Panlasang Pinoy

Your Top Source of Filipino Recipes

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About Panlasang Pinoy

Welcome to Panlasang Pinoy!

I’m Vanjo Merano. I’ve been cooking for over 30 years, starting when I was 10 years old. Back then, I spent a lot of time in my Mom’s kitchen watching her cook. I learned by watching, then by doing. I was also the one she sent on errands to the talipapa, our neighborhood market, to pick up the ingredients she needed. Those small trips taught me how to choose meat, fish, and vegetables long before I knew how to use them.

Vanjo Merano, founder of Panlasang Pinoy

I started Panlasang Pinoy in 2009 while living in the northern suburbs of Chicago. I noticed that Filipino recipes online were hard to find every time I craved Filipino food, and the ones that existed were incomplete or confusing. I wanted to change that. So I started documenting my recipes, one dish at a time.

The name Panlasang Pinoy means “Filipino Taste.” That is exactly what this blog is about.

Now I live in Tampa, Florida with my family. Panlasang Pinoy has grown into one of the largest Filipino food blogs in the world, with over 2,000 tested recipes and millions of readers every year. I also run a YouTube channel with over 7 million subscribers, post regularly on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and have served as a brand ambassador for major food companies including MAGGI (Nestle Philippines), Knorr (Unilever Philippines), and CDO Foodsphere.

Why I Do This

Filipino food deserves more recognition. Our dishes are flavorful, practical, and made for sharing. But for a long time, Filipino cuisine was not well represented outside the Philippines. I wanted to help change that.

I write recipes the way I cook at home. Simple instructions. Easy to follow. No unnecessary steps. If a shortcut works without sacrificing flavor, I will tell you. If a technique matters, I will explain why.

Whether these dishes bring back memories or you are cooking Filipino food for the first time, I want you to enjoy the process and get great results.

My Cooking Background

I have over 30 years of hands-on cooking experience that started in my mother’s kitchen in the Philippines. Every recipe on Panlasang Pinoy has been personally tested and developed in my own kitchen, first in Chicago and now in Tampa. I do not publish recipes I have not cooked myself.

My focus has always been classic Filipino home cooking. Adobo, sinigang, kare-kare, lumpia, pancit, kakanin, and the dishes that show up on the table at Filipino family meals. Over the years I have also expanded into regional Filipino cooking from Ilocos, Bicol, Cebu, Bacolod, Cagayan Valley, and Pampanga, as well as Filipino-American adaptations that reflect how many of us cook abroad today.

Where You May Have Seen Panlasang Pinoy

My work and Panlasang Pinoy have been featured in major Philippine and international publications, recognized by the Philippine government, and partnered with leading food brands operating in the Philippines.

Government Recognition

Major Press Features

Brand Partnerships

Where to Start

If you are new here, try these reader favorites:

  • Chicken Adobo – the dish that defines Filipino cooking
  • Sinigang – sour soup that tastes like home
  • Leche Flan – the dessert on every Filipino celebration table
  • Kare-Kare – rich peanut stew for special occasions
  • Lumpiang Shanghai – crispy Filipino spring rolls
  • Pancit Canton – stir-fried noodles, a staple at Filipino gatherings

Or visit the Start Here page for a guided tour of the site.

Let’s Connect

I read messages from readers and appreciate every one. If you have questions, recipe requests, or feedback, reach out through the Contact page.

You can also find me on:

  • YouTube – over 7 million subscribers
  • Facebook – over 11 million followers
  • TikTok – over 1 million followers on the official brand account
  • Instagram – over 750,000 followers
  • Pinterest – recipe collections

Salamat sa pagbisita. (Thanks for visiting!)

— Vanjo