Are you thinking about trying Filipino dishes for the first time? Look no further! Here are Filipino main dishes that you can serve for any occasion!
In the culinary world, Filipino cuisine has been known as the “next big thing.”
While you may have heard of the wildly popular lumpia, which are skinny egg rolls filled with ground pork and vegetables, we have put together a list of Filipino cuisine that may be brand new to you!
Or if you are pinoy and yearning for a taste of home, one of these recipes just may do the trick.
This one results from the country’s diverse cultural influences, its traditional cooking methods, and the Filipinos’ skill at combining flavors and making the most of every ingredient at their disposal.
From Kare Kare that will pique your interest to Beef Pochero that will warm your hearts, Filipino main dishes can be a part of your next meal.
And indeed, they won’t disappoint, especially if you try out #13!
1. Kare Kare
If you’re looking for a way to enjoy peanuts in a dish, better add them into your stew!
Kare Kare is a traditional Filipino dish that includes peanut butter, oxtail, eggplant, green beans, and bok choy.
It may take more than an hour to make through an instant pot, but it is undoubtedly worth the wait!
Serve it with some white rice and shrimp paste on the side—enjoy!
Want a classic tasty dish?
This Pork Binagoongan will undoubtedly tickle your tastebuds. Made with pork belly and sauteed in onion, garlic, eggplant, tomatoes, long green peppers, and lots of bagoong alamang.
It is easy to make, and it won’t take long to cook.
So try this recipe now and savor your cooking!
Smoky flavor, crispy char, and a melt-in-your-mouth combination of fat and flesh make this dish one of my personal favorites for introducing people to Filipino cuisine and ultimately getting them to love it.
This recipe starts with skinless pork belly and minced garlic, soy sauce, 7Up, brown sugar, banana ketchup, and calamansi or lemon juice.
Marinate for 4 hours and grill it to perfection.
Eat it with rice and atchara, and your hunger is solved!
Craving for some crunchy, crispy, and delectable treat?
Every mouthful of this succulent pork belly is a crispy delight!
Because it’s cooked in an air fryer, there’s no need to deep-fry or soak up meat in oil to get a crisp, crackly, and delicious
pork belly.
Pro tip: Dip it in spiced vinegar for the whole experience!
Are you looking for a new noodle dish?
Try this Pancit Palabok, rice noodles with a shrimpy sauce and topped with lots of shrimp, eggs, tofu, tinapa, squid, chicharron, green onions, and toasted minced garlic.
Have some Puto Cheese with it and serve calamansi on the side!
Have you ever tried grilling chicken?
Chicken Inasal, in essence, it’s grilled chicken marinated in vinegar, calamansi juice, and other spices.
You can make this dish in two simple steps.
Once the marinade has been prepared, the chicken is put on the grill and basted with the basting sauce as needed.
Pair it with atchara, and you’re good to go.
7. Pork Adobo
Try this classic Filipino pork dish.
It’s a savory, tangy, slightly sweet pork dish known as adobo. Pork Adobo, which originated in the Philippines, is made by simmering meat in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic sauce.
Top it on warm rice, and you will have your fill of this deliciousness!
Editor’s Note: We catered some great Filipino food for our Christmas brunch and got to try a yummy Adobo a lot like this one.
8. Crispy Pata
Another pork recipe to try—fried pig’s hock has never tasted better than it does in this Crispy Pata recipe.
You’re in for a real treat when it comes to the taste buds.
Crunchy on the outside and juicy and tasty on the inside.
Besides having it as a main dish, you can partner with cold beer for game nights with family or friends.
Want to make an easy peasy dinner?
This Stir-Fried Pork Bok Choy and Tofu is so easy and tasty.
Just brown and braise the pork belly, then saute together with garlic and onion, add bok choy and oyster sauce, stir fry, and lastly, add the cooked tofu and season to taste.
Indulge with the savory goodness!
It’s hard to go wrong with green beans, one of the most versatile and easy vegetables to prepare.
Make this Sauteed Green Beans With Pork, fry, and brown pork, sauteed with aromatics and green beans, then season to taste.
A great accompaniment with rice.
Want to have some comfort food?
Try this simple yet satisfying recipe, Sinigang Na Buto Buto Ng Baboy.
It’s made with pork bones, lots of water, tomatoes, onions, vegetables like okra, eggplant, string beans, radish, water spinach, and a sour broth mix made with tamarind.
Serve and embrace the warmth the sinigang gives.
12. Beef Pochero
Like different Filipino dishes, there are many ways to cook this Beef Pochero.
Some use baked beans instead of chickpeas, others use potatoes instead of sweet potatoes, and others opt for cabbage instead of bok choy.
Still, one thing remains: it’s a tomato-based stew of beef cooked with chorizo, some sort of beans, a starchy root crop, and vegetable greens.
Are you trying to cook with gata or coconut milk?
Chicken Adobo Sa Gata is easy to make.
Marinate chicken in garlic, peppercorns, and soy sauce for 20 minutes up to an hour, then fry garlic, followed by the marinated chicken and dried bay leaves, add vinegar and lastly, add the gata to enhance the flavor of the dish.
Top it on a steaming bowl of rice and enjoy!
14. Tinolang Manok
The ultimate comfort food is Tinolang Manok!
Chicken, papaya, and spinach in a ginger-flavored broth make this Filipino soup hearty and nutritious as well as delicious.
Serve it hot and appreciate how good it is!
15. Pancit Canton
Pancit Canton is a staple for birthday celebrations and other festive occasions.
It is believed that eating this noodle dish will give you long life.
Pork or beef liver, pork or chicken, cabbage, and carrots are half-cooked in oil and seasoned with soy sauce and pepper for this Pancit Canton Recipe.
To add a sour flavor, calamansi juice is also used. If you prefer, you can top the dish with some boiled eggs before serving.
You can pair it with sliced bread as a filling for a full-on Filipino experience.
16. Bistek Tagalog
Craving for an easy beef dish?
Bistek Tagalog, or Beef Steak, is a popular Filipino dish.
Before frying, it is marinated in a soy-citrus mixture with thinly sliced beef.
17. Giniling Guisado
Want a complete and filling meal?
Try this Giniling Guisado recipe, a known dish to every Filipino household.
This dish is made with ground beef sauteed with onion, garlic, and tomato, with diced potatoes, carrots, red and green bell peppers, and seasoned to taste.
Want to get familiar with some wildly different Filipino foods?
The bottom line
What’s excellent about Filipino food is its versatility; you can serve these main dishes to your next occasion or simply have them in your everyday meals.
You can also easily swap the meat in their ingredients to any of your choices, and they’ll still taste as delicious as the original recipe!
Better try them now with the best Filipino desserts to experience the goodness of Filipino food to its fullest.
17 BEST Filipino Mains
Here’s our compilation of 17 delicious Filipino main dishes that are perfect for your next occasion.
Ingredients
- Kare Kare
- Pork Binagoongan
- Inihaw Na Baboy
- Crispy Pork Belly
- Pancit Palabok
- Chicken Inasal
- Pork Adobo
- Crispy Pata
- Stir-Fried Pork Bok Choy & Tofu
- Sauteed Green Beans With Pork
- Sinigang Na Buto Buto Ng Baboy
- Beef Pochero
- Chicken Adobo Sa Gata
- Tinolang Manok
- Pancit Canton
- Bistek Tagalog
- Giniling Guisado
Instructions
- Choose your favorite recipe from our list of Filipino main dishes!
- Turn it into a fantastic home-cooked meal!
- Leave a comment on our Facebook page and share your new dish.