filipino foods - Articles - Zimbio

Ube In Filipino Food

Wed, 12 Jun 2008 04:59:00 GMT

posted by wegot
Purple yams, officially referred to as ubes, are a common ingredient in Filipino recipes. These yams are actually violet in color and are used in all different types of recipes. They have even been known to make a pleasant looking violet-colored cake.

Many yam aficionados will tell you that true Filipino ubes have a darker skin than the purple yams, referred to as such, which are available in the United States.

Yams are not potatoes and should not be confused with purple Peruvian potatoes that are available, at some grocery stores and farm stands.

One of the most common Filipino ube recipes is Halayang Ube or purple yam jam. This is made from powdered ube, milk, condensed milk, egg yolks and butter.

Ube Balls are common, as well. This dish consists of condensed milk, mashed ube, cornstarch and water. The condensed milk and ube are heated over low heat, until somewhat warm.

At that point, cornstarch and violet food coloring is added. Continue cooking until mixture thickens. Stir constantly. Mixture is ready to cool, when it separates from the pan.

Once ube mixture has completely cooled, shape into small balls. Roll in sugar and tightly wrap in plastic wrap, to store.

Other uses for ube yams in Filipino food is as an ingredient in cakes, cupcakes and the beverage Halo-Halo.

Filipino food is highly regarded as an exotic cuisine in many parts of the world and the ube yam is one of the ingredients that sets Filipino food apart from other cuisines of the region.

Ube In Filipino Food

Fri, 7 Jun 2008 10:32:26 GMT

posted by wegot

Purple yams, officially referred to as ubes, are a common ingredient in Filipino recipes. These yams are actually violet in color and are used in all different types of recipes. They have even been known to make a pleasant looking violet-colored cake.

Many yam aficionados will tell you that true Filipino ubes have a darker skin than the purple yams, referred to as such, which are available in the United States.

Yams are not potatoes and should not be confused with purple Peruvian potatoes that are available, at some grocery stores and farm stands.

One of the most common Filipino ube recipes is Halayang Ube or purple yam jam. This is made from powdered ube, milk, condensed milk, egg yolks and butter.

Ube Balls are common, as well. This dish consists of condensed milk, mashed ube, cornstarch and water. The condensed milk and ube are heated over low heat, until somewhat warm.

At that point, cornstarch and violet food coloring is added. Continue cooking until mixture thickens. Stir constantly. Mixture is ready to cool, when it separates from the pan.

Once ube mixture has completely cooled, shape into small balls. Roll in sugar and tightly wrap in plastic wrap, to store.

Other uses for ube yams in Filipino food is as an ingredient in cakes, cupcakes and the beverage Halo-Halo.

Filipino food is highly regarded an exotic cuisine in many parts of the world and the ube yam is one of the ingredients that sets Filipino food apart from other cuisines of the region.

Tamarind In Filipino Cooking

Fri, 7 Jun 2008 10:28:51 GMT

posted by wegot

A tamarind is also referred to as sampaloc in the Philippines and is a popular Filipino recipes ingredient. It comes from the Tamarind tree, which originated in India. But obviously, this tree has proven to be hearty in other regions, as well.

This date-like fruit is also a common recipe ingredient, in other cultures and can be found in products such as Worcestershire sauce.

Tamarind is used in both its ripe and unripe state. The unripe fruit is quite tart and acidic. It is used primarily in savory dishes. When ripe it is still a bit on the tart side, but used in desserts, sweetened drinks and even as a solitary snack.

Tamarind is also used as the base for many soups and is what gives the Filipino soup Sinigang its sour flavor. Hard candy and suckers made with Tamarind are readily available, in the Filipino marketplace or in local supermarkets along side other Asian ingredients.

The typical tamarind is three to eight inches, in length. As the pods ripen they become juicier and the pulp inside turns reddish-brown, in color. When completely ripe the pod shells become very brittle and are easily broken.

Eventually the pulp dehydrates into a gooey paste that is high in Vitamin B and calcium. This paste is surrounded by coarse strands of fiber. At this stage, large brown seeds can be found in the pulp, as well.

Filipino food is highly regarded an exotic cuisine in many parts of the world and the tamarind or sampaloc is one of the ingredients that sets Filipino food apart from other cuisines of the region.

Gala Time - Filipino Restaurant

Wed, 28 Aug 2008 19:10:00 GMT

posted by abriley
Hello folks how you all doing right now? As of me here, I am having fun with my friends and baby Jadyn as well. Actually we just arrived here in Ate Rose house. Oh my gosh it was so hot outside that all of us grab a glass of water as we got home. But it was fun though as we went to our favorite Filipino restaurant...eat our favorite Filipino foods and decided to get halo-halo for our dessert.

Pili Nuts

Sat, 5 Oct 2008 21:30:55 GMT

posted by icookwares

Native to the Philippines, the pili nut is abundant and grows wild in many southern provinces, including Luzon, Mindanao and Visayas.

When raw, the pili nut is said by many to resemble the flavor of roasted pumpkin or pepita seeds, and when roasted, the pili nut's mild, nutty flavor and tender-crispy texture is superior to that of the common almond. A perfect example would be a cross between a macadamia nut and a marcona almond.

Besides from being eaten raw or roasted, pili nuts are also used in chocolate, ice cream, candies and baked goods as well.

The largest buyers of pili nuts outside of the Philippines are in Hong Kong and Taiwan. There the pili nut is one of the major ingredients in a famous Chinese dessert known as "moon cake".

Aside from being a treat for your taste buds, the pili nut is also a nutritional treat for your body. Nutritionally, the pili nut is high in calcium, phosphorus, and potassium, and rich in fats and protein.

Pili nuts are also rich in oil. They yield a light yellow oil consisting mainly of oleic glycerides and palmitic acids (60:40 percent respectively), very similar to olive oil.

Unfortunately, unless you live in the Philippines, pili nuts can be extremely hard to find. With the extremely hard shell encasing the pili nut, most commercial plantations do not see the value of the nut. Therefore, most of the pili nut trees grow wild rather than in plantations, making the harvesting of the nut erratic and limited.

As new breeds are being introduced with easier to access fruit and new devices are invented for the opening of the pili nut, the future of the pili nut definitely looks bright.

One downside: that wonderful, bountiful, nutritional oil that makes up the pili nut also causes it to spoil rather quickly. Any nuts found outside of the Philippines would more than likely already be preserved with salt or sugar.

For recipes calling for pili nuts, try using marcona almonds.