Filipino Street Foods

It is easy to spot street food vendors; where there are churches, schools, recreational parks, or jeepney terminals, you will also see kiosks, makeshift stalls, or food carts. In suburbs, you will see vendors or hawkers with their bicycles or push carts almost everywhere. Street food is a way of life for many people in this part of the globe. It is a source of income for many Filipino families—some vendors testified that their street food businesses enable them to send their children to school. For students and working adults looking for inexpensive meal, street food satisfy them for just half-the price of a meal in any popular fast-food restaurant.

Instead of dining in a restaurant for an authentic Filipino dish, why not go out in the street and have a quick bite. There is nothing more authentic than those food in the streets—untouched with the modern culinary flair. You will not only get to enjoy the food, but you get to join the locals who are eating with much gusto.

Banana Cue

Deep-friend Saba (banana) that is coated in caramelized brown sugar and skewered in bamboo stick. It is best to eat it while hot.

Fish balls, squid balls and chicken balls

Some of the delicious deep-fried balls you can find in the streets. Fish balls are made of finely pulverized fish meats. It is usually flat in shape. Squid balls and chicken balls are some of its recent variation. Typically, the balls are eaten by dunking it into your preferred sauce: spicy vinegar, sweet and sour sauce, or sweet gravy.

 

Kikiam

A Filipino version of the Chinese quekiam; made of ground pork and vegetables wrapped in bean curd sheets. It is deep-fried to perfection and served with your choice of sauce.

Kwek kwek and tokneneng

Hard-boiled eggs dipped in orangey batter and fried until crispy. Kwek kwek use quail eggs while Tokneneng use chicken eggs.

Siomai

Steamed dumplings, originally a Chinese dim sum, made with pork, beef, or shrimp. For just 25 pesos or less, don’t expect it to taste like those in the Dim sum house or restaurant.

                                                          Taho

Soybean snack with sweet syrup and tapioca pearls.

 

 

 

Arroz caldo and goto

Rice porridge similar to Chinese congee with ginger and some herbs. Arroz caldo has chicken and egg while goto has beef tripe.

Batchoy

Noodle soup with pork innards or chicken meat, pork cracklings and vegetables

 

Chicharon

Filipino cracklings made from different parts of the chicken and pig, seasoned, and deep-fried. These include chicken skin (crispy chicken skin), chicharong baboy (cracklings from pork rind), chicharong bituka (crispy, deep-fried chicken and pork intestines), and chicharong bulaklak (cracklings from pork omentum).

 

Barbecue

Marinated chicken and pork skewered and grilled over hot charcoal. Other grilled food includes adidas (chicken feet), betamax (dried chicken or pork blood), helmet (chicken head), isaw (chicken intestines), and pwet ng manok (chicken ass)

                                         Halo-halo

A Filipino dessert made with a mixture of shaved ice, evaporated milk, and assorted ingredients like beans, macapuno, jackfruit, gulaman, tapioca pearls, sweet potato, corn, and nata de coco. It is then topped with leche flan or purple yam. Halo-halo in restaurants would typically include a scoop of icecream on it

 

Calamares

  Deep-fried breaded squid rings

Kakanin

This is a Filipino term for a variety of rice recipes. Some of the popular kakanin you will see in the streets are:

Puto: Rice cakes that comes in variety of colors, sometimes topped with cheese
Suman: Steamed glutinous rice, wrapped in banana or coconut leaves
Bibingka: Glutinous rice grilled in a clay pot
Palitaw: Sticky snack made from glutinous rice, served with sesame seeds and grated coconut
Sapin-sapin: Colorful, layered rice cake made from glutinous rice, topped with grated coconut or toasted coconut milk curd
Biko: Dark sweet glutinous rice cake
Maja blanca: Cocounut cake

                         

Day-old Chicks

This is literally a one-day-old male chicks. They are deep-fried, served with spicy vinegar and eaten whole.

 

Balut

Saving the best for last is the balut It is a hard-boiled three-week old duck egg, high in protein, and believed to be aphrodisiac. It is very notorious because of how it look, with its nearly-formed embryo. The proper way of eating balut is to suck the amniotic fluid first before peel it off to eat the chick and the yolk.

There is no glamour eating street foods, but why seek for glamour when you want fun and adventure. Your palate may not be the same again once you have tasted the Filipino street foods. As double-dipping is very common especially for fish balls, a little piece of safety advice: request for a separate plastic cup instead for your choice of dip. Vendors usually keep a separate bottle for their sauces. Also, be watchful on how vendors prepare and cook their food.

Top 5 Food For the Rainy Season

                    Rainy season is finally here. For a lot of people, it’s a sign that there will be more chances for them to stay at home and relax—granted there’s no repeat of Ondoy of course. But staying indoors while it’s raining outside has become such a luxury for a lot of people—especially those who have a normally hectic schedule—that sometimes you take an effort in figuring out exactly what you need to make the most out of the perfect ambiance at home. If you haven’t decided on what to prepare, here are top 5 comfort food that would be perfect for the rainy season.
 
1.Soup – yes, we’ve all had soup before our meals, and some of us don’t like it because we get full easily. But when it comes to fully enjoying the time indoors with the sound of the gentle rain outside, we don’t mind sitting down with a bowl or two of delicious soup. But it shouldn’t be merely broth. If you want something delicious and filling, Minestrone and Chicken Sopas would be perfect. These are fairly easy to make, plus you have everything that you need in one bowl. Pasta, meat, vegetables—all in one steaming, delicious bowl. Now you just have to figure out how you’re going to eat this and lie on the couch at the same time.
 
2.Chips and Dip – ah, yes. No hassle in preparation with this one. All you have to do is buy the biggest bag of chips you can find and whip up an easy but delicious dip and you’re all set. One of the easiest dips to do is the cheesy garlic dip. All you have to do is get a big tub of Cheez Whiz and heat it, splash a bit of milk, and pour in garlic powder to your heart’s content. I assure you, it is awesome—and perfect for any kind of chips you prefer.

3.Sinigang – a staple in the Filipino cuisine, sinigang will always be included in any top 5 food lists. Whether it’s sinigang na hipon, bangus, or baboy, the hot and sour broth is perfect in contrast with the cold weather. Plus it’s even better when shared with someone.
 
4.Ice cream – who said you can only eat ice cream during summer? Contrary to popular belief, ice cream is best enjoyed during the rainy season, especially if you’re huddled closely in your blanket or Snuggie. When you’re feeling warm on the inside because of your Snuggie, somehow it’s good to counteract it by eating ice cream. But whatever reason we all have, only one thing is sure. Ice cream is a great comfort food, regardless of the weather.

5.Champorado – another favorite merienda when we were kids, champorado remains one of the favorites to enjoy during the rainy season. It’s hot, sweet, and it’s chocolate! Everything you need to make you feel comfortable and happy when you’re indoors enjoying a quiet time watching TV. Plus, there are a number of things you can enjoy champorado with. Some like it with tuyo because of the contrasting taste, while there are others who love it best when it’s topped with grated cheddar cheese. As for more traditional people like me, a generous serving of champorado with evaporated milk is enough to make me happy.