26 April 2021 – In celebration of the Filipino Food Month in April, the Philippine Embassy in Seoul and Mama Sita Foundation presented a culinary video showcasing the iconic dish shrimp sinigang and also introducing the Philippine okra (or lady’s fingers) vegetable. Sinigang is a classic Filipino soup characterized by sour and savory flavors.

During the online launching of the video on 26 April, Chargé d‘affaires, a.i. Christian de Jesus of the PH Embassy underscored the importance of honoring Philippine culture and culinary heritage, which are highlighted during the Filipino Food Month.

For her part, Madam Clara Reyes-Lapus, President of Mama Sita Foundation, recounted the interesting history of sinigang in the Philippines and the use of green sampalok (tamarind) as souring agent for sinigang in said episode. The video, demonstrating the process of cooking sinigang using PH food products such as sinigang sa sampaloc mix, shrimps and okra, is now available at the Mama Sita Recipe YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLm3Sa_LuJA

This feature on the Shrimp Sinigang with Okra is the 3rd segment of the project entitled “Traditional and Contemporary Philippine Cuisine: Lutong Bahay ni Mama Sita“ which was launched in August 2020. This project aims to strengthen the promotion of Philippine cuisine in Korea, to preserve and pass on the Philippines‘ rich culinary treasures to future generations and migrant Filipinos, to support Philippine farmers, fisherfolks and agricultural communities whose contributions have enriched the Philippine culinary scene, to increase awareness of available Philippine food ingredients in Korea and to introduce new agri-fisheries and food products in Korea such as Philippine okra (lady’s fingers).

Through this collaborative video with Mama Sita, the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Agriculture Office in Seoul also anticipate the introduction of Philippine okra to the Korean market this year, and express hope that the okra will be patronized by health-conscious Korean consumers. Aside from low cholesterol content, okra is known to be a good source of minerals, vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. END

27 April 2021