McCormick Noodle and Seasoning Mix: Real Flavors for Real Moments

The noodles has always been a Filipino favorite. Old Filipino movies often have a scene of someone carrying a paper bag or plastic of pansit as pasalubong, and then and now, we Filipinos associate the pansit as our comfort food, the instant kind a staple in most tables during breakfast, or something to serve during study sessions.

It is true, that people love expanding their horizons. Now, we don't just settle for something convenient, we want convenient, delicious... and yes, social media sites worthy. Innovations and fusion between cuisines are aplenty, but for some (like me), the taste of the classic noodle dish is still the best of all.


Taking all of these into consideration, McCormick, the brand synonymous to flavor is now offering a new innovation - the Noodle and Seasoning Mix. These new product, takes away the pressures of cooking, as it already had half of the things needed to create that "instant" noodles with the "authentic" flavor.

Each pack contains noodles and a separate pack for seasoning. All we have to do now is prepare the fresh ingredients as needed, follow the easy steps, and then eat. Or maybe take a picture of it first and share it on social media sites. :)

McCormick Noodle and Seasoning Mix offers five different variants -


Birthday Noodles
Chinese noodle dish usually served during birthdays to represent long life. Usually uses wheat noodles seasoned with savory soy based sauce, with leafy greens, meat, and quail noodles.


Chap Chae
Korean noodle dish using sweet potato noodles, stir fried with beef, mushrooms and leafy greens, and is usually flavored with sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar.


Laksa
Peranakan noodle soup dish (a combination of Malay and Chinese), that is popular in Malaysia and Singapore. It uses rice noodles, coconut cream, tofu, shrimps, and bean sprouts, and spiced up by sambal paste.


Palabok
Filipino noodle dish using vermicelli noodles, topped with an orange sauce made from shrimp broth, fish sauce and annatto seeds, garnished with boiled eggs, smoked fish, shrimps, and garlic.


Pad Thai
Thai noodle dish using rice noodles, stir fried in sauce made with tamarind pulp, palm sugar, and fish sauce, and garnished with greens, bean sprouts, shrimps, chicken, peanuts, and chilies.

It really is surprising how something instant could turn out to be a winning dish your family or friends would surely love. Of course, it is recommended you use fresh ingredients, which you can prepare while boiling the noodles, to maximize your time. Each pack serves 4 people, perfect to serve when you have unexpected guests coming over.

For innovative offerings and meal inspirations, visit http://www.mccormick.com.ph and follow McCormick Philippines on Facebook http://facebook.com/friendsandflavor.

Weekend Eating | Remembering Daddy

Nine years ago on March 5, we lost the head of the family. It was a very devastating loss as everything happened so fast, I personally wasn't able to react well to it and it took a few months before everything sunk in on me. Every year on this day, at least one member of the family travels to La Union to light a candle on his grave, but this year, none of us weren't able to travel (we vow to travel in November though).

Anyway, on daddy's 9th death anniversary, sister and I met up with mom at the mall to have early dinner at Conti's in Ayala Fairview Terraces. I guess my mind was floating that day, because I wasn't able to take any pictures of the restaurant considering it was my first time to dine there (but this was the third Conti's branch I visited).


Lasagna
At first glance, this seemed to be a little too pricey at nearly 300 pesos (I forgot if this was 270 or 280 pesos), but, it sure tasted awesome! It was meaty, it was very cheesy, and it was very flavorful. For its price, for sure this wouldn't be something I would eat every now and then, but during special occasions, I think I might go for it again.


Garlic Sotanghon.
My sister and my mom both loved it, but it was my first time to taste this dish. Again, another plain looking food - something that would make you question if they priced this right, but at first mouthful of the noodles, and I was shot straight to foodie heaven. Saying it was delicious would be an understatement, because it was more than delicious, but I don't know if there's a proper adjective for that. The noodles were cooked just right and it tasted like it was cooked forever in chicken broth because every chew screams chicken! Even if this didn't have vegetables, it was able to satisfy my tummy that I didn't feel the need to eat dinner at home anymore.


Mocha Tiramisu.
We do love their Mango Bravo, but I didn't want to pass the moment without trying their other pastries, and this one sure was a delight.


Mango Bravo.
Of course, a food trip at Conti's will never be complete without Mango Bravo. This particular slice had mangoes that are slightly tarty, and it just went well to the cream. If you have tasted this cake already, you do know why we love it...if you still haven't, I hope you can taste it the soonest possible time, especially now that summer has kicked in.

Between bites, us girls talked about the many "What ifs" - what if dad is still alive, would he be on Facebook... would he be traveling with us (or, would he allow us to travel)... would he be baking goodies with us... would he be lining up at the cinema every Mondays and Tuesdays for free movies? It was crazy answering the questions, but part of me was sad that daddy wasn't able to enjoy a better part of the century - the boom of social media that drove establishments to change rapidly.

Nine years. Seems so long ago, but a pinch of pain still lingers on.

Miscellaneous January Food Pics

This week was quite a blah for me, because I had to endure a whole lot of sneezing every day. Worst day was last Thursday, but since yesterday, the sneezing lessened, though I am now experiencing itchiness around my eyes and forehead. I really should be taking anti-histamine, but I don't really like taking meds.

Anyway, I haven't tried any new recipes and we haven't been to any food trips lately, so in an effort to update this blog, I decided to just share some food pictures I have on my phone. Now, most of these weren't plated or composed well; I took these pictures mainly to remember the day by, or to share to my sister who is usually not eating dinner with mom and I.


>>> On the second day of 2016, my sister and I went to Quiapo Church, then to SM Manila after, where had snacks at Starbucks so she could finally claim her 2016 Starbucks Planner. It was my first time to try their Corned Beef Pandesal, and though it tasted like any ordinary pandesal filled with corned beef, but I liked the idea of these three pandesal joined together.

>>> My sister and I bought chicken and requested mom to cook Arroz Caldo for dinner. However, when we got home, mom already cooked something for dinner, but the next day, she surprised us by cooking it for our breakfast. Thank you mommy.

Welcoming 2016

Christmas, it was just three girls celebrating the event. It was a good thing that we didn't prepare too much food, for it might get wasted. However, even if we didn't have a lot of food on the table, my sister and I had to face a lot of dishes to be washed, and since it is chilly during Christmastime, we found too tedious of a task to wash the dishes. For New Year, my sister suggested that we order cooked food instead. My mom and I agreed to this, and our first choice was to order food at Amber.


Choosing Amber had its risks, biggest of all was the location. The nearest branch to us is the one in Tomas Morato, and it was difficult to gauge the time - will there be heavy traffic, will there be public utility vehicles on the road, will the food last 'til midnight without getting stale. It was a risk we took, and we were grateful that Amber still accepts orders for delivery / pick-up even on New Year's eve. We opted to pick it up because aside from these food, we still had to buy round fruits, and we wanted to all in one go.

It was months ago when I last went to Tomas Morato, when I attended the grand opening of Book and Borders Cafe. That day, I got to see Amber's branch across the cafe, so I knew where to pick up our orders. Unfortunately, when we alight the jeepney, the branch was closed and we were told that a new branch opened four blocks away. We had no choice but to walk, but we were surprised that it was more than four blocks away. Hahaha. No worries, we did like the workout and we were greeted with warm, friendly faces, so all was fine.


We got home as early as we predicted, and since we had to refrigerate the food in time for midnight (it was only 2pm), we took pictures first, thinking that when we reheat the pansit and the lumpia, it won't look as good as this anymore.

What we served for Media Noche -


Pork BBQ.
At 22 pesos a piece, it sure looked small, but we love the thick cut meat pieces. The only negative thing we could say is that it felt as if it wasn't 100% smoked - like it was boiled first, or that it was grilled on gas grill. It lacked that charcoal smell and smoke flavor.


Lumpiang Shanghai.
The very first time I dined at Amber, my sister and I tried their single serving of Spaghetti and Pansit Bihon (or was it Canton, I forgot). Checking the menu, I also wanted to try their Lumpiang Shanghai, but we didn't order it because the noodles were already enough for us. When I phoned in our order, my sister didn't list this one (though I requested for it) because it was not listed on their Delivery Menu. Good thing, the person at the Amber's call center suggested this dish, and learning it was only 8 pesos each (minimum of 5 pieces per order), I placed an order for 10 pieces.

It was very crunchy (I had one as soon as we got home). The filling was a little difficult to explain - it sure felt as if it had more finely grated vegetable (couldn't tell if it was singkamas or water chestnuts or potato or unripe papaya), but it sure tasted really good! I think I already found my favorite Lumpiang Shanghai ever!


Pansit Malabon.
My sister loves Amber's Pansit Malabon... me, not so much. It was delicious, don't get me wrong, but I personally prefer the oily kind of Pansit Malabon. Regardless of how it was prepared, Pansit Malabon (or sometimes Pansit Palabok) is considered as one of my favorite foods, so I was very satisfied with this dish.


Pichi-Pichi.
Aside from Pansit Malabon, Amber is known for their Pichi-Pichi, which is also a family favorite. It was lightly sweetened, it was smooth, the cheese they used wasn't so salty, and it didn't have the "visible" lye flavor I hated in native delicacies like this one and in Kutsinta. We usually order their Cheese Pichi-Pichi, and wanted to try their Coconut Pichi-Pichi, but we feared it might get stale even before we eat it. Maybe next time we will go for that.


Leche Flan.
Now this was something my mom ordered from our next door neighbor. Last Christmas, this neighbor of ours delivered a tub of Leche Flan, saying another one of our neighbors ordered from her and asked to deliver it as their Christmas gift. We loved it - it was creamy and silky smooth, and it wasn't overly sweet, so mom ordered five tubs for New Year. Before I took the picture, mom already gave two tubs away, and another one was given to our relative.


Fried Tilapia.
They say Media Noche has to include one whole fish. We usually go for steamed fish, and we were too lazy to grill, so we just fried a big piece of tilapia. The seaweeds were given by Aunt Mary (straight from Bolinao, Pangasinan), and was the perfect partner for the fish. I love this kind of seaweeds - bigger, and has a kick of spice. Very flavorful.


With the food preparation out of our to-do list, we were able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and early night time just relaxing and catching up on TV shows missed. I guess this will now be our yearly tradition.

2015 is not really that great of a year for me as far as blogging is concerned, but I am optimistic, 2016 will be a better year. Thank you for reading my posts.

Nissin Souper Meal, #SouperSarap Talaga!

The humble instant noodles has been part of our lives for many, many years. For me, I consider it as one of the food that helped me go through schooling, especially during those times I had to burn the midnight oil - making projects or reviewing for an upcoming exam. There are a lot of negative connotation for the instant noodles, but the simple truth is that... it is easy to prepare (no need to cook anything), it's hot soup is comforting, and the carbohydrates is enough to fill the tummy for the next few hours.

Now that I am out of school, the instant noodles is still part of my life, and is my usual go-to food whenever I am home alone and lazy to cook. At home, we prepare a bowl for us to share whenever we cook fried dishes. Fried food and hot noodle soup sure make a good pair.


When it comes to instant noodles, one of the brands that would always come to mind is Nissin, and for a long time now, I consider their Seafood Cup Noodles my favorite. I love it because it offered a different taste (as it is often the Chicken or Beef that people go for).

Just this month, Nissin-Universal Robina Corporation (NURC) launched its latest offering - Nissin Souper Meal, through its Japanese-themed noodle festival, the Nissin Souper Food Trip at Robinson's Place Manila.

A part of the mall was transformed into a Japanese alley, complete with accents and stalls that offered different Nissin Souper Meal noodles, making it feel like guests were strolling along a Japanese street. We were given a passport, which we had to present to every stall for stamping before we were given a sample of each of the noodle flavors.


Nissin Souper Meal (Seafood)
Offers a deep-sea delight in a hefty serving. Like what I have said earlier, this has been my favorite flavor, and I was glad that even if Nissin noodles had a new look, the flavor didn't change at all. It still had it's distinct seafood flavor with the spicy kick of the ginger.


Nissin Souper Meal (Garlic Pork Tonkotsu)
Whenever we are at a Japanese restaurant, I don't really go for Ramen, but when I do, I usually go for pork-flavored ramen because of it's savory thick (and slightly creamy) broth, and I am so happy that Nissin offered this flavor. The way I described this was that of a fusion of Japanese Pork Ramen and the garlicky Batchoy. This is Nissin's first ever pork-based variant.


Nissin Souper Meal (Hot & Spicy)
I like spicy food, yes... but only as a side condiment, because I still prefer the not-spicy dish and just add a little of the spicy condiment every now and then to change the eating experience. When I reached the Hot & Spicy stall, I was apprehensive if I could appreciate it, and of the four flavors, this was the one that surprised me the most. It is spicy, but not too much that it burns the roof of your mouth, and certainly not the kind that would make you cry profusely. What I liked more was its refreshing feel in the mouth, maybe because the soup was like that of water (not creamy or thick). The hint of mushrooms in the soup also added a new flavor, making this my favorite of the three "new" flavors I tasted that day.


Nissin Souper Meal (Beef Brisket)
If one eats with the eyes first, I say we eat with our nose next. I loved how this soup smelled, and tasting it completed the whole experience.

At the end of the food tasting activity, we presented our stamped passports and we played a ball game. Unfortunately, I didn't win, but if you want to be part of this tasty event, there will be another Nissin Souper Food Trip happening next year - January 16 and 17 at the Trinoma Mall and January 30 and 31 at Glorietta Mall.

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At this time and age, we are no longer settling for "pwede na." Today's go-getters look for bold, delicious, and filling noodles, and the Nissin Souper Meal offer just that. With its now bigger size compared to the usual Cup Noodles, it is guaranteed to satisfy our hungry tummies. What's better is that Nissin Souper Meal is packed with a lot of toppings, so we are no longer eating "just noodles."

Then again, if you want to elevate your noodles, you may try any of these:


1) Serve it with toasted bread. Doesn't matter if you butter it or not... doesn't matter if you add garlic bits to it or not... just toast the bread and eat it with the noodles. Yeah, it's carbo-loading food, but bread and a bowl of hot, comforting noodles just taste good together.

2) Add more vegetables. Each bowl of Nissin Souper Meal has enough vegetables and meat bits, but if you want more, you can always add thinly sliced cabbage leaves and carrots. These two vegetables can be eaten raw, so just add the veggies into the bowl, add the hot water, wait.. then eat.

3) Add protein. A lot of people criticize instant noodles as just "carbohydrates and seasoning," so why not make it a complete meal by adding vegetables AND protein? For the Seafood Flavor you may add some baby shrimps, for the Hot & Spicy you may add flaked chicken, for the Garlic Pork Tonkotsu you may add store bought siomai or any pork products, and for the Beef Brisket you may add thinly sliced beef.


However, for if you're a student or a very busy working person and you had no left over meat or you don't have the time to prepare the meat, you may add egg instead. Just take out the noodles first, and in the empty paper bowl, add the dehydrated toppings and seasonings, then add boiling water. For this, I recommend you use boiling water and NOT just hot water, because you need to cook the egg. Once you add the boiling water, add the egg and stir the broth before adding back the noodles. Leave it covered for 3-5 minutes, and enjoy your meal.

Nissin Souper Meal is now available in all supermarkets and grocery stores for only 29 pesos per bowl. A satisfying meal that's easy on the budget...now that's the way I like it!