fishballs.

Fidel

1/2 k ground pork or beef
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium potatoes, diced in small pieces
1 small pack tomato sauce (preferably the sweet Filipino-style variety)
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 small pack mixed frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)
1 30 g pack of raisins
salt to taste
sugar to taste
3 eggs
5 pcs saba (cooking bananas), diced in small pieces
1/4 cup oil

Make some hardboiled eggs! The fool-proof way to do it is to take the eggs, cover with enough water, let the water boil - and once it does, turn off the heat and wait 20 minutes. Pefect hard boiled eggs all the time, except in high altitudes (best to let them simmer under low heat 20 minutes after boiling in that case). When cool, unshell the eggs and slice cross-wise, preferably with an egg slicer thinger.

Heat the oil and saute garlic and onions. Add the ground meat and allow to sear; cook until almost done. Add in the potatoes, mix well and lower heat. When potatoes are almost tender, pour in the tomato sauce and the soy sauce; season to taste. Add the mixed vegetables and the raisins, mix well, simmer for a few minutes and remove from heat.

While the meat is cooking, fry the diced banana in cooking oil, in batches, until golden brown and crunchy. Drain well and set aside.

Top the meat mixture with diced banana and serve with a side of hardboiled eggs. Viva a la Cubana!

Munggo a la Cebu

1/4 k dried munggo (mung beans), washed and sorted
5 c water
2 tbsp oil
1 small red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, pounded
3 small plum tomatoes, sliced
2 slices ginger, julienned
1/4 c dried dulong
3 pcs. Knorr shrimp cubes
1/4 c water
1/2 c coconut cream/milk (gata)
1 small eggplant, cut into bite-sized strips
2 handfuls of ampalaya leaves (bitter gourd tendrils)
patis (fish sauce) to taste
handful of dried shredded squid
2 tbsp oil

Boil the munggo in water until soft. Set aside.

In a big wok or Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp of oil and saute the garlic, onion, ginger and tomatoes. Add the dried dulong, mix well. Melt the shrimp cubes into the mixture, put in the sliced eggplant and continue to saute for a few minutes. Add in the cooked munggo and 1/4 c water. Cover and allow to boil; add the gata when the eggplant is tender. Season with patis. Finally, add in the ampalaya leaves and simmer for a couple of minutes.

In a separate frying pan, heat 2 tbsp oil and pan fry the dried shredded squid until golden brown. Serve on top of the munggo. Kaon ta!

Pinoy-Style Plebeian Spaghetti

For the sauce:

4 tbsp oil
1/2 k ground round
6 hotdogs, diced
1 head garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
3/4 c banana ketchup
1 small can liver spread (Reno is best)
2 small packs tomato sauce (Pinoy style is good)
1/4 c condensed milk
salt
pepper
sugar
water or broth
1/4 c diced carrots (optional)
1/4 c sliced mushrooms (optional)

For the noodles:

400 g spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package directions

Sweat the ground round in the oil, move to the side of the pan and add in hotdogs. Saute the garlic and onion until fragrant. Add in the carrots and mushrooms; then mix in the ketchup, tomato sauce, and a little water or broth if sauce is too thick. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and sugar. Simmer; add in the liver spread, follow with condensed milk. Keep adjusting seasoning, cook til done. Serve with lots of love and toasted bread.