Filipino

When used in the right amounts, fermented and salty elements don’t overpower the other ingredients in a dessert.

When I’m with my mom’s side of the family, no holiday is complete without ube pie. Ube is a vibrant purple yam from the Philippines used in many sweet dishes. This version of the pie, with its deep shade of violet and its pearly crown of marshmallowy whipped cream, looks as regal as it does whimsical. It’s creamy and custardy like a sweet potato pie but with ube’s distinct notes of vanilla and pistachio. Instead of starting with whole purple yams, this recipe uses jarred ube halaya (sometimes ca.…

Adobo is commonly made with chicken, pork, or squid, but this one relies on mushrooms for a boost of umami flavor and meaty texture.

Sinuglaw is a combination of fish ceviche—in this case, vinegar-cured tuna—plus smoky grilled pork belly. The flavorful dish gets dressed with coconut milk, ginger, red onion, chiles, and tomato.

Pork belly is ubiquitous throughout the Philippines; the fat is glorious and tastes great grilled. Getting a nice char on the fatty bits is important, as it adds another level of flavor to the salty-sour-tart-sweetness of the soy-calamansi marinade.

You can store this all-purpose sweet-and-spicy vinegar in clean mason jars, but it is easier to keep it in repurposed glass bottles. Note that this recipe can be adjusted as you like—try using different chiles or other spices like bay leaf.

This roll can be filled with whatever you like: beef, pork, or vegetables. The combination in this recipe is my favorite.

Grated cassava takes the place of flour in this classic Filipino cake, which soaks up the rich coconut milk, and lends a sweet, nutty flavor and a sticky, chewy texture.

In the Philippines, mais con yelo is a traditional dessert of crushed ice layered with corn kernels and sweetened milk. For this version, the milk and ice are combined with puréed corn to make a delicious granita.

You can store this all-purpose sweet-and-spicy vinegar in clean mason jars, but it is easier to keep it in repurposed glass bottles. Note that this recipe can be adjusted as you like—try using different chiles or other spices like bay leaf.

This dish—both a backyard staple and street food treat in the Philippines—is slightly sticky when cooked and develops a nice char while the dark thigh meat stays tender and juicy.

A ubiquitous staple on Filipino tables, this rice dish is heavily perfumed with garlic oil and tossed with crispy sautéed garlic chips.

For this popular Filipino breakfast, the eggplants are heavily charred before being battered with egg and pan-fried, making them smoky, creamy, crispy, and totally satisfying.

Using ground pork instead of stew meat is a practical and easy way of making menudo on a weeknight.

Pineapple is the main ingredient in this saucy Filipino dish and makes the chicken sweet, tender and tasty.

Almondigas is a hearty Filipino soup consisting of meatballs and thin, salted Chinese noodles made from wheat flour that cook quickly.

Pansit has come to symbolize long life and health in Filipino culture, and is commonly served at birthdays, baptisms, and New Year’s celebrations.

Sinigang is adobo’s close contender for the title of National Dish of the Philippines. Like many Filipino dishes, this soup is bold in taste: sour, salty, slightly sweet, spicy, and umami.

Afritada, a traditional chicken and vegetable stew, is a gateway dish to Filipino cuisine. Spaghetti sauce, instead of fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce, is used in this recipe for convenience and taste.

If you travel to the Philippines, though, you’ll discover that you can “sisig” pretty much anything. There’s chicken sisig, tuna sisig, goat sisig, and even vegetarian sisig. This squid iteration incorporates salmon caviar and crushed prawn crackers.

In this Filipino chicken rice porridge, a combination of medium-grain and sticky rice cooks in freshly made chicken stock until it becomes thick and creamy.

If the ingredient list didn’t tip you off, the seven-hour cooking time makes it official: This recipe is a project that you make for people you love. They’ll be thankful.

Tamarind gives this hearty stew a pleasant sweet-sour pucker.

An craveable slaw with sweetness from the fresh coconut and sneaky, creeping heat from the chiles. This recipe is from Bad Saint, one of Bon Appétit's Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.