Eat – Page 47 – Jellybeans in the City

Japanese-style burgers and more from MOS Burger

With a burger joint practically at every street corner, the Philippines may well be a Burger Nation.

Those proliferating burger outlets, however, are mostly Western-style, largely because the burger was introduced by the Americans to the country.

One of the few bright spots of 2020 is the introduction of new, Japanese-style burgers to widen the culinary horizons of Pinoys, thanks to the opening of MOS Burgers first store in Robinsons Galleria.

This outlet joined the brand’s 1,300 stores in Japan and almost 400 stores overseas. Pretty soon, new branches sprouted up such as in Megamall, Glorietta and Kapitolyo.

My daughter, who’s a serious fan of Japanese food and culture, has always wanted to eat at one of MOS Burgers’ local branches ever since the first one opened but the lockdown due to the pandemic precluded me from taking her.

Thankfully, with the recent loosening of quarantine restrictions, we were able to visit the Robinsons Galleria branch where we enjoyed some of its celebrated offerings.

MOS Cheeseburger (Php169 solo | Php269 set with iced tea and sides). I got this Japanese-style cheeseburger that comes with MOS’ special meat sauce poured over a pile of beef patty, tomato, onion, and cheese. It was well complimented by an order of Chicken Karaage (Php160).

Wagyu Burger (Php309 solo | Php409 set with iced tea and sides). My daughter ordered this Japanese-style burger made with flavorful Wagyu beef. It’s excellent when enjoyed with a side of Japanese House Salad (Php90).

Hash Browns (Php60/3pcs | Php90/5pcs). Crispy and golden-brown grids of fried potatoes.

Strawberry Cake (Php129). Fluffy chiffon cake layered with cream filling and slices of candied strawberry.

I’m glad that I was able to experience MOS Burgers again as it’s been quite a while since its Grand Opening when I last had a taste of its menu items.

A few days later, the fam was able to have another MOS experience – at home, this time – thanks to a food truck making its rounds in BGC which Hubby happened to pass by on his way home.

Of course, he brought home the MOS Cheeseburger in a Family Pack (Php499/3pcs).

But he also added two MOS Garlic Rice Onigiri (Php79 each): Chicken Karaage Mayo and Ebi Tempura. These are balls of Japanese rice flavored with garlic chips and wrapped with nori along with their fillings.

With its unusual burgers and sides, MOS Burgers surely is a welcome addition to the local food scene!

MOS Burgers outlets are located in the following areas, now open for dine-in, takeout and delivery:

Robinsons Galleria
Kapitolyo
SM Megamall
Robinsons Place Manila
Glorietta

Holiday Pan Chicken Bucket Deal from Pancake House

Ah, the holidays are comin’!

Along with tidings of comfort and joy are also news of great eating and feasting as Pancake House brings its famous Pan Chicken in a new and exciting GrabFood Exclusive offer: the Holiday Pan Chicken Bucket Deal!

Pancake House has been a mainstay in the local food scene since the 1970 when it opened its first store in Magallanes, Makati. Today, its menu has expanded to include, not just pancakes and waffles, but also classic Pinoy breakfast fare and American diner favorites.

One of its most celebrated offerings is the Classic Pan Chicken. Juicy chicken pieces are fried to a beautiful golden-brown with a satisfying crunch with every bite. Accompanied by its unique savory and buttery gravy, the Pan Chicken will always remain a go-to order for many of Pancakes House’s customers.

Available until December 31, Pancake House’s Holiday Pan Chicken Bucket Deal gives fried chicken fans more reasons to celebrate. Eight crunchy and juicy chicken pieces are paired with a free one-liter of Coke for just Php795, resulting to Php93 in savings.

For my family’s Sunday lunch, I ordered a Ceasar Salad (Php284) to go with our Pan Chicken. Bacon bits and croutons tossed with crisp salad greens in Caesar Salad dressing and sprinkled with parmesan make for a tasty and interesting contrast to the Pan Chicken.

Well, it sure looks like ‘tis the season for good eats for fried chicken lovers!

Order your Holiday Pan Chicken Bucket Deal from Pancake House via GrabFood!

About Grab

Grab is the leading super app in Southeast Asia, providing everyday services that matter most to consumers. Today, the Grab app has been downloaded onto over 185 million mobile devices, giving users access to over 9 million drivers, merchants and agents. Grab offers the widest range of on-demand transport services in the region, in addition to food, package, grocery delivery services, mobile payments and financial services across 339 cities in eight countries.

About GrabFood

Operating under the Grab super app, GrabFood is an online food delivery service that connects local food businesses to people. GrabFood presents a variety of food based on what’s available around consumers: Filipino, Western, Asian, European, Fusion and so on. Today, GrabFood’s services are available in areas of Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, and Cebu, with plans to continue expanding to reach more areas in the country.

Download the Grab app here.

Underrated yet must-try Korean food from Soban K-Town Grill

Sure, Korean culture has infiltrated the Pinoy consciousness with all the K-dramas, K-idols and K-variety shows almost constantly streaming on our TV screens.

However, there’s one aspect of Korean culture that appeals to me the most: Korean food!

Despite its penchant for pungent fermented condiments and spices, Korean food is known for creating a delicious harmony of flavors.

For years now, Korean food, particularly the samgyeopsal or the Korean pork barbecue, has been capturing hearts and palates of Pinoy diners, with restaurants such as Soban K-Town Grill serving up diverse meats and side dishes such as the ones I enjoyed during a previous visit with the fam.

Soban K-Town, Eastwood — Classic BBQ Combo Set

However, today, I’ll be featuring some of the lesser known Korean dishes which I think also deserves some attention.

Hubby decided to order some dishes via GrabFood to go with the Korean barbecue I’m cooking at home so these delectable dishes arrived to grace our dinner table.

Gimbap (Php110/6 pcs | Php195/12 pcs). Lightly seasoned steamed rice, scrambled egg, chopped vegetables and meat rolled in gim – dried seaweed sheets – then cut up into thin slices prior to serving. Although highly snackable, it’s also a good side dish in any Korean meal.

Jeyuk Bokkeum (Php405). Thinly sliced pork pieces are marinated in spicy gochujang paste along with fresh garlic and ginger, then stir-fried along with vegetables. I like wrapping up the pork in lettuce leaves along with rice and sliced garlic and ssamjang, essentially treating this dish as another form of samgyeopsal.

Banchan Set (Php140 | free with our order). For me, much of celebrated harmony of flavors that Korean cuisine is known for is attributable to its wide array of side dishes also known as banchan. With Soban’s Banchan Set, diners can enjoy six side dishes such as kimchi, scrambled eggs and stir-fried or pickled vegetables that can be mixed and matched with other dishes.

These dishes sure added a lot of interest (and flavor!) to the fam’s dinner, and further strengthened Korean food’s position in our hearts.

Craving for your Korean food faves or want to try something new? Order now from Soban K-Town Grill via GrabFood!

About Grab

About GrabFood

Download the Grab app here.

Steak break at Meat Depot

If you’re a true-blue carnivore like me, a big hunk of steak would be one of your ultimate gustatory pleasures.

Just imagine: a sizeable well portioned slice of beef, rightly seasoned and then seared over on a hot grill over charcoal or a cast-iron pan to the perfect juicy and tender doneness (and no, it won’t be well-done).

What’s not to love?

From the contrast of its seared surface to the reddish tender flesh underneath, its wonderful aroma wafting to your nostrils, to its strong flavor and rich, juicy mouthfeel, a perfectly cooked steak is a multi-sensory experience.

For me, the go-to place for this kind of epicurean delight is Meat Depot in Greenhills.

With the pandemic still a consideration, Meat Plus implemented health and safety measures for strict compliance inside its stores to keep its customers and staff safe. These include:

Wearing of face masks inside the premises and conduct of respiratory etiquette (covering of nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing)
Temperature check and footbath upon entry
Frequent washing and sanitizing of hands
Maintaining 6-foot distance from other people

All store personnel are also required to face masks and disposable gloves, while the stores and their equipment are cleaned and sanitized on an hourly basis.

Being both a butcher shop that carries a wide variety of meats, poultry, seafood, and of course, steaks, as well as a steakhouse, Meat Depot allows you to select your preferred meats from among the choicest cuts to bring home or turn over to the store’s expert grillers who can cook them up for you to enjoy in a jiffy. You can also select which sauces and sides will go with your cooked meats.

Such was the case when Hubby and I dropped by after a running a few errands to give in to our steak cravings.

Rib Eye (Php870 + Php150 cooking charge)

We know that we can count on Meat Depot to bring out all the possibilities in flavor, juiciness and tenderness of our chosen steaks.

Lamb Chop (490.42 + Php150 cooking charge)

Similarly, Meat Depot did not disappoint with our Grilled Lamb Chops, which are tender and full-flavored with every bite.

Well, the true-blue carnivore in me surely got her wish!

With some family celebrations coming up, we took advantage of the opportunity to stock up on some Rib-Eye (Php2,670/kg) that we can grill at home.

Hubby masterfully pan-grilled these steaks for our family celebration. This way, we were able to indulge our carnivorous cravings at home!

So if you’re craving for a delicious piece of steak or specialty meat that you can enjoy when you dine out or you can cook at home, check out Meat Depot.

Meat Depot branches are located at:

2/F Ayala Malls Vertis North, North Avenue, Quezon City
815 Banawe Street, Brgy. St. Peter, Quezon City
283 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Parañaque City
G/F Paseo de Magallanes, Magallanes, Makati City
2/F O Square 2, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan City
Corner Market, 2/F The Podium, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
3/F Robinsons Galleria, EDSA, Quezon City
G/F U.P. Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City

Click here to reserve a table or here to shop online among Meat Depot’s extensive selections of meats.

Cowrie Grill reopens, celebrates 8th anniversary with gift voucher promo

The Manila Hotel’s signature grillery, Cowrie Grill, once again opens its doors to diners. It also celebrates its eighth year with its “8 and Great” promo for its avid customers and those who have yet to discover what it offers.

Located along Missouri Street, Promenade 3 in Greenhills, San Juan, Cowrie Grill’s clientele has known it for eight years of excellent food—steak perfection behind every tomahawk, sirloin, and eye fillet that it serves; amazing flavors in a plate of seafood heaven; and so much more. Through it all, it has kept its focus on dishes with only the freshest ingredients served in premium quality.

In celebration of Cowrie Grill’s 8^th year anniversary on November 5 and as its way to welcome back our valued guests, it kicks off a gift voucher promo where a customer can purchase gift vouchers of their chosen featured dish during the promo period from October 15 to 22, 2021, and get the second serving for only EIGHT PESOS (P8). The regular rate applies to the first serving and the second helping will only cost them EIGHT PESOS!

Customers may avail unlimited vouchers during the promo period and can redeem them for both dine-in and takeout transactions. Buyers may use the anniversary gift vouchers from October 16, 2021 until February 28, 2022 (except blackout dates).

Some of Cowrie Grill’s signature bestsellers included in the eight featured dishes are Cowrie Grill’s famous Caesar’s Salad, Pan-Seared Scallops, Sea Bass, Angus Beef Rib (English cut), Chateaubriand, U.S. Tomahawk Rib Eye, Iberico Pork Loin, and for dessert, our decadent Tiramisu.

Soon, Cowrie Grill will also launch its celebration packages for small gatherings, in compliance with standard safety protocols in line with the DOH and IATF guidelines. If you are looking for a venue for small gatherings like birthdays or a simple, long-awaited get-together with family, Cowrie Grill may soon be booked exclusively for functions. Further announcements will be made, or you can check out its Facebook page @CowrieGrill.

Cowrie Grill by The Manila Hotel is taking every precaution to ensure safety of its guests and staff. The tables have acrylic separators and proper social distancing are also in place. The staff has intensive health and safety training, and the restaurant continues to implement enhanced cleaning procedures as well as deploy only fully vaccinated staff. Implemented health protocols will depend on community quarantine alert levels set by the government.

With scrumptious food, the voucher promo, and impeccable service, Cowrie Grill by The Manila Hotel definitely deserves a visit. For table reservations, please call (02) 84631993 or email r.cowriegrill@themanilahotel.com.

Images and details provided by Cowrie Grill in a recent press release.

#QuarantineCookbook: Brazo de Mercedes with Jolly Cow Condensada

Which Filipino dessert does everyone in your family looked forward to when you were young?

Mine was the Brazo de Mercedes.

This scrumptious meringue roll with a thick and rich custard center is actually named after Mama Mary, the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes or the Virgin of Mercy.

It is said to date back to the Spanish colonial period when Filipinos sought to repurpose discarded egg yolks when builders at the time would use the egg whites for mortar and plaster for houses and structures.

Brazo de Mercedes with Jolly Cow Condensada

Whenever my parents brought home a roll of Brazo de Mercedes, my brothers and I knew that something wonderful was waiting for us come dessert time.

Despite both my mom and I being both home bakers, it took us a while to attempt to make Brazo de Mercedes, primarily because the egg whites need a high-powered mixer to become a fluffy meringue.

Thankfully, Hubby gifted me with a KitchenAid 5QT Artisan Stand Mixer which made making this dessert a breeze.

Now that the meringue won’t be a problem, I know the custard won’t give me any worries either, thanks to Jolly Cow Condensada.

With its rich, creamy texture and right amount of sweetness, it helped make the custard filling of my Brazo de Mercedes absolutely Creamy Sarap and so irresistible.

Ingredients:

Custard:

1 390g can Jolly Cow Condensada
10 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon

Meringue:

10 egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Procedure:

Combine egg yolks, condensed milk, vanilla and lemon zest in a double boiler over low heat. Cook while stirring regularly for about 30 minutes until mixture thickens into a spreadable paste. Remove from heat and set aside to allow to cool.

Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in a bowl and mix at slow speed until they form a thick foam. Add sugar in small amounts while continually beating, gradually increasing speed until stuff peaks form and the mixture is smooth and glossy with no sugar grains.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and lightly grease it. Spread the meringue evenly on the sheet to about 1/4 inch thick. Bake at 350 deg F (177 deg C) for 20 minutes until the meringue is set and the top has turned light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Using a light mesh sieve, lightly dust the meringue with powdered sugar. Cover with another sheet of lightly greased wax paper the gently invert to transfer the meringue onto the new wax paper and peel off the wax paper on top.

Spread the custard mixture evenly on the 3/4 of surface of the meringue. Starting from the side with the custard, carefully roll the meringue into a log.

Cover both ends of the log with wax paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

My son has declared this his “Number 1” favorite dessert (among the many sweets I’ve made for him so far), and I know I’ll have lots more for him to sample with my pantry fully stocked with Jolly Cow Condensada.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think!

Gear up for baking

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Jelly’s Picks — Jolly Cow Condensada 390g

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Kabab delivery from Uncle Moe’s Shawarma Hub

It’s no secret that Middle Eastern food holds a certain appeal to my fam.

Even my youngest couldn’t resist beef kabab, and has been known to demolish several helpings of this dish in one sitting.

With the pandemic still raging outside the safety of our home, the family can’t go out to dine at our usual kabab haunts. Fortunately, Hubby has discovered a resto that can not only cater to our kabab cravings but can supply the side dishes we love so well.

What’s more, its Middle Eastern food offerings are quite affordable and easily accessible.

Cheers to Uncle Moe’s Shawarma Hub, now available for long distance delivery on GrabGood!

First established at Ortigas Home Depot in 2006, Uncle Moe‘s Shawarma Hub focused its offerings towards premium yet affordable Middle Eastern food.

Since then, it has branched out to fifteeb locations across the metro, serving a carefully curated menu stripped down to what its clientele keeps coming back to.

For several weeks now, Hubby would oftentimes order some kababs from Uncle Moe’s via GrabFood for his midnight snack (which he is obligated to share with whoever among us is still awake, hehehe!). The fam grew to love Uncle Moe’s offerings and we started to look forward to it more and more.

At the tail end of a particularly hectic weekend, I decided to heed Hubby’s request and ordered our faves from Uncle Moe’s Shawarma Hub for our Sunday dinner.

This included:

Hummus (Php185). A popular Middle Eastern dip, spread or dish in itself made from cooked chickpeas (garbanzos), tahini, lemon juice and garlic. It is best enjoyed with fresh pita bread.

Moutabal (Php185). A version of the baba ghanoush made with mashed broiled eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini and various seasonings. It has a yummy savory and smokey flavor which complements many Mediterranean dishes.

Ox Brain (Php195). Made with fried ox brain sprinkled with a bit of citrus juice, it adds a lot of richness to any Mediterranean dish it accompanies.

Beef Kabab Tray (Php510). Eight pieces of juicy beef kababs accompanied by four pieces of pita bread, garlic and red chili sauce as well as tomato-onion salsa.

Given my fam’s huge appetites and our love for kababs, it’s no wonder that we were able to finish off two orders of Beef Kabab Tray, three orders of Ox Brain, two orders of Hummus and an order of Moutabal, all in a single meal!

So if you’re on the lookout for delicious yet affordable Middle Eastern food, grab your phone and order from Uncle Moe’s Shawarma Hub via GrabFood!

About Grab

About GrabFood

Download the Grab app here.

#QuarantineCookbook: Cheesy Baked Macaroni

My mom’s Cheesy Baked Macaroni has always been a family favorite.

She used to make it for the fam during special occasions such as birthday dinners or holiday feasts. We would sometimes bring it as our contribution to our clan’s potluck parties.

Later on, when I got married, Hubby would request a tray of Baked Macaroni from my mom for his birthday.

What makes this version different from other Baked Macaroni recipes is the flavor and aroma from the red bell peppers. Coupled with the melted cheese, it helps make a truly mouthwatering dish!

It took me a while to gather up the courage to cook this dish given the sheer weight of expectations surrounding it, but I’m sure glad I did!

I was able to piece together the recipe, thanks to my memories from years of helping my mom cook this, as well as a few phone calls to my mom, just to make sure I’m on the right track.

I’ve made this dish three times in as many weeks so far, a testament to how much my fam loves it.

Check it out!

Ingredients:

1/2 kg elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions
1/2 kg ground beef
2 tbsp cooking oil
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
4 red bell peppers, finely chopped
1 beef bouillon cube
2 cups tomato sauce
2 dried bay leaves
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
3 cups milk, heated
220g cheese, finely grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

To make the tomato meat sauce:

Saute garlic, onions and bell peppers in oil for up to five minutes until fragrant.
Add in the ground beef and cook until it is evenly browned, then stir in the beef cube.
Pour in the tomato sauce, stir and bring to a boil.
Season with salt and pepper.
Toss in the bay leaves, and allow to simmer for five minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

To make the cheese sauce:

Melt the butter in a saucepan.
Stir in the flour and cook for about two minutes until a paste forms.
Pour in the milk and stir constantly until the flour paste is fully dissolved.
Add in the cheese while continuing to stir until the cheese has melted and blended into the mixture, then remove from heat.

To assemble and bake:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 deg F (190 deg C).
Divide the meat sauce in half.
Mix in the cooked macaroni to half of the meat mixture.
Coat the bottom of the baking pan with a thin layer of cheese sauce.
Add a layer of macaroni, then meat sauce and top with another layer cheese sauce. Repeat the three layers if the baking pan can accommodate.
Make sure the top is covered by a thick layer of cheese sauce.
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil.
Bake with the foil cover for 15 minutes, and without the foil cover for another ten minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve.

Try this recipe for your Noche Buena spread or your New Year’s Eve feast.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Gear up for cooking.

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Stock up on ingredients.

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The Jelly List: Desserts for delivery that will sate your sweet cravings

How’s your sweet tooth these days, foodies?

The quarantine has hampered our ability to go out for our sweet fix. Thanks to the internet, however, we can easily find dessert sellers, ready to supply us with goodies so we won’t have to leave home to sate our sweet cravings.

If you’ve been missing your favorite dessert stops during your life before the pandemic, it may be high time to get tapping on your phone and have your sweet cravings delivered to your doorstep.

Being a sweet tooth myself (and egged on by my equally sweet fanatic kids), I decided to give some of these sweets a try over the past few months. Others have been sent by friends and relatives to celebrate special occasions. Whatever the reason, being treated to new desserts is always a good idea.

Check out my picks and see if they can become your favorites too!

Triple Cheese Donuts from Lola Nena’s

The social media star for many months into the quarantine is Lola Nena’s Triple Cheese Donuts. It’s the offshoot of the old-fashioned donuts inspired by the sugary bicho-bicho but now overloaded with cheese.

These are best served when heated so that the cheese gets all melty and yummy!

Get a box of eight for just Php216.

Order online at Lola Nena’s website or via GrabFood.

Remilly’s Yema Cakes

Remember that sticky and milky-sweet candy we loved as kids? Well, the yema has long been turned into a cakes.

Check out Remilly’s Yema Cake single- serve creations the Yema Cake – vanilla chiffon cake covered with yema frosting topped with grated cheese – and Yema Caramel – vanilla chiffon cake covered with caramel frosting and topped with dark chocolate shavings.

Get these single-serve cakes at Php70 each.

Order online at Remilly’s Yema Cake Facebook Page or via GrabFood.

Flavored Ensaymada from Bread for EveryJuan

Ensaymadas are another childhood favorite of mine. I prefer these pastries to be fluffy and topped with lots of sugar and cheese for that sweet-and-salty dynamic.

Bread for EveryJuan, however, ups the ante on my favorite kind of ensaymada with the addition of Ube and Caramel flavors.

Get a box of 5 mixed special ensaymadas for just Php250.

Order now by sliding in to BFE’s DMs on Facebook.

Flavored Cream Puffs from The Puff Dough

Biting into a cream puff is such a decadent experience: just imagine the flaky pastry studded with caramelized sugar gives in to a creamy custard filling, producing different textures and kinds of sweetness in your mouth.

Now, imagine discovering another dimension to this French-inspired dessert through the addition of flavors such as Chocolate, Ube, Cheesecake, Milo and Matcha, thanks to The Puff Dough.

Well, you won’t have to imagine for long if you order through TPD’s jot form, especially since you can get a box of twelve assorted cream puffs for just Php500.

Snickers Bomb from Pufft Doughnuts

Want your favorite chocolate bar in doughnut form?

Check out Pufft Doughnuts’ Snickers Bomb, a dessert inspired by the Snickers bar, from crunchy and chewy Snickers bits and peanut butter chips drizzled with caramel sauce on top to the rich and creamy peanut butter filling inside the soft and fluffy doughnut.

At Php140 per piece, it’s an explosive piece of pastry for any dessert lover.

Order now at Pufft Doughnuts website.

Mango Torte from I Khan Bake

For a showstopping finish to a meal, check out I Khan Bake’s Mango Torte.

From its crunchy and meringue base to its cream topping studded with mango balls, every piece is a masterpiece. It’s best to keep it refrigerated, though.

You can order this cake for Php1,050.

Order now by sending a message over Facebook.

Signature Moist Chocolate from Amante’s Decadent Moist Cakes

The gold standard for any chocolate cake is the moistness (read: non-dryness) of its chocolate cake base. (Speaking as a home baker myself, it’s actually hard to achieve!)

That’s why it’s best to let the pros handle it, like Amante’s Decadent Moist Cakes. It’s Signature Moist Cake has that moist cake base, and a decadent chocolate frosting topped with chocolate chips. It is not too sweet, so you can savor more of its richchocolate goodness.

A nine-inch cake sells for Php570, while its tin-can version is available for Php520.

Send a message over Facebook to order.

So, foodies, you can always indulge your sweet tooth during quarantine. Just choose which dessert you’re craving for and order away!

Photo Credit: Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Kimchi Musubi with Bibimbud, the original kimchi sauce

The sheer amount of time we’ve spent watching K-dramas have surely developed our craving for Korean flavors. Admittedly, the sight of our favorite idols feasting on Korean food got us craving for it too.

Korean cuisine is known for the layering of tastes and textures such that there’s an explosion of flavors in every mouthful.

One of K-cuisine’s hallmark dishes is kimchi. This traditional side dish is made with salted and fermented vegetables and flavored with a variety of seasonings and aromatics such as chili powder, spring onions, garlic and salted seafood, resulting in complex blend of sour, spicy and umami.

Kimchi is ever-present in Korean food culture that you would be hard-pressed to find a Korean meal without it.

That certainly held true for Koreans Steve Song and David Seo, two buddies living abroad who embraced local cuisines but found something missing in their foodie adventures. Deciding to add a taste of home to their meals, they developed a kimchi-style condiment that’s uniquely blended to complement and add that crave-worthy kimchi flavor to practically any dish.

They named their creation Bibimbud, the Original Kimchi Sauce.

Made by people who absolutely love kimchi, Bibimbud is packed full with the flavor and goodness of kimchi with no preservatives. The product underwent a natural fermentation process just like real kimchi which allows it to get better with age and keep for a longer period.

It also comes with the health benefits brought by real kimchi such as boosting and metabolism and improving blood circulation and gut health.

With these in mind, why not incorporate Bibimbud to any meal?

Check out this fusion of Korean and Japanese flavors in my version of Kimchi Spam Musubi, made possible by Bibimbud.

Spam Musubi is said to have originated in Hawaii during and post-World War II, when the Japanese-American locals incorporated the canned meat into their own cuisines.

The addition of Bibimbud to Spam Musubi gives a new dimension of flavor to this popular snack.

Ingredients:

3 cups steamed rice, kept warm
1 can Spam cut into eight slices
Teriyaki sauce made with 1 tbsp sugar dissolved in 2 tbsp light soy sauce
3 eggs, whisked until homogenous
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
2 nori sheets, each sheet cut into 4 strips of equal width
2 tbsp Bibimbud, The Original Kimchi Sauce

Procedure:

Mix one tablespoon of the teriyaki sauce to the eggs.
Place a lightly oiled frying pan over medium to low heat. Add the eggs, cover and let cook for five minutes. When the top is set, slide the eggs onto a cutting board, the two sides into the middle making three layers then cut into eight strips of equal width.
Fry the Spam in a non-stick pan over high heat for five to seven minutes until crispy on both sides. When cooked, place the Spam pieces on a paper towel to drain off excess oil. Using the same pan, cook the remaining teriyaki sauce over medium heat. When it begins to thicken, add back the Spam to coat both sides of pieces with sauce.
Mix the Bibimbud, sesame seeds and rice vinegar into the rice and divide the mixture into eight equal portions. Press one portion into your musubi mold. (You can use the empty Spam can as a musubi mold by lining the bottom and inner sides with plastic wrap.)
Layer an egg strip on top of the rice then top with a piece of Spam. Press the layers against the mold until firm.
Wrap the molded musubi in a strip of nori. Seal the end of the nori strip with a bit of water.
Serve and enjoy!

Bibimbud may also be used in flavoring Kimchi Fried Rice, Kimchi Pasta, Bibimbap, Korean-style Fried Chicken and more. For more details about Bibimbud and to check out recipes, visit bibimbud.com.

Given that Bibimbud is in a sauce form, it is easy to adjust the kimchi taste in the food, whether mild to suit newbies, or more intense to suit connoisseurs of Korean cuisine.

So the next time we go on a K-drama binge, we know we can easily have a taste of the flavors our K-idols are enjoying, thanks to Bibimbud!

Bibimbud is available at Lazada in 250-gram packs for Php175/pack.

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Disclosure: A product sample was by Bibimbud.