Real Value Meal

CEBU, Philippines - It pays to have an efficient household manager. Not only does she excel in good housekeeping and cooking sumptuous dishes, she is also a “superwoman” when it comes to budgeting. She has this amazing gift of stretching the peso as high as the 13 waves of price increases in prime commodities, since January of this year.

Such wise practice allowed this writer’s meager income to meet basic needs without compromising nutritional value of meals.

Meet my Mom – Rose – the expert in presenting “Real Value Meal” for our family. And here’s a touch of her recent innovation – the “Utan Upo Pinobre”:

Ingredients:

Upo (Kalbasang puti or Bottle gourd/White squash) – A segment costs P10

Tangkong or Water spinach (Preferably Chinese tangkong because this variety grows on soil not in swamps or creeks) – ½ of a bunch cost P2.50

Red bell pepper – Use only half of the bell pepper; costs P2.50

Red onion – Use whole bulb; costs P2.50

Garlic – Shred to pieces; costs P1.00

Pork (Lean) – ¼ kilo cost P45; cut into bite-size pieces

Vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon; estimated to cost P2.00

Soy sauce – 1 tablespoon; estimated to cost P0.50

Dash of Iodized salt to season; may cost P0.25

Dash of Monosodium glutamate or Vetsin (optional); may cost P0.50 to P1.00

How to prepare:

1. Saute the spices – shredded garlic and rings of red onion – in a tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat.

2. Add in bite-size pieces of lean pork. Simmer till juice flows out of meat.

3. Add in upo or kalbasang puti, the red bell pepper (cut lengthwise), and tangkong.

4. Cover the pan or work. Wait for the upo’s natural water content to flow out of the cut pieces before seasoning the dish (preferably with iodized salt). Add one tablespoon of soy sauce or “toyo” (be careful not to overdo as this might blacken the entire dish). Adjust to low fire.

5. Pour in ½ cup of water to adjust soup volume. You may season with MSG.

Serves 4-5 persons.

Total amount spent on this dish: P 66.75 or P13.35 each for five pax

Nutritional content/value: Isoflavones from soy sauce; vegetables like upo and tangkong are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals that are easily absorbed by the body; red bell pepper is a source of lycopene, a carotene that helps in fighting off cancer and heart ailments; while lean pork is rich in protein.