Sinigang na Bangus sa Sampaloc (Milkfish in Tamarind Sour broth)

Sinigang is a uniquely Filipino recipe. The sourness, saltiness and the taste of the meat with vegetables uniquely blend together to impart that unique taste. Why not try out for yourselves and experience the simple staples enjoyed by Filipinos frequently? There is an old procedure for extracting the sourness from young tamarind fruits but for this particular recipe I have used the instant version normally found in the local stores. In other countries, there might be some Filipino specialty stores where you can ask for this mix. Just ask for ‘Sinigang sa Sampaloc Mix’.

Ingredients:

2 kg Milkfish, cleaned and cut into serving size

½ kg Swamp cabbage, cleaned very well and cut into serving sizes

6 cloves Garlic, fresh, peeled and crushed

1 pc. Onion, medium, quartered

4 cups Water

1 pack Sinigang sa sampaloc instant mix

½ tsp. Iodized salt

¼ cup Patis (local fish sauce)

1 tbsp. Ginger, fresh, thinly sliced

Cooking Instructions:

Place all the ingredients except the vegetable and the Sinigang sa Sampaloc mix in a large saucepan. Cover and when it starts to boil lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the vegetable and again cover. Continue to maintain the gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. After this time, add the Sinigang mix and stir well. Serve hot with plain steamed rice or enjoy as a hot soup.

Ginataang Tilapia (Tilapia Fish in Coconut Cream Sauce)

Coconut recipes abound in the Bicol region. A province situated east of Manila. It is the location of the major plantations for coconut in the country. It is very interesting place where the majestic Mount Mayon is situated. This recipe which I now share is a variant of the ‘Pesang Tilapia’ recipe which I have shared earlier. Nevertheless, it really tastes different and the origin of the recipe is from entirely different province in the Philippines.

Ingredient:

1 kg Tilapia, scales removed, cleaned

1/4 kg Native pechay

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 pc. Onion, medium, thinly sliced

¼ tsp. Black pepper powder

1 pc. Ginger, fresh, crushed (about a teaspoonful)

¼ cup Coconut vinegar

2 pcs. Long green pepper

1 ½ cup Water for extracting coconut milk

1 pc. Old coconut (Niyog), grated to prepare for extraction of coconut milk (gata)

½ tsp. Iodized salt

Cooking Instruction:

Place the grated coconut in a bowl and add 1 cup of water. Knead and squeeze coconut cream (kakang gata) through a cheese cloth. Set aside and return the residue to the bowl and add the remaining ½ cup of water and again knead. Repeat the extraction procedure using the cheese cloth and set this less rich coconut milk in a separate container.

In a suitable saucepan, add the ginger, garlic, onion, black pepper, fish, salt, the coconut milk that was obtained from the second extraction and the vinegar. Heat until it starts to boil and cover for about five minutes. After five minutes remove cover and let the broth evaporate to a final volume of about ¼ cup. Remove the fish from the pan and set aside. Place the long peppers first followed by the native pechay on the sauce pan, the tougher parts (stalks) of the pechay first followed by the greens on top. Place the fish atop the vegetables and add the coconut cream. When it starts to boil, cover for about five minutes. After five minutes, remove cover and continue heating strongly to reduce the volume of the sauce to about ½ cup. Serve with steamed rice.

Fish Cordon Bleu Spring Rolls

Cordon blue usually employs chicken with fillings of cheese and ham. Spring rolls or ‘lumpia’ is a popular dish which you almost always find in festivities in the Philippines. Sometimes you also find them as part of the ordinary Filipino fare. I have created a recipe which combines the technique making spring rolls with the delicious taste of fish which is accentuated by ham and cheese. Another recipe that has cheese which is one of my favourite food item.

Ingredients:

1 kg Fish fillets (cut into 1 cm width and 7 cm length)

¼ kg Cooked ham (cut into strips almost similar in size as the fish fillets)

Quick melt cheese Cut into strips almost similar in size as the fish fillets)

½ tsp. Black pepper powder

100 pcs. Lumpia wrapper

4 cups Safflower oil (for frying the spring rolls)

Cooking Instruction:

Sprinkle the black pepper powder on the fish fillets and toss to mix well. Wrap in each lumpia wrapper the following in layers. First layer is ham, then cheese in the center and then fish on the top. Seal the spring roll with water and deep fry until the wrapper is golden brown. Place cooked lumpia on paper towels to remove excess fat. Enjoy with ketchup or with sour cream with garlic dip which is prepared as follows:

Sour Cream with Garlic and Herb Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup Sour cream

½ tsp. Garlic powder

½ tsp. Onion powder

1/8 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. Dried chopped basil

½ tsp. Dried chopped marjoram

¼ tsp. Iodized salt

Preparation of the Dip:

In a suitable bowl, fold in all of the ingredients and serve cold as dip for a variety of dishes like for the spring roll recipe on top. You may also enjoy this dip with fried fish fillets, or with various fried meats like chicken or pork chops.

Yellow Tail Fusilier Fillets in Tomato Sauce

'Dalagang bukid' (yellow tail fusilier) is a popular fish in the Philippines which is normally used in several recipes. A very versatile fish for many types of recipes.

Ingredients:

500 grams Dalagang bukid fillets

2 tbsp, Cornstarch

½ tsp. Black pepper powder

½ tsp. Marjoram

½ tsp. Iodized salt

2 tbsp. Safflower oil (for frying the fillets and potatoes)

4 cloves Garlic (minced)

1 pc. Onion (medium, thinly sliced)

1 tbsp. Safflower oil (for sautéing)

½ cup Tomato sauce

1 ½ cups Water

1 pc. Green bell pepper (cut into large strips)

Dash of freshly ground black pepper

Salt to taste

Cooking Instruction:

In a bowl, mix the cornstarch, black pepper, marjoram, and salt. Toss in the fish and mix well to coat every fillets with the cornstarch. Heat the oil in a Teflon coated frying pan and fry the fish fillets until both sides are nicely browned. Set aside on paper towels to remove the excess cooking oil. Fry on the hot oil where the fish fillets were fried the potatoes until both sides are nicely browned too. Add additional oil as needed. Set aside the fried potatoes on top of paper towels to reduce excess oil.

In a suitable saucepan, heat the oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the garlic turns golden brown and the onion starts to caramelize. Add the fried fillets, potatoes, bell pepper, water and the tomato sauce. Boil and lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cover for about 5 minutes. Add the black pepper and salt to taste. Serve with bread or use as rice topping for plain steamed rice.