The
great thing about Filipino cooking is not only its filling deliciousness,
but also its practical simplicity and ease in preparation. Unlike other
cuisines, many traditional recipes do not rely on exotic ingredients you
have to find in a specialty store. Most of the time all you will really
need aside from meat, fish or veggies are onions, tomatoes, garlic, salt
and perhaps some ginger or pepper. Although one can also get fancy
and create as many variations as one desires (or has been accustomed to),
it is also possible to create really mouth-watering dishes that you’ll tend
to stuff yourself on with just a few basic ingredients. This
makes it ideal for people who just want to learn how to cook viands
generally eaten with rice, although some dishes like adobo and bistek go
really well with bread as well. Whether you are a newly independent or
married person who needs to learn what they have always taken for granted,
or are perhaps from some other country who is curious to learn something
new, have no fear. You do
not have to know anything about cooking to be able to do most of the
recipes in this website. You just have to be brave and be willing to learn
and practice as you go along. What
you should do is to let your sense of taste guide you as you go along. The
ingredient proportions need not be followed to the gram but may generally
be adjusted according to preference while cooking. More
important is to follow the simple basic steps in preparation as closely as
possible because for, example, it really is amazing what a big difference
even a difference of a minute or two of sautéing garlic will make in the
taste of the final result. On the
other hand, don’t worry either, because even if you make a mistake, the
results will generally still be palatable. Also, we will try to tell you
what can go wrong so you avoid the simple mistakes everyone usually makes
in the beginning. BEGINNER’S
GUIDE TO FILIPINO CUISINE OK, so
you want to learn how to cook. While
there are many secrets in cooking, learning how to do even just the
"basic", taken-for granted stuff properly is the secret of
producing a superior result from the same ingredients, time and effort. Unfortunately,
most recipe books seem take for granted that you already know how!.
Learning by observation is almost as tough –, unless one really knows how
to cook in the first place, it is almost impossible to remember unless you
actually do it several times or at least help. If you really
think about it, it is not the actual ingredients themselves that make the
most difference between a mediocre dish and a delicious one. More often, it
is the care taken, whether it be in the preparation, mixing, timing or heat
applied which can make even the most simple dish a delicious treat, In the
Basic Tricks section you will learn not only what to do but how to do it
properly. A final word before you start: a sharp knife will make everything
much easier. Good eating!