LABONG TAN SALUYOT (LABONG AND SALUYOT)

3-4 cups water
1 medium ginger, peeled and sliced
1/2 kilo labong, thinly, finely sliced
1 bundle of saluyout leaves
fried fish (preferably Bonuan Bangus)
2 tbsp. fish paste (bagoong)
1 tbsp. fish sauce (patis)

In a large pot, boil labong with 1 liter of water. Simmer and covered until almost tender, about 30-40 minutes. Remove heat and drain. Set aside.

In a separate pot, simmer the ginger with 3-4 cups of water. Then add the labong, fish paste and fish sauce.

Add the saluyot leaves and fried fish. Cook for 5 minutes more.

Then serve hot with steaming white rice.

All things should be done fast and all things should be done simple. This rams me to plan and cook meals which are fast and simple. No long hours of boiling, no demanding garnishes, no endless cooking time, no tiresome slicing, chopping and stirring.

HALABOS NA HIPON or HIPONG HALABOS is the most easiest and fastest to cook shrimp. It is a popular Philippine recipe cooked for about 10-15 minutes served to a family simple meal to a grand fiesta. Halabos na Hipon is the easiest yet the most delicious way to  cook and eat shrimp with a desired dip. Halabos na Hipon’s best dip for me is the combination of vinegar, boneless fish sauce and minced garlic.

HALABOS NA HIPON (HIPONG HALABOS)

1 kilo medium sized or large shrimps
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. salt

Trim whiskers of each shrimp.

Wash shrimps with running water and drain.

Place shrimp in a large skillet and season with salt. Pour on water.

Cook on a medium heat, stirring occasionally until water is being dissolved.

Serve with steaming hot rice and your favorite dip.

FRIED FISH FILLET is the easiest way to cook fish. I prefer buying a whole fish like Lapu-lapu, Labahita or Yellow Fin rather and fillet them at home than buying the ready to cook fish fillets at grocery. To some, it is Fish Fillet, Fish Cutlets, Fish Nuggets, Fish Croquets. Whatever it should be called, it is a fried fish meat and dipped in a sauce or dressing.

FRIED FISH FILLET

1 kilo labahita, lapu-lapu or yellow fin (which I used)
1 cup flour
3 beaten eggs
4 calamansi
Salt
Pepper

Clean fish with running water. Drain with absorbent paper.

Make individual fish fillets separated from bones.

Rub with calamansi juice, salt and pepper. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.

Dip in beaten eggs and roll in flour.

Fry over slow fire until fish fillet is golden brown.

Serve with desired dip.

Cutting down oily, sweet and salty foods doesn’t mean one should already suffer eating bland, boring and plain meals. Eating should never be a burden. White meats like chicken, vegetables, fish, lean meats can always be on the plate as long as everything is served well-balanced.

Low in fat, easy and quick to cook, high in essential minerals and protein – these are the great benefits about fish. And I just realized that it is only the fishes that we prepare, cook and serve with its face. Yeah, we never see a head-on chicken on our plates, more so with any parts of cow or pig.

SWEET AND SOUR FISH is a crispy yet amazingly poured with a thick, red sauce topped with sliced vegetables. I used TILAPIA for this recipe for its all-year round availability, low-priced and versatility. Crispy yet amazingly light makes this SWEET AND SOUR FISH (TILAPIA) wonderful feast for family and friends.

SWEET AND SOUR FISH (TILAPIA)

2-3 large tilapia
cooking oil
salt
flour

3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
3 medium onions, peeled and quatered
1 tbsp. ginger, peeled and minced
3 tbsp. rice vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 cup chicken, vegetable or fish broth
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup pineapple tidbits

Wash tilapias with running water. Remove scales scraping the fish from tail to head with a knife. Slice from gills to vent. remove entrails (internal organs) with your fingers.

Make sure everything is removed. Wash with running water. Cut fins and wash again. Drain.

Whisk cornstarch and water in a shallow bowl. Set aside.

Place flour and a pinch of salt in a shallow bowl. Heat cooking oil in a large skillet in a medium heat. Dredge tilapia one at a time in the flour mixture, shake off the excess and slip into the skillet. Fry until browned. Flip on the other side and fry until lightly browned. Fry remaining tilapias. Then, set aside.

In a large wok or skillet, heat 2 tbsp. oil, add ginger, garlic and onion. Saute about 30 seconds.

Add rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice and broth. Bring mixture to a simmer.

Add pineapple tidbits, red bell pepper, carrots

Whisk in the cornstarch mixture, constantly stirring until thickened. Then, remove from heat.

Place tilapias on a serving platter. Pour on the thickened sauce over them.

Serve your SWEET AND SOUR FISH with steaming hot rice.

Bonuan Bangus is one of the craze in city of Dagupan, cooked in many different ways – grilled, fried, sinigang, deboned, relleno, kilawin, paksiw, daing, broiled and baked. Dagupan city is well-known for being the best producer of the best tasting milkfish (bangus)in the world, among many other seafoods. But just be sure to buy Dagupan’s Bonuan Bangus from your trusted fish supplier or vendor because some label their bangus as Dagupan Bonuan Bangus yet come from other places and tastes different. The real Bonuan bangus tastes really good. If by chance, you come to visit or pass through the city, don’t forget to try and experience the delectable taste of the real Bonuan Bangus,

Last night, I cooked Paksiw na Bangus which is one the of the easiest way of to cook bangus. It will only take about 10-15 to cook it. Paksiw na Bangus is a native Filipino fish dish dashed with the sour aroma of vinegar and spice of ginger, onion and garlic. You can also use other fish like tuna or tilapia if Bonuan Bangus is not in the fridge.

PAKSIW NA BANGUS

1 medium Bonuan Bangus
1 small ginger, peeled and crushed
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
2 or 3 cloves garlics, peeled and crushed
1 cup vinegar
¼ cup water
1 tsp. fish sauce (patis)
Salt and pepper

Wash, clean and scale fish and drain. Set aside

Place all the ingredients at the bottom of a casserole.

Blend thoroughly by circling the pan and until salt is dissolved.

Put the fish on the casserole.

Cook on a low heat, covered for about 10-15 minutes or until fish’s eyes turned white.

Serve hot with steaming white rice.

Since all I want is fish and the rest of the waters, I did something similar with the Pinaputok na Bangus I have learned when I was working at Leisure Coast Resort. Instead wrapping the fish with foil and fry it, I turbo broiled the fish after seasoning it.

I had my finger-crossed while cooking the fish, hoping my TURBO BROILED BANGUS (milkfish) will turn out great. And after the waiting and broiling, yes, it was fantastically cooked! The TURBO BROILED BANGUS is a must-try if you have turbo broiler at home.

TURBO BROILED BANGUS (milkfish)

Bangus (milkfish)
tomatoes, quartered
onions, peeled and quartered
onion leeks, chopped
ground pepper
salt

Remove scales of fish. Cut the fish lengthwise along the back. Remove gills and intestines. Wash thoroughly with running water. Drain and lay on a flat dish. Set aside.

Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the fish and fold the fish in half.

Place the fish on a rack inside the turbo broiler. Set timer to 30 minutes and temperature to 220 degrees F.

Serve hot with soy sauce and calamansi on the side.

Filipino Cuisine ranges in diverse selections. This extends from meat, vegetable, native and seafood fare. And because of the high price of pork, beef and other meats, most households prepare and cook fish for their families. As our country is consists of more than 7,000 islands and is being embraced by waters, fish is very common not only in the waters but in the markets as well. Fish is an excellent source of protein and also contains calcium. Nutritionists advise eating fish two to three meals per week, with a low-fat diet, for that good health of the heart.

The most popular fish, I may claim, is the Galunggong or known as Mackerel Scad. Galunggong/Mackarel Scad is the most common fish in the market and tagged as the poor-man’s fish because it is a lot cheaper compared to other fishes like Bangus, Lapu-lapu, Salmon and Tuna. Although Galunggong is low-priced, one can be satisfied since it is easy to cook, tasty and fleshy. Breaking away with the customary cooking and eating Fried Galunggong, I thought adding and cooking it in a thick tausi sauce or also known as fermented black beans and salted black beans. You can also use other fishes like Lapu-lapu and Bangus.

Tausi, Douchi in Chinese term, is most popular in the cuisine of China, and is used to make black bean sauce. Tausi is made by fermenting and salting the soybeans. The beans turn black, soft, and mostly dry. Tausi flavor is sharp, pungent, and spicy in smell. Tausi taste is salty and kinda bitter and sweet. Tausi can be bought in condiments section of your local grocery stores.

In passing, just make sure fishes you get from the market are fresh. Fish eyes should be clear, bright and has no red marks in them. The gills are vividly red and no foul, spoiled or tainted odor.

1 Kilo Galunggong (Mackarel Scad)

vegetable oil
garlic, minced
onion, minced
ginger, minced
1/2 cup tausi (Salted Black Beans)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 1 cup water
sugar
salt

1. Clean fish by removing fills and intestines by pulling them out. Wash them with running water.No need to scale them off because they not have scales.
2. Dash fish with salt and fry them in vegetable oil in a frying pan. When fried, set aside.
3. Sautee garlic, ginger and onion in vegetable oil. Add tausi, soy sauce and sugar. Sautee for about 2 minutes then add the cornstarch mixture. Leave for few minutes until sauce thickens.
4. Drop the fried galunggong. Cook for another minute and remove from fire. Serve.