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Pininyahang manok is a Filipino chicken stew built on the sweet-savory-tangy combo that pineapple brings to Filipino cooking — usually finished with evaporated milk for a light creaminess. This version swaps that for coconut milk instead, which trades the mild sweetness of evaporated milk for a richer, more coconutty base that holds up better against the caramelized pineapple and calamansi at the end.

Cabbage rolls show up in a lot of cuisines — Eastern European, Middle Eastern, Chinese — each with its own filling and sauce. This version leans Filipino, using flavors already familiar here instead of the usual tomato sauce or sweet-sour dip. For the wrapper, use pechay baguio — the pale green, tightly-headed cabbage (what Western recipes call Napa cabbage), not pechay Tagalog.

This orange tokwa started as a way to get that craveable orange-chicken hit without buying chicken—tofu takes the sauce just as well, and it costs a fraction of the price. Extra firm tofu holds its shape once torn and fried; anything softer falls apart before it has a chance to crisp up. For an even chewier bite, freeze the tofu block whole, thaw it, then press out the water—the ice crystals break down the structure and get you closer to a meaty texture.

Pork jowl (panga) doesn't get nearly as much attention as belly or shoulder, but contrary to what people assume, it's not an all-fat cut. Cut into it and you'll find real streaks of lean meat running through the fat, closer to a marbled steak than a pure fat cap — some pieces look more solidly fatty, others give you a tighter mix, so don't worry if yours look inconsistent going into the pan.

Small, chewy, and packed with coconut — these Filipino macaroons are patterned after the Goldilocks kind, with a higher butter ratio for that signature crisp edge. Servings Makes about 48 pieces Filipino coconut macaroons are nothing like the French kind. They're small, dense, and chewy — closer to a coconut candy than a cake — with a sweet, eggy richness that makes them hard to stop at one.

When lengua goes on sale at your local supermarket, you take advantage. Ox tongue is one of those cuts that's priced high when it's not on sale — but once you have it, you're a few steps away from one of the most satisfying things you can put over rice. Lengua is exactly what it sounds like: the whole tongue of a cow, sold as a single large muscle. Done right, it's rich, almost buttery, and tender enough that it takes almost no effort to chew.

Tinapa is one of those ingredients that rarely leaves its lane. You see it at breakfast, next to sinangag and itlog na maalat, maybe with sliced tomatoes if you're lucky. Good as that is, it got me thinking: what else can this do? Turns out, a lot. Tinapa is cold-smoked fish — usually bangus or galunggong — and that smoking process concentrates everything: the salt, the funk, the depth. It's an ingredient that already has a strong point of view, which makes it a natural fit for pasta.

Buko pandan salad is a Filipino dessert salad made with young coconut, nata de coco, and sago, all tossed in a sweetened cream base and flavored with pandan. If you grew up going to fiestas and family gatherings, you know it as a handaan fixture — always on the table alongside fruit salad, the two taking turns as the dessert everyone reaches for first. The gulaman needs at least 4 hours to set, so plan to make it the day before if you can.

Chicken inasal is Bacolod's signature grilled chicken — marinated in garlic, ginger, calamansi, lemongrass, and vinegar, then basted with annatto-infused chicken oil, and grilled over charcoal. Unlike most Filipino barbecue, it doesn't lean sweet. You’re met with a slightly tangy and aromatic chicken, and the chicken oil does the heavy lifting on flavor and color instead of a thick glaze.

The easiest cream pasta you'll ever make — no cream required. Cream-based pastas have a reputation for being fussy — cream that splits, sauce that tastes raw, timing that has to be perfect. This one sidesteps all of that by using canned mushroom soup as the base, which is already cooked, already seasoned, and already the right consistency with a little pasta water to loosen it. It also just tastes good.