Day 94: LaPiS - COCONUT

The theme for Lasang Pinoy, Sundays for the next two weeks (April 4-17) is COCONUT.  I decided to go ahead and feature my own Holy Week masterpiece which made use of coconut cream.  For the longest time, I've been intimidated to try my hand at preparing "Guinataang Tilapia" (St. Peter's Fish in Coconut Cream).  I always had the impression that it was just too much work and difficult to make.

Well, this Black Saturday, I decided to bite the bullet and go ahead with my plan to face this cooking challenge.  Armed with information I got from Google, I pretty much formed my own strategy to this dish.  Combining the Bicolano style of stuffing the fish with tomato salsa and my own style to cooking guinataan dishes, I came up with a winner of a dish.

GUINATAANG TILAPIA (St. Peter's Fish in Coconut Cream)

1 kg tilapia, cleaned, scaled, gutted and halved

2 pcs thumb-size ginger, julienned

2 medium red onions, sliced 

4 cloves garlic, minced

5 medium tomatoes, seeded and sliced

2 bunches lemongrass, pounded

5-6 pcs banana chili (siling pansigang) or bird's eye chili (siling labuyo) if you want it extra spicy

coarse salt

1 cup thick coconut cream

2-3 tbsp fish sauce (patis)

2 tbsp canola oil

Combine the garlic, half of the tomatoes, ginger and red onions with some coarse salt then stuff into the belly cavity of the tilapia pieces.  Season the outside of the fish with salt then set aside.  In a wok, heat up the oil then saute the remaining aromatics - onions, ginger and tomatoes until wilted.  Then add some fish sauce.  Pour in coconut cream and simmer until the natural oils surface.  Quickly slide in the tilapia pieces and chilis.  Cook until fish are done and coconut sauce is creamy.  Serve with hot rice.

is a bi-monthly FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style! 

Day 92: Binignit/Guinataang Halo-Halo (Mixed Fruits and Root Veggies in Coconut Cream)

Having lived in the Visayas and now in Mindanao, I've observed how this simple snack item makes a regular appearance during Good Friday.  Almost every household prepares a huge pot of this creamy snack.  For this year, I asked our neighbor to just prepare a double batch of Binignit to include our family.  This is what we had for most of today.  Gorgeous chunks of banana, sweet potato, taro, yam and jackfruit with tapioca balls swimming in creamy coconut cream...it was a complete meal in itself, with the root vegetables taking the place of rice as carbohydrate source.  It is only now that I understand why this is a staple during Good Friday.  Since it's a day of fasting and abstinence, Binignit or Guinataang Halo-Halo can give the required daily sustenance while keeping you full throughout the day.