Lumpiang Shanghai

Whenever I attend birthday parties or some special occasions, this food will never go out of the list of  Filipino feast. This is a good suggestion for a low cost recipe in which you can fed a lot of your guests with this. I like it to be dipped with banana catsup. One thing about Lumpiang Shanghai is when you just leave it on the table over long hours, the spring roll wrapper will lose its crispiness when exposed to air so better consume it while it's hot.

Ingredients:

1/2 kl Ground pork
Spring roll wrappers
1 white onion, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, minced
1 large potato, minced
3 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients except for the wrapper.
2. Scoop a tablespoon of the mixture and place it in the wrapper, spread it evenly. Roll and wrap it.
3. After wrapping, heat oil in a deep fryer over medium heat. fry it until golden brown. Avoid burning the wrapper.
4. Place the Lumpia in paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Serve hot with banana catsup or your favorite dip. Enjoy!

Calamares

Calamares or deep fried squid rings is one of the top favorite appetizers in the Philippines. Its easy to prepare and cook. The secret to a delicious Calamares is the softness of the squid while its crunchy on the outside.

Ingredients:

1/2 kl squids
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 beaten egg
salt and pepper
cooking oil

Procedure:

1. Clean the squids by removing the skin and the innards. Wash well. Slice it into rings.
2. Season the rings with salt and pepper.
3. Dip the rings into the beaten egg and dredge it into the bread crumbs.
4. Heat the oil in a pan over low heat. Deep fry the squid rings until golden brown. Do not overcook the rings as this will make the squid tough.
5. Remove from heat and drain the excess oil in a paper towel.
6. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Chicharon Bulaklak

Chicharon Bulaklak literally means "flower chicharon" named after its shape is one of the most favorite finger foods or "pulutan" in our country. It's usually serve along with alcoholic beverages. Chicharon Bulaklak is also known as pork mesentery which may be dipped into spiced coconut vinegar.

Ingredients:

1 kilo chicharon bulaklak (pork mesentery)
2 pcs. garlic, minced
3 cups water
5 cups oil
salt and pepper

Procedure:

1. On a pan boil garlic and chicharon bulaklak until tender. Set aside.
2. Season chicharon bulaklak with salt and pepper.
3. On a pan, heat oil.
4. Deep fry boiled chicharon bulaklak until crispy!
5. Serve with spicy vinegar dip!