Timpla't Tikim
MANILA, Philippines — Christmas is only weeks away, and wise housekeepers have started stocking up on non-perishable ingredients for the holiday meals. Here is a guide on what basic items should be in every home’s pantry and what dishes they are used for.
Raisins – All raisins sold in the Philippines are imported. In supermarkets and grocery stores, they are displayed in small, medium and big boxes weighing 100 grams to one pound each. In wet markets, raisins are sold by weight and repacked from original 10-kilo boxes.
For cooking savory dishes, it is best to choose small, seedless raisins; the large ones are better for fruit cakes, raisin bread, and cinnamon rolls.
Holiday dishes that use raisins are: Relyenong Bangus (Stuffed Bangus), Menudo, Chicken Relleno, Embutido, and Kaldereta.
Cheese –The cheese of choice for majority of Filipino families is locally packed cheddar, most of which come in small rectangular blue boxes. Genuine Edam is now an acquired taste and too expensive even for the middle class.
Special dishes that use cheese are: Kaldereta, Morcon, Sisig, Mechado, Potato Salad, Macaroni Soup, and Spaghetti. It can also be grated into an omelette or over toasted bread.
Tomato Sauce and Paste – With fresh tomatoes costing P80/kilo, it makes a lot of sense to buy tomato sauce and tomato paste instead. Local brands are sold in cans and tetrapack; these are required for Menudo, Morcon, Spaghetti, Kalsereta, Mechado and Paella, also known as Arroz Valenciana.
Ham – For cooking purposes, sliced ham from the deli is very versatile and affordable. Slice, dice or chop for cooking Menudo, Morcon, Chicken Relleno, Paella, Fried Rice, Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, Chop Suey, Pancit or Pasta Alfredo.
Green Peas – Locally called gisantes, green peas come in different forms: canned, frozen, dried or rehydrated. We all grew up on menudo and chicken with canned gisantes. I discovered later that it is much cheaper to buy dry green peas, soak them overnight and boil them for 30 minutes (or until tender) prior to use.
Frozen green peas are sold everywhere; they are preferred by restaurants and hotels for buttered mixed vegetable sidings. Public market stalls also sell rehydrated green peas by the glass, but these are often exposed to the elements and turn sour when unsold in a day.
Green peas are essential in Paella, Menudo, Bangus and Chicken Relleno, and fried rice.
Cream – Sold in tetrapack and cans, cream is used in fruit salad, Lasagna, Pasta Alfredo or Carbonara and gravies. To make macaroni soup creamy, cream or evaporated milk is added.
Mayonnaise – Ordinary shoppers could get confused when buying mayonnaise these days, with dozens of brands and types on sale. For good results, stick to known brands; inferior products are often starchy and too sweet.
Pasta – The most popular pasta types in the Philippines are spaghetti, elbow macaroni and shell. They are now made locally by several manufacturers, and sell for P26-P30 per half-kilo in public markets. Ideal and Royal are my own preferred brands; their products retain their shape and texture and do not become mushy. The other local brands are Fiesta and Sunshine.
Imported pasta of all shapes and colors, from the US, Italy, and Australia, abound in supermarkets for between P40-P60 per 500 grams. Follow cooking times recommended on the label.
Spaghetti Sauce – Really convenient and often cheaper than cooking from scratch, imported and local pasta sauces offer a wide variety of flavors from herbs, cheeses and meat ingredients.
The popular foreign brands Hunts and Del Monte manufacture pasta sauce in large cans, Prego and Ragu come in jars, while local Del Monte’s three variants (Filipino style, Italian, Carbonara) are sold in tetrapack.
These same pasta sauces are great on any kind of bread, sprinkled with cheese and toasted, for a home-style pizza.
Canned Pimiento – Fresh bell peppers sell for more than P200 per kilo around Christmas, so I usually resort to canned Pimientos, which are red bell peppers that have been roasted, peeled and preserved in a light brine. Pimientos are used in Cheese-Pimiento sandwich spread, as Morcon filling, chopped into fried rice and sliced over Paella or in wedges atop Kaldereta and Mechado.
Fruit Cocktail – Canned fruit cocktail comes in two variants: American and Fiesta. The latter contains Philippine ingredients such as dyed kaong and sago. Fruit cocktail salad is often made richer with the addition in young coconut meat and canned cream.
Cheap extenders are fresh ripe bananas, papaya, and sago. Ripe mangoes, when available, are also added. As cream is highly perishable, keep fruit salad with cream in the refrigerator until the last minute to prevent spoilage.
Chinese Stuff – Dried Chinese sausages and one or two kinds of dried pancit noodles are also good to keep in stock for quick additions to the buffet when more people than expected show up.
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