One of the more benign, even beneficial, effects of the quarantine is the renewed interest in home cooking.
In the earlier days of the lockdown, with dining out prohibited and food delivery options quite limited, the metro’s denizens took stock of their pantry and set about creating their culinary masterpieces with ingredients they have on hand.
Guess what’s invariably present in Pinoy kitchen cabinets. Canned tuna!
Tuna is one of the most eaten fish in the world. It can be eaten fresh – either raw or cooked – as well as canned, which involves pre-cooking. In the Philippines, canned tune may be available in several variants such as in oil, in water, in flakes, hot and spicy, Spanish-style or corned, among others.
Canned tuna lends itself well to home cooking. It is flavorful enough to appeal to the palate (it can even be eaten straight out of the can) yet flexible to be applied to many dishes from canapes and salads to pastas. Canned tuna is also healthier than meat, generally having lower levels of saturated and trans fats as well as higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids compared to beef.
In a Zoom event hosted by Mega Tuna last December, brand ambassador Chef JP Anglo of Sarsa Kitchen shared some new recipes made with Mega Tuna that can form part of the holiday spread.
Check them out:
Tuna Arroz Caldo
Ingredients:
- Mega Tuna Spanish Style
- 350g white or brown rice
- 150g chicharon
- 20g fresh garlic
- 50g ginger
- 30g fried garlic
- 30g spring onion
- 5g black pepper
- 20ml patis
- 4pcs calamansi
Procedure:
In a pot, pour the oil from the can of Mega Tuna Flakes in Spanish Style, then saute the ginger and garlic.
Add a liter of water and cooked rice, and cook for twenty to thirty minutes.
Pour the arroz caldo in a bowl, add the Mega Tuna and top with spring onions, fried garlic, chicharon and black pepper.
Season with patis.
Tuna Soba Noodles
Ingredients:
- Mega Tuna Sweet and Spicy
- 500g soba noodles
- 30ml sesame oil
- 20g sesame seeds
- 60ml oyster sauce
- 5g salt
- 3pc fried eggs
- Chili garlic (optional)
Procedure:
Cook soba noodles in hot water (make sure not to overcook them).
Toss all ingredients with the noodles and add half of the tuna and half of the oil from the can to flavor the noodles.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and top with the remaining tuna, fried garlic, spring onions and fried egg.
I was able to try these delicious dishes since I received a box containing these dishes as well as Mega Tuna’s four variants: in Oil, Spanish Style, Sweet and Spicy and Hot and Spicy.
Hubby found the Mega Tuna variants well-suited to his midnight snacking.
The holidays may be over but we can carry over these recipes into the new year as we continue to create delectable viands from our kitchen staples such as Mega Tuna.
Mega Tuna is available in leading supermarkets and grocery stores as well as in Shopee and Lazada.
Jellybeans in the City 