Spice Up Your Luncheon Meat With an Oriental Vegetable Twist 

Plain meat is just meh. While meat flavor has the umami kick, it's easy to get tired of it or in Filipino terms, umay. In addition to that, eating mostly meat, especially processed meat is not a very healthy dish option. Adding just a few vegetables can amp up any dish in nutritional terms and flavor. Who said vegetables are boring? They're versatile and complement meat dishes well. Plus, processed meat have too much salt in them. Cut back on the sodium by adding vegetables. No salt needed!

Tired of frying luncheon meat every single time? Try making a healthier dish with it using this recipe. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 can luncheon meat
• 15 ocs string beans
• 2 cups cabbage, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• Pepper to taste
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup oil

Steps:

1. Remove the luncheon meat from the can. Slice and chop finely into crumb-like pieces
2. In a pan, heat oil on medium heat. Fry luncheon meat bits in batches until crispy. Drain oil and set aside.
3. Prepare string beans for boiling. In a separate pot, boil 3 cups of water. Boil string beans for 3 minutes. Rinse and let cool.
4. Slice string beans diagonally. Set aside.
5. In the same pan, fry garlic and ginger until fragrant.
6. Add string beans and cabbage. Cook until soft.
7. Add sesame oil, oyster sauce, and pepper to taste. Stir until well combined.
8. Add fried luncheon meat bits. Mix well.
9. Turn off heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Add green onion and sesame seeds for garnish.
10. Serve hot with rice. 

Photo by Madellaine Ortea. Ingredients can be sourced from My Tindahan.