Pro Tips
**Chef's Tips & Troubleshooting:**
- Don't overcrowd the pan — cook in batches if needed so ingredients sear instead of steam.
- Let the tomatoes break down completely before adding other ingredients to build a flavor base.
- For ground meat dishes, break it up early and cook until the water evaporates for a dry, flavorful base.
Cooking Tips
Seafood cooks quickly — remove it from heat the moment it turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Overcooking makes it tough and rubbery. Pat shellfish dry before adding to the pan so they sear rather than steam. A hot, quick cook preserves their natural sweetness. Have all your ingredients prepped and measured before you start cooking — quick dishes leave no time for chopping mid-recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions
Short on time? A pressure cooker (Instant Pot) can reduce cooking time by roughly half for most braised and stewed Filipino dishes. Reduce liquid slightly since less evaporates.
Storage & Reheating
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. The flavors often deepen overnight, making leftovers even more delicious. Seafood dishes are best consumed within 1–2 days. Reheat gently — microwave on low power or warm in a covered skillet over low heat to avoid overcooking. Do not refreeze thawed seafood dishes. Once reheated, consume immediately and do not re-refrigerate. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened during storage. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.
Ginisang Upo at Hipon
Ginisang Upo at Hipon is the ultimate vegetable side dish! Made of bottle gourd and shrimp, it's nutritious as it is delicious. Perfect with steamed rice and grilled meat or fried fish.
Instructions
- Peel and devein shrimp, reserving heads.
- Mix shrimp heads and water. With the back of a spoon, mash heads to extract the juice. Strain and discard shrimp heads. Reserve the liquid.
- Cut and discard stem and lower end of upo. Using a peeler or a paring knife, peel skin. Cut the gourd lengthwise.
- If the interior is "too spongy" and has mature seeds, remove spongy flesh using a spoon and discard. Slice halves again lengthwise into halves and then slice into ½ inch thickness.
- Put large pan on medium heat and warm up some oil. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until softened.
- Add tomatoes and Keep cooking, mashing regularly with the back of a spoon, until softened.
- Add fish sauce and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add shrimp and Keep cooking just until color changes to pink.
- Add upo and stir gently to combine.
- Add the reserved liquid and Get it boiling.
- Keep cooking, uncovered, for about 5 to 6 minutes or until upo is tender yet crisp and shrimp are cooked.
- Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste. Serve it while it's hot.
- Cut the gourd into uniform size to ensure even cooking.
- For the best texture, do not cover during cooking as the upo will expel a lot of liquid. Take off from the heat while still tender but still slightly crisp as it will Keep cooking in the residual heat.
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Pro Tips & Troubleshooting
- Don't overcrowd the pan — cook in batches if needed so ingredients sear instead of steam.
- Let the tomatoes break down completely before adding other ingredients to build a flavor base.
- For ground meat dishes, break it up early and cook until the water evaporates for a dry, flavorful base.
Cooking Tips
Pat shellfish dry before adding to the pan so they sear rather than steam. A hot, quick cook preserves their natural sweetness.
Have all your ingredients prepped and measured before you start cooking — quick dishes leave no time for chopping mid-recipe.
Substitutions
Storage & Reheating
Seafood dishes are best consumed within 1–2 days. Reheat gently — microwave on low power or warm in a covered skillet over low heat to avoid overcooking.
Do not refreeze thawed seafood dishes. Once reheated, consume immediately and do not re-refrigerate.
Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened during storage. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.
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