Suddenly the ref was empty after ‘Ondoy’. It was shocking to note the post-‘Ondoy’ prices of vegetables at 10 times the usual price. But the bar codes were not lying. Cabbage was priced P250!

EACH one of us who got wet from the Ondoy episode went through some kind of ordeal. Mine was lack of ingredients to make a decent meal. Although I did not get submerged in chest-high waters, some inconveniences were also experienced. The shortage of vegetables for a certain period was problematic and when they became available in supermarkets, what followed was my budget shortage to afford them, thanks to the new prices and the law of supply and demand.

The everyday cabbage and other Trinidad Valley and Nueva Ecija veggies became out of reach. Thus, the empty ref...or so it seemed, until we scrounged around the vegetable crisper and out came the last little bits of carrots, leeks and bean sprouts which were in “garnishing portions” only but good enough to compose a dish for the day. What dish?

Stir-fried Sukiyaki

THE recipe for sukiyaki is a flexible one. In fact, it may not be considered a recipe, except for the broth which requires hondashi, shoyu, katsubuoshi...all of which I did not have. But we had bits of dried mushroom, a carrot, two stalks of leeks left, a handful of bean sprouts, three eggs, a small red onion, and whatever was left of a Baguio pechay that was already a week old. A nest of sotanghon, soy sauce and some other pantry ingredients completed the list, and the cooking began.

We immersed the dried shiitake mushroom in cold water to render its umami-rich-tasting liqueur that comes very close to the taste of beef. The veggies we sliced into little pieces, except the carrots which I made as a garnish. This little touch of color and whim made me forget that I was momentarily budget-challenged.

If you ever get into a tight situation involving an empty ref...look again and you might find treasures that will make your day. Here’s how our stir-fried (nonsoup) sukiyaki made our day!

1 dried shiitake mushroom

    (immersed in ½ cup cold water)

Carrots, cabbage or pechay, leeks, bean sprouts,

    onions (and whatever other vegetables you have)

1 small nest of sotanghon (softened in 1 cup water)

2 to 3 eggs, slightly beaten

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tsp brown sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

MSG

Small amount of corn oil

Slice the mushroom when it has softened. Combine with other vegetables but reserve the green part half of the leeks. Heat corn oil and sauté the white part of the leeks till just wilted. Add the mushrooms and sotanghon.

Then add all the liquids and cook till sotanghon gets transparent and soft.

Then add the vegetables and cook slightly just till colors brighten. Season with sugar, salt, pepper and MSG. Taste and adjust seasoning. Arrange in a bowl.

Then heat some more corn oil and in a non-stick pan, make an omelet with the eggs and the green parts of the leeks. Top on the sukiyaki and serve immediately.

Nancy’s Notes

IF you have first-class dilis, toast them on a hot pan or bake on a flat sheet till crispy.

Then plunge these in simmering water with soy sauce and sugar and some seasonings, and you will get a taste close enough to the umami-rich sukiyaki broth. This is because dilis and other seafoods are rich in glutamates which produce the umami taste in our taste buds.

Whenever you cook shiitake mushrooms, be sure to get the maximum benefits of taste by immersing these in cold water to collect the liqueur. Again, this ingredient produces a strong umami taste which is close to a beefy and meaty taste. Vegetarians rely on mushroom liqueur to acquire a meaty flavor.

Hunger is the mother of survival recipes!