Paksiw na Bangus or Milkfish In Vinegar Stew is a typical dish in Filipino cuisine. It is effortless to prepare as milkfish. In vinegar, the Stew instructions are easy to follow why a lot of Pinoys love it.
What is Philippines’ Best Paksiw na Bangus Recipe
Filipino's Paksiw is vinegar base, and we all know that vinegar is a liquid ingredient that helps preserve food longer, so there's no worry even if you put it in the fridge and let it stay there for weeks. Also, vinegar is a perfect partner of any fish as it removes the fishy odor, which anyone hates.
Milkfish commonly lives in tropical offshore marine waters around the islands and along continental shelves, at depths of 1 to 30 m. They also frequently enter estuaries and rivers.
Fish is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6 that is important for normal brain development and keeps the nervous system and immune system healthy.
Regularly eating milkfish helps fight cardiovascular diseases and helps you maintain the average pace of your body's metabolism.
Eating more oily types of fish, such as sardines, salmon, St. Peter's fish, and bangus, helps dilate the blood vessels of the heart and brain as they are rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
Ar is a perfect partner of any fish as it removes the fishy odor, which anyone hates.
Milkfish In Vinegar Stew is delicious, especially with hot and newly cooked rice with fish sauce as the balancer. Thus, the perfect time of the day to eat it is morning for breakfast as it can awaken you with its sour taste and smell.
Filipino Ways to Cook Paksiw na Bangus
Filipino Dishes like this require time to achieve that perfect savory, sour soup and the fish's soft white meat. To accomplish that, you need ideal equipment to use in preparing dishes like this. As your kitchen friend, we will give you some advice regarding how to cook recipes like this.
Slow Cooker Milkfish/Bangus in Vinegar Stew
Preparing recipes like this in a slow cooker is time-efficient, especially for those who don't have the privilege of time. All you have to do is put all the ingredients simultaneously in the cooker and then set the time to cook it. The benefit of using a slow cooker is that the bones of the milkfish will soften so that you can eat it together with the white meat and the soup. In that sense, you don't have to worry about getting a hard bone stuck in your throat.
Milkfish in Vinegar Stew using Crockpot
The Crock Pot is almost the same as the Slow Cooker; only that Crockpot is an upgraded version of the Slow Cooker. In this type of equipment, all you have to do is set it and forget it. This equipment will guarantee that you can eat everything from the skin to the meat to bones.
Milkfish in Vinegar Stew using Claypot
Using clay pots in preparing recipes has a different impact on the taste. This earthenware surprisingly jives with the flavor of recipes like this. Also, cooking it over wood and fire assures a beautiful flavor that you will not get in using electric cooking equipment.
Troubleshooting
We know that preparing this kind of thing may seem so easy, but we believe that it has some struggles along the way. Don't worry; we will advise you with some of the everyday works cooking this to ensure that you will nail yours.
Too Sour
If you added too much vinegar, add water and sprinkle some salt to balance out the flavor. After that, let it boil some more for a great taste.
Fishbone Everywhere
Bangus or milkfish, a fish that has lots of bones. Eating it is quite a struggle because of separating the bones from the meat. To avoid this, you can debone the fish first or buy a deboned fish at the market instead.
On the other hand, if you don't have time to debone a fish or buy at the store, just let the fish cook for hours. In this case, you can eat the bone as well without getting it stuck to your throat.
Bitter Aftertaste
A fish tastes bitter because it is not correctly stored, resulting in a change in the acid substance of the fish. TO avoid that, make sure to buy fresh ones only. If you will not be able to use the fresh fish right away, store it safely by keeping it frozen.
Trivia About Milkfish
Did you know that the bangus or milkfish aquaculture starts in the Philippine waters during the 1800s? After that, it spread to Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Pacific Ocean. Its aquaculture relied on restocking ponds to collect wild fry. The successful spawning of breeding fish only happened in the 1970s. However, it has unreliable egg variability. In the 1980s, that is where the successful and spontaneous spawning occurred. That process can supply Filipino farms already.
Helpful Recipe Tips
As your kitchen friend, we would like to ensure that you are working with fresh ingredients in recipes like this. In regards to that, we will give you tips on choosing the perfect fish for recipes like this.
Always choose Filipinos Dagupan Bangus
We suggest Pinoy's Dagupan Bangus because it is the tastiest and juiciest breed of these fish. The unique Filipino environment where these fishes are cultured adds to the fish's exquisite flavor and meat quality.
Don't worry! You don't have to go to Dagupan, Philippines, to have this magnificent bangus breed. All you have to do is remember how this fish looks, and your all set.
Dagupan Breed has the following characteristics:
- It has a protruding stomach that indicates a fat belly.
- It has a short head and a short mouth.
- The lower tail is shorter than the upper tail.
Aim for a Fat Belly
Any fish might look like it has a protruding stomach. Sometimes, it is just air. To ensure that you will be getting the real fat, pinch the belly, and you should feel that it is firm. If it is for, that is a guarantee that it has a magnificent belly.
Choose Fresh One
In checking the freshness of the fish, follow these guidelines.
- The gills should be bright red.
- The eyes should be clear. Whenever you are shopping for fish, always be observant if the vendors manipulate the lighting to make their fish look fresh. Some of them use a unique film for plastic to cover their lightings to deceive buyers in the eyes' color.
- It should not have any foul odor, and the meat should be intact too.
Best Served With
Hot rice - A yummy dish like this requires a perfect tandem, a bowl of hot rice. Beware! If you are on a diet, recipes like this will ruin it.
Iced Tea -of course, a meal deserves something to drink with. A perfect beverage would be Iced Tea because of its sweet flavor.
Carrot Cake - After devouring savory recipes like this, you deserve a fantastic dish after. We suggest ending your meal with a delicious carrot cake.
Conclusion
The combination of Salty and sour flavor in this dish will make you happy as fireworks of flavors burst in your mouth. Recipes like this are easy to create, and if you follow our suggestions in cooking recipes like this, we can guarantee that you will nail recipes like this perfectly. Until our next dish venture!
For more delicious recipe, visit Eat Like Pinoy!
Recipe
Best Paksiw na Bangus Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs Milkfish scaled and sliced crosswise into serving pieces
- 3 thumbs Ginger crushed
- 5 cloves Garlic crushed
- ½ cup White vinegar
- 1 cup Water
- 1 pc Eggplant chopped
- 1 pc Ampalaya chopped
- 2 pcs Long green chilies
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper cracked
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In the pot, put and arrange ginger, garlic, long green chilies, cracked black pepper and eggplant.
- Arrange milkfish slices on top.
- Add water and vinegar. Cover and cook on medium to low heat for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, sprinkle with salt to taste.
- Transfer onto a serving plate.
- Serve while hot. Share and enjoy!
