Since we are celebrating the holidays under “new normal” circumstances, it would be good to consider new ideas to spice up your traditional Christmas food menu. There are a lot of dishes that are a “must” on your Christmas table, but you may want to check out these new dishes that can easily be alternatives to your holiday handaan. Also, they are just as special but not as complex and expensive to make.

Many will shy away from making Bringhe as it looks complicated to prepare, but in this Seafood Bringhe recipe, you just need one hour to serve this festive dish in a platter. Bringhe is the Filipino-style Paella made of glutinous malagkit rice. The appetizing yellow rice is flavored with onion, garlic, turmeric, chorizo, and coconut milk. This is seasoned with AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning to enhance and bring out the natural deliciousness of the dish.

Instead of the usual chicken meat, this recipe calls for the sweet and salty flavors from fresh mussels, clams, and squid rings. This dish is also topped with carrots, bell peppers, and hard-boiled egg. Click here for the full recipe. Best of all this recipe for 10 pax costs only a little over 500 pesos.

Get ready to showcase this edible holiday centerpiece! This Adobo Maki tree will not only make an interesting Instagram post, but it will also make your loved ones swoon with delight. Maki is a Japanese dish described as a rice cylinder wrapped in nori sheet and cut into bite-size rolls. Typical Japanese maki is stuffed with raw seafood, bits and pieces of fruit or vegetable and condiments.

To make this recipe appeal to Pinoy households, this Adobo Maki recipe features our well-loved adobo flakes made more garlicky with AJI-SHIO® Garlic Seasoning Mix. The wonderful combination of sweet, sour, salty, and umami tastes makes this Christmas dish a sure hit with the whole family.

The Adobo Maki recipe is likewise easier to handle because we will use thoroughly-cooked ingredients and not raw ingredients. Perhaps the challenge is confined to assembling all of these in a cylinder roll. If you do not have a sushi roller, you can wrap a thin towel with cling/plastic wrap and use as an improvised sushi roller.

Click here for the full recipe. With  ₱323, you can make this recipe for 10 people.

Try these new favorites and check out our next blog for more Christmas food ideas.