Asia’s Songbird Ms. Regine Velasquez-Alcasid is a lot of things — a diva, a host, a wife, and a mother, but she never thought that she could also be a home cook with her own show and recipe book.
“Oo nga…hindi ko inakala ‘yon, kasi I didn't know how to cook before,” she admitted during the press launch of Bongga sa Kusina: Recipes from Sarap Diva that was co-presented by PLDT Home. She was so inept in the kitchen that she joked about not even knowing how to boil water. “Maski tubig masusunog ko. But because I wanted so much to take care of my husband – siyempre nagpapa-cute pa ako sa asawa ko – kinarir ko ‘yong pagluluto and I actually loved it.”
The want to make her husband Ogie Alcasid and son Nathan happy was what encouraged her to explore the kitchen. “At the beginning, a lot of it was experimental,” Regine shared. “A lot of [my dishes] were not successful and not all of them were edible… You have to keep cooking and then masasanay ka, and then you’ll come up with dishes na hindi mo alam kung saan nanggagaling. So gan'on lang ‘yon. You need to find your inspiration, and mine is my family.”
Her new-found passion gave birth to a TV show on GMA7 called Sarap Diva, where she usually invites celebrity guests to cook their signature dishes. "Sarap Diva has been on air for four years now, so we’ve collected a lot of recipes. Natutuwa ako na kasali [sila] sa isang cook book.”
Published by Summit Books in partnership with GMA7, Bongga sa Kusina: Recipes from Sarap Diva is a collection of many recipes collated by Regine and Chef Jonah Trinidad through years of culinary experiments and celebrity guestings. Fans can duplicate many kitchen delights that the diva herself concocted, including Tapa Fabulosa, which is one of her specialties:
Regine’s Tapa Fabulosa
Preparation Time: 24 hours
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serving Size: 8 – 10 persons
Ingredients:
- 1 kilogram batok ng baka, bacon cut
- 1 cube beef broth, crushed
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 head garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
- Marinate batok in beef broth, sugar, and garlic overnight.
- Heat oil in pan then sauté beef until lightly brown.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with steamed or buttered vegetables, steamed rice, or mashed potatoes.
Bongga sa Kusina: Recipes from Sarap Diva is available at newsstands and in bookstores, supermarkets, and convenience stores nationwide for only P395.
