Mechadong Dila Ingredients:
1 1/2 kg (3 lb) ox tongue
3 liters (16 cups) water
1 onion, sliced
2 tbsps olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
500g (3 cups) chopped tomatoes with juice
200ml (scant 3/4 cup) canned tomato sauce
125ml (1/2 cup) calamansi juice
60ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce
2 medium potatoes, quartered
1 medium carrot, cut into 1 cm (1/2 in) rounds
Sliced olives (optional)

Mechadong Dila Procedures:

1. Bring ox tongue and 2 liters (8 cups) of the water in to the boil in a stockpot. Reduce the heat and simmer about 20 minutes until a white coating appears on the ox tongue. Remove ox tongue from water and scrape off the white coating. Discard the water.
2. Return ox tongue to stockpot and pour in remaining 2 liters (8 cups) water. Add onion, bring to the boil, then simmer ox tongue from stockpot and refrigerate for about 2 hours to firm it up, so it does not crumble when sliced. Reserve the stock.
3. Slice ox tongue into serving pieces. Heat olive oil in a large casserole and saute the garlic about 1 minute. Pour in chopped tomatoes, their juices as well as the canned tomato sauce and two cups of the reserved stock. Add the sliced ox tongue. Bring to a simmer, then stir in calamansi juice and soy sauce.
4. Add potatoes, carrot and olives, if using, then let mixture simmer until ox tongue, potatoes and carrot are fork tender, about 30 more minutes.

Serves 6-8

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Callos Ingredients:
500g (1 lb) ox tripe
500ml (2 cups) vinegar
7 liters (28 cups) water
750g (1 1/2lb) ox hooves
2 tbsp corn oil
2 chorizo sausages, sliced diagonally into 1-cm (1/2-in) pieces
60 ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
250ml (1 cup) chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
375ml (1 1/2 cups) canned tomato sauce
1 medium red capsicum, cut into 2 1/2-cm (1-in) squares
85g (2/3 cup) pitted green olives
100g (3/4 cup) chickpeas
Salt and pepper
Tabasco sauce (optional)

Callos Procedures:
1. Wash ox trip in vinegar thoroughly. Rinse and brush to remove any dirt. Boil tripe in 2 liters (8 cups) of the water for 10 minutes. Drain and discard water.
2. Wash ox hooves well. Boil in 2 liters (8 cups) of the water for 10 minutes. Drain and discard water.
3. In a stockpot, combine ox tripe and ox hooves. Pour in remaining 3 liters (12 cups) water and bring to the boil, then simmer for about 2 hours or until meats are tender. Remove meats from broth and let cool. Reserve 375ml (1 1/2 cups) of the broth.
4. Meanwhile, heat corn oil in a frying pan and fry the chorizo pieces until firm, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set aside.
5. Slice the trip into 2-cm (1-in) squares. Remove meat from the ox hooves and slice similarly. Set aside.
6. Heat olive oil in a casserole and saute onion until transparent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the sliced meats and saute until lightly brown. Pour in tomatoes, canned tomato sauce and the reserved broth. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Add the chorizo, capsicum, olives and chickpeas and season with salt, pepper and, if desired Tobasco. Simmer just enough for the vegetables to heat through.

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Chicken Pastel Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, about 1 kg (2 lb), cut into bite-sized pieces
Juice of 4 calamansi
60ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 chorizo sausages, sliced on the diagonal about 1 cm (1/2 in) thick
50g (1/4 cup) butter
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
250ml (1 cup) water
1 medium carrot, sliced into rounds
2 medium potatoes, cut into quarters
60ml (1/4 cup) white wine
1 140g (5 oz) tin Vienna sausage, cut into 1-cm (1/2-in) pieces
250g (1 cup) button mushrooms
200g (1 cup) green peas
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp cornstarch
60ml (1/4 cup water
3 hard-boiled eggs
1 standard pie crust
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

Chicken Pastel Procedures:
1. Marinate chicken in a calamansi juice and soy sauce.
2.  In a casserole, heat olive oil and saute chorizo until firm, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove chorizo and set aside.
3. Add butter to casserole. When butter melts, saute onion until transparent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the chicken (discarding the marinade) and brown.
4. Stir in water and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add carrot and potatoes and simmer until chicken, carrot and potatoes are almost tender, about 15minutes. Stir in white wine, sausage, mushrooms, peas and the cooked chorizo. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Preheat over to 190°C (375°F). In a small bowl, blend cornstarch and water until smooth and stir into casserole. Simmer until liquid thickens, about 5 minutes.
6. Spoon mixture into a baking dish. Slice hard-boiled eggs and place on top of mixture. Cover baking dish with the pie crust and brush the crust with egg yolk. Make slits on surface of the crust to let steam escape. Bake for about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Serves 6-8

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Chicken Cocido Ingredients:
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
2 chorizo sausages, sliced on the diagonal 1 medium onion, minced
1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
1kg (2lb) whole chicken, cut into  serving pieces
500 ml (2 cups) water
2 medium carrots, slices into 1 cm (1/2 in) rounds
2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2-3 saba bananas (plantains), sliced into 4-cm (2-in) diagonal pieces
500ml (2 ups) canned tomato sauce
1 medium head of cabbage, quartered
Patis (fish sauce)
Calamansi juice to taste

Chicken Cocido Procedures:
1. In a large casserole, heat olive oil about 1 minute. Satue the chorizo until firm, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and set aside. In same oil, saute onion 1 to 2 minutes, then add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add chicken and brown lightly. Pour in water, bring to the boil then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add carrots, cook for about 8 minutes, then add potatoes, bananas and chorizo sausage.
3. Stir in tomato sauce and let mixture simmer until chicken, vegetables and bananas are almost tender. Add the cabbage and heat through until cabbage leaves are tender but crisp and chicken is completely cooked.
4. Serve with rice and a dip of patis and calamansi.

Serves 4-6

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Be sure to buy mud crabs that are still alive. The vendors will usually tie the crab claws to prevent the crabs from escaping. Store live crabs in a container that allows them to breathe. Cook as soon as possible.

Adobong Alimango Ingredients:
4 medium alimango (mud crabs)
60ml (1/4 cup) oil
1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
375ml (1 1/2 cups) water
80ml (1/3 cup) calamansi juice
Salt and pepper

Adobong Alimango Procedures:
1. Cut the crabs into half. Remove the yellow crab fat and set this aside. Heat the oil in a wok and saute garlic, about 1 minute. Add the crabs and stir until almost reddish in color.
2. Blend the reserved crab tissue with water and calamansi juice until smooth. Pour into the wok and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat until crabs are fully cooked, about 10 minutes.

Serves 4

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Ensaladang Pinoy Ingredients:
Lettuce leaves, torn
3-4 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 medium yellow onion, sliced vertically
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut in 1-cm (1/2-in) slices

Dressing:
200g (1 cup) castor sugar
750ml (1 1/2 cups) white or cider salt
1 sp salt
1 tbsp patis (fish sauce)
Freshly ground black pepper

Ensaladang Pinoy Procedures:
1. In a salad bowl, toss together lettuce, tomatoes, onion and cucumber.
2. Make the dressing by combining sugar, vinegar, salt and patis in a bowl. Stir well to blend flavors. Add freshly ground pepper. Let rest a few minutes then pour over tossed vegetables just before saving.

Servers 4-6

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This dish is a specialty of the Visayas region of the Philippines. The secret to this dish is a good, tasty broth which forms the base of the soup. Preparation can be lengthy so allow ample time to cook and prepare it before serving.

Molo Soup Ingredients:
500g (3 cups) ground pork
100g (3/4 cup) canned water chestnuts, finely chopped
250g (4 oz) small prawns, peeled
50g (1/4 cup) finely chopped spring onions (scallions)
1 egg
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 pack wonton wrappers
2 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely copped
2 liters (8 cups) chicken broth
250g (8 oz) chicken breast fillet, sliced into strips
2 tsp patis (fish sauce)

Molo Soup Procedures:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine ground pork and water chestnuts. Chop half of the prawns coarsely and add to the bowl (set aside remaining prawns). Mix in half of the spring onions, the egg and soy sauce.
2. Spread wonton wrappers on a clean work surface and fill each one with  about 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture. Brush the edges of the wrappers with a little water and press edges together to seal. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a casserole. Saute onion until transparent, then add garlic and saute until fragrant. Pour in chicken broth and bring to the boil, then drop in the filled wonton wrappers. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Add the chicken and continue simmering until chicken and pork mixture are completely cooked. Stir in the reserved prawns. Simmer until prawns are fully cooked. Season with patis and garnish with remaining spring onions.

Serves: 8

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c Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 cup bagoong (shrimp paste)
1 tsp white refined sugar
2 tbsp cane (or cider) vinegar
1-2 siling labuyo (finger chilies), cut into 1/2 cm (1/4 in) pieces (optional) Bagoong Guisado Procedures:
1. Heat oil in a frying pan for about 1 minute. Saute garlic until fragrant but not brown. Add bagoong and stir-fry for about 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add sugar and stir until mixture is smooth. Turn off heat.
3. Blend in vinegar and add the chilies if desired. The chilies add spiciness to the bagoong. Serve with Kare-kare, pinakbet and as a condiment for most rice meals.

Makes 1 cup

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Papaya Achara (Papaya Relish) Ingredients:
2 small unripe papaya, about 500g(1lb) each
Coarse salt
300g (1 1/2 cups) sugar
375ml(1 1/2 cups) white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium carrot, cut into 1-cm (1/2-in) slices
1 red capsicum, cut into thin strips
1 green capsicum, cut into thin strips
1 green capsicum, cut into thin strips
5 slices ginger
45g (1/2 cup) raisins

Syrup
300g (1 1/2 cups) sugar
250ml (1 cup) cane or white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Papaya Achara (Papaya Relish) Procedures:
1. Peel papaya then grate flesh into thin strips. Mash the papaya strips with coarse salt. Rinse and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a large saucepan, mix together sugar, vinegar and salt. Add the papaya and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add carrot and capsicum and simmer for about 5 minutes until carrot is tender. Drain and arrange in a bowl.
3. Soak the ginger in hot water and drain. Toss ginger and raisins with the cooked vegetables.
4. To make the Syrup, combine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Pour the Syrup on the cooked vegetables, ginger and raisin mixture.
6. Let cool, transfer to a clean container and cover. Store in refrigerator. Serve as relish  for roasted or fried meats.

Serves: 6

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Fruit Medley Ingredients:

1 830g. can fruit cocktail (2 1/2 cups), drained
1 567g. can lychees, cubed and drained
1 825g. can peaches, cubed and drained
1 250ml. Alaska Crema All Purpose Cream
1/2 cup Carnation Condensada

Fruit Medley Procedures:
1. Drain first 3 ingredients and cut accordingly.
2. Combine Alaska Crema All Purpose Cream and Carnation Condensada  in a medium bowl. Mix well.
3. Toss in cream mixture together with fruits.
4. Chill until ready to serve.

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