In my recent cooking class with Dr. Vicki Belo, on the menu were juices.
To make them, I got help from Kevin Co of Hurom juicing machines. I’m thoroughly impressed with these machines. The slow (or masticating) juicers produce flavor-concentrated beverages of the proper (thick and creamy) consistency.
When the Hurom extracts to remove insoluble fiber from fruits and vegetables, the result is juice at its most pristine, all its nutrients intact.
Since the process of slow juicing does not create heat through friction, and does not introduce oxygen to the extracted juice, there is no oxidation or destruction of nutrients and minerals.
This type of juice is known as cold-pressed, “juicepresso” or masticated juice.
Watching the juicer, I was amazed how thoroughly squeezed every ingredient was. The insoluble fibers came out as dry waste.
Hurom juicers are said to yield up to 30 percent more juice. My personal pick is the Smart Wonder Juicer whose self-feeding hopper enables bulk processing of large-cut fruits and vegetables. This model allows you to juice up to 1 kilogram of fruits and vegetables in the hopper, at a time.
For those who want a convenient, easy-to-clean model, the H100 is recommended. Simply rinse the strainer. No brushing required.
Hurom has been hailed No. 1 in the world for three consecutive years by Euromonitor.
Call Michelle Pajilan at 09155310104 or 9268009; visit huromphilippines.com.
For juices that help in skin care, Co shared the following recipes:
Green skin booster
2 whole green apples, quartered and seeds removed
50 g spinach, washed
1 inch lemongrass heart
¼ of whole pineapple, peeled
Put ingredients in the hopper of a Hurom juicer and turn on machine.
Orange skin booster
2 whole oranges, preferably ponkan or valencia, peeled, seeds removed
Choice of 1 whole guava, washed, quartered, or ¼ pineapple, peeled
1 whole carrot
Put ingredients in the hopper of a Hurom juicer and turn on machine.
Tasty Chinese meals
Mandarin Sky has remained a reliable place to go for tasty Chinese meals.
My staple orders are the oysters in XO sauce, eel rice, laway chicken and Malaysian squid.
I’m thrilled that the menu seems to be getting better, and have not stopped expanding.
At its newly opened Caloocan branch, I had suahe rice, for a change: butterflied fresh suahe, slathered with toasted garlic and steamed over fragrant white rice, with slivers of Chinese chorizo.
Worth a try is the spinach tofu and assorted mushrooms. The texture of the tofu was marvelous.
Mandarin Sky has branches in Unit 1-2 Caloocan Complex Hall, New Caloocan City; 478 Banawe and Simoun Sts., Quezon City; 56 Holy Spirit Drive, G/F Pwesto Community Mall, Don Antonio, Quezon City;
23 Panay Ave., Brgy. Paligsahan, Quezon City.
Fried ‘bee hoon’
Another personal favorite is Tao Yuan restaurant and its Hainanese chicken rice, bah kut teh, fish head curry, nasi lemak and salt roasted soft shell crab.
Dining in its Malate branch a few weeks ago, I was served fried “bee hoon.” I have not stopped thinking of it since. The quality of the noodles made all the difference.
Also known as Singapore-style fried rice vermicelli, the noodle dish is a popular street food in hawker centers all over Singapore.
The simple yet ultra satisfying breakfast staple can now be enjoyed at Tao Yuan.
Tao Yuan branches: 508-512 Gen. Malvar and A. Mabini Sts., Malate; 2/F Lucky Chinatown Mall, Reina Regente St. Binondo; 2/F Newport Mall, Resorts World Manila.