Like what I’ve been blabbering about for the past weeks now, this year is all about healthy living. It’s all about changes and being bold and trying out new things ~ new clothes, new flavors, diving into new dishes that would not only tickle the palate but excite it even more.
Let’s change the way you think…. You’re probably thinking: healthy food equals bland food…
That is where you are most certainly wrong. Healthy can be tasty too, you know. You just have to know how to prepare it and how to use spices and seasonings to make it flavorful. Flavor is not limited to the four basic taste anymore which is sweet, salty, sour and bitter, there’s a fifth element called Umami.
Umami has been recognized and accepted as a basic taste because it is distinct from the other four basic tastes and also because of the existence of glutamate receptors within the tongue’s taste cells, and cells within the brain which respond preferentially to the umami taste.
The word umami comes from the Japanese words umai (delicious) and mi (taste) and can be recognized in English as rich and savory, and in Filipino as “malinamnam” or “malasa”.
With this in mind and a bit of chinese inspiration, this is what I came up for lunch today. It’s very healthy because it’s fish and it’s baked. It contains zucchini and asparagus which are very rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, the B-Complex Vitamins, great for the heart and lowers your cholesterol. What could be better than that?
My ingredients include: cream dory, zucchini, asparagus, sesame oil, a bit of Rice Wine, lite soy sauce, spring onions, Aji-Shio with pepper and of course, AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning.
AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning is Monosodium Glutamate or MSG. It is a seasoning which gives the Umami Taste in Food. It is a flavor enhancer which has been used effectively and safely for nearly a century to bring out the best flavor of foods.
First things first, we need to cut our vegetables. Zucchinis are cut into medallions which are then cut in half. Asparagus are cut into 2-inch long spears and we cut up the spring onions into thin pieces so we can maximize its flavor.
Then we heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook just until the sesame oil is infused with the flavor of garlic. We add the juice and zest of half an orange and chicken stock.
Then we add a bit of AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning and Aji-Shio with Pepper…
After that, in goes the rice wine, lite soy sauce, spring onions, cinnamon, chili flakes, ginger and brown sugar… Mix it well.
Place a foil on the countertop and divide your vegetables at the center of each foil. Place a slice of the cream dory fillet over the vegetables and fold the sides of the foil to form a bowl….
Pour around three tablespoon of the sauce over the fish and vegetables. Fold the top of the foil to seal and make sure there’s enough space for air to circulate inside. Bake in the oven at 350° for 15-20minutes or until the fish is cooked.
Garnish with chopped spring onions and sesame seeds upon serving. This is great over steaming hot rice and match it with an ice cold…
Fres-C Orange Juice which is 70% less calories than the other juices in the market.
—–♥♥♥—–
If you need more food inspirations drop by the Ajinomoto® Umami Culinary Challenge 2013. It’s going to be held on February 2, 2013 at Hall 2, SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex.
The Competition Categories and the Program Schedule
8:00 – 9:00 AM – Competition # 1 UMAMI BENTO MEAL
Description: The category highlights the discovery of umami in Japan. The task for the competitors is to come up with a Japanese-Filipino “fusion” bento meal that boasts of authentic umami taste and outstanding nutritional value
9:30 – 10:30 AM – Competition # 2 HEALTHY ASIAN UMAMI DISH (Fish Dish)
Description: The challenge is for the competitors to create the most umami-tasting fish dish.
11:00 – 12:00 NN – Competition # 3 BEST FILIPINO UMAMI DISH
Description: This competition category recognizes the significant presence of umami taste in Filipino cuisine. The challenge is to showcase Pinoy’s culinary masterpiece in bringing out the best umami taste in Filipino dishes.
12:30 – 1:30 PM – Competition # 4 MY OWN UMAMI CREATION
Description: The challenge for this category is to exhibit the team’s ability to cook a signature umami dish. This signature dish must boast of intense umami taste and good nutritional value.
2:00 – 3:00 PM – Competition # 5 UMAMI POTTER
Description: This competition category will exhibit the team’s ability to create the best tasting, umami-rich soup dish.
3:00 – 4:00 PM – Healthy and Tasty with Umami
By Dr. Nemencio Nicodemus
Internal Medicine – Endocrinology
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, U.P. College of Medicine
Associate Professor, Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, U.P. – Philippine General Hospital
5:00 – 6:00 PM Awarding of Winners
Hope to see you there!
PrintBlackened Steamed Cream Dory with Zucchini
I find the taste too chinese-flavored {If there is such a word}. I suggest you let go of the rice wine, orange and the cinnamon to lighten up the flavor
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- Zest and juice from 1/2 orange
- 2 tbsp cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp lite soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice wine
- 1 bunch green onions, half bunch sliced thinly lengthwise and other half chopped for garnish
- 2 slices ginger finely chopped
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes {optional}
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 slices cream dory fillet
- 1/2 cup cut thin asparagus spears
- 1/2 cup zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch medallions, then halved
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish
- 1/2 tsp Aji-Shio with Pepper
- 1/2 tsp AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning
Instructions
- Cut our vegetables. Zucchinis are cut into medallions which are then cut in half. Asparagus are cut into 2-inch long spears and we cut up the spring onions into thin pieces so we can maximize its flavor.
- Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook just until the sesame oil is infused with the flavor of garlic.
- Transfer to a bowl and add the juice and zest of half an orange and chicken stock.
- Add a bit of AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning and Aji-Shio with Pepper
- Add the rice wine, lite soy sauce, spring onions, cinnamon, chili flakes, ginger and brown sugar.Mix it well.
- Place a foil on the countertop and divide your vegetables at the center of each foil. Place a slice of the cream dory fillet over the vegetables and fold the sides of the foil to form a bowl
- Pour around three tablespoon of the sauce over the fish and vegetables. Fold the top of the foil to seal and make sure there’s enough space for air to circulate inside. Bake in the oven at 350° for 15-20minutes or until the fish is cooked.
- Garnish with chopped spring onions and sesame seeds upon serving
10 Responses
Wow tsalap! This is great sis. Always on the look out for fish recipes coz my parents in law just love buying cream dory and assigning me to cook it! LOL
Sooo yummy and healthy sis Peachy!
oh my! You never ever fail to make me drool on your recipes. nakakagutom!
you’ve done it again, sis! the veggie recipe looks yummy! i hope i can try that at home! -:)
Looks delicious love this
Sis, I will try this healthy dish.
Awww…I don’t have an oven. 🙁 Do you think this can be cooked an a regular toaster oven? Or maybe in a stove-top steamer? I really want to try this recipe coz the only thing I do with cream dory is fry or grill it.
I love steamed fish! So easy and delicious. How interesting Ajinomoto has this kind of contest oversea!
Wow, this one looks so delicious! Most importantly, it’s healthy!
Umami seasoning… very interesting. Hahanapin ko yan pagpunta ko sa Asian store!