Legendary comfort food

To our mind, the original comfort foods are mami and siopao. Our generation grew up with them as snacks, meals, or get-together fare.

Then hamburger and pasta chains came about and somehow they faded from memory. Still, a considerable number of snackers, diners, and students maintain their cravings for the legendary combination.

While the master of all mami and siopao, Ma Mon Luk, carved his fame (and fortune) in the restaurant carrying his name in the 1950s, another Ma, a cousin, was quietly running a similar business in Binondo in the 1960s, calling his diner Masuki, which means “big horse,” perhaps with a dream of being big and and strong some day.

Today, there are Masukis in three locations – Ortigas in Greenhills, the main in Binondo, and now in SM, each established by a great grand niece, Willen, who took up the tradition of satiating the cravings for the original mami and siopao.

At the basement of SM Megamall Building B in Mandaluyong, we had the opportunity to renew our love affair with this comfort food. It must have caught fire, because as lunch time drew near, the place became full. And why not? The offerings are authentic, substantial and reasonably priced.

The original mami is just as we remember – homemade noodles (kneaded even at this time with the traditional long wooden stick) with strips of tender pork – from P130 to P150.

This noodle dish with flavorful broth can be ordered with wanton beef or chicken. Siomai, from P80 an order, is made with chopped, not electric blended, pork and shrimps and the siopao is fully stuffed with minced asado pork and chicken, made more substantial with red egg and slabs of meat, pork and chicken All these with Masuki’s special sauce.

They also have a selection of dimsums, brisket, steamed tausi spareribs and many more. The servings cost from P50 to P170, meaning one can have a meal for less than P200, quite a good deal.

A lot of us have turned to microwave cooking and heating food due to busy and stressful work schedules. There is a new line of cookware, StarMaid Microwave Solutions, now available in SM department stores. It is manufactured in Victoria, Australia.

The Vogue line is a lovely set made of premium microwave safe materials that can withstand high temperature. Looking neat and attractive, they can go from oven to table. They come in elegant egg shell white.   

The Vogue collection includes a wide range that can meet every cooking need, from egg poachers at P49.75, casseroles in two sizes at P119.75 and P139.76, steamers for vegetables and fish at P229.75, rice cookers for P149.75. They come in various sizes. The steamers have pivot vents that allow steam release.

The manufacturers offer this line for fast, convenient and efficient cooking that saves a lot of time as it retains essential vitamins and minerals.

 Direct your inquiries to the distributors – Prestige Plastics Inc. at Sekai Center corner Madison Street, Ortigas, San Juan. Call tel. no. 774-0698. Or visit any SM outlet.

For those inquiring about how to order Len’s Kitchen’s super yummy leche flan and other baked products, the cell number is 0917-581-3900.

There are meatless days ahead of us. Here’s a very simple recipe for sarsiadong tilapia. Season the fish slightly with salt and pepper. Fry crisp, set aside. Sauté in oil (if available use pork lard) garlic, onions and tomatoes. Season with patis. Cover for a while. Add sugar to taste, immerse fish and serve immediately.

Have a good Sunday with family!

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