Start your own business at home. The Julius Maggi Kitchen (JMK) presents food ideas you can easily prepare with its recent Meat Specialties I cooking demo, a part of the Meat and Fish Biz cooking demo series it is offering for the year.

Grachie Que Madridano, livelihood director for Nego-Skwela, shares her knowledge and experience. "Meat processing is very simple and can yield big profits. All these recipes have also been certified safe by BFAD," she says, "It is important to invest in a very good freezer in this kind of business. It is ideal to have a separate freezer to cure and store your meat to ensure that you keep a constant temperature. The shelf life of the cured meat is two months or more depending on the quality of your freezer."

But if these recipes are to be consumed at home, omit the ingredients and procedures for the curing mix and extenders. "Only use the freshest meat, and new and good quality chemicals. It is better to use textured vegetable protein (TVP) extenders because it will give a healthful balance to your meat dishes since it is made of soya beans, instead of scrap meat found in commercialized processed meats," says Madridano.

She also shares that Maggi products from Nestlé are good substitutes and easy to use without sacrificing taste, quality and nutrition. Find more recipes and helpful kitchen hints when you visit www.nestlerecipes.com.ph on the web.

Begin with the easy-to-make meat specialties below and prepare it for your family.

1 kilogram round or rump lean beef

Curing Mix

½ tsp refined salt

½tsp curing salt

1 tsp phosphate

¼ tsp vitamin C powder

¼cup chilled water

Extenders

1 tbsp isolate

1tspcarageenan

¼cup chilled water

Seasonings

¼ cup refined sugar

1 tbsp ground black pepper

¼ cup chopped garlic

2 tbsps anisado wine

2 tsps Magic Sarap

1 tsp Savor Classic to taste

½ tsp meat enhancer

2 tbsps vinegar

1 tbsps soy sauce

Slice pork into desired size. Prepare three stainless bowls, washed and dried. Prepare curing mix in the first stainless bowl by dissolving the following in one-fourth cup chilled water – refined salt, curing salt, phosphate and vitamin C powder. Set aside.

In the second stainless bowl, dissolve the extenders – isolate and carageenan in one-fourth cup chilled water. In the third stainless bowl, put in all the needed ingredients for seasoning and set aside.

Add the sliced meat into the bowl of curing mix and mix until tacky. Add in the extenders and mix well. Add seasonings and mix well until the meat dries up. Cure at room temperature for eight-10 hours or inside the refrigerator for one to two days in white plastic containers. After curing, mix again before packing. Place inside polyethylene bag and store inside the freezer.

700 g ground lean beef or pork

300 g pork back fat

Curing Mix

½ tsp refined salt

½ tsp curing salt

1 tsp phosphate

¼ tsp vitamin C powder

¼ cup chilled water

Extenders

¼ cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)

½ tsp carageenan

¼ cup chilled water

Seasonings

1 cup refined sugar

½ tbsp ground black pepper

3 tbsps chopped garlic

2 tbsps anisado wine

3 tbsps pineapple juice

2 tsps Magic Sarap

¼ tsp meat enhancer

¼ tsp food color, or as desired

1tsp paprika

Grind lean meat and back fat coarsely. Prepare three stainless bowls, washed and dried. Prepare curing mix in the first stainless bowl by dissolving the following in ¼ cup chilled water – refined salt, curing salt, phosphate and vitamin C powder. Set aside.

In the second stainless bowl, dissolve the extenders – isolate and carageenan in one-fourth cup chilled water. In the third stainless bowl, put in all the needed ingredients for seasoning and set aside. Add the ground meat into the bowl of curing mix and mix until tacky. Add in the extenders and mix well. Add seasonings and mix well until the meat dries up.

Cure at room temperature for eight-10 hours or inside the refrigerator for one to two days in white plastic containers.

1 kilogram pork

Curing Mix

1tbsp refined salt

½tsp curing salt

1 tsp phosphate

¼ tsp vitamin C powder

¼ cup chilled water

Extenders

¼ cup chilled water

1 tbsp isolate

1 tsp carageenan

Seasonings

1 ¼ cup refined sugar

2 tbsps chopped garlic

2 tbsps anisado wine

5 tbsps pineapple juice

2 tsps Magic Sarap

¼ tsps food color, or as desired

½ tsp meat enhancer

Select good quality raw ingredients. Slice pork into desired size.

Prepare three stainless bowls, washed and dried. Prepare curing mix in the first stainless bowl by dissolving the following in one-fourth cup chilled water – refined salt, curing salt, phosphate and vitamin C powder. Set aside.

In the second stainless bowl, dissolve the extenders – isolate and carageenan in one-fourth cup chilled water. In the third stainless bowl, put in all the needed ingredients for seasoning and set aside. Add the sliced meat into the bowl of curing mix and mix until tacky. Add in the extenders and mix well. Add seasonings and mix well until the meat dries up.

Cure at room temperature for eight-10 hours or inside the refrigerator for one to two days in white plastic containers. After curing, mix again before packing. Place inside polyethylene bag and store inside the freezer.