5 Modern Filipino Cookbooks to Level Up your Culinary Skills

Food is the focal point of any Filipino gathering. Celebrating a birthday? You better roll up with trays of rolled up lumpia. Manny Paquiao fight? Bring the heavy hitters to the table or you’ll be the one getting knocked out. Does the day end in a “Y”? Why not cook for 50 people and invite everyone over. No matter the reason, food brings Filipinos together and today we are bringing you our Top 5 Filipino Cookbooks to level up your culinary skills for a truly award-winning feast.

  1. The Easy Filipino Cookbook: 100 Classics Made Simple | Roline Casper

Where are all my beginners at? Just as the title implies, Chef Roline’s goal is to make cooking fun and easy. Chef Roline Casper is a highly decorated valedictorian, graduating from the Napa Valley Cooking School in St. Helena and in 2022, she was part of Solano County’s “Groundbreaking Women”, and not to mention she  is Travis Air Force Base’s 1st Filipina Honorary Commander. However, her love for food goes way before that to her days at “lola’s (grandmother’s) kitchen in the Philippines, where she was cooking savory dishes for her visiting grandchildren.” Check out why this book is a #1 seller on Amazon. 

2. I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook | Nicole Ponseca + Miguel Trinidad

"My goal is simple," says chef and restaurateur Nicole Ponseca. "To get Filipino food a seat at the culinary table." Founder and CEO of Jeepney and Maharlika restaurants, Nicole truly believes in the fact that Filipino food has a spot in high culinary and has been opening restaurants all over the country. But for those of you who might not be from those cities, you can check out Nicole and Miguel Trinidad’s book ‘I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook’ and see why It was a finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s International Cookbook of the Year 2019, and was named a Best Cookbook by The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Los Angeles Times.

3. The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook: Classic and Modern Filipino Recipes for Your Electric Pressure Cooker | Trisha Gonda Domingo, Jorelle Domingo, Jeannie E. Celestial, Art Swenson, Romeo Roque-Nido, and Jaymar Cabebe

With over 2,000 reviews on Amazon and the ease of using a pressure cooker to whip up some amazing Filipino recipes, what’s not to love? At the heart of many Filipino parties, you will find a feast of dishes made by all your aunties and uncles. This book is just that, drawing from the experience and cooking of 3 talented home cooks, Tisha Gonda Domingo, Jeannie E. Celestial, and Romeo Roque-Nido. The goal of the instant pot cookbook, according to Chef Roque-Nido,  is to bring “the rich culinary heritage of the Philippines, by using modern appliances to make it more accessible to even the busiest of families.” Time to finally put that Instant Pot to work and dive into this awesome book filled with all your favorite Filipino dishes. 

4. Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed | Abi Balingit

Maybe you’re already a natural at cooking and want a fresh take on the classics? Look no further, because IG sensation  Abi Balingit (@theduskykitchen)  is bringing the remixes to all the sweets we grew up on. I never knew that my favorite desserts had a software update to bring my taste buds into the next generation of cooking. Tell me that desserts like Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookie, Strawberry Shortcake Sapin-Sapin (Rice Cakes), Ube Macapuno Molten Lava Cakes, don’t make you water at the mouth just reading them? I know we all made some banana nut bread during the pandemic, now let’s dust off those baking pans and get ready to remix the ignition to our ovens with, Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed. 

5. Indulgent Eats at Home: 60 Crave-Worthy Recipes Inspired by the World's Most Instagram-Famous Food | Jen Balisi

With over 366K followers on instagram (@indulgenteats) finishing our Top 5 list is Jen Balisi’s book, Indulgent Eats at Home: 60 Crave-Worth Recipes Inspired by the World’s Most Instagram-Famous Food. Boldy proclaimed  in the title, this is a cookbook for Instagram-Famous Food , ranging from Birria and Bone Marrow Quesotacos and Crunchwraps to Juicy AF Xianbing (Chinese Meat Pies) but of course, being that Jen Balisi is a Filipino, she gives us my most “crave worth” recipe, Sizzling Pork Belly Sisig. I know that you might not agree with me that this book shouldn’t be on the list since it isn’t solely Filipino recipes but Jen Balisi is a Filipina and her cookbook deserves all the support from her fellow food driven kaibigan. She does not forget to highlight Filipino  cuisine and we aren’t about to forget to highlight her achievements either. Prepare to have your DMs filled with questions after  all the food photos you’ll be posting to your Instagram because the camera eats first, right? 

Of course nothing is gonna beat Lola’s Arroz Caldo or Mom’s famous chicken adobo but hopefully this Top 5 list has motivated you to fire up the stove and repay the kindness by feeding them in return. Rest assured that the critics have spoken and these dishes will be a 5 star meal fit for any household, so trust the process, double check your measurements, and kain tayo! Let’s eat! 


Written by Niko Del Rey


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