one filipino dish a week

Paksiw na bangus (I think this is called inununan in Bisaya) is to me what you would eat on a Wednesday for lunch. It’s everyday food. Bangus (milkfish) is common in the Philippines and is farmed. I’ve never liked bangus growing up and after making this I still don’t like it. haha. I try things several times until I say I don’t like it so this is definitely confirmed. I don’t like bangus because it’s extremely bony (I have fears of having a bone stuck in my throat and I can’t get it out) and it has this muddy taste to it.

I saw the bangus in the market so that’s why I decided to give it another shot. There’s probably better ways to mask the muddiness of the fish (probably frying) but this did not. Here’s how I made it:

1 whole bangus (2 lbs)
1 small ampalaya (bitter melon) quartered
1 Asian eggplant quartered
1/2 cup ginger 1×1 inch thin strips
4 cloves of garlic
4 small chilis
1 cup vinegar
2 cup water
fish sauce to taste

I arranged the ampalaya, eggplant, garlic and ginger on the bottom of a dutch oven and put the fish on top of it. Poured the vinegar and water and let it come to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for a few minutes until the fish is cooked. Season with patis (fish sauce) or salt.

This quantity was definitely a lot and I’ll be eating this for a few days.