Foods of fortune

There are Chinese soups, and there are Chinese soups. But there is nothing like Knorr Real Chinese Soup." So goes that popular TV ad ditty that made its mark among food-loving Pinoys, who found themselves singing along every time the commercial was aired on the boob tube. In a way, Knorr Real Chinese Soups has become part of the growing-up years of the thirtysomething-and-up generation.

So, it was no surprise when, at a recent luncheon hosted by Knorr Real Chicken Soup team to usher in the Year of the Fire Dog, every one on the table started singing the catchy tune of the amiable singing chef.

This time around, the Knorr Real Chinese Soups team is singing a different tune – and lucky ones at that. Senior brand manager Gara Santos says that they want to reintroduce the Chinese New Year tradition of preparing "delicious and auspicious dishes."

As explained by feng shui master Victor Wang, the art of Chinese cooking involves the harmonization of food and all its elements, taking into account the color, aroma, flavor, and nutritional value. In the Chinese tradition, noodles symbolize long life. Thus, noodle dishes are a must in birthday celebrations. Fish, meanwhile, represents luck and chicken, reunion.

If you are an avid follower of those Chinese cooking shows on TV, you’ll notice that Chinese chefs have a penchant for including three colors in their dishes. For instance, a simple sautéed vegetable dish, adds Wang, will have three dominant colors, namely, red for good luck, green for happiness, and yellow for brightness.

"Good food cleanses the body of toxin. This is symbolic of flushing out the bad luck in your life," says Wang.

It’s all about the yin and yang, the two opposing but complementary forces found in all things, even in food.

Explaining further, Wang says that anything soft and sweet is yin, and anything solid and sour is yang. Tofu is yin, while chicken is yang, and so on.

For the Year of the Fire Dog, the Knorr team has prepared 12 lucky soups and dishes that suit each of the animal signs using the yin and yang principle and combining them to "bring forth balance and harmony, and take in nature’s goodness to attract health and happiness."

For Dogs (1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994), pork and tokwa in hot and sour sauce will enhance their luck with the pork symbolizing wealth and the tokwa happiness.

Rabbits (1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999) are advised to take good care of their love relationships. The chicken soup for romance, using Knorr Chicken and Corn Real Chinese Soup, is highly recommended since chicken symbolizes happiness and marriage, while eggs are for love and fertility.

Rats (1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996) this year should go for the sweet and sour yin and yang soup to balance their positive chi.

The Ox (1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997) are advised to take care of their health. Knorr Chinese pancit canton attracts positive health vibes.

Tigers (1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998) can enhance their luck with pork and two kinds of mushrooms. The Knorr pork and mushroom real Chinese soup has pork that symbolizes wealth while tokwa is for happiness, and mixed vegetable for elemental balance.

Dragons (1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000) can enhance their luck in finances with the help of the three-pearl crab and corn since the soup has fish balls for prosperity and chicken balls for happiness.

Snakes (1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001) need to balance their career with their relationships. The Vietnamese-inspired hot and sour soup has sotanghon and togue, which represent the yin, and bold-flavored Knorr hot and sour real Chinese coup for the yang.

Horses (1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002) can further enhance their luck this year with nido onion soup. Its aromatic properties are said to repel bad spirits and attract good vibes.

Goats (1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003) need to counter occasional financial hurdles with the mixed seafood treasure soup, which has fish to symbolize prosperity.

Monkeys (1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004) can attract more positive vibes with the nido misua soup for abundance.

Roosters (1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005) can take on a challenging year ahead with the hearty chicken patties for positive chi.

Pigs (1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995) are advised to prepare nido potato soup of wealth to counter financial challenges.

Like what that cheery chef in that Knorr soup TV ad mouthed years before, these soups and dishes are one-of-a-kind, the Chinese soups – and dishes – of a kind… and the best part of it all is, "Just add one egg."

Pork And Tokwa In Hot & Sour Sauce (For those born in the Year of the Dog)

For the pork marinade:
1 kilo pork, cut into bite-sized pieces (for wealth)
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Knorr liquid seasoning
2 tablespoons Knorr hot and sour real Chinese soup
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
2 pieces tokwa, cut into bite-sized pieces (for happiness)
1 tablespoon Knorr liquid seasoning
2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon cooking oil
3 slices ginger
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup red and green bell peppers, cut into thin strips
2 cups water
7 tablespoons Knorr hot and sour real Chinese soup
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons Knorr liquid seasoning
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Mix together the pork and marinade and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, season tokwa with Knorr liquid seasoning, coat it with cornstarch, then fry until golden brown. Set aside. They fry marinated pork slices until golden brown. Dry excess oil and set aside.

To make the sauce, heat oil in a pan and brown ginger slices and remove them. In the same oil, sauté garlic and red and green bell peppers. Meanwhile, mix together all the remaining sauce ingredients and add to the sautéed garlic and peppers. Allow to thicken and add in the tokwa. Simmer for three minutes and add in the fried pork slices. Serve with steamed rice.

Chicken Patties For Positive Chi (For those born in the Year of the Rooster)

1/2 kilo chicken, minced (for happiness and marriage)
2 small carrots, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh wansoy, chopped
4 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Knorr liquid seasoning
2 eggs
1 tablespoon black pepper powder
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 pack Knorr pork and mushroom real Chinese soup (pork for wealth)
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon toasted garlic
Mix together the first 11 ingredients and add half of the Knorr pork and mushroom real Chinese soup. Mix very well. Shape this mixture into round patties (approximately three-inch rounds) and pan fry until golden brown.

In a separate pan, dissolve the remaining Knorr pork and mushroom real Chinese soup in water and simmer until it thickens. Pour this sauce onto the chicken patties and top with toasted garlic.