Recipes that are sure to welcome Nutrition Month in a hearty, delicious, and nutritious way!
This nutrition month, Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) is excited to share recipes that will make your July jam packed with flavorful experiences without compromising the nutritional value of every meal. If there was a match-made-in-heaven experience in getting the right amount of nutrients while at the same time enjoying such flavorful dishes, it would definitely be the pairing of superfoods and the umami flavor, which is one of the basic five tastes, that includes sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Umami is a Japanese word that translates to a delicious savory taste. Oftentimes, it is described as a meaty and savory deliciousness that deepens the flavor of every bite.
Food being delicious and savory is quite common in describing gourmet dishes but can the same be said about Superfoods? These food types are not so popular when it comes to flavor but on the otherhand, they have other benefits such as cancer fighting properties and nutrients that prevent heart disease. If you wonder why they’re easily called “superfoods”, it’s simply because they are able to do more than just alleviate hunger. According to research superfoods are packed with antioxidants, fiber, and phytochemicals that nourish your body.
Luckily here in the country, these superfoods are easy to find, convenient to grow, and readily available anywhere. Considering that here in the Philippines, there is always a local store or sari-sari store that carry them as products. Examples of these superfoods found locally are moringa leaves or known locally as malunggay, guava, or bayabas, calamansi, sitaw, pomelo or suha among many others.
With all these superfoods found ready and available locally, there’s just no excuse not to live a life where you’re not able to Eat Well and Live Well. Just be sure that you are well stocked with these superfoods!
Here are some recipes you can use for your next family meal, baon at work, or even just a simple dish preparation to satisfy your random cravings.
Orange Tofu with SARSAYA® Oyster Sauce
Those who love the Chinese restaurant staple orange chicken or lemon chicken are in for a treat with this recipe! You can begin with your sliced tofu cubes as you coat them with cornstarch, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Make sure to coat all sides! That will ensure that perfect crunch! Afterwards, you may now concoct your special orange sauce by heating cooking oil and sautéing the garlic. Add orange juice and our SARSAYA® OYSTER SAUCE, give it a whisk until well incorporated. Add cornstarch and water mixture to thicken sauce and set aside.
Now we make our tofu crispy! In a deep pan, heat oil and deep fry coated tofu cubes until crunchy. Finally, we mix cooked tofu onto the orange saucepan. Garnish with sesame seeds and spring onions. Then transfer this perfect meat alternative dish onto a serving plate and enjoy!
Cheese and Malunggay Fish Fillet Rolls
Ah, a fried dish that everyone will surely find joy in preparing and devouring. Who doesn’t like fried rolls? It’s time you add Cheese and Malunggay Fish Fillet Rolls to your mastered recipes because this dish was made for people of all ages. Your cooking adventure begins by seasoning cream dory with garlic, ginger, AJI-GINISA®, parsley, and lemon. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes. Our cream dory fish filets will absorb the meaty-gisa taste from our AJI-GINISA®. Once you’re through with the first step, it’s now time to roll by placing mozzarella and malunggay leaves in the middle of the fish filets and roll. Time to get that crunch! To achieve this, you must make sure that you coat fish filet rolls with flour, egg then breadcrumbs well, before your last and final step, deep fry, and serve! Now fried food lovers have their own favorite sauce pairing, and with this dish, ketchup, mustard, or maybe even sweet & sour sauce should do it!
Tamarind for souring agent? Done that. Vinegar as a sour base? Love that. But do you know what special souring agent you can try? Ripe guava or hinog na bayabas is waiting to be your grand champion for these types of dishes! But we’re sharing an exclusive tip for you guys, sour soups or bases can be leveled up by adding AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning! To prepare, begin by boiling water in a pot. Place ripe guava, tomato, and whole peppercorn and cook until you can mush it with fork. Add the bangus to the pot and cook for 10 minutes. Add fish sauce then boil for another 5 minutes. Drop the okra, green chillies, and kangkong leaves to the pot. Season with AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning. Finally, close the lid and let it rest for 5 minutes before transferring onto a serving bowl for everyone to savor!
Umami and superfoods are indeed a formidable pair for meals that are supposed to make you feel good and nourish your body. These recipes are up to you to modify, and you can do it even after Nutrition month because superfoods are abundant in our homeland, and Ajinomoto products that carry the umami flavor are definitely easy to find, it’s so easy that even your nearest sari-sari store or community store has it.
This Nutrition Month, APC would like to celebrate this worldwide recognition of celebrating our health and food experiences by sharing with you easy recipes that we hope become your household staple! Of course, with your own twist to it! Happy Nutrition Month, Philippines!
For more recipes, visit Cookmunity by Ajinomoto Philippines. You may also connect with us through Facebook and Tiktok for more updates.
