baked basa fillet

one of the easiest way to make a good dinner is to bake fish. the secret here is just make sure you have good quality fish. this is a sure-fire-sumptious-sonofogun-sarvation-satisfaction for guests who come crashing to your door for no reason at all.

baked basa fillet

2 large pcs cleaned basa fillet

olive oil

butter

sprigs of rosemary

salt and pepper

a squeeze of lemon

coriander leaves for garnishing

on an oven proof dish, drizzle olive oil. place the 2 basa fillets on the dish. add a few rosemary sprigs on top. sprinkle a little sunshine of salt and a happiness of pepper.

squeeze a lemon full of life and a dollop of butter on each fillet. drizzle more of the good olive oil.

bake for about 10 to 15 minutes on a hot oven or till soft and done. garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

you can substitute basa for any other available fresh big fish options.

H-Mart, Robson

wandering around downtown vancouver, you come across a mix of restaurants of various cuisines. at the corner of Robson and Seymour is H-Mart. On the second floor, a korean grocery occupies the flat except for the window aisle.

at the far side of the grocery store is a small food court. one of them is a korean stall. it sells exciting korean cuisine translated into a colorless english equivalent. the stall has no name...or just a generic "Korean Food" stall.

we got yuk gae jang. it's humdrum english equivalent: hot beef and vegetable soup. hmm...yuk gae jang sounds better. Beef broth is full bodied. getting a peek into the kitchen, a big pot of simmering broth is continuously brewing. I guess this contributes a lot to the flavor you get when they serve the soup. i only wish that they serve them in one of those hot stone pots to keep the broth hot up till the last morsel.

the meal comes with a siding of kimchi. i'm not sure though if they prepare their own kimchi. or maybe, they just go around the counter and get one from the grocery store. anywayz, their kimchi is great with yuk gae jang.

price is ok at $6.50.

H-mart

550 Robson Street and Seymour

Vancouver

sisig!

one of the truly filipino delicacy, very famous to all beer drinkers. sisig is a very popular dish all over the philippines. anywhere you go, this dish is a big hit. filipinos would always try get a big portion of sisig.

hundreds of variations have been developed on sisig. a very ingenious way of preparing it is on a hot sizzling plate!

this is expensive when bought in a restaurant. maybe because it is a big hit...or maybe it is cooked three times.

I got an original recipe from my mom (she knows all original recipes) and it is quite boring. it's plain boiled, chopped, and served drunk with vinegar, fresh onions and chilli.

recipe might sound unpleasant, but the food is cooked 3 times!!!! i guarantee that it is really cooked and that the flavors are fantaballistic!!!

i'm doing here is one of the variations. although, you can experiment a lot to infuse new flavors and textures! hmmm... i feel hungry now....

sisig!

4 pcs. pig ears, cleaned
1 medium onion
whole pepper corns
salt
bay leaf

pig brains
pork liver

1 head garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

soy sauce
coarsely ground pepper
salt
chopped red hot chilli peppers

1. boil
place the cleaned pig ears in a large pot. add water until covered. add a chopped medium onion, pepper corns, salt and a small piece of bay leaf. boil ears till tender and cartilage still has the crunch to the bite. drain and set aside to dry a bit.

get the pig brains. on a non-stick pan, add little water. place the pig brains at the center. add a dash of salt. poach brains in a slow simmering heat for about 5 to 8 minutes or until cooked. water should never be on a rolling boil as it may dissintigrate the structure of the brain. gently remove the brain from the water and drain. be careful with the brains as it is very soft like soft tofu. set aside.

2. grill
get the whole pig ears. with long tongs, place the boiled ears on a nice sunday afternoon charcoal grill. the smoke from the wood and charcoal will infuse into the pig ears. grill for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the heat of the charcoal. it is usually done when the skin starts to show sparsely seared spots.

remember, the pig ears are already cooked. what we're after here is the flavor from the grilling. on a very nicely built grilling fire, it may take just about less than 5 minutes to sear. dice the grilled pig ears.

get the cleaned liver. add salt and pepper. grill the liver until well done. chop the liver and set aside.

3. fry

get the pig ears. chop them into small pieces. probably to a size of pea. pig ears will be sticky. with little oil and on a hot non-stick skillet, add the chopped pig ears. fry for about 6 minutes without stirring while allowing it to get fried-crunchy.

ears will now stick together and form into one big piece. with a swooping motion-like a pancake chef artist-flip over the pig ears to fry the other side. fry for about 4 minutes.

ears will shrink a bit. when done, remove from pan and place i on a chopping board. coarsley chop the fried pig ears into small chunks. set aside.

on the same non-stick pan you used, add oil, brown the garlic then add the onions. adding more garlic and onions will improve the flavor. add the ginger to saute. mix till you smell the aroma of the ginger.

with the heat on high, add the pig ear chunks into the saute. add a tablespoon of soy sauce. if you have the knorr seasoning or the maggi seasoning, it would be better! this will improve the color and flavor and will invite your neighbors to come over. add the chopped liver and a part of the chopped red hot chilli peppers. to finish, add the poached pig brains into the pot. brains will be like mayo and melt. saute till the brains becomes the sauce and cover the ears and liver.

for the grand slam, place the sisig on a sizzling plate and generously add chopped red hot chilli peppers! where's the beer!!!!!!

tokwa't baboy

tokwa't baboy has since been a favorite filipino appetizer. the balance of saltiness and sour is the trick. taken also as a compliment to arroz caldo (chicken congee) or fried lumpia (spring rolls).

the basic ingredients are readily available anywhere in the Philippines. pig ears, soy sauce, vineger, onions and tofu. the other stuff added are just my contribution to improve flavor.

It has been a long time since i made my last tokwa't baboy. I miss the days when i go home from work, i would just drop by a neighborhood wet market and get my ingredients there...even at night time!

I promised myself to make one on my birthday but it didn't go my way. ho hum.

well, now i got time to make one. i got the pig ears from a chinese store from a city nearby. tough to find in the western world. tofu came from the same store.

tokwa't baboy

4 pcs. fresh pig ears
1 medium onion chopped
1 pc bay leaf
pepper corns
salt
firm tofu

sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
salt and pepper
tablespoon of water
red hot chilli pepper

optionals: grated ginger, chopped chinese celery, rubbed sage

clean the pig ears. place it in a pot. add water enough to cover. add chopped onions, about 8 pepper corns, and about a teaspoon of salt. place a piece of laurel leaf in to improve flavor. boil till pig ears are tender but leaving the cartilage still crunch to the bite.

drain and let cool to room temperature.

prepare now the sauce. mix equal amounts of soy sauce and vinegar. add a little water to balance off the saltiness and sour flavor of the mix. adjust according to taste. the touch of water will make it easier to get the desired balance of flavor.

as an option, add grated ginger, chopped chinese celery and rubbed sage...or any of them. these little stuff improves the flavor.

add fine pepper and a little salt. chop finely the red hot chilli peppers and liberally add it to the sauce.

when the pig ears have cooled off, dice the ears. chop onions and set aside.

on another pan, fry the tofu, remove from pan and dry off on a kitchen towel. chop tofu to the size of the diced pig ears.

to serve, in a bowl, add equal amounts of pig ears, chopped tofu, and chopped onions. generously pour the sour and salty sauce over the mix and serve.