Our local cuisine is a rich melting pot of different cultural influences. From Spanish and Chinese to Malay and American, it has fused with the different types of food our Indigenous ancestors made. The different tastes, cooking techniques, and even presentation methods may be vast and varied; however, one thing is noticeable, some Filipino dishes aren’t exactly healthy.

Let me point out that I’m not hating our cuisine. It is rich, delicious, and very interesting. However, health-conscious people (as we all should be), have been looking for ways to reduce the calories found in our favorite Filipino staples. We’re here to list a few ones we’ve tried out and approved of.

Air-fried boneless bangus

For convenience, you can buy a frozen pack of deboned bangus (belly or whole fish) from the supermarket and put it in the air fryer. However, if you want a slightly healthier version, you can marinade a freshly bought one.

Ingredients:

1 deboned bangus
½ cup white vinegar
4 cloves crushed garlic
6 to 8 pieces whole peppercorn
½ teaspoon salt

Procedure:

1. Mix the vinegar, garlic, peppercorn, and salt.
2. Slice the bangus into smaller pieces (optional, to fit the air fryer)
3. Submerge the fish in the marinade for 8 to 12 hours.
4. Pre-heat the air fryer to 180°C.
5. Cook for 20 minutes.

Baked tortang talong

Some people consider this a healthy dish because of the vegetable component. However, if done the traditional way (i.e. fried in oil), it’s far from healthy. The dish actually soaks up the oil from the pan, turning it into a cardiologist’s nightmare. Instead, we’re going to bake it.

Ingredients:

250g ground lean pork
4 cloves chopped garlic
½ chopped onion
1 chopped tomato
2 eggs
3 medium-sized eggplants
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C
2. Pierce the eggplants with a fork.
3. Air fry for 15 to 20minutes or until the skin is wrinkled and the inside is soft.
4. Let cool and peel after.
5. Flatten the eggplants with a fork
6. Sauté the onion first; once translucent, add the garlic and cook until slightly brown.
7. Add the chopped tomato.
8. Add the ground pork.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Preheat the oven to 180°C
11. Place the eggplants on a baking tray then place the ground pork over the eggplants.
12. Beat the eggs and pour over the eggplants and pork.
13. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Low-sodium adobo cauliflower rice

We can’t talk about Filipino food without mentioning adobo. This is perhaps our most well-known dish with good reason. It’s easy to cook, delicious, and doesn’t spoil easily. However, for those controlling their sodium intake, here’s another take on it.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken
6 tbsp coconut aminos
6 tbsp vinegar
4 bay leaves
5 cloves crushed garlic
6 to 8 pieces whole peppercorn
1 ½ cups water
3 tbsp canola oil

Procedure:

1. Combine coconut aminos, vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorn, and garlic.
2. Marinate chicken in the marinade for 30 to 60 minutes.
3. Set the instant pot to sauté setting.
4. Cook the chicken until brown on both sides.
5. Place all cooked chicken in the instant pot and add the marinade.
6. Set to pressure cook (high) and lock the lid.
7. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Vent the lid and remove.
9. Set to sauté again and reduce the liquid for 20 minutes or to desired thickness.

For more advanced aspiring chefs, here are a few delicious recipes from our friends at PassionKitchenMNL, a delivery service for clean, healthy meals. They make sure their dishes are not only free from all the bad stuff (especially if you’re sick) but also delicious too! These recipes are prepared by chef Shai Lim.

Chicken sisig lettuce wraps

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs grilled chicken breasts, chopped
1 can liver spread
1 cup minced white onions
1 tsp garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp calamansi juice
¼ cup Nutellex vegan butter
5 tbsp kewpie mayo
1 cup diced red and green bell peppers
2 pieces sliced siling haba (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
Iceberg or romaine lettuce, washed and chilled

Procedure:

1. Saute garlic in olive oil and butter
2. Add grilled chopped chicken
3. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and calamansi juice
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste
5. Add white onions and bell peppers. Do not overcook
6. Add mayonnaise then turn off heat while mixing altogether
7. Place chicken sisig inside chilled whole iceberg lettuce or top on romaine lettuce
8. Serve and enjoy

Sinigang na tuna in coconut with tanglad

Ingredients:

1. 500g premium loin tuna, cubed
2. 5 stalks fresh tanglad, white part only
3. 2 red onions, sliced
4. 1 thumb ginger, sliced into thin strips
4. 4 cloves garlic, pressed
5. 3 cups spinach or kangkong
6. 4 stalks sitaw, sliced into two-inch parts
7. 4 pieces sliced eggplants sliced into three-inch parts, fried
8. 1 pack sinigang mix original
9. 2 tbsp coconut oil
10. 2 cups gata
11. Patis to taste
12. Pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. In a pot, saute onions, garlic, ginger, and tanglad
2. Add tuna cubes then season with patis and pepper. Cook well (no blood but do not dry)
3. Add water, sinigang mix, and sliced sitaw; wait to boil
4. Simmer then add spinach, fried eggplants, and gata
5. Season with patis and pepper to taste
6. Serve with brown rice