Street food anyone?

If there is one thing that Filipinos love, it's food. Since they are naturally hospitable and sociable, food is the basis of their social life. That is why you will never go hungry when you come here in Manila, you will see a lot of food stalls, eateries (carinderia) and fastfood chains.

Street foods are very popular here in Manila, maybe because it is often cheap, is readily available on nearly every street corner and it is distinctly yummy. I'll be sharing with you a list of common and popular Manila street food fare.

*  Balut is the most famous among all Philippine street food. It is a fertilized duck egg that is boiled and being carried around in insulated baskets by vendors at night. It is best eaten with vinegar or salt.

*  Halo-Halo  favorite dessert or snack.  It is a mixture of preserved sweet beans, small slices of sweetened banana, coconut meat (macapuno), pinipig, filled with crushed ice, milk and topped with leche flan and halaya (purple yam pudding).  It is popular during the hot summer months, it is sweet and creamy.

*  Fishballs, Squidballs, Kikiam and Chicken balls They are all deep fried and stuck onto small sticks. It is enjoyed with your choice of spicy or sweet sauce.

 Tip: you can make your own dipping sauce for this. just mix a little vinegar with soy sauce, then add chopped onions and garlic plus ground black pepper.  For a little bit of a kick, you may add chopped chilies.

*  Mani (peanuts)  it is either fried or boiled, with skin or none (hubad). Your choice of flavor: spicy, garlic and original.

*  Taho it is a warm soybean curd mixed with a sugary syrup (arnibal) and tapioca balls.  Usually eaten in the morning and it is popular with the kids. I love having this on a cold rainy morning, with lots of arnibal.

*  Dirty Ice Cream  home made ice cream that is sold by vendors with colorful carts







*  Kwek Kwek it is a boiled chicken, duck or quail eggs coated with an orange batter then deep fried.  Best enjoyed with vinegar (with lots of onions and chili).



*  Sago't Gulaman  pearl sago and jelly with shaved ice, topped with sugar syrup.




*  Isaw/ Bituka (Inihaw)  it is basically a chicken or pig intestine that is skewered and grilled over open charcoal. It is also best served with vinegar with lots of onion and chili.

Tip: for the dipping sauce, you can mix the following: vinegar, chopped onion, minced cucumber (the cucumber adds a slight sweet taste), chili and ground black pepper.

*  Banana or Kamote (sweet potato) Cue  these are saba bananas or sliced sweet potato that are coated with brown sugar, deep fried in hot oil and also served on skewers.

* Turon sliced saba bananas that are dusted with brown sugar and rolled in lumpia wrapper, then deep fried in hot oil.









* Ice Scramble it is like a smoothie, it is made of shaved ice mixed with powdered milk, sugar, food coloring and flavoring. toppings: powdered milk and drizzle of chocolate syrup. It is popularly known as a Pinoy street food, but now you'll find it in malls.











Oh boy, now I'm hungry! Heading out to buy some fishballs or kwek kwek or inihaw maybe? what the heck....... decisions, decisions. HAPPY EATING!