Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Bibingka
Bibingkang Galapong
Christmas bibingka on charred banana leaf—moist rice cake topped with salted egg, melted cheese, and fresh grated...
Recipe category
Filipino Merienda and Kakanin Recipes
Merienda bridges lunch and dinner, while kakanin turns rice and coconut into celebration food.
19 recipes in this collection.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Puto
Putong Bigas
Steamed puto in a bamboo steamer—fluffy rice cakes with cheese, salted egg, and niyog toppings (Puto Biñan style).
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Turon (Banana Lumpia)
Turon
Filipino turon—saba banana in lumpia wrapper with shattered brown-sugar caramel crust; langka optional, served on banana...
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Pork and Shrimp Siomai
Siomai
Filipino pork and shrimp siomai with shiitake mushrooms, steamed open-faced in bamboo baskets and served with soy-calamansi dipping sauce.
Ilocano
Merienda & Kakanin
Empanada Ilocos
Empanada ng Ilocos
Ilocos empanada—crisp orange rice-flour shells filled with longganisa, bean sprouts, egg, and papaya; the Vigan street food fried golden and eaten wit
Ilonggo
Merienda & Kakanin
Piaya
Piaya sang Negros
Ilonggo piaya—thin muscovado-filled flatbreads griddled until golden with dark caramel spots; the Negros pasalubong best with barako coffee.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Lumpiang Sariwa
Lumpiang Sariwa (Fresh Lumpia)
Lumpiang sariwa—thin egg crepes rolled around julienned vegetables, garbanzos, and pork, topped with thick sweet garlic sauce and crushed peanuts.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Ube Cheese Pandesal
Ube Cheese Pandesal (Lilang Ube na May Keju)
Homemade ube cheese pandesal—fluffy purple yam rolls with a cheese pull that stops traffic; the Filipino bakery trend worth every minute of proofing.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Ginataang Bilo-Bilo
Bilo-Bilo (Sago ang Traidor)
Ginataang bilo-bilo with ube and white sticky rice balls, sago, langka, and kamote in creamy coconut milk—the rainy-afternoon merienda that's fun to c
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Kwek Kwek
Kwek-Kwek (Deep-Fried Battered Quail Eggs)
Homemade kwek-kwek—quail eggs in achuete-orange batter with sweet-spicy vinegar sauce; the street-food merienda that looks radioactive and tastes like
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Fish Balls
Fishball (Sawsawan ang Bida)
Filipino fish balls from scratch with sweet-spicy-sour cart sauces; chewy, fried, and dunked the way the street uncle intended.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Ukoy
Ukoy (Shrimp Fritters)
Crispy Filipino ukoy—shrimp, togue, and carrots fried into lacy fritters with vinegar-garlic dip; street-food crunch you can make at home.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Kutsinta
Kutsinta
Chewy Filipino kutsinta steamed in molds with brown sugar and achuete, topped with grated coconut.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Biko
Biko (Kalamay na Malagkit)
Classic Filipino biko: malagkit rice simmered in coconut milk and brown sugar, finished with latik coconut curds.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Taho
Taho
Homemade taho—warm silken tofu with brown-sugar arnibal and sago pearls, the morning merienda that used to come from a magtataho’s tin buckets.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Siopao Asado
Siopao Asado
Homemade Filipino siopao asado with fluffy steamed dough and sweet soy pork filling.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Palitaw
Palitaw
Homemade Filipino palitaw: glutinous rice flour dumplings boiled until they float, coated in niyog, sugar, and sesame.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Maja Blanca
Maja Blanca
Filipino maja blanca: coconut milk and cornstarch pudding with sweet corn, chilled and topped with latik.
Tagalog
Merienda & Kakanin
Banana Cue
Banana Cue
Street-style Filipino banana cue: ripe saba fried in brown sugar caramel and served on bamboo skewers.