Nothing is more reassuring than the taste of home when you’re abroad. Fortunately, achieving it is unmistakably easy because the right ingredients to cook delicious Pinoy flavors are within your fingertips. Learn the secrets of four talented US-based Filipino chefs as they reveal their favorite, simple, flavorful ingredients you can readily find in your own kitchen.

In Tasteful Secret’s premiere episode, Bay Area-based Filipino-American chef Monique Lopez Faye Besse shares a delightful way to make BBQ Lamb Riblets with Garden Herbs by transforming two unbelievably simple ingredients to make your own BBQ sauce from scratch.

By combining the unique tamis-anghang flavor and nuot-asim taste of UFC Banana Sauce and Datu Puti Premium Cane Vinegar, Chef Monique creates a wonderful BBQ sauce glaze. “The banana sauce is really sweet. As well as the acidity from the vinegar really makes this dish pop. I’m really proud to use Filipino ingredients. It gives me a lot of pride to showcase things that aren’t normally known,” shares chef Monique.

For her second dish, Chef Monique makes Chickpea Fritters with XO sauce using Datu Puti Soy Sauce and Vinegar that gives it the umami flavor.

Oakland-based chef Yana Gilbuena-Babu, is the owner and founder of SALO series. Her special interest in heirloom ingredients is showcased in her own spin of Chicken Cola recipe.

Chef Yana prepares her marinade using UFC Banana Sauce and Datu Puti Soy Sauce. “I like the flavor of Datu Puti. It’s naturally gluten-free, it doesn’t have any wheat. I like using UFC Banana Sauce because it has a slightly sweeter taste and it also has a nice tang to it. I like using these products because it gives me a taste of home, the Pinoy taste,” she shares.

Cebu-born chef Dorene Tan-Muzii puts a twist on the Cuban comfort food Ropa Vieja or Cuban Beef Stew. She uses well-loved Pinoy ingredients like Datu Puti Soy sauce for the marinade. “Datu Puti is one of my favorite brands. Yan ang aking tasteful secret number one. Take note working moms, if you want your food to be tasty or flavorful and friendly on the pocket, then use Datu Puti brand. Imagine you can make this Cuban beef stew using Filipino prime brands,” she says. She also uses Datu Puti Vinegar and UFC Tomato Sauce to add more flavor to the dish.

In her second recipe, Chef Dorene puts a Filipino spin on Southern Fried Chicken with Mushroom Gravy.

She prepares the gravy sauce with Datu Puti Soy Sauce “I was thinking of famous Filipino ingredients. I chose this one prime ingredient that is very known for us to use on our fried foods. So sinubukan ko and it really did give that Filipino twist to mushroom gravy that is very Southern,” she shared.

Vegan restaurateur, Chef Reina Montenegro shows how to prepare Sweet and Sour Meatballs using plant-based meat protein with Silver Swan Soy Sauce.

“I added the soy sauce to really elevate the flavor of our vegan meat. This is really a go-to dish for me and my family and friends when there’s a party or we need to make something quick. So not only does the soy sauce add to the flavor, it also adds to the color when we brown it,” she explains.

For the sweet and sour sauce, she adds Silver Swan Vinegar which is the only brand for her. “I grew up using it. My grandma used it. My father still uses it. All the cooks in my family love this brand. It’s a trusted brand that we all know and love.”

For more delicious and easy-to-make comfort food recipes, catch Tasteful Secrets by Nutriasia on BRGY weekdays on The Filipino Channel and ABS-CBN Entertainment Youtube Channel.