| Rice has always been the staple food in Filipino cuisine, | | | | teriyaki sauce, and half of the vegetable oil. Stir in the |
| but until recently, plain and fried were the only varieties | | | | beef and refrigerate for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, |
| we knew. It was only a few years ago that we | | | | stir-fry the onions and bell peppers in the remaining oil |
| started playing around with rice recipes such as java, | | | | for about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan, then |
| garlic, chili, and Chinese. But what seems to be a hit | | | | stir-fry the marinated beef for another 3 minutes. Stir in |
| among Filipinos is rice toppings, wherein meat and | | | | the vegetables and cook until the beef is done. |
| vegetable dishes are served on top of a box of rice. | | | | Honey Lemon Chicken |
| It's the same old Filipino food, but packed in a light, | | | | This tasty topping provides a good contrast to wild |
| convenient way. You've probably seen them in malls, | | | | and flavored rice, especially the Chinese and garlic |
| sidewalks, and school cafeterias. | | | | varieties. It also goes well with cold Filipino desserts |
| But although they come in handy on busy days, they're | | | | recipes and salads. The dish is fairly easy to prepare; |
| often overpriced, especially considering that you can | | | | you can have it ready in less than 30 minutes. |
| do them yourself at home. That's right-you don't have | | | | Ingredients: 4 pcs skinless chicken breasts, chopped 1/3 |
| to run to the mall whenever you're craving. What's | | | | cup honey ¼ cup lemon juice ¼ cup butter, |
| more, there are no long lines and you can mix and | | | | melted 2 tbsp hot water 1 tsp seasoning |
| match toppings as you please. Here are some Filipino | | | | Procedure: Preheat oven to 325oF. Place the chicken |
| food recipes that make excellent rice toppings. | | | | breasts in a baking dish with the bone side facing |
| Chicken Curry | | | | down. Sprinkle with seasoning. Set aside. Mix the |
| It's more Indian than Filipino, but it fits in perfectly with | | | | honey and hot water, then add the butter and lemon |
| other Filipino cooking recipes. Curry blends well with | | | | juice. Pour over the chicken breasts and cover with |
| rice because of its strong flavors. Use it on plain white | | | | foil. Bake until the chicken is just done. Remove the |
| rice-flavored varieties will wash out the taste of the | | | | cover and baste with the remaining sauce. Continue |
| curry. | | | | cooking until the chicken is browned, basting |
| Ingredients: 3 cups chicken meat, diced 1 cup chicken | | | | occasionally to add flavor. |
| broth 2 tbsp curry powder 1 small onion, chopped | | | | Sweet and Sour Pork |
| ½ tsp powdered ginger ¾ cup flour ¾ | | | | A favorite viand among Filipinos, sweet and sour pork |
| cup butter 2 ½ cups milk garlic to taste | | | | is a perfect complement to almost any rice variety. It's |
| Procedure: | | | | great for kids as it offers a nice blend of flavors and a |
| In, melt the butter and sauté the ginger, garlic, | | | | balance of meat and vegetables. |
| onion, and curry powder. Set on low heat and let stand | | | | Ingredients: |
| for about 1 minute. Add in the broth and milk and stir | | | | ¾ kg pork loin, deboned and sliced into bite-size |
| until the soup is thick. Stir in the chicken and cook until | | | | pieces 2 ½ c pineapple chunks (reserve juice) 1 |
| the chicken is done. Serve over white rice. Stir-fried | | | | tbsp soy sauce ¼ c vinegar ¼ c packed |
| Beef Teriyaki Filipinos love teriyaki dishes because of | | | | brown sugar ½ c onion slices 1 pc green onion, |
| their distinct Asian flavor. They make excellent rice | | | | thinly sliced 2 tbsp cornstarch ½ tsp salt ¾ c |
| toppings because they're easy to cook and | | | | water |
| personalize-you can make them all-meat, all-veggie, or | | | | Procedure: Sauté the pork in vegetable oil until it |
| a mix of the two like most Filipino recipes. This recipe | | | | turns light brown. In a bowl, combine the water, |
| can be prepared in advance, perfect for those hectic | | | | pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and sugar. Mix |
| weekdays. | | | | until well dissolved. Pour over the pork andlet it simmer |
| Ingredients: | | | | until the meat is soft. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 |
| ½ kg beef round, cut into strips 3 tbsps teriyaki | | | | tablespoons of water, then add to the pork. Turn down |
| sauce 2 tsps cornstarch 2 bell peppers, cut into strips | | | | the heat and continue stirring until the mixture thickens. |
| 6 spring onions, thinly sliced 4 tsps vegetable oil | | | | Stir in the pineapple chunks, pepper and onions. Simmer |
| Procedure: In a bowl, mix together the cornstarch, | | | | for another 10 minutes, then serve over rice. |