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Christmas is less than a week away, which means that a week from now my tummy will be bloated from the never-ending kainan with my family. Not that I mind too much since aside from birthdays and the occasional gathering, this is the only time of the year I can indulge in food that we don’t normally have at home. So next week I shall stop weight-watching and calorie-counting whilst I feast on my favorite noche buena dishes (arranged in no particular order):

Lechon Paella

It’s easy to see why lechon paella would rank above one of my favorite foods in the entire world - it’s pretty much two different dishes in one. You have a juicy lechon roasted to perfection. Hack its crispy skin with a knife and inside you’ll find steaming hot seafood paella. Eat the lechon meat together with the paella and lechon sauce, or eat them separately. Yum.

Chinese Ham

You can’t have noche buena without Chinese ham on the table. Chinese Ham to Filipinos on Christmas is like turkey to Americans during Thanksgiving. I like eating mine in a sandwich while picking on the pineapple or the apple slices, depending on which recipe my mom decides to make.

Pochero

Pochero is a stew made out of the leftover Chinese ham from Christmas dinner along with beef, chorizo, and cabbage. It resembles bulalo in taste and texture and it is definitely a holiday favorite since I’ve always been big on soups.

Apple Pie

Apple pie isn’t exactly something you’ll find in the dessert menu of a traditional Filipino Christmas dinner. This is actually a dessert I associate more with celebrations in the family since my mom only bakes them during birthdays and Christmas. Best eaten warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Tsokolate

There’s no better way to end a meal than with a cup of hot, thick tsokolate. You don’t even have to have a slice cake or anything else with it. There are times when I get so full that the drink itself is enough to cap off all that eating. Like coffee you can add milk and sugar with it or drink it dark and bitter.

What is your wishlist for noche buena?