Why Moms should cook
At a time when takeouts and home deliveries are becoming the rule, are you willing to be the exception?
Pizza for dinner, dim sum for lunch, and a quick sandwich and coffee for breakfast (or maybe those leftover pizza slices from last night’s take out?)—these, unfortunately, have become the staple on which modern Filipino families in urban areas subsist. In the Philippines, the latest research by Knorr, participated in by more than a thousand respondents, revealed that almost 80 percent of people, 23 to 27 years old, don’t know how to cook. Their reasons: lack of time, self-doubt (they don’t think they’d be good cooks), and unfamiliarity with recipes.
But the fact is parents, who subscribe too much to the takeout and home delivery culture, are basically cheating their kids of healthy meals and also robbing themselves of the chance to form long-lasting bond with their kids.
For world-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Stuart Firestein, PhD of Columbia University in New York, who has been carrying out research on the wonders of mom’s cooking, it may be possible. “The flavors [a mom] cooks in her kitchen reach the parts of the brain, heart, and soul that other things can’t reach.”
He adds that homecooked meals put indelible imprints on people’s psyche. “What continues to fascinate me is how the brain instinctively knows that certain flavors and foods have the power to mean more to us than just sustenance. This is called sensory recall and is a phenomenon, which demonstrates how the brain is hardwired to respond, in certain ways, to different tastes and smells. Even over time and distance, when we taste people’s cooking, it transports us back to a special place and a unique memory,” Dr. Stuart says.
Recently, Knorr challenged three celebrity moms to cook easy peasy recipes that busy moms should be able to whip up, lack of time and experience notwithstanding. Pia Guanio took on Crispy Tofu Sisig, Danica Sotto went for Sinigang sa Pakwan, while Dimples Romana cooked Tinola sa Gata. The cook-off was part of Knorr’s “Sarap ng #Lutong Nanay” movement, which aims to encourage moms to go back to homecooked meals.
Crispy Tofu Sisig
Ingredients
1/2 kg of tofu (cut into small cubes)
1 pc of onion
3 garlic gloves (chopped)
2 pcs of long green chili
3-4 tbsp of Lady’s Choice Real Mayonnaise
2 pcs of calamansi
1/2 kg of tofu (cut into small cubes)
1 pc of onion
3 garlic gloves (chopped)
2 pcs of long green chili
3-4 tbsp of Lady’s Choice Real Mayonnaise
2 pcs of calamansi
Procedure
1. Deep fry tofu cubes until brown and crisp.
2. In a separate pan, sauté onion and garlic, add fried tofu and chili. Mix well
3. Add Knorr liquid seasoning according to taste.
4. Turn off the heat, add mayonnaise, and mix well.
1. Deep fry tofu cubes until brown and crisp.
2. In a separate pan, sauté onion and garlic, add fried tofu and chili. Mix well
3. Add Knorr liquid seasoning according to taste.
4. Turn off the heat, add mayonnaise, and mix well.
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Sinigang sa Pakwan
Ingredients
1 kg of watermelon (chunks)
4 pcs of native tomatoes
1 kg of pork spareribs (two-inch cubes)
2 pcs of gabi (cubed)
2 pcs of red onions (quartered)
2-3 cups of water, add as needed
2 pcs of long green chili
1 bundle of long beans (cut into 2 ½ length)
1 bundle of water spinach (cut into 2 ½ length)
1 pack of Knorr Sinigang sa Sampaloc Original
1 kg of watermelon (chunks)
4 pcs of native tomatoes
1 kg of pork spareribs (two-inch cubes)
2 pcs of gabi (cubed)
2 pcs of red onions (quartered)
2-3 cups of water, add as needed
2 pcs of long green chili
1 bundle of long beans (cut into 2 ½ length)
1 bundle of water spinach (cut into 2 ½ length)
1 pack of Knorr Sinigang sa Sampaloc Original
Procedure
1. Combine watermelon, tomatoes, pork, gabi, onions, and water in a pot and bring to boil.
2. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until pork is tender.
3. Add Knorr Sinigang sa Sampaloc original and vegetables
4. Stir well and simmer until the veggies are cooked
5. Season according to taste.
1. Combine watermelon, tomatoes, pork, gabi, onions, and water in a pot and bring to boil.
2. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until pork is tender.
3. Add Knorr Sinigang sa Sampaloc original and vegetables
4. Stir well and simmer until the veggies are cooked
5. Season according to taste.
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Tinola sa Gata
Ingredients
1 tbsp of oil
1 pc. of onion (quartered)
1 pc. of ginger (sliced to two-inch pieces)
400 g of chicken (cut into serving pcs.)
1 tbsp of patis
1 cup of gata
1 cup of water
100g. of sayote or papaya wedges
1 pc. of Knorr Chicken Cube
½ bunch of dahon ng sili
1 tbsp of oil
1 pc. of onion (quartered)
1 pc. of ginger (sliced to two-inch pieces)
400 g of chicken (cut into serving pcs.)
1 tbsp of patis
1 cup of gata
1 cup of water
100g. of sayote or papaya wedges
1 pc. of Knorr Chicken Cube
½ bunch of dahon ng sili
Procedure
1. Saute onion and half of the ginger in preheated oil for two minutes.
2. Over high heat, add chicken and saute for a minute. Add fish sauce and mix well.
3. Add sayote. Pour gata and water. Add remaining half of the ginger. Let it simmer for a minute.
4. Add Knorr Chicken Cube. Let it simmer until the chicken and veggies are cooked.
5. Add dahon ng sili and let the sauce simmer for another minute. Serve.
1. Saute onion and half of the ginger in preheated oil for two minutes.
2. Over high heat, add chicken and saute for a minute. Add fish sauce and mix well.
3. Add sayote. Pour gata and water. Add remaining half of the ginger. Let it simmer for a minute.
4. Add Knorr Chicken Cube. Let it simmer until the chicken and veggies are cooked.
5. Add dahon ng sili and let the sauce simmer for another minute. Serve.
This Christmas, take on the challenge. Cook any of these two dishes for noche buena and you might just surprise yourself. www.knorr.com.ph
