Stuffed Ampalaya- Growing up I hated the taste of Bitter Melon, or in Filipino, Ampalaya. Thankfully, I recently came across a Manyaman way to turn this bitter vegetable into a very appetizing and healthy dish! I stuffed my Ampalaya with some sauteed ground beef, sliced carrots, and topped them with grated Eden Cheese.
Asadong Matwa: Kapampangan Style Pork Asado-I got this recipe from my Auntie in Pampanga who is one of the best cooks I know. She learned how to cook this dish from her Lola, and now, I’m so fortunate to know how to cook it myself (Thanks Auntie!) After a few hours of cooking up a rich tomato based sauce and searing off the meat, my Asadong Matwa was finished. Truly Kapampangan, truly Manyaman.
Lumpia Shanghai. Takes some time & patience to roll them, but if you put the right ingredients into your filling, it’ll surely be worth it when you take that first crunchy, savory, delicious bite. This will always be classic Manyaman Filipino food, especially when served with homemade sweet & sour sauce.
This dish will always hold a special place in my cook book because well, it was the VERY FIRST REAL dish I cooked! IN MY LIFE. Before cooking this dish, Torta was just my favorite comfort food. Now, it’s my favorite comfort food AND my favorite dish to make. Hands Down.
But before I end this, let me get something straight. The Kapampangan way of cooking Torta is very similar to how Giniling is made in many other regions of the Philippines. So if you’re wondering why our Torta looks like Giniling and isn’t shaped into egg patties, re-read this post about 50 more times. And if you haven’t tried this version of Torta before, all I can say is…YOU HAVE TO, SOON! Probably the most Manyaman thing you’ll ever eat in your life. really.
