It’s no secret that Noche Buena is a feast. And to come up with an abundant midnight spread, the work in the kitchen never stops.
The likes of glazed hamon, quezo de bola, fruit salad, and even lechon are the known food staples of the season. But there are countless of other special recipes that people really take the time to cook for their loved ones, making Christmas an even more special day.
Others have even taken over the cooking duties from their parents. They have put themselves in charge of whipping up their family’s traditional handa. While food is one way to celebrate culture and continue traditions we have made for ourselves, it is also a constant and defining part of our lives.
The dishes from our kitchens not only fill our tummies, but are embedded with stories in every bite. That’s why we continue to cook the cuisine we know. The same food we’ve always shared together with the ones we love, and even with those who we can’t be with. There are so many memories we could associate with food, so much warmth we could remember from the familiarity of taste.
Now that Christmas dinner is just a few hours away, we can’t help but imagine how we’re finally digging in our favorite homecooked meals. Warning: this article was written to make you hungrier than you already are, and here’s a list of our cravings:
Arroz Caldo
We used to wait until midnight to have Noche Buena. But we got so hungry while waiting, so my mother started cooking arroz caldo to tide over our hunger. It’s now a family tradition. She cooks it with a combination of chicken and beef tripe (like goto), with the broth made of boiled chicken bones.—Florence Temporal
Lengua
My mom’s Lengua con Sarsa Blanca is the best! We would always request for her to prepare this on every special occasion. It’s my family’s comfort food! She rarely cooks it, though—only during the holidays or when my dad requests for it on his birthday. It really takes a lot of time to cook! The ox tongue, beef strips, onions, peppercorns, and laurel leaves are placed in a pressure cooker for about 12 hours, usually a day or two before Christmas eve. Then she prepares the sauce—a mix of cream of mushroom, olives, pepper, button mushrooms, and grated queso de bola. Sooooo delicious!—Melissa Juco-Bellinazzi
Lechon Kawali
I like preparing lechon kawali for my family. It’s quite simple, but the whole cooking process takes about two days. You have to boil it then fry it the next day. I fry it twice so I can get that extra crispy skin—it’s almost like bagnet. What makes it special is that here in Nueva Vizcaya, we dip it in our local bagoong mixed with chilis and kalamansi. I always make sure to cook it in big portions—there’s always at least 10 of us feast on it!—Jacob Taguinod
Caldereta
My mom used to cook caldereta for us whenever there’s a special occasion, and always during Christmas. That was her specialty. But now she can no longer spend too much time in the kitchen, so my siblings and I do the cooking and follow her special recipe. She has us put a combination of coconut milk and cheese to make the sauce so much more thicker and flavorful!—Norman Talla
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is a classic, although we like ours a little bit spicy and on the meatier side. It’s something that we’ve shared during tough times. In every celebration (no matter how simple these were), my dad always cooked this. His recipe was influenced by how his sister prepared it, spicy and extremely meaty. Now my sisters cook it this way, too! We sell fresh meat in our province, Nueva Ecija, so come the holidays there’s always an overflow of pork at our house—all cooked perfectly to go with the pasta!—Abram Litonjua
Lasagna
About five years ago, my mom learned how to make lasagna. It’s super cheesy and everyone in the family ended up loving it. So ever since, whenever there’s a special occasion, like birthdays and the holidays, she would bake pans and pans of lasagna. Since we also like sharing our food to our neighbors, having potluck parties and such, my mom becomes obsessed with making this during the holidays. But, hey, I’m not complaining.—Samantha Mojica
Mango Graham Cake
Together with my cousins and aunts, we make a mango graham cake before Christmas eve. It’s the designated dessert for Noche Buena (although sometimes we can’t help but start eating it way before dinner). Besides the usual Excelente ham and spaghetti, the mango float has always been something we serve, year after year. Plus, mangoes are usually so sweet in December! It’s a no-brainer recipe—just cream, graham, and fresh mango.—Alyzza Angeles
Hot chocolate
It’s not Christmas for us without grandma’s hot chocolate with some bread. The chocolate comes from my lolo’s province in Tuguegarao. This one is dark chocolate tablea—so it’s a lot richer when you mix it with other ingredients. It used to be a well-kept secret recipe when we were kids, but ever since I turned 21, my lola started letting me help her out in the kitchen. I found out it was so simple to make my favorite drink—no marshmallows or any other sweeteners—it’s just really pure chocolate. It has the perfect consistency, it’s so thick, so rich, and so smooth, you’ll be super tempted to dip fresh pandesal!—Alex Castillo
Banner photo by Viktor Hanacek/picjumbo
