Mom Shares 10 Recipes When She Gets the 'Bahala Ka Na sa Ulam' Answer

A lot of you are busy preparing for your Noche Buena and Media Noche feasts. But we know it doesn't end there because every member of your family is on a holiday break, and that means food — lots of it — and meal planning.

We enlisted the help of Lorraine Llorin, a blogger who runs the Facebook page Super Momma. A former nurse turned full-time work-at-home mom, she admits meal planning had always been a dilemma in their household, especially because her family — her husband and three children — loves to eat.

Whenever she feels inspired to cook, Lorraine takes photos of their daily meals and uploads it on her “#OUFTD” (Our Ulam for the Day) album on her page. “I want to help fellow mommies who get ‘bahala ka na sa ulam’ answers from their husbands and children,” she tells SmartParenting.com.ph.

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Lorraine shares she spends anywhere between a Php100 to Php1,000 per meal. “The Php100 meal is for when the budget is tight — ‘petsa de peligro’ as they say, haha! The Php1,000 is when I want to make our meals extra special.”

When planning meals, Lorraine ensures there’s protein, vegetables, and fruits. She says, “I buy our food at the public market because it’s fresh plus it’s cheaper. Also, I like to have so many selections and to [be able to] haggle, haha!”

Lorraine says that meals should be flexible — it can be cooked even if the required ingredients aren’t complete. “I also make sure that we balance what we eat every week. There should be days when we eat fish, seafood, vegetables, and meat,” she shares. She also plans meals for ‘petsa de peligro.’

Because she does not have a helper or a yaya to help around the house, Lorraine says that it's important to choose 'ulam' that's quick and easy to make. "Every second of my life counts especially when feeding my kids' hungry tummies!"

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Don’t know what to cook? Here are recipes for a week’s worth of meals:

Adobong Pusit

Ingredients
Fresh squid
Onion
Garlic
Oyster sauce
Soy sauce
Green chili pepper (optional)
Bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Clean the squid. Remove the spine and eyes.
2. Prepare all the ingredients.
3. Put everything in the pan, let it simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until the squid turns white. DON’T overcook this one as it may be tough to eat.

Lorraine notes that she doesn’t sauté the squid anymore since her method produces a tastier and more flavorful meal.

Gising Gising

Ingredients
String beans, ends trimmed and cut into ½ inches
Ground pork
Garlic
Onion
Coconut milk
Shrimp paste
Soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Chili pepper (optional)

Instructions
1. Prepare and clean all the ingredients.
2. Simmer the ground pork until cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Sauté the onion and garlic in the pan with the oil from the pork. Add shrimp paste.
4. Add coconut oil and let it simmer. Add ground pork and beans. Bring into a boil.
5. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Add chili pepper and serve.

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Beef Stir Fry with Broccoli and Eggplant

Ingredients
Garlic, minced
Broccoli
Eggplant
Beef strips
Oyster Sauce
Soy sauce
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil (around 1 tbsp)
Water
Cornstarch
Sesame Oil

Instructions
1. Prepare all ingredients. Wash the vegetables thoroughly.
2. Sauté garlic until brown. Add beef strips. Sauté until cooked.
3. Add water with a teaspoon of cornstarch. This will thicken the soup’s consistency. Add oyster sauce and soy sauce.
4. Add broccoli and aubergine and let it simmer until slightly translucent.
5. Add salt pepper to taste.
6. Drizzle with sesame oil before serving.
7. Serve with hot rice. Enjoy!

Okoy

Ingredients
Fresh shrimps (hibe)
Egg
White pepper
Salt
Egg
All-purpose flour
Bean sprout
Vegetable oil

Instructions
1. Prepare shrimps. Make sure to remove the shell.
2. Put all ingredients except vegetable oil in a mixing bowl. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Heat the pan and add vegetable oil. Form patties and fry until golden brown.
4. Serve with vinegar or sukang pinakurat. Enjoy!

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Laswa

Ingredients
Alugbati
Squash
Okra
Squash blossoms
Malunggay leaves
Water
Broth cubes

Instructions
1. Bring water to a boil. Add broth.
2. Add squash, boil until half cooked.
3. Add okra and let simmer for a few seconds.
4. Add all the leaves and let simmer again.
5. Serve.

Tonkatsu

Ingredients
Pork loin slices
Kalamansi or lemon
Iodized salt
Ground black pepper
All-purpose flour
Eggs, beaten
Panko bread crumbs
Shredded cabbage
Vegetable oil for frying

For the sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Water
Sake (optional)
Ginger, minced and pounded
Garlic, minced and pounded
Brown sugar
Tomato sauce

Instructions
1. Rub salt and white pepper and squeeze kalamansi on the meat. Marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Coat the meat in flour and dip in egg mixture. Coat the meat with bread crumbs. Make sure to coat meat well.
3. Deep fry in medium heat until brown on each side (around 5 minutes). Avoid cooking on high heat as this will burn the bread crumbs.
4. Put in serving tray and allow to cool.
5. Combine all sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer until mixture thickens.
6. Drizzle meat with sauce and serve with shredded cabbage.

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Ginataang puso ng saging

Ingredients
Puso ng saging, shredded
Garlic, minced
Onion, minced
Salt
Pepper
Soy sauce
Vinegar
Coconut milk
Chili pepper (optional)
Vegetable oil
Bay leaf

Instructions
1. Prepare the ingredients. Place the shredded puso ng saging in a bowl with water and salt. Soak for 10 minutes.
2. Wash the puso ng saging in running water and squeeze out excess water. Do three times to remove the ‘dagta.’
3. Saute garlic and onion in a pan until brown. Add coconut milk and let it simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Add puso ng saging. Let it simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the coconut oil from curdling.
4. Add a teaspoon of soy sauce, salt and pepper, and bay leaf.
5. If the puso ng saging is already translucent, add vinegar and simmer for three more minutes.
6. Remove from heat and serve.

Bangus Steak

Ingredients
Bangus, daing cut
White onion, sliced
Garlic, minced
Soy Sauce
Salt
White Pepper
Vegetable oil

Instructions
1. Season the bangus with salt and pepper. Let it sit for 10 minutes before frying.
2. Heat the pan and fry the bangus.
3. In a separate pan, sauté garlic. Add water, soy sauce and white pepper. Add the bangus and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add onion slices on top and serve.

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Ginisang Ampalaya with Egg

Ingredients
Ampalaya, sliced ¼ inches thick
2 Eggs
Vegetable oil
Salt
Onion, quartered
Garlic, minced

Instructions
1. Prepare the ingredients. Remove ampalaya seeds. Wash ampalaya in water with salt and rinse to lessen the bitter taste.
2. Heat the pan. Sauté garlic and onion. Do not overcook onion.
3. Add ampalaya and drizzle with salt. When the ampalaya is semi-translucent, add the eggs and continuously mix until cooked.

Sweet and Sour Fish

Ingredients
Fish (any kind will do)
Carrots, sliced in thin strips
Celery, sliced in strips
Onion, quartered
Garlic, minced
Tomato Paste
Tomatoes, sliced in thin strips
Cornstarch
Pineapple chunks
Salt
Pepper
Water

Instructions
1.Season the fish with salt and white pepper. Set aside for 10 minutes to let the flavor sit.
2. Fry the fish in vegetable oil. Set aside.

For the sauce
1. Sauté the garlic in vegetable oil, until brown. Add garlic and tomatoes. Sauté until slightly translucent.
2. Add water and tomato paste. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add cornstarch. Let it simmer until the mixture is thick.
4. Add carrots and celery and pineapple chunks as well as the juice. Let it simmer for one minute.
5. Add the fish.
6. Add pepper (optional).
7. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!

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