Ajinomoto® Umami Culinary Challenge Winning Teams and Recipes

Every year since 2009, the Ajinomoto® Umami Culinary Challenge (UCC) gathers the Philippines’ most creative and innovative culinarians. The event is now one of the country's biggest intercollegiate culinary competitions. This year, Ajinomoto® UCC attracted thousands of visitors and hundreds of HRM and Nutrition students from 51 Universities and Colleges, not just coming from Metro Manila and nearby provinces, but as far back as Ilocos, CAR and Visayas.

Distinguished judges during the event included culinary experts Chef Bruce Lim, Chef Dino Datu, Chef Sau del Rosario, Chef Rosebud Benitez and nutrition experts Dr. Veritas Luna, Dr. Zenaida Narciso and Ms. Joan Sumpio to name a few. There were four (4) competition categories that included the Best Filipino Umami Dish, Umami Bento Meal, My Eat Well, Live Well® Plate and My Own Umami Creation.

Best Filipino Umami Dish

For the first time this year, Ajinomoto® UCC introduced a National Cooking Showdown, where the winning team from Visayas competed with the best team from Luzon for the Best Filipino Umami Dish competition category. This category recognizes the significant presence of umami taste in Filipino cuisine. The Visayas contingent came from Hercor College – Capiz, they won in the Ajinomoto® UCC Iloilo and Cebu events. But it was La Consolacion College – Manila who came on top after winning in both the Luzon and national rounds for the Best Filipino Umami Dish. The winning entries of La Consolacion are a Capampangan delicacy called Sale Ebun Utik (Duck Egg's Nest), and  an Ilokano specialty called Dinengdeng Boquet with Crisp.

Umami Bento Meal

To highlight the discovery of umami in Japan, Ajinomoto® UCC created the Umami Bento Meal competition category. The task for the competitors is to come up with a Japanese-Filipino “fusion” bento meal that boasts of authentic umami taste and outstanding nutritional value. The 3^rd place winner is De La Salle University – Dasmariñas with their dish Sinigang Rice Burger w/ Rellenong Bangus Maki, Ginger Calamansi Sauce and Fruit Tartlet. Colegio de San Lorenzo bagged the 2^nd place with their Wayō Bento creation. The top team for said category is Rogationist College from Silang Cavite, their winning dish is called Bento Seafoods Galore.

My Eat Well, Live Well® Plate

In line with the EAT WELL, LIVE WELL® advocacy of Ajinomoto, a new competition category called My Eat Well, Live Well® Plate was launched. This category aims to promote balance nutrition by preparing healthy and delicious set of meals. Competitors came up with their own application of said plating method. Among the requirements are for each entry to have at least 5 colors of healthful food choices, use variety of cooking methods made more delicious with Ajinomoto products and be served in proper proportions. The winning team at 3^rd place is University of Perpetual Help System Dalta - Calamba with their Mussels in Yellow Coconut Sauce entry. At second place is University of Perpetual Help System- Biñan Laguna for their Poached Fish with Fresh Fern Salad. The first place winner is Manila Tytana Colleges; their winning dish is entitled Flavors of Wellness.

My Own Umami Creation

The challenge for the My Own Umami Creation competition category is to exhibit the school team’s ability to cook a signature umami dish. This signature dish must boast of intense umami taste and good nutritional value. The three (3) winners for this category are: 3^rd Place - Facilities Management College for dish entry “Crispy Kare”, 2^nd Place - University of Santo Tomas for dish entry “Chicken Ballotine w/ Raspberry Jus, Lemongrass Shrimp, Caramelized Chestnuts, Young Vegetables and Mushroom Rissoto” and 1^st Place - Saint Michael's College of Laguna for dish entry “Carp Fish in Black Rice with Alfalfa Salad”

The University of Santo Tomas was hailed the Umami Bowl Champion. They brought home a trophy and a kitchen classroom showcase. First place winners for each category received gold medals and PhP 10,000 in cash. Second place winners won silver medals and PhP 8,000 pesos. And third place winners received bronze medals and PhP 5,000 pesos. The Ajinomoto® Umami Culinary Challenge is presented by AJINOMOTO PHILIPPINES CORPORATION and sponsored by La Germania, Solane, Masflex KitchenPro, Nature’s Spring and Business Mirror.

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Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) is an affiliate of Tokyo-based Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Established in 1958, APC is committed to the unification of deliciousness and well-being as a corporate brand value. Its food brand slogan “Eat Well, Live Well” communicates the company’s competitive edge of offering food products that are both flavorful and nutritious. Likewise, APC advocates culinary nutrition, which is all about cooking with culinary skills and nutrition knowledge to create delectable and nourishing meals. APC’s brands include AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning, Ajinomoto® brand Ginisa Flavor Seasoning Mix, CRISPY FRY® Breading Mix, CRISPY FRY®  Seasoned Crumbs  All-in-One Coating Mix, TASTY BOY® All-purpose Breading Mix, The Ajinomoto® brand Sinigang, AJI-SHIO® Seasoning Mix, FRES-C® Concentrated Powdered Drink Mix and  Ajinomoto® brand Chicken Powder.