Commonly Used Ingredients in Filipino Dishes

Annato (achiote, achuete, atsuete)
A natural orange food colouring extracted from the seeds of the annato tree. Sometimes spelt as annatto or anatto in other cookbooks.

Coconut milk (gata)
The juice of the grated mature coconut. The first extraction is thick and a second extraction with water added is thin. Some non-Asians are confused about coconut milk and coconut water. Coconut water is inside the nut and it is clear and has a sweet taste.

Curry powder
A mixture of a number of herbs and spices to flavour dishes of Asian origin.

Fish paste (bagoong)
Salted and fermented small shrimps or anchovies.

Fish sauce (patis)
The liquefied product of salted and fermented small shrimps and fish.

Garlic (bawang)
A bulb widely used in cooking for flavour and medicinal value.

Ginger (luya)
A plant that produces rhizomes used for pickles soups and stir-frys. It has the capacity to neutralise the acidity of the digestive tract and prevents morning sickness.

Lemon grass (tanglad)
It is a long grass-like herb with lemon flavour

Meat tenderisers
A blend of naturally occurring enzyme bromelain and papain found in green pawpaw (papaya) and pineapple

Mixed spice
A mixture usually of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg to flavour cakes and sweet dishes

Oils
Use either canola, maize, olive, peanut, safflower, soy bean and sunflower as they mono-/poly-unsaturated and help to lower blood cholesterol.

Onion (sibuyas)
Similar to garlic in its rule in cookery especially among Asians.

Pamapa
A type of curry spice mixed

Paprika
A finely ground dried pepper used to flavour and colour many dishes

Pepper (paminta)
Black pepper is the dried unripe berries and white pepper (ground) is from the ripe berries of the same pepper vine.

Peppercorns
The unground dried berries used for pickles and soups

Pimiento
Bright red capsicums usually bottled or canned used for garnishing.

Poppy seeds
Black little seeds of the white poppy plant sprinkled over bread or incorporated in some types of cakes

Saffron
The stigma of the crocus flower used to colour and flavour some dishes like paella.

Salt (asin)
Note: Please use this sparingly. High salt intake could result to high blood pressure.

Soy bean products
Salted cheese (tahure); fermented curd (tausi); dried soy bean milk skin (tawpe); soft cheese (tofu); hard cheese (tokwa); black sauce (toyo)

Tumeric (duyaw or dilaw)
A bright yellow rhizome of a plant that belongs to the ginger family. It is used for colouring and as a spice. Like the ginger, it has some medicinal value.