Looking for easy Filipino recipes you can make in minutes? Whether you’re craving garlic fried rice for breakfast or a sweet sticky rice dessert, you can bring the bold flavors of the Philippines to life at home — faster and easier — with Minute® Rice.
Filipino Cooking Basics
The cuisine of the Philippines is complex and diverse, built from a range of influences over time to create a cuisine that is truly unique. From sinangag and lumpia to adobo, the country’s national dish, Filipino cuisine has become beloved the world over for its combination of salty, sour and sweet flavors and vibrant ingredients.
With a few simple ingredients, you can get started making delicious Filipino-inspired food right at home!
About Filipino Cuisine
Filipino cuisine is very diverse, having been influenced by a number of different cultures over time. Heavy influence from Spain, China and other areas over the centuries have combined with indigenous Filipino cuisine and local ingredients to create a complex cuisine of its own. What’s more, with a varied population spread out over more than 7,000 islands, different regions of the Philippines have developed different versions of dishes over time with their own unique touch.
While it can be difficult to define, there are some flavors and ingredients that are commonly seen in Filipino cuisine. Sour flavors often come through in Filipino cuisine, found in dishes like adobo and sinigang. Umami and fermented flavors from ingredients like fish sauce and shrimp paste are often used to accent dishes.
If you’re interested in Filipino cooking, some key ingredients that you may want to add to your pantry include:
- Patis: A fish sauce full of umami, salty and funky fermented flavors, used in recipes as well as a dipping sauce.
- Soy sauce: A staple ingredient and condiment in Filipino cooking, as well as most Asian cuisines.
- Pancit: Noodles, whether made of rice flour, wheat flour or bean thread, are common in Filipino dishes.
- Vinegar: Sugarcane vinegar is particularly common in Filipino cuisine, used in adobo and other stews.
- Coconut: Because of its location in the tropics, the Philippines includes plenty of coconut and coconut milk in its cuisine.
- Seafood: As an island nation, seafood is extremely common in the Philippines. While also eaten fresh, it’s common in Filipino cooking to see fish dried, fermented or smoked.
- Pork: From pork belly to ground pork and everything in between, pork is a major ingredient in Filipino food.
Rice in Filipino Cuisine
The Philippines is one of the main producers of rice in the world, so it’s no wonder that rice is a key part of almost any meal in the Philippines. It’s central to a number of classic Filipino dishes, enjoyed at breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert in both savory and sweet dishes. White rice is also commonly served plain during a meal to accompany other dishes, helping to absorb the sauces and complement the bold flavors.
Top 4 Easy Filipino Recipes
Ready to start enjoying the bold flavors of the Philippines? There are plenty of Filipino dishes you can make at home—and it’s much easier than you might think! With convenient pantry staples like Minute Rice on hand, these dishes can come together in no time.
Check out these recipes to get started preparing Filipino dishes in your own kitchen!
Sinangag (Garlic Fried Rice)
Sinangag is a classic Filipino dish, enjoyed as a side dish or the base of many main courses. It’s incredibly simple to put together, using just four ingredients to make a crispy and flavorful meal. Garlic is sauteed in oil until it’s perfectly brown, then white rice is added and allowed to fry to get a slightly crispy texture. Our simple sinangag recipe uses Minute White Rice Cups, which are ready in just one minute, so you can whip up this dish in no time. Sinangag is also a great way to use up day-old leftover rice.
To make a more complete meal, add a protein to your sinangag—classic Filipino options include cured beef, crispy bacon or Spam. Top with a fried egg and you get silog, a popular Filipino breakfast staple.
Chicken Arroz Caldo (Chicken Rice Porridge)
The Filipino version of congee, arroz caldo is a hearty, comforting rice porridge packed full of flavor. Our Chicken Arroz Caldo recipe is a simple version of the recipe you can prepare at home in around 30 minutes.
The recipe starts with sauteeing aromatics like garlic, onion and ginger until fragrant, then adding shredded chicken and chicken stock and simmering. Minute Sticky Rice Cups are then added, which add the unique chewy consistency of the sticky rice often used in Filipino cooking.
The arroz caldo then simmers for around 20 minutes, allowing the fragrant flavors to meld together and the porridge to thicken. For the finishing touch, add in fish sauce for a hit of salty, umami flavor and enjoy! You can also try topping your chicken arroz caldo with traditional garnishes like chopped green onions or boiled eggs.
Picadillo
Picadillo is a comforting dish that comes together with simple ingredients all cooked together in a single pot or skillet. It is traditionally made with ground beef, tomatoes or tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots and raisins, along with sauces like soy sauce and fish sauce. Depending on the recipe, picadillo can be prepared with more liquid to be like a stew, or less liquid to be enjoyed like a hash over rice.
You can enjoy picadillo in mere minutes at home using Minute Rice Cups. Simply heat a Minute White Rice Cup, then add in ground beef, diced potatoes, diced carrots, raisins, tomato sauce and soy sauce for a delicious and hearty meal ready in no time. It’s a great way to use common ingredients that you have at home and transform them into a tasty Filipino treat!
Biko (Sweet Sticky Rice)
With rice so crucial to Filipino cuisine, it’s no surprise that it takes center stage in sweet dishes as well as savory. Biko is a sweet and chewy Filipino rice cake made from sticky rice that’s sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Biko is easy and fun to prepare at home, and takes under 10 minutes of cooking time! Simply simmer coconut milk, brown sugar and vanilla together in a sauce pan, then add Minute Sticky Rice Cups and cook for 5 minutes. The sticky texture of these rice cups are perfect to create the chewy taste of biko right at home, without spending all the time it takes to prepare a full batch of sticky rice.
Once the mixture is finished cooking, simply pour it into a parchment paper-lined baking dish and press it down evenly. Once it cools to room temperature, you’re ready to cut into squares and enjoy!
Enjoy Filipino Cuisine at Home
With a long history influenced by many different cultures, the complexity of Filipino cuisine is part of what makes it so exciting and delicious. These are just a few of the delicious Filipino recipes that you can try for yourself, but there are many more to experiment with and enjoy!
Whether you want sweet or savory, side dishes or main courses, there’s something delicious to be found in Filipino cuisine. And with Minute Rice on hand, it’s easier and faster than ever to prepare delicious meals at home inspired by the flavors and ingredients of the Philippines!
Filipino Recipe FAQs
What is the easiest Filipino rice dish to make?
Sinangag (garlic fried rice) is one of the easiest Filipino dishes. Made with just garlic, oil and rice, it’s simple, flavorful and takes minutes to prepare.
Can I use instant rice for Filipino recipes?
Absolutely! Minute Rice is a perfect time-saving substitute in traditional dishes like arroz caldo or biko, delivering the right taste and texture without long cooking times.
What kind of rice is best for Filipino cooking?
White rice and sticky rice are commonly used. Minute White Rice Cups and Sticky Rice Cups are great options for classic recipes like sinangag or sweet biko.
What are some traditional Filipino breakfast ideas?
Silog meals (like tosilog or longsilog) use garlic fried rice and eggs with a savory protein. You can prepare sinangag in minutes with Minute Rice!
