11 Best Filipino Recipes With Black Peppercorns (pamintang buo)

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Peppercorns come from the fruit of a flowering vine that is related to the grape. There are different colors of peppercorns, but black peppercorns are the most popular. They have a slightly spicy flavor and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.

Here are some recipes that will show you how to use whole black peppercorns in your cooking. These recipes are sure to add delicious flavor to your meals.

Best recipes with black peppercorns

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Best 11 Filipino recipes with whole black peppercorns

Pata hamonado

Pata hamonado recipe
Serve while still hot and with heaps of steaming white rice. Be careful about eating too much, though.
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Pata Hamonado Recipe

The sweet-sourness of the pineapple juice and the presence of the brown sugar are the most important parts of this Pata Hamonado recipe as both combine and contrast the other taste at the same time, which makes for an explosion of flavors as one bite into the tender meat of the pata.

It is recommended that you use the pineapple juice available from the supermarket, as juicing an actual pineapple might not give you the same results. You can juice the calamansi yourself.

You can also add more pineapple or more brown sugar depending on how you may like the dish, or add more peppercorns to add a little more spice.

Serve while still hot and with heaps of steaming white rice. Be careful about eating too much, though.

Pesang isda

Pesang isda recipe (Pinoy original)
Pesang isda is an adapted Chinese-influenced dish of fish, rice wash, and ginger. It's a simple fish stew dish you'll love.
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Pesang Isda Recipe (Pinoy Original)

If you like fish, then you’ll enjoy this Pinoy-style fish in a tasty ginger broth!

Pesang isda is an adapted Chinese-influenced dish comprising fish, rice wash, and ginger.

This recipe is simple and easy to follow, as this is mainly a ginger stew with a strong fishy flavor!

The fish commonly used for this recipe is dalag (murrel) or hito (catfish); however, you can actually use any type of fish for this recipe. One perfect substitute is tilapia.

Aside from fish, the recipe also includes heaps of sliced ginger to counter the strong fishy smell of the fish and also to act as the main driver of the taste in this dish.

Also included are peppercorns (very important since this will give another layer of pungency to the dish), sayote (squash), napa cabbage or cabbage, and pechay.

Nilagang baboy

Nilagang baboy recipe
People often remember the nilagang baboy recipe during the rainy season. Its hot broth, meat, and vegetables put on steaming rice makes wonderful comfort food!
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Nilagang Baboy Recipe (Pork Nilaga)

The nilagang baboy recipe is the newer version of boiled beef soup (made with pork here instead) associated with the peasant class back in the day.

It’s locally called nilagang baka (cow’s meat) and has seen several adaptations. This pork version uses the same ingredients, but you can cook it much faster.

It’s the right dish to prepare if you’re pressed for time. It gives as many nutrients as the beef version does!

The best part about this pork nilaga recipe is that it only uses simple ingredients, and it requires very basic cooking skills.

It’s the perfect hot soup for a cold day with just a little spice from the pamintang buo (whole peppercorns)! So let’s move on to the recipe.

Paksiw na bangus

Paksiw na bangus recipe (vinegar fish stew)
Paksiw na bangus is cooked with vegetables, such as eggplant and bitter gourd (or ampalaya). To avoid the bitterness of the ampalaya mixing in with the paksiw na bangus sauce, don't stir it until the end.
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Paksiw na Bangus Recipe

Vinegar gives the paksiw na bangus recipe its distinctive and definitive taste.

There are also other meats that can be used in cooking paksiw aside from bangus. The paksiw cooking technique can also be used with tilapia, pork, or chicken.

Adobong manok sa gata

Adobong manok sa gata recipe
The coconut milk should not come to a boil or it will go off and separate thus the result will not be as creamy as it is supposed to be.
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Adobong Manok sa Gata Recipe

If you want it really hot, chop the chili into very small pieces and press them hard but if you’re not that much into a spicy hot dish, make sure that you remove all the veins and seeds before you chop it.

You can also just use the peppercorns without additional chilis.

Don’t forget to protect your hands with plastic gloves or you will feel a tingling sensation on your fingers because of the chili.

If the chicken gets tender even before the sauce becomes thick, you have to cook with the pot uncovered.

Soup number 5 recipe (lanciao) bull testicles

Soup number 5 recipe (lanciao) bull testicles
What makes soup no. 5 notorious to the general Filipino public is that the main ingredient isn’t exactly innards, as it's actually made up of a bull’s testicles and penis!
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Soup number 5 isn’t a one-pot affair, as you need to cook the gonads and broth together, then separately, then together once again.

You still need to pre-boil the cow’s genitals with a mixture of spices like peppercorns (pamintang buo) and sibut before boiling them again for the broth.

After, you sautee it, bring back the broth, and let it simmer until done. Garnish with a toasted garlic or chopped spring onions with fish sauce or soy sauce as dips.

Chicharon bulaklak

The crispiest chicharon bulaklak you’ll ever taste!
Chicharon bulaklak is a very popular match with beer usually served during celebrations. However, it can also be served as an afternoon snack, and if you're feeling adventurous, you can also serve it as one of the many side dishes during lunch.
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Chicharon Bulaklak Recipe

Chicharon bulaklak is the deep-fried peritoneum tissue of the pig (pig mesentery) that connects the intestines to its interior abdominal wall, otherwise known as ruffle fat. It isn’t really all that fatty though, so the name is somewhat misleading.

So when you buy pig mesentery, the pig intestine will always be included.

Since we just need the mesentery, you can keep the pig intestines and cook it as some other dish, like chicharon bituka or kilawing bituka ng baboy.

Nilagang Baka

Filipino Nilagang Baka Recipe
This is perfect for rainy days and as with many other Filipino dishes, should be eaten with rice.
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Nilagang Baka Recipe

As for the vegetables, put the corn in first, as well as the papaya, as these are the hardest ingredients. Follow these 2 with the other vegetables, depending on their hardness.

For example, if you’re going to have pechay as well, put it in the pot just before you turn off the stove and let the remaining heat cook the vegetable.

Add salt and whole peppercorns to taste.

After putting in all vegetables, let it simmer for another 10-15 minutes or depending on whether the beef and the harder vegetables are already tender enough to be eaten.

Be careful though in over simmering, except if that’s your intention.

Bulalo ng Batangas

Bulalo ng Batangas recipe
Bulalo is a popular dish in Batangas, wherein you would normally see the best bulalo served alongside the roads, usually near bus stops. Batangas is the center of the cattle industry in Luzon.
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Bulalo Recipe

In Leyte, it is called “pakdol,” while it is referred to as “Kansi” in Iloilo and Bacolod.  

The secret to the hearty flavor of a Bulalo recipe is slow cooking the beef bones with yellow corn on the cob, pechay leaves, peppercorns, onion, and cabbage.

Some old folks in the Philippines still use wood-fired pots when simmering and tenderizing beef bones, but a large stock pot will do fine for this recipe :)

The best part of the beef to use for the bulalo broth is the shinbone with marrow and the leg meat.

Pesang manok

Pesang manok recipe
This is a chicken broth-based recipe, it cannot be helped that this is yet another one-pot meal which makes it a favorite for busy people and for those people who are just beginning to cook.
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Pesang Manok Recipe

Pesang manok recipe is similar to chicken broth-based dishes such as Tinola (which uses sayote or papaya and chili leaves in its recipe) and Nilagang Baka (which has cabbages and saging na saba) and it is possible that you could interchange the three dishes.

However, what distinguishes pesang manok from the others is the recipe’s extensive use of ginger, bok choy, napa cabbage, potatoes, and a fewer whole peppercorns (pamintang buo).

These, if we talk about the vegetables thrown into the mix, make this dish a heavy and healthy meal.

Adobong baboy

Pork adobo recipe (adobong baboy)
 This dish is best served with rice to balance the sourness and sweetness of the dish; therefore,  making it more enjoyable to eat with family and friends.
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Pork Adobo Recipe (Adobong Baboy)

There are some optional things you can do, an example of which is you can add more vinegar, whole peppercorns (pamintang buo), or soy sauce depending on how strong you want the taste to be or if you want it to be brothy, you can add water after putting the marinade and the pork into the pot.

This dish is best served with rice to balance the sourness and sweetness of the dish; therefore, making it more enjoyable to eat with family and friends.

This Pork Adobo recipe is very easy to follow and is sure to become your favorite in your cooking repertoire.

Adobong dilaw

Adobong dilaw recipe
As with all adobo dishes, this Adobong Dilaw recipe pairs very well with lots of hot white rice.
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Adobo sa Dilaw

This version of Adobo uses turmeric to give it its characteristic yellow color. This dish is widely cooked in Batangas and is braised in vinegar and garlic.

For this particular dish, it is ideal to use a fatty cut of pork, such as liempo, or dark chicken meat, such as chicken thighs. You’re welcome to use leaner cuts of meat as well.

Then add in a few whole peppercorns (pamintang buo) to give it a little kick.

Best Filipino recipes with whole peppercorn

11 Best Filipino Recipes With Peppercorn (pamintang buo)

Joost Nusselder
Pamintang buo or whole black peppercorn can add a little spice to your dish. Here are the best recipes.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 4 people
Calories 450 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 thumb-sized ginger pieces peeled and sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic crushed and peeled
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 4 pamintang buo (peppercorns)

Instructions
 

  • In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute garlic, onion, and ginger in vegetable oil until onion is almost translucent.
  • Add water and bring to a boil. Add fish sauce and peppercorns.
  • Let it simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors in the soup and then cook the rest of the dish to let the pamintang buo infuse the dish with spicyness.

Video

Notes

In this recipe for pesang isda, I used lapu-lapu. You can substitute this with your favorite choices of fish, like tilapia, mahi-mahi, bangus, and more.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 450kcal
Keyword pamintang buo
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Conclusion

There are lots of Filipino stews and soups that use whole peppercorns to spice things up. I hope you’ll try one of these top recipes soon!

Check out our new cookbook

Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.

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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.