A bit of Nestlé All-Purpose Cream goes a long way in Filipino dishes like gising-gising, cheesy kaldereta, and fruit salad.
Can we all agree that Nestlé All-Purpose Cream is a Filipino ingredient? Many home cooks use it for sweet, creamy fare like mango float and fruit shakes. But did you know that you can use all-purpose cream for everyday cooking, too?
Use Nestlé All-Purpose Cream like heavy cream—to add the right amount of richness and depth to your lutong bahay. Use it for:
Don’t be afraid to add all-purpose cream to dishes you already love—start with ¼ to ½ cup. These three recipes will show you how, all while getting a Filipino three-course meal on the table. Dessert included!
Gising-gising hails from Bicol, a region popular for its spicy coconut-based stews. This dish consists of red chilies and thinly sliced green beans (sitaw) or winged beans (sigarilyas) cooked in coconut cream, sometimes with pork. The name translates to "wake up, wake up".
Cook pork: Heat neutral oil in a pan over high heat. Add ground pork and cook until brown and any liquid has evaporated, about 5–7 minutes.
Cook aromatics: Reduce heat to medium. In the same pan with the excess rendered fat (add more neutral oil as needed), add onion, ginger, garlic, red chilies, and bagoong. Cook, stirring frequently, until aromatics are soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Add sigarilyas: Pour in coconut milk and add sigarilyas. Stir until evenly coated. Cover the pan and cook until sigarilyas is tender but still crunchy, 10 minutes. Uncover pan and finish with Nestlé All-Purpose Cream to thicken the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Sear beef: Pat beef brisket dry with a paper towel. Season all over with salt and pepper.
Heat neutral oil in a large braising pan, heavy-bottomed pot, or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear beef until golden brown on all sides. Remove beef and set aside.
Cook aromatics: Reduce heat to medium. In the same pan with the rendered fat (add more neutral oil the fat is not enough), add onion, garlic, and minced siling labuyo. Sauté for a few minutes until fragrant.
Make kaldereta base: Add 2 cups beef broth, whole peeled tomatoes, liver spread, and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Add seared beef back in. Increase heat and bring liquid to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a steady simmer. Cover pot and cook until beef is a few minutes shy of fork-tender, 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes.
Add vegetables and cheese: Add potatoes and carrots. Cover pot and cook until vegetables are fork-tender, 8–10 minutes. If kaldereta looks dry or the sauce has over-reduced, add remaining beef stock ½ cup at a time. Add bell peppers and half of the processed cheese. Continue cooking uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in Nestlé All-Purpose Cream, taste, and season with salt and pepper.
Serve: Transfer kaldereta to a serving platter. Sprinkle remaining processed cheese on top. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Make fruit salad: Combine mango, pineapple, melon, coconut meat, and nata de coco in a mixing bowl. In a smaller separate bowl, combine coconut milk, Nestlé All-Purpose Cream, and condensed milk. Stir to disperse condensed milk into the mixture. Pour milk mixture over the fruits, stir, and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve cold.