Have Mama Sita mixes and sauces, will travel
December 11, 2005 | 12:00am
When the guys behind the Mama Sita mixes and sauces brand say their products travel, they’re not kidding. On a recent tour of Taal Lake and Tagaytay City, guess what they packed in their bags? You got it! Mama Sita mixes and sauces. With these little pouches and bottles of flavors and dips, any place is good enough to have a picnic — make that a party.
As members of media rode on a motorized banca across Taal Lake for a trek up Taal Volcano, the Mama Sita cooking crew was busy getting merienda and lunch ready. The lunch menu included ensaladang Pilipino, sinigang na maliputo, sugpo sa gata with sitaw and kalabasa, lechon manok, inihaw na tawilis, tilapia and liempo, sinaing na kanin sa pandan, leche flan, fresh fruits, and buko juice. The afternoon’s merienda included pansit palabok, ukoy, puto, and nilagang mani.
There was nothing fancy about the food. All were popular dishes served in homes daily or during Sunday gatherings. However, the secrets to many of the dishes are in the mixes and sauces, all from Mama Sita line.
To cut down on preparation time for the sugpo sa gata, the kare-kare mix was used as flavor base of the dish. With just some coconut milk, the clay pot was bubbling in no time with the delicious smell of lunch. The lechon manok was made special with a serving of lechon sauce, while the inihaw na liempo became tastier with a side of java sauce.
No, they were not cooking all this in a kitchen, but in one of the many picnic huts at the Taal Lake Yacht Club in Talisay, Batangas. Armed with just portable gas ranges and an assortment of vats, pans and ladles, lunch was ready in an instant. It is this idea of portability that has made Mama Sita’s line of mixes and sauces such a hit here and abroad.
The whole Mama Sita brand of mixes and sauces was a simple backyard project of Teresita "Mama Sita" Reyes, daughter of Engracia "Aling Asiang" Reyes, founder of the Aristocrat Restaurant. Mama Sita was appalled to see so many Filipinos living and working in the United States and their children dining on nothing but burgers and hotdogs. She found herself cooking meals in the States for her relatives, who missed Filipino cooking.
Some of them asked her to create a sinigang mix that would taste of tamarind, and not the pale version they would concoct using lemons. She perfected one that became a hit among her relatives and friends. Every time she went to the States, her luggage would be filled with those little bottles of sinigang mix to give to everyone she met.
Mama Sita corporate services officer Ramon R. Reyes says this sinigang mix is different from most sinigang powders available on the market because it is in paste form and is packed in bottles. This gives it a more natural sinigang flavor. With gabi mash added to the mix as a thickener, it has a more fruity and potent flavor that harks back to the traditional sinigang made with freshly-squeezed tamarinds. All you need is a tablespoon or two of this mix, and, presto, biglang sinigang.
This sinigang mix was perfected by Bartolome "Bart" Lapus, Mama Sita’s son-in-law who is a scientist, and her daughter Clara and eventually became the firm’s first best seller. The Lapuses incorporated the Mama Sita brand in 1980 under the name Marigold Communities Corporation. And yes, it is Mama Sita’s photo that has graced every little packet and label under its line of mixes and sauces.
Reyes said the Mama Sita products are not only marketed to Filipinos abroad, but also to many homemakers in the Philippines. "Often, you find yourself stuck in the kitchen taking much time creating the sauces and mixes to many popular Filipino dishes. What Mama Sita has done was to simplify the process and give homemakers a ready ingredient that would cut down their work in the kitchen. This gives them more free time for themselves," he says.
To date, the Mama Sita mixes and sauces brand offers: "Biglang Sinigang" or tamarind seasoning paste (regular and hot variants); Pure Labuyo red hot pepper sauce; annatto powder (achuete); ginisang munggo, or instant mung bean soup; escabeche, or sweet and sour sauce mix; tocino marinating mix; pang kare-kare stew base mix; kare-kare peanut sauce mix; sinigang sa bayabas, or guava soup base mix; sinigang sa sampalok, or tamarind seasoning mix; chopsuey/pancit canton stir-fry mix; palabok, or oriental gravy mix; lumpiang shanghai, or fried spring roll seasoning mix; breading mix; adobo savory sauce mix; barbecue marinade mix; caldereta spicy stew mix; menudo/afritada meat stew mix; adobo marinade; tapa marinade; sweet chili sauce; sweet and sour sauce; sarsa ng lechon atbp. (regular and hot variants); oyster sauce (regular, vegetarian, garlic oyster, mushroom oyster, and less-sodium variants); barbecue marinade; fiesta barbecue marinade (sweet and spicy variant); java sauce; sukang tuba, or coco floral sap vinegar; premium vinegar (coconut nectar vinegar); and premium soy sauce.
Reyes said all the Mama Sita mixes have the approval of the whole Reyes clan, which is known for being gourmets. The finished product you make with use of any of the Mama Sita mixes and sauces will be the same dish served in the Reyes home.
"Sometimes, even if our R&D has already perfected a mix or sauce, if it doesn’t pass the clan’s approval, we send it back and ask them to do it again," he adds.
The Mama Sita mixes and sauces brand was first exported to the United States. Its market gradually grew as the line expanded. It now exports to Europe and the Middle East, with its products consumed not just within the Filipino community but also by foreigners. Mama Sita consumer services manager Heidi Ingles Ozaeta says the sinigang mix has a following in the Middle East. With all sauces certified halal, most products are readily available in Qatar, Oman, Iraq, and Kuwait.
The latest sauces in the Mama Sita line are its oyster sauces, which come in regular, vegetarian, garlic oyster, mushroom oyster, and less-sodium variants. Reyes said many Filipinos abroad look for an oyster sauce that has a more Filipino taste, reason for the new products.
Ozaeta says many of their mixes are actually flexible. They can be used in a number of ways other than the stated dish. The kaldereta mix is actually a flexible mix and can be used for any spicy dish. The mix can be added to sour cream for a piquant dip for nachos. It could be added to coconut milk for ginataang hipon or added to tomato sauce for a spicy pasta sauce. The palabok mix isn’t just for pancit. It can also be used to make seafood chowder, and used to season calamari or ukoy for a savory pica-pica.
The Mama Sita line of mixes and sauces are not just suitable for homes. During the recent American Geophysical Chapman Conference, organized by the UP Volcanology Society headed by Mahar Lagmay. held at the Taal Vista Lodge, the dinner buffet during the meeting’s opening was cooked using Mama Sita products. Local and foreign participants feasted on sinigang and chicken barbecue that bear the Mama Sita seal of approval.
From the Taal Vista Lodge, the Mama Sita tour visited the home of Marina San Pascual, mother of artist Popo San Pascual, in Tagaytay City for a sumptuous lunch of paella with crabs, deep-fried catfish and salad with mango-salsa dressing. As the media hunkered down on the seafood treat, the day was just off to another feast. Surely, Mama Sita would have approved.
Mama Sita mixes and sauces are available at supermarkets and groceries nationwide. For inquiries on their products and recipes, visit its website at http://www.msita.com or send an e-mail to info@msita.com.
As members of media rode on a motorized banca across Taal Lake for a trek up Taal Volcano, the Mama Sita cooking crew was busy getting merienda and lunch ready. The lunch menu included ensaladang Pilipino, sinigang na maliputo, sugpo sa gata with sitaw and kalabasa, lechon manok, inihaw na tawilis, tilapia and liempo, sinaing na kanin sa pandan, leche flan, fresh fruits, and buko juice. The afternoon’s merienda included pansit palabok, ukoy, puto, and nilagang mani.
There was nothing fancy about the food. All were popular dishes served in homes daily or during Sunday gatherings. However, the secrets to many of the dishes are in the mixes and sauces, all from Mama Sita line.
To cut down on preparation time for the sugpo sa gata, the kare-kare mix was used as flavor base of the dish. With just some coconut milk, the clay pot was bubbling in no time with the delicious smell of lunch. The lechon manok was made special with a serving of lechon sauce, while the inihaw na liempo became tastier with a side of java sauce.
No, they were not cooking all this in a kitchen, but in one of the many picnic huts at the Taal Lake Yacht Club in Talisay, Batangas. Armed with just portable gas ranges and an assortment of vats, pans and ladles, lunch was ready in an instant. It is this idea of portability that has made Mama Sita’s line of mixes and sauces such a hit here and abroad.
The whole Mama Sita brand of mixes and sauces was a simple backyard project of Teresita "Mama Sita" Reyes, daughter of Engracia "Aling Asiang" Reyes, founder of the Aristocrat Restaurant. Mama Sita was appalled to see so many Filipinos living and working in the United States and their children dining on nothing but burgers and hotdogs. She found herself cooking meals in the States for her relatives, who missed Filipino cooking.
Some of them asked her to create a sinigang mix that would taste of tamarind, and not the pale version they would concoct using lemons. She perfected one that became a hit among her relatives and friends. Every time she went to the States, her luggage would be filled with those little bottles of sinigang mix to give to everyone she met.
Mama Sita corporate services officer Ramon R. Reyes says this sinigang mix is different from most sinigang powders available on the market because it is in paste form and is packed in bottles. This gives it a more natural sinigang flavor. With gabi mash added to the mix as a thickener, it has a more fruity and potent flavor that harks back to the traditional sinigang made with freshly-squeezed tamarinds. All you need is a tablespoon or two of this mix, and, presto, biglang sinigang.
This sinigang mix was perfected by Bartolome "Bart" Lapus, Mama Sita’s son-in-law who is a scientist, and her daughter Clara and eventually became the firm’s first best seller. The Lapuses incorporated the Mama Sita brand in 1980 under the name Marigold Communities Corporation. And yes, it is Mama Sita’s photo that has graced every little packet and label under its line of mixes and sauces.
Reyes said the Mama Sita products are not only marketed to Filipinos abroad, but also to many homemakers in the Philippines. "Often, you find yourself stuck in the kitchen taking much time creating the sauces and mixes to many popular Filipino dishes. What Mama Sita has done was to simplify the process and give homemakers a ready ingredient that would cut down their work in the kitchen. This gives them more free time for themselves," he says.
To date, the Mama Sita mixes and sauces brand offers: "Biglang Sinigang" or tamarind seasoning paste (regular and hot variants); Pure Labuyo red hot pepper sauce; annatto powder (achuete); ginisang munggo, or instant mung bean soup; escabeche, or sweet and sour sauce mix; tocino marinating mix; pang kare-kare stew base mix; kare-kare peanut sauce mix; sinigang sa bayabas, or guava soup base mix; sinigang sa sampalok, or tamarind seasoning mix; chopsuey/pancit canton stir-fry mix; palabok, or oriental gravy mix; lumpiang shanghai, or fried spring roll seasoning mix; breading mix; adobo savory sauce mix; barbecue marinade mix; caldereta spicy stew mix; menudo/afritada meat stew mix; adobo marinade; tapa marinade; sweet chili sauce; sweet and sour sauce; sarsa ng lechon atbp. (regular and hot variants); oyster sauce (regular, vegetarian, garlic oyster, mushroom oyster, and less-sodium variants); barbecue marinade; fiesta barbecue marinade (sweet and spicy variant); java sauce; sukang tuba, or coco floral sap vinegar; premium vinegar (coconut nectar vinegar); and premium soy sauce.
Reyes said all the Mama Sita mixes have the approval of the whole Reyes clan, which is known for being gourmets. The finished product you make with use of any of the Mama Sita mixes and sauces will be the same dish served in the Reyes home.
"Sometimes, even if our R&D has already perfected a mix or sauce, if it doesn’t pass the clan’s approval, we send it back and ask them to do it again," he adds.
The Mama Sita mixes and sauces brand was first exported to the United States. Its market gradually grew as the line expanded. It now exports to Europe and the Middle East, with its products consumed not just within the Filipino community but also by foreigners. Mama Sita consumer services manager Heidi Ingles Ozaeta says the sinigang mix has a following in the Middle East. With all sauces certified halal, most products are readily available in Qatar, Oman, Iraq, and Kuwait.
The latest sauces in the Mama Sita line are its oyster sauces, which come in regular, vegetarian, garlic oyster, mushroom oyster, and less-sodium variants. Reyes said many Filipinos abroad look for an oyster sauce that has a more Filipino taste, reason for the new products.
Ozaeta says many of their mixes are actually flexible. They can be used in a number of ways other than the stated dish. The kaldereta mix is actually a flexible mix and can be used for any spicy dish. The mix can be added to sour cream for a piquant dip for nachos. It could be added to coconut milk for ginataang hipon or added to tomato sauce for a spicy pasta sauce. The palabok mix isn’t just for pancit. It can also be used to make seafood chowder, and used to season calamari or ukoy for a savory pica-pica.
The Mama Sita line of mixes and sauces are not just suitable for homes. During the recent American Geophysical Chapman Conference, organized by the UP Volcanology Society headed by Mahar Lagmay. held at the Taal Vista Lodge, the dinner buffet during the meeting’s opening was cooked using Mama Sita products. Local and foreign participants feasted on sinigang and chicken barbecue that bear the Mama Sita seal of approval.
From the Taal Vista Lodge, the Mama Sita tour visited the home of Marina San Pascual, mother of artist Popo San Pascual, in Tagaytay City for a sumptuous lunch of paella with crabs, deep-fried catfish and salad with mango-salsa dressing. As the media hunkered down on the seafood treat, the day was just off to another feast. Surely, Mama Sita would have approved.
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