Best Ulam Ideas for Everyday Meals
If you’re looking for ulam ideas, find hundreds of ulam ideas for everyday Filipino cooking. From quick budget meals to special occasion recipes. Simple and affordable.
The Best Source for Filipino Ulam Ideas
UlamIdeas.ph is the Philippines’ website for everyday ulam ideas. From classic Pinoy favorites to creative new twists on traditional dishes. Whether you’re cooking for your family on a budget or preparing something special for a fiesta, we have the perfect ulam recipe for every occasion.
Best Ulam Ideas for Everyday Cooking
Making Ulam is a part of everyday cooking in Filipino Households. Filipino Families pair Hot Steamed Rice with different Ulam recipes for lunch and dinner. With the help of best Ulam ideas, you can find some unique Ulam recipes for your family.
Our ulam recipes are organized to make meal planning super easy. Looking for chicken ulam ideas? We have everything from adobo to afritada to pinaupong manok. For seafood lovers, our seafood ulam ideas include classic dishes like sinigang na hipon, piniritong isda, and ginataang alimango. And for gulay fans, our vegetable ulam recipes will make you love eating healthy!
#1. Chicken Adobo
Chicken Adobo is a tangy Ulam fish loved by most Filipino families. Chicken Adobo is one of the best Ulam ideas because it is tasty, healthy and filling enough to satisfy your appetite.
To cook Chicken Adobo Ulam at home, you need chicken, bay leaves, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and some common spices used in your kitchen. The Chicken Adobo is a delicious protein-rich Ulam recipe.
Before you start cooking, marinate chicken in soy sauce with 3 crushed garlic cloves for 30 minutes.
Saute other crushed garlic in hot cooking oil in a pan. Add marinated chicken pieces and cook them until they turn brown. Add remaining marinade, water, vinegar, bay leaves and black peppercorns. Cook slowly for 30 minutes to get it ready. Add salt and pepper to adjust the taste at the end.
#2. Pork Menudo
Pork Menudo is a colourful and flavourful Filipino Ulam Dish. To prepare Pork Menudo Ulam, you need to cook the pork cubes in tomato sauce and pork broth with various vegetables like potatoes, carrots, bell peppers. You can also add green peas if you like it.
Among some best Ulam ideas for dinner, many Filipino families love Pork Menudo Ulam for its saucy texture, tangy taste and offering high protein and carbs. The pork broth, water and tomato sauce make Pork Menudo Ulam juicy to mix properly with steamed rice.
The Pork Menudo Dish requires pork shoulder and pork liver parts. When cooked with sauted garlic, onion and tomato, the pork creates an amazing flavour. The potatoes and carrots make this Ulam more filling, while raisins offer richness.
#3. Beef Caldereta Express
Beef Caldereta Express is the best Filipino Ulam inspired from the traditional recipe named Beef Caldereta. The express word added to the dish because it gets ready in approx. 30 minutes, while the traditional dish was cooked in 4+ hours.
You need to cut the beef in thin slices or buy pre-cooked beef cubes to save time. First of all, saute onion and garlic in hot cooking oil in a pan. Add beef slices and cook until they turn brown. Add soy sauce and tomato paste/sauce, then cook for 3 minutes.
Pour beef broth and add potatoes and carrots slices/pieces. Cook slowly until vegetables turn tender, then add liver spread and mix well. Add bell pepper, green peas and grated cheese, then cook for 5 minutes. Add salt & black pepper to adjust the taste, your Beef Caldereta Express is ready.
#4. Daing na Bangus
Daing na Bangus is the best fish Ulam dish that gets cooked very quickly. It is made with the Bangus (Milkfish) as the main ingredient. You must cut the fish to make it butterflied and for cleaning it before cooking.
You should create a mixture of crushed garlic, salt, ground black pepper and vinegar in a bowl. Then marinate the cleaned, butterflied Bangus in that mixture for minimum 30 minutes. Get the fish out, drain it and pat it dry with paper towels.
Heat up cooking oil in a frying pan, fry the Bangus (keep the skin side down) for 5 minutes. Then flip to turn it over and fry on the other side until it turns golden brown. Get the Bangus out of the pan and remove excess oil. Now serve it hot with steamed rice and enjoy.
#5. Sinigang na Hipon
Sinigang na Hipon is a simple comforting Ulam recipe prepared with fresh shrimp and several vegetables. The shrimp and veggies are cooked in fresh tamarind juice or Sinigang mix to create a tangy flavour that pairs perfectly with steamed rice.
The Sinigang na Hipon is not only good in taste but also rich in protein and carbohydrates. The fresh shrimp gets cooked much faster than other seafood like fish. Therefore you can cook this best Ulam dish in just a few minutes.
To make the Sinigang na Hipon Ulam more filling, you should add Eggplant, Radish, Okra, Kangkong and tomatoes. Make sure that you cook the vegetables first as they take longer time and then add the shrimp in last 5 minutes.
When this Ulam hot, it tastes great with steamed rice. Many Filipino Families love eating Sinigang na Hipon during rainy days.
#6. Adobong Pusit
Adobong Pusit is a seafood Ulam dish cooked with fresh squid. It is a protein rich dish that also contains other nutrients like carbs, vitamin B12, selenium, phosphorus and copper. Overall, it is a delicious and nutritious Ulam to offer a perfect meal for the dinner.
Firstly, saute garlic and onion in a little cooking oil in a pan. Add fresh, cleaned squid and cook it for 2 minutes. Then add vinegar, soy sauce, water, bay leaves, whole black peppercorns and reserved squid ink (if available), to create a mixture in which the squid will get cooked properly.
Bring the mixture to gentle boil and then cook slowly for 8 minutes. Add green chilies as well as salt and pepper at the end. Your favourite Adobong Pusit Ulam is ready to eat with steamed hot rice with your family.
#7. Vegetable Sinigang (Sinigang Gulay)
Vegetable Sinigang is a complete vegetable Ulam dish with so many vitamins and minerals. It contains Kangkong, Radish, Eggplant, Okra, String Beans and Tomatoes. Some people add Mushrooms for taste and Tofu for make it a protein rich Ulam for dinner.
Sinigang Gulay is the best Ulam idea for families looking for a meat-free Ulam dish to pair with steamed rice. You should clean and cut the vegetables to get them ready before you start cooking. Get a large pot, add water and bring the water to boil.
Add onion and tomatoes, cook them for 5 minutes. Add radish and stir well for 5 minutes. Add eggplant, okra and string beans, cook until all vegetables turn tender. Add Sinigang Mix or fresh tamarind juice. Add fish sauce, salt and black pepper to adjust the taste.
Add kangkong and green chili peppers at the end and cook for 2 minutes to finish. Turn off the gas stove and get the pot away. Your Sinigang Gulay Ulam is ready to serve hot with steamed rice for lunch or dinner as you like.
#8. Monggo Guisado with Malunggay
Monggo Guisado with Malunggay is a healthy Ulam containing plant-based protein and dietary fiber. The main ingredients are mung beans and moringa leaves. They taste great when combined with garlic, onion, tomatoes and other spices. You can also add 1 cup of spinach to make it more nutritious.
Some Filipino families add fresh shrimp or pork to Monggo Guisado with Malunggay Ulam Dish. But it is always a personal choice to keep the Ulam as it is or add some meat to make it more filling and rich in protein. You must boil the mung beans in a large water-filled pot for 30 minutes.
Get a pan, heat up cooking oil and saute garlic, onion and tomatoes. Add this mixture to the bowl of boiled mung beans and stir well. Adjust the taste by adding salt or fish sauce and black pepper. Add fresh moringa leaves and cook for 2 minutes to get the Ulam ready.
#9. Bicol Express
Bicol Express is a popular Filipino Ulam, it is a regional Ulam dish that originally belongs to Bicol region. Most Filipino people love Bicol Express Ulam because of its creamy texture and savory taste. It contains high protein, multiple vitamins and potassium that make it a nutritious Ulam to eat with steamed rice.
To cook Bicol Express Ulam Dish, you need pork belly cut into small slices or cubes. You can start it by sauteing garlic, onion and ginger in a pan with hot cooking oil. Add pork slices/cubes and cook until they turn brown. Add shrimp paste, stir well and cook for 2 minutes.
Pour coconut milk and bring the mixture to boil. Then reduce the flame/heat and cook slowly for 30 minutes. Add coconut cream and mix it gently. Add green chili peppers and red chili peppers, cook for 5 minutes. Add salt and black pepper for taste and it is ready to eat now.
#10. Misua with Patola
Misua with Patola is a yummy Ulam recipe loved by most kids and adults in the Philippines. It contains two main ingredients named misua noodles and sponge gourd (patola). It is a soupy Ulam that mixes well with steamed rice to create a perfect happy meal for your family.
To get the best Ulam taste, you should use either chicken broth or vegetable broth in the cooking process. Start with sauteing garlic and onion in a pot with some cooking oil. Add chicken/vegetable broth and bring it to boil. Add sliced Patola and simmer it for 5 minutes.
Add fish sauce, salt and ground black pepper to adjust the taste. Add Misua Noodles, keep stirring while cooking the noodles for 3 minutes. As the noodles turn tender, turn off the stove/heat. To make it look better, you can garnish this Ulam with chopped spring onions.
The Misua with Patola Ulam tastes great when you serve it hot with steamed rice during winter and rainy days.
Conclusion:
The Ulam is an important part of daily meals for all Filipino families. The definition of best Ulam is different for every person. Some people like creamy Ulam dish, some like soupy Ulam dish, while others like protein rich Ulam dish and so on.
Above I have shared 10 best Ulam ideas with different Ulam recipes with meat and without meat. You can check them out to choose an ideal Ulam recipe to cook for yourself and your family.