Ingredient Guides
This is where I break down the ingredients that show up often in Filipino cooking—some familiar, some new, all worth knowing.
You’ll find simple guides that explain what they are, how they’re used, and when you can swap or skip them.
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Soy Sauce (Toyo): A Filipino Kitchen Staple
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Banana Blossom: The Unlikely Vegetable
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Tamarind: A Staple in Filipino Cuisine
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Rice Flour: A Staple in Filipino Snacks and Desserts
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Macapuno: The Coconut Mutant
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Panutsa: From Sugarcane to Sweet Treat
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Lemongrass in Filipino Cooking
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Pork Chicharon: A Crunchy Filipino Classic
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Shiitake Mushrooms
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Lye Water: The Key to Chewy Kakanin
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Calamansi: Filipino Citrus Fruit
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Pinipig: Filipino Rice Crispies
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Annatto: The Natural Food Coloring
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What is Grass Jelly?
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Agar-Agar: The Plant-Based Gelatin
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Coconut Milk 101
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Fish Sauce (Patis)
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Corn (Mais)
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Saba Bananas: The Cooking Bananas
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Jackfruit (Langka)
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Mung Bean Sprouts (Togue)
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Bagoong Alamang: The Umami-Packed Shrimp Paste
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Avocado Basics
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Lumpia Wrapper Essentials
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Oyster Sauce: How Filipinos Use It in Everyday Cooking
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Chayote (Sayote)
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Salted Egg (Itlog na Maalat)
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Ube and Purple Sweet Potatoes
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What is Nata de Coco?
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Philippine Mangoes
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What is Sago?
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How to Make Shrimp Stock
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How to Make Sweet Chili Sauce
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How to Make Lechon Sauce
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Banana Ketchup: The Sweet Filipino Condiment
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The Many Filipino Vinegars
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Jicama (Singkamas)
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Quail Eggs (Itlog ng Pugo)
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Yardlong Beans (Sitaw)
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Cassava (Kamoteng Kahoy)
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Kabocha Squash: A Kalabasa Substitute
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Eggplant (Talong)
