Cooking was never my cup of tea. Over the years, I have a love and hate relationship with the kitchen. I totally love to eat but, cooking dishes and preparing meals were both a struggle a for me. Well, I’m not proud to share this thing with all of you because as a wife and as a mom, I know the kind of happiness a home-cooked meal brings to the family. It’s a labor of love and a testament of your will to ensure that you serve not only delectable but also nutritious food to your husband and children. That’s why, I never lose my interest to learn how to cook. I know through trial and error, and lots of practice, I can master it and be good at it.
I first learned how to cook, when I became a wife. Back then, my husband and I don’t have a maid/cook to do the household chores. Hence, I was tasked to do all the work at home. The best thing about our set-up before was that I learned how to cook Filipino dishes – Pork Sinigang, Adobo, Pinakbet, Monggo, Steamed Tilapia, Stir-Fried Vegetables and others. My mom and lola were both of great help since they were just a phone call away. I usually call them for the step-by-step procedure. Sometimes, I resort to watching Youtube cooking videos and learn the procedure there as well .
However, with my busy schedule now, I don’t have the luxury of time to cook for my family. That’s why when I learned about Knorr’s #LutongNanay campaign and received an invite to attend their cooking demo, I immediately said yes. For I know, I will learn something that will push me to find time to cook again. So even though it was raining cats and dogs and traffic was horrendous, I made it a point to be there.
The #LutongNanay event was held at The Cookery Place in BGC, Taguig last August 12, 2016 . This was a follow-up event to further promote Knorr’s #LutongNanay campaign. We were around 20 mommy bloggers who are very much passionate about food and flavor.
Knorr Lutong Nanay is now on its 3rd year. It’s main goal is to continue to champion delicious, home cooked meals for the Filipino family, especially in this day and age of eating out and instant food. On a high note, Knorr is visibly bringing back the passion for food as shown in home-cooked meals to the Filipino families.
What exactly is Knorr’s #LutongNanay campaign?
According to Knorr’s Brand Manager for Bouillon and Seasonings, Dhiren Karnani, “Our goal is to bring back the value behind home cooked meals especially since people choose to eat outside or even alone in this fast-paced world. Knorr aims to help more moms bring the family together through the best flavors in their cooking.” The Lutong Nanay campaign also helps busy and working moms find time to cook for her family by introducing simple, smart and great tasting dishes that the family will love through recipe inspiration. “Cooking is a force for good. When a mother cooks, it is often seen as a way for her to ensure her family’s well being – and through Knorr, moms can serve nutritious meals without sacrificing great flavor” Karnani continues.
The event hosted by Louise Fandino-Santos, a Knorr Mom, started with each mom introducing herself and sharing cooking stories, tips, family favorites, and their signature dishes with the group. The group sharing was then followed by a short brand presentation on Knorr #LutongNanay with special focus on Sinigang, an all-time family, not to mention, kiddie favorite that makes everyone eat more rice, vegetables and soup.
Afterwhich, Chef Kai – a talented chef and a mother to two – did a cooking demonstration on various Sinigang recipes.
We were grouped into four and each team was tasked to prepare one of these four Sinigang variations – Knorr Sinigang with Pakwan, Knorr Surf and Turf Sinigang, Knorr Sinigang na Liempo sa Sampaloc and Knorr Sizzling Sinigang. All these were new to me. Hence, I was too excited on how our cooking will turn out.
The group where I belong was assigned to cook Knorr Sizzling Sinigang.
We all had the hands-on opportunity to experience cooking these Sinigang variations by ourselves. We were just given the ingredients plus the printed step-by-step procedure as our guide. It was challenging since this was not the usual Sinigang recipe, but at the same time very fulfilling since we’ve learned four new recipes that we can serve to our respective families.
Aside from achieving the desired #AsimKilig taste, plating must be done well too!
Knorr Sizzling Sinigang
Knorr Surf and Turf Sinigang
Knorr Sinigang with Pakwan
Knorr Sinigang na Liempo sa Sampaloc
As expected, all our Sinigang dishes tasted well. All thanks to the Knorr Sinigang Powder Mix and Broth Cubes that gave the perfect #AsimKiligPaMore taste. Knorr is indeed a reliable partner for moms in the kitchen.
To those of you who want to re-create our Knorr Sizzling Sinigang, here’s the complete recipe:
Knorr Sizzling Sinigang Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- 500 grams Beef Short ribs
- 10 shallots or baby red onions
- 12-15 cherry tomatoes
- 6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
- 2 tsp. oil
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 5 cups water
- 2 strings French beans
- 2 Knorr Beef Cubes
- 1 ½ Tbsp Knorr Sinigang Mix (add more if preferred)
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- 1 ½ tsp. patis
- 2 tsp. Knorr Liquid Seasoning
- 2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- Roux: 3 Tbsp. butter + 3 Tbsp flour
PROCEDURE:
- Sear the short ribs in oil and butter until brown. Transfer the beef in a pressure cooker and add water only to cover the meat. Cook for 45 minutes or until meat is tender.
- Remove meat and liquid from pressure cooker.
- In a pot, add 6 cups of liquid from pressure cooker and combine with Knorr Sinigang Mix and Beef Cubes. Bring the mixture to a boil then simmer. Season with patis and soy sauce. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- While sinigang broth is simmering, prepare the entire garnish. Deep fry shallots (unpeeled) and the garlic cloves (unpeeled) until crisp. Set aside.
- Fry tomatoes until skin cracks. Set aside
- Fry the chopped garlic until golden brown. Strain and set aside.
- Sauté the French beans for a few minutes. Set aside.
- Prepare the roux- in a skillet, add butter, when melted, add the flour. Cook for 1 minute.
- Use the roux to thicken the sinigang broth. Add the roux at a time to the broth while mixing with a whisk.
- Start plating. Add the beef, beans, tomatoes, garlic and shallots on your serving sizzling plate.
- Pour the sinigang broth on top of the plated dish top with garlic chips. Best served with cooked rice.
Mommy Bloggers Philippines Squad
Thank you so much Knorr for having all of us! It’s evident in our smiles that we had fun learning new recipes, bonding with our fellow mommy bloggers and of course, our tummies were all full with the dishes we ate.
To all my fellow busy moms, let’s all find time to cook for our families! Because all kids would want #LutongNanay to fill their stomachs. What are you waiting for, re-create the dishes we made and surprise your family with a new variation of Sinigang.
Knorr Philippines
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Kaye Figuracion
