I have always loved tuyo - especially paired with steamed rice. Tuyo or dried fish is a common breakfast food for Filipino families. Some don't like it because of the very strong smell when you cook. My husband retreats to our bedroom when I cook this even if the exhaust is already turned on. I didn't like tuyo only when I was pregnant.
Bottling the tuyo is a good way to elevate the dish to a whole new level. Oh and yes if you bottle it, you only need to cook it once a week instead of at least 3 times every week. Haha! Anyway, for this recipe, I prefer to use "tunsoy". It is also commonly known as tamban or Philippine herring.
INGREDIENTS
200 grams tunsoy (or any kind of dried fish available in your local supermarket)
1/2 cup corn oil or extra virgin olive oil (I prefer EVOO)
1 garlic head, peeled and roughly chopped
1 white or red onion, diced
1 teaspoon arrabiata spice mix (or you can use chill flakes)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (for color and flavor)
1 teaspoon dried herbs (marjoram, thyme or oregano - you choose)
1 bottle - choose the one used for bottling (sterilise before using)
For this recipe, I also used pickled jalapeño pepper and sundried tomato to add a little more complexity in the flavors. The sweet tomato and the spicy pepper mixed with the rest of the ingredients really blend together to give you that gourmet feel.
HOW TO COOK?
01 Heat a little bit of oil in the pan and sauté garlic, and onion then add the rest of the ingredients except the first. Be careful so you don't burn any of the ingredients. Set aside once done.
02 In the same pan, fry the tuyo until the scales start to come off a little bit. Be generous in putting oil in the pan. You can use the same oil when you bottle anyway so nothing gets wasted.
03 Once the tuyo is cooked, remove the scales, head, bones and tail. Personally, I prefer to just remove the head. I like it this way as it resembles Spanish sardines.
04 Add the herbs and spices back in the pan so the flavors will start to blend. Make sure to cook in low heat at this point.
05 Set aside to cool before bottling.
06 Fill the sterilized bottle with extra vigil olive oil or corn oil and then add the mixture.
07 Let the dish set in the bottle for at least one week for the flavors to marry. You can leave it in your kitchen counter. This is probably the hardest step in this process. Hahaha!
NOTE: You may also opt to add vinegar (same measurement as the oil).
Serve with rice and enjoy to your heart's content. It may not look like the real gourmet food in topnotch restaurants but I tell you, it is really yummy. I always eat more than 1 cup of rice when this is what I have either for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I just love it!
TOTAL COST - more or less 80 pesosYIELD - 2 bottlesSERVINGS - 6 to 8
If you try to make this recipe, please share photos or the link in the comments below. I would love to know how it turns out. If you have a different recipe, please share so I can try to make it as well.
Happy weekend!
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