While Filipino diners are being exposed to an array and fusion of internationally-inspired flavors and textures (not to mention the global chains!), there is no denying that there is nothing more comforting than the aroma and taste of our own cuisine. Inspired from and reflective of our diverse cultures and rich heritage, Filipino dishes are created from a medley of spices and ingredients, and can make for some of the most exciting dishes, both at home and abroad.
Filipino food doesn’t always have to mean pork sinigang, chicken adobo, or beef kare kare. With some of the most talented chefs at the forefront of championing modern takes on Filipino dishes, culinary triumphs take the form of bold remakes of our classic favorites. If you haven’t tried octopus sisig, sisig pasta, or grilled sinigang yet, then you have definitely been missing out! These are just three of the nine innovative Filipino food discoveries that made it to the finals of the first-ever Funlasang Pinoy held last year.
With the aim of inspiring chefs and cooks nationwide to keep putting an exciting twist on classic Pinoy dishes, Funlasang Pinoy is a culinary competition initiated by Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) Philippines and Knorr® to provide an avenue for Filipino chefs and cooks to showcase their talents through whipping up innovative home-grown dish recipes. Now on its second year, Funlasang Pinoy returns grander as the competition goes nationwide.
For 2018, Funlasang Pinoy is not only in search for one, but three of the country’s most talented chefs who will reinvent classic Pinoy favorites crispy pata, adobo, kare-kare, bulalo, and sisig. Instead of a sole winner and one national cook-off, one winner will each be hailed from the competition’s Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao legs set to happen within July to August of this year.
“It’s such an honor to have been the first-ever winner of the competition and I’m just glad that UFS is continuing to provide an avenue for Filipino chefs and cooks to showcase their talents and ideas,” said Chef Dan Puga, the chef of last year’s winning octopus sisig dish. “This year, I am very excited to see how even more chefs and cooks will re-create Filipino classics in distinctive and extraordinary ways.”
(Photo courtesy of Unilever Food Solutions)
Call for Discoveries
Filipino cooks and chefs who are 18 years old and above from across the country may join the competition. The challenge is to create delicious and innovative recipes of the classic crispy pata, adobo, kare-kare, bulalo, and sisig using Knorr® products. Interested participants may submit their entries to the UFS website, www.unileverfoodsolutions.com.ph, until June 30, 2018.
Submitted dishes will be judged according to the following criteria: creativity of the twist, food presentation, and the use of Knorr® products in the recipe. On July 15, the top 10 finalists per region will be announced and the on-ground cook-offs will happen in July for Luzon and in August for Visayas and Mindanao.
The three winners of the competition will each get to take home Php100,000 cash prize. More than the monetary grant, and true to UFS’ mission of helping chefs and creating a bigger impact in the Philippine culinary scene, all three winning chefs will also be invited to attend the UFS Chefmanship Academy Program where they can further expand their culinary knowledge through mentorships from esteemed chefs in the country.
“Funlasang Pinoy is more than just a culinary competition; it is about providing a platform for Filipino chefs and cooks nationwide to showcase their talents and at the same time be given the recognition that they very much deserve,” said James Benedict Carreon, Managing Director of UFS Philippines. “Funlasang Pinoy is about showcasing the Filipino culinary talent and innovation across the country, and the distinct yet remarkable ways that local dishes are taken to brand new heights – making us extremely proud along the way. It is equally about celebrating the very best of our native ingredients and flavors that are some of the most special in the world.”
If ever you need a recipe inspiration, watch this video:
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www.unileverfoodsolutions.com.ph
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