It’s hard to crave for your favorite restaurant dishes ALL THE TIME when you do not have the budget. The good thing is, you can still satisfy your cravings without spending too much by making your favorite restaurant dishes right at home.Try these copycat recipes from well-known restaurants in the Philippines and taste for yourself!
Sizzling Tofu Sisig (MAX’S RESTAURANT)
If you are a vegetarian or you just happen to fall in love with Max’s Restaurants’s Sizzling Tofu, then this recipe hack will surely make your dreams come true. Known for its creamy and crispy texture with a little hint of spice, this well-known restaurant dish is best eaten as an appetizer or paired with rice. Yum!
Skip the hassle of ordering online and try this recipe from Pepper.ph at the comfort of your own home.
RECIPE:
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
YIELD: 2-4 Servings
INGREDIENTS: FRIED TOFU
750g firm tofu, cut in cubes
1 cup oil
INGREDIENTS: SISIG
2 tbsp. oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 bird’s eye chili, chopped
2 tbsp Knorr Liquid Seasoning
4 tbsp. oyster sauce
4 tbsp. mayonnaise
3 tbsp. Water
PROCEDURE: FRIED TOFU
Heat oil in a deep pan.
Fry tofu in hot oil until golden.
Drain and set aside.
PROCEDURE: SISIG
Heat a pan with oil over medium heat.
Add in the garlic, onion, and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until onions are transparent.
Add in the chili, Knorr, oyster sauce, mayonnaise, and water. Stir thoroughly and cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
Add in the fried tofu and mix.
Serve on a sizzling plate. Garnish with calamansi and more chili.
Chicken Inasal (MANG INASAL)
Whenever you get tired of eating fried chicken and you want to level up your dinner game, marinated and grilled chicken is they way to go. One of the largest and tastiest grilled chicken is from one of the biggest restaurant chains in the country, Mang Inasal.
Their chicken has the best combination of sweet and savory taste that almost everyone who dine avails of their “unli-rice” to get the most of what they paid for. And what goes best with their chicken, well the infamous chicken oil drizzled on top of your rice. But let me tell you that this recipe from Panlasang Pinoy can give you almost the same level of happiness you get when you dine at their resto.
RECIPE:
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
YIELD: 5 Servings
INGREDIENTS: CHICKEN
5 pcs. chicken legs with thigh
INGREDIENTS: MARINADE
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup coconut vinegar or palm vinegar
2 stalks lemongrass chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 inch ginger chopped
1 tsp. calamansi juice
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup sugar
INGREDIENTS: BASTING
Annatto oil 1/4 cup cooking oil + 1 Tbsp annatto seeds
INGREDIENTS: DIPPING SAUCE
soy sauce
red hot chilies
calamansi juice
PROCEDURE:
Mix all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until all the ingredients are cut into small pieces but don’t overdo, just to cut the ingredients to small pieces is sufficient.
Prick the chicken with sharp bamboo stick so the marinade will be effectively absorbed by the chicken. You can also cut some slits on the chicken if you don’t want to prick it.
In a big zip lock bag or clean plastic container, put the chicken and the marinade and marinate overnight in a refrigerator.
To make the annatto oil, heat the oil and cook annatto seeds until the color is released to the oil. Pour the seeds and the oil in a small bowl and set aside to cool. Let the seeds soak in the oil for a few hours and remove the seeds when the oil is about to be used.
Before grilling the chicken, soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pass marinade through a strainer. Put the marinade in a bowl and mix with 1 to 2 tablespoons of annatto oil.
Skewer the chicken with the bamboo sticks and grill the chicken on hot charcoals until cooked on all sides basting it with the mixture of annatto oil and marinade while cooking. Estimate time of cooking is about 20 minutes more or less.
Serve the chicken inasal with the dipping sauce by mixing soy sauce, calamansi juice and chopped red chilies. Serve also with steaming rice and the annatto oil.
Cheese Rolls (MARY GRACE)
Who cannot resist the well-known soft and buttery cheese rolls from the local bakeshop Mary Grace? These cheesy bread topped with granulated sugar just melts in your mouth. Made with the right amount of sweetness and tang from the cheese, anyone can probably eat dozens of these delicious treat.
What makes it even better is how you can bake your own cheese rolls at home and stuff your sweet cravings as many as you can. No one’s telling you to stop! When the first batch gets emptied out in a flash, you can just bake again. Check out this recipe from Pepper.ph and start to get your hands on that oven!
RECIPE:
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours
YIELD: 10 servings
INGREDIENTS: DOUGH
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup white Sugar
2 egg yolks
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 tbsp instant yeast
2 tbsp milk powder
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
⅔ cup instant mashed potato mix
Chevital Cheese, cut into 4″ x ½” sticks
butter, softened
sugar, for sprinkling
INGREDIENTS: EGG WASH
1 egg
2 tbsp water
PROCEDURE: DOUGH
Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add egg yolks and mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl combine flour, mashed potato flakes and milk powder.
Gradually add dry ingredients alternately with water until all have been included in the mix. Add salt.
Knead for 8-10 minutes.
Turn mixer off and transfer dough to oiled bowl.
Cover with damp towel. Let rest for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until it doubles in size
Transfer dough into floured surface. Divide into 40-gram pieces.
Roll dough pieces into logs. With a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a rectangular shape.
Place cheese stick in the middle and roll up dough, making sure to pinch sides after rolling.
Arrange dough side by side in a greased 9″ x 9″ cake pan, leaving enough space for it to rise.
Cover pan with damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
Mix water and egg for egg wash, and brush on top of dough.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Cool down slightly then brush tops with softened butter and sprinkle with sugar. Serve.
Pork Sisig (SISIG HOORAY)
It is no doubt that sisig is one of the most sought after viand, pulutan, appetizer, and snack in the country. No matter where Filipino restaurant you dine at, you would always find sisig on their menu. And most tables, well, they always have that gorgeous sizzling meat dish. But probably one of the crowd favorites when it comes to their sisig cravings is the version of Sisig Hooray.
Their sisig is made with fried pork belly that gives off that crunchy and savory meat flavor. On top of it is their creamy sauce made from the mixture of mayonnaise and chicken liver loaded with spices and ingredients such as onions and calamansi. Aside from the delicious treat it brings, this sisig version is also affordable and served immediately. No waiting time, indeed.
Whenever you are craving for Sisig Hooray’s sisig, you can always turn to this recipe from Pepper.ph. It’s as close as it can get. Enjoy!
RECIPE:
TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes
YIELD: 3 servings
INGREDIENTS: PORK
300g pork belly, boneless 1 inch thick
1½ liter water
1½ tbsp salt
1½ tbsp vinegar
2 banana chili, (siling pangsigang) chopped
½ red onion, minced
3 pcs pork rinds, crushed
calamansi, halved
hot sauce, to taste
INGREDIENTS: SAUCE
100g chicken liver
½ cup sweet mayonnaise
1 tsp liquid seasoning
PROCEDURE: SISIG SAUCE
Heat up a pan, add oil.
When pan starts to smoke, add liver.
Season with salt and turn when a nice crust appears on one side.
Turn down heat and cook liver through in pan.
When liver is cooked, transfer to a bowl.
Mash liver with fork and mix well with mayonnaise and liquid seasoning.
Season to taste.
PROCEDURE: PORK
Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil.
Season water with salt and vinegar. (1 tbsp of each per liter of water)
Boil pork rashers for 10 to 15 minutes. Just till fat turns translucent and soft. Do not over-boil as the skin won’t crisp up if too much water water is absorbed.
Drain pork and dry on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Pat off any moisture on the pork.
Fill a wok with oil around half full and heat over medium. (Around 150˚C with a thermometer, if you have one)
Fry pork until it starts to brown but still isn’t crispy. (around 10 minutes)
Remove pork from oil and lay over paper towels.
Bring up the flame of the walk and heat up oil till it starts to smoke.
Return pork into oil and fry until skin is crispy.
Remove pork and let rest at least 10 minutes.
Chop up pork with a big cleaver and mix with, chili and onion.
Place in serving container and drizzle with sisig sauce, liquid seasoning, and hot sauce.
Serve with a halved calamansi.
Lumpiang Sariwa (GOLDILOCKS)
A lot of people will make sure to get their hands of lumpiang shanghai. Undoubtedly, it has gained so much attention because of the crunchy + savory combination of ground meat, carrots, onion leeks, and other spices. However, one version of lumpia that makes everyone’s stomach growl is the delicious lumpiang sariwa or fresh lumpia.
This version of lumpia is loaded with vegetables, thus making it a healthier option for meals or snacks. Nothing seems special with lumpiang sariwa as it’s just random vegetables wrapped in spring roll wrapper. However, the magic lies within the sauce that completes this dish. And when you talk about lumpiang sariwa, you would always hear of Goldilocks‘ take on this healthy and sweet Filipino dish.
Now, with just simple ingredients, you can make your own lumpiang sariwa + the sweet caramel sauce drizzled on top. Trust me, you might never even consider buying again once you try this recipe from Mama’s Guide Recipes.
RECIPE:
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
YIELD: 3 servings
INGREDIENTS: FILLING
2 cups ubod or (alternatively sweet potato, cubed)
2 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
1 ½ cup carrots, julienned
½ cup water
½ cup peanuts, crushed
6 pieces Lettuce leaves
½ lb pork, thinly sliced
1 pack extra firm tofu, sliced in strips
1 cup shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 cups string beans (baguio beans), chopped
1 medium sized onions, chopped
3 tbsp garlic, minced
1 pork cube
store brought lumpia wrapper
INGREDIENTS: SAUCE
2-3/4 cups water
¼ cup soy sauce
¾ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted peanuts, ground
1 head garlic (about 3 tablespoons), peeled and minced
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons peanut butter
PROCEDURE: FILLING
Heat a pan and pour-in the cooking oil, sauté the garlic is brownish and onions becomes transparent.
Add pork and cook until color turns light brown. Add pork cube and add ½ cup water then simmer until pork is tender.
Then add the shrimps, followed by ubod. Saute and cook for 5 minutes until ubod is tender.
Next, add your tofu and cook for a few more minutes. Add carrots and string beans. Add patis (fish sauce) and stir. Set aside.
PROCEDURE: WRAP THE FILLING
Place the wrapper in a plate then place a lettuce leaf in the middle top part of the wrapper. Spoon the filling and place in the middle of the wrapper (over the lettuce leaf).
Close the wrapper by folding the wrapper just like an envelope and roll it on the side. Sealing it with a hints of water. .
Pour the sauce over the Lumpiang Sariwa and garnish with crushed peanuts and minced garlic.
PROCEDURE: SAUCE
In a sauce pot over medium heat, combine 2-1/2 cups of the water, soy sauce, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring regularly, until sugar is dissolved. Add garlic and peanuts. Continue to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Lower down heat, stir cornstarch and the remaining ¼ cup water in a small bowl. Then, pour it in the sauce pot. Stir regularly, until sauce is thick. Add peanut butter and mix until smooth and well incorporated. Turn off heat.
Thanks to these recipes, you can always re-create your favorite dishes from Max’s Restaurant, Mang Inasal, Mary Grace, Sisig Hooray, and Goldilocks whenever you feel like satisfying your cravings. Let us know how your cooking goes!