gatang albacora

gatang albacora - /ga-táng al-ba-có-ra/ Tagalog and Caviteño dish; dw Tag. gata [coconut milk] + albacora [albacore]) [n.] albacore tuna in coconut milk.

Other local name:

• ginataang albakora in Tagalog

On one of my visits to the public market of Cavite City, I found behind the market this small carenderia. Delving over its array of turo-turo dishes, I was attracted to this gatang albacora, obviously because I'm a big fan of dishes with coconut milk. This one is a bit picante (spicy hot).

I delved more into this simple dish and learned from the kusinera (lady cook) that this requires two-step cooking (pinaksiw then ginataan) using fresh fish, freshly squeezed kakang gata, and fresh spices. Sounds simple but pressing - for you have to literally press fresh coconut here. It's a big deal that you have to use a freshly squeezed gata when cooking ginataan. Or else, you will never get that heavenly creamy-licious essence of ginataan. Gata must be there at least an hour before cooking time - the shorter the time, the better. Canned or powdered substitutes cannot satisfy this. It's a blessing if you have a kudkuran (coconut grater) in the kitchen or if your place is nearby a mercado (palengke) or talipapa (informal fish and farmers' market) to get your coconut. In the case of this carenderia, the public market is just right beside their feet.  No wonder the smell of gatang albacora is so inviting. The next thing in my mind is a plateful of steaming kanin and an ice-cold soft drink -  having both the hot and the cold is the yin and yang of Filipino dining.

I learned from the kusinera that she first cooked the fish ala pinaksiw in pure sukang irok (sugar palm vinegar) with bawang (garlic), luya (ginger), sili (chili), and salt to taste. After a few minutes of boiling the pinaksiw na isda, she added the kakang gata followed by cutlets of siling haba (green finger chili). Pinaksiw is a way of cooking that helped remove the fishy odor of albacora and enhanced the taste of fish.

Adding kakang gata or that thick pure coconut milk adds a creamy and nutty flavor. This is the reason why I cannot resist sipping that white sauce. Good to go also as a topping on my rice.

Each fish is separately wrapped in dahon ng saging (banana leaf) to keep the fish from sticking to the pot and to each other. Plus the leaf is adding aromatic flavor. 

This reminds me of my version of Visayan linabog dish, the linabog nga tilapia. The ways of cooking are almost similar only if the albacora here was also fried before adding the kakang gata.

Pass the rice, please.

albacora /al-ba-ko-ra/ Tagalog and Caviteño sea fish /seafood) (also spelled as albakora in Tagalog) [n.] albacore (sc.name: Thunnus alalunga) is a species of tuna with unusually long pectoral fins which include some species of yellow fin tuna in temperate and tropical waters across the globe, particularly in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, and in the seas around them. Known also as “longfined tuna” in Hawaii, and “longfin tuna” in Canada, Australia, and South Africa.

Related posts:

linabog nga tilapia

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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  

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

buteteng laot

buteteng laot - /bu-te-teng la-ot/ Tagalog sea fish /seafood) 1. [n.] porcupine fish \spot-fin porcupinefish (sc.name: Diodon hystrix); 2. [n.] oceanic puffer (sc.name: Lagocephalus lagocephalus). Another species of buteteng laot known plainly as the butete has been banned permanently by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) from gathering, marketing, and consumption, because it naturally contains a toxin called tetrodotoxin which renders the fish unfit for consumption.

Other local common names: 

also spelled as boteteng laot in Tagalog

a.k.a. buktit in Tagalog

butete tunokon, tagutong, or tagutungan in Cebuano

tagutungan in Boholano and Leyteño [western Leyte]

otit in Waray-waray (eastern Samar)

mosi in Bicolano

tagutongan in Davaoeño

busisi in Ilokano

butbutan in Zambaleño

lukoh itingan or tagutugan in Chavacano (Zamboanga)

dautdotan in Maranao, Tausug, and Samal

buntal in Sinama (Bahasa Bajau of Sulu archipelago)

 

A species of puffer fish considered edible and safe for consumption but has to avoid the internal organs, particularly the liver where a tiny sac of highly deadly poison can be found. As much as possible, only the meat is used in cooking. 

Maypay is a Cebuano name for that tiny sac of highly poisonous glands. It's attached to the liver and would require an expert to safely remove it because even a slightest leak could be very fatal. It's far more lethal than cyanide.

The big-sized liver though is the most sought part of the fish in making the Cebuano linarang with coconut milk. It needs to be an expert to safely remove the tiny monggo-size sac of poison called maypay in Cebuano. It has to be taken out intact because a slightest leakage can be fatal when it contacts the flesh or contaminates the water used in washing the fish.

 

A slight contact on flesh or contamination of the water used in washing the fish could be fatal. Yes, because maypay is far more lethal than cyanide. It could no longer be removed or rinsed off. BE EXTRA CAREFUL WHEN YOU PREPARE TO COOK THIS FISH.

In my hometown's small fishing village, maypay was used to poison cats that stole food in the kitchen (I felt sorry for the naughty pussy cat). 

Porcupine fish can be prepared as tinola (boiled), nilarang tinunoan (boiled with coconut milk and spices), inadobo (adobo-style), pinirito (fried), ginataan (cooked in coconut milk with malunggay or dahon ng sili, and sauteeing first in garlic and other spices the flaked parboiled fish), nilubihan (cooked with grated meat of not-so-matured green coconut fruit), or into Bicolano kinunot (braised shredded fish fillet). 

The fish has to be gutted completely and carefully so as not to burst open any of its internal organs to avoid possibly getting poisoned, and the sturdy spikes around the skin have to be removed by parboiling first the whole fish and then pulling out the spikes using pliers. 

Vegetables commonly used as suitable optional ingredients when cooking this fish into a soupy ginataan or tinola dish are malunggay or dahon ng sili, talong, okra, kalabasa, sitaw, alugbati, pichay, and/or pako.

The big-sized liver though is the most sought part of the fish when cooking a linarang dish with coconut milk (linarang is boiled fish with different spices and salt to taste). You can have this linarang from some eateries in Cebu City and other towns in Visayas.

While in the Tabuh of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi

While in the Tabuh of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi

While in the Tabuh of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi

"Yong mga nagsabi na di daw to nakakalason at nakakatikim na sila, nakaswerte lang sila at magaling yong gumawa ng ulam. Di naman kasi madaling puputok yong maypay pagka fresh pa yong isda. Baka sa susunod kapag masyadong kampante na sila, mamalasin na. Wag naman po. Ingat lang. And I share it here para alam nyo na ano yong isang maliit na bagay na nakakamatay. Yong sa butete iba pa yon. Mas matindi yon. Mas delicate. Pati balat nakakalason."

"It's safer to slice na lang a portion of the liver around the "maypay" at least, 1-inch diameter or more! Wag nang manghinayang sa matatapong kapirasong atay, manghinayang sa buhay!"

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Let us know your opinion on the subject. Feel free to comment in the comment section, below. It is important for us to know what you think.

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kinilaw nga sasing

kinilaw nga sasing – /ki-ni-law nga sa-sing/ Cebuano, Boholano, Davaoeño [southeastern Mindanao] and Misamis occidental [northern Mindanao] and Romblomanon raw dish) [n.] peanut worm in vinegar.

• a.k.a. kinilaw nga saypo in Boholano and Surigaonon
• kinilaw na tasing in Cantilangnon (Cantilan, Surigao del sur)

This is a raw dish of cleaned sasing (peanut worm) steeped in vinegar with spices and seasonings.

The inverted sasing worms. So called "peanut worm" in English, because when the worm is inverted it resembles that of emptied peanut shell.

To prepare, the peanut worm is washed clean then each worm is inverted inside out by pushing a bamboo stick from one end and through inside the body. Once inverted, the worm is cleaned thoroughly of its muddy contents. 

The inverted worms are washed again thoroughly on seawater, drained, and then seasoned with vinegar spiced up with chopped onions, ginger, sili (chili), and salt to taste.

The complete ingredients of kinilaw nga sasing in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del sur. It uses sukang tuba (commonly sold in plastic tubes), luy-a (ginger), sibuyas pula (purple onion), siling kulikot (labuyo chili), calamansi (Philippine round lime), biyasong, and tabon-tabon fruit.  

In southern Mindanao, such as in Pagadian City and other coastal towns in Zamboanga del Sur, a tabon-tabon fruit (sc.name: Hydrophytune orbiculatum)  is used to season their kinilaw nga sasing. In this part of Mindanao, tabon-tabon trees and fruits are plenty. 

Extract of scraped tabon-tabon fruit and extracted juice of calamansi and biyasong lime make the kinilaw nga sasing more delectable

The kernel of tabon-tabon fruit is scraped off, mixed with a little amount of vinegar then squeezed and the extract is mixed in the dish. It is even made more delectable by adding calamansi juice and extracted juice of native lime called biyasong.

Adding vetsin (MSG) is optional, but not recommended.

A young Maguindanaon couple residing near the sea of Pagadian City, Zamboanga del sur prepares kinilaw nga sasing.

Sasing is an exotic delicacy and is considered an aphrodisiac by the locals. It is leathery and tough but crunchy. It has to be chewed well to savor the essence of its true flavor.

Kinilaw na sasing is highly sought as a pulutan (food served in drinking sessions) in coastal villages of Visayas and Mindanao. It is a perfect pair for tuba (coconut wine) or ginebra (gin).

Sasing (Youtube video)

Related posts:

sasing (saypo)

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

sasing

sasing – /sa-sing/ Cebuano, Boholano, Davaoeño [southeastern Mindanao] and Misamis occidental [northern Mindanao], Waray, and Romblomanon worm/seafood) [n.] peanut worm (sc.name: Sipunculus nudus).

 

a.k.a. saypo in Boholano & Cebuano

saypo in Surigaonon

tasing in Cantilangnon (Cantilan, Surigao del sur)

 

A kind of sand worm or sand burrower of the family Echiurus that burrows under sandy clayish soil of the sea shore. 

Sasing burrows in moist sandy-muddy ground along the shore and river deltas. A hole like this is a sign that peanut worm is just around under the sand. 

It is an exotic delicacy to some Pinoys. Often eaten as kinilaw nga sasing where the cylindrical body of the worm is inverted inside out and washed thoroughly. The cleaned inverted peanut worm is then dipped in spiced vinegar and munched.

Sasing has a crunchy leathery texture and has to be chewed thoroughly to savor its flavor. 

It is considered an exotic delicacy and as an aphrodisiac to some Pinoys when they visit places where sasing are found. 

The worms are washed clean then inverted inside out by pushing a bamboo stick from one end and through inside the body so as to clean its muddy contents. The inverted worms are washed again thoroughly, drained and then seasoned with spiced up vinegar to become a kinilaw nga sasing.

So called peanut worm in English because when it is inverted, the inner side of the worm would look like an emptied peanut shell.

Although sasing worms live and feed in the sandy mud shores, some Filipino Muslim (followers of Islam faith) do not consider peanut worm as unclean or filth to be among those forbidden (Haram) in Islamic laws. Nevertheless, this exotic worm should be served with caution to Muslim or any followers of Islamic faith, so as not to offend or insult them

Sasing (Youtube video)

Personal notes

I read an old news feature of GMA Network news that some folks of Inopacan, Leyte believed sasing has curative powers against tuberculosis and anemia. Inopacnons are fond of it and would love to take kinilaw nga sasing as their pulutan with their tuba (coconut wine).

Related posts:

kinilaw nga sasing

All photos by Edgie Polistico in this blog are copyrighted. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

See Index of Entries here.

Encouragement and enthusiasm is not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and what else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming.  Sharing and giving away is happiness to me.  If you are pleased and happy of what I am doing, just smile and share the happiness we have in the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized every time my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling. 

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

curacha

curacha – /ku-rát-tsa/ (Zamboanga and Sulu sea crab, seafood; dw Span. cucaracha [cockroach]) [n.] spanner crab (sc.name: Ranina ranina) \red frog crab.

canduyon in Surigaonon (Surigao City, Surigao del norte)
ipis dagat in Batangueño (northern part of Batangas) 

ipis in Zambaleno (Sambal of Zambales)
kusimay in Ilocano 

pawik in Waray (Northern Samar) 

kagang pama or  bawa in Tausug

A deep-sea crab with an orange to red colored shell even when uncooked.

In the Philippines, this crab used to be known as endemic to the seas of Zamboanga del Sur and Sulu sea, but my research and later discoveries disproved this contention. Similar or closely-related species are also found in other parts of Mindanao, Visayas (particularly in the Pacific side), and the northeastern part of Luzon, though scarce and hardly seen or caught. Some species are also found thriving on the coasts of Hawaii and Australia.

So called curacha, from Spanish cucaracha, which means  "cockroach," because this crustacean looks like a huge cockroach. 

The shell (carapace)  of curacha is goblet-shaped, with an average size of about the size of a human palm. Some are twice as big as the average ones. The shell has hairy short bristles on the edges, has a pair of large pincers on the sides that extend toward the front. It also has three sets of legs, two of which are attached to a segmented hard-shelled tail similar to that of a lobster but smaller and shorter.

Watch Youtube video:

curacha - redfrog crab, spanner crab

When cooked, curacaha is more of shells than meat but is highly sought after for its delectable taste.

Unlike most crabs, such as the alimasag and the alimango that walk sideward,  curacha only moves forward and backward.

The biggest ones are priced at PHP689.00 a kilogram in 2015 in the Shopwise supermarket of Festival Mall, Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Curacha crabs being sold at the Shopwise supermarket in Festival Mall, Alabang at PHP689.00 a kilogram in 2015.

My Personal Notes:

Many years back, I thought this crab was named after a classic dance with fancy moves. I thought the crab would just move like that or it would be you doing the dancing steps after dining it or when you're pinched by this crab. I was wrong.

I tried also to look for it in the public market of Zamboanga City in my few travels to the Zamboanga peninsula but could hardly find it there these last few years.  If I only knew that I could easily find it in the supermarket, a few hundred meters away from my workplace here in Metro Manila, I would not look for this crab that far.    

When in Zamboanga, try the Chavacano dish curacha con salsa de gata (spanner crab in coconut cream sauce). [Photo courtesy of Officina de Turismo Local of Zamboanga City Local Government]  

All photos by Edgie Polistico are copyrighted. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

See Index of Entries here.

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