Make your Holiday Spread Extra Special and Memorable with these time-trusted recipes from The Maya Kitchen

Christmas dinner dilemma? Read up and learn new recipes.

Christmas dinner dilemma? Read up for some new recipes and delight your family with your prepared meals for the holiday dinner. Check this article out. 

So what if it's less than a week before Christmas lunch and you haven't totally decided on what foods to serve during Noche Buena? You - the disorganized non-cooker - need not fear. You've got The Maya Kitchen team to help you. 

 Here's a selection of carefully chosen time-trusted recipes from The Maya Kitchen for your festive feast this Christmas eve. 

For starters, try to whip up and recreate this Marseille Seafood Soup. It is a light and flavorful French soup that’s versatile enough. You may include your favorite seafoods--be it shrimp, squid, clams, mussels or whatever kind of seafood your heart desires! The Maya Kitchen's take comes out with a cheery ochre color from the saffron powder. 

Marseille Seafood Soup

Marseille Seafood Soup

INGREDIENTS

 4 pieces tomatoes

 3 mugs fish broth

 1 mug fish fillet, sliced into chunks

 1 mug seafood (you can use shrimps, clams, squid or whatever you prefer)

 1 teaspoon Pernod alcohol (you can use a teacup of diced fennel as a substitute, but

unfortunately, no local alcohols has the same taste)

 1 piece small onion, sliced

 1/3 teaspoon saffron powder

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Choose a combination of your favorite kinds of seafood and fish. Just make sure to remove the

bones, skin and shells.

2. Peel tomatoes. Slice them into four wedges.

3. In a large pot heat your broth and bring to a boil. Set a handful of seafood aside. Add tomatoes,

fish chunks and the rest of your ingredients to your broth.

4. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30minutes without covering your pot to allow your liquid to reduce.

5. After 30minutes, remove from heat, and pour the soup in a blender (you might have to do this few times depending on the amount of soup). Blend well on full power until soup is smooth.

6. Pour soup back into the pot through a fine strainer. Use a wooden spoon to help press the soup through the strainer, allowing all the liquid through.

7. Set the fleshy residue that is left in the strainer aside. Add the rest of your seafood into the soup, along with the Pernod, and pepper to taste. Stir and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

RECIPE NOTES

To increase the number of servings, simply multiply the measurements of the ingredients by the number of guests.

Ordering an entire roasted lechon may not be practical for a small family, but who says you can't prepare your own Lechon Belly with Bacon Saffron Rice Stuffing? It combines the juicy tenderness of pork belly minus the bones and with its mouthwatering crispiness, your family will definitely love it!

Lechon Belly with Bacon Saffron Rice Stuffing

Lechon Belly with Bacon Saffron Rice Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

 2.5-3 kilos boneless whole pork belly slab

 2-3 tablespoons rock salt, enough for rubbing

 2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped

 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

 1 ½ tablespoons freshly pan-roasted black peppercorns, crushed

Rice Stuffing:

 ¼ cup olive oil

 200 grams picnic bacon, cut into small cubes

 2 pieces medium-sized onions, finely chopped

 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped

 5 cups cooked rice (sticky or Japanese rice)

 2-3 small sachets saffron powder

 1 teaspoon salt

 2 tablespoons curly parsley, finely chopped

 zest of 1 lemon

 annatto oil (heat up ¼ cup annatto seeds in 1/3 cup in 1/3 cup olive oil)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large tray, lay flat the pork belly skin side down then prick or cut all the meat portion using the tip of a sharp knife then season or rub the meat on both sides with rock salt, garlic, ground pepper, and freshly pan-roasted crushed whole black peppercorns.

2. Place and chill in the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours without cover. Remove seasoned belly from the refrigerator and sew up both ends of the belly using an over-sized needle with the use of butcher’s twine or any kitchen twine until it looks like a body of a “lechon”.

3. Place again inside the refrigerator until ready for stuffing.

To make rice stuffing:

1. Heat oil in a pan and pan-fry bacon until golden brown.

2. Add in onions and garlic and pan and sauté until aromatic.

3. Toss in cooked rice and give a few stir until the rice is fully covered with the sautéed ingredients.

4. Season with saffron powder, salt, parsley and zest of lemon.

5. Continue mixing the rice until the lemon is aromatic.

6. Turn off heat and cool the rice. Set aside for later use.

To assemble:

1. Get the sewn pork belly and stuffed with the prepared bacon saffron rice stuffing.

2. Enclose both ends of the stuffed pork belly with foil and cover the entire top of the pork belly with foil.

3. Arrange in a roasting pan and roast in a preheated oven 350°F/177°C for about an hour then turn up heat to 375°F/190°C removing the foil on both ends, every 30 minutes’ brush belly with prepared annatto oil.

4. After an hour turn up heat again to 400°F/204°C and continue roasting until the skin of the pork belly gives a crackling sound when knocked.

5. Remove belly lechon from the oven and rest for 10 to 15 minutes before chopping.

RECIPE NOTES

Yield: 10-15 servings

To finish off your Christmas feast, why not prepare a medley of Mini Bibingka? Be adventurous and go beyond the traditional bibingka. Make your bibingka with ube, buko pandan, coffee, or chocolate flavors. You can even take some of your bibingka up a notch by topping it with leche flan for a sweet, creamy finish or slices of salted egg for a savory kick.

Assorted Bibingka

Assorted Mini Bibingka

INGREDIENTS

 4 pieces eggs

 1 pack MAYA Original Fluffy n’ Tasty Hotcake Mix 200 grams

 1/4 cup sugar

 1 tablespoon rice flour

 ¼ cup fresh milk

 ¼ cup coconut cream store bought

 ¼ cup coconut milk store bought

 1/4 cup butter melted

 Different flavorings and toppings as desired ube flavoring, buko pandan flavoring, instant coffee

powder, leche flan, chocolate ganache, etc.

 salted egg sliced

 cheese sliced or grated

 banana leaves for lining of pans (optional)

 grated coconut optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰F/177⁰C. Line mamon molder or 6-holes 8oz muffin pans with banana

leaves. Set aside.

2. In a bowl beat eggs, then add hotcake mix, rice flour, sugar, milk, coconut milk, coconut cream,

and melted butter. Mix well. Fold in desired flavors.

3. Fill up to ¾ of the mamon molder or muffin pans with the bibingka mixture. Bake bibingka for 10

to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

4. Note: In the middle of baking, around 5 to 6 minutes of baking, gently take the half-baked

bibingka and top it up with sliced salted egg and sliced or grated cheese. Then put it back in the

oven to completely bake the bibingka.

5. Serve with butter on top and grated coconut on side.

RECIPE NOTES

Yield: 8-10 pieces

With a delicious Noche Buena spread and the quality of time you spend with your loved ones, Christmas this year will be as memorable as before—and maybe just a bit more meaningful.

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