Canned sardines and tuna are quick and easy fix that can be ready without much fuss except perhaps spending a second or two opening a can—which has become easier too, thanks to pull-tabs.
But canned sardines and tuna are not top of mind when it comes to holiday feast. Their being convenient and fuss-free are not as exciting as, say, much more complex meals that burst with flavors. But a brand of canned goods begs to disagree.
Mega Global, the maker of Mega Sardines, Mega Tuna, Mega Creations, and Mega Prime, celebrates the holiday season with recipe suggestions featuring, of course, its canned products; and a corporate social responsibility initiative that lets consumers give back by buying sardines online.
Holiday canned seafood recipes
Sarsa Kitchen’s Chef JP Anglo, also Mega Tuna’s ambassador, shows how a canned tuna can have multiple layers of textures and flavors—an exciting treat in every bite—with his recipes.
His exclusive Christmas recipes using the canned tuna’s four variants include Mega Tuna Arroz Caldo (using Spanish Style Tuna) and Mega Tuna Soba Noodles (Sweet and Spicy Tuna), both of which are undoubtedly great to serve all year round.
Other Chef Jayps’ recipes are Spicy Tuna Salad (Hot and Spicy) and Tuna Egg Sandwich (Flakes in Oil).
“With big flakes and rich flavors, Mega Tuna is the delicious ingredient to healthy home-cooked meals,” enthused Adelle Catalla, Mega Tuna’s brand manager, adding, “Since it is also packed with pure goodness, Mega Tuna promises to create delightful Christmas dishes that are delicious yet guilt-free at the same time.”
For those looking to put a spin on their canned sardines, Mega Global vice president of sales and marketing Marvin Tiu-Lim suggests, aside from the popular Sardines Misua, other dishes featuring the versatile fish, such as Sardines Lumpia, Sardines Sisig, and Sardines Spaghetti.
Give back
On National Sardines Day on Nov. 24, Mega Global launched a CSR initiative that aims to give back to the communities and those in need, and announced the groundbreaking of its new facility in Batangas.
“Mega Global wants to reinforce the culture of ‘malasakit’,” said Marvin Tiu-Lim.
William Tiu-Lim, Mega Global president and chief executive, seconded, “That’s why we wanted this year’s National Sardines Day to be more meaningful by scaling up our CSR program to reach more Filipinos and breaking ground on our newest manufacturing plant which will be fully operational by February 2022.”
The manufacturing plant, the company’s second, located in Sto. Tomas Batangas is intended to be a state-of-the-art, multi-line food manufacturing facility that will implement Mega Global’s meticulous and sustainable practices in all its operations, and will run on energy-efficient light source to minimize its carbon footprint.
“We are confident we can keep the ‘bayanihan’ spirit alive in good times and in bad,” said the Mega Global chief. According to William Tiu-Lim, the plant is expected to “provide thousands of jobs for the local community of Batangas and contribute to the province’s economy.”
Speaking of “bayanihan,” the company also launched the Mega Bigay Sustansya sa Pasko Program, a 30-day meal planning and distribution program that aims to feed 100,000 nutritious meals to Filipino families and communities all over the country.
Enjoining the public to help with the program, Mega offers the National Sardines Day Bundle at its official stores on Shopee and Lazada, which consumers can order. For every purchase of the bundle, P100 will be donated to Reach Out Feed Philippines beneficiaries, Mega Global’s partner in its feeding initiative.
Recipes
Tuna Arroz Caldo
Ingredients:
350g red rice or brown rice
150g chicharon
20g fresh garlic
50g fresh ginger
30g fried garlic
30g spring onion
5g pepper
20ml patis
4 pcs. calamansi
4 tbsp. cooking oil
Procedure:
1. In a pot, add some oil, then add the oil of the tuna, sauté onions, ginger, and garlic (last is garlic).
2. Add about a liter of water and then add cooked rice and half of tuna, and bring to a boil. Keep stirring pot and cook for 20-30 min. Add the fish sauce.
3. To plate, pour arroz caldo in bowl, add tuna on top, sprinkle with spring onions, fried garlic, chicharon, and black pepper. Add hard-boiled egg (optional).
Tuna Soba Noodles
Ingredients:
500g soba noodles
30ml sesame oil
20g sesame seed
60ml oyster sauce
5g salt
3 pcs. fried egg
Chili garlic (optional)
Procedure:
1. Cook soba noodles in hot water. Make sure not to overcook noodles.
2. Toss all ingredients with the noodles. Add only half of the tuna and some of the oil to add flavor to the noodles.
3. To plate, top with the remaining tuna, fried garlic, spring onions, and fried egg.