CRIZ BON APPETITE

As a consumer, we have to be aware on whatever we put onto our plate. However, most people tend to take their food for granted without knowing the source behind each ingredient and how beneficial it is to our health. One such ingredient is the potatoes. Potatoes are the third most important food crop in the world, just after rice and wheat and the leading vegetable crop in the United States. They are also grown in over 125 countries in the world at different sea level, from lowlands to highlands. Many consumers, especially those calorie-sensitive ones had always deemed potatoes as the main culprit behind their failed diet plans. Controversially, potatoes are healthy to consume but it’s the cooking methods and ingredients used that matter most. To clear the myths behind the consumption of potatoes, Potatoes USA (formerly known as US Potato Board) had recently on 26 August 2017, launched an awareness program at The Wembley, Penang, to highlight the nutrients found in potatoes with hands-on live shows on cooking potatoes in healthy ways. Guests speakers included Mr. William Tan, Marcom Manager of Penang Chef Association, Mr. Richard Lieu, Trade Promotions Director of US Potatoes, Ms. Khoo An Jo, practicing dietitian from a leading hospital and none other than our Celebrity Chef of the Day, Chef Audee Cheah, President of Penang Chef Association. It was an enjoyable, fun-filled and knowledgeable program for many bloggers and guests.

There are actually 5 categories of US Potatoes products offered, namely Fresh/Table-stock Potatoes (Russet Potatoes, White Potatoes, Round Red Potatoes, Yellow Flesh Potatoes, Blue Purple Potatoes, Fingerling Potatoes & Petite Potatoes), Frozen Potatoes (Whole Frozen Baked Potatoes, Frozen Half Shells, Frozen Wedges, Frozen Mashed Potatoes, Individually Quick Frozen aka IQF Shreds, IQF Dices, Frozen Straight Cut Fries, Frozen Crinkle Cut Fries, Loop/Curly Fries, Lattice/Basket Weave Cuts, Tater Drums & IQF Hash Brown Patties), Chipping Potatoes (There are 15 US chip-stock varieties available throughout the year for your potato chip products’ needs), Dehydrated Potatoes (Standard Flakes, Low Peel/Low Leech Potato Flakes, Standard Granules, Mashed Potatoes Mixes, Slices/Dices/Shreds, Granular & Fine Flour) and Seed Potatoes (All seed that is exported also meets U.S. seed potato export standards established by the United States Department of Agriculture). You can see some of the samples and brands as displayed on the table here. These ingredients can be easily bought off the shelves of major retail stores throughout Malaysia. To find out more, do check out the Potatoes USA website.

After a short introductory message by Mr. William Tan, a welcoming message by Mr. Richard Lieu, and a short presentation by Ms. Khoo An Jo on the myths and nutritional benefits of potatoes where we finally found out that potatoes contribute key nutrients to our diet, in which included Vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber. In fact, potatoes have a more favorable overall nutrient-to-price ratio than many other vegetables and are an important staple worldwide. We then adjourned to watch the live cooking demonstration by Chef Audee Cheah. Some of the bloggers were chosen to participate in the cooking as well.

Chef Audee Cheah churned out 4 simple and incredible dishes for us to try out, namely U.S. Potatoes and Prawn Kerabu, Curry Chicken Stuff U.S. Potatoes, Kimchi Seaweed U.S. Lattice Cut Fries and Chili Flavoured U.S. Potatoes Wedges in Lettuce Cups. We also had the opportunity to try out some of the potato products pepped up by the hotel, together with some beautifully concocted dipping sauces.

You can click to view or download the recipes below.

On top of that, I also managed to pep up a recipe by using US Russet potatoes. It’s Spicy Tamarind Russet Potatoes with Whitebaits. It can be real addictive. You can also download the recipe below.

It was indeed a great experience for all the attendees. Not only did they gain more knowledge in the awareness program, everyone went home with some Russet potato samples and gift pack. Thank you Potatoes USA for a great evening~ 🙂

About Potatoes USA: Potatoes USA is the marketing organization for the 2,500 commercial potato growers operating in the United States. The organization promotes five main potato products, namely fresh table-stock potatoes, fresh chipping potatoes, seed potatoes, frozen potato products and dehydrated potato products. They do not directly sell potatoes and potato products but offers services that help their customers all around the world to increase demand for potatoes. Potatoes USA has invested heavily in marketing and product management research to bring you information that grows your business.