#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Philippine Forum >  >  Filipino food, the grim, the ok and the fab

## WujouMao

As was noted on the 'Downtown Cetu' topic, a couple of us we mentioning the lovely Kinilaw [pronounced kini lao]. 

As i didnt want the food or any other food recipes to be lost in the topic, i thought i make a topic about filipino food, and yes, this might be rather a small topic as filipino food is beyond rank, with only a small smattering a nice food. 

If Ceburat would like to try making Kinilaw, please post your pic in here for all to see.

Anyway, as i was about to edit my last post in my other topic, thought i paste in back here instead.


I'm looking through this cooking book and trying to at least find the vis on youtube. Not having much luck. 

Papaya Ensalada - [all i found on youtube was in spanish]

1 half ripe papaya, peeled and cubed
half k. squid, cubed

Dressing
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soya oil
1 small onion
1 thumb size ginger, chopped
1 tbsp. sugar
pinch of salt
pepper to taste

1. blanch the squid. Drain and set aside [blanch?]
2. place the squid in a bowl and add papaya. Add the dressing and toss.
3. To prepare the dressing: Blend all the ingredients until smooth.  Strain further with a cheesecloth to remove large bits of the  ingredients, 'or a sieve if you're a westerner'   

Still like to look at a picture to see what its meant to look like but seems ok. Maybe transfer this to a cooking topic instead



I have just remembered, i met a girl a few years ago who bought some lovely sweet pineapple with a bag of white crystal. I ask her what it was and it turned out to to be salt. SALT for heavens sake!!

Anyhow i tried it and quickly spat it out. It was like battery acid. Do Thai's eat pineapple like this or its just the Filipinos?

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## Bung

Should there not be some kind of warning in the title not to open this thread if you are eating your lovely Thai food breakfast, lunch or dinner?  :Smile:

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## Stinky

The foulest of foul has to be balut, a fertilised and semi formed duck or chicken eaten raw.  :Puke: 


Pinoys lap this shit up.

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## WujouMao

> The foulest of foul has to be balut, a fertilised and semi formed duck or chicken eaten raw. 
> 
> 
> Pinoys lap this shit up.


Ive had it many a time, just never taken pics of it. To be honest, if you really want to put people off, find another picture cos that just looks like a meat ball

The 1st thing i'll do is marry a filipina and try and make balut in England without the RSPCA behaving like little girls

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## Stinky

I thought it looked more like a testicle

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## WujouMao

> I thought it looked more like a testicle


Well, never had a bollock sitting in view like that. I guess you have seen more 'bizarre foods' or Man vs Wild than me then

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## Stinky

How about this beauty

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## WujouMao

LOL, i just saw this a min ago on cebu-food. I just couldnt be bothered to save it and upload it to photobucket

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## misskit

^ I ate balut in the darkness of a bar. It was disgusting.

Now that I have seen a photo of it in the light, YUCK. Would never have eaten that thing.

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## WujouMao

I think i seriously have to look around and take negative pictures of filipino food when i next go back. Go back? but i've only been back a week. Feels like i have never left. 

There is seriously some awful food there and the food courts just sells the same fatty crap.

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## Stinky

^^
I'm sure youve had worse in your mouth  :Wink:

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## WujouMao

> ^^
> I'm sure youve had worse in your mouth


Istoryahe!!

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## Airportwo

I lived in the PI from 81 - 84 so know what Philipine food is like  :Sad: 
I have attemted to explain to people how bad it is at various times, one way of getting it accross to them is ask them how many Philipine restaurants they have seen elswhere in the world? there aint none, or very few.........

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## WujouMao

> I lived in the PI from 81 - 84 so know what Philipine food is like 
> I have attemted to explain to people how bad it is at various times, one way of getting it accross to them is ask them how many Philipine restaurants they have seen elswhere in the world? there aint none, or very few.........


And as quoted in my Lonely Planet, this perplexes the Filipinos cos they think Filipino food is the best in the world.

I actually pasted a filipino restaurant in London as few years back on the way to the British Museum

This isnt Filipino food, but it was just an example i showed to my ex a few months ago. She thought it looked GRIM!!! and then she tucks into fried chicken and rice for breakfast. I know what i'll have.





^ Now tell me, that does look better than any filipino food right? ^

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## phomsanuk

UGG!!!!!

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## Stinky

This looks good what is it squid?

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## WujouMao

^ its squid rings and little eggs, but dont get your hopes up. I'll say it again, its not Filipino food. Its Malay food from UO shopping centre in Chinatown, KL

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## Stinky

I eat a lot of squid, its quick easy tasty and cheap, one of my favourite meals is a stinging hot kapow with squid.

I'll have a go at making a kinaw later in the week and post up the pictures, I've been going mad for one all day long  :Smile:

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## WujouMao

I'll looked forward to the pictures. Also once my gas boiler is fixed, i'll be 'trying' to cook a few of those meals from my filipino book. Thing i wouldnt try to cook would be Dinuguang Albay

*would you like eat Kinilaw na guso [guso is seaweed]

Had this an hours away from Moalboal. Note how much vegetable there is.

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## bobo746

Was married to a filipina thank christ she could cook,other wise i would have dropped dead from a heart attack,they deep fry everything.Although caldereta is a good feed.

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## Stinky

^^
Lechon baboy chop chop  :Smile:

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## bobo746

Sinigang - The filo's use fish heads but with prawns it's a good meal.

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## sabang

I've got no problem with crispy pata, pata tim, adobo, lechon, sinigang, or the basic fried noodles. Their veges are boring, and they totally overcook fish. I ate OK there.

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## Bung

Still waiting for the fab  :Smile:

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## Davis Knowlton

Fortunately, my Filipina wife is a chef. They have some great seafood here, and, unlike most, she knows how to prepare it. Also have great pork, with the same caveat as above. Fantastic fruit, much like LOS; I can go out to my garden and pick bananas, mangoes, papaya, lime, etc. The raw materials here aren't too bad, they just can't cook. And I do eat pineapple with salt.

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## Thai Pom

The Jamaican Patties are great  :Smile:

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## sabang

> And I do eat pineapple with salt.


Same here. It's quite commonly served with salt and dried chilli in Thailand.
Much better than serving it with refined sugar anyhow.

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## forreachingme

SISIG is a common bar food (pulutan) going along with a beer...

Served on a sizzling hot plate, it is mainly the greasy skin of the pork head

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## forreachingme

PAPAITAN is another disgusting intestine and scrap meat recipe

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## sabang

We just put our 'disgusting' offal in things like sausages, pies etc and presto, it's not 'disgusting' any more.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 

Isaan pig guts salad is not part of my diet, but quite popular with the yokels.

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## MANICHAEAN

The usual nonsense from misskit. Balut are fine, just swallow them baby! I normally add a dash of fish sauce & have it with a San Miguel beer. In the provinces where I live, it is also not uncommon to eat: dog & bush rat.

There are also many excellent & more conventional dishes like: milk fish, tilapia, lechon, & kari-kari (utilizing the heart of the banana)

Salamat po
               M.

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## WujouMao

> Still waiting for the fab


Well that would be the kinilaw as mentioned in the other topic




> And I do eat pineapple with salt.


Is that cos you have been in the Philippines for a long time and are accustomed to the salty food, or you ate it like that in other countries incl your home pad




> In the provinces where I live, it is  also not uncommon to eat: dog & bush rat.


I've had dog in Kalinga and i didn't suffer from a bout of food poisoning like i did in Cambodia

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## terry57

Funny, there food is shit but there woman are hot little fukers.

Something has to come out of the pines I suppose.

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## misskit

> The usual nonsense from misskit.


Any particular reason my comment is "the usual nonsense" and not the men's who think balut is nasty?

You seem to be the only one who thinks it is nice.

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## WujouMao

> Originally Posted by MANICHAEAN
> 
> The usual nonsense from misskit.
> 
> 
> Any particular reason my comment is "the usual nonsense" and not the men's who think balut is nasty?
> 
> You seem to be the only one who thinks it is nice.


Well, my 1st time i ate one was in 2006 with my ex, ate it with the lights off, all was going well till the last mouthful, something was going on in my head, like if you were a kid with an apple and you occidentally had a pip in your mouth with your apple, you just couldn't swallow it. Same for this last piece, it was a leg or wing bone. I kept swallowing it, and it came up again, 3 times it failed to go down.

Thankfully, sweaty brow and 5 mins later, i had a nice San mig in my hand. I vowed never again. 

I certainly wouldnt try it when drunk, although a little bit tipsy gives you Dutch courage. Very drunk could make you gag.

In the end, its just a steamed egg with a bit of feather here and there.

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## alwarner

the food sounds disgusting.

apart from kinilaw,which sounds like raw fish - which is disgusting.

the biscuits and milk and fanta (from another thread) sounds worse than that.

can these people at least bbq a chicken???

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## sabang

> can these people at least bbq a chicken???


Very well indeed, The fried chicken can be very good too.

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## Stinky

> can these people at least bbq a chicken???


Yes they can grill a mean chicken and baby pig, the pig is really good.

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## WujouMao

> Originally Posted by alwarner
> 
> can these people at least bbq a chicken???
> 
> 
> Yes they can grill a mean chicken and baby pig, the pig is really good.


Like this


Fancy some fat cooked in fat?

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## Stinky

Yes that's a goodun  :Smile:

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## bobo746

I've never been crook eating filo food,plus you can wash it down with san mig which is extreamly good beer.

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## Davis Knowlton

Wujou: First started eating fruit with salt whan I lived in LOS, prior to moving to the PI.

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## terry57

> The food sounds disgusting.


Don't sound too flash if one has a cholesterol problem, is there a reason they don't have great food like Thailand. ?

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## Davis Knowlton

^It's strange. They have all of the same basic ingredients. Guess they just can't cook. And they all have high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

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## bobo746

^ Do you go for the green mangos & salt DK ??

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## terry57

> They all have high cholesterol and high blood pressure.


Its know wonder considering all the animal fat they consume, fuk that for a joke, the shit in that wok looks like a score of dogs arseholes.

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## Davis Knowlton

^^Yep. With a bit of Thai chili mixed in. Pick the green mangoes right from the garden.

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## ceburat

Balut is the most disgusting food ever.

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## WujouMao

> ^ Do you go for the green mangos & salt DK ??


i always thought it was sugar in the bag. Its been such a long time i cant remember. Anyhow i went back to Malapascua again this year for my birthday and there was this French guy up at Sunspalsh tasting the green mango with salt. He didnt seem to like it, but the girls did.

I asked them if they had any red chilli and sugar. Mixed up some, and gave that to the french guy. He commented on it being rather hot, but tasted better than the salt.




> ^It's strange. They have all of the same  basic ingredients. Guess they just can't cook. And they all have high  cholesterol and high blood pressure.


I had been going from Manila, downwards through S.Luzon, Leyte and Mindanao stopping off in most towns and searching for Halal food as 1: no pork so no fat. 2, lots of veg or fruit  and 3, spicy. 

The Bicol region of Luzon was naturally spicy in most food, [still wasn't Thai flavoured spicy but it was better than nowt]. Wasnt till i got to CDO i fell in love with Kinilaw.

Tried to find Kinilaw in cebu, which i did, but it was made of pork!!!. uncooked pork, you are fucking kidding me.

Anyhow, if you're in Manila and you want spicy food, hop over to the Golden Mosque. There's lots of Muslim restaurants there and by god they are spicy. And cheap too.

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## MANICHAEAN

On the drinks front I like the local "Tanduray" rum, but have abstained from the local gin as there is a dearth of tonic except in Manila. The "Red Horse" beer, much too strong.

Bicol food is more spicy/hot than elsewhere, especially the "Bicol Express." Mind you they say the same regards Bicol ladies!

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## WujouMao

> On the drinks front I like the local "Tanduray" rum, but have abstained from the local gin as there is a dearth of tonic except in Manila. The "Red Horse" beer, much too strong.


As i quoted on the other topic, its the original wife beater material.

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## alwarner

> Originally Posted by Stinky
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by alwarner
> ...


no we're talking.  that looks great.

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## grenadE

I love filipino food.,my mom is half filipino and she use to cook those foods.

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## MANICHAEAN

Last time I was home, I'm sitting on the porch drinking my beer, when the wife starts laying out food & cigs on the shrine in the corner.

"No thanks darling, I'm not hungry & you know I dont smoke."

"Its not for you," she responds. "Its for the spirits & I'm going round the house & garden to call them up!"

I thought she had cracked, but was informed that it was All Souls Day and this was the custom.

Interesting overlay onto Catholicism!

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## WujouMao

> Last time I was home, I'm sitting on the porch drinking my beer, when the wife starts laying out food & cigs on the shrine in the corner.
> 
> &quot;No thanks darling, I'm not hungry & you know I dont smoke.&quot;
> 
> &quot;Its not for you,&quot; she responds. &quot;Its for the spirits & I'm going round the house & garden to call them up!&quot;
> 
> I thought she had cracked, but was informed that it was All Souls Day and this was the custom.
> 
> Interesting overlay onto Catholicism!


 I think it be better to make it a pond with a fountain in the middle. That's a much better idea.

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## MANICHAEAN

Knowing my lot, they would eat the goldfish!

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## WujouMao

> Knowing my lot, they would eat the goldfish!


Swap for Piranha

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## WujouMao

Well, i went down to my local Sainsburys and the only makeral they have is smoked. Nearest i could find to raw fish was tuna. Still looking for the pink fish like my photo but nearest to that would be the salmon but i dont know if you can eat that raw.

Anyhow, if you do decide to prepare it, dont leave it in the vinegar for too long. The girl in CDO bus station told me 5 hours. But mine tasted heavily of vinegar and not the fish, Dam it wasnt even spicy and i put 6 chilli in

Its deffo a learning curve. Just like the Japanese restaurant in KL which is manned by Indians, i can't prepare raw fish either

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## david44

A friend in Qatar asked us would we accompany him to  a Flipper restaurant as he was hoping to nibble one of the waitresses and needed a few colleagues to distract the competition.A welsh man warned it's the worst restaurant you'll ever go to ,but as he offered and did pick up the whole tab food and secret cocktails I agreed and it was the worst,and Ive been some grim places China Gateshead Brisbane
There used to be a place on Silom just west of Patpong awful muck ok margaritas

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## sabang

> mine tasted heavily of vinegar


What sort of vinegar did you use? They mostly use a palm vinegar in the Fil's, milder tasting than our vinegar. I prefer to dispense with the vinegar anyway, and just marinate in lime or lemon juice, like Sth American ceviche. You might be OK with a rice or cane vinegar though.

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## Stinky

> I prefer to dispense with the vinegar anyway, and just marinate in lime or lemon juice


 That's what I'd do too in the absence of coconut vinegar, our vinegar is just too harsh.

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## WujouMao

> Originally Posted by sabang
> 
>  I prefer to dispense with the vinegar anyway, and just marinate in lime or lemon juice
> 
> 
>  That's what I'd do too in the absence of coconut vinegar, our vinegar is just too harsh.


Well, if that what the cookbook says, she says and the recipes online did, then i'm sure they use vinegar for a reason. I used distilled malt vinegar. States on the bottle, good for marinate. 

The vinegar naturally nukes the fish to a cooked colour and kills any bacteria the fish might be carrying. But you're right, the vinegar was just to harsh. i might of well been drinking the stuff this morning. Gah, awful. had a furry mouth and tongue after that experience, and that was just one mouthful!

I'll shorten the time to 30 mins, and not put the whole bottle in [i soaked it rather than use the 1 cup i was told too]. I  forgot the lime. might go for some coconut milk as well, or try another fish or might give up and just cook my own style of spicy food akin to thailand/laos again.


Been looking on wiki. Sarsons Malt vinegar has a pH value of 2.4. Palm vinegar has a pH value between 5 and 6. Ill need more research me thinks

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## ceburat

See if you can find an Asian Food Store near you and buy Palm Vinegar. Most Asian Cookbooks mean Palm Vinegar even when they just say Vinegar.

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## sabang

> distilled malt vinegar


Well no wonder it tasted too strong. Sarsons is great on chips though.  :Smile: 
You'll have a much better result with a palm, sugar cane or even rice vinegar.

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## WujouMao

> See if you can find an Asian Food Store near you and buy Palm Vinegar. Most Asian Cookbooks mean Palm Vinegar even when they just say Vinegar.


Thanks you guys. There's an Asian shop in Peterborough and Cambridge who stocks better items than Sainsbury's ever will.

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## Mr Brown

A nation of over 7000 islands, when I was there I thought it was strange that Pork was the main fill not fish.

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## WujouMao

> A nation of over 7000 islands, when I was there I thought it was strange that Pork was the main fill not fish.


Rather more congealed pig fat from the night before rather than actual real pork meat.

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## WujouMao

Well these photos are a few weeks old, and prepared with rice vinegar instead. Japanese rice vinegar if you must know. Better than Sarsons but much better to taste the real deal in far flung CDO. Anyhow...



soaking for 5 mins


Finished result. I'm no cook and its the best i can muster.


And this is what i made today, Taramade sour soup. Just added what they asked for and long beans i choose runners. Quite nice too i thought. No patch on the Thai Tomyam, but still quite nice. Have the rest tomoz



My dish looks completely different to the cover. I didnt know what to serve it with so i opted for noodles instead of rice.

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## IceSpike

> Balut is the most disgusting food ever.


An acquired taste. Good for the yang.

I love chomping the crunchy little duck beaks.

The Pinoy will make their rounds about 1030-1100 pm selling the Balut.

Just in time for fantasy Island.

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## stailmanki

_Kinilaw_ blue fin tuna with_ liempo_.

Marinated fish (medium rare) seasoned with chili,garlic,& shallots topped with crispy BBQd pork belly,,,,, mas masarap = delicious !

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