Bangus (Milkfish) Belly Ala Pobre w/ Oyster Sauce

Are you among those people who love Bangus belly that they are willing to use their fork as a sword to fight for it? I know i am. It's a race to get that scrumptious jelly texture yet milky taste belly. Yum!

Bangus (Milk fish) is common in every Filipino family's dining table. It's always present when there's small gathering or celebration.

It's usually cook in a grill while wrapped in a aluminum foil. But that's a different dish, for now i would like to cook it in a simple way.

"A la pobre" sounds very Spanish but the truth it is just a term used for a dish with a sauce or gravy
and crispy fried garlic on top of it. The word “a la pobre” means “the poor”, i believe it is commonly used term for dishes served by peasants and poor people during the reign of Spanish governance in the Philippines. 

I use a "Boneless" milk fish fillet because i don't like bones sticking in corners of my mouth. You can buy them at a super market or a meat shop near you. So yeah, here are the ingredients :


(For 2-3 person)
- 2 pcs bangus bellies (Milk fish bellies)
- 3 Tbsp chopped garlic
- Cooking oil
- 100g butter
- 4 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsps Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 pcs of calamansi (Lime)


First, season the bangus with a small amount salt and pepper to add a little flavor. I only put S&P instead of marinating it because i wanted to play with the sauce and not mess with the balance of its taste. But you can marinate it in a mix of a little amount of white vinegar, chopped garlic, calamansi/lime, salt and pepper.

Then, fry the bangus in a pan with medium heat to have that crispy and not burnt texture. And for the sauce combine the oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce and the calamansi in a small sauce pan and heat it in a low fire. Stir it, taste and if you want you can put a little bit of salt and pepper. Hey, that's the beauty of cooking right? You can do what you want and "experiment" with the taste as long as your pallet approve with it. Haha.

And for the garlic, be sure to chop it finely and even so you can cook it without burning some, just like what i said on my last entry (check it). I use butter instead cooking oil to fry the garlic to add a nice flavor to the dish.

In serving, carefully put the sauce(depending on how much you like it) on bangus. I advise that if you make your sauce strong, just pour few amount on the fish then sprinkle some garlic bits on the top. Okay, I put lots in mine because i love garlic that much, please don't judge. Haha.

So there you go, a quick and simple recipe. I hope you enjoy it. Because i did.

Bangus (Milkfish) Belly Ala Pobre w/  Oyster Sauce



-oyeisnotapig

Garlic

Isn't awesome that you can put and add some to any dishes? Well, maybe it's just me. Yep, if the three secrets of French cuisine are butter, butter, and butter (don't tell anyone) my version would be garlic, garlic and garlic. Who the hell don't like it? Okay fine, i have friends who do not see the beauty of garlic (especially when it's crispy, hehe) but i always take that as a challenge and try to convince them by preparing some dishes using garlic on it. At least some were convinced though.

I'm a Filipino and here in the Philippines garlic is important and always present in many local  dishes. It is very essential because Filipinos trust and rely on the flavor that it can give. 

When sauteing it's the onion that usually comes first before the garlic, but here in "Pinas" it's the other way around. I asked some friends and people who also know how to cook on why they put garlic first, most of them said that they're used onto sauteing garlic first.

I guess the only explanation is which of which cooks first to avoid burning it while adding the other ingredients.Timing. I believe that onions take more time to cook to have that caramelize texture. 

But sometimes garlic can be very unpredictable. Believe me, with a wrong heat especially in sauteing, it can look golden crisp perfection to burnt and dark as Satan's butt in just a matter of a blink of an eye. 

I learned that it's not that easy to fry or saute chopped garlic. It needs some practice even if it's just basic. My advice is to chop your garlic evenly(that goes for everything) so it will also cook evenly. And while sauteing don't stop stirring, it helps to prevent burning it. And last but never the least, practice, practice, practice. It's more like a trial and error. Always reach for perfection in your food.

By the way, this is my first post and first blog. So please bear with my grammar and spelling. 

I hope you like it. Keep cooking. 

-yesinotapig