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Food Ingredients You Miss Most

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trappedinhell
  12/2/2016 07:46 EST

Anybody here who craves food from their home country; but is not available here in P.I. or wishing to cook it but the ingredients aren't available? Has someone tried experimenting with American / Filipino food fusion (eg. Pancit Canton Noodles with Alfredo Sauce & chicken )? Some good & bad experiences would be welcome.

nenafortin
  12/2/2016 13:16 EST

I think they have linguine in the Philippines.

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IDAHO1
  12/3/2016 10:58 EST

In the trips there, I've never seen Tobasco sauce [McIlhenny's], in spite of its popularity in the states.
When we send the big bottles of it there, the family loves it.

Borsia
  12/3/2016 11:10 EST

Tobasco sauce is pretty much everywhere in the Tagaytay area and in S&R so I wouldn't bother bringing it. Maybe harder to find elsewhere in the islands

Borsia
  12/3/2016 11:16 EST

Used to be able to find Miracle Whip and Cook & Serve Jello Pudding but haven't seen either in some time.
Real buttermilk for cooking, liquid smoke and many, many others.
good mustard like Dijon is rare, forget dry mustard powder for cooking
Pumpkin & mincemeat for holiday pies
that's just a few

charkee
  12/3/2016 18:20 EST

Pinto beans and Mexican foods. Though I make my own tortillas and tamales from scratch. The corn here makes good nixtamal. Though there is only one vendor I know of that sells dry corn. I planted pinto beans, but they all died once they started to form flowerbuds. It seems all the beans besides mung beans don't make it here. I grew some green beans and they were beautiful, full of flowers and within 2 days there were all dead from disease.

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seernai
  12/3/2016 19:56 EST

I miss proper chips like you get in the uk and Pasties and pies and real Sausages not the red ones you get here and real cheese also Guinness , I have tried Negros which to me is bitter, also Italian coffee. I kind of get by on the local food if you look and ask around you can find certain things but that is the sacrifice you make when moving to south east Asia although you can get a lot of things in Thailand , but the weather makes up for it so you can't have it all ways ,one thing I'm trying to find and that is a carbon steel wok as most are aluminum here at least that's all ive seen in the malls

trappedinhell
  12/3/2016 21:26 EST

@charkee Yes, you have a limited choice of beans here. Lentils, Pinto, & Spanish red beans are hard to look for. Robinsons supermkt. has a decent choice of beans & they sell it by the kilo. Another thing I miss are those big Hot House tomatoes. The tomatoes here are tiny. The spaghetti sauce here are sweet. No luck in finding Picante sauce too for dips. I've seen Paul Newman's Alfredo sauce in S&R; but the price is gold. The dollar rate may have gone up; but these imported items will go up too. Better to have someone in the US to buy you those missing non-perishable food stuffs and have it shipped to you via Balikbayan Box. Or subtitute local indigenous ingredients for cooking your comfort food.

VagrantOne
  12/5/2016 00:07 EST

From Sweden, Miss cheap non UHT treated milk and yogurt as well as good cheese.

charkee
  12/5/2016 09:04 EST

Vagrantone, yes, I miss real milk and cheese. I drank some milk and it had a distinct coconut flavor. I have not had any milk since. The cheeses here are very expensive or they of the velveeta types. Occasionally I will have some powered milk, perhaps once very 2 months. I miss the real thing.

gelynch52ph
  12/7/2016 06:03 EST

Every kind of pasta you ever got in USA is available in all the supermarkets here.

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gelynch52ph
  12/7/2016 06:05 EST

Tabasco is sold in every major supermarket here. Certain other hot pepper sauces (Jim's Louisiana Hot Sauce & others) are hit & miss but can be found.

gelynch52ph
  12/7/2016 06:07 EST

The Miracle Whip here is from Singapore and nowhere near what it is in the US. Good mayo under the brand names American Maid & Home Brand are great US made mayos. In fact the 2 I just mentioned are the same product made in MN and labeled differently, but are the same stuff sold side by side.

gelynch52ph
  12/7/2016 06:09 EST

Canned pinto beans are available @ most supermarkets, as are refried beans albeit at a premium price. I buy dry pinto beans and cook them myself just as I did in the US.

gelynch52ph
  12/7/2016 06:12 EST

I picked up, and returned to the shelf Dijon mustard Tuesday in S & R because I don't really care for it.

Most usual sunbjects Mexican foods are available, e3xcept hot salsas, so you have to buy medium and jazz it up yourself. The tiny local peppers are tasty and are very good added to the Tostitos medium salsa which is available almost everywhere.

gelynch52ph
  12/7/2016 06:15 EST

To make serviceable buttermilk just add a teaspoon of vinegar to a cup of milk, even the box milk will do.

For your pumpkin pie just learn to cook down pumpkin and make from scratch like your granny used to do before your mommy bought pumpkin in a can.

Mincemeat you have to look for a recipe and make your own I guess.

gelynch52ph
  12/7/2016 06:17 EST

Tostito's Picante sauce (medium) is sold in every supermarket, and dry beans of all varieties are also almost everywhere.

IDAHO1
  12/7/2016 07:53 EST

When you say it is available in all the supermarkets "here", it would help a lot if you told us where "here" is.

agypsyquokka
  12/7/2016 08:00 EST

"All the supermarkets here". That does not describe any supermarket in Tacloban, as none of the products mentioned of late are available here. I have looked for some of them when in Manila but to no success. Smile

charkee
  12/7/2016 14:11 EST

Sorry but the only beans I find here are mung beans and sometimes there may be black beans in little one ounce plastic bags, its expensive and you need to buy at least 6 of them for a batch. Refried beans, saw some up in Alabang for like $5 a can!. I didn't buy.

I miss Mexican sour cream and the sour cream here is the American type and about 3 times the price. But the Salvadorian sour cream is the best and I'm sure you won't find that here.

I don't know where you live, but it ain't where I live.

My brother is sending me a balikbayan box with at least 20 lbs of pintos. 40 cents a pound US.

nenafortin
  12/7/2016 14:30 EST

I've seen Tabasco at S & R. I have not seen Chulola though.

gelynch52ph
  12/7/2016 22:06 EST

Where do you live that you cannot find dry beans? Maybe you do not look for them? I find them in every supermarket and most kinds of beans even in public markets. Sending easy to find things like beans and coffee by BB Box is just a waste of money in my opinion.

gelynch52ph
  12/8/2016 01:52 EST

I bought dried beans of almost every variety in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, and buy pinto beans often in Tagaytay, so it is a mysteryt why SM, Robinson's or Gaisano's in Tacloban would not sell those common items.

If you can't find them in Manila it is because you are not looking. You won't find them in a bar, but you WILL find those things in every Robinson's, SM, Rustan's or other major market. I don't think Gaisano's has malls on Luzon, but on Mindanao they commonly sold everything I mentioned.

gelynch52ph
  12/8/2016 01:53 EST

"Here" would mean The Philippines. more specifically Tagaytay, Metro Manila, Cavite Province or most cities on Mindanao.

0bieone
  12/8/2016 03:31 EST

In Davao most item being asked for are here!! between the NCCC mall and Gaisano Mall and S&R .... Sausages from Europe and the USA and the cheeses,real milk from California!!......As far as the prices are concerned....yes priceses might be a little higher but I make it up with a water bill thats almost free!!

GaryD
  12/8/2016 04:49 EST

I found Hienz baked beans in our local supermarket......200p a tin.

seernai
  12/8/2016 04:59 EST

I don't know where you get your beans but I pay just 20 p

seernai
  12/8/2016 05:19 EST

I don't know where you get your beans but I pay just 20 p also if you do like oriental food you can find almost everything in the chinese stores if I could get it in the UK I'm pretty certain you can get anything here

seernai
  12/8/2016 05:24 EST

Your right about the malls in Davao you can get pretty much everything but I've yet to find Lavaza Italian coffee

bang4dabuck
  12/8/2016 12:05 EST

Really good bread flour to make pizza, pita bread, Peking duck, fennel seed, cheap turkeys, carrots, potatoes and celery, tender beef LOL. I'm a foodie type so I recommend Robinson baguettes, smoked Bangus, very inexpensive fishes ( Grouper the other day 350 php per kg cleaned pretty big too), Robinson cinnamon bread, hot Pan de Manila pandesol and I like Arbees breads especially when hot for a snack or if I'm out roaming. I go home every year for about 2 months. While there I plan and gather. I always ship about 4 liters of EVO and spices like smoked paprika and I shorted this time on the fennel seeds so I mixed together some anise Palais that's they sell in Rob's with the fennel I had. It works I guess. I always bring in my suitcase 4 lb of grated Romano Parmesan mix and stick it in my freezer when I get to Cebu plus a 5 lb chunk of mozzarella. I used to bring bacon and hotdogs but I find the bacon over here is ok and I'm getting away from dogs even though I kind of love a good beef Chicago. Anyways I wish they would have a big Mexican infusion here all of a sudden, you know decent sour cream, avocados ALL YR ROUND, limes, cilantro everywhere.

bang4dabuck
  12/8/2016 12:51 EST

Oh yeah even though over the last 2 years I'm seeing coffee here at Robinsons, there is no telling how fresh it is. I ship/bring about 35 lbs of green coffee beans, roast a batch every 2 weeks, grind as I drink which is 3 doubles of espresso every morning. I shoot them out of my Gaggia Classic. They're pretty good but I'm still learning. Oh yeah, I've had some good crab here but not so easy to get because I like them cooked alive or just rob ounces dead.

gelynch52ph
  12/8/2016 19:32 EST

Where do you live in this country that you cannot buy locally grown and roasted coffee> I can buy fresh barako, robusta, arabica and even hazelnut flavored coffee @ Mahogany Market in Tagaytay, and in at least 50 shops within a 15 minute drive of me.

On Mindanao you can find Monk's Blend grown in Malaybalay, but I find that to be second rate stuff. There is an American in northern Pangasinan who has some kind of coffee business also. His name is William Todd and you can find him in Facebook.

Importing coffee to a place that grows the best coffee I ever drank just seems odd.

gelynch52ph
  12/8/2016 19:37 EST

Why don'[t you drink locally grown coffee? Monk's Blend is grown in Malaybalay, but I find much better local coffee in Tagaytay.

gelynch52ph
  12/8/2016 19:53 EST

I don't even know where to begin with your list. I have a hard time getting rid of women trying to sell me avacados every time I walk the streets of Tagaytay. Mozzarella is available min EVERY supermarket. SM has a dried spice section that has fennel seeds. Good potatoes are found in public markets, as are all the fruits. I'm getting the idea some of you guys never go to public markets where the fruits & vegies are to be found, and then you complain they are not available. Carrots are also in every public market, but the fresh fish selection varies by market and locale. Surprisingly, the best fresh fish market I've seen was in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, which is a landlocked province. Grated Parmesan (Kraft and several other major US brands) is also in every supermarket, so you are wasting luggage and BB Box space by sending it here.

If you are by an S & R, they have Hormel Black Label bacon and all the Johsonville brats etc.

Damn guys, you gotta get out & about if you can't find these common foods here.

gelynch52ph
  12/8/2016 20:00 EST

I think I'm going to make one last stab at replying to this thread. If you can't find certain foods, then it is because of probably 1 of 2 or 3 reasons. You are not looking, you are sending Filipinos out looking for things they do not know about, or you are not going to public markets for some reason.

If you have special products you can't find, send me an e-mail with your location and what you want and I'll try to find it for you. Put in the subject line: Food items I can't find (so I do not delete the mail).

Jerry Lynch: [email protected]

I also have some Filipino recipes that I have FIXED to make them palatable to western tastes.

seernai
  12/8/2016 20:18 EST

I go to the local market in Mintal and get most things including a hair cut, I have tried the local coffee but find it bitter that is why I prefer Lazada I have used this coffee for 15 years and don't intend to change anytime soon

seernai
  12/8/2016 20:30 EST

I don't like Philippine Coffee I prefer Lavaza

TeeJay4103
  12/8/2016 21:05 EST

Withing about 35 mins of our home we have 3 large wet markets and numerous smaller markets in the surrounding areas.

The mahogany market in Tagaytay has an area that sells nothing but beef and pork products while another area sells the usual fish, produce, fruit, coffee, etc. Another part of the market sells live plants for landscaping and a large variety of herbal and spice plants.

Withing 10 to 35 minutes we have numerous grocery outlets including a new Walter Mart, three Robinsons grocery stores, S&R membership club, and a Robinsons and SM mall both with grocery stores.

At these stores and markets we have found just about and food item we have looked for including a variety of cheeses, spices, imported frozen foods, etc.

My wife is an excellent cook and we enjoy trying changes to traditional western and Filipino food recipes based on our personal tastes. We have also found in our family that my wife's cooking seems to be preferred over most of her relatives and siblings, all of whom call or message her for recipes. When she cooks for the Holiday's you can tell the food is good because their is little to no conversation and the food disappears quickly.

The travels in our area to other small markets is nice just to get out and explore the area and bring home a few fresh veggies or fruits to the house.

I can think of little in the way of grocery items, veggies, fruits and spices that we are not able to find in our area. We have not found the need to have items shipped to us from the states. The balikbayan Christmas box we received yesterday from the states included mostly items for the family in outlying areas and some clothing, cologne, etc for my wife and the other ladies in the family.

trappedinhell
  12/8/2016 22:38 EST

Not all supermarkets (SM Hypermart, Robinsons, etc...) carry complete range of those imported products. It depends on the location of the supermarket. If you live in a provincial town, you would be hard pressed to see those imported goods on the shelves. I like Cholula (the one with the wooden cap) better than Tabasco red, the Tabasco green taste good for chips & tacos.

gelynch52ph
  12/8/2016 22:47 EST

What kinds of Philippine coffee have you tried? They grow barako (my personal favorite, and also the cheapest). arabica, robusta and hazelnut flavored stuff.

For Lavazza coffee...here yah go:

BACCHUS International Inc RETAIL - FOODSERVICE - OCS R&G - BEANS - AMM - EP - BLUE Suite 301 Alexander House 132 Amorsolo St, 1200 - Legaspi Village - MAKATI CITY +63 2 816 3498
[email protected]

TeeJay4103
  12/8/2016 22:55 EST

trappedinhell,

Agreed, that is why I listed the numerous stores in our area. From one week to the next the inventory may change, but at least in my area one of those outlets will normally have what we are looking for. Knowing that, we simply try and visit them all as we can if for no other reason than to see what's knew on the shelf.

Obviously not all parts of the Philippines have this variety of outlets to choose from. The Tagaytay area is also home to a lot of upscale homes and higher incomes for some. I am sure this has allowed for some more expensive imported products to be stocked locally.

trappedinhell
  12/8/2016 23:25 EST

@TeeJay4103 You live in Tagaytay an affluent city were most expats polarize due to nice climate. They would indeed carry those imported items because there's a market for them. I live in Rizal, where you could count the expats (not counting Korean expats) with your two hands. LOL. Not complaining though, I get by with what's available. Adaptation.

gelynch52ph
  12/9/2016 00:19 EST

If you live in Rizal you are only 10 miles from Manila, so just plan your shopping once a month to go to a big SM & S & R to stock up. My shopping is all done in Tagaytay in 1 shopping day, with the exceptions of bread and eggs.

You are only an hour away from Tagaytay so get in your car, or on a bus and do some intensive shopping all in 1 day. If you ride a bus hire a trike in Crossing Mendez (Tagaytay) and have him take you to Robinson's, SaveMore (which is next to the trike stand already), Mahogany Market, Robinson's WalterMart & PureGold. Take a bus back with your booty and do it again next month. From Rizal there is a Rustan's, S& R, and several other large supermarkets in Alabang, also reachable by bus from your place.

seernai
  12/9/2016 00:55 EST

Can't remember what coffee it was but it had a strong bitter taste

bang4dabuck
  12/9/2016 05:18 EST

I was taught coffee gets stale after 15 days of roast although the little bit of Robusta I use I age for around a month or more.. I can't find GREEN Filipino coffee beans here in Cebu. I would like to try them however. I will be going to Baguio in February however and look for some. Any suggestions on where and what ? I am using in an espresso blend. I am currently using a Honduran with Brazilian with an Indian Robusta.

bang4dabuck
  12/9/2016 05:25 EST

GELYNCH, I can find much of what I bring here but I can also find it very expensive. Back home I hit Restaurant Depot and nab a 5 lb bag of grated Romano / Parmesan for $15 US here that would cost probably $100 though I didn't do the math. Mozzarella is only about double here so might not bring next time. Also I bring a bunch of Crystal Light, like 300 plus packs at 2 LTr per pack. Carrots, celery and potatoes the prices offend me but I'm getting use to it ... I guess.

agypsyquokka
  12/9/2016 07:30 EST

I go to the public markets in Tacloban for fresh vegetables and fruits. Some things are not always available like beets and broccoli, Cauliflowers. Thats ok. But looking for many of the foods mentioned on this site are just not available in Gaisano, Robinsons or SM supermarkets. There is no R and S ?? here what ever type of store that is. Smile

agypsyquokka
  12/9/2016 07:30 EST

I go to the public markets in Tacloban for fresh vegetables and fruits. Some things are not always available like beets and broccoli, Cauliflowers. Thats ok. But looking for many of the foods mentioned on this site are just not available in Gaisano, Robinsons or SM supermarkets. There is no R and S ?? here what ever type of store that is. Smile

charkee
  12/9/2016 08:02 EST

I saw beets only once in 3 years and they were mouldy. The broccoli and cauliflower look like culls. The asparagus is thinner than pencils.

So I grow my own vegetables, stuff that is well suited to the Philippines, Kangkong, pechay, alugbati, okra, sorghum, corn, bananas, gabi cassava.. etc...

TeeJay4103
  12/9/2016 08:28 EST

agypsyquokka,

S&R is a membership shopping store with a lot of hard to find imported goods and housewares, appliances, etc and a light auto repair / new tire facility. The prices are also a little steep on some items.

No two stores in our area have the same inventory, even those sharing the same name. Often times things are out of stock or no longer stocked, though we usually find the item at another store in the area,

Fruits and vegetables are stocked as they are in season, just as elsewhere. It they do not have an item at the wet market, we look at the grocery. If the stock is unavailable, our menu simply changes to accommodate items that are available.

Our neighbors raise crops and when they come into season we often find a sample or two on our doorstep or if we want more we ask and pay for them.

I understand we are fortunate to have many shopping choices available to us in our area, while folks we know in rural areas may have only one small grocery store to depend on with a very limited inventory, it is one more reason we chose this area to call home.

gelynch52ph
  12/10/2016 15:07 EST

Good mozzarella is available everywhere I've ever been to in Philippines. I never buy fresh parmesan or romano, but I see them in many markets, and I occasionally see the dried, mixed cheeses.

potatoes are expensive, but that is a hazard of living in a place where rice is the usual carbohydrate food and potatoes are not in most diets. The celery, cauliflower and broccoli just don't seem to grow well here so we get small examples. Asparagus grows everywhere wild in this country and most people do not know it is a food item. It seems to have only recently be noticed as food, and that vegetable needs to be several years old before it will produce large spears. Young plants produce tiny, skinny spears so maybe in a few years that vegetable will be more like we are used to.

When I first moved to PI, regular yellow onions were scarce and expensive, but lately seem to be common and cheaper than the smaller purple onions. I'm somewhat of a farmer and I know about food crops and all I can say is that they are growing different farm crops the past several years.

gelynch52ph
  12/10/2016 15:11 EST

Why do you buy Crystal Light when you can buy most fruit juices here, or even make your own?

gelynch52ph
  12/10/2016 15:14 EST

If it wasn't 4:00 AM I could go outside and pick you somn green coffee beans. Stop anywhere in Cavite Province (away from Manila)( and you can buy all the great coffee your heart desires.

gelynch52ph
  12/10/2016 15:17 EST

Coffee that is too strong or bitter is ground too fine, and/or you are using too much. If you came to my house you would think, just from looking at my container, that I am giving you Folger's COUNTRY ROAST Mild, but that is just the plastic container I keep my barako variety in.

Sisibatac
  12/10/2016 19:47 EST

If your coffee is bitter try sprinkling a pinch, just a pinch, of salt over the grounds before you brew.. It mellows the coffee down. It's a great little trick a coworker once shared.

bang4dabuck
  12/11/2016 04:09 EST

Crystal Light, because I'm a diabetic. That stuff hasn't caught on here but it's a coming. Sure there are a boatload of people over here who don't know they have it yet.

bang4dabuck
  12/11/2016 04:49 EST

Crystal Light, because I'm a diabetic. That stuff hasn't caught on here but it's a coming. Sure there are a boatload of people over here who don't know they have it yet.

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