Bangus
At last, Daing na Bangus in Colorado! But of course it has to be Daing na Bangus, the milkfish did come from the Philippines after all….it’s that special a milkfish!
The milkfish is known as the Philippine national fish. I’ve tasted milkfish from Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan and none of those compare to the Philippine milkfish from Bonoan town in Pangasinan province. My mother specially ordered bangus from Bonoan when my sisters and I were there for a short visit in April this year.
She had it waiting for us when we got home. It was Inihaw na Bangus, grilled over coals. It was all stuffed with local tomatoes and onions, wrapped in banana leaves before grilling. I arrived in the morning but was too tired from the trip to eat. I also got started on a talking jag and promptly let out all the “kwentos” and you could say my mouth just got to busy to eat.
My two other sisters arrived later that night. It was only then, when one sister partook of the bangus, did I realize how hungry I had become after the long trip and day. I sat down beside her and started eating kamayan-style with a relish I haven’t experienced in years….
I’ve never had a dish have such an effect on me. Please pardon the drama…my sisters did call me Vic Pacia when I was a kid after all. (BTW, does anyone remember Vic Pacia, always overacting (OA) comedian of Philippine television during the 60’s and 70’s?)
Anyway, as I was saying…It totally surprised me how delicious Bonoan bangus could be. I had totally forgotten how sweet and tender the flesh is. I totally forgot how heavenly a combination grilling your fish wrapped in banana leaves and over charcoal, with those tomatoes and onions inside that heavenly fish could be. I had totally forgotten and each bite I took of that meal was pure and total pleasure wrapped in disbelief, nostalgia and who knows what else…or maybe it was the jetlag…
So now I’ve written too much for just one post….more on the daing na bangus tomorrow!
July 9th, 2006 at 6:01 am
Hi! I’ve not had any bangus for years. I’m drooling at the photo. I love the belly part and daing na bangus is/was my favourite! Of course there’s sinigang na bangus, ginisang bangus, etc… *sigh*
July 9th, 2006 at 4:45 pm
hi mae, thanks for dropping by. you’re right on about the bangus belly. back home, there’s competition from salmon belly, but I’ll still go with bangus. my ultimate bangus dish these days is daing…nothing better to stink up the house on a summer day when you can open all your widnows….weeee!!!
August 12th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
[...] This particular brand was mediocre. The taste was not bad, but it lacked that balance of acidity and sweetness associated with a good atsara. It also lacked bell peppers and onions which would have given it more flavor. If you noticed in my previous post, the atsara looked pretty pale and boring. [...]
August 13th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
[...] As I was saying in my previous post, I finally made Daing na Bangus in Colorado when I found milkfish that actually came from the Philippines. [...]
March 27th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
daing is the best for me(toasted)specially with toyo and kalamansi with red chilli—-how i miss home cooking.
April 1st, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Hey Jimbo, thanks for dropping in and leaving a comment. I missed Pinoy foods more than I thought I would when living in the US too. If you look for a Filipino store, you just might be able to get frozen bangus…
oh btw, now that I’m back home I can easily get boneless Bonuan daing na bangus at SM supermarket…only about 10 minutes from our place….I cannot believe my luck!