CHRISTMAS 2014 - Best foods to serve on a noche buena

The noche buena, another Christmas tradition when the whole family celebrate Christmas with their meals served in their platter and then eat it when the clock strikes twelve o'clock midnight on Christmas. Originally done by Spanish-speaking nations for centuries, Filipinos done this Christmas tradition not only in the Philippines but at the rest of the world.

Of course, when we think of Noche Buena, we think about some delicious meals served in the dinner table but there are some meals work really well in the Noche Buena feast so let's list down the best meals to serve on the Noche Buena.

• Festive Hams - Most Noche Buenas for the Filipino families will never be complete without a Festive Ham. Yes. Festive Hams take a very long time to cook and usually takes about four hours to cook such a delicious meal but cooking times can vary depending on the festive ham of your choosing. With patience, you'll be able to serve this meal that a certain commercial calls it "the star of the noche buena".
• Sio-mai - A siomai (Chinese pork dumplings) is probably one of my favorites. My parents ordered a pack of those for occasional means and recommending this meal for noche buena is a good thing. If you need a simple siomai recipe, CLICK HERE.
• Pancit Malabon - This native food from the city of Malabon looks similar to the Palabok but what differs it is the addition of seafood toppings and its usage of very thick rice noodles. Most ingredients in this meal are shrimp, tinapa flakes, and squid, You can cook one by yourself or buy one at your nearest restaurant that makes one of these. Either way, this Pancit Malabon works great to your Noche Buena.
• Spaghetti - Little kids love spaghetti and this all-time favorite is a must-have to your Noche Buena list. Of course, you might be tempting to order one from a fast food, say McDo or Jollibee, but it would be best to cook one by yourself if you got the right ingredients to cook one.
• Fried Chicken - Oh yes. Fried chicken is what every Filipino family craves on and rather than just ordering one from their nearest fast-food joint, how about cooking them at home? As long as you bought that Ajinomoto Crispy Fry Ready Mix, anything is possible to cook some delicious fastfood-style fried chicken best served for the noche buena!
• Chinese Soup - The perfect appetizer for the noche buena but I'd recommend buying Knorr Real Chinese Soup from your nearest grocery. There's a commercial that goes "There's nothing like Knorr Real Chinese Soup" and trust me, I sorta know this jingle from years ago. Anyway, you get the idea but trust me. It's delicious and I'd recommend every household to serve some delicious Knorr Real Chinese Soup for the Noche Buena. Goodah!
• Ice Cream - Yes. I know. Why did I add Ice Cream to the list? It's the sweetest dessert after all those Noche Buena meals you've ate. There's a whole bunch of ice cream flavors to choose from and the flavor of your choosing is up to you.
• Cakes - Cake? Do we need cakes for noche buena? Why not? Famous bakeshops in the Philippines such as Goldilocks and Red Ribbon do serve cakes more than just for birthdays but I'd prefer Red Ribbon better because of their Mango Cake and Ube Cake. Well, the Ube Cake takes the cake, literally, because this is unlike any other ube cake I've ever eaten. This IS the best Ube Cake I've ever eaten and I'd recommend buying one from your nearest Red Ribbon bakeshop.
• Bananacue - Sweetened fried bananas on a stick are one of the most ideal meals to have on your Noche Buena. Of course, you'll going to find a street vendor that cooks one which, in today's climate, is very hard due to cops patrolling the streets against street vendors. If you're lucky, tell him or her to buy aplenty!

There are so many meals to serve on your upcoming Noche Buena but the rest is up to you. Be creative! Think about the best meals you can serve for your Noche Buena so you and your family can enjoy having some delicious meals served at the dinner table!