Yummy umami

MANILA, Philippines - The Ajinomoto Umami Culinary Challenge (UCC) continues its drive to promote delicious and nutritious food by exposing HRM and Nutrition students to umami information and the practice of culinary nutrition.
Ajinomoto Philippines Corp. president Taro Fujie explains: “Ajinomoto believes that delicious food and better nutrition lead to enjoyable meals and happy life. This is further expressed in our company’s food brand slogan – Ajinomoto ‘Eat Well, Live Well’.”
The University of Santo Tomas (UST) won the Umami Bowl Award and the Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao Showdown for My Own Umami Creation.
Sharing the spotlight with UST is Hercor College from Roxas City, who won the Best Filipino Umami Dish Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao Showdown.
Apart from the Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao Cooking showdown, UCC 2015 featured three competition categories: Best Filipino Umami Dish won by St. Dominic College of Asia; My Own Umami Creation won by University of Sto. Tomas and My Eat Well, Live Well Plate won by Wesleyan University.
The event attracted thousands of HRM and Nutrition students from 54 schools in the National Capital Region (NCR), Ilocos, Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Bicol and regional winners from the Visayas and Mindanao.
Criteria for judging the entries include intensity of the dish’s umami taste, culinary technique and creativity, dish preparation and plate presentation. Another major criterion is Eat Well, Live Well cooking, which refers to the team’s integration of culinary skills and nutrition knowledge to create a delicious and nourishing umami dish.
Competing teams in the Ajinomoto UCC benefit from being mentored by the panel of judges composed of renowned chefs, culinarians and registered nutritionist-dietitians who apprise the students about the industry’s standards, trends and good practices.
Umami, the scientifically recognized and proven fifth basic taste alongside sweet, sour, bitter and salty, was first identified and isolated by Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University in 1908.

Mixed mushroom chicken roulade
Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao My Own Umami Creation Showdown
Entry by University of Santo Tomas (Luzon)

½ cup    onions, chopped
1 kilo     deboned whole breast chicken and chicken bones
1 pinch  Ajinomoto umami seasoning
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
¼ cup  oil
2 tbsp  ginger, slivered
2 tbsp  garlic, chopped
2 tbsp  ripe tomato, chopped
2 tbsp  carrot, chopped
2 tbsp  celery, chopped
¼ cup  green tea
¼ cup  mushroom
10 g     kombu
1. Make roulade by filleting chicken breast. Season with Ajinomoto Umami Seasoning, salt and pepper. Stuff with minced mixed mushrooms.
2. Make consommé by creating stock from celery, carrots, onions, kombu, ginger and green tea.
3. Sauté vegetables in oil and season with Ajinomoto umami seasoning, salt and pepper.

Marinara in savory tomato
Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao Best Filipino Umami Dish Showdown
Entry by Hercor College (Visayas)
1 kilo    maya-maya
1 pinch   Ajinomoto umami seasoning
1 pinch   salt
1 pinch   pepper
1 kilo      squid
1 cup      tomato, sofrito
1 bunch  kangkong
1 bunch  pechay
1 bunch  malunggay
½ cup  onion, minced
½ cup  garlic, minced and crisped
½ cup  ginger, minced
1 cup  kamote, boiled
1 cup  sigarillas, sliced
½ cup  chili, sliced
1. Mise-en-place all the ingredients
2. Prepare stock
3. Marinate maya-maya in Ajinomoto umami seasoning, salt and pepper.
4. Meanwhile, do the sofrito, parboil the cleaned and seedless tomato, then blend. Sauté in onion, garlic, seasoned with Ajinomoto umami seasoning, salt and pepper.
5. Sauté squid seasoned with salt and pepper, add sofrito, adjust taste, then simmer.
6. Pan sear maya-maya then set aside.
7. Boil kamote, grate and dash with minced malunggay, put sautéed kangkong in the center. Deep fry.
8. Blanch sigarillas and pechay seasoned with salt and pepper.
9. Assemble then plate.

Kinunot on crispy bato
Best Filipino Umami Dish – Luzon
Entry by St. Dominic College of Asia

2 pcs.    tanigue, sliced/poach
2 cups    coconut milk, fresh
30 g      malunggay leaves
20 g      onion, red, medium, chopped finely
6 g          garlic cloves, crushed
20 g        ginger, minced
9 g          Ajinomoto umami seasoning
7g           Aji-Ginisa Flavor seasoning mix
2 tbsp.    vinegar
1 pinch   salt, pepper to taste
1 bunch  pechay tagalog
100 g    pancit bato
1 pc     red bell pepper, medium, julienned
500 ml    oil for frying
3 pcs.     siling haba, sliced
4 pcs.     siling labuyo, sliced
3 stalks  Spring onions for garnish

1. Boil water with ginger. Season the tanigue slice with AJI-GINISA™ Flavor seasoning mix and Ajinomoto umami seasoning, then set aside.
2. Poach fish in boiling water until the fish is cooked and has springy texture. Drain the water and let it cool. Peel skin off and flake the fish (that’s why it’s called “kinunot” from the word “kinurot”).
3. Combine tanigue flakes, vinegar, garlic, Aji-Ginisa flavor seasoning mix and Ajinomoto umami seasoning in a bowl. Marinade it for 5 minutes then drain it off.
4. In a medium heat, combine coconut cream, garlic, onion, Aji-Ginisa and Ajinomoto. Stir continuously. After about 5 minutes, add the tanigue flakes and malunggay. Simmer until coconut milk is almost dry. Set aside.
5. Blanch pechay leaves then divide the mixture into two portions, then roll it on the leaves, set aside.
6. Prepare the coconut mixture for the sauce. In one pot, combine kakang gata, onion, garlic, siling haba, siling labuyo, bell pepper and season it with Aji-Ginisa and Ajinomoto then let it simmer until coconut cream is thick and almost dry.
7. Cook pancit bato in boiling water then drain it. Set aside. Preheat oil for frying pancit bato.
Ready for plating. Plate the crispy bato at the center then put ample amount of coconut creamy sauce. Put slice of kinunot roll and pour a little bit of sauce on top. Garnish with spring onions and serve!

Duo of chicken
My Own Umami Creation - Luzon
Entry by University of Santo Tomas

For spice-crusted chicken lollipop
150 g    chicken wings, deboned
½ tsp.   cayenne pepper
½ tsp.   paprika
25 g     Crispy Fry seasoned crumbs
½ tsp.   thyme
¼ tsp.   pepper
½ cup    oil
1 pc     egg
¼ cup    flour
2 g      Ajinomoto umami seasoning

1.         Mix all spices and thyme with Crispy Fry seasoned crumbs and set aside.
2.         Season chicken with Ajinomoto umami seasoning, spice and salt.
3.         Coat chicken with bread crumb mixture and deep fry.

For mushroom parmesan chicken roulade
250 g     chicken breast, fillet
25 g      Crispy Fry seasoned crumbs
1 tbsp.   parmesan cheese, grated
3 g       salt
3 g       pepper
1 tsp     fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp     fresh parsley, chopped
25 g      dried shiitake, cut, hydrated

1.         To make bread crumb mixture, add chopped herbs, grated parmesan and Crispy Fry seasoned crumbs.
2.         Season chicken with bread crumb mixture and pepper.
3.         Fill-in cheese and mushroom and roll to make a roulade.
4.         Wrap in cling film until secured. Poach in boiling water then pan-sear until cooked.

For sweet potato mash
180 g     sweet potato
1 ½ cup chicken stock
1 tsp      Ajinomoto chicken powder
½ tbsp.  shallots
3 g         salt
5 g         pepper
½ tbsp.  garlic
1 tbsp.   parmesan cheese

1.         Sauté garlic and shallots in olive oil. Add sweet potato cubes.
2.         Add chicken stock and cook until tender.
3.         Season to taste.
4.         Blend mixture into fine purees while adding parmesan cheese and set aside.

For Adobo Apple Sauce
cup    soy sauce
cup    vinegar
3 g         bay leaf
3 g         peppercorn, crushed
1½ cup  chicken stock
1 tbsp.   onion, chopped
1 tbsp.   garlic, minced
130 g     green apple, cube
1 tbsp.   sugar
1 tbsp.   oil
1 pinch  Ajinomoto umami seasoning

1.         Boil together soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaf, peppercorn and sugar to make adobo sauce. Set aside.
2.         Sauté onion and garlic in oil.
3.         Add green apple cubes and chicken stock. Cook until apple is soft.
4.         Season and combine with adobo sauce.

For buttered asparagus and carrots
15 g      green asparagus, sliced
60 g      baby carrots, whole
20 g      butter
5 g        Aji-Ginisa flavor seasoning mix
1 tbsp   oil
1 tbsp.   olive oil

1. Blanch vegetables in salted water. Drain and sauté in butter.
2. Season with Aji-Ginisa flavor seasoning mix.

For dried cranberry compote
1½ cup  chicken stock
¼ cup    orange
.5 g        cloves, whole
.5 g        cinnamon bark
2 g         Ajinomoto umami seasoning
¼ cup    cranberry puree
1.         Cook together cranberry puree and chicken stock until thick.
2.         Add orange juice and julienned orange peel, cloves, cinnamon bark, and Ajinomoto umami seasoning.
3.         Remove from heat and set aside.