Beat the Summer Heat with Mr. Hat Gulaman!

Things have been on record high temperatures and the Philippines is experiencing El Nino right front and center. Our dreams of just spending summer in the beach may have to take the back seat, or just proceed with caution... perhaps do something else and make it sweet and refreshing!

Your summer should still be colorful, whether it be in a glass full of your favorite Halo-Halo, or a bright Sago't Gulaman, you can only think of one thing in the grocer, and that's Mr. Hat Gulaman!

I've been using this for years now and even got my sibling in Europe some of it so he could remember home. It's a sweet reminder of time with family, with friends, and is a versatile ingredient in various desserts that we often do as sweet tooth's. It comes in different flavors like lychee, orange, strawberry, and I've done so many recipes with this over the years.

It's Local!

For those who don't know, Mr. Hat Gulaman is actually a local product. This is made by Seanluc Inc. known for making quality food and beverages for the Philippine market. It's also au naturelle, as it's from seaweed extract combined with sugar, flavorings and different colors. They also have unflavored Mr. Hat Gulaman so if you plan to make other desserts that require that, there's always options! This comes in 7 flavored and 6 unflavored versions, so if one doesn't fit your recipe, go with a different one. Imagine the things you can do with a pack of Mr. Hat Gulaman!

You can do Mango Tapioca, or Buko Pandan, or do Coffee Jelly on a hot day. If it's a recipe that has been passed on through generations or a new one (because you're a genius!).

Here's a recipe that's been tested great, one that you could try!

Coconut Gulaman Coolers by Mr. Hat Gulaman

The ingredients are a pack of Mr. Hat Gulaman (get the Buko Pandan Flavor). 2 cups of water, a quarter cup sugar, 250ml of Coconut Water, a quarter cup Condensed Milk, a quarter cup of All Purpose Cream and crushed ice.

Dissolve the gulaman pack and sugar in the 2 cups of water you prepared. Turn the stove on low and simmer, then put it on a tray to cool and set. Cut it up to small squares to make it pretty. On a separate bowl, mix the All Purpose Cream, Condensed Milk and Coconut Water. Put the Mr. Hat Gulaman, then crushed ice on a tall wide glass, put in a few of the milk mixture. Use a pandan leaf on the side and serve to your guests, they'll surely love it!

If you want a softer gulaman, just add a bit more water. If you prefer a firmer one, adjust the gulaman powder you put in on boiling water. Mix it thoroughly so you don't get lumps. You can follow @mrhatgulaman on social channels to have more experts help you with your recipes. They also post a lot of content there to beat the summer heat. I've been a solid user of Mr. Hat Gulaman, and have seen my family, my friends enjoy it!

Now it's your turn!

Some Good Duru Bulgur from The Goodwill Market

Going to the market is a little arduous these days but I had to do it during the most difficult times in our lives, the pandemic. One of the few discoveries I've had during that time was a welcome treat, it's called Bulgur. It is cracked wheat grain that's known to be more nutritious than white rice. It's got twice more fiber content which makes it also better for diabetics (like me) who want to control our blood sugar levels.

I've had the chance to eat this quite a lot in hotels but it wasn't that conveniently available in Philippine markets. I also don't know how to cook it other than just mixing veggies and protein (and a bouillon cube on some occasion). It's very filling and satisfying, plus it tastes great. I was wondering what other recipes could be cooked with it, but here goes the good people from The Goodwill Market showing me how it's done. 

In Ilocos, there's a very little known noodle dish called Pansit Lusay. I'm quite familiar with it as I've spend quite a while in the region. The Goodwill Market is sharing this recipe with Bulgur to show how easy it is to make dishes out of it.

 Here are the ingredients:

1 cup of Duru Bulgur (Coarse Bulgur)
½ cup of tomatoes chopeed and seeds taken out
½ cup of onions thinly sliced
1 can Tuna
2-4 tbsp Bagoong Ilocano
Pinch of Black pepper
Salt to taste

Put Duru Bulgur in a rice cooker and wash it first. Cook til it gets fluffy or according to package instructions. Take it out of cooker and scrape with fork onto a tray then put in the fridge to chill. In another container, put tomatoes and onions together, drain the tuna from the can and mix together. Combine it with the Bulgur and treat this like a cold salad. Pour Bagoong Ilocano, salt and pepper to taste. 

This is certainly full of vitamins, minerals, Omega 3, and is an excellent alternative to rice, noodles or pasta. Think about the things you could do with this in soups, salads, Filipino or international dishes that would usually include rice or noodles, using Duru Bulgur was really an eye opener for me and it's been something that I add to any dish if I want to make it a little more healthy. Plus even if you put a little, it's already filling. Plus it can be sent to your home via The Goodwill Market. You can visit their website at https://goodwill.market/. They also have different healthy organic products you should try if you're into healthy stuff. They also have cleaning products, some for the skin, even coffee for those who are choosy. You don't have to travel to other countries to get it, it's all at The Goodwill Market.

 Don't take my word for it, you got to try if it fits your taste!

 

Fried Dishes Made Nutritious with Quaker Rolled Oats

The most difficult things to do during the pandemic is to stay away from eating too much, and how to get your previous active lifestyle to still happen. Truth be told, the fear of going out has gotten us all confined within our homes, and since it's still okay to eat.. we transformed a little pudgy over the years in lockdown. When restrictions eased a little and we started to have access to gyms, we got to run again on treadmills and lift weights... but going back into shape was a harder because our metabolism got a little slower. I think it's just not enough, so we got to think smart!

Now I know I'm not alone with my obsession with Fried Chicken. In fact, I know your kids like it. So I'm going to give you my personal recipe for Southern Fried Chicken. I use a half kilo of chicken pieces (or half a chicken would do). I usually put them in brine the day before and in the fridge, but it's okay if you're not keen doing that because having it lightly salted and dusted with pepper would be okay. I dredge them in flour, then egg, then instead of the usual panko bread crumbs, you can use a cup of Quaker Rolled Oats (you can leave it chunky but I prefer to blitz it for a few seconds). It's going to have the same crunchy texture you love in fried chicken. I usually pan fry them til it gets brown on both sides. Preferably, make sure it's got enough oil to cook it on low fire so the coating doesn't burn before the actual meat cooks. You can opt for pork (for some breaded pork chop action) but chicken is always a good treat for kids).

Putting Quaker Rolled Oats on the mix means you are getting 7x more fiber per serving and about 1.7x more protein than usual fried chicken. Aside from that, you get energy, beta glucan to help you lower your cholesterol. This is healthy and if you put oats in your diet regularly, you'll have more fiber to aid in digestion. Having these in your usual fried favorites would be a smart thing to do, add to that your regular breakfast and snacks, even overnight oats (to eat the next day), wouldn't that do wonders for your health?

 

See, it's quite easy to change the way you prepare food. Remember, it's not enough to just work out these days to have your desired body. You've got to weigh in on how to be smart and put nutritious ingredients in what you consume at home. As my personal trainer told me, it's not just working out that is important. Abs actually are sculpted in the kitchen, makes sense no?

Well there you go, get yourselves some of the good stuff I'm mixing in things that I cook as Quaker Rolled Oats is available in leading grocery stores, supermarkets, and online on Shopee here https://shp.ee/tfczkfj