Party Dishes That Make Every Filipino Celebration Feel Like a Fiesta

You know it is going to be a literal feast if you see plates of these on the table.

One thing is true about the Filipino stereotype: the Philippines is a nation of happy people. Filipinos are unbelievably resilient; we smile through our stories of hardship and sacrifice. More so when there is joyous reason to celebrate, which is probably why Filipinos are known for throwing lavish parties for every milestone of their lives. Merrymaking is in our cultural DNA probably because, ultimately, Filipinos are grateful people who celebrate the faintest wind of fortune that come their way. But it’s also because Filipinos bond with family and friends over food during celebrations—they love to treat their guests well.

Foreigners are often surprised when they find out that Filipinos’ fondness for food and occasions makes them a hospitable bunch. It’s not uncommon for Filipinos to greet a stranger who happens to be passing by and invite the person over to break bread with them even when there’s barely an extra serving. This is perhaps influenced by the Filipino tradition of opening up the house to as many merry-goers as they can accommodate for a bountiful feast during a fiesta to honor the patron saint of the town. Once you step inside, you’ll be overwhelmed by the sight of a long table too small to hold the dishes that are arranged meticulously to lead your eyes to the center where the lechon (roasted pig) is and main course dishes that are almost stacked on top of the other.

Here are some of the traditional party dishes you’ll see during any Filipino occasion:

Embutido

You can think of embutido as a Filipino-style meatloaf. The idea of a Filipino version can be traced to sausage recipes introduced to the Philippines during the Spanish colonization of the archipelago. The word itself is a generic term for cured, dried sausages of the Iberian Peninsula and former territories. However, the modern recipe and preparation of embutido is largely influenced by canned American meatloaf in its heyday during the second World War. Although many variants exist depending on the region, embutido is made of seasoned ground pork, sausages or hotdogs, well beaten eggs, minced onion and carrots, sweet pickle relish, and then filled with cheese and hard-boiled eggs. The ingredients are combined into a roll and wrapped in aluminum foil before stored in the freezer. Embutido can be served lightly fried or cold after thawing it at room temperature.

Try Sarangani’s Frozen Embutido (USD 9.99), available in the Frozen section.

Lumpia

This Filipino version of egg rolls/fried spring rolls has become a cult-favorite party food among the younger generation on social media recently. Lumpia or lumpiang shanghai is a traditional deep-fried appetizer made of seasoned ground pork, chicken, seafood, or beef filling wrapped in spring roll wrappers to make bite-sized golden brown rolls.  Lumpia can be so addicting when dipped in ketchup, sweet and sour sauce, lechon gravy, sweet chili, or even a mix of soy sauce and calamansi. It is usually served alongside rice, pansit bihon (Filipino-style stir fried noodles) or Filipino sweet spaghetti.

Try Orientex’s shrimp and chicken lumpia (USD 19.99) or pork and shrimp lumpia (USD 19.99) or vegetable lumpia (USD 18.99), available in the Frozen section.

Rellenong Bangus

Filipino parties are never the occasion for getting rid of fish bones by hand while chatting with family and friends gathered around the table. Grilling a fish may be the easiest way to feed a group, but Filipinos always look for a way to make the platter look and taste more festive. The creamy and full-flavored rellenong bangus is done by scaling and deboning a 600- to 700-gram milkfish and stuffing the center with a mix of the scraped fish meat, onion, garlic, carrots, red bell pepper, green peas, raisins, and sometimes cheese. It’s a classic Filipino way of adding merry twist to an otherwise ordinary fried or grilled milkfish.

Try Sarangani’s Frozen Baked Rellenong Bangus (USD 15.99), available in the Frozen section.

Ube Ice Cream

Ube is the classic ice cream flavor to Filipinos as chocolate is to Americans. Pronounced oo-beh, ube flavor comes from the purple yam, an indigenous root vegetable in the Philippines, which is distinguishable by its saturated purple hue. Despite its exotic flavor, it’s gentle sweetness and almond- or pistachio-like nuttiness is just perfect for creating a variety of dishes and desserts without overwhelming your tastebuds. Due to its flavor profile, Filipino ice cream brands offer traditional combination of ube with queso (cheese), macapuno (coconut sport), or red beans that goes smoothly on the palate.

Try Magnolia’s Ube Ice Cream (USD 15.99) or Magnolia’s Ube-Queso (USD 15.99) or Magnolia’s Macapuno-Ube (USD 15.99), available in the Frozen section.

Filipino-style Sweet Spaghetti

Ah, the classic bright red spaghetti that baffles foreigners who visit the Philippines. Sometimes dry, sometimes saucy—the Filipino-style sweet spaghetti does not give you the pretentiousness of herb-infused pasta recipes. Instead of olive oil or tomato sauce, you’re getting a mixture of sweet banana ketchup mixed and brown sugar. Instead of smoked salmon and capers or basil, you’re getting a hill of grated cheese and red hotdogs for the toppings. You can guarantee children and adults alike will always be looking for the sweet spaghetti in any Filipino occasion.

Ingredients are available in My Tindahan.

Photo credits: embutido (yummy.ph); lumpia (knorr.com); rellenong bangus (foxyfolksy.com); ube ice cream (theflavorbender.com); Filipino-style spaghetti (foxyfolksy.com)