With cabbage being sold at around ₱10 to ₱15 per kilo, many Benguet farmers are personally bringing their harvests to different parts of Baguio City in hopes of breaking even or earning even a small profit. One simple way households can help is to buy more locally grown cabbage and turn it into affordable, delicious meals.
Cabbage has long been one of Benguet’s most familiar vegetables. It is affordable, versatile, filling, and easy to cook. But for many farmers, especially in vegetable-producing areas like Atok and La Trinidad, cabbage is also a livelihood.
At the moment, cabbage is being sold in some areas for around ₱10 to ₱15 per kilo. In several parts of Baguio City, some farmers have taken it upon themselves to bring their produce closer to consumers, personally parking along roadsides and public areas to sell directly. For many of them, the goal is not even a big profit, but simply to recover part of their expenses, break even, or earn a small amount from their harvest.
For ordinary consumers, one practical way to help is simple: buy local cabbage, cook it often, and encourage others to do the same.
Here are 10 easy cabbage recipes you can make at home.
Ingredients:
How to cook:
Sauté garlic, onion, and tomato. Add sardines and let it simmer for a few minutes. Add sliced cabbage and cook until slightly soft but still crunchy. Season with salt and pepper.
Why it works:
It is budget-friendly, fast, and perfect with hot rice.
Ingredients:
How to cook:
Beat eggs in a bowl. Add cabbage, onion, salt, and pepper. Pour into a hot pan with oil and cook like an omelet until both sides are golden.
Why it works:
This is a good breakfast, baon, or quick dinner dish.
Ingredients:
How to cook:
Sauté garlic, onion, cabbage, carrots, and optional protein. Let the mixture cool. Wrap in lumpia wrappers and fry until crispy.
Why it works:
A crispy snack or ulam that makes cabbage more exciting for kids.
Ingredients:
How to cook:
Sauté garlic and onion. Add corned beef and cook for a few minutes. Add cabbage and stir-fry until tender-crisp.
Why it works:
It is simple, filling, and uses pantry ingredients.
Ingredients:
How to cook:
Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, or until soft enough to roll. Cut off the root end of the enoki mushrooms and separate them into small bundles.
Place a bundle of enoki mushrooms on each cabbage leaf, then roll tightly, folding the sides inward like lumpia. Arrange the rolls in a pan, add ½ cup water, cover, and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
Add garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper, and the cornstarch slurry to the pan. Simmer until the sauce thickens, then spoon the sauce over the rolls. Add sesame oil, chili flakes, or spring onions if desired.
Why it works:
This turns simple cabbage into a light but elegant dish. The cabbage becomes soft and slightly sweet, while the enoki adds texture and a delicate mushroom flavor. It is easy enough for home cooking but special enough to serve for family meals or gatherings.
Ingredients:
How to cook:
Mix cabbage, egg, flour, water, salt, and pepper into a thick batter. Pan-fry in small rounds until both sides are golden.
Why it works:
It is similar to a simple vegetable pancake and can be served with mayo, ketchup, or soy sauce.
Ingredients:
How to make:
Place the sliced cabbage in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes until the cabbage softens slightly. Rinse lightly and drain well.
In another bowl, mix garlic, ginger, chili flakes, sugar, fish sauce or soy sauce, and vinegar. Add the cabbage and mix until well coated. Add carrots, spring onions, or sesame seeds if desired.
You can serve it right away as a quick side dish, or place it in a clean container and refrigerate for a few hours for better flavor.
Why it works:
This gives cabbage a bold, spicy, and tangy flavor similar to kimchi, but in a simpler homemade version. It is a good side dish for rice meals, grilled meat, fried food, ramen, or samgyup-style meals at home.
Ingredients:
How to cook:
Sauté garlic and cabbage. Add rice and mix well. Push rice to one side and scramble the egg. Mix everything together and season with soy sauce and pepper.
Why it works:
A good way to stretch leftovers and add vegetables to a simple meal.
Ingredients:
How to make:
Mix mayonnaise, vinegar or calamansi juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add cabbage and carrots. Chill before serving.
Why it works:
Fresh, crunchy, and great with fried dishes, sandwiches, burgers, or grilled meat.
Ingredients:
How to cook:
Sauté garlic and onion in a pot. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned. Pour in water or chicken broth and let it simmer until the chicken is cooked. Add elbow macaroni and cook until tender, then add carrots and cabbage.
Once the vegetables are cooked, pour in evaporated milk and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for a few more minutes, stirring gently so the milk does not burn.
Why it works:
Sopas is comforting, familiar, and easy to prepare in large batches. Adding cabbage makes it more filling and helps families use more local vegetables in a dish that both kids and adults can enjoy.
Buying a few kilos of cabbage may seem small, but when more households, restaurants, carinderias, schools, and offices do the same, it can help move more produce from farms to kitchens.
Cabbage is also easy to store. Keep it in the refrigerator, wrapped or placed in a vegetable bag, and it can last for several days. You can use it for soups, stir-fries, fried rice, lumpia, omelets, salads, sopas, and side dishes.
Supporting local farmers does not always require a big program. Sometimes, it begins with choosing local vegetables at the market, cooking them at home, and encouraging others to do the same.
So the next time you see Benguet cabbage being sold, consider buying extra. Turn it into a simple meal, share a recipe, and help our farmers one dish at a time.
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