- Spider fighting in the Philippines is extremely popular with the youth, it’s like a form of high stakes Pokemon.
- The crime rate in the Philippines drops drastically during Pacquiao fights
- There is an “American” themed restaurant in the Philippines called ArmyNavy Burgers and Burritos that has Freedom Fries, Freedom Toast, and LiberTea on the menu.
- In the Philippines, there’s banana ketchup. During WW2 there was a shortage of tomatoes and had to use bananas as a replacement to replicate ketchup. It’s made from mashed banana, sugar, vinegar, and spices
- In 1993 Pepsi ran a contest in the Philippines in which it promised 1 million pesos, roughly $40,000, to the person who found the number 349 inside his bottle cap. Pepsi went on to mistakenly print 800,000 winning caps, leading to outrage and death threats to Pepsi executives.
- Between 2000 and 2010 as many as a dozen people in the Philippines were shot to death while singing Frank Sinatra songs at karaoke bars. The deaths are referred to as ‘The My Way Killings’
- In the Philippines, there is an island called Luzon. On this island, there’s a lake called Taal Lake. In this lake is an island called Volcano Island. On this island is a lake called Main Crater Lake. In this lake, there’s an island called Volcano Point.
- The Filipino flag is flown with the red stripe up in times of war and blue stripe up in times of peace.
- The Philippines is one of the deadliest places in the world for politicians, with over 1200 political assassinations in the last decade.
- Every nation in the world except the Philippines (though Muslims in the Philippines have the right to divorce) and the Vatican City allows some form of divorce.
- A 40-year-old violent feud between villages in the Philippines was solved after the women of the villages threatened to withhold sex from the men if they continued fighting. The villages returned to peace within two weeks.
- The Philippines accounts for 43% of the world’s gin consumption.
- 40 million people simultaneously lost electricity in the Philippines, including the presidential palace, sparking fears of a possible coup, only to find out that the power grid was compromised by the cooling pipes of one power plant which sucked 50 dump trucks’ worth of jellyfish
- Repurposed old US Army Jeeps, called “Jeepneys”, are the most popular form of public transportation in the Philippines
- In the Philippines, License plates ending in 1 and 2 are prohibited from driving on Mondays, those ending in 3 and 4 cannot drive on Tuesday, 5 and 6 on Wednesday, 7 and 8 on Thursday, and 9 and 0 on Friday.
- Manila Envelopes are so named because they were originally made from the hemp of bananas native to the Philippines.
- In the Philippines, it is legal to kill your cheating spouse and their lover if you catch them in the act; and you can kill your daughter if she is under 18 and living at home in the same situation. But not your son
- 24 of the 100 largest shopping malls in the world are in the Philippines.
- The Philippines has a 13th-month pay law where employees get 1/12 of their yearly salary every December.
On the Menu:
lumpia
chicken adobo
Filipino marinated vegetable salad
garlic rice
taisan (dessert)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1. Chicken thighs - do NOT substitute with breast. You need the fat in thighs in order for the sauce to reduce down to a glaze. Can also use bone in thighs, wings or drumsticks (add 3/4 cup water and simmer 30 minutes).
The best way to achieve the closest result with chicken breast is to add 2 tbsp of any oil to the sauce, take the chicken out once cooked and reduce the sauce right down to become jammy, then smear it on the breast.
2. Soy sauce - use all purpose or light soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce - bottle will be labelled as such if it is. Dark soy is too intense for this sauce once reduced.
You probably won't need all the sauce because it is very strong in flavour. Save the leftovers and use it to make fried rice! It is perfect because it is so strong in flavour so a little bit goes a long way. I used it to make a fried rice with leftover Filipino Chicken Adobo and chopped Asian greens. No other flavourings required!
Filipino Vegetable Salad via The Spruce
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Place a wok or large skillet over high heat, and pour in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Cook pork, stirring frequently, until no pink is showing. Remove pork from pan and set aside. Drain grease from pan, leaving a thin coating. Cook garlic and onion in the same pan for 2 minutes. Stir in the cooked pork, carrots, green onions, and cabbage. Season with pepper, salt, garlic powder, and soy sauce. Remove from heat, and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Place three heaping tablespoons of the filling diagonally near one corner of each wrapper, leaving a 1 1/2 inch space at both ends. Fold the side along the length of the filling over the filling, tuck in both ends, and roll neatly. Keep the roll tight as you assemble. Moisten the other side of the wrapper with water to seal the edge. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap to retain moisture.
- Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil to 1/2 inch depth, and heat for 5 minutes. Slide 3 or 4 lumpia into the oil. Fry the rolls for 1 to 2 minutes, until all sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
Ingredients:
CHICKEN AND MARINADE
- 750g / 1.5 lb chicken thigh fillets , boneless and skinless (5 - 6 pieces) (Note 1)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/3 cup (85ml) soy sauce , ordinary all purpose or light (not dark soy sauce, Note 2)
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 4 bay leaves (fresh) or 3 dried
FOR COOKING
- 2 tbsp oil , separated (vegetable, canola or peanut)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 small brown onion , diced
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp whole black pepper (sub 2 tsp coarse cracked pepper)
SERVING:
- 2 green onions/scallions , sliced (garnis
Directions:
- Combine Chicken and Marinade ingredients in a bowl. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over high heat. Remove chicken from marinade (reserve marinade) and place in the pan. Sear both sides until browned – about 1 minute on each side. Do not cook the chicken all the way through.
- Remove chicken skillet and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in skillet. Add garlic and onion, cook 1 1/2 minutes.
- Add the reserved marinade, water, sugar and black pepper. Bring it to a simmer then turn heat down to medium high. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Add chicken smooth side down. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes (no need to stir), turning chicken at around 15 minutes, until the sauce reduces down to a thick jam-like syrup.
- If the sauce isn't thick enough, remove chicken onto a plate and let the sauce simmer by itself - it will thicken much quicker - then return chicken to the skillet to coat in the glaze.
- Coat chicken in glaze then serve over rice. Pictured in post as a healthy dinner plate (415 calories) with cauliflower rice and Ginger Smashed Cucumbers1. Chicken thighs - do NOT substitute with breast. You need the fat in thighs in order for the sauce to reduce down to a glaze. Can also use bone in thighs, wings or drumsticks (add 3/4 cup water and simmer 30 minutes).
2. Soy sauce - use all purpose or light soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce - bottle will be labelled as such if it is. Dark soy is too intense for this sauce once reduced.
Filipino Vegetable Salad via The Spruce
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (or salt)
- 2 cucumbers (thinly sliced)
- 1 to 2 red bell peppers (cut into strips)
- 1 to 2 red onions (thinly sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1/2 inch of ginger (peeled and thinly sliced)
- 3 stalks of lemongrass (white part only—see tips; lightly pounded)
- 2 finger chilis (sliced)
- Make the pickling solution. Pour the vinegar into a small saucepan. Add an equal amount of water. Stir in the sugar. Boil until the sugar dissolves. Cool. Stir in the fish sauce.
- Stuff the rest of the ingredients in a jar with a screw-type cap. Pour in the cooled pickling solution, making sure that every piece of vegetable is completely submerged. Screw in the cap and keep in the fridge until needed. Note that it is best to let the vegetables soak in the liquid for at least 24 hours before use.
- Serve the vegetables with some of the liquid or drain them, it is entirely up to you. If you want to add lettuce leaves, toss them in just before serving.
FOR THE CAKE
- 7 egg yolks from large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 7 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
FOR THE TOPPINGS
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
- sugar
- 1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two 9x5 loaf pans with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the egg yolks until it is slightly thicker. Add the sugar and mix until incorporated. Add water, oil and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Add the flour mixture gradually and use a hand whisk to blend the ingredients well, until smooth.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk until egg whites form firm peaks that hold its shape when the whisk is lifted.
- Gently fold the egg whites to the yolk batter in three additions until batter is uniform and well mixed. Pour batter into two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Brush the cakes with melted butter.
- Once they have cooled slightly, take them out of the pan. Sprinkle sugar and shredded cheese on top.
Here are the photos of the yums from the box:
