Before the pandemic, I’d pick up my daughter from school everyday. Sometimes we’d stop by somewhere for a quick merienda. It can be at food stalls in the vicinity, drive-thrus, or sometimes even the mall food court. Siopao, siomai, and fishballs are the usual food stall fare. They’re quick, cheap, and enough to tide you over till the next meal. I never would’ve guessed those days would pass so quickly… and not because my daughter’s done with school. Everything is online now, including classes so we’re mostly stuck at home.
The good news is, we don’t have to miss out on our favorite street food just because we’re not going out. Mekeni Food Corporation has a line called Bayani which lets us enjoy these simple joys at home. They have squid balls, chicken balls, kikiam balls, kikiam, siomai, siopao, and lumpiang shanghai.
Oh we tried EVERYTHING — starting with the Minipao and Siomai. Minipaos are available in savory (Pork Asado and Chicken Asado) and sweet (Ube, Red Mongo, Salted Caramel, Chocolate, and Custard) flavors. Prices range from P51 to P80 per 500g pack depending on the variant. Meanwhile, Siomai (P24.75 per 200g pack / P115 per 1kg pack) is available in pork, beef, or chicken. Super affordable, right?
The Minipao and Siomai are really easy to prepare. I didn’t even need to defrost. I just steamed for a few minutes and they were ready to eat!
The savory Minipaos are white while the sweet ones are colored. The Ube Minipao is our family favorite.
We also tried all the balls. These actually reminded me of the food cart fare in kiddie parties we used to attend. Like the Minipao and Siomai, these are incredibly affordable too:
- Squid Balls (P20.90 for 200g / P38.25 for 400g)
- Chicken Balls (P20.90 for 200g)
- Kikiam Balls (P20.90 for 200g)
- Kikiam (P40.25 for 400g)
They’re really easy to cook too. Just boil some oil to deep fry and drop the balls in, no need to defrost.
I deep fried for a few minutes and they were ready to eat.
I also made my own Manong’s street food sauce with some water, soy sauce, cornstarch, brown sugar, garlic, onion, and chili flakes. It goes perfectly with Mekeni’s Bayani Street Food line. Quick and delicious merienda coming right up! 😀
Did I mention they also have Lumpiang Shanghai (P65 per 400g packs for Pork and Chicken / P88 per 400g pack for Dynamite)? We love Dynamite, it’s filled with beef, cheese, and jalapeno. My hubby said it’s the perfect bar chow and it goes so well with ice cold beer.
Mekeni’s Bayani line also caters to microentrepreneurs who operate neighborhood food carts and stalls. The products are priced very competitively so more Filipinos can start small businesses and support their families.
And because it’s from Mekeni, you can be assured of the quality and cleanliness of the food products. Mekeni Food Corporation is the first ISO 22000 certified Meat Processing Plant in Asia and the second in the world.
Bayani is available at wet markets, online stores, and Mekeni Home2Home Delivery via Lazada.
For more information, promos, and updates, log on to the official Mekeni Facebook Page.
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