WHAT ARE PULSES, THE SUPERFOOD?
When I first heard about pulses, I thought it has something to do with veins, blood and heartbeat- our lifeline, basically. In a sense, they are.
After attending the event in Bangkok, I learned that we actually eat pulses! They are part of the legume family and sometimes coined interchangeably with beans. Dried peas, edible beans, lentils, soybeans, peanuts and chickpeas are the most common pulses.
They are grain legumes that are very high in protein and fiber, and are low in fat, compared to most other plant foods. On top of that, they are environment-friendly because they consume less water, and they help fight obesity and certain diseases. I know that’s a mouthful of info coming to you like thunder. No wonder they are called “superfoods”!
I had an incredible and very informative experience about pulses last January 24-26, 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand. I, together with other media personalities and influencers, learned a lot about its health and environmental benefits through various activities in preparing and incorporating pulses in our meals.
Pulse consumption was first observed to be increasing in the USA in the last couple of years, but Southeast Asia is said to be following this upward trend, starting with Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. Yes, this is nothing new to us Asians. Although, we lack awareness and perhaps the real appreciation of what good they bring.
We stayed in the amazing Conrad Bangkok for the duration of our 2-day series of exciting activities highlighting pulses. I never thought I could have it anytime of the day!
- Lentil Soup Shooter
- Sweet Potato and Chickepea Hummus with Salsa Verde Chicken
- Black Eyed Bean Cucumber Mint Salad
Panseared Salmon with Green Pea Mash
Lamb Chili Con Carne with Kidney Beans
Nutella Stuffed Poached Pear
with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
As soon as we arrived, we were treated for an orientation dinner at Indulge Asian fusion restaurant, top-rated in Bangkok. It is known for its ever-evolving dishes, high-quality ingredients, truly thirst-quenching drinks, and very accommodating staff. Their dishes have been carefully created to cater to all tastes - from conventional, much-loved dishes, to new flavor combinations. It’s super satisfying to try their exquisite pulse-based specials. What a welcome!
To cap our day, we had our Happy Hour Refreshment Pairing bustle at CRAFT.
Our pulse snacks and drinks were interestingly perfect combination. It was a night full of chit chat, fun and pulses, of course!
As much as I wanted to stay up late to bond some more with the other guests and my blogger friends, I had to get some rest for our second day. I’ve been actually looking forward to our Pulses Cooking Class as soon as I saw our itinerary because I wanted to acquire techniques and expand my knowledge on how to prepare different dishes with pulses.
I’d love to share my key learnings from the one and only Chef Norbert Ehrbar who has been cooking since he was 16. His passion is highly commendable, and his years of experience in the food industry working in various restaurants are definitely an inspiration.
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| Team Philippines with Chef Norbert Ehrbar rochellerivera.com, lifestylehub.net, ruthdelacruz.com, iamacesome.com, acigirl.com |
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| With Dee Richmond, PhD, Senior Project Manager of Agrisource |
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| Dee Richmond, PhD, Senior Project Manager of Agrisource |
Pulses can be incorporated to every meal - from soups to deserts, snacks to main courses, and even smoothies! Meat, veggies, and fruits surprisingly go very well with different kinds of pulses. Just imagine how nutritious every dish can be. 😊
Rice Noodle Bowl
Chickenpea and Mussel Asian Soup
Korean Style US Bean Stew
US Navy Bean Smoothie
Aside from the demos, we were immersed in hands-on cooking and some more engaging discussions.
I really enjoyed cooking with bloggers from Thailand. The best part of this day was our super delicious and flavorful lunch! Haha! I must get some serious exercise after this trip.
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| Cooked Chinese Style U.S Pulses and Chicken Soup with different kinds of pulses |
Catered Lunch by Radisson
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| Bloggers from the Philippines with Aaron Henry and Robert Woodrich of Paper & Page |
Our last night in Bangkok was bitter-sweet, I didn’t realize we’re about to go back home already. The program was absolutely packed with information, which is its main objective. Goal unlocked!
Four kinds of Hot and Cold Hor D'oeuvres
Barbecued Peking Duck
Stewed Fish Maw
black mushroom in oyster sauce
Sauteed Scallops
X.O. chili sauce and black beans
Duet of Vegetables
topped with conpoy sauce and pinto beans
Deep Fried Bamboo Fish
soy sauce
Fried Rice
seafood and lentils
Ginkgo Nuts
hot syrup and red beans
The 4-course dinner prepared by Liu at Conrad Bangkok was more relaxed and one of a kind. The Liu menu takes most of its influence from Cantonese cuisine, leveraging the great knowledge and influence Chef Jacky brings from different part of China as well as Thailand. There’s no better way to wrap up this whole experience.
Truly, what I have learned about pulses are eye-opening. Sometimes we think too much of our diet, and sacrifice taste over the nutrients we can get out of the food we eat. Delicious does not mean unhealthy, and we can stop being guilty with our intake of the best-tasting dishes. There are a lot of options to go green and be healthy at the same time. Pulses is one superfood you must add to your daily consumption.
Hope to share a recipe with you soon! Comment a pulse-meal we can all try.
You can find more information about PULSES at: https://www.facebook.com/
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8 comments
Iba po talaga kapag passion mo ang pagluluto dba po? ang dami mong pwede recipe na gawin, ako honestly d ngapo ako marunong magluto puro fRied at gisa lang ang knows ko. Mas magaling papo hubby ko when it comes in cooKing :) Sana soon matutunan ko din ung mga simple recipe yet napakasarap on my own way. Nag enjoy po talaga kayo sa Bangko momshie ah :)
ReplyDeleteWow! Mukhang masasarap ung mga recipe na yan madam 😍 at healthy pa. Thank you for sharing mada. Very helpful and informative. Nadagdagan na naman ang kaalaman ko/namin ☺
ReplyDeletePulses pala tawag sa mga yan, thanks for the info. Madalas magpadala yong Auntie ko ng mga beans na akala ko plain legumes lang at di ko masyado pinapansin, ngayon alam ko na, superfoods pala sila, kailangan ngayon, concentrate na pala ako sa pagluto sa mga pulses foods. Thanks a lot!
ReplyDeleteWow! Ang sasarap naman ng mga food, parang ayoko na umuwi kung ako ang pumunta jan. hehehe. ^_^
ReplyDeleteBtw, peanuts is my fave pulses!
Sabi nga nila kung gusto mo mag food trip. Thailand is the best place for it. Grabe yung blog mo Miss Rochelle mas lalo ko gustong pumunta ng Thailand. Thanks for this yummy blog.
ReplyDelete-jenny andres
amazing thailand experience.. rich culture, yummy healthy foods... thailand people are very conscious with their health... good to see these foodies... very awakening...
ReplyDeleteNgayon ko lang po nalaman na ang dami palang dishes we can make out of pulses! Kasi samin boiled lang tapos sauteed sa onions& garlic with leafy veggies. Pero ang dami pala pwedeng gawin sa pulses. 😱 thank you Ma'am for the informations. Ang dami pong natutunan.😊😊☝️
ReplyDeleteWow, interesting product! A must-try
ReplyDeleteComments? Questions? Suggestions?
Please I would love to read about it.
I will reply to you as soon as I can and visit your site too.
But please no spam comments. All comments are subject to review before approving.
Thank you very much! Maraming Salamat! Arigatou gozaimasu!