Pro Tips
**Chef's Tips & Troubleshooting:**
- Make sure the pan and oil are hot before adding ingredients for the best sear.
- Fry in batches to avoid overcrowding — lowering the temperature makes food greasy.
- Season vegetables with fish sauce or salt sparingly — they absorb seasoning faster than meat.
- Blanch bitter vegetables like ampalaya in salted water first to reduce bitterness.
Cooking Tips
Blanch leafy vegetables in boiling salted water for 30–60 seconds, then plunge into ice water. This locks in their bright color and crisp texture. Add vegetables in stages — hard vegetables (carrots, potatoes) go in first, tender ones (leafy greens, beansprouts) at the very end. 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. 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.
Vegetable Okoy
Crispy fried battered Calabaza squash, carrot, and onion with moringa leaves, served with spicy vinegar dip.
Instructions
- Slice the kalabasa and carrot into matchstick pieces.
- Combine all the sliced vegetables including the malunggay leaves in a mixing bowl. Toss to blend.
- Make the batter by beating an egg on a separate bowl. Add water. Mix well. Gradually add flour and cornstarch while mixing. Add Maggi Magic Sarap. Whisk until the texture of the batter smoothens.
- Combine the batter with the vegetables. Fold until the vegetables are completely coated with the batter.
- Make the dipping sauce by combining all dipping sauce ingredient in a bowl. Stir until blended.
- Bring to a simmer oil in a pan. Scoop around ¼ cup of mixture and place it on a saucer or small bowl. Slide the mixture into the pan. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Flip the okoy and do the same to the opposite side. Remove from the pan and place on a plate lined with a paper towel. Perform the same step until the entire mixture is consumed.
- Transfer to to a serving plate. Serve with dipping sauce.
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Pro Tips & Troubleshooting
- Make sure the pan and oil are hot before adding ingredients for the best sear.
- Fry in batches to avoid overcrowding — lowering the temperature makes food greasy.
- Season vegetables with fish sauce or salt sparingly — they absorb seasoning faster than meat.
- Blanch bitter vegetables like ampalaya in salted water first to reduce bitterness.
Cooking Tips
Add vegetables in stages — hard vegetables (carrots, potatoes) go in first, tender ones (leafy greens, beansprouts) at the very end.
Have all your ingredients prepped and measured before you start cooking — quick dishes leave no time for chopping mid-recipe.
Substitutions
Storage & Reheating
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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