Last July 2, I was privileged to be part of Ajinomoto's "Step Up Your Cooking with Pork Savor" event wherein one of the best cooks in the country, Ms. Nancy Reyes-Lumen, together with the newest brand ambassadors of Ajinomoto's Pork Savor All-in-One Seasoning Mix, Enrique and Mommy Bambi Gil, conducted a live cooking demonstration to challenge home-cooks to step up their cooking and bring out the meaty goodness of their prepared meals using Pork Savor.

The event took place at the show kitchen of the Center for Culinary Arts where media and bloggers were present as audience and tasters that will be judging Ms. Nancy, Enrique and Mommy Bambi's "meaty dishes" minus the real meat and instead, incorporated with Pork Savor.


Prior to the cooking demonstration, Ajinomoto's Category Manager - Flavor Seasonings Ms. Daryl Magno, shared how Filipinos love food with a strong meaty flavor and that made them create the Pork Savor which makes any dish taste meaty because it is made up of natural pork meat and bone extract with spices and seasonings that will surely make every dish deliciously meaty.


After a short introduction as to what Pork Savor has to offer to every dish cooked at home, Ms. Nancy began to cook the first dish: the Meatless Pancit:


Ingredients: (4-6 servings)

3 tbsps - cooking oil
4 cloves - garlic, chopped
1/2 pc - small onions, chopped
1 small pc - carrots cut into strips
1 small pc - sayote, sliced thinly
1 1/2 cup - water
3 tbsps - soy sauce
250 grams - pancit bihon, soaked and drained
1/2 pc, small - cabbage, shredded
2 packs (8 grams) - Pork Savor All-in-One Seasoning Mix

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan, saute garlic and onions until wilted.
2. Add carrots and cook for 30 sec, then add sayote and cook for another 1 min.
3. Add water and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.
4. Add soaked, drained pancit bihon and mix well. Continue cooking until tender.
5. Add cabbage, simmer and toss well.
6. Season with Pork Savor All-in-one seasoning mix.
7. Mix well and simmer for another minute
8. Serve hot.


For the next dish, Mrs. Bambi Gil was called to help out Ms. Nancy in cooking the Pork Savor Veggie Soup:


Ingredients: (4-6 servings)

4 cups - water
1 kilo - assorted diced vegetables, as desired (celery stalks & leaves, carrots, potatoes, sayote, kalabasa, malunggay, singkamas, sweet beets)
1 large pc - white onion, very thinly sliced
4 cloves - garlic, crushed
6-8 pcs - tomatoes - over ripe, seeded, chopped, hand crushed and chili, chopped (if heat is desired)
1/4 small pc - cabbage, very thinly shredded. Rock salt and freshly crushed peppercorn to taste
4 packs (8 grams) - Pork Savor All-in-One Seasoning Mix
2 tbsps - cooking oil

Procedure:

1. In a pot, boil water
2. As it boils, blanch vegetables separately; do this for each vegetable
3. When blanched, keep all in a bowl
4. Stock is now flavored with the vegetables. Set aside.
5. In a hot pan, add little oil, saute the onions until thoroughly caramelized.
6. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic but not browned, then add in the tomatoes and cook until the skins curl.
7. Add in the chili, if desired, you can add some of the stock to prevent drying up
8. Combine all the ingredients, including the stock; bring to a boil, then simmer
9. Add Pork Savor All-in-One Seasoning Mix, mix well. Heat through
10. Serve Hot


Lastly, Enrique Gil was called out to help prepare the last dish, the Simple Pastel:


Ingredients: (Crust) (4-6 servings)

4 large pcs - potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
2 packs (8 grams) - Pork Savor All-in-One Seasoning Mix.

Procedure:

1. While still hot, mash potatoes then add in the Pork Savor All-in-One Seasoning Mix
2. Mix well. Set aside

Ingredients: (Filling)(4-6 servings)

1/2 can - pimientos, chopped
4 pcs - chorizo, diced
1 can - cream style corn
1 small can - mushrooms, chopped
1 small pc - onion, minced
1 small pack - green peas
2-4 pcs - fresh basil leaves, or fresh oregano or thyme
2 packs (8 grams) - Pork Savor All-in-One Seasoning Mix to dilute in water
2 tbps - cooking oil

Procedure:

1. Heat pan and saute chorizo in its own fat
2. Add all other ingredients
3. Sprinkle Pork Savor All-in-One Seasoning Mix and mix well
4. Arrange in a casserole pan, top with the flavored mashed potatoes
5. Steam, torch or bake until set
6. Serve Hot


All the dishes truly had a hint of meat even though there are no real meat found in the ingredients, except for the chorizo in the Pastel because Ms. Nancy explained that Pastel will never be Pastel without Chorizo. It really lived up to its promise to make a meatless dish taste "Meatyng Meaty"!

Mother and son endorsers, Mommy Bambi and Enrique Gil also shared how happy they were to be chosen as the newest brand ambassadors of Ajinomoto Pork Savor as it can definitely turn their food at home more delicious and meaty. 

Here are some of the photos after the cooking demo. I'm super happy that I got the chance to have a selfie with Enrique Gil!


Thanks to Ms Joycelyn of Ajinomoto for having me once again. I'm very excited to use the products you've given us especially the Pork Savor! For those who want to try out the Ajinomoto Pork Savor, it is available in all leading supermarkets and sari-sari stores nationwide for P2.00 (8 grams) and P54.00 (250 grams). Grab yours now to experience a meaty dish without the real meat!