Just Start with Filipino Cooking
Filipino cooking is one of the most underrated cuisines in the world, built on layers of indigenous, Chinese, Spanish, and American influences that blend into something entirely its own. At its core, the food revolves around balancing sour, salty, sweet, and savory flavors, often in a single dish. Once you learn how adobo, sinigang, and lumpia work, you start to see the logic behind the whole cuisine: bold flavors, communal eating, and a deep respect for making the most of every ingredient.
Start here
I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook
Nicole Ponseca and Miguel Trinidad · 304 pages · 2018 · Moderate
Themes: filipino cuisine, adobo, sinigang, lumpia, home cooking, cultural heritage
The definitive modern Filipino cookbook, written by the restaurateurs who brought Filipino food to mainstream attention in New York City. Nicole Ponseca and Miguel Trinidad opened Maharlika and Jeepney in Manhattan, proving that Filipino cuisine deserves the same respect as Thai, Japanese, or Vietnamese food. This book is part cookbook, part cultural manifesto, and it was a 2019 James Beard Award Finalist, named Best Cookbook of the Year by The New Yorker, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times.
Why Start Here
Most Filipino cookbooks either target the Filipino diaspora (assuming you already know what patis and calamansi are) or water down the cuisine for an unfamiliar audience. Ponseca and Trinidad do neither. They teach you how to cook real Filipino food while explaining the cultural context that makes each dish meaningful. You get adobo (multiple variations), sinigang, lumpia, kare-kare, pancit, lechon kawali, and dozens of other essential dishes.
The recipes are written for home cooks with Western kitchens, but they never compromise on authenticity. The book walks you through building a Filipino pantry, explains the role of vinegar, fish sauce, and tamarind in the flavor profile, and gives you the confidence to tackle dishes that might seem intimidating at first. There are also chapters on rice (the backbone of every Filipino meal), street food, and the celebratory feasts called kamayan, where everyone eats with their hands from a communal spread.
What sets this book apart is the storytelling. Ponseca weaves personal history, immigration stories, and cultural pride into every chapter, making it as much a portrait of Filipino identity as it is a cooking guide.
What to Expect
A beautiful hardcover at 304 pages with stunning photography throughout. The recipes range from quick weeknight dishes like garlic fried rice and tocino (cured pork) to more involved projects like whole roasted pig belly. You will need to stock a few specialty ingredients like fish sauce, cane vinegar, and annatto seeds, but most are available at Asian grocery stores or online. The difficulty level varies, so you can start with simple dishes and work your way toward the more elaborate preparations.
Alternatives
Angela Dimayuga and Ligaya Mishan · 288 pages · 2021 · Moderate
A deeply personal cookbook from Angela Dimayuga, the acclaimed chef who was executive chef at Mission Chinese Food in New York, and food writer Ligaya Mishan of the New York Times. Filipinx offers 100 recipes that trace the journey of Filipino food through the diaspora, exploring how the cuisine evolves when it travels with immigrants to new homes and new kitchens.
Why Start Here
If you want to understand Filipino cooking not just as a set of recipes but as a living, evolving tradition shaped by migration and memory, this is your book. Dimayuga grew up in a Filipino immigrant family in Northern California, trained in some of New York’s best restaurant kitchens, and then circled back to the food of her childhood. The result is a cookbook that honors tradition while embracing the way Filipino food naturally adapts and changes.
The recipes cover the full range of Filipino home cooking: adobo, sinigang, pancit, lumpia, bibingka, halo-halo, and much more. But Dimayuga also includes dishes that reflect the reality of diaspora kitchens, where Filipino flavors merge with whatever ingredients are locally available. The writing by Mishan adds cultural depth, connecting each recipe to broader stories about identity, community, and belonging.
What to Expect
A visually striking book at 288 pages with photography by Alex Lau. The recipes are accessible to home cooks but carry the precision of a professional chef. Some dishes are simple enough for a weeknight, while others require more planning. The book is organized around the rhythms of daily life rather than strict course categories, which makes it feel personal and intuitive to navigate.
Liza Agbanlog · 192 pages · 2018 · Easy
A straightforward, beginner-friendly introduction to 75 classic Filipino recipes from Liza Agbanlog, the food blogger behind Salu Salo Recipes. Agbanlog moved from the Philippines to Vancouver and spent years adapting the dishes of her childhood to ingredients available in North American grocery stores. The result is a practical cookbook that makes Filipino cooking accessible without sacrificing authenticity.
Why Start Here
If a 300-page cookbook with cultural essays feels like more than you need right now, this is your entry point. Agbanlog focuses on the dishes that define everyday Filipino cooking: adobo, sinigang, lumpia, kare-kare, longanisa, pancit, and leche flan. Each recipe is clearly written with step-by-step instructions and photographs, and most use ingredients you can find at a regular supermarket or a nearby Asian grocery store.
The book grew out of Agbanlog’s popular food blog, and it carries that same practical, no-fuss energy. She writes for people who want to get dinner on the table, not impress food critics. The recipes are tested for home kitchens, the portions make sense for families, and the instructions assume you might be trying these dishes for the first time.
What to Expect
A compact paperback at 192 pages with about 60 photographs. The recipes are organized by type: appetizers, soups, main dishes, desserts, and basics. Most can be completed in under an hour. This is not a deep cultural exploration of Filipino cuisine. It is a practical recipe collection that gives you a solid foundation in the classics. If you enjoy it and want to go deeper into the stories and traditions behind the food, pair it with a more narrative cookbook as your next step.