MORINGAFACT.COM

BWorldOnline.com released a story of Moringa used as a spice to complement a variety of dishes.

The story details on the vast power of Moringa, “The fact that malunggay (moringa oelifera) can be used to spice just about anything edible under the sun was demonstrated on May 25 at the launch of the malunggay Festival at the Manila Hotel, a collaboration between chefs of the hotel’s Café Ilang Ilang and its newly opened Chinese restaurant, the Mabuhay Palace. The festival runs until May 31 and features 26 dishes using malunggay as a primary or secondary ingredient.

Touted as the “miracle vegetable,” the lowly backyard plant that is malunggay has recently gotten a lot of interest, and people have taken to dethroning coconut as “the miracle tree” by stating that all the parts of malunggay can be utilized — powder from the leaves is a food fortifier, particularly for nursing mothers; seeds, pods, flowers, bark, sap and roots may be used for medicinal, agricultural and industrial purposes. Its oil is also a good food preservative and a biofuel.

Catering to the emerging moringa-centric market are the convenience and health stores that have adopted malunggay-based products.

The health benefits of malung-gay as food or food supplement are the biggest incentive, and these range from detoxification and easing menstrual pain (thanks to vitamin B3 or niacin) to promoting proper metabolism, healthy cell growth, and treating brittle finger nails and hair loss (vitamin B7 or biotin), to minimizing signs of aging and protecting the body from free radicals (vitamin E and also vitamin C). The leaves are also a good source of calcium, copper, iron, potassium, protein, magnesium, manganese and zinc.

For a tiny little thing, it sure does pack a punch.

malunggay fans with a socialist bent have organized themselves into an informal collective, the malunggay Republik, which touts malunggay as a solution to problems such as malnutrition and poor health, and its production a way of combating poverty and unemployment. The movement reportedly started from a germ of an idea cast during former Laguna governor Jose D. Lina’s Sunday radio program Sagot Ko Yan aired over DZMM.

Since Mr. Lina is also president of Manila Hotel, it was likely his influence that brought about the food festival centered on malunggay — although one assumes that little prodding was needed for a hotel that since its inception in 1912 has prided itself on being a “showcase of the Philippines.” The country doesn’t exactly produce truffles and white asparagus and king crabs, but it certainly has an abundance of moringa.

“malunggay leaves are very cheap, very easy to grow in our backyards, and yet so full of vitamins and minerals. Manila Hotel came up with this campaign to educate more people about these health benefits and to bring the message across that malunggay can be used as a main ingredient in cooking a variety of great tasting dishes. Moreover, it is a good source of livelihood for a small to medium enterprise,” Mr. Lina stated.

What the food festival is proving is that what’s good for you doesn’t necessarily have to be unpalatable, and what is inexpensive isn’t necessarily excluded from the fine dining menu, which is really all about preparation and presentation. malunggay, through the innovation of the Manila Hotel chefs, makes a darn tasty treat.

The best of the lot includes Mabuhay Palace’s malunggay pandan cooler (P180++), albeit with more of a bias towards thepandan rather than the malunggay. Also a good bet is Café Ilang Ilang’s multigrain bread with malunggay (although one wonders why the hotel didn’t go all the way and provide a malunggay spread as well), and their malunggay-smoked turkey quiche which is a scrumptious bit of cheesy fluff.

CHECKING out malunggay-based dishes at the Manila Hotel — JONATHAN L. CELLONA

Spongy but very tasty is Mabuhay Palace’s crystal chicken dumplings, a favorite, and Mabuhay Palace’s deep fried shrimp mousse malunggay patties with creamy wasabi sauce (P280++; not as spicy as one would expect from the explosive wasabi, which makes it okay for non-lovers). Mabuhay Palace’s malunggay meat loaf with sweet chili sauce (P350++) soaks up a bit of oil, but it’s a great reworking of that home staple.

Then there’s Café Ilang Ilang’s malunggay-spinach ravioli with smoked tinapa (smoked fish) flakes sauce, which is a pretty good fusion of Italian methods and Filipino ingredients; the salty tinapa also manages to combat the rich cream used.

What clinched the deal for me was the Mabuhay Palace’s honeyed banana malunggay ice cream (P 90++) topped with a cherry, which had a wonderful consistency pebbled by bits of banana, and marked by tiny dots of malunggay (an affectation, since the leaves could have been processed to achieve a smooth unmarked green puree if desired). Funnily enough, the taste (and the color prompt too) reminded one of avocado, which just goes to show that it’s really tradition that’s locked us into assuming malunggay can’t be used for anything other than soup or salad (and sold at the carinderia rather than the hotel at that).

If malunggay is supposedly a preventive for cancer, hell, ice cream would be a great way to take one’s medicine.

For details call 527-0011.”

http://www.bworldonline.com/BW052809/content.php?id=162