3-4 hours and a bunch of patience.

Ingredients

Meat

• 1kg pork neck and 1kg spare ribs - revised version

Veg

• 1 tomato cut into eighths
• 1 taro peeled about 15 cm in height cut into discs. Each disc is then cut into half, each half cut into 3
• Handful of snake beans aka string beans
• 1 radish peeled, cut into diagonal discs about 25cm long
• 3 handfuls of ocra
• 1 onion cut into lengths
• 2 medium sized talong (eggplants) cut in irregular diagonal discs.

Pop into a bowl of water to prevent it from oxidising and turning brown.

• 2 bunches of kangkong (water spinach), destemmed and washed
• 3-5 long green chilli (the more chilli, the spicier so add according to your taste)

Seasonings

• 375g of sampaloc (tamarind) pulp, dissolved into water. Pass liquid through a strainer or cheese cloth if you have one. If you have neither, when pouring the tamarind water into the pot, do your best to leave the solids behind
• 4 calamansi, juiced and ready for pouring into the soup

Served with

• 3 tablespoons Patis (fish sauce) with soft chillis from the soup mix
• 4 cups of jasmine rice, serves 6

Optional side

• Fried fish, we shallow fried snapper in vegetable oil so that each side becomes crispy. Traditionally fish is eaten with sinigang.

1. Over medium fire sauté the garlic, add onion then tomato in separately.
2. Season with a tablespoon each of freshly ground pepper and salt, 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce for added flavour. Cook until the onions soften, garlic starts browning and the oil turns a red tinge from the tomato.

This is a sign that the flavours are coming together.

1. Add the taro in the mix and take out once all the sides are coated so that the taro will retain its shape later. Leave as much of the onion, garlic and tomato as possible this is the base flavour and colour of the soup.
2. Sauté the pork, mix well and add 4 tablespoons of salt. Cover with the lid for 5 mins.

It's important to season as you so the meat does not taste malansa (fishy).

1. Give the pork another mix, you will notice the colour of the meat has now turned white but it should not be fully cooked through.
2. Add another tablespoon of salt, 15 whole black peppercorns and 5 tablespoons or 5 good shakes of fish sauce. Mix the seasoning through and let it simmer for a minute to allow the fish marinade to get to know the meat.
3. Pour in water until the water level covers the meat. Take note of the time, it takes about 1.5 hours for the meat to tenderise and fully release it's flavour.
4. When the soup comes to a boil, add half of the taro back into the pot. This will thicken the soup.
5. After 30 mins, add the tamarind water.

You can choose to add more tamarind depending on your personal preference for sour. I'm team asim (sour).

1. Cook your rice.
2. About 10 mins after the tamarind water is incorporated, put 2 green chilli's to introduce a low heat to the soup.
3. After 15 mins add the calamansi juice and 2 more shakes of fish sauce.
4. Add back the taro.

Every time we add ingredients we're layering flavour, the taro will soak this all up.

14. After 20 mins, test the meat and taro tenderness, a fork should be able to go through easily.

If the fork goes through easily it's ready to do next steps. If not, keep checking in 10 min increments until it is - every pot and cooktop is different so times may vary here.

15. Add the radish, eggplant, any additional chilli's and cover. Let the vegetables boil for 2 mins.

Make sure there's enough chilli for everyone in case they're not up for sharing.

1. Once the ocra turns a vibrant green add the kangkong.

This should take a minute to cook and chlorophyll to brighten.

Similar to bulalo, sinigang is served with patis (fish sauce) and one soft chilli from the soup on a side plate. The salty, acid, fishiness really compliments the broth.

After a night that rides on till the AM and waking up feeling apologetically hungover, know that I will be having a flavourful, meaty broth for breakfast. It's been tried and tested, my go to that at the very least make me feel better. How? As it turns out, bone broth is filled with a whole bunch of vitamins and minerals to replenish your body, it hydrates with its savoury healing water and is filled with gelatin that supports healthy digestion. More than that, it's comfort food usually made from generations of family adding their bit to get the right amount of salty, soupy goodness.

Pre-colonial, simple cooking at a low, slow boil

Philippines very own, Bulalo is one of those broths. Bulalo translates to bone marrow. It's a soup that's boiled for hours to develop flavour and served with rice. With time flavour is extracted from beef buto (bone), litid (cartilage) breaks down and changes into a chewy texture which my dad loves and the fattiness from the marrow all comes together. Nearer to the end, vegetables are added to the mix soaking up the alat (saltiness) to balance the flavour. It dates to pre-colonial Philippines, simple cooking at a low, slow boil however it's still hotly (pun intended) debated which of the Luzon provinces either Batangas or Cavite can claim Bulalo as their own.

According to some, what makes Bulalo different to other beefy soups like Nilaga is that has to be made with beef bones. Given its indulgence of bone marrow, you'll have to resist eating Bulalo on the daily. Cue in filipino relative talking about their cholesterol and their dose of Lipitor. Although...day 2 Bulalo is even better than day 1 with more time for everything in the pot to deepen in flavour. My only bit of advice is to cook with the biggest pot you have, if there's any leftovers from day 1 you can freeze the stock for whenever you need that morning fix. With or without the hangover, Bulalo is just as good.

Resources

• Bulalo on 196flavour
• Bone broth on Healthline
• Nilaga vs bulalo beef receipe on Yummy

Time

About 3 hours, if you have a pressure cooker it'll cut down your cooking time to an hour.

Ingredients

Meat

• 1kg of chuck steak
• 1kg of spine and1 kg of bone marrow cut to expose the least amount of marrow

Veg

• 1 onion
• 9 cloves of garlic skin on
• Spring onion - green ends only
• 2-3cm chunk of ginger

I personally prefer it without ginger, but if you're into the aromats like my lola keep it in.

• Chinese cabbage

Half a head to start, you can always add more

• Corn to your liking

I'm a big fan so have at least 4 ears worth

• 8 potatoes
• 8 carrots

Seasonings

• Salt
• Pepper (whole black peppercorns)
• Patis (fish sauce) is to used like a condiment while eating

Serve with

• 4 cups of jasmine rice, serves 6

1. Grab your biggest pot, put in all the meat.
2. Peel and cut in half your onion and add to the pot.
3. Separate 9 cloves of garlic add to the pot skin on.

According to dad the more garlic the tastier and fragrant the broth.

1. Add a knob of ginger, about 2-3cm. It softens the beefy flavour and makes the broth more aromatic as it boils.
2. For every kilo of meet, add 1 tablespoon of salt and 10-15 peppercorns. For our recipe, we'll add 3 tablespoons and 45 peppercorns to start.

You can always add more to your taste as it cooks.

1. Fill the pot with water so that all the meat is covered. If there's still room in the pot you can add an extra 10cm pot height.
2. Set it on a steady boil for about 2.5 hours. If you're using a pressure cooker, this will cut time to about an hour.
3. At the 2 hour mark (or at 30 mins with a pressure cooker), cook your rice according to your preferred method.
4. Once it's boiled for 2.5 hours (or the pressure cooker is done), you can test whether the meats ready by by taking a piece out and seeing if it's easily pulled apart with a fork. If so time to add 8 potatoes and carrots.

At this point the bulalo may taste saltier than expected by the addition of the vegetables will soak up this salt and flavour them nicely.

1. As the veg cooks, skim off the fatty layer at the top of the soup to your liking.
2. In the meantime cut the chinese cabbage into half, then into 4 pieces.
3. After 10 mins add in the corn, you can add the whole ear or half ear to make it easier to eat.
4. Also add in the half head of cabbage to the pot and continue to cook for another 10 mins. The cabbage will become an alluring vibrant green. Cook it so there's still a 'bite' to the cabbage.
5. Serve while warm, borderline hot with rice. Patis (fish sauce) is put on a side saucer to be added to each subo (mouthful). It's not a must, but it's saltiness, acidic, fishiness really compliments the broth.

What I’ve learnt so far about filipino food is that it's complex - post-colonial Spain we had ‘adobo’, while pre-colonial we had ‘kilaw’. With every subo you’re tasting a subtext of culture - centuries of interpretation, indigenisation of new ingredients and ongoing celebration of vinegar.

So how did we get the name adobo? In 1613 Pedro de San Buenaventura published the first tagalog dictionary Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala where he listed the dish 'abodo de los naturales' for it's similarity to the tangy, acidic flavours of Spanish adobo. Adobo comes from the Spanish word 'Adobar' meaning 'marinate'. While the flavour profiles are different between the two, key to both adobo's is a vinegar base to cure meat which acts as an effective preservation method. Makes sense Pedro. The preservation method for 'kilaw' is the same, however the acid can be substituted for local citrus.

The cultural exchange of adobo has continued since then. Borja Sanchez, a chef and culinary scientist has delved into more than 500 years of history with cookbooks such as Libro de Cocina by Ruperto Nola (1529) and El Arte de la Cozina by Diego Granado (1599). From his research he found recipes on 16th century 'kilaw' using carabao (native water buffalo) and that perhaps the Philippines may have influenced Spanish adobo with ingredients like bay leaves, black pepper and cinnamon found in the region. Throughout the years adobo became more than just a preservation method, it's the development of unique flavour distinct to geographical regions of the Philippines.

The balance of asim and alat

To describe adobo we need to understand that filipino flavours are a combination of tamis (sweet), asim (sour), alat (salty) and in some areas anghang (spicy). Adobo's flavour profile is a careful balance of asim and alat, a stew coming together over a low simmer. It's meaty, unctuous yet has the cut through with vinegar. Every filipino feels connected to it since it's open to interpretation. You can make it your own. Adubong Pula (red adobo) from Batangas uses achuete (annato) water for alat, Southern Luzon's Adobo sa Gata includes coconut milk to its vinegar braise and as the love for adobo in home kitchens continues, we will see it change over time.

Resources

• History of adobo on Yummy
• Adobo the evolution on Yummy
• History of adobo on Pepper
• History of adobo on Esquire Mag

2 hours - good for late diners or slow weekends

Ingredients

Meat

• 2kg of meat

Filipino's are raised on baboy (pork) however you can also sub it for manok (chicken). I prefer to use chicken thighs for flavour, they're also more forgiving with the high heat. For this recipe test we did a mix of pork loin, belly and rump. Quality of meat makes a big difference.

• Optional: 200g of pork liver

This comes from my lola's recipe to add more flavour.

Veg

• 1 onion
• 6 gloves of garlic, skin on
• 20 whole black peppercorns

And freshly ground pepper, for extra pepperiness

• 2 bay leaves
• Tomatoes

Served on the side to add freshness to the dish

• White jasmine rice

Cook as much as you need, 4 cups generously serves 6 people

Condiments

• 1 cup of toyo (soy sauce)
• 1/2 cup of suka (vinegar)
• Olive oil

For baboy

1. Chop the onion in half then into strips about 1/2 cm apart.
2. Cut your meat into even chunks, about 4cm lengths. If you're including liver, slice into 2cm wide pieces.
3. Give the meat a quick rinse under cold water

Hotly debated with dad. He's all for it.

4. Smash the garlic with the side of the knife.
5. Into a large pot, put all the meat, toyo, vinegar water, onion, garlic, peppercorns and freshly ground pepper. Rip the bay leave in half and add to the pot.
6. Cook under high heat, when it reaches a boil, continue to cook for another 20 mins. Give it a good mix every 5 mins to make sure all the meat has a chance to cook in the braise.
7. Turn down the heat to a medium simmer for at least an hour.

The braising liquid will reduce, turn into a darker brown and flavours will sharpen, taste it as you cook to see how the flavour develops over time.

8. Get your rice on, rice is a must with this dish.
9. When you can put a fork through the meat easily, pour the braising liquid into a separate container. If there's liver, add a few bits into the container and roughly mash.
10. Add a good layer of olive oil to the pot to pan fry the meat until all the pieces have developed a golden colour. Make a call whether you need to fry the meat in batches for a more even cook.

With most adobo recipes you brown the meat first before you add the liquid, here we're doing it after. I'd like to do a side-by-side test to find out if it actually makes a difference to the taste. I expect that more caramelisation happens after given the meaty braise.

10. Return the remaining braising liquid to the pot, bring it back to a boil.
11. At this point, kill the heat. It's ready to go.
12. Slice the tomatoes into wedges and add to your adobo and rice.

For manok

1. Get your rice on. There's a quicker cook on the chicken than pork.
2. Chop the onion in half then into strips about 1/2 cm apart.
3. Cut your meat into slices of about 2cm apart.
4. Smash the garlic with the side of the knife.
5. Into a large pot, put all the meat, toyo, vinegar water, onion, garlic, peppercorns and freshly ground pepper. Rip the bay leave in half and add to the pot.
6. Cook at high heat and bring it to a boil, to speed up the process you can put the lid on.
7. Once it reaches a boil, turn to medium heat and continue to braise until all the chicken is cooked. Give it a good mix every few minutes to make sure that it evenly cooks in the braising liquid.

The braising liquid will reduce, turn into a darker brown and flavours will sharpen, taste it as you cook to see how the flavour develops over time.

1. When you can easily put a fork through the meat, pour the braising liquid into a spearate container. There should be about half of liquid left.
2. Add a good layer of olive oil to the pot to pan fry the meat until all the pieces have developed a golden colour. Make a call whether you need to fry the meat in batches for a more even cook.
3. Return the remaining braising liquid to the pot, bring it back to a boil.
4. At this point, kill the heat. It's ready to go.
5. Slice the tomatoes into wedges and add to your adobo and rice.

Everyone feels differently towards food. I'm a known sharer if given the option to avoid food envy, I lean towards more vivid, bold flavours over subtle ones and I more recently have become a dessert person. My connection to food started young, unconsciously shaped by handas literally translated as 'feasts' where tables were covered end to end with filipino food and the sounds of chismis (gossip) from the titas (aunties) and snoring titos (uncles) late into the night. Our family bonded over long drives to get dad's cravings from dinuguan (pigs blood stew) to a gravy rich, dinky di aussie pie with a side of hot wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli. I was coerced (just one subo anak - just one mouthful my child) to try everything at a time when pigs blood, tripe and intestines had less appeal. I'm yet to reach the point where my curiousity tops my fear, but I'm definitely more daring. To this day I watch reruns of Anthony Bourdain exploring the world and take on his spirit and want to uncover the cultural stories behind food and how they've developed over time in the name of 'food justice' starting with my own.