Pinikpikan - Famous Igorots and Ilocano Dish

Natives from Cordillera and Ilocos Regions  has a different way to cook their chicken and they call it as their specialties. Some people may be disgusted the way they do the process.

Pinikpikan is came from the word "pikpik" where in the chicken will be killed by smoothly beating it's wings, body and neck until the blood will be clotted all over the chickens body. After this process has been done they will prepare a small bush of fire and burned the whole body of the chicken until the feathers were run off and burned, they make sure that the whole body are clean from left feathers and then they will wash and butch.

The Process of cooking is almost the same as when you are cooking Tinola. The ingredients are the most common you can find in any market, it compose of garlic, union, ginger, papaya or potato and malunggay or pepper leaves. First thing you are going to do before cooking make sure the pan are heated enough then pour cooking oil until it boils then put the garlic, union and ginger until their color will turn to brow then put the sliced pinikpikan chicken stir it until it will be dried up and a little bit fried and put the papaya or potato then stir it for a couple of times, pour 5 cups of water, cover the pan until it boils for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked, uncover it put the malunggay or pepper leaves stir it and let it boil for a minute then it's ready to serve, you have now a pinikpikan soup dish.

Native Filipino Dish - Pinakbet

The Famous Ilocano Dish

Pinakbet was derived from an ilocano word "Pinakebbet" and originated from the native Ilocano regions on the northern part of the Philippines. This dish had come to be a well known dish all over the country until now, some of the foreigners also are loving it because of the taste and the crunchy fresh vegetables.

This dish doesn't have any special ingredients, in fact you can find them anywhere in every market, mostly in Asian countries. The vegetables are composed of ampalaya, okra, talong, squash, string beans, tomatoes, and parda, some people use to mix with fork meat sliced into a little cube size.

Cooking Preparations:

1/4 kilo         Okra

1/4 kilo         Talong

1/4 kilo         Ampalya

1/4 kilo         Squash

1/4 kilo         String Beans

4Pcs.            Tomatoes

2Pcs.            Ginger

2Pcs             Union

1 Whole       garlic

1/4cup          Fermented fish

1/2 kilo         Pork

4 tbs.            Cooking Oil

Instructions For Cooking

Heat the pan for 2 minutes, then pour the cooking oil until it will boil, put the garlic until it's color will turn brown next the union and the sliced cube pork meat, stir it for 10 minutes until the meat has been fried (we call this ginisa) then the next is we are going to put all the vegetables and stir for a couple of times, when the vegetables are half cooked we will now put the liquidized fermented fish be sure to use strainer, after that balance the taste with other seasonings and water be sure it will be salty enough then cover it for five minutes until it will boil and cooked. Turn off the stove and the pinakbet is now ready to serve...enjoy.

How To Cook Ilocos Empanada

We all know That Spaniards stayed in the Philippines for a long period of time most likely in the northern part of Luzon the Ilocos Region, and most of their traditional foods were adopted by the Ilocanos, and one of them is the empanada.

Empanda is came from a spanish word "Empanar" meaning to coat or to wrap in bread, it is a delicious pastry that it can be serve as a dessert or a snack. Empanada is a crisp fried  small cuts of vegetables, ground beef, pork, and egg coated or wrapped with a dough.

Dough Ingredients Preparation:
3 cups         Flour
1 tsp            salt
1/2 cup       water
1 Pc           egg
1 Pc          egg white
1 tsp           vinegar
3 tbsp         shortening       


Pour the water, egg, egg white and vinegar on the bowl and beat it like a sunny side, on the separate bowl mix together the cups of flour and salt, cut the shortening and mix it then make a well in the center and put the mixed water, egg and vinegar then mix the wet and dry ingredients until it will become stiff, turn the dough out on the floured surface and roll it until it become smooth, then wrap it with a plastic and refrigerate it for 1 hour.

Ilocos Empanada Main Ingredients:
1/4 kilo           Longgnisa
10 pcs.            Eggs
5 pcs.             Red Pepper (Sliced in a small cubes)
5 pcs.             Green Pepper (Sliced in a small cubes)
5 pcs.             Potato (Sliced in a small cubes)
1/4 kilo           sweet corn

Take a portion from the dough then flatten it with the dough roller put a 1 tbsp Potato, green pepper, sweet corn. On top of those ingredients put a 1 longganisa slice and spread it and crack an egg at the very top then wrapped it by folding the dough, carefully squeeze and roll the tip to sealed it. Do it again until all the prepared  ingredients is finished. Heat the pan make sure that it can contain several cups of cooking oil because you are going to deep fry, make sure before you soak the empada the cooking is boiling, cook it for a couple of minutes until the dough will become a golden and crisp then remove from the pan and rinse it until the oil drops down, then ready to serve.