Stirred, not mixed

A kitchen encounter reveals the difference between cooking from scratch and relying on mixes

- TIMPLA'T TIKIM SOL VANZI

Nine out of 10 Filipinas will claim they know how to cook sinigang. But do they really know how? I figured out how to find out the truth with a simple test.

When one of my sons introduced a girlfriend to the family years ago, we were delighted when she said she loved to cook and was her family’s regular kitchen helper. She volunteered to assist in preparing dinner next time she visited, promising us a meal of mechado and sinigang. We agreed to have all the ingredients ready and waiting for her.

True enough, she came the following Sunday, complete with an apron and a hairnet to keep her long hair away from the stove and the chopping board. As promised, I went to the market to purchase ingredients for the two dishes. Pork belly chunks were washed and ready to cook, as were slices of bangus for sinigang.

For mechado, there were potatoes, carrots, green and red bell peppers, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and celery.