Main Course

20-minute chicken braised in sweet spicy sauce

Chicken thigh fillets are browned on both sides then braised in a sauce made with calamansi juice, fish sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and chilies.

Cook time: 20

Servings: 4 people

20-minute soy calamansi chicken

Inspired by the Filipino beef dish called bistek, skin-on chicken thigh fillets are lightly browned and braised in soy sauce with plenty of garlic. The cooking is concluded with the addition of onion rings and freshly-squeezed calamansi juice.

Cook time: 20

Servings: 2 people

Hanoi-style beef pho

Pho is a Vietnamese soup with rice noodles, meat and vegetables. This is beef pho recreated from a hot bowl of noodle soup I enjoyed in Hanoi.

Cook time: 3 30

Servings: 4 people

Miso ginger honey noodles with pork, mushrooms and vegetables

It's an instant ramen hack. The powdered seasoning from the pack of noodles flavors the meat and vegetables while the noodles come alive with homemade miso ginger honey sauce.

Cook time: 12

Servings: 2 people

Pork and mung bean stew with coconut cream

Dried mung beans are inexpensive but highly nutritious. Parboil and puree to create a creamy base for the stew. Drizzle in coconut cream before serving to add a delighful sweetness to the dish.

Cook time: 1 30

Servings: 6 people

Easy crispy pork and cabbage kimchi spring rolls

Fatty ground pork, mature cabbage kimchi, oyster sauce, a little hoisin sauce and a drizzle of sesame seed oil make up the filling for these delectable spring rolls. Serve as a snack, appetizer or enjoy with rice.

Cook time: 10

Servings: 4 people

Sancocho-inspired slow cooked pork hock and vegetables

Sanchoco-inspired slow cooked pork hock and vegetables

Slices of pork hock go into the slow cooker with sliced sausages, onion, garlic, bay leaves, oregano and tomatoes. When tender, cabbage wedges, sweet yellow corn and saba bananas are added.

Cook time: 4 30

Servings: 4 people

Creamed spinach, bacon and mushroom spaghetti

Let me explain the dish. The first time I made it was in 2011. I was so smitten with creamed spinach that I was pairing it with meat, seafood and chicken. Finally, I tried it with pasta and I loved it. Still, being more carnivore than herbivore, I just had to add bacon. In this updated recipe, mushrooms join bacon to give an already excellent dish even more flavor and texture.

Cook time: 30

Servings: 3 people

Blanched Chinese broccoli with ground pork adobo

They are not traditional partners but boldly flavored Filipino adobo, made even richer with the addition of oyster sauce, is just so good with lightly seasoned greens.

Cook time: 20

Servings: 2 people