Filipinas and Rice

So i used Mushroom soup instead of water to cook rice the other day. Surprise! No they were not happy. I did like it.

@PalawOne Frank Zappa missed it. should have sung "Don't eat the yellow snow, or yelllow rice."

@PalawOne

Fun topic.

Is the puppy still alive? After all...you don't mess with a Filipina's rice.

Perhaps it's psychological or physical, but many Filipinos claim they get withdrawal headaches if they go without rice. Not sure if there are any real medical reasons this might be the case? I just buy the 20kg sack on Amazon delivered to the front door, and no longer ask questions.

During my first experience in the Philippines I was shocked by the rice mania. Even when going to McDonald's they served rice. Here's a typical diet I saw in Mindanao.

1. Breakfast -puto maya (RICE wrapped in banana leaf) OR egg/corned beef/dungit with left over RICE from night before.
2. Drink cup of sara-sara like coffee (burned RICE dissolved in hot water)
3. Mid-morning snack - Bodbod/suman (glutinous RICE)
4. Lunch - Grilled fish with steamed RICE
5. Travelling to visit relatives - buy ampao from street vendor (puffed RICE with sugar shaped into square)
6. Afternoon snack - Bicol (sticky RICE with coconut milk)
7. Dinner - Chicken adobo with puso (hanging RICE)
8. Dessert - Champurrado (RICE with chocolate sauce)

Sure there's other names for these dishes in other areas.

LOL, cool guys. Yeah we all go there but in a relationship it's about sharing not only love but food preferences as well as all other things, give and take.

Been through the rice 3 times a day with Tinola, Adobo etc. Eggs and rice, ugly hotdogs with rice and the rice was nasty, rarely vegetables, bony fish and stinky shrimp paste.

When we first lived together in Manila he was working so I did most of the cooking, even walked across the road to the National Book store and purchased "Pagkaing Pinoy" a great recipe book with all the most popular  dishes in the Philippines and learnt new culinary skills but eventually craved for a decent steak and vegies or my pasta marinara etc.

Also purchased Jasmine and Basmati rice as I'm not into glug.

Some 11 years on? It's 50/50 for Asian especially Thai (not just Filipino) and western dishes, Ben has also been cooking since we met and has no trouble whipping up a Marinara, chicken cacciatore or Enchiladas and honestly? A far better and more organized guy than I will ever be in the kitchen. Not bad for a guy that 11/12 years ago only knew how to cook gluggy rice and had no idea about vegetables, pasta nor the alternative cuisines.

Cheers, Steve.

Humbug . . . .For those of you living in the states walk into McDonalds and try ordering Spaghetti, here in the Philippines you can order Spaghetti at McDonald's, KFC or Joillbee's.

For your favorite cuisine at home have Spaghetti with sliced Hotdogs, or how about some Balut, Chicken feet, Sardines, Spam and Lucky Me Noodles.

How about Dinuguan (pork bood stew), Kilawin (raw fish in vinegar) bamboo shoots or a side of Ube or Egg Plant. None of this for me, but for the family.

I miss my Caveman Diet. . .Meat & Potatoes.

Easily attainable Bob. Atlantic Salmon with crispy skin, (Bens specialty) Pac Choy in a light oyster sauce, fresh beans and carrots and a few button squash on the side,,,,,,,, and of course the proverbial rice. Tonights dinner.

Cheers, Steve.

So i used Mushroom soup instead of water to cook rice the other day. Surprise! No they were not happy. I did like it.
-@aalottjr

It does not surprise me that you tried this - may I also recommend Tomato Soup with mashed potatoes if you can get hold of a good tin of soup and big enough potatoes.

Like I said before in a previous post of mine, the prospect of eating rice 3 times a day fills me with dread. I just do not see how it can be made more interesting. Soy Sauce does help a little but even that is not enough. I do understand that it is a cheap, filling and quick option for people with little money but it is not for me. Here in the UK I will only have it with Chilli or Bolognese.

Coming from GB, I am used to the great Potato and there are so many different ways to cook them, bake, boil, make chips (not crisps), mash them, make bubble and squeak, hash browns, scalloped potatoes, etc and each tastes differently. I could not even eat potatoes with every meal especially breakfast.

Next time I come over, I may bring some cans of rice pudding with me. Why not see if I can convert the locals into eating that for dessert so they do not have to bother with Mango Float or Halo Halo.

My wife ate a lot of rice when I met her but 14 years in the US weaned her off eating it every meal. Here in the Philippines we usually have an egg and toast for breakfast. I also have a glass of pineapple juice and I grind 8 O'clock coffee beans and use a French press to make a good cup of black coffee. I keep the coffee beans in the freezer and I have a lot of them.

Lunch is the big meal and usually consists of something like steamed okra and ampalaya sautéed with eggs and onions. We grow the okra and ampalaya ourselves. The wife likes to boil locally grown carrots and she does good things with bok choy. Sometimes we eat rice at this meal but she often boils potatoes for me. I like a fork full of atchara on the side. We typically have chicken, beef or fish for our meat.

We usually just have a snack or a sandwich for the evening meal.

Moon Dog - That sounds good to me. Egg on toast for breakfast is always a good option although I may try to mix it up if I move there. maybe have yogurt with fruit one day also.

Chicken beef and fish are all good - what type of fish do you both like - I did like the tuna myself.

Found brown rice in the Philippines,  a little more expensive but much tastier and healthier.  As a type II diabetic my doctor suggests I never eat white rice nor white bread.  When we eat as guests elsewhere I just ignore the rice.  My Filipina wife has been converted to a brown rice only chef.  We spent 6 months a year in Ilocos Sur prepandemic and I always gained wait because of other aspects of the local food and then lose it again upon return to Pennsylvania and diet control.

So far it sounds like we all manage to eat heartily, healthily and very well indeed. And we are all managing quite a wide variety of foods which suit our respective diets and tastes.

One might guess this comes from being older and wiser regarding our respective health and food habits? Which of course is all as it should be now.

Must admit though, in our case wifey and myself etc don't often have the same meals.

We have found that we all like cooking, we are all quite good at it, and prefer eating these days according to our own individual, changing daily preferences.

Although, as we do have plenty of time, if one of us cooks something new we will often try it together. And it's always really nice when we will all agree that something is delicious. Then we will share each others cooking experiments.

Must also admit Sturdy, our dog survived pissing on our rice. Maybe partly because neither of us were in the least tempted to sample the dog for dinner.

I don't know, but maybe it's strange we don't often share what we eat for meals? I wouldn't know, but we always eat at the same time. So I'd guess it is like we are at a restaurant, and eating together, but just different menu items.

And it just works for us, as we make the time to cook, and also love cooking.

So at our place we all cook for themselves, whatever each feels like, and so if anyone is short on time, there's always plenty of left-overs in the fridge that we will snack from. It works for us.

There's so much to discuss and share regards food. It's fascinating.

@PalawOne just saw a report on GMA late news saying 29% of Filipinos are overweight or obese.  Related directly to eating too much white rice. Suggestion babe gov was sweet potatoes.

@PalawOne just saw a report on GMA late news saying 29% of Filipinos are overweight or obese. Related directly to eating too much white rice. Suggestion babe gov was sweet potatoes.  -@laymanm65

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Yes, also heard that today matey. And I understand that it's a good sensible suggestion?

@PalawOne I had heard/read that at one Philippines had among the best rice in the world.  But F. Marcos exported it all for personal gain and gave the people shitty rice.

Compared to other countries, it's shitty rice.

High incidence of diabetes and pre-diabetes in the Philippines due to the preference for white rice, white bread, potatoes, etc. Especially in the cities, where people have adopted the Western diet in addition to eating those white foods, which are all high on the glycemic index. We know some Filipinos who have died of it, sadly. At the checkout we often see people with half the cart full of processed food and prepackaged snack foods. It is very sad.

I got lucky in that my woman also moved away from white rice as an adult, although she has at least one serving a day with her fish. She loves fish, and could eat it at every meal. We also tried brown rice, and we keep a small 5kg bag when I'm there, as I love it, but we found it does not keep as well as white rice in the humidity. We do eat good wheat or multigrain breads, which are readily available in the cities. Lots of veggies and fruit, especially papaya and mango, which is what we generally eat for breakfast along with old fashioned oatmeal. I fix an omelet a couple times a week.

We do eat differently at dinner sometimes, as she really likes her fish but she is gracious enough to do most of the cooking (small kitchen, currently). In return I often treat her to lunch a few times a week when we're out and about. Generally at an ethnic restaurant like Thai, German, Indian or Japanese. I feel fortunate she loves a wide variety of foods and is a joy to travel with to other countries.

@Cherryann01 We have plenty of fruit growing on the property. Papaya, Indian mango, yellow mango, guyabano, jack fruit and banana. My wife like to make frozen popsicles out of the banana, papaya, mango and guyabano if we have extra. We have young guava, lanzones and rambutan trees that are not yet bearing fruit. There are two caimito trees that look mature to me but haven't produced any fruit as yet.

I love a cool glass of coconut juice on a hot day. We have 3 drawf coconut trees that never stop making coconuts. My wife likes to make buko salad and usually most of the juice is wasted but I drill holes in the coconut with my cordless drill before splitting it and pretty much get it all. I've filled a 10 liter jug more than once and I keep it in the fridge and enjoy a cool glass or two of buko juice in the hot afternoon. It's better than beer, well almost.

Yogurt is hard to find in the province but it would be nice to have. I'm reminded of breakfast when working in Mexico, all kinds of cut up fruits and melons with a big bowls of yogurt and granola to top it off with.

@PalawOne just saw a report on GMA late news saying 29% of Filipinos are overweight or obese. Related directly to eating too much white rice. Suggestion babe gov was sweet potatoes.
-@laymanm65

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I didn't hear this on the news concerning about those 29%. But I have noticed it, on the other hand I also noticed the remainder 71% look like a skinny bag of bones.

LOL @ Bob, agree but disagree with the 29% figure based on my observations of the populations around the Philippines, example here I have 9 to 10 guys working and only one is overweight and is the strongest man onsite and never stops, all the others like you say are like skinned rabbits and it gets me how a 5 foot tall guy weighing 45 to 50 Kgs throws 20 Kilo bag of cement around as they seem to easily do and 15 to 20 bags daily.

I'm the fat one at 85 Kgs,,,,, was 93 but more active now slapping the workers.

Cheers, Steve.

@Moon Dog

Nice project, all those fruit trees. I tried quite a few exotic fruit varieties on our property, but because I worked away a lot they didn't survive. A type of "natural selection" occured, so some suited to the soil/weather did really well without much expertise. We never tried lansones, but had the best success with grafted carabao mangoes, and dwarf coconuts. We've killed coffee bushes, mangosteiens, pomelo, ebony trees, Caribbean bananas and many more.

Re. yoghurt it's quite simple to make if you haven't tried. This is just a recipe so don't read if you're not interested. The challenge is getting the culture, but I used "natural" or "Greek" yoghurt available in bigger supermarkets, which is still living bacteria. Sterilise any utensils you will use as not to introduce other bacteria. Make a big saucepan full of dried milk powder (it's cheap and easily stored) with bottled water, then heat to room temp (don't boil the milk). Add a small pot of natural yoghurt, stir it in evenly. Put it outside on a concrete path covered with a dark cloth for 6 hrs. Then it's yogurt. Portion into sterilised bottles or plastic tubs and refrigerate - it's alive so shouldn't go off for ages. To serve, add one of your fruit popsicles (made from lovely fruit and sugar). To make more yoghurt in the future, use one of your homegrown bottles, and repeat.

Re rice...don't recommended serving yoghurt with rice. Although in Kerala India, they add yoghurt to biryani (chicken rice dish) and it's amazing.

Moon Dog - Sounds like you have a good variety of fruits growing on your property, I also enjoy the juice from the coconut and a few different kinds of fruit with yogurt and topped with granola makes a fine breakfast to start the day. Coffee also of course.

Regarding the quality of Phils rice, here's a news item on rice quality.

But, shouldn't we judge quality on health? Not for eg "easily broken."

"DA seeks improved rice quality to address shifting preferences"

Business World: https://www.bworldonline.com/economy/20 … eferences/

THE Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA) said it hopes to improve the quality of domestic rice due to shifting consumer preferences, and to better align farmers’ production with market expectations.

“We need to adapt to the changes brought about by the Republic Act No. 11203, The Rice Tariffication Law, one of which changes is consumers’ preference for quality rice." Agriculture Secretary Dar said, after consulting with farmers, millers, and traders.

Mr. Dar said traders and millers reported that many farmers produce low-quality palay which when milled produces rice that is easily broken and with a chalky consistency.

“For the succeeding cropping seasons, we are not just after attaining production targets, but also producing quality rice for Filipino consumers that will provide higher income for farmers,” Mr. Dar said.

According to rice millers and traders, consumers want rice varieties that are long-grain and tastes and smell good when cooked.

The market is demanding the so-called four-M rice. The four Ms stand for maganda, mura, mabango, at malambot (attractive, cheap, fragrant, and soft).

The DA said that in an informal survey, consumers who said they prefer rice with those attributes accounted for 40% of the market.

Rice millers and traders urged Mr. Dar to plant varieties that hold up to the milling process and possess good eating qualities.

They also offered assistance to the Philippine Rice Research Institute in promoting recommended rice varieties to be used by farmers in future planting seasons.  Mr. Dar said he will consult with seed producers, farmers, traders, and other stakeholders to define current industry trends, market demand, consumer needs and preferences, and any required policy shifts or reforms.

“Kung ano demand ng market, kung ano ang pangangailangan ng consuming public iyon ang dapat i-produce ng ating mga magsasaka. (Market demand and the needs of the consuming public should determine what farmers produce) We need to adapt to changes brought about by the new regime,” Mr. Dar said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

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Golden Rice

"Filipino farmers get approval to grow nutritious Golden Rice"

https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/ … lden-rice/

Farmers in the Philippines have been given the green light to grow Golden Rice, which has been developed to contain nutrients that can improve health, especially in young children.

The commercial cultivation permit marks the successful culmination of a decades-long initiative to develop rice that delivers additional levels of beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A, an essential nutrient.

About one in five children from the poorest communities in the Philippines suffer from vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which affects an estimated 190 million children worldwide.

The condition is the most common cause of childhood blindness, as well as a contributing factor to a weakened immune system.

“This milestone puts the Philippines at the global forefront in leveraging agriculture research to address the issues of malnutrition and related health impacts in a safe and sustainable way,” said Dr. Jean Balié, director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

IRRI developed the improved grain in partnership with the Philippine Department of Agriculture, Philippine Rice Research Institute, under the Healthier Rice project.

Studies have shown that one cup of cooked Golden Rice contains enough beta-carotene to meet up to 30 to 50 percent of the vitamin A needs for children under the age of 5 — the group in the Philippines most at risk of VAD.

At present, only two out of 10 Filipino households get sufficient quantities of vitamin A in their daily diet.

Golden Rice adds an important nutrient to a staple food in the Philippines, where people eat about 120 kilograms of rice annually per capita.

“Rigorous research and regulatory review have demonstrated that Golden Rice is just as safe as ordinary rice and with the added benefit of beta-carotene in its grains,” he added.

“This milestone approval is the product of cross-cutting collaborative work in the agriculture and nutrition sciences, the public sector, and local farming communities, who are all looking forward to seeing Golden Rice reach the tables of those who need it the most.”

Golden Rice has already received food safety approvals from regulators in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, but the Philippines is the first country to approve commercial cultivation.

“The regulatory success of Golden Rice demonstrates the research leadership of DA-PhilRice and the robustness of the Philippine biosafety regulatory system,” Balié added.

“As always, we are committed to ensuring the highest quality of seed for farmers and a safe and nutritious food supply for all Filipinos,” said Dr. John C. de Leon, executive director of DA-PhilRice.

In keeping with its designation as a humanitarian crop, the vitamin A-enriched rice will first be deployed in areas where the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency is high.

“The last-mile delivery of Golden Rice is just one component of a food systems approach to nutrition, which also includes community outreach and extension services and improved market access for farmers,” Kohli said.

The Healthier Rice Program is also working on rice with higher iron and zinc (HIZR) to in order to address the “hidden hunger” of multiple micronutrient deficiencies that affect over two billion people worldwide.

The goal is to release a fully stacked variety containing beta-carotene, iron and zinc.

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@PalawOne

When I saw "Golden Rice", I thought you were referring to what the puppy did to your 25kg sack of jasmine...

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Haha, yes mate and I had exactly the same thought. And btw while we are talking

privately like this please just know this. From what you write, I consider you to be

one of the most intelligent, genuine, and kind-hearted gentlemen I've ever richly

enjoyed corresponding with.  Being honest, it's simply the truth.

@PalawOne

Thanks, that's really kind. I go on a bit, but quite enjoy the forum and the various ideas expressed. I've said it before regarding your good self - you're a peacemaker who keeps conversations rolling. That's probably a bonus for our web hosts, but also for the contributors who have fleeting or strong opinions about things, and seeing the new topics posted get triggered enough to comment. On this platform we can express notions not always welcomed or understood in our "real-life" setting.

As well as sharing opinions about rice, I think expats in the Philippines are a pretty unique breed. For one, they refused to fit the mould, refuse to grow old gracefully - inspired by "living" and attracted to exotix things, so instead of lying down start that project, find that romance, undertake that charitable project. I hope to continue that way for as long as circumstances prevail.

Re genetically modified rice...Rice enhanced to increase nutrient value makes much sense.

Since the argument for producing such rice is to improve the diet of the poor, then one would hope royalty considerations will also be included, so that impoverished farmers don't have to pay a premium for growing this variety.

(Heirloom seeds can be saved and reused. Hybridized and genetically modified seeds are patented and require annual repurchases from conglomerate seed companies, thus they control the market and ensure farmer dependency.)

There's also the concern that tinkering with nature might cause harmful environmental effects - as with Monsanto's cross-pollination of "roundup ready" crops in the USA, resulting in superweeds, but that ship has truly sailed.

Given the world's increasingly unreliable supply of fresh water, if they are going to modify rice crops, I'd like to see a strain of rice that grows in a field like corn. Imagine a crop that needs less water, less labour, yet produces a similar rice crop with comparable yields.

@gsturdee

Rice is grown in the US with just irrigation. I've seen it grown like that in Texas. Louisiana grows rice in flooded fields and one advantage there is crawfish cultivation in the rice fields.

I copied this from usarice.com:

"Farmers can also irrigate their fields with poly-tubing, using precisely punched holes that allow them to apply water more evenly and efficiently across the field. There are even irrigation methods that allow a farmer to grow rice in rows like other crops and apply water periodically during the growing season instead of maintaining a layer of water. Farmers continue to innovate ways to save water and time by using irrigation practices that fit their unique operations."

Texas must have grown a lot of rice at one time. They even have a town named Rice. This is a photo I took of rice silos near my house in Spring Branch. These things are huge. Hard to see in the photo but there are 2 rows of silos and they are siamesed. I was told this creates additional storage between the silos. I'm sure it adds support also since the silos are so tall. Near the center is a section that is a little different. I was talking to a guy who saw that silo blow up from a rice dust explosion years ago and it was rebuilt. These are no longer used for rice storage. The bottom area on the far end was used for RV storage when I lived there.

@Moon Dog

Good info thanks. Perhaps the Philippines could consider adopting some of these innovations. Bongbong wants food security, hopefully they'll look at these. It always bewildered me that such a rice-dependent country should need to import.

Crawfish is a good idea to maximize use of the paddies. I know in Vietnam they put gouramis (small fish) in the rice fields which are used in their various recipes. There are rice frogs in Philippines that are also eaten, but not systematically farmed (just hunted) and probably not commercially viable. Who knows, maybe kermit adobo can be a thing?

Many countries use ducks in their rice field to control weeds, snails and bugs. Help to fertilize the crop and sold between crops for added income.

Cheers, Steve.

I really wish that Basmati long grain rice could become widely available here in the Philippines, its so much nicer than the extremely starchy, sticky varieties generally available here in the Philippines.

It's readily available on shopee or Lazada, 4 times the price but order as that's our choice.

Cheers, Steve.

It's readily available on shopee or Lazada, 4 times the price but order as that's our choice.
Cheers, Steve.
-@bigpearl

That's the problem and if you live where I do the delivery charges on both Lazada and Shopee are exorbitant.

As is the cost of Basmati rice. The delivery charge never an issue to me and a trade off for west meets east. I am La Union 6 hours north from Manila and delivery fees here no mater the order are always acceptable.

Basmati rice is also and all ways has been expensive even in Australia.

Cheers, Steve,

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A big bowl of fried rice, (jasmine/basmati) tossed in a hot wok

with butter, and an egg or two, spring onion, asparagus, green

peas and cooked chicken, all with light soy sauce and lime juice.

With a cheeky white

Life is just fine!

If you ever see jars of famous 'Laoganma Chilli Sauce with Black Bean' buy one!

It's a medium-hot chilli sauce, with a little MSG, but with rice and noodles while

cooking them or as a sauce or for dipping, it's delicious. You will thank me later.

If you like, google her name and read her story, that's Old Godmother pictured.

I'd pay for more expensive rice no problems, even though the cost is increasing all the time. After all, bowl-for-bowl it's supercheap, and can't complain about the food bill when that's what my family eats.

Yes, and any price for rice will be too expensive for some sorry to say. Also as you say bowl-for-bowl it's supercheap. And with normal brains and effort, and a bit of luck, rice is still affordable.

Take the lady with the sauce above. A single mum, she ran a noodle shop with her homemade sauce. She made it great, she fermented soy beans with chilli and blackbeans. Really good idea. In 1997 she started her own company to sell her sauce, and is now popular all over China. Still owns and runs her company and now, apparently, the richest woman in China.

So, my point is .. effort can have it's rewards .. like basmati

PalawOne - A very interesting story about Old Godmother, reminds me a bit about a gentleman called Leroy Roots who pitched his spicy Reggae Reggae Sauce on Dragons Den and got an investment and the backing of two of the Dragons and his sauce was a great success available in all the major UK Supermarkets, making him a multi millionaire.