sweet tuba

sweet tuba - /swet tu-bâ/ (Pangasinese sap/drink) [n.] fresh toddy of raffia palm.

tuba or tuba ng buri in Tagalog and Batangueño
a.k.a. tuba silag in Pangasinense

It is the sweet freshly gathered toddy of buri palm (raffia). When freshly gathered in the morning, it can be taken as a naturally sweet refreshing drink. 

A serving of sweet tuba in a glass filled with cracked ice in Balungao, Pangasinan

Passing motorists, locals, and tourists would often come and stay for while in a cluster of roadside stalls, such as this one, along the highway in Balungao, Pangasinan to savor or try the taste of refreshing sweet tuba.  It is refreshingly tasty like coco water with distinct aftertaste closely similar to that of a ripe rambutan fruit

Sweet tuba needs to be chilled in ice or stored in freezer to extend shelf life for few more hours, or to last for at least late in the afternoon. Otherwise, it would start to sour by high noon, and by early evening the toddy would become a slighltly sour vinegar. However,   despite employing the chilling technique, the toddy still would start to sour by evening. Freezimg would only delay souring a little more.

 

While still fresh and sweet, the Pangasinenses would boil the sweet tuba till thick and sticky, as in the way they used it as their sticky sweetener in making the Pangasinense patupat (glutinous rice in square-woven strips of coconut palm).

In Batangas, it is made into Batangueño pakaskas (raffia sap jiggery, which is now replaced with juice extracted from sugarcane), or processed into bagkat (raffia sap taffy). Sweet tuba will not last long in a day. By afternoon, or past noon, the toddy would start to sour that by evening it becomes a lightly soured vinegar. 

In a few more days, it will be a full-pledged vinegar known in Ilocano as sukang buli (raffia palm vinegar) or tuka silag in Pangasinense.

A serving of sweet tuba in a glass filled with cracked ice.

Sweet tuba sold in glass bottle (using recycled soda bottles) in Balungao, Pangasinan.

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Edgie Polistico

espada (dried)

espadang tuyo – /es-pá-da tu-yô/ Tagalog dried sea fish /seafood; dw Span. espada [sword]) [n.] dried scabbardfish  \dried hairtail (sc.name: Trichiurus haumela).

Best cooked by frying and paired with spiced sukang Iloko as a dip on the side and lots of steaming cooked rice.   

It can also be grilled or boiled on embers if oil is not available or not desired to used in cooking.  Broiled dried fish emits an aromatic smell that can magically attract Filipino appetite and is also best paired with spiced vinegar as a dip on the side and lots of steaming cooked rice. 

However, both fried and broiled can be an offensive smell when sniffed by uninitiated foreigners. Cook dried fish with caution if you are in another country.        

Dried espada fish sold at the roadside stalls in Brgy. Damortis, Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan.

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Encouragement and enthusiasm are not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming. All I know is that I am happy with what I am sharing and giving away. If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and please share the happiness. Keep sharing and include to share the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized when my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling. 

Edgie Polistico 

dilis (deboned and dried)

Boneless dried dilis sold at the roadside stalls in Brgy. Damortis, Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan.

boneless dilis – /bon-les di-lis/ Tagalog dried fish) [n.] deboned anchovies.

The dilis (anchovies) are decapitated, butterflied, and deboned of their backbone, then soaked in a brine solution, drained, and sundried to become dried boneless dilis. 

Best cooked by pan frying briefly on medium heat until the fish turns lightly brown and crisp. Often eaten with a dip of spiced vinegar on the side and lots of steaming freshly cooked rice and a cup of coffee.            

The dilis (anchovies) to be deboned and dried must be freshly caught. Otherwise, when dilis is no longer fresh, it would not be of good quality as it would likely be itchy when eaten and emits a foul odor.

It must be noted that Filipinos are fond of calling deboned fish or meat as boneless. It is actually a misnomer to call this fish "boneless" because the fish here actually has bones and what they did to make it boneless was that they deboned it like what they did to this dilis (anchovy) here. 

Thus, it should aptly be called deboned dried dilis instead of boneless dried dilis. But "boneless" already got its new meaning and usage and has deeply rooted already in the Pinoy community. Boneless already became part of Philippine English to exactly mean "deboned" and we got stuck with it. Those who got confused, please bear with us. This is our language and we are equally entitled to it.

Boneless dried dilis sold at the roadside stalls in Brgy. Damortis, Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan.

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Encouragement and enthusiasm are not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming. All I know is that I am happy with what I am sharing and giving away. If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and please share the happiness. Keep sharing and include to share the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized when my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling. 

Edgie Polistico 

danggit bulad

danggit bulad – /dáng-git bu-làd/ Cebuano dried fish) [n.] dried rabbitfish \sundried butterflied rabbitfish.

To make a dried danggit, the rabbitfish is first butterflied by making a deep incision cut into the back of the head and running the cuts towards the dorsal side (upper back), and continuing to cut the flesh open towards the caudal fin (tail) and deep across towards the anal fin side, leaving the abdomen side (pelvic and pectoral) uncut and remain attached to serve as the hinged of the butterflied body of the fish. 

The process of butterflying a fish is called pakas in Cebuano, and the butterflied fish is called pinakas.   

When butterflied and split-opened, the fish is gutted and the fillet is washed clean, soaked in briny water, drained, and then sun-dried or air-dried under the heat of the sun until the fish is parched, stiff, and very dry. Drying a fish is among the ancient method of preserving a catch.    

The shelf life of dried danggit will last for several months or up to a year if the dried fish is stored and kept away from moisture.       

Dried danggit is commonly cooked by pan frying on medium heat or by grilling or broiling shortly on hot embers as it would easily get burned. It is crisp and crunchy like chicharon when cooked and best served with spiced vinegar as a dip on the side, and lots of steaming freshly cooked rice and a cup of coffee.

Dried danggit sold in the stalls along the roadside of Damortis, Pangasinan.

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Encouragement and enthusiasm are not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming. All I know is that I am happy with what I am sharing and giving away. If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and please share the happiness. Keep sharing and include to share the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized when my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling. 

Edgie Polistico 

daing na bangus

daing na bangus – /da-ing na ba-ngús/ (Tagalog preserved\seafood) [n.] marinated butterflied milkfish.

The milkfish is butterflied, gutted, washed clean, drained, and then steeped in marinating sauce of vinegar and soy sauce seasoned with minced garlic, laurel leaf, and crushed peppercorn. A small amount of brown sugar and calamansi juice may be added to enhance the taste of daing na bangus. 

For the best result, the marinating sauce has to steep in the fish for at least 12 hours while being kept in the refrigerator. 

For even distribution of the marinating sauce into the fish, pack and seal the marinated fish in a thick plastic cellophane wrapper. 

Daing na bangus can also be made dry by spreading open the marinated butterflied fish (with the skin side underneath) on a wire mesh, bilao (bamboo tray), or bamboo stick matting, and air drying it under the heat of direct sunlight.

Dried daing na bangus sold along the roadside stalls and street peddlers in Damortis, Santo Tomas, Pangasinan.

To cook, daing na bangus is pan-fried in cooking oil until crisp and reddish-brown. It is served with a side dip of spiced-up vinegar with crushed garlic, or soy sauce with squeezed calamansi juice (Philippine round lime extract), and the optional whole piece siling labuyo (bird’s eye chili). Sometimes, it is paired with a siding of ensaladang papaya.

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Encouragement and enthusiasm are not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming. All I know is that I am happy with what I am sharing and giving away. If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and please share the happiness. Keep sharing and include to share the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized when my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling.

Edgie Polistico

danggit flower

danggit flower – /dáng-git flá-wer/ (Pangasinense dried fish) [n.] dried danggit arranged like a starflower.

The danggit fish (rabbitfish) is scaled, its gills and viscera removed, washed clean, and butterflied and the side of fillet with no bones is detached and set aside for use in making another version of dried danggit - a sheet of dried danggit fillet. 

The splits of danggit fish are immersed briefly in brine solution and then laid flat and neatly arranged on screen wire (mesh or bamboo stick mat) like overlapping petals of a flower. 

The arranged fish are then dried under intense sunlight for about 2 to 3 days or until the fish is stiff and very dry and the splits of danggit would stick together to hold its shape resembling a starflower.

Danggit flowers sold along the roadside (highway) stalls of Damortis in Santo Tomas, Pangasinan

To cook, danggit flower is fried on medium to low heat, turned over, and done when it is crisp brown. Must be cooked until light brown. Dark browned danggit is already burnt.  

 

Fried dried danggit  served with sliced tomatoes and dipping of sukang Iloko (Ilocano sugarcane vinegar) or baak (aged sukang Iloko) with minced garlic.

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For more about Filipino food, see  this Philippine Food, Cooking, and Dining Dictionary. It is OPEN and FREE.

Continue to follow my blogs. You can also follow and learn more by joining us in our Facebook group. Have more bits and pieces about our kind of food, ingredients, and ways of cooking, dining, and knowing food culture across the 7,641 islands of the Philippines.

Encouragement and enthusiasm are not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming. All I know is that I am happy with what I am sharing and giving away. If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and please share the happiness. Keep sharing and include to share the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized when my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling.

Edgie Polistico