This recipe skips the dough by using store-bought lumpia wrappers. Paper-thin and ready to roll, they get you cheat green onion pancakes in just 30 minutes. Melted butter creates lamination, forming a flaky, layered interior. And the irreverence doesn’t stop there: we add a layer of mozzarella cheese with the green onions, because cheese.

These shortcut pancakes can’t compare to the real thing, obviously. But they get the job done for emergency cravings!

The post Cheat No-Dough Green Onion Pancakes (Cong You Bing) appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Our original Pan Fried Chicken hack got a lot of feedback over the years, so we retested and rewrote the recipe below. The marinade now includes patis, which many pointed out to be a key missing ingredient. Advanced cooks who want extra-crispy skin can double-fry their fried chicken.

The post Pancake House-Style Fried Chicken and Gravy Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Fried milk is good on its own, ready to serve as is. Or get Spanish and roll them in cinnamon sugar, like leche frita.

The post Milkiest Fried Milk Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

This adobo recipe follows the Taiwanese form by using hand-minced pork belly. This cooks much quicker than your standard-issue adobo cuts, and yields a tender, well-balanced bite of meat and fat. A cornstarch slurry creates a velvety sauce. If you have Chinese dark soy sauce on hand, a dash of it gives your adobo a richer color.

This adobo works wonderfully as a rice topping. Spoon over bowls of steaming hot rice, garnish with garlic chips, and prepare to come back for seconds.

The post Lu Rou Fan-Style Minced Pork Adobo Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Korean Corn Cheese-Filled Lumpia Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

This recipe adds cream cheese for an extra-creamy dip. For a bonus toasty browned topping, finish your corn cheese in the broiler or with a blowtorch. Or skip it completely and dig right in with nacho chips (or a spoon). Hot, freshly cooked corn cheese waits for no one.

The post Creamier, Cheesier Korean Corn Cheese Dip Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Sweet and Tangy Orange-Lemon Tofu Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The appetizer gets its name from its two primary ingredients: spinach and gorgonzola. Both fresh and frozen spinach will work well with this recipe; the latter saves time by skipping the blanching step. If you can’t get your hands on gorgonzola, use any blue cheese in its place. Then bake the dip in small ramekins a la Cibo, or pour it all into one communal oven-safe dish. Serve at a party with crostini or nacho chips, and watch it disappear in seconds.

The post Cibo-Inspired Spinach Gorgonzola (Spinaci Zola) Dip Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The first step requires simmering the fries until tender. This creates cracks in the potatoes’ surface for oil to seep into, increasing the surface area that crisps up. The second step is an initial fry, which gives the fries a light crust. Then they’re frozen to remove all moisture that can get in the way of crispiness. A final fry in hotter oil gives the fries a golden, hyper-crisp crust that audibly shatters with every bite.

The post Triple Cooked French Fries Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The amount of frying oil might freak you out, but don’t worry—with a high temperature and short cooking time, the tortang talong will absorb a tablespoon or two of oil at most. Any excess can be patted off with paper towels. Serve with hot rice and banana ketchup.

The post Puffy, Crispy Thai-Style Tortang Talong Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Easy Good Shepherd-Style Peanut Brittle Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Crispy Smashed Potatoes Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

We adapted this recipe from Marvin Gapultos, author of The Adobo Road, whose version of tambo-tambo uses sweet ripe mangoes. The rice balls and sago pearls makes this porridge fun to eat. Powdered milk gives it creaminess; vanilla makes it taste like ice cream. But feel free to skip them if you prefer a more coconut-y flavor.

The post Filipino Coconut Milk Porridge with Mango and Sago Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Crispiest Beer-Battered Cream Dory Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Tartar sauce often gets paired with fried fish, but it works perfectly on anything that can use some acidity. Pair it with other fried meats like chicken, and porkchops. Use it as a dip for calamares, onion rings, and French fries. Spread it on burgers and sandwiches, or toss with roasted vegetables.

The post Best Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Instant Noodles Tantanmen Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

You can make menchi katsu from beef, pork, or a mixture of both. We take inspiration from Yabu and stuff our patties with cheese, which melts into a rich, gooey filling when cooked. Take the time to chill the patties in the fridge before breading—this helps them stay firm and intact while dredging.

Serve these cheesy patties as you would tonkatsu: with hot white rice, shredded cabbage, and tonkatsu dipping sauce. Or sandwich them between toasted white bread for a filling snack.

The post Japanese Ground Meat Cutlet with Cheese (Menchi Katsu) Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Italian carbonara uses guanciale (salted pork jowl), which can be difficult and expensive to source. Pancetta is mellower in flavor, but makes a fine (and slightly cheaper) substitute. In a pinch, go with thick-cut bacon—we won’t tell the purists.

The post Italian Carbonara with Pecorino and Pancetta Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

This recipe found its spark from Hetty McKinnon’s soy sauce brownies. In her cookbook To Asia, with Love, McKinnon says the splash of soy sauce provides a “rich caramel glow”. And true enough, these brownies have that wisp of salted caramel beneath the fudgy chocolate. Brown butter adds more butterscotch notes. Friends and family will love these addictive brownies—and they won’t believe the secret ingredient.

The post Fudgy Soy Sauce Brownies Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

And yeah, the purists are right: Filipino carbonara is not Italian carbonara. And who cares? Like Pinoy spaghetti, it deserves a category of its own. Instead of eggs and Italian guanciale, our carbonara has a garlicky cream-based sauce flecked with mushrooms and bacon. How could you hate on that?

To make the best Filipino carbonara ever, we honed in on its most important ingredients. Roasted garlic imparts a sweet garlicky flavor with much more depth than raw garlic. Use salty, smoky bacon and pass on the honey-cured bacon for this one—the sweet stuff will overpower the final dish. The bacon fat works great for frying the button mushrooms, which have a great balance of flavor and texture. Toss them with the best spaghetti you can get, and you’ll have yourself a carbonara that’s better than the “real” thing.

The post Best Filipino Carbonara Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Romaine lettuce has sturdy leaves, making it a crunchy canvas for creamy Caesar dressing. The traditional way requires whisking egg yolks and a slow stream of olive oil to form an emulsion. If you’re anxious about raw yolks, use mayonnaise for a cheat dressing. It’s less of an arm workout to make, keeps longer in the fridge, and is just as delicious.

We offer two ways to making croutons: baked in the oven or toasted in a pan. Oven-baked croutons come out crunchier than pan-toasted croutons, but the latter are much faster to make. Either method will turn out great. And make sure to use fresh Parmesan for your salad—your hard work deserves it!

The post Classic Caesar Salad with Perfect Croutons Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Vigan Longganisa Pasta with Tomatoes and Basil Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Local beef tends to be tougher than its imported equivalent, and needs more time to reach fork-tenderness. If your short ribs are still tough after the suggested cooking time, add an extra 1–2 hours.

The post Beef Short Rib Adobo Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

A traditional ttukbaegi makes this dish a one-pot affair you can cook in and eat straight out of. Rinse and repeat for round two, if you’re hungry.

The post Korean Steamed Eggs (Gyeran-jjim) Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

While an outdoor grill is ideal, chicken BBQ can be cooked indoors with a cast-iron grill pan. It’s the secret to charred, smoky meat, so try to use one as much as possible. Peanut sauce can either be store-bought or made from scratch with common pantry ingredients. Serve with bright-orange Java rice and tangy atchara; it’s not Pinoy chicken BBQ without it!

The post Pan-Grilled Pinoy Chicken Barbecue with Java Rice Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

We stayed true to Jin’s bibimbap with a runny sunny-side-up, but go fry up a crispy-edged egg if you prefer some texture. The kimchi and anchovies can be bought from a Korean grocery store. The yangpa jangajji, or pickled onions, are simple enough to make at home—we used Future Dish’s recipe.

Using a dolsot or Korean stone pot is optional (Jin doesn’t use one), but will get you the crispy-bottomed rice that makes bibimbap irresistible. Get one from our shop.

The post Jin’s Breakfast Tuna Bibimbap Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Garlic Butter Tahong (Mussels) Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

To achieve bigger-than-your-face cutlets, you need to butterfly and pound your chicken fillets into thin, even sheets. Sweet potato starch creates the signature breading, crackling up into a light, addictive crust when fried. If you can’t get your hands on it, plain potato starch or tapioca starch are close substitutes. Just don’t use plain flour—it won’t be the same!

The post Taiwanese-Style Fried Chicken Chops Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

With all its bells and whistles, this ultimate munggo is fit for celebrations. Make it for a special occasion or family get-together.

The post Special Pampanga-Style Munggo Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Upgraded Canned Sisig Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Browning the butter seems like extra work, but pays off with nutty butterscotch notes in the oatmeal cookie layer. Whole rolled oats provide a toothsome, crumbly texture—don’t settle for the instant stuff. Use the best dark chocolate you can find for the fudge. A dash of instant coffee tames the sweetness from the condensed milk, resulting in a bittersweet, almost dark-mocha dimension. These fudgy, not-too-sweet bars bake easily and quickly, making them perfect for a last-minute gift or potluck contribution.

The post Chunky Dark Chocolate Revel Bars Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

We’d rather not use cliches, but there’s no way around it. Our first bite of the katsu made us think, this tastes like chicken. To be more specific: this tastes like a giant chicken nugget! And we mean this in the best way possible. Imagine biting into a big chicken nugget medallion wrapped in a craggy, hyper-crunchy crust.

Tokyo Tokyo made good on its promise of plant-based meat that’s flavorful, not bland. The katsu is salted and seasoned like well-brined chicken, confident enough to be enjoyed on its own. But dip it in the sweet, BBQ-ish katsu sauce and you’ll agree with the chicken nuggets comparison.

The Plant-Based Katsu Bento comes with steamed rice and peach coleslaw salad drizzled with mango-wasabi dressing. Our team loved the Plant-Based Katsu Burger—the tangy Sriracha mayo sauce and crunchy cabbage complemented the katsu patty. Both options will make you happy.

If the success of a plant-based alternative is measured by its likeness to meat, Tokyo Tokyo’s Plant-Based Katsu passed the test. If they sold this to us as a chicken katsu (or a gigantic nugget), we’d never second-guess it. Heck, we’d order it again.

The post Tokyo Tokyo’s Plant-Based Katsu Tastes Like a Giant Chicken Nugget appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Creamy Ginataang Munggo (Lelot Balatong) Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Sweet-Spicy Korean Braised Eggs Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Spam Kimchi Fried Rice Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Best Gising-Gising Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Not Soupy Pork Pata Munggo Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

This is an overdue update to our 10-year old (!) Pancake House spaghetti recipe. A tablespoon of liver spread sets everything right. (It’s not Pinoy spaghetti without at least one weird ingredient.) The brow-raising liter of water has been reduced to 1 cup. Is it 100% accurate? Probably not. But this copycat spaghetti will bring back memories of orange walls and faded movie posters, guaranteed. Make it a combo meal and serve with fried chicken.

The post Pancake House-Style Spaghetti Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Korean Garlic Cheese Loaf Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Treat this recipe as a template for the roasted vegetable pasta of your dreams. Here we pair rigatoni and sundried tomato pesto, with crumbled feta cheese and basil as garnish. Use as little or as many vegetables as you like, with whatever pasta shape and sauce you fancy.

The post Roasted Vegetables and Feta Pasta Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Crispy Fried Enoki Mushrooms Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Vietnamese Coffee Loaf Cake Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Sriracha provides heat and color to the sashimi dressing. It’s not Japanese, but the sauce has spice and pucker similar to Nihonbashitei’s own. Kewpie mayo and sugar add sweetness. Frying the tempura flakes is the most demanding part of the recipe, but don’t skip it! They provide an addictive crunch that completes the dish. Serve with an ice-cold mug of beer—you’ll need it to cool down from the heat.

The post Nihonbashitei Spicy Tuna Sashimi Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Jammy Chinese Tomato Eggs Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Ginger-Scallion Steamed Whole Fish Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Instead of a rich shrimp gravy over pancit bihon, toss leftover rice in crab fat paste, salted egg, and tons of seafood. A dash of annatto powder gives it that palabok-orange color. For a bit of crunch, garnish with crushed chicharon.

The post Palabok Fried Rice Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

But if you prefer a meatier bite, freeze and defrost your tofu before marinating. This step causes the tofu’s water to expand and solidify into tiny ice crystals. When these crystals melt away, they leave behind sponge-like holes that give the tofu a firm, meat-like texture. The holes help soak up and more marinade too, resulting in extra flavor.

The post Tofu Katsudon Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Three Cheese Baked Bangus Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

This not-so-instant recipe does the trick: Toss your noodles in a pool of garlicky butter and slurp away. Using chicken broth cubes seasons the dish with meaty umami. If you’re feeling extra fancy, take it up a notch and throw in some shrimp, chicken, or crab.

The post Near-Instant Garlic Butter Noodles Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

This hack comes together with surprising ease. Cook the pasta, make the creamy tomato sauce, add shredded mozzarella—that’s it. And true to its name, each forkful is connected by a web of stringy cheese. Serve warm before it loses its stretch.

This food hack was originally posted in 2012, then retested and republished with an updated video (2022).

The post Cibo Penne al Telefono Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

When done well, lemon butter sauce should appear creamy, with a velvety body and a bright, opaque color. You don’t need to use thickeners.

To help the butter and lemon juice mix, make sure to use a low temperature. Start with heating lemon juice, but maintain a low simmer—high heat will split them apart. Add the cold butter into the juice piece by piece. Once melted, whisk the sauce vigorously to create a stable, smooth, and creamy mixture. Serve this rich and bright sauce with fish or vegetables.

The post No-Split Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

You might think: Why go all the way to SM when you can make Choc Nut turon yourself?

We say: Why make Choc Nut turon yourself when you can go to SM? You don’t want to exhaust yourself by making turon from scratch. It’s harder than it looks! And who wants to deep-fry anything? But we are a recipe site, so you get one anyway. Spoiler alert: Just go to SM.

The post Choc Nut Turon Recipe: Just Buy it From SM appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Filipino Beef Salpicao Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Of all our tapa recipes, this style takes the longest. Here we use beef shank, a cheap yet flavorful cut that’s low in fat—we want our chopped beef to be as meaty as possible. A long braise in an anise-spiked marinade injects the shank with flavor while breaking it down into softer, shreddable meat. It’s then chopped and fried, caramelized in its braising liquid until flavorful and glossy.

The post Rodic’s-Style Chopped Beef Tapa Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

An overnight marinade in a soy-garlic-sugar mixture softens the sirloin while providing flavor and chew. A quick pan-fry caramelizes the beef and reduces the marinade to a shiny, dark glaze. Round out the salty-sweet beef with atchara or vinegar.

The post Classic Sirloin Beef Tapa Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

To take it just a little bit further, we’ve made a bibimbap bowl with it that would be great for breakfast, or any time of day really. All you need to do is season some rice, prep your favorite vegetables, and top with the Highlands Gold Korean-Style BBQ Corned Beef, and you have a meal worthy of your oppa’s affection.

If you want to make this recipe, visit Highlands Gold Corned Beef or Shopee, Lazada, or any grocery near you.

The post Corned Beef Bibimbap Recipe: Easy Korean Breakfast Bowl appeared first on Pepper.ph.

This tapa defies tradition by switching out sirloin with affordable, fat-heavy beef belly. And instead of marinating overnight, the meat gets its seasoning from a quick braise in soy sauce and vinegar. This softens the beef belly’s fat and tough meat. The result: a tender, flavorful tapa coated in just enough sauce to let the beefy flavor shine.

The post Modern Beef Belly Tapa Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Salted Egg Fried Rice with Pork Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post SaladStop! Oh Crab Lah Salad Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

If you never had it, Honey Beef Rice tastes like a sweeter bistek or a saucier, Pinoy-style Japanese gyudon. This recipe yields a honey sauce that’s much thicker than Jollibee’s, clinging to the beef and onions. Using actual honey gives it a complex, floral sweetness.

The post Jollibee-Inspired Honey Beef Rice Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Banapple Banoffee Pie Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post McDonald’s BBQ Sauce Recipe: Not Just For Nuggets appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The post Basic Thai-Style Omelet Recipe: How to Make Khai Jiao appeared first on Pepper.ph.

This food hack was originally posted on July 25, 2012, then re-published with a video and updated recipe.

The post Cyma Roka Salata Recipe: Hack Their Best Salad appeared first on Pepper.ph.

There’s one ingredient that’s just as universally loved, and we’ve partnered with them to bring you an experience that’s just a little more interesting. Read on for our two tips so you can add Nutella to the classic inipit and pan de coco, and upgrade them for 2022.

Pan de Coco with Nutella

For this hack, slice your pan de coco in half, and add a 15g scoop of Nutella. The coconut spread goes well with the roasted nuttiness of Nutella. Add fruits to turn the pan de coco into a hefty, sweet merienda sandwich.

Inipit with Nutella

For this soft, pillowy pastry, use Nutella as a topping, and spread it on top of each golden square. The sponge cakes enhanced with chocolate and hazelnut are great for snacking or as dessert after your favorite meal.

For more #NutellaCreations, visit Nutella.com or the Nutella Philippines Facebook page.

The post Make Filipino Bakery Faves More Interesting with This Ingredient appeared first on Pepper.ph.

How to Fold Dumplings

There are several ways to fold dumplings; that’s why they come in different shapes and forms. This guide focuses on three basic methods—all of which are easy enough to master.

Half-Moon Fold

The half-moon fold is the easiest way to fold dumplings. To do it, add filling to the center of your wrapper, then brush the edges with water.

Fold the wrapper in half.

Then, from the sides of the filling outward, press the wrapper to release any air, pinching at the edges to seal.

Using the palm of your hand, flatter the bottom of the dumpling so it sits upright.

Two-Pleat Fold

The two-pleat fold is a step-up from the half-moon fold. It gives you simple pleating without all the complications of having to create multiple even folds.

To do it, add filling to the center of your wrapper, then brush the edges with water. Fold the wrapper in half, then pinch the point where the sides meet at the top.

Take one side of the wrapper and fold it in towards the middle.

Then, do the same with the other side.

Bi-Directional Fold

The bi-directional fold is the standard dumpling fold that you’d normally see in dumplings served at restaurants. It requires folding the dumpling into several pleats, which can be difficult if you don’t know how to work your fingers. (But hopefully, these steps help you nail it.)

To do it, add filling to the center of your wrapper, then brush the edges with water. Fold the wrapper in half, then pinch the point where the sides meet at the top.

On one side, make two to three pleats starting from the middle.

Then, make two to three more pleats on the opposite side, this time moving towards the middle.

Make sure to pinch while doing this to seal all the seams.

The post How to Fold Dumplings: 3 Easy Ways to Seal Those Dumplings appeared first on Pepper.ph.

We hacked this recipe so you don’t have to venture all the way to Binondo each time a craving hits. And sensing by how easy this recipe is, we can tell you’ll be craving (and getting) it quite often.

How to Make Dong Bei Kutchay Dumplings

There’s nothing outrageous about this food hack. It comes together just like any other dumpling, but the combo and ratio of ingredients in the filling (spoiler: it has Magic Sarap) are what makes people keep coming back for it.

Pork and Kutchay Filling

In a large bowl, combine pork, kutchay, ginger, Magic Sarap, and oil using your hands. (You don’t have to use your hands, but we encourage it.)

Don’t worry about over-mixing; if it becomes all mushy, that’ll make the filling bouncy, which isn’t all bad when it comes to dumplings.

Folding the Dumplings

You can fold dumplings in several ways. In this recipe, we’re following the half-moon fold. This one’s ideal for beginners because you technically just fold the wrapper in half like a taco, then seal it.

Working one piece at a time, scoop a teaspoon of the filling onto the center of a dumpling wrapper.

Brush the edges of the wrapper with water (you don’t have to use an actual brush; just slide a wet finger along the edges), then fold it in half, pinching the sides to seal.

Lightly press the sides of the dumpling down towards the filling. You’re basically trying to push out any air and flatten the bottom of the dumpling. That way, it’s able to sit upright.

Repeat the filling and folding process until you use up all the filling and wrappers. You should be able to get around 30 Dong Bei kutchay dumplings.

Steaming the Dumplings

We recommend steaming these dumplings in a bamboo steamer, but whatever steamer (even makeshift ones) you have will work just as well.

In a wok, pan, or pot, add water and bring to a boil over high heat. Line your steamer basket with parchment paper, then place it over your wok, pan, or pot. Make sure that the water doesn’t reach the bottom of the steamer!

Once the water’s boiling, reduce the heat to medium, then add your dumplings into the steamer. Cover the steamer with a lid and cook the dumplings for eight minutes. It should look a bit translucent, with the kutchay being slightly visible.

Depending on the size of your steamer, you’ll likely have to cook your dumplings in batches. Keep checking to make sure that you don’t run out of boiling water as you do—you don’t want to burn the bottom of your pot!

Serve the dumplings warm, alongside your choice of sauce.

The post Dong Bei Kutchay Dumplings Recipe: Getting Down on These Dumps appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Sunny-Side-Up

Sunny side-up eggs are the most common breakfast eggs, prepared simply by frying eggs cracked onto a pan with hot oil. They seem very easy to do—and they are—but getting them perfect actually takes a lot of skill and considers factors such as the type of egg, the heat of the oil, the type of pan, etc.

Instructions

1. In a non-stick pan over medium heat, heat oil or butter.
2. Crack eggs into the pan and cook until whites have set.
3. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Note: If possible, use eggs stored at room temperature. Cold eggs lower the temperature of the pan and the oil, making frying time a little longer.

Over Easy

Eggs over easy are just like sunny-side-up eggs, except they’re flipped before they’re done cooking to cook the opposite side. The yolk is then less runny (usually, it’s even cooked until firm) and the whites are completely set.

Instructions

1. In a non-stick pan over medium heat, heat oil or butter.
2. Crack eggs into the pan and cook until whites have set.
3. With a non-stick spatula, carefully flip the egg.
4. Cook for 20–30 seconds on the second side until yolk turns slightly opaque.
5. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Scrambled

You can make scrambled eggs two ways. One results in creamier scrambled eggs, while the other results in firmer scrambled eggs.

Instructions for Creamy Scrambled Eggs

1. In a bowl, beat eggs until scrambled.
2. In a non-stick pan over low heat, heat oil or butter.
3. Pour scrambled eggs into the pan.
4. Stir the eggs constantly, forming small, delicate curds until the eggs are cooked. (You can also stop while they’re a bit runny if you prefer.)
5. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

You can also make eggs extra creamy by adding cream or milk as you beat the eggs or adding butter as you stir the eggs in the pan.

Instructions for Firm Scrambled Eggs

1. In a bowl, beat eggs until scrambled.
2. In a non-stick pan over medium heat, heat oil or butter.
3. Pour scrambled eggs into the pan.
4. Stir the eggs frequently (every few seconds), forming large curds until the eggs are cooked. (You can also stop while they’re a bit runny if you prefer.)
5. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Note: You can use chilled eggs or eggs stored at room temperature.

Poached

Poached eggs have runny yolks with slightly set egg whites. They’re typically used for eggs benedict, or you can top them onto toasts or corned beef.

Instructions

1. In a pot, add water and a splash of vinegar (this prevents the egg from spreading). Bring to a simmer.
2. In a cup, break the egg, then slowly slide it into the pot. It should drop to the bottom, then the whites will begin to set around the yolk and the egg will float to the top.
3. Using a slotted spoon, gently lift the egg from the water and set it on a plate.

Note: The fresher the eggs, the more centred the yolk will be and the less likely the white will spread. You can also prevent spreading by using room temperature eggs.

Boiled

Boiled eggs are firm eggs with set whites and runny to hard yolks. You can use them for salads, sandwiches, or cook them as deviled eggs.

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
2. Slowly submerge eggs in the water and cook to desired doneness:
   Hard-boiled: 12 minutes
   Medium-boiled: 8 minutes
   Soft-boiled: 6 minutes
3. Remove the eggs and place them in an ice bath. (This removes the greyish ring forming around the yolk.)
4. Peel and serve.

Note: The greyish ring around the yolk appears when the iron and sulfur that are naturally present in the eggs react, which occur when the eggs are cooked longer than necessary.

Omelette

Omelettes are breakfast eggs that start similarly to scrambled eggs (though not all the time). But these require extra finesse by way of flipping or folding, adding extra ingredients, or baking in the oven.

Instructions for Pan-Fried Omelettes

1. In a bowl, beat eggs until thoroughly mixed without incorporating or making them frothy.
2. In a non-stick pan over medium heat, heat oil or butter.
3. Pour scrambled eggs into the pan.
4. Prepare omelette as desired:
   Rolled (French-style): Follow the instructions for scrambled eggs, but when they start to set, season and roll.
   Folded (American-style): Follow the instructions for scrambled eggs, but when they start to set, season and fold in half.
5. Transfer to a plate, then serve.

Instructions for Farmer-Style Omelettes

1. In a bowl, beat eggs until thoroughly mixed without incorporating or making them frothy.
2. Place the eggs in an oven-safe pan, season (or add filling), then place in an oven to bake until set.

Instructions for Souffle

1. In two bowls, separate egg yolks and whites.
2. Beat egg yolks and beat egg whites, then fold egg whites into the bowl with the yolks.
3. Bake in the oven until puffed and set.

The post Basic Breakfast Eggs: How to Perfect Your Breakfast Game appeared first on Pepper.ph.

How to Make Bacsilog-Style Egg Drop Sandwich

This recipe really focuses on the cheese sauce. The rest of the sandwich is just assembly, made up of already-prepped elements like crispy bacon and soft-scrambled eggs. That said, we’ll give you a few tips, still, to make it look like it came straight out of your favorite k-drama.

Cheese Sauce

To make the cheese sauce, heat milk in a saucepan until just warm. Add the white cheddar, whisking until it’s completely melted. You can also use Eden cheese or Quickmelt if you can’t find white cheddar specifically.

Remove the mixture from the heat, then whisk in the mayonnaise and Knorr liquid seasoning until fully combined. Set this aside to cool.

Assembly

Before anything, make sure that your components are ready. Fry (or bake) some bacon until crisp, then soft-scramble about eight eggs. You can use supermarket-bought bacon or thicker styles from purveyors, and you can scramble your eggs with cheese or whatever other add-ons you prefer; this part’s really customizable. Just remember that the recipe was designed to be enough for three sandwiches (but it can go up to four), so adjust accordingly.

To assemble your bacsilog-style egg drop sandwiches, cut slices of bread in the center, creating pockets. You’ll want to use thick slices, preferably brioche, or something that’s light but is hefty enough to carry a load of ingredients. Don’t slice until the bottom of the bread; essentially, you want to create something like a pita pocket.

Divide the bacon and eggs evenly between slices of bread, stuffing both into the center. (Bacon first, then eggs on top.)

Top each bacsilog-style egg drop sandwich generously with the cheese sauce, then serve.

The post Bacsilog-Style Egg Drop Sandwich Recipe: Load up on the Cheese appeared first on Pepper.ph.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Pork

This sweet and sour pork recipe recreates the dish almost exactly like those in Chinese restaurants in Binondo. That’s all thanks to a process called velveting and a well-balanced combination of sweet and sour flavors to build the sauce. It also comes together really quickly—30 minutes tops (plus an extra 30 for marinating, but we don’t have to count that).

Fried Pork

In a bowl, combine pork, cornstarch, baking soda, soy sauce, oil, and egg whites. This “marinade” takes a page from a Chinese method called velveting, a method that helps improve the texture of protein.

Toss the mixture to coat the pork. Cover the bowl, then place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.

After marinating, take out the pork, then coat the pieces in rice flour.

Lay the pork out onto a tray, then let it sit for 10 minutes. The rice flour gives the pork a crisper exterior, as opposed to just all-purpose flour. And letting it sit out allows it to form a sort of hard coating around the pork, acting as a skin.

Meanwhile, heat oil for frying to 375F (190C).

Fry the pork in batches until golden and crispy, which should take just five to eight minutes. Drain the pork on paper towels or a cooling rack, then set aside.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

You don’t need a wok to make this sweet and sour pork recipe. But we do recommend using one—not just because it’s fun. It makes cooking the stir-fry more efficiently, making the recipe much easier. If you need a good wok, you can get one here.

You’ll be working fast, so make sure you have everything prepped and ready. Slice your vegetables, put your sauces at arm’s reach, and open your can of pineapples.

Place your wok over high heat, then add the oil. Add the ginger and peppers and cook until the latter begins to soften. Add the onion and cook everything for two more minutes.

Next, add the tomato sauce, vinegar, and the juice of the canned pineapple into the wok. Keep cooking the sauce over high heat until the liquid is reduced by a fourth.

In a bowl, mix the cornstarch and water to make a slurry, then immediately pour it into the sauce. Cook for five more minutes. By now, the sauce should be thick.

Toss in the fried pork and pineapple chunks, coating each piece.

Continue to cook the sweet and sour pork until the sauce thickens around the meat.

Remove from heat, then serve immediately.

The post Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe: Chinese Takeout Taken Home appeared first on Pepper.ph.

It took us a while to do it, mostly because it’s hard to hack something that’s a plane ride away. (We did hack Two Seasons oyster sisig though.) But thanks to a rendition of it here in the Metro, plus the memory of a team member who recently visited the island, here we are.

How to Make Two Seasons Four-Cheese Pizza

This hack mixes cream cheese, Parmesan, mozzarella, and cheddar for an equally headache-inducing sauce that’s almost indistinguishable from the original. However, we couldn’t quite get the same crust. While there’s is thin, almost cracker-like, ours is breadier. That said, we think this is a good thing since it helps buffer the richness of the cheeses so that you don’t feel too guilty afterward.

Pizza Dough

In a bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

Then, in a separate bowl or container (a liquid measuring cup works best), mix together olive oil and milk.

Gradually pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture, mixing with a fork or spatula until you form a shaggy dough.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for five minutes. It should look smooth.

Cover the dough and set it aside to rest for 30 to 40 minutes. This dough doesn’t use yeast, so don’t expect it to change in size.

Cheese Sauce

While the dough is resting, make the cheese sauce.

Start by melting butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and saute until aromatic.

Add the flour and cook for another minute. The flour helps make the sauce thicker, just as with any roux.

Slowly stream in milk into the pot, whisking continuously. Lower the heat if necessary; you don’t want it boiling.

Season the sauce with garlic powder and salt.

Add the cream cheese and whisk until no lumps remain before mixing in the Parmesan, mozzarella, and cheddar. Keep whisking everything until the cheese is completely melted.

If the sauce is too thick, add milk by the tablespoon to thin it out until you reach a creamy and spreadable (though still thick; it shouldn’t slide off the crust when you pour it later) consistency. Just keep in mind that the base was made with a roux, so it’ll thicken as it cools, too.

Set the cheese sauce aside to cool.

This recipe makes 1 1/3 cups of cheese sauce. You only need about 1/2 cup for one pizza, so you can either double on the dough and make two pizzas or save the sauce for later; use it as a dip or a cheese sauce for other dishes. You can store it in the fridge for up to one week.

Assembly

Preheat an oven to 400F (200C).

On a lightly floured surface, flatten your dough with a rolling pin. If it’s resisting (i.e. it shrinks every time you try to stretch it), rest it again for 10 mins before rolling out.

Stretch the dough until it’s about ¼-inch thin, then transfer it onto a round baking tray, adjusting the size to fit.

Prick the dough with a fork, the same way you would a pie crust. This prevents it from developing big air bubbles as it bakes.

Place the dough in the oven for seven to eight minutes just until the bottom is firm.

Remove the crust from the oven, then layer half a cup of the cheese sauce on top. Sprinkle a little bit of shredded mozzarella, then return the pizza to the oven. Bake it until the top is set (it shouldn’t be runny); this should take just about five minutes.

Take out the pizza, then top with cheese sliced into triangles.

Using a blowtorch, torch the top of the pizza. This step is optional, but doing it provides a smokier flavor to combat the richness of the cheese sauce. It also makes the pizza look exactly like the one in Two Seasons.

If you don’t have a blowtorch but want to get that smoky look, you can return the pizza in an oven under the broiler setting. Just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t melt or brown too much!

Garnish the Two Seasons four-cheese pizza with basil, then slice it into eight pieces. Serve immediately.

The post Two Seasons Four-Cheese Pizza Recipe: Let’s Pretend We’re in Boracay appeared first on Pepper.ph.

If you’re desperate to relive memories of summer, recreate them at home instead. We’ve hacked this one to almost near perfection, capturing the hints of spice, saltiness, and sourness from its origins. Take a crack at it when oysters are available at your wet market or neighborhood supermarket (PS—We got ours from 2nd Street Oysters on Instagram); this dish is easily rewarding.

How to Make Two Seasons Oyster Sisig

In a medium pot, heat oil to 375F (190C). Meanwhile, drain and dry your oysters.

In a bowl, add flour and season it with salt and pepper.

Toss the oysters in, coating each piece.

Fry the oysters until golden brown and crispy.

Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate or tray to drain the excess oil.

In a pan over medium-high heat, cook the red onions until they begin to color.

Add the red chili, spring onions, heavy cream, mayonnaise, and water.

Stir until everything is combined and let the mixture reduce and thicken, about 5-10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, add the calamansi juice, then stir.

Remove the pan from heat, then add the fried oysters to the sauce.

Toss until coated.

Transfer your Two Seasons oyster sisig to a sizzling plate and top with an egg. Garnish with spring onions, more chili, and slices of calamansi before serving.

This food hack was originally posted on November 10, 2015, but was re-published with a video (2019) and step-by-step photos (2022).

The post Two Seasons Oyster Sisig Recipe: Back to Boracay appeared first on Pepper.ph.

What Fish Is Safe to Consume Raw?

Tuna, salmon, mackerel, blue marlin, sea bass, swordfish, and yellowtail are the most common fish that can be eaten raw. That said, this isn’t always the case; you can’t just buy these fish and automatically eat them. Take care to ensure that they’re prepared for raw consumption. If you’re getting them fresh, mention that you’re intending to eat them raw. If you’re buying them from the supermarket, check that it’s marked safe to eat without cooking. These are usually the ones labeled “sashimi-grade.”

How to Store Raw Fish

Wrap the fish in wax paper or plastic wrap, or put it in a resealable vacuum bag. Store it in the freezer to kill any pathogens. When ready to use, place it over ice then defrost it in the fridge. This method prevents it from growing any bacteria as it thaws. It also stops it from dropping into a temperature danger zone that deems it unsafe to eat raw.

How to Prepare Raw Fish

There are three things to remember when preparing raw fish:

Keep It Chilled

Ensure that everything is chilled until you’re ready to serve. Only take out the fish once you’re actually working on it, and return it to the fridge when you need it to sit. Additionally, use chilled plates and vessels (and if possible, tools) to preserve the fish’s quality and taste.

Work Clean

Keep your work area clean! That includes your hands, plus any tools you’ll use (e.g. knives, spoons, etc.).

Be Quick

Work quickly to stop the fish’s temperature from dropping. And consume your dish immediately! At any point, the fish should smell fresh and mild, not fishy, sour, or ammonia-like. If it does the latter, you may have to throw it out.

How Does Citrus “Cook” Raw Fish?

Adding citrus to raw fish “cooks” it without actually cooking it. The acid in the citrus penetrates the raw fish’s surface and disturbs the structure of the fish proteins, causing them to de-nature. This is a similar effect that happens when you cook it with heat.

You have to time it right to get the right texture on the fish; it’s kind of like cooking steak. For rare-medium doneness, marinate the fish for 10 to 15 minutes; for medium-well doneness, leave it on for 25 to 30 minutes. Don’t leave it too long (30 minutes should be the maximum) or else the fish will become slightly chalky in texture.

The post Raw Fish Guide: How Not to Kill Yourself in the Name of Sashimi appeared first on Pepper.ph.

That said, if you’re the latter, don’t worry. Putting it on top of rice doesn’t massacre the concept of kinilaw; the subtly sweet coconut rice here arguably enhances its flavor.

How to Make Kinilaw Poke Bowl

Before starting, make sure to wash your rice as you normally would. Just because you’re cooking it a new way doesn’t give you an excuse to be lazy.

In a pot, combine the rice, water, coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Place this over medium heat and cover. Once the liquid comes to a boil, lower the heat and cook the rice for another five minutes. Set this aside to cool.

You can also prepare the coconut rice in a rice cooker. But we recommend cooking it on a stovetop so you can keep a better eye on it.

To make the kinilaw, combine the red onion, ginger, siling haba, red chili, and chives in a large bowl. Add ripe mango, corn, and pineapples, if using. These are optional, but we recommend adding them to give the kinilaw more sweetness and tang, plus a bit of texture.

Mix in the calamansi juice, apple cider vinegar, and patis, then toss in the tanigue or tuna.

Make sure that your fish is sashimi-grade and that you handle it properly so that it stays safe to eat raw. You can find these types of fish in supermarkets (they’ll be labeled as such), or you can ask your fishmonger specifically for them. It might help to say that you’re using it for kinilaw.

Place the kinilaw in the fridge for 20 mins to macerate. This just means that you’re letting it soften and soak up the juices from the calamansi, vinegar, patis, and the natural liquids from the fruits and vegetables.

To assemble your kinilaw poke bowls, divide the rice into two bowls and top with the kinilaw.

Garnish with more chives and cilantro before serving.

The post Kinilaw Poke Bowl Recipe: For Those Who Can’t Live without Rice appeared first on Pepper.ph.

We’ll tell you right now. This recipe is pretty complicated. So if you’re an amateur baker, be extra forgiving, and don’t get too flustered. We tried to be as detailed as possible, with all of our tips laid out to make this as foolproof as possible so that you end up with a flaky, butter, and flavorful crust to carry whatever pie you make.

How to Make a Basic Pie Crust

Divide your butter into two sticks. Place one stick of butter in the freezer, then slice the other stick into cubes and place in the fridge. Keeping the butter cold prevents gluten development (butter has water; if it melts, it’ll work its way to the dough), which helps you get a lighter crust.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. When working with the pie dough, it’s important that your elements are cold to make it flaky. That means keeping everything chilled, from the ingredients to your tools to your bakeware. The warmer the temperature, the more chances the butter will combine with the flour, resulting in tender, chewy, and elastic dough. If possible, cover the bowl with foil or cling wrap, then keep it in the fridge as you wait for the butter to freeze.

Once the first stick of butter is frozen, coat it in the flour mixture. This gives you a better grip so it doesn’t slip from your hands as you grate it.

Grate the frozen butter into the bowl.

Then, add the cubed butter (the one from the fridge), and gently squash it in the flour with your hands until you end up with irregularly sized lumps.

Gradually add five to six tablespoons of cold water and gently “claw” the dough with your hands. The cold water helps prevent the butter from melting.

Add water by the tablespoon if it feels too dry. You should end up with a shaggy dough that holds its shape when formed into a rough ball. Don’t overwork it; you want the butter with the dough, not in it.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a ball.

Your hands are warm enough to melt the butter in the dough, so try to minimize contact by using a bench scraper to shape it.

Divide the dough into three, then stack them on top of each other, pushing the crumbly bits back into the dough. This helps create extra layers.

Repeat this step a second time; by now, all the crumbly bits should be better integrated.

Divide the dough into two pieces and place each half in a separate sheet of plastic wrap. This recipe makes enough for two pie crusts. You can keep the other half to make another pie or you can use it to cover this one (but that won’t give you that crumbly streusel topping).

Working one piece at a time, roll the dough into discs. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours. If possible, leave it in the fridge overnight to really hydrate the flour. You can also keep the dough in the fridge for up to two months. Make sure to wrap it in aluminum foil and plastic wrap (or keep it in a freezer-safe bag) if doing so.

Chilling the dough allows the gluten that has been formed to settle down, making it easier to roll out. It also prevents shrinking during the baking process.

Using a rolling pin, flatten the frozen dough onto a lightly floured surface. You may have to let it sit out for a few minutes until it’s workable.

Roll the dough into a disc, about ⅓-inch thick. If you think your dough is starting to warm up too much (i.e. like the butter’s melting), place it in the fridge to cool for 10 minutes before rolling again.

Place the dough over a pie plate, making sure you’re not leaving space between the crust and the plate. Pro-tip: Place your pie plate in the fridge before assembly so that it’s cold, too.

Trim the dough with scissors, leaving about 1 ½ to 2 inches of overhang to tuck it underneath the dough. Gently press the dough into the pie plate.

Place the pie crust in the freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven.

Once the pie crust is frozen, prick it with a fork and brush with beaten egg. This creates a barrier between the pie crust and the filling, avoiding a soggy bottom crust.

Partially bake the crust for five to six minutes until slightly browned but still pale.

Remove the crust from the oven, then add your filling—like the one in our best buko pie recipe. To prevent a soggy crust, make sure that your filling isn’t watery. You can do this by gelatinizing it with some cornstarch. Add topping, if using, or cover with the remaining rolled-out pie dough.

Bake your pie until golden brown. This varies depending on the pie; it can take anywhere from 20 mins to 45 mins.

Cool your pie for 1–1 ½ hrs before serving.

The post Basic Pie Crust Recipe: A Flaky, Buttery, Flavorful Base for Any Pie appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Our Buko Pie Recipe Notes

The two key elements of this recipe are the buko filling and the pie crust. The goal for the former was to ensure a pure coconut flavor, which we did by using different coconut by-products. On the other hand, the goal for the crust was to make it buttery and flaky, but still flavorful. (To get an in-depth look at our basic pie crust, click here.)

Here are some notes we jotted down, plus a few tests we tried, that helped us bring those two together in our best buko pie recipe.

Lard vs. Butter vs. Both for Pie Crust

Using lard results in a flakier, sturdier crust with a pale color and neutral flavor. Shortening also works the same way, except it’s less rich. (It also gives the crust a fishy aftertaste; though it would work for savory pie fillings.)

Using butter gives you a rich, flavorful crust that has more color and a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Meanwhile, using a combination of butter and lard gives you a sturdy and flavorful crust.

We’ll admit, butter isn’t always the best option for a pie crust—especially if you’re working in a hot country like ours. However, it’s the most accessible option, and it’s also okay to use for beginners or those who are just generally intimidated by pie dough.

Keeping Everything Cold

To achieve a flaky pie crust, it’s essential that you keep everything cold, from your ingredients to your tools and bakeware. This especially applies to the butter. Butter contains water and when it melts, it’ll combine with the dough and start gluten development, which will result in tender, chewy, and elastic dough. You want your butter with your dough, not in it. This is also why we use cold water when making it.

Don’t skip chilling your dough before rolling it out—and in between mixing, assembling, and right before baking. This step allows any gluten formed to settle down, making it easier to roll out; it also prevents shrinking during the baking process.

Preventing a Soggy Crust

Even if you’ve done all the steps to ensure your crust is flaky, it’ll all be moot if it becomes soggy. Brushing the dough with egg wash is the first step to preventing this as it creates a barrier between the crust and the filling. Partially baking the pie before filling it also helps.

Of course, you can also make sure that your pie filling isn’t water, which we do here by gelatinizing the buko pie filling with some cornstarch.

Enhancing the Coconut Filling

To enhance the coconut flavor of our buko pie filling, we used coconut by-products, which we complemented with a few ingredients to help bring them out even further.

We used coconut milk and coconut cream to add richness and flavor, plus young coconut meat for that natural taste.

A splash of vanilla helps to bring those out.

We added powdered milk to increase creaminess and milkiness while adding a subtle sweetness.

How to Make Pepper’s Best Buko Pie

There are three pretty involved parts in making this recipe. And the whole process will take about four hours, with half of the time being you actively working to make the crust, prepare the filling, and assemble the buko pie. We’ll admit, that’s enough to warrant stopping right here and just ordering a pie somewhere else. But stick with it—it’ll be worth all the sweat once you bite into that flaky crust and extra coconut-y filling.

Pie Crust

To start, make the pie crust. Divide your butter into two sticks. Place one stick of butter in the freezer, then slice the other stick into cubes and place in the fridge.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. When working with the pie dough, it’s important that your elements are cold. If possible, cover the bowl with foil or cling wrap, then keep it in the fridge as you wait for the butter to freeze.

Once the first stick of butter is frozen, coat it in the flour mixture. This gives you a better grip so it doesn’t slip from your hands as you grate it.

Grate the frozen butter into the bowl. Then, add the cubed butter (the one from the fridge), and gently squash it in the flour with your hands until you end up with irregularly sized lumps.

Add five to six tablespoons of water and gently “claw” the dough with your hands. Add water by the tablespoon if it feels too dry. You should end up with a shaggy dough that holds its shape when formed into a rough ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a ball. Your hands are warm enough to melt the butter in the dough, so try to minimize contact by using a bench scraper to shape it.

Divide the dough into three, then stack them on top of each other, pushing the crumbly bits back into the dough. This helps create extra layers. Repeat this step a second time; by now, all the crumbly bits should be better integrated.

Divide the dough into two pieces and place each half in a separate sheet of plastic wrap. This recipe makes enough for two pie crusts. You can keep the other half to make another pie or you can use it to cover this one (but that won’t give you that crumbly streusel topping).

Working one piece at a time, roll the dough into discs. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours. If possible, leave it in the fridge overnight to really hydrate the flour.

Buko Pie Filling

To make the filling, combine coconut water, sugar, cornstarch, powdered milk, coconut milk, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan over low heat.

Mix until sugar has completely dissolved and everything’s well-combined.

Once slightly thick, add the coconut meat, stirring until fully coated.

Mix in the vanilla and coconut cream, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

Streusel Topping

To make the streusel topping (aka the crumbly topping that’ll give this pie a good crunch), combine flour, desiccated coconut, sugars, salt, and butter in a bowl.

Set this aside for later.

Buko Pie Assembly

Using a rolling pin, flatten the frozen dough onto a lightly floured surface. You may have to let it sit out for a few minutes until it’s workable.

Roll the dough into a disc, about ⅓-inch thick. If you think your dough is starting to warm up too much (i.e. like the butter’s melting), place it in the fridge to cool for 10 minutes before rolling again.

Place the dough over the pie plate, making sure you’re not leaving space between the crust and the plate. Pro-tip: Place your pie plate in the fridge before assembly so that it’s cold, too.

Trim the dough with scissors, leaving about 1 ½ to 2 inches of overhang to tuck it underneath the dough. Gently press the dough into the pie plate.

Place the pie crust in the freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat an oven to 400F (200C).

Once the pie crust is frozen, prick it with a fork and brush with beaten egg. This creates a barrier between the pie crust and the filling, avoiding a soggy bottom crust.

Partially bake the crust for five to six minutes until slightly browned but still pale.

Remove the crust from the oven, then add the filling, followed by the topping on top.

Loosely cover the pie plate with aluminum foil, then bake for 20 to 23 minutes.

Remove the pie and take out the foil.

Lower the oven to 350F (177C), then return the pie to bake for another 25 to 25 minutes. Check the pie every 10 mins. If the top is browning too much, add the foil again and continue baking until the bottom crust is golden brown.

Cool the buko pie for 1 ½ hours before serving.

The post Best Buko Pie Recipe: Are We the New Colette’s? appeared first on Pepper.ph.

We’re giving this hack a 96% haccuracy rate. Its flavors definitely mimic the original, though the texture of the filling varies. North Park’s version has a cohesive, slightly sausage-like feel to it, while our recipe feels more gritty and grainy. The sauce, however, is spot-on; it tastes exactly like North Park’s. We wouldn’t be surprised if this was the exact recipe.

How to Make North Park Pinsec Frito

In a food processor, combine pork meat and fat.

Break down the mixture until it becomes a mousse or has a paste-like texture. Don’t worry about “over-mixing” it. In this case, you want it really cohesive; that will give it a bouncy texture.

Transfer the pork mixture to a bowl and season it with salt, pepper, sesame oil, and sugar.

Now, prepare to wrap your dumps. Separate the wrappers into individual sheets, then lay one flat on your palm with the points facing you.

Spoon a teaspoon of the mixture in the middle of the wrapper, then moisten the sides with water and fold diagonally into a triangle shape.

Press the edges to completely seal the dumpling.

In a pan filled with at least two inches deep of oil, fry the dumplings for three minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain the pinsec frito on paper towels to remove excess oil.

While waiting for the pinsec frito to cool down a bit (you don’t want to bite into it piping hot), make the sauce.

In a bowl, mix the plum sauce, rice vinegar, chili sauce, and water until thoroughly combined.

Serve the pinsec frito in a platter with the sauce on the side.

We originally posted this recipe in 2016. But we’ve re-published it in 2022 with an updated video and step-by-step photos.

The post North Park Pinsec Frito Recipe: The Starter to End the Night appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Alaska

Everyone knows what Alaska’s evaporated milk tastes like. It’s milky, with a subtle sweetness and a very very very slight hint of saltiness; it’s also a bit tangy, but not in an off-putting way. Pour it out of the can and it’s a bit runny, but it’s creamy enough that it’s not as thin as water.

Alpine

Alpine is notoriously thick. But compared to the others, it wasn’t as dense as we originally recalled it to be. It’s unsweetened, but it has an inherent sourness. It’s almost like Alaska (they’re manufactured by the same company, anyway), though this one’s definitely creamier.

Angel

Angel’s evaporated milk resembles thin condensada, with a creaminess that lasts on the tongue. Though, thankfully, it’s not as sweet. It has a pleasant tang and a balanced saccharine taste, plus a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Carnation

Carnation’s evaporated milk comes in a carton, which can be a pro or a con in itself. It’s very sweet and has a caramel undertone, making it taste almost like vanilla ice cream. It also has a milky consistency that reminds us of coffee creamer. We see it working well with sweet dishes or drinks, but it might be too sugary for savory food.

Cowbell

Cowbell is labeled as a “creamer,” not evaporated milk. Still, we added it to this list since it possesses the same characteristics and behaves the same way. It’s sweet, with a hint of coconut, so we think it’d be great for fruit salads. You can also use it as a substitute for full cream milk in baking (but not in anything savory), especially since it doesn’t have a tangy flavor like the others.

Our Verdict: Angel

Angel wins this taste test for its balanced sweetness, highlighted by a subtle tang, and creamy consistency. It’s a versatile choice that will work well for both sweet and savory applications.

The post Evaporated Milk Taste Test: Move Over, Blonde Boy appeared first on Pepper.ph.

In Metro Manila, the most common types of tofu you’ll find are tokwa, firm tofu, egg tofu, soft tofu, and silken tofu. This guide breaks down each one so you know which one to use for different recipes.

Tokwa

Tokwa is the Filipino term for tofu. It’s typically in block form and is drier than firm tofu, making it a close equivalent of extra-firm tofu. It’s also slightly tangy and has a thicker “skin.”

You’ll find tokwa used in most Filipino tofu dishes such as tokwa’t baboy and adobong tokwa. It’s denser, so you can agitate it in a pan (i.e. for stir-fries) without the risk of it falling apart. Because it doesn’t have a lot of water content, it cooks faster; though the trade-off is that it takes on less flavor than softer types of tofu.

Firm Tofu

Firm tofu is, for a lack of a better term, firm. It’s pressed, so it contains less water. That means it holds its shape very well during cooking; it doesn’t break too easily. It also absorbs flavor very well, given that you season or marinate it as you would meat. When cooked, firm tofu has an almost rubbery texture that precedes a soft center.

If you’re making savory recipes and you’re not sure what type of tofu to buy, firm tofu is probably the safest choice because of its versatility. You can use it as a meat substitute, fry it, bake it, or even use it to fill dumplings. It’s great to crumble into smaller pieces for tofu scramble; it also works as a substitute for ricotta or feta cheese.

Egg Tofu

Egg tofu falls in between firm and soft tofu. It’s made using eggs, which helps it become more stable, though it’s still creamy and delicate. You can pan-fry it, but it can’t take a lot of agitation. So it’s best to handle egg tofu with silicon kitchen utensils to avoid piercing through it.

Egg tofu comes in plastic tubes. To use it, you slice it through the packaging (there’s usually a line that tells you where to do it), then squeeze out the tofu. After that, you can slice it up into disks. Egg tofu is also called “scallop tofu” because it resembles scallops once sliced.

Soft Tofu

Soft tofu is the Chinese equivalent of silken tofu, just less smooth. It has a creamy, almost milky texture in its delicate body. That plus its neutral flavor makes it a favorite for desserts such as mousses. That said, it’s also typically served in soups and curries, but it can also be scrambled like an egg or served raw.

A great way to use soft tofu is to scoop it into a bowl and simply top it with a sauce of choice. It can be as simple as just soy sauce or bottled chili sauce or a mix of different condiments.

Silken Tofu

Silken tofu is an unpressed and undrained type of tofu—it’s basically coagulated soy milk. It has a more jelly-like, custardy texture; it’s so soft that it’s scoopable. That said, it comes in three consistencies: soft, firm, or extra firm, depending on the amount of soy protein it contains. (Most supermarkets only sell one type of silken tofu and you can use whichever for recipes that call for it without specificity.) Silken tofu also has a more delicate flavor, and it can take on almost any taste you mix it with.

You can use silken tofu for hotpots and soups (it’s what’s used in Korean spicy tofu soup) or add it to sweet stuff like smoothies and desserts, as well as blended food. As a general use, you can interchange it with soft tofu.

The post Types of Tofu: Tokwa, Silken Tofu, Soft Tofu, Egg Tofu, and Firm Tofu appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The process is pretty much the same, i.e. just as simple, and the flavors are spot-on, though thanks to the absorbency of the tofu, each bite provides a juicy burst of the salpicao sauce.

How to Make Tofu Salpicao

To start, season your cubed tofu with some salt and pepper, as you would if it were beef.

Bring a pan (preferably non-stick) to medium-high heat, then add some oil. This will be the only oil used in this recipe, and it’s really just for frying. You can use olive oil. But any neutral oil will do too. The tofu will absorb most of it anyway; it won’t gather in puddles like in regular beef salpicao.

Add the tofu to the hot oil and sear the cubes on all sides until a crust forms. Once the tofu is toasted, add the butter and minced garlic, frying for about five minutes until the garlic is lightly golden.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce, then bring to a boil. Continue to cook until the liquid is reduced and the sauce thickens and becomes glossy. This should take another four minutes.

Serve the tofu salpicao immediately. You can top it off with some crushed garlic and a few dashes of extra-virgin olive oil, if you’d like.

The post Tofu Salpicao Recipe: Juicy, Garlicky Vegetarian Cubes appeared first on Pepper.ph.

How to Make One-Pan Turon

To start, heat oil for frying to 350F in a pan. The oil has to be hot or else you’re going to end up with soggy lumpia wrappers. Fry the wrappers one at a time until golden and crispy; this should take just around five to 10 seconds each.

Make sure the wrappers are separated, i.e. that no two are stuck together so that you get thin pieces. Remove these from the oil, then let them drain on paper towels.

Clean the pan you used for frying, return it to medium heat, then add the butter. (We actually did our version in a separate pan—which would technically disqualify this as being a one-pan recipe. But we cooked it in a cast-iron skillet that doubled as our serving plate, okay. So it’s the same banana.)

Once the butter has melted, add the sugar.

You can use either brown sugar or muscovado sugar; the latter gives a much deeper flavor, while the former gives a more typical street-food type turon flavor.

When the sugar has melted, add the heavy cream. Swirl the pan until everything’s well-combined. This will start to bubble, so be careful!

Add the bananas to the caramel, making sure each piece is coated. Cook the one-pan turon until the caramel begins to bubble and thicken around the saba and the bananas have softened (you should be able to stick a fork in without resistance).

This should take around 15 minutes more. You may want to lower the heat to stop your caramel from burning.

Remove the pan from the heat, then transfer the turon into a serving platter. If you’re not fussy about it, you can also serve the one-pan turon in the same pan. Top the caramel-coated bananas with the fried lumpia wrappers, then serve.

After dividing it into plates, you can even scoop some ice cream on top of the turon to make it a la mode.

The post One-Pan Turon Recipe: Save Yourself from All the Folding appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Parts of a Charcuterie Board

There’s no definitive rule on charcuterie boards—there are no hard ratios. The key, really, is to create balance, and that means considering having a combo of soft and hard cheeses, salamis and whole-muscle cured meats, sweet and sour pickles, crackers and bread, nuts and dried fruit, jams, and sauces.

Cheese

Out of accessibility, you’ll find fresh mozzarella, brie, Swiss cheese, Reblochon, smoked gouda, blue cheese, aged cheddar, and Havarti on the usual charcuterie boards. But there are so many more different types of cheese to work with:

• Fresh – Goat cheese, cottage cheese, feta cheese, ricotta, Boursin, burrata
• Soft/Rind-ripened – Brie, Camembert, Limburger, Reblochon
• Semi-soft – Fontina, Havarti, Muenster, Monterey Jack
• Firm – Cheddar, gouda, provolone, manchego, ricotta salata, cantal
• Hard – Asiago, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, dry Monterey Jack
• Blue-veined – Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton, Spanish blue

Mix and match cheeses from these six categories (e.g. a fresh cheese with a blue-veined cheese, a soft cheese with a hard cheese, etc.). As much as you can, stop yourself from serving several of the same types.

Serve soft cheese as is, with a cheese knife beside it. For firmer cheeses, cut them into small 1/4-inch slices, and for soft but solid cheeses (like blue cheese), crumble them into manageable bites. Remember to never unwrap your cheese when you bring it out of the fridge. Keep them in their packaging to prevent them from drying out, and unwrap just before serving. Let your cheeses sit out (wrapped) for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. This helps the fat in the cheese to warm up a bit, giving it better texture and flavor.

Meat

Great options for meat include salami, ham, pepperoni, Jamon Iberico, Salchichón, chorizo, prosciutto, and Fuet sausages. The first four work well with hard cheeses, while the latter ones are best paired with semi-soft cheeses.

Thinly slice cold cuts like prosciutto or Jamon, then pair them with sliced hard-cured meats like salami, pepperoni, and chorizo.

Pickles

Pickles or brined food offer a salty, tangy edge to balance out the richness of the cheeses and meats. You can add gherkins (tiny pickles), pickled red onions, green and black olives, or artichokes. You can pickle them yourselves, but you can also find ready bottles in supermarkets.

Jams or Condiments

Dips and spreads help bring out the flavor of cheeses and cold cuts (e.g. prosciutto). You can serve them dolloped onto the board or in small separate sauce bowls. Usual options include honey, hummus, pestos (basil or sundried tomatoes), fig jam, or olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip.

Fruits, Vegetables, and Nuts

Fruits and veggies work to complement cheeses, meats, and condiments on the charcuterie board. Apples, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, and oranges, for example, can help cut through the richness of cheeses (on top of adding color to the spread). Other sweet or dried fruits can balance out the saltiness or spiciness of heavy, fatty meats like salami. Celery, carrots, and cucumber cut into matchsticks go well with dips like hummus and pestos.

Nuts, on the other hand, add texture and help bring neutrality to the intense flavors of the board.

Crackers and Bread

Crackers and bread can work as vessels for different components of the board, acting as a neutral vehicle to deliver the strong flavors of cheeses and meats. Pair soft cheeses with buttery or grain crackers, pretzels, and wafers. And reserve the bread for spreadable cheeses or balsamic dips.

Herbs and Greens

Herbs, such as fresh rosemary, are usually used for display, adding contrast to make the board look more appealing. That said, you can also include them, specifically basil, parsley, or cilantro, to add freshness to bites.

Charcuterie Board Pairings

To help you create balance in your charcuterie board, here’s a quick guide on specific pairings:

• Fresh cheese + chorizo or prosciutto + pickles (olives or gherkins) + crackers or toasted baguette
• Soft/rine-ripened cheese + cured hard sausages or prosciutto + honey or fruit jams + sweet fruits + crackers or toasted baguette
• Semi-soft cheese + ham, salami, or prosciutto + fresh fruits + sliced vegetables + toasted baguette
• Firm cheese, hard cheese, or blue-veined cheese + cold cuts + honey + fruits (strawberries or grapes) + crackers or toasted baguette

Charcuterie Board Portions

As we said, there’s no magic number as to how much to put of each component of a charcuterie board. But if you’re too lazy to think about the portions yourself, here’s a cheat sheet you can just follow:

• 2 types of cold cuts (amounting to about a cup)
• 3–4 types of cheese at 1/2 cup (100g) each
• 1 cup of seasonal fruits or vegetables
• 10–12 crackers or slices of toasted baguette
• 1/3 cup of nuts (at least two kinds)
• 1 small bowl of dip
• 1 small bowl of jam

The post Charcuterie Board Guide: Parts, Pairings, and Portions appeared first on Pepper.ph.

The trickiest part here is making sure not to burn the glaze. But just follow our foolproof instructions, and you’ll end up with a dish that’s sweet, tangy, and even slightly smokey to match those thinly sliced pieces of cured pork.

How to Make Brown Sugar Ham

In a pan over low heat, add the brown sugar, honey (or syrup), and water.

Cook until sugar is dissolved and the mixture begins to darken in color. This should take about five to eight minutes.

Add the butter and stir until melted and incorporated.

Season with chili flakes, garlic powder, and mustard. The chili flakes are optional; you can take them out if you don’t want to add heat.

Add leftover ham slices into the glaze and turn the heat to high.

Cook until the glaze thickens and coats the ham, about 10 minutes. Flip the ham as needed to coat it in the glaze.

Add the pineapple chunks and cook for five more minutes to get all that tangy flavor in.

Serve the brown sugar ham hot.

The post Brown Sugar Ham Recipe: How to Get Rid of Leftover Ham appeared first on Pepper.ph.

This chocolate frosting recipe was borne out of our Big Al’s chocolate cake hack. Similar to the purveyor’s version, this one’s rich and fudgy, almost like a cross between a frosting and a ganache already. That allows it to work for several purposes, though. You can use it to top any baked good, but it’s also great as a filling or a separate sauce.

How to Make Chocolate Frosting

In a saucepan, bring full cream milk to a simmer.

Add the condensed milk, powdered milk, cocoa, powdered sugar, and salt, whisking until the powders dissolve.

As you can see, this recipe comes with three types of milk—which might seem like overkill. (Sorry to our lactose intolerant friends!) But each one serves a purpose. The full-cream milk is standard, but the condensed milk helps make the frosting fudgier while the powdered milk adds a rich, milky profile that enhances the chocolate flavor of the frosting.

Add the chocolate compound and mix until all the chunks melt. We use chocolate compound here to add sweetness; using pure chocolate will give it a too-bitter taste.

Whisk in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar, then add the light corn syrup. The latter gives the frosting a nice glossy finish, on top of adding a bit more sweetness and thickness.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, then whisk in the vanilla extract and cold butter.

Allow the chocolate frosting to cool for a bit (just five minutes should do; you want it at least warm) before topping onto a cooled cake. Alternatively, you can use it as a filling for baked goods.

The post Chocolate Frosting Recipe: Pour It over Everything appeared first on Pepper.ph.

We partnered with Lamb Weston, a leading supplier of frozen potato products around the world, for these two recipes with their popular Seasoned Wedge Cut and Crinkle Cut Fries. Chef RJ Ramos of the much-lauded restaurant Lampara, shows us how quick these are to throw together, using ingredients that are perfect for the season.

Lamb Weston Seasoned Wedge Cut Fries with Queso de Bola, Hot Ham, and Honey

Lamb Weston Seasoned Wedge Cut Fries with Queso de Bola, Hot Ham, and Honey Recipe

Yield: 4 servings | Time: 12-15 mins

Ingredients:

Hot honey sauce:

• 1 bark cinnamon
• 1 pc star anise
• 1 ½ cup honey
• Carolina reaper chili, to taste

For plating:

• Lamb Weston wedge cut fries
  Christmas ham
• Queso de bola
• Dill sprigs
• Parsley

Method:

1. To make the hot honey: toast cinnamon and star anise in a small pot until aromatic.
2. Lower the heat and add honey.
3. Add the chili and gently smash it. Simmer it for 3-5 minutes and set it aside to cool.
4. Heat oil at 350F and fry the Lamb Weston wedge cut fries for 3 ½ to 4 minutes.
5. Slice the Christmas ham into bite-sized pieces and gently cook until sugar caramelizes.
6. Chop the parsley and then assemble them for plating.
7. Plate the fries then add Christmas ham, grated queso de bola, dill sprigs, and drizzle with hot honey, and then finish with chopped parsley.

Lamb Weston Crinkle Cut Fries with Salmon and Cream Cheese

Lamb Weston Crinkle Cut Fries with Salmon and Cream Cheese Recipe

Yield: 4 servings | Time: 12-15 mins

Ingredients:

Dip:

• 1 block cream cheese (Philadelphia)
• ½ cup greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp pickled red onions or red onions
• 3-5 sprigs of dill
• 1 lemon for zesting
• Salt and pepper to taste

For plating:

• Lamb Weston crinkle cut fries
• Smoked salmon
• Capers
• Dill sprigs
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Whole black olives

Method:

1. Soften cream cheese in a food processor and add greek yogurt, capers, pickled red onion/red onion, and dill.
2. Once combined, season the dip with lemon zest, salt, and black pepper. Adjust to taste and set aside.
3. Heat oil at 350F and fry Lamb Weston crinkle-cut for 3 ½ to 4 minutes.
4. Assemble for plating: fries, smoked salmon, capers, dill sprigs, sun-dried tomatoes, whole black olives.
5. Serve with dip.

For over 70 years, Lamb Weston has made some of the most innovative potato products around. For more information about their products, and where they’re available, click here.

The post Two Christmas Recipes with Fries: Made by Chef Rj Ramos appeared first on Pepper.ph.

As with Western versions, it is often understood to refer to wet-cured ham with a sweet-and-salty profile (observation tells us the Filipino style leans far heavier toward sweet) which at times may be smoked, given a sugary (and/or pineapple-y) glaze, and/or served with a separate sweet sauce. More unique to the Philippines is the equal popularity of so-called “Chinese-style” hams, which differs from the dry-cured version actually found in China but can be distinguished from the Western-influenced Filipino style with its saltier taste and firmer texture. But with so many brands, which ham should you go for?

Grocery Christmas Ham Taste Test

We narrowed down our selection to the flagship Christmas ham variants. They’re all of the boneless variety, from mainstream ham brands that can be found at supermarkets. Hams were tasted at different serving temperatures (cold, at room temperature, and heated), both plain and with any accompanying sauce where applicable.

CDO Holiday Ham

CDO’s holiday ham shows visible strands of meat that break down easily once chewed. It’s chunky (not gummy) in texture, making it seem straight out of proper butcher; it doesn’t feel store-bought since it retains a pleasant, velvety mouthfeel. Flavor-wise, the ham is sweet and salty with a subtle savoriness.

CDO Jamon de Bola

Another CDO entry, this jamon de bola offers a nice, firm bite with a fine, smooth texture. It’s got a balance of sweetness and saltiness, with just a hint of savoriness (similar to the fiesta ham). It works well with sandwiches, but you can also serve it alongside some cheese.

King Sue Piña Ham

King Sue’s ham has a bouncy, slightly gummy texture. Once eaten, it feels dry on the tongue. That said, we like how pronounced the meat fibers are when you chew on them. It feels like premium ham in this sense, especially since it doesn’t break down easily as well. It’s slightly juicy and a bit smokey in flavor. However, it can get a bit bland, with most of the taste coming only from the brine.

Pampanga’s Best Old-Fashioned American Ham

Pampanga’s Best’s ham is the easiest to slice, which gives it a few bonus points in our book. It has lean yet tender meat, with little to no streaks of fat. The flavor’s salty and savory, with a smokiness that comes through after a few bites. It does have a pronounced sweetness, but it’s the type of sugariness that you’d expect from a Pinoy Christmas ham. This pairs well with a platter of cheese and fruits.

Purefoods Jamon de Bola

Purefoods’ jamon de bola is very visually appealing—great if you’re looking to add an aesthetic element to your noche buena table. It has a moist and soft texture, though the presence of bits of collage in the meat gives it some bite. You can tell that this ham was well-seasoned, having a good amount of spices on top of its inherent salty-sweet profile. It reminds us of mortadella or bologna with blends of spices and aromatics.

Purefoods Fiesta Ham

This Purefoods alternative comes pre-sliced, saving you from the extra prep. It’s got nice marbling of fat and meat that comes out to a smooth surface. It tastes slightly smokey, plus it’s quite sweet and savory, though mostly because of the brine. You can use it for sandwiches as it compliments the neutral flavor and soft texture of plain white loaf bread (or ciabatta); it would also work as part of a cheese platter.

Swift Festival Ham

The Swift Christmas ham is meaty—you can actually bite into noticeable strands of meat. It has an obviously darker hue versus all the other hams, plus a balanced meat-to-fat ratio. The meat is well-seasoned, with a sweet, pineapple tangy flavor profile (though it did lack smokiness); we’d say it even works without the glaze! You can serve it with cheese platters or sandwiches, and any leftover can be used to cook something else like our brown sugar ham.

The best part about it, though, is how it doesn’t dry out. It maintains its flavor and juiciness even when uncovered and left exposed at room temperature.

Virginia Pineapple Ball Ham

Virginia’s Christmas ham has pinkish, pale meat that provides a good bite and a pleasant mouthfeel. It has a mellow ham flavor that can get quite bland, with only a faint taste of the glaze and a barely-there smokiness. That said, it would still pair well with strong, salty, or more flavorful cheeses such as gouda, cheddar, or manchego.

The Verdict: Swift

Swift’s Christmas ham wins for its balanced meat-to-fat ratio, noticeably meaty texture, and well-seasoned flavor.
Being able to serve it without having to worry about it drying out is a major plus!

We originally posted a Christmas ham taste test in 2017, but we’re posting this updated version with new hams in the market. If you’d like to read the first taste test, click here.

The post Grocery Christmas Ham Taste Test for Noche Buena (Updated 2021) appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Wines under P500

We covered six different types of wine, from full-bodied reds to aromatic whites, to give everyone a range of wines under P500 to choose from. There’s also a bonus entry for sparkling wine (though, sorry, we couldn’t find anything under P500 for this one) to round out the list.

Gossips Cabernet Sauvignon

This cabernet sauvignon is a full-bodied red wine, so we recommend it for people who are already used to drinking “heavier” wine. It has a slightly oaky smell, and it coats the tongue with a bold earthy flavor; it also has a subtle cacao taste to it. Still, it’s fruity and floral, with a hint of sweetness. This would be great to pair with a charcuterie board, or anything with lots of cheese or cured or red meat.

Hardy’s Varietal Range Merlot Red Wine

This medium-bodied red wine has a caramel aroma. It kind of reminds us of a sugary baked good, fresh out of the oven. It’s dry and fruity (like berries), with a good amount of sweetness to it. It’s very flavorful (i.e. malasa) but light, great for everyday drinking. This is ideal for anyone just getting into red wine, but isn’t quite ready for the full-bodied varieties just yet.

Tall Horse Pinotage Rosé

If you’re looking for a great cheap rosé, this one from Tall Horse fits the bill. It has a subtle floral, fruity smell, plus a medium-bodied mouthfeel. It’s a bit bitter, but it ends with a pronounced tartness that lingers on the tongue; it sort of tastes like sour berries but in a good way. It’s more mature in flavor, though, so it’s ideal for those who have experience drinking wine.

You can bring this to a mid-day party or a lunch that extends into merienda, since it has a refreshing lightness that can stand a humid afternoon.

Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay

Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay is a full-bodied white wine, so it’s bold and more mature; we recommend it as something to drink at night. It smells citrus-y but slightly oaky at the same time, too. It’s light but dry and finishes strong on the tongue. It has a sour and oaky flavor. And though it’s a bit bitter, it has a noticeable tart aftertaste.

Barefoot Wine Sauvignon Blanc

This sauvignon blanc is our choice among light-bodied white wines under P500. It has a summer-y citrus smell, reminiscent of lemon tonic water. It even kind of tastes like a lemon rind. It’s light and dry on the tongue, but it has a strong flavor and finishes softly. Like the rosé, this one’s good for afternoon drinking, the experience resembling that of drinking a can of Strong Zero.

Yellow Tail Moscato Wine

Like most aromatic white wines, Yellow Tail’s Moscato wine is great for beginner drinkers or anyone who wants to drink wine without its distinct bitterness. It has a muted sugary, citrus-y aroma, and it’s very light (almost like water) on the tongue. It tastes like fruit-flavored (specifically melon) candy. You can drink this after a meal since it behaves like a dessert wine.

Bonus: Cinzano Prosecco D.O.C. Dry Sparkling Wine

You’ll be hard-pressed to find sparkling wine under P500. We couldn’t, but this Cinzano Prosecco offers the premium experience at an arguably affordable price. It’s sweet and tropical, with a nectar-like smell, and it carries this in both mouthfeel and taste. It’s easy to drink—light, fresh, and dry on the tongue. Plus, it tastes fruity and refreshing. It has a good “round” flavor, i.e. it’s balanced as it goes from sweet to bitter. We recommend pairing this with fish or seafood dishes.

We originally posted this list in 2014. But we’ve updated it in December 2021 with a new selection and current supermarket prices. To see the original round-up, click here.

The post 6 Wines under P500 to Buy for Your Holiday Parties (Updated 2021) appeared first on Pepper.ph.

We heard you, so here’s our 90% haccurate recipe for the infamous Big Al’s chocolate cake.

How to Make Big Al’s Chocolate Cake

This hack doesn’t take a lot of effort, but it does require a bit of time. You have to wait for it to bake, then allow it to cool to get the best texture. This rounds out to about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours in total, so make sure you’ve got enough time carved out for it. (You can just watch a one-hour episode of something on Netflix while waiting.)

To start, preheat an oven to 170C (or 338F). Make the cake by combining flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and coffee powder in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, water, eggs, and vanilla.

Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry mix, whisking to combine.

Then, pour the cake batter into two loaf pans. You may also use those aluminum trays that the Big Al’s chocolate cakes typically come in. Bake the cakes for 30 to 35 minutes until the center is set.

Cool the cake for 1 ½–2 hours before working on the frosting.

To make the frosting, combine condensed milk, full-cream milk, powdered milk, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.

The condensed milk is responsible for that fudgy texture. Meanwhile, the addition of powdered milk provides a rich, milky flavor that helps enhance the chocolate flavor of the frosting. Whisk everything until the powdered milk is dissolved.

Add the chocolate compound and continue whisking mix until it’s melted. We use chocolate compound here to add a bit more sweetness (vs. pure chocolate that can come out a bit bitter).

Whisk in cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Then, add the light corn syrup; this one’s for added sweetness, thickness, and a glossy finish. It’s optional, but you can also mix in 1 teaspoon of gelatine powder mixed with 3 teaspoons of water to make the frosting shiny. You can also add a bit of black food coloring to give it that same dark hue as Big Al’s version.

Remove the chocolate frosting from the heat, then whisk in vanilla extract and cold butter. The butter adds richness while toning down all that sweetness previously incorporated, resulting in a more balanced tasting sauce.

Pour the frosting over the cooled cakes and serve immediately.

You may also chill your Big Al’s chocolate cakes before serving.

The post Big Al’s Chocolate Cake Recipe: It’s Really in the Frosting appeared first on Pepper.ph.

For over 100 years here in the Philippines, Coca-Cola has been refreshing Filipinos with a variety of beverages – from your favorite juice drink to your most trusted water brand to dairy to low and no calorie beverages and of course, your most loved sparkling soda–a staple in every celebration. Just like the recently launched Coca-Cola Christmas video, Chimney, the real magic of Christmas is celebrating the wonderful moments of togetherness and embracing the holiday spirit through human connection.

Since Coke is as festive as you can get, we partnered with them to make a drink-dessert concoction that will find its way to your holiday table this year.

This Coke-inspired peppermint float recipe is easy to make and is a guaranteed cross-generational hit. All you need is chocolate sauce, peppermint flavoring, vanilla ice cream, and a Coca-Cola drink. We suggest laying them out as a spread — tall glasses included – so people can help themselves, and build their own customized floats. This is a fun activity to do with the family. Your favorite drink, with the addition of the peppermint extract, really evokes the holiday spirit — and if you find yourself a few candy canes, add them to each glass for color and decor.

Ready to share the magic with your family? Show us your version of the peppermint Coke float using the hashtags #PaskongCocaCola and #IbahagiAngMagic!

The post Peppermint Coke Float: Easy Christmas Drink Recipe appeared first on Pepper.ph.

This menu is complete from start to finish: for appetizers, everyone loves finger food so ordering both Frankie’s Classic Buffalo Wings and North Park Boneless Honey Lemon Chicken would give options to those who like spice, and those who prefer a sweeter flavor profile. For mains, cover all bases with katsu from two restaurants: Coco Ichibanya Pork Cutlet Curry and Yabu Katsu Platter C are both delicious options. Add greens to the table with Yabu’s Chicken Salad, and North Park’s 3 Kinds Mushroom with Broccoli, so you can finish with a heavier, classic dessert, Banapple’s Banoffee Pie. This is what’s on our Christmas party menu, what’s yours?

These restaurants are only available for delivery via the GrabFood app. Aside from the 5 restaurants featured, there are more restaurants only with GrabFood Signatures. Get P60 OFF + 600 GrabRewards Points with a minimum spend of P550. Use the code SIGNATURES.

The post Create Your Own Easy Christmas Menu with GrabFood Signatures appeared first on Pepper.ph.

How to Make Homemade Sarsa

Making sarsa at home is just as simple as making any other sauce. It all happens in one pot, and it’s basically just adding and mixing ingredients.

To start, add oil to a pan or saucepot over medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic, cooking until softened.

Then, add the liver spread and toast it for five minutes. This cooks it and helps tone down its slightly metallic aftertaste.

Whisk in the water, liquid seasoning (aka Knorr or Maggi), and vinegar. Then, season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate bowl, mix together a tablespoon each of cornstarch and water. This is called a slurry, which we use here to thicken the sauce.

Add in the slurry and the breadcrumbs and cook until thickened.

Remove the sauce from heat, then pour into blender or food processor. Blend until smooth then transfer to a container.

You can serve the homemade sarsa immediately or store it in the fridge for up to a week.

The post Homemade Sarsa Recipe: Why Is There Never Enough Lechon Sauce? appeared first on Pepper.ph.

It’s got the makings of the Filipino pulutan. And it’s even got that creamy texture, which we prove here you don’t need mayo for to achieve. We do it with leftover sarsa; a win-win, considering you’re probably looking for ways to use that up too.

How to Make Lechon Sisig

To make lechon sisig, first make the sauce by mixing sarsa, liquid seasoning, and calamansi juice in a bowl.

If you don’t have leftover sarsa, you can easily make some using our homemade sarsa recipe. Set the sauce aside.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once it’s hot, add white onion, garlic, chili, and cooked lechon. If you want to make your lechon crispy again, you can re-fry it before adding it here. (You can even just toss it in an air fryer if you have one.)

Cook everything for 5 minutes until the onion begins to soften and brown and the lechon is heated through.

Turn the heat to low, then add the sauce.

Mix together until everything’s well coated, and let cook until the sauce begins to thicken and evaporate around the meat and vegetables.

Remove the lechon sisig from the heat, then serve it with egg on top if you’d like. You can also garnish it with some fried garlic or spring onions.

The post Lechon Sisig Recipe: How to Repurpose Leftover Sisig and Sarsa appeared first on Pepper.ph.

We’ve teamed up with Nutella for an unconventional addition, which is so delicious, it might become a regular tradition. We discovered that a single, 15-gram serve of Nutella is an ingenious topping to the purple rice cakes; the roasted hazelnut flavor of the chocolate spread is a perfect foil to the smokiness of the bamboo-smoked puto bumbong.

Via Mare is offering Bibingka and Puto Bumbong along with some freebies from Nutella at PHP 320 this December. Available for dine-in, takeout, and delivery in all Via Mare outlets.

The post Make Puto Bumbong Better With This One Ingredient appeared first on Pepper.ph.

You’ll often find royal bibingka on noche buena tables. And this recipe was developed with the goal of making sure that this simple dessert stands tall in the ranks of more elaborate cakes and pastries. Still, the process is just as simple as any batter-and-bake type goods. That way, you don’t have to reserve making it only for the holidays. You can just as easily make it on a random July afternoon.

The Royal Bibingka Tests

To keep the method simple, we really zeroed in on the ingredients we used that we bought from Lazada to make this recipe. There are significant differences depending on the type of dairy, fat, or sweetener that you use. Using one or the other can result in royal bibingka that’s too dense, too flat, or too cakey.

Our goal was to make a version that was a) chewy without taking a toll on the jaw and b) gooey but not too wet that it seems raw. Additionally, it had to have that crispy cheese topping, that should be slightly browned for an extra toasty kick.

Here are the tests that helped us achieve that.

Evaporated Milk vs. Full Cream Milk vs. Coconut Milk

Most royal bibingka recipes use a combo of evaporated milk and coconut milk, which helps give it a sweeter flavor. But we found that the former can be too overpowering. You can barely taste the coconut flavor. Some recipes use full cream milk, instead. It behaves the same way as evaporated milk (i.e. it doesn’t change the texture), just less sweet. It solves the issue of evaporated milk being too overpowering, but it falls flat.

In our recipe, we scrap everything but coconut milk and pair it instead with coconut cream. This combo gives the dessert a stronger coconut flavor. Plus, the cream makes it much creamier, and the added fat makes the finished product more moist.

Whole Eggs vs. Egg Yolks

Using whole eggs in the royal bibingka makes it cakey thanks to the air incorporated in the whites while the batter is whipped. Using just egg yolks, on the other hand, gives the dessert a more tender mouthfeel. Plus, it provides more color and flavor because of its higher fat content.

If you’re worried about it being too eggy, don’t. The richness of the coconut milk and cream combo neutralizes that eggy taste.

Butter vs. Margarine

Butter and margarine can really be interchangeable here. But we found that butter provides a much richer flavor; meanwhile, the margarine leaves the royal bibingka tasting flat.

Condensed Milk vs. Brown Sugar vs. White Sugar

Condensed milk is the go-to sweetener of the majority of royal bibingka recipes. It does make it creamier but, like evaporated milk, it tends to overshadow the coconut flavor. Condensed milk also makes the batter thicker, almost like a pale yellow pancake batter; this results in a cakier product.

Using brown sugar, on the other hand, makes the royal bibingka resemble a non-visually-appealing kutsinta. That said, we did like that it yielded a softer bake.

Our recipe uses white sugar, which we found brings a more balanced flavor. It brings sweetness while still enhancing the coconut flavor from the coconut milk and cream combo. It also didn’t make the batter pale and runny.

How to Make Pepper’s Best Royal Bibingka

To start, preheat your oven to 350F or 180C.

Then, in a bowl, combine coconut milk, coconut cream, egg yolks, melted butter, sugar, and salt. And in another bowl, add the glutinous rice flour.

Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the flour and whisk until well-combined.

Line a cupcake or muffin tray with parchment paper or cupcake liners. Then, scoop ¼ to ⅓ cup of the batter into the compartments.

PS: We used a tray with nine compartments. If yours has 12, adjust your scoops; maybe start with the ¼ cup, then just add if you have leftover batter.

Cover the tray with foil, then place it in the preheated oven to bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine cheddar and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. This will be your cheese topping.

Once the top of your royal bibingka has set, remove it from the oven and take out the foil. Brush softened butter onto each piece, then top them with the cheese. Make sure everything’s covered!

Set your oven to the broiler setting, then return the tray. Bake the royal bibingka until the cheese is melted and slightly torched. It should take just about 5 minutes.

Let the royal bibingka cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Christmas crunch time: order everything you might possibly need before the 25th during the Lazada 12.12 Grand Christmas Sale.

Free shipping: no minimum spend nationwide; Lazada Bonus: P60 off for every P600 spend, and 10% cashback.

The post Royal Bibingka Recipe: A Christmas Classic in 30 Minutes appeared first on Pepper.ph.

Collar & Head

The collar and head area have a good amount of collagen and fat. So despite not having a lot of meat, they carry a lot of flavor. That makes them great for soups and stocks. You can also grill them; just make sure to serve them with an acidic ingredient (like lemons) to counter the rich flavor.

Top Loin

The top loin is like the tenderloin of salmon cuts. It’s got a high fat-to-flesh ratio, so it’s ideal for almost all cooking styles, especially grilling, poaching, sauteing, smoking, and slow roasting. It’s also the best cut to use for traditional gravlax.

Loin

The loin is one of the meatier salmon cuts—thick, flavorful, and succulent. It’s got a balanced fat-to-flesh ratio, making it a versatile option for most cooking styles. You can pan-sear, bake, poach, or grill it.

Belly

Just like in most animal products, salmon belly contains a high amount of fat, which also means it holds a large amount of natural flavor. That said, salmon belly is also known to have a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, which ups its status as a delicacy for a lot of people. This cut is great for when you’re making strips or wraps. It also works great for stews that need both meat and flavor (like sinigang).

Second Cut

The second cut is another versatile part. It’s like a budget version of the loin; it’s got a good balance of fat and meat, but it’s not as premium. Similarly, you can grill, smoke, or poach it.

Tail

The tail is the thinnest section of the salmon. As is, you can grill it. But it’s best used to make ground salmon meat for burgers and patties. You can also cut it up and add it to a marinade for extra flavor.

Salmon Cuts: Fillet vs. Steak

Salmon cuts are typically sold two ways: as fillet or as steak. You can get it as a whole fillet, also called “the side,” which includes everything from the neck down (though the tail sometimes is left out); or you can take separate salmon fillets, which are smaller rectangular cuts sliced from the whole fillet. For the latter, you can usually choose from which cut you’d like the fillet from.

Salmon steaks, on the other hand, are slices that resemble the original shape of the fish. Imagine holding the salmon, then slicing it down; the two sides are still intact and you just get a whole piece that looks like a steak resembling a u-shape. This cut is usually cheaper since it hasn’t been deboned.

The post Salmon Cuts: A Guide to What’s inside the “Pink” Fish appeared first on Pepper.ph.

We’re not saying you’re being ripped off here; it’s still good value for money. But with having to order it, pick it up (or worry about it as it’s delivered), and wait for it in a room full of people rushing for the season, having the choice to make it at home can save you from a huge headache. You still get everything you love about the dish, all in just 30 minutes.

How to Make Conti’s Baked Salmon

There are three parts to this recipe: making the cream sauce, baking the salmon, and sauteeing the buttered vegetables. All of that takes just 30 minutes though, already including bake time.

Before anything, preheat your oven to 350F (or 180C).

Then, make your cream sauce by combining cream cheese, Kewpie mayonnaise, all-purpose cream, minced garlic, lemon or calamansi juice, sugar, salt, and all-purpose flour in a bowl. You can also combine everything in a food processor. This gives you a smoother sauce. Plus, it’s less messy. Set this aside.

Now, for the salmon. You’ll need about 700g of it to serve four to five people. You can buy fresh salmon from some palengkes (Cubao Farmers Market never fails!), as well as major groceries with well-stocked seafood sections. We got ours from S&R for less than P900.

Pat your salmon dry, then season it all over with salt. Lay it skin-side down on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. You can also bake it directly on your serving platter (just make sure it’s oven-safe, like a Pyrex) for less clean-up.

Take your cream sauce, then slather it onto the salmon, making sure to cover the surface. Pop the salmon in the oven, and leave it to bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your vegetables. Add butter to a pan over medium heat. Once melted, add carrots and sayote, sauteeing until both are slightly softened. Add your green beans and cook until tender, before adding the corn and sauteeing for another one to two minutes. Season the vegetables with some salt, then set aside.

Unless you baked it in your serving platter, transfer the salmon onto a deep container, then surround it with the buttered vegetables. This is best served warm, but if you’re not serving it immediately, you can keep it in an oven set to the lowest heat setting to keep it hot.

The post Conti’s Baked Salmon Recipe: Our Celebration Hallelujah appeared first on Pepper.ph.