I was invited to judge a cooking competition for kids in our community. Ages range from 13-17. They were tasked to serve one main dish, one appetizer and one dessert uisng local ingredients. And here are the recipes that stood out for me.
Honestly, it never came to me that onion rings can make beautiful and savory molds for ground meat filling. Not until I saw the kids carefully dipping the onions in batter and breadcrumbs. Looks can be deceiving. It may just look like a fried meatball outside but a bite would reveal true flavors and texture. Crunchy on the outside, oozing with flavor on the inside. What a perfect appetizer.
I knew chicken cooked in coconut milk is heavenly. But adding slices of Indian mango? Lovely! When I tasted it, it seems like eating a potato, only finer and smoother. Since the Indian mango has a subtle taste, it perfectly blends well with the coco milk gravy made better with chicken drippings.
This dessert is unique. I got fooled by its looks. At first glance, it looks ordinary and boring. But once you bite into it, there's a battle of sweet and sour that tickles your tongue. Tubango is a banana and mango wrapped turon-style and fried to its crunchy and chewy state. What is more dessert-y is the caramel slathered all over and ground peanuts to add more crunch and texture. Oh so yum and creative! Eat it while its hot.
Another dessert that caught my eye is the halo-halo turon. Say goodbye to the old and boring turon and welcome the new queen of local desserts- halo-halo turon.
Halo-halo in English means to mix or stir, but for a Filipino dessert, it is a happy and colorful combination of fresh and preserved fruits in season in a bed of ice topped with milk and ice cream, leche flan or ube.
I'm sure there are a lot more of innovative and creative ways to reinvent and serve Filipino dishes, of only we allow our kids to explore in the kitchen, discover and explore our local food and teach them the love for well-prepared and nutritious food.