Adobo, Sinigang, Kare-Kare, Tinola, Paksiw, and tomato-based dishes like Kaldereta, Afritada, Menudo, and Mechado are some of the popular dishes enjoyed by most Pinoys on any given day.
Pinoys are known for their great love for food! So enjoying a hearty pot of stew or warm soup with loved ones and friends is just like Tuesday.
But is a stew different from a soup? Or are they the same?
Stew VS Soup
Stews are usually slow-cooked with chunky pieces of meat and vegetables in a thick or reduced liquid. Soups, on the other hand, have more liquid and are often thinner in consistency. With this, below is a list of some of the common Filipino stews and soups.
Common Pinoy Stews
Vegan Kare-Kare with Amrey’s Kitchen™ Original Vegan Bagoong
Kare-Kare (Peanut Stew)
Kare-Kare is known for its thick peanut sauce, slow-cooked in a palayok (clay pot), that often uses ox tripe and beef trotters, and is served with bagoong alamang (fish or krill paste). Traditionally, the peanut sauce is not as heavily seasoned and is bland, hence, it is served with the fermented salty bagoong. This condiment can either make or break one’s enjoyment of this dish, as there are several ways of cooking and preparing bagoong. These days, you can enjoy this peanut stew using pork, chicken, seafood, and plant-based proteins. Blanched or boiled veggies like aubergines, radish, string beans, pechay, and banana heart also make up a good portion of this dish.
Adobo
Touted as the National Dish of the Philippines, albeit unofficial, Adobo is probably the most famous stew enjoyed nationwide. Pork and chicken are usually the preferred meats for this stew. There are several variations of adobo, but the main spices and ingredients are soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaf.
Paksiw na Tilapia at Bangus (Tilapia and Milkfish Vinegar Stew)
Paksiw
Fish cooked in vinegar, garlic, peppercorns, banana chili, and vegetables like bitter gourd and aubergines. The most common fish used is bangus (milkfish), this being the National Fish of the Philippines and readily available, fresh or frozen.
Tilapia, tuna (yellowfin), galunggong (mackerel scad), matambaka (big eye scad), tanigue (spanish mackerel), malasugue (blue marlin), pompano, tulingan (skipjack tuna), and tamban (sardine) are some of the fish meats commonly used for paksiw.
Vegan Curry
Curry
Pinoy Curry is more similar to Indian Curry in taste compared to other Asian Curries. The most common meat used is chicken, with carrots and potatoes as common vegetables. Curry powder, a distinct spice mix, and gata (coconut cream or milk) are the distinct ingredients for this stew.
Chicken Afritada
Tomato-based stews
Afritada (chicken or pork), Menudo (pork and liver), Mechado (beef), and Kaldereta (goat meat or beef). All these tomato-based stews have almost the same preparation and vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and capsicum. The thickness of the sauce usually varies.
Pochero is another tomato-based stew that uses either pork, beef, or chicken with vegetables similar to those used in nilaga, with the addition of saba (sweet plantain).
Common Pinoy Soups
Milkfish Sour Soup (Sinigang na Bangus)
Sinigang
Sinigang (Sour Soup) has different variations based on the souring agent and distinct ingredients used. The most common is sampalok (tamarind). Other souring agents include kamias (bilimbi) and kalamansi (Philippine lime). Thickeners like gabi (taro) and miso (fermented soy-bean paste) are also added. Common vegetables used are kangkong (water spinach), talong (aubergine), labanos (radish), and sitaw (string/long beans). Another leafy green that is used is mustasa (mustard leaf), which adds a different flavour to any sinigang variety due to its bitterness.
Seared Chicken Tinola Vermicelli
Tinola
Tinola is akin to the Western chicken soup. It’s a type of #pagkaingginhawa (comfort food) that is easy to whip up. It can even be a one-pot dish, especially if you’re feeling under the weather, too busy, or feeling a little bit lazy to spend time in the kitchen. The most common protein used is chicken. Considered as a heaty dish in TCM that is good to expel dampness and regulate qi and blood circulation, thanks to its main aromatic, ginger. Leafy greens options are malunggay (moringa), pechay (Philippine cabbage), or dahon ng sili (chili leaves). Sayote (chayote) and/or hilaw na papaya (green papaya) are also added.
Pesa
Similar to Tinola, Pesa is also one of those go-to comfort dishes you can easily whip up. Pesa often uses fish as the main protein.
Boiled Chicken Soup (Nilagang Manok)
Nilaga
Nilaga, often uses red meats like pork and beef. Vegetables like patatas (potatoes), repolyo (green cabbage), bitsuelas (Baguio beans/snap beans). Nilaga, means boiled. So, basically, most boiled soups are technically called nilaga.
Bulalo
Bulalo, is a type of nilaga that uses beef shanks and bone marrow. This soup takes longer to prepare as the meat used takes longer to cook. Aside from the usual vegetables used in any nilaga, sweet corn cobs are also added. In the Philippines, Batangas, is often frequented by foodies to enjoy an authentic bowl of bulalo.
Banana Blossom Vegetable Soup (Puso ng Saging Law-uy)
Law-Uy or Dinengdeng
Law-Uy or Dinengdeng is a no-oil, one-pot vegetable soup. This easy-to-make clear vegetable soup is called Law-uy in the Southern regions of Visayas and Mindanao, whilst in the Northern region of Ilocos, this is called Dinengdeng. Vegetables commonly used are okra (ladyfingers), kalabasa (kabocha squash), alugbati (malabar spinach), bulaklak ng kalabasa (squash blossoms), malunggay (moringa), and talong (aubergine), depending on who’s cooking it.
A few weeks back, I was able to taste Puso ng Saging Law-uy (Banana Heart Vegetable Soup), thanks to our friendly neighbour!
So, would you agree that a soup is just a thin stew, and a stew is just a thick soup? I’d love to know your two cents on this and, of course, share your favourite Pinoy stew and/or soup on IG @amreyskitchen (#amapolism #amreyskitchen #katutubo101 #filipinofood).
Get your own Katutubo 101 Stew VS Soup Chart here.
Remember, sharing is loving! Let’s keep spreading LOVE with Amrey’s Kitchen™ Mindfully Crafted recipes and creations. #GREENingwithAmrey made deliciously easy.
Happy food exploration, lovelies! #mettalove
Add comment
Comments