How to cook Ginataang Barilyete or Skipjack Tuna in coconut milk

Ginataang Barilyete (Skipjack tuna) is a Filipino dish where fish is cooked in simmering vinegar (Pinaksiw style) poured with coconut milk with ginger, onions, garlic, whole pepper corn, green long chilis and leafy vegetables like petchay or eggplant or a combination of both.

I highly recommend this dish is you love coconut-base food, this will certainly put your cravings satisfied! 

I remember growing up with this kind of cooking from my grandmother who loves to cook "ginataang isda" for lunch on weekends. She was the one who taught me and I learned a lot from her about cooking this kind of dish. I can consider this as a hand-over dish that goes by tradition. 

You can replace the Skipjack tuna with any meaty or white fish like "Tilapya" or "Tulingan" and the result would be the same and as yummy as this one. You can follow this simple recipe and you can try cooking this in your kitchen. 

For this dish the ingredients I've used are as follows:

1- whole Barilyete fish (Skipjack tuna), approx. one kilo 
3- tbsp vinegar 
1-whole red onion, slice
4- cloves garlic, slice
1-teaspoon black pepper corn
ginger, peeled and cut thinly
2-cups coconut milk

Direction for cooking:

1. Place the whole fish in a large cooking pan. Add vinegar, onion, garlic, peppercorn, ginger and chilis.
2. Bring to a boil them lower the fire to simmer. Do not stir, let the fish cook in the vinegar. Cover. Leave for 15 minutes.
3. By this time you can add the coconut milk in low heat, cover and make sure to check on the fish and drizzle the coconut milk on top of the fish. 
4. Avoid turning the fish to the other side. You need to take some time to coat the top portion of the fish with boiling coconut milk.
5. Cover and let it simmer in low heat, add salt or fish sauce (optional).
6. When the coconut milk turned into curd your Ginataan is cooked already! 

This dish is best paired with steamed white rice. In some ginataan cooking tradition, it is best eaten the next day- as the coconut milk of the gata infused it's flavor in the fish. 

I hope you can try out this Filipino dish and cook your own version based on my recipe. :) 

Mixing My Own Yogurt Snack using Greek Style Yogurt by Kańela

I purchased yesterday some food products I saw on Facebook and made something delicious out of it. This local shop sells homemade Greek-style yogurt and pastries and since I ran out of yougurt for my smoothies and for snacking I decided to give them a try.

I got myself a large tub of 900grams yogurt (Php300/$6) and half a dozen of cinnamon rolls (Php285/ $5.75).

I made my own mix for my yogurt snack, red dragon fruit bits, peaches, dried cranberries, and chia seeds. 

I love the yogurt taste compared to the commercially produced brand which I normally buy, and also it is my way to support local products in the community during this pandemic. I guess this is the one thing that we can be thankful for that happened, supporting local businesses in your community. 

What is you favorite mix for your yogurt snack? 

Pork Belly Tofu with Black Beans and Asparagus

I made something easy and yummy for today's lunch. 

Cut up into bite-size pieces pork belly, skin removed, marinated in salt and ground black pepper. Dashed with cornstarch before frying in oil. Pre-fried firm tofu, cut into wedges then into cube size when fried. 

Also, in this dish, I used black beans or "Tausi"- fermented black beans with a taste of salty and savoury combined, it is very rich in flavor that is why it is commonly used in Asian dishes; fish, chicken, beef, or even vegetable dishes.  

To add some color and crunch I peeled some stalks of asparagus and tossed in the wok for a minute or two. 

I also drizzled some sesame oil to give that added nutty taste to it. Check out the recipe below and happy cooking!

Ingredients: 

1/2- kilo pork belly, cut into bite-size pieces
1- piece firm tofu
1- cup asparagus
2-tbsp oyster sauce
1-tbsp black beans
2-tbsp sesame oil
2-tbsp vegetable oil
1- red onion sliced thinly
6- wedges of garlic minced

Cooking instructions:

1. Heat the wok and pour the oil, fry the pork belly slices and let it cook until tender. 
2. Set aside, sautee garlic, and onion, mixed the fried pork.
3. Add the oyster sauce. Simmer in low fire for 2 minutes.
4. Add the pre-fried tofu, mix and cover. Simmer in low heat for 3 minutes.
5. Add the black beans, stir. 
6. Tossed in the asparagus, mix, and cover for two minutes. 
7. Turn off the heat and drizzle the sesame oil. 
8. Served with steamed rice.

This is simple and easy to prepare a dish that the whole family can enjoy. You can cut up some spring onions or cilantro for added flavor. 

I hope you can make and copy this dish and let me know how it went. :)