Noche Buena food Philippines: Christmas is approaching and many Filipino families are now thinking of what Noche Buena Filipino food to prepare on Christmas eve. However, most of us are on a tight budget now due to the rising inflation in our country. In this article, we listed Noche Buena food ideas and recipes that you may try to prepare for your family.
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What is Noche Buena?
Noche Buena food Philippines
Noche Buena refers to Christmas Eve or the night before Christmas day. For Filipinos, this is a very special night because it is the time when family and close friends come over to enjoy a very special Christmas dinner together. Moreover, Noche Buena happens after the late-night Christmas Eve mass known as Misa de Gallo.
Noche Buena Filipino Christmas food
Are you thinking about Noche Buena food ideas or Noche Buena recipes to try? For us Filipinos, family reunions and get-togethers with friends are not complete unless there is plenty of food on the table. The following foods are some of the most common Noche Buena Filipino food that you may serve for your family this Christmas:
1. Noche Buena food: Quezo De Bola
Image from Shutterstock
If you are a cheese lover, you will never pass up the opportunity to serve the Quezo De Bola at Noche Buena. For some families, this cheese is not even eaten during the holiday season, but just seeing the quezo de bola on their table with other foods for Noche Buena makes the place feel more like Christmas. Aside from that, Quezo De Bola can be incorporated into a variety of holiday dishes.
2. Noche Buena Food: Bibingka and Puto-bumbong
The dynamic duo, bibingka and puto bumbong are usually found during Simbang Gabi. In addition, people joyfully gather outside the church after the mass to enjoy the festive delicacies that have been part of the Filipino Christmas tradition.
Bibingka at putubumbong recipe
3. Noche Buena Filipino Christmas food: Macaroni Salad
Macaroni salad has also been part of many Filipino celebrations. It is a recipe that is rich in every way. Additionally, Macaroni salad is a classic dish full of variety.
It consists of pasta, vegetables, cream, ham, egg, and raisins. With that, people enjoy the taste of each ingredient, and each family has their spin or own version of macaroni salad.
4. Noche buena recipes: Morcon
Morcon is a Filipino meat roll that is filled with sausage or hotdogs, carrots, pickles, cheese, and an egg. Besides, this is a holiday dish that is typically served on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
5. Noche Buena Food: Embotido
Pork Embutido is a festive Filipino meatloaf made with ground pork, carrots, and raisins wrapped around slices of eggs and sausage. On top of that, it is steamed and ideal for both everyday dinners and special occasions.
6. Crispy Pata
Crispy Pata, also known as crispy pork leg, is a popular pork dish in the Philippines. This dish goes well with rice and atcharang papaya as the main course. Besides, other people eat it as beer food or pulutan. And it tastes best after being dipped in a spicy vinegar mixture.
7. Caldereta
Kaldereta, also known as caldereta, is a Filipino goat meat stew. The dish can be made with beef, chicken, or pork. And the most common caldereta is made from goat meat with stewed vegetables and liver paste.
8. Noche Buena food: Pancit Malabon
Pancit Malabon is a dish made with stir-fried noodles. It is almost similar to Pancit Palabok. However, pancit Malabon is less saucy than pancit palabok. Additionally, it has sauce enough to stick to the noodles. Furthermore, the variety of seafood toppings, as well as the traditional thick and round rice noodles, set this dish apart.
9. Leche Flan
Leche Flan is a dessert made of eggs and milk topped with soft caramel. Another thing, its taste is almost similar to creme caramel and caramel custard. And it’s usually served in a llanera.
Photo by Mar Laraccas from Pexels
10. Pinoy spaghetti
Filipino spaghetti is a Filipino version of Italian spaghetti with Bolognese sauce. Filipino spaghetti is known for its sweet sauce, which is typically made from tomato sauce sweetened with brown sugar and banana ketchup. Traditionally, it is topped with sliced hot dogs or smoked longganisa sausages, giniling, and grated cheese.
Image from Shuttestock
11. Noche Buena Food: Buko salad
Young shredded coconut, canned fruits, cream, and sweetened milk are used to make the Buko Salad Recipe. This is a very popular dessert served at parties and special occasions such as fiesta, birthdays, Christmas, and New Year.
12. Noche Buena Food: Lechon Manok
Lechon manok is a roasted chicken dish from the Philippines marinated in garlic, bay leaf, onion, black pepper, soy sauce, and patis. In addition, the marinade can be sweetened with muscovado or brown sugar as well. Moreover, Lechon manok is commonly stuffed with tanglad and roasted over charcoal.
13. Noche Buena Food: Lechon Kawali
Image from Shutterstock
Lechon kawali, also known as litsong kawali in Tagalog, is a Filipino dish which is made of deep-fried pork belly slabs in a pan or wok. What’s more is that it is seasoned ahead of time, cooked, and served in cubes.
14. Menudo
Did you know that Menudo is actually a Mexican cuisine? But Pinoy menudo has been part of many salu-salo or get-together celebrations. Additionally, you can also buy this in many small eateries or carinderias even without celebration. Moreover, Menudo is made with sliced pork, liver, diced potatoes, and carrots. And the difference between Pinoy Menudo and Mexican Menudo is the sauce. Tomato sauce is used in cooking traditional Pinoy Menudo. On the other hand, in cooking Mexican Menudo, tripe or red chili sauce is used.
Image from Shutterstock
15. Pancit Bihon
Pancit Bihon is a type of noodle dish from the Philippines. It’s made of quickly stir-fried rice noodles with shrimp and/or chicken protein. Additionally, it has also vegetables like onions, garlic, cabbage, and carrots. In addition, the Chinese introduced Pancit Bihon or pansit guisado to the Philippines.
16. Fruit salad
Noche Buena food: Fruit salad is a dish consisting various types of fruits that are sometimes in a form of liquid, such as juices or syrup. Add to that, Fruit salad is can be an appetizer or as a side dish in various forms. As an appetizer, a fruit salad is also known as a fruit cocktail or fruit cup.
17. Lumpiang shanghai
Lumpia, also known as Lumpiang Shanghai, is a Filipino egg roll or spring roll. The basic filling consists of ground pork, minced onions, carrots, and seasonings. No matter what the celebration, whether it is Christmas, New Year, or Birthday, lumpiang shanghai is one of the most awaited “handa” in a Filipino get-together.
18. Biko
Biko is a traditional Filipino sweet rice cake. To make Biko, all you need is Coconut milk, brown sugar, ginger, and glutinous rice. Furthermore, it has latik as a toppings. Latik is from coconut milk. The process in making kalamay and biko are the same. The only difference is that the rice grains are not ground into a paste.
19. Kare-kare
Kare-Kare is a Filipino stew with a thick, savory peanut sauce. And it typically contains stewed oxtail, beef tripe, pork hocks, calves’ feet, pig’s feet or trotters, various cuts of pork, beef stew meat, and occasionally offal as a base.
20. Pochero
Pochero, or putsero in Tagalog, is one of many Spanish-influenced dishes that Filipinos have adapted. What’s more? In making pochero, you need tender pork belly, beans, vegetables, smoky sausage, and tomato sauce.
Photo from Freepik
21. Hamon de bola
Just like Quezo de bola, Hamon de bola is one of the most popular Noche Buena food among Filipinos. It’s a ball-shaped ham with a fruity glaze. Traditionally, these Spanish-style hams arrived from Mexico around Easter and then stored until Christmas.
22. Graham cake
Graham ref cake is a type of icebox cake with Graham crackers. It is popular among Filipinos, particularly around Christmas and New Year.