Cultural Breakfast Recipes

For our cultural breakfast, we served three different Filipino dishes: Arroz Caldo, Maja Blanca, and Yams. The food was so delicious we wanted to share the recipes with you! Enjoy!

Arroz Caldo - Filipino Congee

Ingredients:
1 kilo chicken, cut into small pieces
1 c. uncooked malagkit or plain rice, or a combination
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 ginger root, sliced
6 c. water or broth
Fish sauce (to taste)
Cooking oil
Salt (to taste)
Chicken bullion cubes (optional)
1 Tbsp. fried minced garlic (for garnishing)
1 Tbsp. scallions (for garnishing)

Cooking Instructions:
In a casserole, saute garlic, onion, and ginger in oil. Add chicken and stir fry with fish sauce until light browned. Drain any remaining oil and then add rice. Add enough water and bring to a boil. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender and rice is done (add hot water if necessary). Season with fish sauce according to taste. Serve hot in a bowl. Garnish on top with fried minced garlic and scallions.

Maja Blanca

Maja Blanca is a Filipino dessert made from coconut milk, cornstarch, and sugar. Often called Coconut Pudding, this luscious dessert is easy to make and the ingredients are very common.

Ingredients:

4 cups coconut milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

14 ounces condensed milk

3/4 cup fresh milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

15 ounces whole sweet kernel corn

5 tbsp toasted grated coconut

 

Cooking instructions:

1. Pour the coconut milk in a cooking pot and bring to a boil.

2. Add the sugar, condensed milk, and whole sweet kernel corn then stir until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

3. Simmer for 8 minutes

4. Combine the fresh milk and cornstarch then whisk until the cornstarch is diluted

5. Pour the fresh milk and cornstarch mixture in the cooking pot and stir thoroughly.

6. Allow to cook while stirring until the mixture reaches your desired thickness

7. Pour the mixture in a serving tray then arrange and flatten the top

8. Allow to cool down then refrigerate for at least 1 hour

9. Garnish with toasted grated coconut (or latik if available)

10. Serve cold. Share and enjoy!


Adobong Tarlac
Adobo is one of the national dishes of the Philippines. Usually made with chicken and pork, it can also be made with halaan, a kind of clam.

Ingredients:
1 kilo pork
1 kilo chicken
1/2 liter pineapple juice
1 c. soy sauce
1 c. white vinegar
2 Tbsp. black pepper
1 c. sliced pineapple
1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped
3 onions, chopped
1/2 c. canola or vegetable oil
1 bay leaf


Cooking instructions:
1. Marinate the pork and chicken pieces in the pinapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and bay leaf for 2 hours.
2. Remove the pork and chicken. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add onion and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the marinated chicken and pork, along with the marinade. Allow to simmer until the sauce has thickened.
5. Serve, topping with the sliced pineapple.