Media representatives were recently invited to an event hosted by Potatoes USA, a marketing and research organization founded in 1971 to promote U.S. potatoes. Held at the Brittany Hotel BGC’s test kitchen, the event, led by Potatoes USA brand ambassador Chef Kalel Chan, featured creative ways to use U.S. potatoes beyond traditional mashed and fried dishes. Attendees explored inventive recipes that highlighted the versatility of U.S. potatoes.
Chef Kalel, a Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate from De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, began his career in hotel management before discovering his passion for cooking. He joined the pioneering team of Raintree Restaurant Group’s M Café, training under Chef Sau Del Rosario. Now the corporate chef of Raintree Restaurant Group, Chef Kalel oversees concepts like Jones All Day, Saboten, Farmer’s Table, and Chotto Matte, blending Asian and Western flavors. His culinary creativity has earned him ambassadorships with brands like Oster, Lock & Lock, and the U.S. Potato Board.
Chef Kalel has also represented Filipino cuisine at international food festivals, including LuzViMinda and the Conrad Centennial’s Filipino food promotion in Singapore.
At the event, Chef Kalel Chan demonstrated two innovative potato dishes. The first, Mapo Tofu Potato Cheese Fries, started with sautéed garlic, ginger, onions, and ground pork. He added a mixture of shoyu, sake, mirin, sugar, Sichuan pepper, and tobanjan (a spicy, umami-rich seasoning made from fermented broad beans and chili peppers), simmering the sauce before thickening it with a cornstarch slurry. Soft tofu was added and the mixture was poured over U.S. seasoned fries, topped with cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, and garnished with spring onions.
The second dish, U.S. Potato Ramen with Sichuan Dandan Sauce, featured hand-cut potato noodles. Chef Kalel prepared the dough using potato granules, flour, eggs, and water, chilled it, and cut it into noodles. After boiling the noodles, he served them with a dandan sauce made from tahini, soy sauce, chili oil, five-spice, and chicken stock. Both recipes highlighted the versatility of U.S. potatoes in non-traditional dishes.
Mapo Tofu Potato Cheese Fries
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
• 20 grams cooking oil
• 20 grams garlic (minced)
• 20 grams ginger (minced)
• 20 grams onions (chopped)
• 200 grams ground pork
• 40 grams shoyu (soy sauce)
• 60 grams sake
• 20 grams mirin
• 20 grams sugar
• 200 grams water
• 2 grams Sichuan ground pepper
• 60 grams tobanjan (fermented bean paste)
• 30 grams sesame oil
• 200 grams soft tofu (cubed)
• 50 grams grated cheddar cheese
• 50 grams grated pepper jack cheese
• 20 grams chopped spring onions
• 400 grams U.S. seasoned crisp fries
• 10 milliliters slurry (cornstarch mixed with water)
Procedure:
1. Heat oil and sauté garlic, ginger, onions, and ground pork until pork is browned.
2. Add sake, mirin, shoyu, sugar, Sichuan pepper, tobanjan, sesame oil, and water. Let simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Thicken with slurry, stirring until sauce becomes thick.
4. Gently mix in soft tofu.
5. Fry the U.S. seasoned crisp fries and arrange them on a plate.
6. Pour the mapo tofu on top or alongside the fries.
7. Sprinkle with grated cheddar and pepper jack cheese.
8. Garnish with chopped spring onions
U.S. Potato Ramen with Sichuan Dandan Sauce
Yield: 4 servings
Potato Noodles Ingredients:
• 200g U.S. standard potato granules
• 250g all-purpose flour
• 3g salt
• 4 eggs
• 200ml water
• 50g all-purpose flour (for dusting)
Noodle Procedure:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together potato granules, flour, and salt.
2. Make a well in the center and add eggs and water. Mix together to form a dough.
3. Knead the dough by hand until it forms a ball.
4. Chill the dough for 1 hour.
5. After resting, divide the dough into 4 portions. Dust with flour.
6. Roll out each portion with a rolling pin to the desired thickness.
7. Fold and cut into noodles by hand. Dust with flour to prevent sticking.
8. Boil salted water and cook the noodles for 2 minutes. Strain.
9. Serve with the dandan sauce, adding chicken stock to thin the sauce if desired.
Sichuan Dandan Sauce Ingredients:
• 3g Sichuan ground pepper
• 10g sugar
• 20g prepared chili oil (ryu oil)
• 5g grated garlic
• 100g tahini
• 15g soy sauce
• 1g five-spice powder
• 1 cup hot chicken stock
Sauce Procedure:
1. In a bowl, combine tahini, soy sauce, chili oil, sugar, Sichuan pepper, garlic, and five-spice powder.
2. Gradually add hot chicken stock until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
3. Pour the sauce over the potato noodles and serve hot