Spring rolls, sprung originally from China. A savory appetizer or snack filled with chopped vegetables and sometimes meat, they’re deep fried and crispilicious.<\/p>\n Lumpia are usually found fried. This version, Lumpia Sariwa (sariwa<\/em> means fresh in Tagalog), springs from China\u2019s popiah, and since I always take the road less traveled, we opted for these. Saut\u00e9ed vegetables and chicken wrapped in a lettuce leaf that itself is rolled into a soft wheat flour crepe, served with peanut sauce.<\/p>\n Bean sprout fritters with shrimp and vegetables served with a spicy vinegar-garlic sauce.<\/p>\n One of my all-time favorite dishes, Filipino or otherwise. Chopped pork belly simmered until it surrenders into tenderness, grilled with onion and a little hot pepper until it achieves ultimate yummitude, served on a sizzling platter and topped with a raw egg. Take that photo fast, then stir in the egg while the dish is still hot so it cooks and brings its ineffable richness to the party. (Yes, that means I liked it.)<\/p>\n A stunning presentation, this is the \u201cBefore\u201d picture. Slow roasted pork belly marinated with lemongrass and spices in all its crispy, porcine glory; this porky miracle has to be ordered a day in advance. Unless I\u2019m mistaken, a collective gasp was clearly audible as the roast was reverently borne to our table. A hush fell over the assembled diners as we closed our eyes to take our first bite. And of course there was no loss of decorum as we scrambled to snatch up the ample leftovers. Of course.<\/p>\n The \u201cAfter\u201d picture, a study in pulchritudinous rhizanthous verisimilitude. Looks like a pretty flower too.<\/p>\n Inihaw means grilled. Inihaw Tuna Belly means decadent. This one must be ordered in advance as well; it\u2019s available in three sizes, large shown here. Plays happily in the company of rice; excellent dipping sauce and achara (Filipino pickled green papaya) on the side.<\/p>\n Alternately, you might want to take a deeper dive with Inihaw na Panga, Grilled Tuna Jaw. Also an advance order, it comes in three sizes \u2013 small, medium, and large. Don\u2019t be intimidated by the jaw (or by the double basses you imagine you hear playing menacingly in the background \ud83e\udd88). Even if you\u2019re not familiar with tuna anatomy (tunatomy?), you\u2019ll find it pretty easy to navigate and actually kind of fun. Did I mention that it\u2019s delicious as well?<\/p>\n When you see ginataang on the menu, that\u2019s your cue that the dish is made with coconut milk; langka is the Tagalog word for jackfruit, in this case green, unripened jackfruit where it functions more as a vegetable than a fruit. And yes, there\u2019s pork in this delicious dish, too, because even a vegetable side dish needs pork.<\/p>\n Steamed rice noodles lurking under a cover of shrimp sauce, garnished with hard-boiled egg, crumbled crispy pork rinds and scallions.<\/p>\n Ampalaya (bitter melon), calabaza squash, green beans and more, plus pork (of course), in a shrimp paste sauce. Another great dish from the Filipino repertoire.<\/p>\n A rich stew prepared from pork in a luscious gravy that includes vinegar and pork blood. Now, don\u2019t go running off! I\u2019ve said it before: Numerous cultures are at home with it \u2013 blood rice cakes in China, blood pancakes in Sweden, in addition to sausages from Great Britain and Ireland, morcilla in Spanish speaking countries worldwide, boudin in France, and so many more in Northern and Eastern Europe. Pretty much everywhere actually. And you also know that I only recommend truly tasty food; I have never been one to embrace the sensationalism of \u201cLook what gross thing I just ate!\u201d No. This is genuinely delicious. Don\u2019t knock it until you\u2019ve tried it.<\/p>\n Garlic Fried Rice. Just what it sounds like, and it\u2019s the perfect accompaniment for dinuguan.<\/p>\n Another classic Filipino dish. Vegetables simmered in spicy (only slightly so here) coconut milk; we ordered the version with meat because I\u2019m incorrigible. Named for the Bicol Express, a passenger train that ran from Manila to the Bicol region in the Philippines, I guess you could think of this dish that\u2019s both creamy and spicy as running from one terminus on the flavor route to another. <\/p>\n In this context, the Tagalog word pata,<\/em> as in Spanish, refers to an animal\u2019s leg. Pig knuckle\/trotter\/hock, massaged with ginger and garlic, deep fried until the skin is crispy and the meat is falling apart tender, accompanied by a spicy dip and always served impaled on the best implement to rend it asunder.<\/p>\n Made from taro leaves and coconut milk \u2013 gotta get your greens, right?<\/p>\n Braised pork in a sweet fermented black bean sauce (the defining ingredient) with mushrooms and onions. And a hard-boiled egg.<\/p>\n Kaldereta, from the Spanish caldereta<\/em> or cauldron (note the serving vessel), refers to a stew. This example is a mildly spicy rendition with beef, olives, potatoes, and other vegetables.<\/p>\n The undisputed king of crispy deep-fried porky goodness, fried pork belly. Lechon is roast suckling pig and kawali refers to the way in which it\u2019s prepared, deep fried in a wok (kawali). It\u2019s sliced into delicious chunks and served with a vinegar garlic dipping sauce usually made with (but not really tasting like) liver. Crispy skin, meltingly tender pork belly \u2013 I have yet to meet anyone who doesn\u2019t love this dish!<\/p>\n Masarap! Learn why Tito Rad’s is Totes Rad! Read on…. Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ethnojunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_6708-1440.jpg\")
<\/a>Lumpia<\/p>\n<\/a>Lumpia Sariwa<\/p>\n<\/a>Ukoy<\/p>\n<\/a>Sizzling Sisig<\/p>\n<\/a>Belly Lechon (Before)<\/p>\n<\/a>Belly Lechon (After)<\/p>\n<\/a>Inihaw Tuna Belly<\/p>\n<\/a>Inihaw na Panga<\/p>\n<\/a>Ginataang Langka<\/p>\n<\/a>Palabok<\/p>\n<\/a>Pinakbet<\/p>\n<\/a>Dinuguan<\/p>\n<\/a>Sinangag<\/p>\n<\/a>Bicol Express<\/p>\n<\/a>Crispy Pata<\/p>\n<\/a>Laing<\/p>\n<\/a>Humba<\/p>\n<\/a>Beef Kaldereta<\/p>\n<\/a>Lechon Kawali<\/p>\n
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\nTito Rad\u2019s Grill is located at 49-10 Queens Blvd in Woodside, Queens.
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