Steamed Milkfish With Tomatoes & Chili Garlic Sauce

INGREDIENTS :

* 1 whole milkfish (thawed, scaled and gutted)
* 1 tomato, sliced lengthwise
* 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
* a small piece of ginger, chopped finely
* few drizzles of sesame oil
* salt and pepper
* 4 tbsp (depends how hot you like it) of chili garlic sauce
* 3 tbsp of oyster sauce


Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a bowl, whisk together the garlic, ginger, chili garlic sauce and oyster sauce.Set aside.

Score (cut) both sides of the fish diagonally. I did 2 on each.

Drizzle both sides of fish with the sesame oil.

Then season both sides with salt and pepper.

Lay the fish on a piece of foil, large enough to cover a baking pan.

Brush both sides of the fish with the chili garlic sauce and oyster sauce mixture. Try to put some sauce inside the fish too (in the head and stomach). Distribute any remaining sauce as well as the slices tomatoes on the sides.

Using another piece of foil, cover the fish, folding the 4 sides to cover making sure there’s a tent-like shape on top which allows the fish to steam. Gently transfer the foil covered fish on a baking pan. Put it in the oven. Steam for 25-35 minutes.

Bangus and broccoli stir fry

Ingredients :

1 400-g. pack of bangus belly fillets
1 tbsp. of finely minced garlic
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, cut into thin rings (half circles if the carrot is large)
about 3 c. of broccoli florets
2. c. of cooking oil
salt and pepper
3/4 c. of flour
1 tbsp. of tapioca or cornstarch
1 c. of fish or vegetable broth
2 tbsps. of oyster sauce
1/2 tsp. of sugar
1/2 tsp. of sesame seed oil
Cooking procedure :

Cut the bangus belly fillets into small pieces, about 2 by 2 inches. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the cooking oil in a wok until it starts to smoke. Dredge each piece of bangus in flour, shake off the excess and deep fry until golden. Fry in batches if your cooking pan isn’t big enough to accommodate them all at the same time. Drain on absorbent paper towels.

Pour off the cooking oil until only about a tablespoonful remains. Stir fry the carrot and broccoli for about a minute. Add the garlic and onion and stir fry for another 15 seconds. Return the bangus fillets to the pan and toss lightly.

Mix together the broth, oyster sauce, starch, sesame seed oil and sugar. Pour into the cooking pan with the fish and vegetables. Cook, stirring, just until the sauce thickens.

Serve at once. Best with hot rice.

Bangus Bistik

Ingredients:

* 8 pcs of calamansi, cut in half, juices squeezed and without the seeds.
* 4 spoons of soy sauce
* 500 grams or a pack of boneless bangus belly cut into 5 or 6 parts
* minced garlic, lots of them
* 1 big onion, sliced into rings
* a spoon of margarine or butter
* a pinch or two of ground pepper
* cooking oil


Marinate bangus in a mixture of calamansi and soy sauce. Note that the ratio is 2 pieces of calamansi to 1 spoon of soy sauce should you wish to have more sauce. It is best if you marinate this overnight but an hour will do if pressed for time.

In a big frying pan on medium heat, saute garlic in a tablespoon of oil. Once again, do not let it turn brown. Take pan out of the fire and scoop out the cooked garlic using a spoon. Leave the oil in the pan and set aside the garlic for later.

Next, saute the onion rings in the same pan depending on how cooked you want them then scoop them out and set them aside. Add another teaspoonof oil in the pan if needed.

Now take the bangus out of the marinade.

Fry the bangus until you can see the edges are slightly burnt (dark brown, not black). Once the meat is done, you may pour in all of the marinade. At this point you may stir in the onions, or top them later when serving. Or, you may stir in half, and top half of the onions. Make sure the marinade covers all of the meat pieces. Once it boils, turn the heat off.

Put them all on your serving plate and bring back the pan on the fire. Put your spoonful of margarine or butter on the pan and let it melt, then add the cooked garlic. Turn it off right away when it boils and add some ground pepper and stir with a spoon.

Spoon all that buttery garlic goodness over the finished product. For some, they prefer to add the margarine or butter to the oil before frying the meat and just top the toasted garlic later when serving so you may go that route too.

Bangus Sisig

Ingredients:

1/3 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tbsp. cracked peppercorns
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. liquid seasoning
1/2 tsp. chili powder a pinch sugar
1 1/2 tbsps. oyster sauce
1 1/2 cups deboned and diced likod ng bangus or pre-packed boneless bangus
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsps. oil 1 tsp. garlic

Procedure:

* Combine onions, vinegar and peppercorns in a pan. Simmer until vinegaris reduced and onions are cooked. Set aside.
* In a small bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, liquid seasoning, chili powder, sugar and oyster sauce. Marinate bangus in mixture for a few hours. Just before cooking, season with salt and pepper.
* In a pan, heat oil and saute garlic. Add vinegar-infused onions and marinated bangus, including the marinade. Simmer until liquid is reduced. Remove from heat and serve on a sizzling platter.

Adobong Bangus

Ingredients:
1medium sized bangus, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. vetsin or MSG
cooking oil for frying

Procedure:
* Combine all ingredients and marinate bangus in this mixture. Let stand for 1 hour.
* Drain fish. Set aside vinegar mixture. Fry fish until golden brown then set aside and fry garlic.
* Add vinegar mixture. When it boils, drop in fried bangus then cook for 10 minutes.

Pesang Bangus with Sesame Seeds and Tomato-Onion Sauce

Lemon grass - together with ginger that is grated instead of sliced and ground pepper instead of peppercorns - adds fuller flavor to the soup and fish; a small amount of Thai patis mixed with sauteed tomatoes, garlic and onions go a long way to complementing the salt-less clear Pesa soup. Toasted sesame seeds add a surprising nutty twist to Pesa.

Ingredients:
4 cups water
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
3 tbsp thinly sliced and minced
lemon grass roots
2 pieces finely chopped onions
a dash of ground black pepper
1 medium-sized fresh bangus,
cleaned and sliced into 4 pcs.
1 piece sayote, peeled and
sliced into 6
½ head small cabbage, cut into
4 sections
2 pieces siling haba
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Procedure:

* Place water, ginger, lemon grass, onions and pepper in a large casserole and cook over high heat till boiling.
* Add bangus and cook for 3-5 minutes till flesh turns white in color.
* When bangus is almost done, add sayote and cook for about 2 minutes followed by cabbage.
* Add sili. Remove from heat when vegetables are tender but not overcooked. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve piping hot with steamed rice and tomato-onion sauce.


Tomato-Onion Sauce:
Yield : 3-4 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons cooking oil
6-8 large pieces tomatoes, finely chopped
2 large pieces onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced 2 teaspoons Thai patis*

Procedure:

* Heat cooking oil over medium heat in a small saucepan.
* Saute’ garlic in oil till golden brown.
* Add tomatoes and onions. Stir, cover and cook till very tender and mixture is almost pasty in consistency. Stir occasionally as needed.
* Add patis and remove from heat.
* Serve as sauce for pesa.

*Regular patis may be used but Thai patis is preferred for flavor and use of less salt.

Yield : 3-4 servings

Zesty Fish Kilawin

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo very fresh tuna, cut in 1/2 inch cubes (or tanigue, lahahita or bangus)
1/2 cup Spiced Vinegar (for rinsing)
1/3 cup Vinegar (white)
2 tsp ginger, sliced into fine strips
1/2 cup onions (preferably sibuyas mura, "shallots "), chopped finely
salt
1/3 cup dayap juice
freshly ground pepper
siling labuyo, chopped (start with 3-4 pieces first)

Procedure:
* Wash the fish very well under running water. Squeeze out water.
* Add 1/2 cup Spiced Vinegar to rinse and gently wash the fish pieces in vinegar.
* Squeeze vinegar out. Add ginger, onions, Vinegar (white), salt and siling labuyo.
* Add the 1/3 cup dayap juice and freshly ground pepper.
* Place the marinatedfish in a covered glass bowl in the refrigerator for 15 minutes then serve. * Serves 4.

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes