Paksiw na Isda - My Exotic Recipe (Inun-unan Recipe)

My Exotic Inun-onan Recipe 
... served and ready to eat...

I always do my own experiments with cooking.  And I am accustomed to mix ingredients that I want to try out.  Today, I have tried cooking one of the most famous dish for the common overseas Filipino workers.  It's Paksiw na Isda (Fish in Vinegar).  This is common to those working abroad because of its shelf life. It last for more than a week even if its not refrigerated.  It should last for a month if you keep it inside the fridge.  Hence, when you want to eat, you just take a portion bit-by-bit and heat it up in the microwave.

Here is my Paksiw na Isda Recipe.  I call it my very own Exotic Inun-onan Forever recipe!  What's with the "exotic" you may ask?  You'll soon find out.

Exotic Inun-onan Recipe

A Fish Paksiw Recipe by Jack Di

Ingredients:

♦  500g Fish Fillet  - cut each fillet into 3 parts. I used a frozen pack of Suchi Fish Fillet that I bought from the grocery store.

♦  1 pc Ampalaya (bittergourd) - seeded, sliced in quarters and washed

♦  1 pack of young Okra (lady fingers) - heads and tips taken and washed

♦  300g of Golden Enoki Mushrooms  - now you see why this is an exotic recipe.  I bought 3 packets of 100g each.

♦  1 cup Onions - sliced and chopped thinly

♦  1/4 cup Garlic - crushed finely

♦  1/2 cup Ginger - sliced very thinly

♦  2/3 cup Vinegar - preferably Datu Puti brand.  If you dont have it there, use any brand of rice vinegar.  I am away from home so I used the later.

♦  5 tbsp Soy Sauce - preferable Silver Swan brand.  Im lucky I got one pouch left.

♦  Iodized Salt, MSG, Powdered Black Pepper

♦  3/4 cup water

♦  2 tbsp Pork Lard or used cooking oil (optional)

Procedure:

1.  Lay-down the sliced ginger first.  Distribute it nicely in the bottom of your pot.

2.  Sprinkle a handful of chopped onions and garlic.

3.  Line some okra and ampalaya

4.  Lay-down the fish fillet nicely.

5. Sprinkle some salt generously but evenly.  Then shower it with a comfortable amounts of MSG and pepper powder.

6.  Spread-over the remaining spices.

7.  Pour half of the vinegar and soy sauce.

8.  Put the golden enoki mushrooms in the middle over the fish fillet.

9.  Line up the remaining okra and ampalaya in the sides.

10.  Sprinkle some salt, msg and pepper again.  And pour in the remaining vinegar and soy sauce.

Exotic Inun-onan Recipe
...cooked....

11.  Add water.

12.  Cooking time.  The moment it boils, reduce the flame to a low level and let it be there for 10 minutes.

13.  If you got some pork lard, add 2 spoonfuls of it.

14.  Then turn of the fire.  Do not open the pot for 5 minutes.

I have this habit of confidently "estimating" the seasonings so that I could get the desired taste.  I usually "listen" to my nose.  If it smells good, even if its not cooked yet, then its good already.

I always cook my Inun-onan Forever or my Fish Paksiw a little saltier.  I guess, this is how this should be.  And the combination of salt and vinegar is I believe what this dish last longer in the shelf.

What makes this recipe exotic is the mushroom. I love to eat mushrooms.  Besides the healthy benefits from this edible fungi, I really like its  meaty taste.  I prefer Shitake mushrooms actually.  But I always like to experiment.  At one time, I used Oyster mushrooms. Sometimes I used Buttons.  In this recipe, I used the Golden Enoki Mushrooms basically because it was put on sale in the groceries!  He-he-he!

This is my Inun-onan Forever... my very own Inun-onan Recipe.  I cook for myself.  I use the ingredients I like and I always eat what I cook.

I am unable to give you very defined pictures 'coz I don't have any digital camera with me.  The pictures that I have in this recipe are taken from my Nokia X3-02 cell phone which I bought a few weeks ago.  It's only 5mp but I know it's decent enough for this purpose.

If you have some comments or suggestions, just let me know.

Chow!