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.

Ginataang Sugpo at Gulay (Large Prawns and Vegetables in Coconut Milk)

In the eastern part of the Philippines is Bicol region which is known for its Mayon Volcano and pili nuts. It is also well known source of ‘Abaca’ or ‘Manila Hemp’. The art of making articles from Abaca is highly refined in the said region too. Pili nuts I believe only grow in the particular place. You may not find this nut elsewhere in the world. It has that unique flavour which is very distinct. Also, the resin obtained from the tree of the nut is an important commodity for perfumery. France even imports the material crude and they do the production of what is known as ‘Elemi Oil’ which is a very important perfumery ingredient. You may not be aware but the base note of most of the well known designer fragrance is due to the elemi oil incorporated in the product. Truly one of the perfumer’s secret. Also, there are many interesting things that can be sensed when visiting the place. One most noticeable variation among the Philippine’s regional cuisine is that in the particular locality, they are fond of using coconut milk in most of their cooking as well as chillies. The hottest and spiciest foods in the Philippines are normally enjoyed in this locality. Truly an entirely different gastronomic experience! One well known recipe is called Bicol Express which is composed of thinly sliced pork with coconut milk, bagoong (shrimp paste), and chilli of course. I thought of how to create something inspired from the recipe and made this ‘Ginataang sugpo at Gulay’ which translates to ‘Prawns with Vegetables in Coconut Milk’. Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 kg Large prawns (tiger prawn variety is preferred if available as is used in this recipe, deveined with shells intact (trim off excess parts)

500 g Squash (sliced)

500 g String beans (cut into 4 inch pieces)

5 cloves Garlic (skins removed and pressed)

1 pc. Onion (medium, thinly sliced)

¼ tsp. Black peppercorns

¼ tsp. Black pepper powder

1 inch. Ginger (fresh about an inch in length and 1 cm diameter, peeled and pressed)

1/3 tsp. Iodized salt

½ tsp. Sugar

1 pc. Coconut (fresh, grated)

5 pieces Green long peppers (sliced just before addition to the recipe)

Cooking Instructions:

Prepare the coconut milk –

In a bowl, place the grated coconut and add ½ cup of hot water. Be careful for it is hot!

Allow to stand and when the temperature becomes bearable to handle. Knead using bare hands and collect the first press coconut milk by squeezing the mixture through the cheesecloth. Set aside the liquid collected. This is called ‘kakang gata’ in Filipino. This is the richest coconut milk you can get from the fruit. Again return the residue on the bowl and add 1 glass of tap water and knead well. Again repeat collection of the coconut milk through the cheesecloth. This second pressing is less rich and is used in the first step of cooking. Set aside separately from the first pressing.

Cooking the rest of the ingredients-

Heat a cast iron saucepan and place on it the salt, garlic, ginger, and onion. Mix and press the mixture on the hot iron until the mixture starts to become brown and some of the juice sticks to the saucepan and starts to brown. Be careful not to allow it to get burned.

Add the second pressed coconut milk, vegetables and black pepper. At this point you may add more salt to taste. Allow to boil and cook the vegetables until medium done. Add the green long peppers and mix. Place the prawns on top of the mixture and cover. Allow to cook for about three minutes. Add the prawns and the coconut from the first pressing. Boil to reduce the liquid to about ¾ cup. Serve with plain steamed rice. Savour the uniqueness of the food prepared the authentic way from the Bicol region. For those who become interested with the place. I invite everyone to go there and experience being in Bicol for yourselves. Trust me you will have a wealth of experiences that will truly add to your adventure which you can speak of to your friends...

Chicken Noodle Soup

What to do with all those excess pasta when you happen to prepare more that what is needed for your usual pasta dishes? Well I think one of the easiest thing to do is to turn them into chicken noodle soup. Simple ingredients can sometimes make a hearty soup which you can enjoy for dinner with bread.

Ingredients:

½ kg Chicken breast (cut into thin strips)

¾ tsp. Iodized salt

1/3 cup Evaporated milk

4 cups. Water

2 tbsp. Garlic (minced)

1 pc. Onion (medium, sliced thinly)

½ tsp. Black pepper (powder)

1 tbsp. Safflower oil

2 cups. Leftover pasta (cooked)

Cooking Instruction:

Heat oil in pressure cooker and sauté garlic and onion until garlic is golden brown and onion starts to caramelize. Toss in the chicken and stir. Cook for 1 minute and add the salt, black pepper, and water. Cover and pressure cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off the flame and allow to cool normally. Do not vent the steam, the additional time for normal cooling is used for further cooking to extract as much of the flavour as possible. Open the pressure cooker after cooling down which takes about 10-15 minutes and skim off any fat that may float to reduce the fat content of the dish. Add the milk and turn on the heat. Toss in the cooked pasta and heat so that the broth starts to boil. Continue boiling for about a minute and turn off the heat. Serve hot with bread.