A Search Extended

With the hearty endorsement of Ruth L. Guingona, wife of VP-DFA Secretary Teofisto Guingona, Jr. and chairperson of the DFA Ladies Foundation, the search for a "Cooking Family" has been extended to Feb. 14, 2002, owing to public clamor. Awards night for the first "Mama Sita Search for Culinary Excellence" will be on May 11, 2002, which date coincides with the 85th birth anniversary of Teresita Reyes, originator of Mama Sita’s sauces and mixes.

To qualify for the uniquely nationalistic contest, the whole family must be involved in the food preparation which serves as the source of its livelihood. The family enterprise should be in Metro Manila, must have a minimum capitalization of P200,000, and must have been in active operation for at least a year. Also it should have the required health permits and certificates.

It is precisely to give participants ample time to obtain a valid 2002 health permit that the contest deadline is being extended. The winner will get P30,000 and/or a scholarship.

The health permit assumes that the premises of the aspiring family are always clean and sanitary. In this regard, the nominated family must be concerned with its customers’ health, and must practise ecological waste management in the kitchen. Finally, the food, which must be cooked with native and natural ingredients, must be presented in an innovative, affordable and appetizing manner.

To encourage contestants to use native ingredients, Mrs. Guingona graciously demonstrates here how to transform inexpensive camote tops into an exotic salad dish by using quality native ingredients; e.g., sukang tuba and labuyo sauce.

Exotic Camote Tops Salad

Ingredients:

1 bundle (150 g) camote tops or paco (fern tops)/ 1 pc (50 g) white onion, sliced thinly/ 3 pcs. (140 g) tomatoes, sliced/ 1/2 cup (100 g) nata de coco, drained (optional)/1 heaping tbsp ginisang bagoong/1/4 kg fresh shrimps, steamed (or spicy dilis)/ 1/4 cup Mama Sita’s coco floral sap vinegar (sukang tuba)/ dash Mama Sita’s Labuyo Sauce

Procedure:

Blanch camote tops in boiling water with 1 tbsp. coconut oil. Drain. Steam fresh shrimps. Serve whole to retain juiciness or peel, depending on your guests’ preference. Mix vinegar, bagoong, and labuyo sauce for dressing. Arrange on a salad platter the camote tops, sliced onion, sliced tomatoes, nata de coco and shrimps. Serve with dressing and rice to complete a meal for the budget-and-diet-conscious.

Note: Whenever available in abundance, add nata de coco. Instead of camote tops, paco or fern tops can be used; instead of steamed shrimps, spicy dilis may be substituted.

Nominations may be sent to Mama Sita Foundation, Inc., 131 F. Manalo St., San Juan, MM. Fax 726-0369. Although the search is confined to Metro Manila, the Foundation hopes to expand it to the provinces, and introduce it abroad to give recognition to deserving, nationalistic Filipinos in other parts of the world.