The launch of Juana Manahan-Yupangco’s new book, Juana’s Table, was the culmination of SM Supermalls' activity for this year's Nutrition Month, mounted by the SuperMoms Club. Juana recently secured her master’s degree in Food Security and Nutrition from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and gave an enlightening talk on these subjects to the SuperMoms who gathered at the Atrium of SM Megamall to attend the afternoon event.
Food security and nutrition expert Juana Manahan-Yupangco launches her new book, Juana’s Table, which features recipes using native Filipino vegetables with the SuperMoms Club in SM Megamall.
Joining Juana in the course of the afternoon were celebrity SuperMom Dimples Romana and SuperMOMpreneur Patti Grandidge-Herrera. The welcome remarks was rendered by SM Supermalls Vice President for Marketing Grace Magno, and hers was a resounding affirmation of just how important SM Supermalls takes this message for better nutrition for the Filipino family. She spoke of how SM Supermalls, through initiatives such as the SM Sunday Market held at several malls, are making fresh local produce and vegetables readily available to the public, and at prices that are more affordable.
From left: SuperMOMpreneur Patty Grandidge-Herrera, Juana Manahan-Yupangco, and celebrity SuperMom Dimples Romana
This is in support of the farming community, who are still picking up the pieces from the health crisis that affected us all. Plus, it ties in with the programs of SM Foundation in urban farming, and creating modules that improve the education and capabilities of those who take up farming and food production.
During Juana’s talk, she made mention of how Filipino women are now leaving the men behind in cases of obesity, and that the link between bad nutrition and the poor educational attainment of our children is an alarming trend. These are two statistics that bear weighty consideration given that the opportunities to reverse these trends are easily within reach, and would actually help the plight of our local farmers.
A shift to a more plant-based diet is what Juana is advocating, and it’s important to note that when Juana talks of vegetables, she doesn’t highlight kale, quinoa, or popular, imported vegetables. She espouses favoring locally grown veggies as they’re fresher, more nutritious, accessible, plus ideally priced. Her cookbooks, Mesa ni Misis, and now, Juana’s Table, showcase recipes that utilize these local vegetables, without sacrificing flavor, taste, and variety.
Juana Manahan-Yupangco shares plant-based recipes that highlight local, flavorful, and affordable ingredients
Along with Dimples and Patti, Juana led a food preparation demo that had them creating ‘green’ versions of the popular Korean seaweed rice rolls, Gimbap (Kimbap). There are recipes that have one creating a Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce with Monggo Beans, and that’s just a sampling of how Juana creatively brings vegetables into the picture, to transform familiar ‘comfort food’ recipes into ones that are now plant-based.
(from l-r): Dimples Romana, Juana Manahan-Yupangco, and Patty Grandidge-Herrera demonstrate how to prepare Korean seaweed rice rolls, Gimbap (Kimbap).
Recipe for the Plant-Based Korean Seaweed Rice Rolls, Gimbap (Kimbap):
Makes two to three rolls
Ingredients:
- One sayote, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- Salt, to taste
- Three tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- Two cups alugbati or kangkong, blanched
- Four sheets gim or nori, plus four more cut into halves
- Two cups cooked rice
- Six to eight perilla leaves, cut into halves
- One recipe plant-based tuna
- Four stalks sigarilyas
- Four sticks yellow radish
- Eight strips burdock root
- One cup Kimchi
- One tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions:
1. Lightly salt the sayote sticks and allow to sweat for 15 minutes.
2. Toss the sayote sticks in one teaspoon of sesame oil and set aside.
3. ln a bowl, combine the blanched alugbati or kangkong, one teaspoon sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
4. Lay out a sheet of gim on a flat surface like a chopping board. If you have a sushi rolling mat or are using plastic wrap, lay the gim on top of that.
5. Spread about 1/4 cup rice evenly on the gim. Leave a 1/4-inch margin on the farthest side from you. This will help you seal the roll properly.
6. Place a half sheet of gim on top of the rice. Place two to three perilla leaves on top of the gim.
7. Spread two tablespoons of plant-based tuna lengthwise near the end of the gim closest to you.
8. Arrange the sayote sticks, alugbati, sigarilyas, radish, burdock root, and kimchi beside the tuna.
9. Using the sushi mat or plastic wrap, gently roll the gim with the fillings until it forms into a roll. Moisten the edge of the gim with water to seal the roll properly.
10. Brush the entire roll with sesame oil.
11. Dip the tip of a knife in water and carefully cut the roll into 1/2-inch slices. Repeat with all the rolls. Keep wiping the tip of the blade to remove the starch to make it easier to cut.
12. Arrange the rolls on a plate and garnish liberally with sesame seeds.
Recipe for Plant-Based Patola Curry:
Ingredients:
- Two patola
- Two cups and two tablespoon coconut milk
- One teaspoon turmeric powder
- Two teaspoon curry powder
- One bay leaf
- One onion
Instructions:
1. Heat up a pan. Add the two tablespoon of coconut milk.
2. Sautee the onions, curry powder, ginger, turmeric, and onions until onions soften.
3. Add the patola. Coat in spice mixture.
4. Add the two cups of coconut milk.
5. Cook until the patola is tender.
The participation of SM Markets, SM Store, ABS-CBN Publishing, Fully Booked, Viu, Nutri-Asia, UnMeat, Téviant, Skin Poem, Designer Blooms, and Blims Furniture meant a host of wonderful prizes and giveaways were brought home by the lucky SuperMoms who had trooped to SM Megamall that afternoon.
Never miss out on the latest SuperMoms gatherings at SM Supermalls! To know more about the SuperMoms Club, join the Facebook community for moms, by moms via Facebook group.