1 whole pig (about 20 kilos)
salt
black pepper
soy sauce For the stuffing:
5 to 10 bundles lemon grass (tanglad)
20 pcs. bananas (saba variety), peeled then halved or
20 pcs. taro (gabi), peeled

Filipino Lechon Recipe or Roasted Pig Ham or Pork Recipe Cooking Instructions:

1. Clean and prepare the pig by removing innards, washing and scraping innards, washing and scraping the body of bristles. Rinse and allow to drain a bit before stuffing.
2. Rub with salt and pepper inside and out.
3. Rub soy sauce on the skin of the pig. This will make it nicely red when roasted.
4. Stuff the belly of the lechon with lemon grass along with saba and gabi. Sew to close.
5. Skewer the pig and split roast over live charcoal or traditionally, in some parts of Cebu, under live fire. Roast until crisp.
6. Lechon is not served with a sauce. But if a dipping sauce is requested, vinegar with scallions and pepper may be served along with it.

The Filipino Bulalo Recipe or Beef Bone Marrow Soup Recipe Ingredients

2 kg beef bone marrow, have your butcher chop it into small pieces
1 kg boneless beef shank or stewing beef
1 onion, peeled and sliced
3 liters water
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
2-3 saba (plantain) bananas, each cut into two pieces
1 whole medium cabbage, quartered
3-4 tablespoons fish sauce (patis)
Salt and pepper to taste

The Filipino Bulalo Recipe or Beef Bone Marrow Soup Recipe Cooking Instructions:

1. Lighten bone marrow and boneless beef shank or stewing beef in hot boiling water for a while and rinse in cold running tap water to remove foam and blood.
2. Put bone marrow and onion in a stockpot and pour in the 3 liters of water and bring to the boil.
3. Lower heat and simmer for about 40 minutes.
4. Add the boneless beef shank or stewing beef and return to the boil.
5. When it boils, lower heat and simmer until beef is tender, about 1 to 1½ hours.
6. Add the potatoes and bananas.
7. Simmer until potatoes and bananas are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
8. Add the cabbage and stir in fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
9. Cook until cabbage is tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
10. Serve with hot rice. It serves 6.

THE FILIPINO KARE – KARE INGREDIENTS

- 1/2 kilo beef (round or sirloin cut) cut into cubes (for a more traditional kare kare, use cleaned beef tripe instead of beef)
- 1/2 kilo oxtail, cut 2 inch long
- 3 cups of peanut butter
- 1/4 cup grounded toasted rice
- 1/2 cup cooked bagoong alamang (anchovies)
- 2 pieces onions, diced
- 2 heads of garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons atsuete oil
- 4 pieces eggplant, sliced 1 inch thick
- 1 bundle Pechay (Bok choy) cut into 2 pieces
- 1 bundle of sitaw (string beans) cut to 2″ long
- 1 banana bud, cut similar to eggplant slices, blanch in boiling water
- 1/2 cup oil
- 8 cups of water
- Salt to taste

THE FILIPINO KARE – KARE COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Boil beef and oxtails in water for an hour or until cooked in a stock pot and strain and keep the stock.
2. Heat oil and atsuete oil in a big pan or wok.
3. Sauté garlic, onions until golden brown, then add the stock, toasted rice, beef, oxtail and peanut butter. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Salt to taste.
4. Add the eggplant, string beans, pechay and banana bud. Cook the vegetables for a few minutes (Do not overcook the vegetables).
5. Dish up with bagoong on the side and hot plain rice.

THE FILIPINO CRISPY PATA INGREDIENTS

1 Pata (front or hind leg of a pig including the knuckles)
1 bottle of soda, it can be 7Up or sprite
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoons patis or fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate or MSG
4 tablespoons of flour
Enough oil for deep frying
Enough water for boiling

THE FILIPINO CRISPY PATA COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Remove all hairs and scrape the skin with a knife. Clean the pork pata and wash properly.
2. Make four to five inch cuts on the sides of the pata.
3. Place the pata in water with soda and salt on a deep stock pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the baking soda and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Remove the pata from the pot and hang and allow to drip dry for 24 hours. An alternative to this is to thoroughly drain the pork pata and refrigerate for a few hours.
4. After the above process, rub patis on the pata and sprinkle flour liberally.
5. Heat cooking oil and deep fry the pork pata until golden brown in a deep frying pot.

CRISPY PATA SAUCE RECIPE:

Mix 3/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 head of diced onion and 1 hot pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.