Food for thought and ladies of choice
March 16, 2006 | 12:00am
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Isabel Allende recounts her experience as the sole woman training as a writer with a group of Congolese men. With persistence and fortitude, Allende decided to finish the course, and eventually became the celebrated and world-renowned Chilean novelist that she is today.
Allendes success story is the universal story of women throughout the world. Once considered second-class citizens in many cultures, women have fought for recognition, respect, and the right to be appreciated as the unique individuals that they are. Fortunately for us, sexual discrimination and female repression are not as widespread in the Philippines as in several other countries. Thus, we have much cause to celebrate our womanhood.
To herald National Womens Month, Unilever, the company that manufactures the Ladys Choice brand of products, introduced us to several Filipino women who exemplify strength, intelligence, versatility, determination, and creative flair. Confident and willing to work hard to achieve their goals, these exceptional women represent the different attributes of true ladies of choice. They embody the outstanding qualities and virtues of contemporary Filipino womanhood that we celebrate on National Womens Month.
Although she is empowered to be whoever she wants to be, the modern Filipino woman does not forgo what is most important to her: family and home.
Barni shares, "In my recent travel to Bangkok, I took up a Thai cooking course. When I got home, I couldnt wait to make my family sample my newly-learned cuisine. I made a spread that consisted of papaya salad, tom yum soup, green chicken curry, and phad thai. My sister Rachel simply loved them! It truly is my joy to feed the people close to my heart."
Barni Alejandros Crudites With Ladys Choice Mayonnaise And Blue Cheese Dip
1 carrot
1 cucumber
1 turnip
2 green bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
5 stalks celery
For the dip:
6 ounces Ladys Choice Mayonnaise
2 ounces blue cheese
Tabasco
salt and pepper to taste
Cut the vegetable into even slices or sticks.
For the dip:
Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Add Tabasco, salt, and pepper to taste.
Says Dr. Belo about a memorable meal, "The most creative dinner I ever gave was for my boyfriend. My menu consisted of French onion soup, duck a la orange, arugula salad with raspberry dressing, and pan-fried goose liver and fresh oysters flown in fresh from my home town in Capiz. I think a memorable dinner should involve the stimulation of all five senses. Scented candles all around a special table set for two; only the finest china and crystal; Celine Dion singing only French songs. The dessert my forte was Grand Marnier chocolate mousse cake and the piece de resistance was an espresso coffee with two tickets to Paris, first class, on Singapore Airlines."
bangus belly
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 eggs
For the dip:
6 ounces Ladys Choice mayonnaise
3 tablespoons calamansi juice
2 teaspoons Kikkoman soy sauce
1 teaspoon dayap peel, strips
salt and pepper to taste
For the bangus belly:
Dip strips of bangus belly in egg before dredging in a mixture of all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Deep-fry in vegetable or corn oil and drain well.
For the dip:
Combine all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
"For my 10th anniversary with Dennis, I had an African safari theme complete with zebra skin, shrunken heads and boars teeth," says Tessa about her most creative meal. "For the menu, I prepared various kinds of dips with Ladys Choice Mayonnaise to go with the ostrich meat. I mixed boiled ostrich eggs into the mayo and seasoned it with salt, pepper, chopped onions, garlic, and leeks. That was the piece de resistance!"
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1-inch ginger
4 potatoes
8 carrots
3 tablespoons spring onion
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1/4 tablespoon nutmeg
1/4 tablespoon cloves
spring roll wrapper
For the dip:
6 ounces Ladys Choice mayonnaise
6 ounces low-fat yogurt
1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1-1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
For the samosa:
Cut the vegetables into small cubes. Mix in the spices and wrap the mixture in the spring roll wrapper to form approximately two-inch triangles. Deep fry these in vegetable oil and drain well.
For the dip:
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Doyees creative talent and vision are apparent as she describes an inspired meal: "I am fortunate to belong to a family with adventurous tastes. For one of the First Quadrants food fairs, I came up with one-of-a-kind recipes using our vitamin drink (First Vita Plus dalandan) and experimented with a chicken dalandan, fish fillet with a cream Vita dip in Ladys Choice Mayonnaise, and an easy orange chicken salad, again with Ladys Choice Mayonnaise. Its amazing what can be achieved through the versatile use of ingredients!"
1 egg yolk, beaten
vegetable oil for frying, either canola or corn oil
For the filling:
12 crabsticks
24 sprigs of wansoy (cilantro)
For the dip:
6 ounces Ladys Choice Mayonnaise
6 tablespoons wasabi paste
6 tablespoons chopped wansoy
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Wrap each crabstick and two sprigs of wansoy in the lumpia wrapper. Seal with the egg yolk. Heat oil in a pan and fry. Cut into halves. Serve with the wansoy-wasabi dip.
For the dip:
Mix all ingredients together.
"Creativity goes beyond the dinner table," says Rissa. "My grandest parties as PMAP (Professional Models Association of the Philippines) president were our themed Christmas parties. We once had a cross-dressing party where guys came as girls and girls came as guys. It was hilarious how some guys went all the way to shaving their legs! We also had a childrens party complete with balloons, games, party hats and pigtails. Then there was the red light district party where the skimpier the outfit, the better! Last Christmas, it was a red carpet party with a photo-op wall and red carpet host/commentator to boot!"
6 ounces ground chicken breast
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 teaspoon minced shallots
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
Tabasco
salt and pepper to taste
For the dip:
6 ounces Ladys Choice mayonnaise
2 ounces tomato ketchup
1 chopped tomato, seeds removed
1 shallot, chopped
1 teaspoon horseradish
For the chicken meatballs:
Combine all ingredients and form into one-inch meatballs. It is best to use a spoon when measuring the mixture for even-sized balls and round them in the palm of your hands. Cook the chicken meatballs in a pan with oil for 10-15 minutes until dark brown. Serve with the mayo-tomato relish.
For the dip:
Mix all ingredients together.
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