Sinaing na Bilong Bilong or Moonfish cooked in sour broth. Otherwise known as isdang Chabita, Hiwas, and Sapatiro is a favorite native recipe in the Philippines. This recipe is best cooked in a large claypot, with wilted banana leaves, dried kamias and sampaloc fruit to get the authentic native taste of Sinaing na Isda. Happy cooking and enjoy!

Sinaing na Bilong Bilong

INGREDIENTS:
1 kilo Bilong bilong Fish (Moonfish)
1 cup dried kamias, soaked in water
1 cup Tamarind fruit, wash & cracked
¼ kilo Pork fat & skin
½ cup rock salt
pepper, to taste
banana leaves, wilted

INSTRUCTIONS:
1 Clean and prepare bilong bilong. Once the fish is cleaned well, sprinkle it with salt all over.
2 In a deep pan, add little oil and fry up the pork fat and skin until soft enough, then remove pork.
3 Fry the fish slightly. Tie it up with wilted banana leaves to prevent from getting mash while cooking (optional).
4 In a large clay pot (palayok), layer the fish and top it with pork fat,dried kamias, and tamarind fruits.
5 Season with generous salt and pinch of pepper on top.
6 Pour just enough water to keep the fish submerged). Bring to a boil and adjust heat over low until all the water almost evaporates.
7 When there’s little water left, turn off the heat. This is what they call patis ng isda.
8 Remove the fish from the broth and transfer to a serving dish lined with wilted banana leaves.
9 Serve the fish with fresh slices of tomatoes, onions and kamias. Or you may also fry the fish until golden brown along with the kamias.
Serve and enjoy!