“Anong ulam natin ngayon?” It’s the never-ending parenting question–one we face each and every day, no matter how old our kids are, where we are, or the time of the year. Many parents can relate to this. According to Smart Parenting’s 2024 Audience Survey, parents’ biggest concern regarding food is deciding what to cook next, followed by getting my child to eat right, eat more, and managing the portions to fit the budget.
But why is the ulam question such a challenge for us? It might be due to several considerations: family food preferences, accessibility, and budget. Add to that the dilemma of picking the right products and ingredients among the many of choices available in the market.
To help you with your everyday ulam dilemma, we asked the Smart Parenting community—composed of editors, Smart Parenting Village members, and the Smart Parenting Squad—for their preferred everyday ulam necessities for the first-ever Smart Parenting Food Awards 2024. We hope this ulam cheat sheet will help you with your family’s daily ulam concerns and needs.
The winners of the Smart Parenting Food Awards 2024 Ulam Category include:
- Fresh Meat
- Meat-free Ulam
- Ready-to-Cook Meat
- Ready-to-Cook Seafood
- Ready-to-Eat Ulam
- Vegetable and Fruits
- Canned Goods
- Sauces
- Seasonings
- Condiments
Smart Parenting Food Awards 2024 – Ulam
Fresh Meat: Premium Choice Chicken and Premium Choice Meats Pork Belly
The Smart Parenting community voted for Premium Choice Meats for their choice for chicken and pork meat needs. Add fried chicken, tinola, sinigang, and crunchy pork belly to your weekly menu plan with Premium Choice Meats' cuts!
Smart Parenting Village member Alexies Carreon shared, “Premium Choice Fresh Meats is my fave brand since maging nanay ako. Bago and fresh palagi ang meats nila, quality ang lasa and siksik ang laman!”
Available on their website.
Meat-Free Ulam: Veega Meat-Free Adobo Flakes
When it comes to meat-free ulam options, Veega Meat-Free Adobo Flakes tops the list for the Smart Parenting Community. I say: it’s fully cooked and just needs a quick reheat, plus it tastes like real chicken adobo, what’s not to love? Additional tip: cook it until it's crunchy to enhance the delicious flavor of the flakes.
Available on Shopee or Lazada.
Ready-to-Cook Meat: Premium Choice Chicken BBQ
For marinated and ready-to-cook fresh meat, the Smart Parenting Community recommended Premium Choice’s Chicken BBQ.
After trying it, I think Premium Delights makes serving up barbeques easy thanks to the ready-to-cook BBQ meats. Its chicken BBQ is tender, juicy, and perfectly flavored for a delicious BBQ dish.
Available on their website.
Ready-to-Cook Seafood: Purefoods Shrimp Tempura
The Smart Parenting community voted for the Purefoods Shrimp Tempura as a yummy and easy-to-prepare seafood ulam dish. Mom of three and Smart Parenting Editor-in-Chief Ronna Capili Bonifacio says, “Kids who love tempura will be happy to know it's as easy as one, two, three to enjoy thanks to Purefoods. No need to defrost, which means prep time is not needed so it's great to have in the freezer when the daily grind suddenly gets too hectic."
Available on Shopee or Lazada.
Ready-to-Eat Ulam: Purefoods Ready-to-Eat Beef Caldereta, Lechon Paksiw, and Chicken Pastel
For days when the ulam bandwidth is at a low, the Smart Parenting community’s go-to is the Purefoods Ready-to-Eat dishes, specifically the Beef Caldereta, Lechon Paksiw, and Chicken Pastel variants. Here’s a tip, add fresh vegetables to the dishes while heating for additional nutritional value.
“The Purefoods Ready-to-Eat Beef Caldereta is surprisingly good and is an easy and quick way to delicious food for the family,” mom of three and Smart Parenting Squad member Rosie Domingo shared.
Available on Shopee and Lazada.
Vegetable/Fruits: Dole
No ulam is complete without nutritious greens. The Smart Parenting community’s go-to for all their favorite greens and fruits is Dole.
"We love that they're always fresh and available," says Cherrie Julian, Smart Parenting associate video director and mom of one.
Available on their website.
Canned Good - Meat: Argentina Corned Beef
Let’s admit it, there are days when we crave canned goods. And for such days, the Smart Parenting community’s choice for canned meat is the Argentina Corned Beef. Cherrie says, “It’s filling and flavorful, especially when sauteed with garlic! It’s our family’s go-to when we want something to eat na simple pero masarap!"
Available on Shopee and Lazada.
Canned Good - Seafood: Century Tuna Flakes in Oil
On other days when we’re craving canned tuna, the Century Tuna Flakes in Oil is the top choice. Iza Santos-Cuyos, mom of a preschooler and Summit Media deputy group publisher says, “This is my ulam hack! Whether eating it as is with rice or oatmeal when I don’t have time for breakfast, sautéing with garlic and onion for a quick family lunch, or mixing with crackers for a quick snack for the hubby, Century Tuna Flakes in Oil does not disappoint. It’s our pantry staple.”
Available on Shopee and Lazada.
Sauce: Del Monte Tomato Sauce
Of course, our beloved Filipino dishes of afritada, caldereta, and menudo need tomato sauce, and the Del Monte Tomato Sauce is the top choice for the Smart Parenting community.
Riyalyn Pasimio, mom of one and Smart Parenting contributing writer, shares that Del Monte is a grocery-list essential for ulam. She adds, “It’s a basic ingredient for easy ulam recipes such as afritada, giniling, menudo. And it can even be used as a base for Pinoy spaghetti. It helps in easy meal-planning, so no more ‘Anong iluluto ko mamaya?’ considering the vast number of quick tomato sauce recipes we can choose from. It will surely turn a usual ulam recipe into a family favorite.”
Available on Shopee and Lazada.
Seasoning: Knorr Pork/Chicken/Beef Cubes
The Smart Parenting community relies on Knorr Pork/Chicken/Beef Cubes when it comes to seasoning everyday dishes. Ronna says, "We always have this in stock in our pantry. We use it to add flavor to broths and stir-fry dishes and I love that it's accessible and packed with so much flavor. You only need a little!"
Available on Shopee and Lazada.
Condiment - Catsup: UFC Banana Catsup
Of course, to complement our favorite Pinoy ulam, condiments like catsup is a must. The top choice is goes the classic and well-loved tamis-anghang catsup–UFC Banana Catsup.
Smart Parenting section editor and soon-to-be mom of two Judy Aladin shares, “UFC Banana Catsup is the ultimate condiment that you can eat with any fried food—tilapia, lumpia, chicken, or humble scrambled egg.”
Available on Shopee and Lazada.
Condiment - Seasoning: Maggi Savor Liquid Seasoning Classic
Another condiment that the Smart Parenting community recommends is the Maggi Savor Liquid Seasoning Classic. Personally, it’s one of our must-haves in our kitchen and we use it for various dishes to enhance the flavor. It has the right blend of tangy, citrusy, umami, and soy seasoning that can make any dish tasty with just a few drops.
Available on Shopee and Lazada.
Stay tuned for the announcement of Smart Parenting Food Awards 2024 winners in the other categories: baon and snacks, breakfast, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and baby, celebrations, and kitchen tools.
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Produced by Em Cruz
Photographs by Paola Aseron
Styling by Lady Badoy
Other props provided by Beaba Philippines
Editor-in-Chief: Ronna Capili Bonifacio
Shoot assisted by Yuuki Dela Cruz, and Justine Renee Cruz
Video producer: Cherrie Julian
Videographers: Jino Del Mundo, Rolando Pingco Jr.
Editor: Rolando Pingco Jr.
Art Director: Stephanie Ocampo
Socials Media by Zen Arganda
Marketing Specialist: Marie Bilgera
Associate Publisher: Bettina Santos
Publisher: Iza Santos-Cuyos
