Lunch at Cabalen

We had a couple of gift certificates from Cabalen that were about to expire so we decided to use them before going to the supermarket.

3 ways to cook lapu-lapu

Papa has a suki (favored vendor) who sells him lapu-lapu at a very affordable price. That's why we sometimes have dinners like this. The easiest, of course, is deep fried lapu-lapu which tastes absolutely delicious just plainly seasoned with salt and pepper. Another favorite is pesang lapu-lapu, which is simply making a soup out of the fish head with cabbage, pechay, ginger and onion. Perfect for rainy nights and even better when paired with sauteed garlic, onions and tomatoes and patis. And to keep my Papa's cholesterol in check, I also learned to cook steamed lapu-lapu.

Here's how:
Make 2 small slits at both  sides of the fish and season with salt and pepper and about 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Stuff the slits with chopped ginger and green onion or leeks.(Use ordinary onions as substitute if you run out, like we did. Boo! ) Steam for 30 minutes. Longer for bigger fish. You may also pour some hot oil on it but that would defeat the purpose of a healthy meal. Serve at once! You can also pair it with my Coron sauce.

Filipinos love dipping sauces so here's the perfect sauce for this, inspired by our trip to Coron:

Saute garlic, onion and ginger in a pan. Add half a cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup of water, 2 teaspoons of sugar   and 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce. Bring to boil and then add some chili flakes or fresh  sliced sili  for an added kick.