Here are tasty and affordable snack ideas that recently won the Mekeni Cook and Care competition using Mekeni products

Kids are back to school! Aside from guiding them with schoolworks, parents have an added important task – to give the kids snacks that are not only energizing but will also perk them up. 

 

It is time to cook up a storm in your kitchen with recipes that will boost your kids’ productivity as they face another day in their virtual classes. 

Here are tasty and affordable snack ideas that recently won the Mekeni Cook and Care competition using Mekeni products that your kids will surely love!

 

 

Level up their fave tofu dish

Who would have thought that combining tofu and hotdog in one dish will result in one hearty meal? Check out this winning recipe from Lourdes Arceo where she used Mekeni Picnic Hotdog to pair with her tofu dish. (Tip: You can also try this recipe using another fan favorite – Mekeni Chicken Longanisa!)

 

TOKWA’T PICNIC HOTDOG

 

Ingredients:

●      Mekeni Picnic Hotdog

●      tofu

●      celery

●      onion

●      carrots (optional)

 

For the sauce:

●      soy sauce

●      vinegar

●      sugar

●      siling labuyo (optional)

 

Procedure:

1. Cut tofu into cubes.
2. Fry tofu and hotdog separately.
3. Cut onions, carrots and celery into strips.
4. Add all veggies as toppings on your fried tofu and hotdogs.
5. For the sauce, mix all ingredients then drizzle it on top of the tofu, hotdog, and veggies!

 

 

Don’t stick to one kebab!

Because you can use a variety of meat in making this Middle Eastern cuisine staple, you can never go wrong even when you use your Mekeni Pork Tocino stash at home. Do not just stick to one kebab, if you know what we mean. Let this three-step recipe made by Ghie Santiago Supnad guide you in making this easy snack for your kids. 

 

MEKENI PORK TOCINO KEBAB

 

Ingredients:

●      Mekeni Pork Tocino

●      bell peppers

●      onion

 

Procedure:

1. Slice all the ingredients into cubes.
2. Skewer the Mekeni Pork Tocino and veggies into kebabs.
3. Grill!

 

 

 

Go krazy with hotdog kimbap

Just like kebab, you can create many types of kimbap using different meats. Though the process might be tedious with all the rolling and stuffing, you are sure to create one tasty and nutritious rice roll in no time. If you are a fan of hotdog, try this kimbap recipe made by Darwin Vinuya using Picnic Hotdog!

 

PICNIC HOTDOG KIMBAP

 

Ingredients:

●      Picnic Hotdog

●      nori

●      crab stick

●      carrots

●      egg

●      rice

●      sesame oil

●      sesame seeds

●      salt

 

Procedure:

1. Thinly slice all the Mekeni Picnic Hotdog, crab sticks, carrots, and egg before you stir-fry them separately.
2. Place the cooked rice into a mixing bowl then add 1/2 tbsp sesame oil and 1/4 tsp salt to season it. Mix well.
3. Put the rice on the nori then spread it evenly.
4. Fill the nori with the cooked ingredients. Roll and slice into pieces.

 

 

 

Turn regular empanada into YUMpanada 

Breaktime is empanada time. Let your kids grab a big bite of your yummy empanada filled with Bueno Embotido using this recipe from Kimberly Garcia Sagmit.

 

BUENO EMBOTIDO EMPANADA

 

Ingredients:

For the dough:

●      2 cups all-purpose flour

●      1/4 cup water

●      1/2 tsp. baking powder

●      pinch of salt

●      1 egg

●      oil

 

For the filling:

●      Mekeni Bueno Embotido or Mekeni Chicken Longanisa

●      cheese

 

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix it well.
2. Add egg and water. Mix again until well combined.
3. Set aside and chill it for 30mins.
4. Chop the Bueno Embotido and cook it for 5 mins. Mix the cheese and set aside the filling.
5. After chilling the dough, flatten it using a rolling pin. Make sure the surface is clean and dusted with all-purpose flour so it will not stick.
6. Once you have achieved that flat circle, it is time to add the filling. Be sure to close the edges well.
7. Heat the oil and fry. 

 

 

A hearty meal fit for the hard working kids

Serve your kids something unique and exciting to their palate while they are finishing their offline activities. This poached egg with vegetables recipe from Evangeline Reyes Franco is one for the books!

 

POACHED EGG WITH VEGGIES ALA MEKENI

Ingredients:

●      1 small head garlic, chopped

●      1 medium head onion, diced

●      3 pcs red bell pepper

●      12 pcs tomatoes

●      1 tsp paprika

●      1 tsp cumin

●      1 chicken cube

●      1 tsp ground black pepper

●      6 large eggs

●      4 pcs Mekeni Picnic Cheesy Hotdog, diced

●      4 pcs. Mekeni Luncheon Meat, diced

●      125 grams Mekeni All Day Bacon, diced

●      Spring onion, chopped for garnishing

●      mozzarella cheese (optional)

 

Procedure:

1. Cook the bacon on medium to high heat until crispy. Set aside.
2. Using the bacon grease, sauté garlic, onion and bell pepper until soft.
3. Add chopped tomatoes, hotdog and Mekeni Luncheon Meat.
4. Bring the sauce to simmer. Season with chicken cube and black pepper.
5. Use a large spoon to make small wells in the sauce and crack the eggs into each well.
6. Cover the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the eggs are cooked.
7. Top with mozzarella cheese and bacon bits.
8. Garnish with chopped spring onion.

 

Make snack time even more exciting with these ideas from the winners of Mekeni Cook and Care contest. To make sure that you have all the products you need, order via Mekeni’s Home2Home delivery service which can be accessed through its official Facebook page or Viber community.

 

Bayani is Mekeni’s line of frozen street food products catering primarily to micro-entrepreneurs

As the effects of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) crisis continue to intensify, micro-entrepreneurs in the country remain the most vulnerable. In times like these, when small businesses are on the brink of closing, their incomes are suffering, and providing for their families has become even harder, bigger companies are stepping up and devising new ways to help them survive.

Just in time for National Heroes’ Day, Mekeni launched its new Bayani product, the all-time party favorite, Lumpiang Shanghai, in order to provide even more profitable business to the new breed of modern-day heroes, the micro-entrepreneurs.

“This new addition to our Bayani product line is our way to extend help to our micro-entrepreneurs. This is just the beginning of creating new products that are specifically geared toward them and help their businesses grow while ensuring the quality of products they sell to their customers,” said Mekeni President Prudencio Garcia.

Bayani is Mekeni’s line of frozen street food products catering primarily to micro-entrepreneurs. This product line includes Filipino snack favorites such as siomai, siopao, squid balls, fish balls, kikiam, and orlians, which aims to provide them with a source of income. 

“Through our Bayani products, our micro-entrepreneurs have the opportunity to get high-quality and profitable products from a source that they can trust. Our range of Bayani products will help them generate more income even with small capital as they can buy supplies in bulk while getting assured of the quality and taste that Mekeni has for all of its products,” Garcia added.

Mekeni has always been dedicated to helping micro-entrepreneurs. By developing a line of products that are meant to help them, Mekeni is able to show their commitment to uplift the quality of lives of people within and beyond their community. The Bayani product line is Mekeni’s way of empowering others, giving them hope that they can get through these difficult times.

“When going through dark days such as the COVID-19 pandemic, hope is what keeps us going. Our hope nowadays rests in our micro-entrepreneurs and their passion, perseverance, and belief that something greater awaits them, a silver lining at the end of the tunnel. We owe to them our success, that is why we are doing our best to help them cope with the situation and earn a decent living for their families,” Garcia concluded.

For those who are interested to set up a Bayani cart or be a Mekeni product reseller, send a message through Mekeni’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mekeniph.

Mekeni launches programs amid pandemic to help micropreneurs, displaced workers

Just like flattening the curve is a collective responsibility, everyone has a role to play when it comes to the revival of the economy. From healthcare institutions, to government agencies, to private organizations, every able sector of society must do its part not only in fighting the pandemic, but also in bringing the economy back on its feet.

Mekeni Food Corporation knows this, which is why the company has been contributing to these efforts in many ways since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Mekeni owes its success to the community, so we always try to help whenever we can,” said Mekeni President Prudencio Garcia. “It’s part of the bayanihan spirit that our employees and even our partners are familiar with.”

Keeping everyone afloat during the lockdown

Like most companies, Mekeni’s day-to-day operations were severely affected when the lockdown was implemented in the whole of Luzon. Being among exempted industries, Mekeni needed to act fast to ensure steady supply of food products in the market.

They had to do this while also facing numerous challenges themselves during the said period, particularly in terms of movement of raw materials, and production and distribution of finished goods. This was attributed to mobility-related issues due to strict travel protocols, and limitations on who and how many can go to work at a time, among other problems. 

Still, Mekeni knew what was needed to be done, and hurdling these challenges was just the first step. Together with the company’s employees and partners, Mekeni continued to provide food supplies to customers while making do with the means that were available to them at that time, especially in terms of manufacturing and distribution.

Plant workers and some office-based workers still showed up at work to ensure business continuity, aided by the company’s free transportation provision that included several pickup points. To ensure that demands were met, Mekeni also hired residents of Barrio Balubad in Porac who were economically displaced by the strict quarantine measures.

Mekeni launched various initiatives to address concerns on accessibility to quality food. Two initiatives were launched recently—the Mekeni Home2Home delivery service and its counterpart community selling called Mobilengke, which provides temporary source of income to jeepney drivers.

Mekeni and select partner-distributors also forged partnerships with non-government organizations, local government units, and private individuals to bring relief goods to the needy. Thousands of families in Luzon benefitted from the partnerships.

A renewed promise to lift others up

For most companies, the hardest period of the pandemic is now over with the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine. But for Mekeni, there is still a lot to be done. In line with this, the company has begun transitioning to the new normal with a renewed focus on uplifting the lives of as many people as possible, a promise that the company made long before the arrival of the current health crisis.

Among the many ways that the company is doing this is through their very own product line of Filipino street food favorites like fish balls, squid balls, siopao, and siomai called Bayani, as well as their Mekeni Home2Home Reseller program that offers profit-enabling incentives not just to internal employees, but also to their external partners.

Both of these programs are financially accessible and are designed to provide viable sources of additional income to enterprising Filipino micropreneurs, especially those whose livelihoods may have been affected by the months-long implementation of the lockdown.

Aside from these two offers, the company is looking at developing more to be introduced in the coming months, all with the same goal of helping others get back on their feet through high-quality food products and innovation.

In the meantime, amid all of the uncertainty that continues to loom all over the world due to the pandemic, the company urged everyone to work together in steering the country’s economy toward its full recovery.

“With the enhanced community quarantine now behind us, it’s time to think of how we can help reignite the economy. Doing so is everyone’s responsibility and the only way we can succeed in this endeavor is by working together,” Garcia said.