Our favourite places to stay on this sleepy Cebu island.
Canned goods are life when you’re cooped indoors most of the time. Being stuck at home, anxious about the outside world, keeps our tummies grumbling all the time. As for me, my home office has transferred to the kitchen, just beside the refrigerator, so I can snack every five minutes. My cooking skills have also levelled up, because there’s nothing else to do on Friday nights and Sunday mornings anyway.
At this crazy period in time, there comes a problem with being hungry all day — you can’t just whip out anything, because the pantry lacks most ingredients. Our supply runs have become less frequent; and when we do decide to put on our armours of face masks and gloves to rush to the nearest grocery, there are barely any stocks of food left to buy that aren’t .
If you’re reading this from the future and can’t remember how cooking felt like in 2020, let me paint you a picture: Last Sunday, I cooked breakfast for our family of five. When my mother saw that I used two tomatoes for my tomato fried rice, she panicked. We’re literally stuck with for the time being.
Tl;dr: We have reached the point of craving for everything but barely having anything. We’re also now willing to try out the most random recipes with whatever is left in our kitchen. #Shefs, we’ve done the research (and kitchen experimentations) for you. Here are 10 easy dishes you can cook using those trusty and some of the most basic ingredients ever.
Also read: 13 Yummy Microwave Recipes That Are Easier Than You Think
While you can’t drink out (or even in, for those who live in cities on quarantine liquor ban), you can still recreate your favourite pulutan with canned tuna! With just one can, this recipe will satisfy three people with its spicy and savoury flavours. Not a fan of chili? You can definitely not add any, and it will taste just as good!
Celebrating your birthday in quarantine? What’s a Pinoy birthday without lumpia? Thankfully, you can cook this party staple with trusty , too! One can of tuna makes 10 pieces of lumpia — but of course, like every quarantine dish, you can always be a little less generous with your ingredients.
Note: You may prepare more servings of lumpia and store them in a freezer. When frozen, these can last up to three months!
Another dish we’re absolutely craving for this quarantine is pancit palabok. I never realised how doable this merienda actually is with all the ingredients we have! Iloilo Food Trip shared a pancit palabok recipe that uses our favourite . Just the thought of eating this dish makes us drool!
We know you love corned beef; but at a time like this, you need all the ingredient-extending techniques you can get. With this corned beef potato pancakes recipe from allrecipes, you get to feed four people with just half a can of corned beef!
We’re looking at another way to extend that can of corned beef for a hearty breakfast. This quick and easy sinabawang corned beef recipe from Panlasang Pinoy can actually gratify three people. Make sure to serve this over steaming hot rice! Yum!
Yes, we have another birthday staple over here. We’re loving pasta recipes because pasta lasts so long in the pantry, and they’re great for when you’re running out of rice. (Don’t worry: We are, too.) Our fingers are crossed that this corned beef spaghetti recipe by Kawaling Pinoy will distract the kids from running around your house while you’re busy having another video call meeting.
Note: You may prepare more servings of spaghetti and store them in a freezer. When stored correctly, frozen cooked spaghetti can last up to a month.
Nothing screams “extender” like some tasty sabaw. One can add rice to a sinigang soup, and he or she will instantly be satisfied like no other. And did you know that you can have a nutritious and filling meal using trusty , too? If you’re out of bangus, shrimp or pork, you can actually opt for sinigang na sardinas — perfect for the rainy days!
Among all the out there, we know canned sardines are a Pinoy favourite. They’re cheap, easy, and super tasty. Jazz things up and use your can of sardines to make crispy fritters (a.k.a. tortang sardinas!). This recipe from Russian Filipino Kitchen makes eight fritters with just one can of sardines!
You have probably never heard of laing na sardinas. We’re here to attest that the dish is truly one of the best you can whip up this quarantine period. We found this recipe from none other than the Facebook page of Master Sardines, one of the most beloved Filipino . If you have any cans of Spanish sardines lying around your pantry, this is the perfect dish to make.
Yes, we have another birthday staple over here. Two years ago, Nanay Paz Recipes posted a unique pancit canton recipe on Facebook. She uses — you guessed it — a can of tomato sardines! Finally, you can stir away from those instant noodles. They’re not very good for you, anyway.
Also read: 10 Coffee Recipes You Can Easily Master at Home
There you have it! Ten emergency dishes you can easily cook with and the most basic ingredients ever. At this rate, we might be able to try out every recipe here, and more. Happy cooking!
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