paksiw-paksiw (fish in vinegar sauce with milk and curry)

Paksiw (fish in vinegar sauce) is one of the famous Philippine dish that every Filipino had in every table at least once a week. The good thing about paksiw is you can you use almost any kind of fish and had many variations but the common thing is that vinegar, ginger, garlic and onion should always be present in this recipe.

I made a few tweaks in the recipe to make it more flavorful and attractive.

Ingredients:

2 pieces medium-size Milkfish (Chanos chanos) (scaled and sliced 3-4 times diagonally), 2 cloves garlic (crushed), 1 bulb onion (sliced), 1 medium-size ginger (peeled and crushed), 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper.

In a casserole, arrange garlic, onion and ginger alternately at the bottom. Place on top of the spices the sliced milkfish, add salt, vinegar and water. Bring to boil in a low flame until half of the liquid is evaporated. Add pepper and evaporated milk with dissolved curry powder. Simmer for 1 minute. Serve while hot!

Milkfish is preferred in this recipe because it is packed with omega 3 fatty acids. Arranging the spices in the bottom assures equal distribution of flavor and if you are using commercially-available vinegar, it is suggested that it should be diluted with water to lessen the acidity of the dish. After adding the milk, it should be stirred and simmered for 1 minute and taken out of the flame right away to prevent lumping of protein in milk.

breakfast in a flash!

I learned this recipe in college where you do not have luxury of time to prepare your breakfast because you woke up late, had to beat the traffic and pass the exam on thermodynamics. Simple yet packed with energy to fuel you in your morning activities!

Ingredients:

4 pieces regular size hotdog (sliced thinly), 2 pieces tomatoes (chopped), 3 pieces medium sized eggs, salt, pepper, vegetable oil.

Beat eggs, add chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper. Heat pan with oil, add sliced hotdogs. Cook for 2 minutes, add beaten eggs with tomatoes, mix for 3 minutes and serve.

This saves time, instead of having an omelette and hotdogs cooked separately. In less than 10 minutes of preparation, you can have your nutritious breakfast in a flash.

grilled milkfish

Weekends are usually family day. I just stay home and enjoy the company of my wife and two kids. It is also time to take a break from work, 4 hours travel by bus every mondays and fridays to Bangaan, Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte, the site of our project and back here in Cagayan de Oro City.

Weekends are usually time for good food. Food that should be easy to prepare yet can really fill up your stomach up to your throat. Just kidding! So I thought of grilling fish for lunch.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized Milkfish (Chanos chanos), 3 cloves garlic (chopped), 1 bulb onion (chopped), 1 piece tomato (chopped), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon margarine.

Descale the milkfish, slice the fish into half on the dorsal side, remove entrails. Wash thoroughly. Mix the garlic, onion, tomato and season with salt. Fill the half of the fish with the mix and wrap with aluminum foil that is previously brushed with margarine. This is to prevent the fish from sticking to the foil. Set aside for 15 minutes for the spices to blend with the fish.

To avoid hassle of preparing the charcoal for grilling, another option is grilling it straight with your gas burner. Put your grill one 1 inch above the flame, and turn the wrapped fish 4 times every 4 minutes. Open the foil only when ready to eat. Best served with 1:1 proportion of vinegar and soy sauce with chili.

My Uncle Edoy's "ADOBO del Diablo"!

There are many versions of adobo. Every Filipino knows this dish but it's origin cannot be traced. All I know is that this mouth-watering dish, cooked by my Uncle Edoy when I was still young really makes you dash to the dining table and beg for more!!!

Fortunately, every time he cooks adobo, I always look at every detail he does and always asked questions in every steps he make. I refined his procedure and let me share with you now the ADOBO del DIABLO!

Ingredients:

Garlic - 3 cloves (chopped), Onion - 1 bulb (chopped), Vegetable Oil - 2 Tablespoon, Vinegar - 1/2 cup, Soy Sauce - 1/2 cup, Pork (belly/shank) - 1 kg (cubed), Brown Sugar - 2 Teaspoons, Ground Peppercorn, Bayleaf - 2-3 leaves

First is sauteing the garlic and onion in vegetable oil until garlic is golden brown and onion is translucent. This would get the essential oils out from the garlic and onion to the vegetable oil giving it flavor and aroma that will be transfered to the meat. Add the pork, vinegar, soy sauce, ground peppercorn, and bayleaf. Mix thoroughly and cover the pan. Heat in low fire.

Pork meat should be at least 30% fat 70% lean. Fat provides more flavor and has a high satiety value. A 1:1 ratio of vinegar and soy sauce gives you a perfect blend of sourness and saltiness that will reach the inner part of the meat. Amount of ground peppercorn depends on your taste, we like it a little bit spicy, thus we add 1 teaspoon.

After 80% of the liquid mix is evaporated, add the brown sugar, mix again with the ladle until a sticky syrup appears.

Remove from fire right away to prevent sugar from burning, and best served hot with rice and ice cold STRONG beer! Enjoy and as we always say " HAPPY EATING"!