Decided to tackle party food panic for my niece’s birthday. Saw tons of fancy stuff online, but who got time? Found this promise of “simple Pinoy recipes” and grabbed my pan.
The Shopping Saga First
Dove into my fridge. Nada. Needed meat, veggies, all that. Headed to the local market feeling optimistic. Big mistake. Forgot it was Saturday – chaos! Squeezed past people yelling prices, snagged what I needed: chicken, ground pork, hotdogs (of course), some bangus, calamansi, bell peppers, onions, garlic… basics. Almost lost my wallet twice dodging trolleys. Lesson: shop on a Wednesday.
Mission One: Chicken BBQ Skewers
Poked my fingers like crazy threading those bamboo sticks. Mixed the marinade – ketchup, soy sauce, calamansi juice, brown sugar, pepper. Tasted it. Way too salty. Dumped more sugar and ketchup until it felt right. Dunked the chicken chunks, let them soak up the sweet-spicy goodness for an hour. Fired up the grill pan. Whoosh! Flames! Calm down, rookie. Lowered the heat, turned those sticks patiently until they got that nice char. Smelled amazing, like childhood parties. Verdict? Kids inhaled them. 8/10, would poke fingers again.
Mission Two: Lumpiang Shanghai Mini Rolls
Here’s where things got sticky. Literally. Laid out the spring roll wrappers – they dried out SO fast! Rushed like a madman. Scooped my filling: ground pork, chopped carrots, onions, garlic, salt, pepper. Plopped it on the wrapper, rolled tight, sealed with egg wash. First few looked sad and loose. Got better halfway through. Heated the oil… too hot? Yep. Splatters everywhere! Fried in small batches. Crispy golden perfection? Mostly. A couple were doughy inside. Uh-oh. Fried them longer. Served with sweet chili sauce. Everyone loved the crunch. Messy kitchen? Totally worth it.
Mission Three: The Uncomplicated Heroes
After BBQ drama and frying stress, needed some easy wins:
- Fish Fillet with Mango Salsa: Just pan-fried bangus fillets (salt, pepper, flour). Chopped ripe mango, onion, tomato, chili. Mixed with a little vinegar. Cool & fresh counterpoint.
- Cheesy Hotdogs: Seriously? Boiled them, slit lengthwise, stuffed with cheddar. Threw them in a hot pan until cheese melted. Kid magnet. Zero effort.
- Fruit Salad: Canned fruit cocktail + condensed milk + all-purpose cream. Chilled. Done. Classic sweet relief.
The Aftermath
Saw platters emptying fast. Best sound? “Tita, can I have more chicken?” Major win. Was it flawless? Nah. Burned one skewer. A few lumpia burst in the oil. Forgot extra patis for the bangus initially. Kitchen looked like a typhoon hit. But nobody cared. Happy faces everywhere. Proved you don’t need fancy or complicated. Just good Pinoy flavors, some basic hustle, and maybe a few band-aids for the bamboo skewer stabs. Totally doing this again… next year.
