Sunday, June 1, 2008

Cooking Methods in Philippines

I am not the best cook in the world, I do not know much stuff to cook except, bacon, eggs, hotdogs, instant pancit canton, and other simple stuff, but the cooking methods in the Philippines are way more than that.

From MariMari.com:

Although Filipino food is one of complexity with its varied origins of Malay, Chinese and Spanish, yet the cooking methods are rather simple. Basically, the four cooking methods that support the foundation of Filipino cookery are boiling (nilaga), grilling (ihaw), roasting and steaming (halabos). These cooking methods form the very basis of the modern-day demand of healthy cooking. It was not until the arrival of the Spanish that the method of sauteeing (guisado) was "Filipinized" and introduced into the Filipino kitchen, adding to the basic forms of Filipino cookery.


Here is a detailed list from Caridenria.net

Sinigang
cooking with water and adding a sour agent from fruit or vegetable. May be meat, fish or fowl.

Inasnan
food preserved with salt. May be broiled. Meat, fish or vegetables.

Pinaksiw
cooking fish with vinegar, just a little water and spices. May be with or without vegetables.

Nilaga
boiling fish, fowl or meat with more water.

Pangat
cooking fish with a little water with or without a souring agent.

Halabos
cooking with salt and almost no water. Cooks from the juice of the shellfish or crustacean.

Pinais
food wrapped in leaves (banana or alagao), and steamed.

Pesa
boiling sauteed fish with ginger, vegetables and patis.

Sinuam
boiling sauteed fish or shellfish in ginger and pepper leaves.

Pasingao
steaming fish, meat, fowl or shellfish.

Inihaw
broiled over live charcoal. May be meat, fish or root crops.

Dinaing (broiled or fired)
fish cut at the back and opened like a butterfly.

Tinapa
blanching fish and soaking it until golden brown.

Pinausukan
smoking fish, meat and fowl just before eating.

Binuro
Salting. Such as talangka (small crabs), alimasag (crabs), bangus (milkfish), hito (catfish), dalag (mudfish), eggs or vegetables.

Kinilaw
food marinated in vinegar and spices (saviche or raw).

Ginisa
basic use of lard, garlic and onions for almost everything meat, fish, fowl or vegetable.

Ginataan
cooking fish, crustaceans, vegetables, root crops in coconut milk.

Inadobo
cooking with vinegar and spices. May be meat, fish or vegetables.


Good thing, my wife is excellent in the kitchen. She makes the bet food in the world for me.