Regional recipes

Tagalog Filipino Recipes

Tagalog cooking gives many Filipino classics their familiar home-kitchen form: sour soups, tomato stews, adobo, and handaan staples.

43 recipes in this collection.

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Chicken adobo in a dark bowl with glossy sauce, garlic rice, sawsawan with chili, and steamed rice on a rustic wooden table

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Classic Chicken Adobo

Adobong Manok

The national dish—tender chicken braised in soy, vinegar, and garlic until gloriously glazed.

Tagalog Silog Breakfasts

Tapsilog

Tapsilog (Tapa, Sinangag, Itlog)

Garlic fried rice, sunny-side egg, and beef tapa marinated in a balanced sweet-salty glaze with oyster sauce—the...

Tagalog Soups & Nilaga

Sinigang na Baboy

Sinigang na Baboy sa Sampalok

Sour pork belly soup with gabi, labanos, sitaw, okra, talong, kangkong, and real sampalok—served with patis, calamansi, and siling labuyo on the side.

Tagalog Desserts & Halo-Halo

Halo-Halo

Halong Samalamig

Street-style halo-halo with kaong, macapuno, sago, gulaman, beans, ube, leche flan, and pinipig—the classic Filipino...

Tagalog Merienda & Kakanin

Bibingka

Bibingkang Galapong

Christmas bibingka on charred banana leaf—moist rice cake topped with salted egg, melted cheese, and fresh grated...

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).

Nilagang baka in a ceramic bowl: tender beef chunks, saba, corn, potato, green beans, pechay, green onions and peppercorns on top; patis with calamansi, lime, and siling labuyo on the side

Tagalog Soups & Nilaga

Beef Nilaga

Nilagang Baka

Sunday nilagang baka—clear beef broth with brisket, saba, corn, potatoes, green beans, and pechay; patis sawsawan...

Tagalog Lechon & Party Food

Lumpiang Shanghai

Lumpiang Shanghai (Prito)

Thin, crispy pork lumpia fried golden and arranged around sweet-sour dipping sauce—the birthday-party finger food every Filipino kid fights over.

Tagalog Soups & Nilaga

Bulalo

Bulalo ng Batangas

Batangas bulalo—cross-cut marrow bone and shank in rich broth with corn, pechay, and fried garlic; scoop marrow with...

Filipino turon on banana leaf with caramelized sugar crust and saba filling

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...

Homemade Filipino longganisa links on a plate, caramelized and glossy

Tagalog Silog Breakfasts

Homemade Longganisa

Longganisa (Garlicky-Sweet)

Garlicky-sweet Filipino pork sausages with paprika and achuete—batch, freeze, and fry links that taste close to your...

Tagalog Silog Breakfasts

Longsilog

Longsilog (Longganisa, Sinangag, Itlog)

Garlic fried rice with a sunny-side egg on top, sweet-garlicky longganisa links, atchara, and sukang maasam—the classic longganisa silog breakfast.

Tagalog Desserts & Halo-Halo

Leche Flan

Leche Flan na Inihaw

Classic Filipino leche flan—silky yolk custard in a llanera with glossy amber caramel, steamed until set and flipped...

Tagalog Lechon & Party Food

Filipino Pork Barbecue

Inihaw na Baboy (Pork BBQ)

Filipino pork barbecue—overnight-marinated kasim on bamboo skewers, charcoal-grilled with caramel basting, served...

Pork menudo in a shallow bowl: glossy tomato sauce coating pork cubes, hotdog rounds, potato, carrot, green and red bell pepper, peas, garbanzos, and raisins; wooden spoon on linen napkin

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Classic Pork Menudo

Menudong Baboy

Handaan-style pork menudo—1 cm cubes of pork and liver in thick tomato sauce with hotdog, potato, carrot, bell peppers, peas, garbanzos, and raisins.

Chicken afritada with drumsticks, potato, carrot, red and green bell pepper, and green peas in thick tomato sauce

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Classic Chicken Afritada

Afritadang Manok

Filipino chicken afritada—seared drumsticks braised in a deep tomato-garlic sauce with potato, carrot, bell pepper, and green peas.

Beef caldereta with bone-in beef chunks, potato, carrot, red and green bell pepper in thick reddish-brown sauce served with steamed rice

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Classic Beef Caldereta

Kalderetang Baka

Filipino beef caldereta—bone-in beef braised in rich tomato sauce with liver spread, peanut butter, potato, carrot, and bell pepper until fork-tender.

Beef salpicao in a wok with thick seared beef strips, whole garlic cloves, toasted garlic chips, parsley, and green onions

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Classic Beef Salpicao

Bistek Salpicao

Filipino beef salpicao—thick seared beef strips in a glossy garlic-butter sauce with whole garlic cloves, toasted garlic chips, and fresh parsley.

Bowl of creamy Filipino chicken sopas with macaroni, carrots, hotdog slices, green onions, and toasted garlic

Tagalog Soups & Nilaga

Creamy Chicken Sopas

Sopas na Manok

Filipino chicken sopas with macaroni, vegetables, and a creamy broth, cooked with toasted pasta for deeper flavor plus easy dairy-free options.

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.

Tagalog Soups & Nilaga

Arroz Caldo

Aroskaldo

Golden Filipino arroz caldo with shredded chicken, ginger, kasubha, and toppings of toasted garlic, green onion, egg, and calamansi.

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Ginisang Munggo

Ginisang Munggong Habol

Thick Filipino ginisang munggo with crispy pork belly, malunggay, chicharon, and toasted garlic—served with rice and patis-calamansi sawsawan.

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Bistek Tagalog

Bistek na Baka

Filipino bistek tagalog with thin seared beef, glossy soy-calamansi sauce, sweet onion rings, and green onion—served with rice and fresh calamansi.

Tagalog Lechon & Party Food

Pancit Bihon

Bihon na Guisado

Filipino pancit bihon with golden rice noodles, chicken, cabbage, carrots, and snow peas—a birthday and handaan staple.

Tagalog Soups & Nilaga

Tinola

Tinolang Manok

Make tinola with both green papaya and sayote—chicken ginger soup with malunggay, patis, and calamansi. The recipe that ends the papaya vs sayote deba

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Caramelized Onions

Sibuyas na Karamelo

Slow-cooked jammy caramelized onions with a deep mahogany glaze—perfect for bistek, burgers, sandwiches, and Filipino ulam toppers.

Tagalog Lechon & Party Food

Pancit Palabok

Palabok na May Sawsawan

Filipino pancit palabok with bright orange shrimp sauce, bihon noodles, shrimp, chicken, tinapa, chicharon, egg, and calamansi.

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Pork Adobo

Adobong Baboy

Filipino pork adobo with glossy soy-vinegar sauce, pork belly, bay leaf, peppercorns, fried garlic, and green onion—the rich adobo half of the great d

Tagalog Soups & Nilaga

Sinigang na Hipon

Sinigang na Hipon sa Sampalok

Filipino sinigang na hipon with head-on prawns, tamarind broth, gabi, eggplant, sitaw, kangkong, and siling haba—a steaming sour soup for rice.

Tagalog Silog Breakfasts

Tocilog

Tocilog (Tocino, Sinangag, Itlog)

Filipino tocilog with sweet caramelized tocino, steamed white rice, sunny-side-up egg, and atchara—the classic sweet silog breakfast.

Tagalog Silog Breakfasts

Bangsilog

Bangsilog (Bangus, Sinangag, Itlog)

Filipino bangsilog with crispy daing na bangus, steamed white rice, fried egg, toasted garlic, and vinegar sawsawan.

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Giniling

Giniling na Baboy

Giniling na baboy with ground pork, potatoes, carrots, bell pepper, peas, and quail eggs in a savory tomato sauce—the classic Filipino picadillo ulam.

Top view of homemade Filipino pork tocino with deep mahogany caramel glaze on a blue-rimmed plate

Tagalog Silog Breakfasts

Homemade Pork Tocino

Tocinong Baboy

Tender homemade pork tocino with boil-and-fry technique—sweet caramelized glaze like store-bought, with optional anatto or natural mahogany color.

Tagalog Silog Breakfasts

Daing na Bangus

Daing na Bangus (Tuyo)

Filipino daing na bangus—boneless milkfish marinated in vinegar, garlic, and pepper, then fried crisp for bangsilog or breakfast.

Tagalog Gulay & Vegetables

Adobong Sitaw

Adobong Sitaw (Ginisang Gulay)

Sitaw and pork belly adobo with whole garlic, peppercorns, and siling labuyo—glossy soy-vinegar sauce, bright green beans, and liempo that renders in

Tagalog Gulay & Vegetables

Ginisang Ampalaya

Ginisang Ampalaya at Itlog

Ampalaya stir-fried with fluffy egg curds, red onion, and tomato—a bright, savory gulay ulam with just enough patis and optional chili heat.

Tagalog Gulay & Vegetables

Tinortang Talong

Tortang Talong

Char-grilled eggplant dipped in egg and pan-fried until puffed and golden—the classic Filipino eggplant omelet ulam.

Tagalog Gulay & Vegetables

Chop Suey

Chop Suey (Gulay na May Sarsa)

Filipino chop suey with shrimp, chicken, quail eggs, cabbage, and crisp vegetables in a light oyster-sauce glaze.

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Estofadong Batangas

Estofado ng Batangas

Batangas pork estofado—chunks braised in soy, tausi, and fresh sugarcane juice with a splash of soft drink until the sauce turns thick, glossy, and...

Tagalog Soups & Nilaga

Lomi

Lomi (Mami Batangas)

Loaded lomi—thick miki in dark starchy pork gravy with braised pork, liver, kikiam, halved hard-boiled egg, big chicharon curls, and calamansi-chili p

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Mechado

Mechadong Baka

Mechadong baka—large seared beef chunks in thick glossy tomato-soy sauce with potato, carrot, and bell pepper; bay leaf simmered in, finished with fre

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Paksiw na Isda

Isda sa Suka at Gata

Paksiw na isda—whole fish simmered in vinegar, ginger, and pepper until the broth is sharp and the meat flakes clean; the everyday Luzon ulam with ric

Tagalog Ulam (Main Dishes)

Kalderetang Batangas

Kaldereta ng Batangas

Batangueño kaldereta—beef braised without tomato sauce in soy, vinegar, liver spread, pickle relish, peanut butter, and cheese until the sauce is thic