Are you tired of the same old recipes and looking for a new culinary adventure? As a Filipino-American, I can attest that Filipino cuisine is a hidden gem that deserves more recognition. Growing up, my family’s kitchen was always filled with the aromas of adobo, sinigang, and pancit. These dishes were more than just food to us; they were a way to connect with our culture and heritage.
When I moved out on my own, I realized how much I missed these flavors and wanted to learn how to cook them myself. That’s when I discovered the best Filipino cookbooks, which became my guide to recreating the dishes I grew up with. The recipes were easy to follow and included all of the essential ingredients, like vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic, that give Filipino cuisine its distinct taste.
One of my favorite dishes to make is lechon, a roasted whole pig that is a staple at Filipino celebrations. While I don’t have the resources to roast a whole pig, the cookbook I found had a recipe for lechon kawali, which is crispy fried pork belly that’s just as delicious. Another dish that I love is sisig, which is made with chopped pork head and liver, seasoned with calamansi juice and chili peppers. It may sound intimidating, but with the help of the cookbook, I was able to make it perfectly.
Of course, no Filipino meal is complete without dessert, and halo-halo is a must-try. This colorful dessert consists of shaved ice, sweetened beans, fruits, and other toppings, and is perfect for a hot summer day.
Thanks to the best Filipino cookbooks, I was able to reconnect with my roots and share these delicious dishes with my friends and family. If you’re looking to expand your culinary horizons, I highly recommend exploring the world of Filipino cuisine through these cookbooks. From adobo to lumpia, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook: Classic and Modern Filipino Recipes for Your Electric Pressure Cooker by Tisha Gonda Domingo
The instant pot is every cook’s friend because it makes preparing even complex dishes so very, very easy and everything is cooked completely and so juicy and tender.
Tisha’s all about taking traditional Filipino fare and adapting it to the instant pot so that you can make the best Pork Tamarind Soup among other things. This is heaven.
The Filipino Cookbook: 85 Homestyle Recipes to Delight your Family and Friends by Miki Garcia
Miki took a journalism course in the UK before returning to the Philippines and she’s an expert linguist in Kapampangan as well as an amazing cook.
This contains 85 recipes that really do represent the best homestyle cooking of Filipinos and they’re all super tasty.
Quintessential Filipino Cooking: 75 Authentic and Classic Recipes of the Philippines by Liza Agbanlog
This is a very simple cookbook that focuses on recipes that don’t require a ton of ingredients and can be prepared quickly.
Yes! It’s the essential guide to weekday Filipino food and you won’t regret trying the kare kare, it’s truly memorable.
Recipes of the Philippines by Enriqueta David-Perez
This is THE classic Filipino recipe book but as it’s now out of print, you’ll need to find it somewhere they don’t know how much it’s worth or pay a small fortune for it.
If you do, you’ll get the most authentic, traditional Filipino food that there is. It’s an unbeatable trove of great good.
Filipino Cooking Here & Abroad by Eleanor Laquian and Irene Sobrevinas
Nearly every Filipino that goes overseas carries a copy of this cookbook with them.
For many Filipinos this is the taste of home and the taste of their new life and you just can’t beat that.
I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook by Nicole Ponseca and Miguel Trinidad
This is as much a manifesto of Filipino heritage as it is a cookbook and it’s got the most straightforward but delightful recipes that we’ve encountered.
Their approach to adobo is out of this world and their jackfruit ice ceam may be the best thing we’ve eaten all year. Don’t miss it.
The New Filipino Kitchen
This is a qualtity cookbook which focuses on a small handful of standout Filipino recipes so that the author can breathe life into them through stories.
Some of the recipes in here have been contribued by the world’s most famous Filipino chefs and there’s nothing here that would look out of place at the dining table in a royal palace.
Pulutan!
Fillipino street food isn’t as famous as Thai or Singaporean food and it’s often hard to find great street food in Manila.
But if you venture around the islands, you will soon find food that is nearly as good as you can learn to make in this cookbook.
Baking at République
You can’t find a better introduction to the sweet treats of the nation than this masterwork.
Maznke is a James Beard semifinalist and a world class cook, this is Fililpino pastry done better than right.
The Easy Filipino Cookbook: 100 Classics Made Simple by Roline Casper
This is a charming cookbook which makes us feel like we’re in the kitchen with Roline. Everything here is really easy to prepare and each recipe rendered lovingly with a history of the dish.
It’s an island hopping tour of the Philippines without ever steping outside of your kitchen, you just can’t go wrong with this cookbook.
