One great foodie find in Instagram

Vegetarian fortune bags

Instagram is no longer just for photo sharing. It is now also a great marketplace.

It has happened many times that I see a really yummy photo and impulsively call the number for orders.

Sometimes, I feel misled—the product turns out not as delicious as it looked in the photo.

Sometimes, though, I chance upon something really good and can’t wait to share the finds myself.

One example of a great find is @chinamommyph. I tried their Chinese lumpia and crabs last Sunday and I was blown away.

After calling the number on the Instagram page, I learned it’s just a micro business taking orders via Instagram that operates from the home kitchen of Linda Co.

I spoke to the son, Oliver, who is the genius and generous foodpreneur sharing his mom’s cooking with the world.

Oliver shares his mom would cook at least five dishes every Sunday for the kids and grand kids. Then they would post photos of what they would eat on Facebook and other social media where friends would usually comment. “Then someone asked if they can order, and the rest is history!” he says.

There were three items that were family Sunday staples for the Cos, Oliver recalls: The miswa or birthday noodles, crabs and Chinese lumpia.

The miswa is an heirloom recipe, Oliver explains. It is traditionally eaten on the morning of someone’s birthday. The recipe for this has been passed down from generation to generation.

The Chinese lumpia, which I tried last Sunday, is so good. I used to make the effort to drive to Chinatown just to eat at Po Heng on Quintin Paredes when I needed to get my Chinese lumpia fix. I am so happy to learn that now I can just call a number and have it picked up via Grab or Lalamove. It is priced at P2,800 per order; but that makes around 20 large rolls (I’ve been eating lumpia all week). This is another recipe that China Mommy learned from her parents, who hail from Fujian, China.

The crabs are another bestseller. I am particularly drawn to the recipe with sotanghon. Apparently this was not on the original list of specialties but China Mommy learned to make it because her husband Hamilton loved crabs. It is also worthy to note that not only are the crabs good but the sotanghon is also flavorful.

Linda Co is China Mommy

They have also added in the menu crabs in China Mommy special sauce and crabs in special curry sauce. Oliver explains the latter was added because when he was based in Bangkok, his mom loved the Thai curry crabs and was inspired to make her own version. Their crabs sell at P6,700-P6,900 per tray. Each tray contains four pieces totaling about 3-3.2 kilos.

Linda cooks not only for her family but also for the Buddhist community in the Ocean Sky Chan Monastery in San Juan. She volunteers every Saturday. She would go to the kitchen of the monastery and cook whatever ingredients are donated. She is tasked to come up with eight to 10 dishes every Saturday. Since most in the monastery are vegetarian, she learned to make what they called fortune bags which have mushrooms and veggies daintily wrapped in tofu skin looking like a money bag. Later, she started cooking it as well for her family, adding minced pork and shrimps. It is now one of the bestsellers in their menu.

Her volunteering at the monastery must be the source of her good karma. Since they started their Instagram business, @chinamommyph now receives around 40 orders every weekend.

Make that 41 because I believe I will be ordering from them every week from now on.

For orders, follow @chinamommyph on Instagram and Facebook. Or call 0917-5148540. Requests for vegetarian options may be accommodated. Orders should be placed two days prior to pickup date. All orders are on pickup basis only in Ortigas (although you may contact Lalamove to deliver for you). Crab prices may fluctuate based on market price.