A Simple Filipino Breakfast

This is my simple Filipino breakfast: Pandesal with tender juicy red hotdogs, and fried eggs. The one that I missed among the three was the tender juicy red hotdogs. Even if red hotdogs are available in some Filipino stores (most of which are imitated), nothing beats the authentic red hotdogs that were made in the Philippines. As for the pandesal, I can bake it anytime because of our Pandesal Recipe while the eggs are always available anywhere.

I had this meal during my fifth day in Manila. Since my body clock has not adjusted yet, I am always awake during the wee hours of the morning. It was 4:30 am when I decided to walk to the local bakery to purchase some pandesal. It made me smile when I saw the freshly baked pandesal, kababayan, monay, Spanish bread, and other types of bread -some which are totally new to me. I said to myself “wow, I missed these stuff…I am really in the Philippines…I must make the most out of this for it won’t be that long before I leave again”.

The pandesal has 2 sizes: the large and the small. The small ones are really small; the length is just a few millimeters over the diameter of an Oreo cookie and it sells for about Php 1.50 a piece. The large ones, on the other hand, are what you see in the picture. I can’t say that they are large enough though but 3 to 4 pieces can satisfy my appetite. As for the price, I got them for Php 3.00 a piece.

My dad knows that we missed the tender juicy red hotdogs so much that is why he bought several kilos of those and reserved them in the freezer. I cook hotdogs the way I cook tocino and longaniza. How do I do it? I simply boil a cup or two of water and add some cooking oil in it (don’t worry, it won’t spatter right away since it only happens if you add water to hot oil) then I put-in the hotdogs and wait until the water evaporates. You will know that its time to get back to the stove when you hear the crackling sound of the cooking oil. When this happens, I just roll the hotdogs for a few minutes then I’m done. And yes, I always top my pandesal sandwich with my favorite banana ketchup.

What is your simple Filipino Breakfast like? Is it something served with sinangag (garlic fried rice) such as tuyo, tocino, longganisa, or beef tapa? Perhaps it is porridge like champorado, arroz caldo, or goto?

Whatever it is (they are), I love to hear your answers. Let me know your thoughts and opinions.

Pandesal

Pandesal or The Bread of Salt (which is also the title of a popular short story written by NVM Gonzales) is probably the most popular bread in the Philippines. This bread is the favorite “agahan” (breakfast food) of most Pinoys (slang for Filipino) and can be eaten plain or with “palaman” (filling).

In the Philippines, all bake shops and bakeries sell Pandesal. Sometimes, this is sold in rolling stores (usually a honking bicycle with a big box on the back). When purchasing from a neighborhood bakery, be sure to be there before 8 am because the supply runs out after that time.

Just so you know, I love eating Pandesal after dipping it in hot coffee .

Try this Filipino bread recipe : Pandesal.