This is one of my dad’s favorite dish. Some people call it “the Philippines answer to Japan’s Sushi” since it is, basically, a dish of uncooked fish. Though, technically, it has more in common to Latin America’s ceviche since the dish is cooked by the vinegar marinade.

Ingredients

1/2 kilo of tuna fillets (or any fish that you may have on the refrigerator)

1 good-sized hand of ginger, peeled and sliced (this is to get rid of the unwanted smell)

1  head of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 white onion, thinly sliced (or you could use red onion if you want it traditional)

5 green chili peppers, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch thick slices

(you may not use this if you don’t want it to be spicy hot)

1 red or green bell pepper, diced

2 cups of vinegar (if you have suka’ng tuba, or coconut vinegar, then it is preferable)

salt and pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup of kalamansi juice (lemon)

1 1/2 cup of kakang gata

(coconut cream, you could discard with this if you don’t have any)

 

Cooking procedure

Make sure that you fillet the fish moderately thin and without bones and skin. Then cut the fillet into cubes. Put it into a bowl and sprinkle with some salt and pepper, make sure to mix it well.

Pour in the vinegar, mix well, and put it in the refrigerator for about an hour or so.

Drain a little of the excess marinade. Put in the rest of the ingredients, mix well.

Put it back in the refrigerator and let it chill for about 30 minutes.

Serve it cold.

 

The light lemongrass-infused broth of Visayan pochero is both hearty and comforting. Use the freshest produce possible to make this dish shine.

Pocherong Bisaya Ingredients

1 kilo beef, use shank with bone marrow

oil, for sautéing

1 onion, quartered

1 cup leeks, sliced

10 cloves garlic, smashed

4 stalks lemongrass (tanglad), smashed

1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled

2 ears fresh sweet corn, sliced into 2 cobs

1 cup fresh bamboo shoots

1 beef bouillon cube

1 potatoes, peeled and sliced in half

2 bunches pechay leaves

1 cabbage, quartered

salt, to taste

soy sauce, to serve

How to Cook Pocherong Bisaya

Boil the beef shank in a pot of water for 5 minutes. Skim off any impurities that rise to the surface. Strain and set beef aside.

Heat oil and sauté onions, leeks, garlic, lemongrass, and ginger in a pot over medium heat.

Add the beef shanks and enough water to cover. Add corn and bamboo shoots, if using.

Simmer for 2 to 3 hours or until the beef is tender.

When beef is tender, strain broth into a bowl. Discard grit accumulated in the strainer. Return the clear broth to the pot and add beef bouillon cube (if using), potato, pechay, and cabbage. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot with a dipping sauce of soy sauce, siling labuyo, and calamansi.