Filipino cuisine presents a melting pot of different flavors. The culture is inclined towards sumptuous meals prepared to be enjoyed by the entire family gathering at dinner. While you will find a lot of delicacies that focus on fried food, fatty meat, starchy stuff, and baked goods, these are perfectly balanced by healthy dishes for those who are cautious about what they eat.
Whether you are watching weight or just want to eat healthily, here are some of the most gut-friendly yet delicious Filipino dishes you can surely enjoy.
1. Pinakbet
This traditional dish involves sautéing vegetables with oil, garlic, and onion. Some of the popular vegetables used are Bitter melon, known for its amazing hypoglycemic effects; tomato, famous for boosting immunity, and string beans that are rich in protein. It may sometimes include pork. Thus, Pinakbet is rich in vitamin A and fibers. This is a nice way of enjoying different types of vegetables in one dish.
2. Fish Sinigang
Fish and seafood form an integral part of Filipino cuisine and their fish dishes are rich in vitamins and minerals. Fish Sinigang is a popular dish that includes fish cooked in tamarind soup and leafy vegetables like pechay, camote tops, or water spinach. The common fish variations used in Filipino cuisine are salmon, bangus (milk fish), or maya-maya (snapper fish). Fish is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and protein so these dishes are good for health.
Fish Cardillo is another healthy delicacy that is made of fried fish cooked in sautéed tomato, onion, and egg soup. It has low sodium content and high amounts of protein.
3. Lumpiang Ubod (Coconut pith spring rolls)
The Filipinos love vegetables and this classic dish is a great example of healthy food made from fresh vegetables that are nutritious and delicious too. Other ingredients used in the dish are lettuce, turnip, carrot, spring onions, and ubod or edible coconut pith. The dish is rich in vitamin A, thus it helps in promoting good eye health and also boosts the immune system.
4. Lato/Guso Seaweed Salad
This is a traditional delicacy prepared with different types of fresh seaweed that are commonly referred to as lato. The salad is then tossed with vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, green mango, and onion dressed in condiments like calamansi juice and vinegar.
There are two common varieties of seaweed available in the wet market – the one that resembles green grapes is lato, while the other, the guso seaweed, looks like the branches of a tree. Whichever you choose, this fresh and healthy salad serves as a great side dish to grilled squid or fried fish.
5. Bulanglang
This highly nutritious vegetable soup dish traces its origin to the province of Batangas where you can find vegetables and fruits in abundance. While there are different versions of Bulanglang, the most common one involves cooking a variety of vegetables in rice-washed water or plain water.
The vegetables are added according to their cooking time. For example, hard vegetables like green papaya and squash should be added first and then followed by soft vegetables such as malunggay. Besides being one of the healthiest Filipino dishes, it is also quick to prepare.
6. Chicken Tinola
This is a healthy soup dish that works great for lactating moms. Sayote is one of the main ingredients used in this dish and it contains high amounts of folic acid, a special vitamin prescribed by the doctors for pregnant women. It could also be cooked with semi-ripened papaya and malunggay leaves, known to be a potent milk-boosting supplement.
7. Laing
If you love coconuts, this traditional Filipino dish will win your heart. It has a creamy texture due to the presence of coconut milk and spices. Other ingredients such as dried taro leaves and ginger make this dish delicious as well as rich in vitamin A, C, and iron.
8. Ginisang Munggo (Sauteed Monggo Beans)
This dish sports a mix of bitter melon and monggo beans. It has several health benefits because the ingredients used in preparation are rich in iron, magnesium, folate, thiamine, manganese, and phosphorus.
9. Gising Gising
This popular dish is similar to Laing in taste and texture. It uses green beans in the place of leafy vegetables, but they are both creamy and spicy. Filipino families prefer to include this dish as a part of their diet to get a good dose of zinc, fiber, vitamins B6, C, and K.
10. Tinolang Tahong (Gingered Mussel Soup)
Tahong or mussels are an excellent source of vitamin B12, zinc, folate, and Selenium, a mineral known for its antioxidant properties. This dish is really easy to cook and only uses a few ingredients, yet surprisingly, the flavor your delightfully fills the mouth. To cook tinolang tahong, all you need are garlic, ginger, lemongrass, a choice of green such as chili tops or malunggay leaves, and lastly, for best results, the freshest mussels you could find.
11. Vegan Bicol Express
This recipe is a special version of the popular Bicol Express that can be enjoyed by the vegetarians and vegans too. It is made of ingredients including coconut milk, green beans, tausi, winged beans, and using tofu instead of pork. Bird’s eye chilies are added to spice up the dish.
This delicious dish traces back its origin from the Bicol region, whose people are known for its love of chilies. But regardless of your preferred amount of spiceness, this dish is sure to satisfy your cravings for healthy but tasty food.
12. Ensaladang Talong (Eggplant Salad)
Any Filipino who grew up in the province (perhaps even in the city) have most likely had a taste of ensalandang talong. It is incredibly simple and presents the perfect side dish for heavier protein dishes such as grilled pork and fish. Light, refreshing, and packed with the rich texture and flavor of eggplant, this beloved salad is surely a must-try.
Check out our list of 10 Must-Try Filipino Dishes!
