I cooked Bangus En Tocho after I came back from the Asian market. The combined aromas of the pan-fried bangus (milkfish), in the sauce flavored with ginger and salty tausi (salted black beans) immediately transported me back to Tarlac, my childhood home, when Mom cooked this classic for our family meals. As I added the soft, silky tofu cubes and sweet Jersey tomatoes to the dish I made in my American kitchen, I was wishing I had cooked this for Mom. Though we had many moments of cooking together, I never really celebrated Mother’s Day with Mom.
If you haven’t had it yet, bangus or milkfish is a white fish variety commonly found in the Philippines. Fishery experts regard the bangus as the backbone of the country’s aquaculture. Commercial production of fish farming like bangus goes back to a century ago. The Philippines is one of the top producers of this fish variety in the world, and exports to the USA, the UK, Canada and Japan. Here in America, I buy bangus at the Asian market. The bangus has a white meaty flesh that tastes sweet when cooked.
Mother’s Day is not a Filipino holiday. It was only a celebration that came around in the later years ,after Mom died; brought on by the commercialization of the event by retail stores. Mother’s Day is a ‘western concept’ and as Filipinos, we read about it or saw how Americans celebrated in the movies. I have no regrets, though. I didn’t need the retail industry or Hollywood to tell me how to honor my mother. I spent many moments cooking and learning from Mommy. Nothing else made me closer to Mom than those memorable days. That, and a platterful of this divine Bangus en Tocho when she made it.
Bangus En Tocho
Equipment
- Large saucepan, skillet or wok
- Fish turner or large cooking spoon
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 pounds whole bangus (milkfish), cleaned, gutted, sliced ask fish monger to clean fish for free
- 1 teaspoon salt, to marinate fish
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, to coat fish
For Tocho Sauce:
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, divided, 1/8 cup for fish; 1/8 cup for tofu and saute
- 1 whole (8 oz) extra firm tofu, drained
- 1 whole white or yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
- 1 knob (1-inch) fresh ginger, peeled, sliced thin
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup vegetable broth, or water
- 2 Tablespoons tausi (salted black beans), drained, rinsed; canned
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon toyo (soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 stalks scallion greens, sliced, for garnish
For serving:
- steamed rice
Instructions
To prepare and pan-fry bangus:
- At the market, ask the fish monger to clean and gut the fish; then have him slice it in fillet sizes.Wash the fish through running water. Pat dry with paper towels.Sprinkle salt all over the fish, making sure the inside flesh is seasoned. Set aside for 20 minutes in the refrigerator, till ready to cook. Coat the fish slices with flour all over. *Note: I do this to prevent fish from sticking to the skillet.
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, pour 1/8 cup of the vegetable oil. When oil is hot enough, pan fry the fish slices. Fry each side for about 6 to 7 minutes. Use a large turner to turn the slices over. Fry pieces evenly till they are a light brown.Remove the fish from the skillet. Drain on parchment paper or paper towels to remove excess oil. Set aside while you cook the Tocho Sauce.
To cook the Tocho Sauce:
- Use the same large skillet or wok. If oil has been absorbed by the pan-fried fish, pour the rest of the 1/8 cup of vegetable oil.Over medium heat, pan fry the whole slab of tofu till brown on both sides. This should take about 5 minutes on each side. Turn the tofu only once or else it will crumble.Transfer tofu to a plate. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Set aside.
- Using the same skillet and remaining oil, over medium heat, saute the garlic, onions, and ginger. Add the tomatoes and cook till soft for about 2 minutes.Pour the broth, vinegar and soy sauce. Add the tausi (salted black beans).Simmer for 5 minutes more for the flavors to blend.
- Return the fried fish slices and the cubed tofu to the skillet. Spoon some of the liquid over the fish and tofu for flavors to mix together. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes more.Garnish with sliced scallions. Serve warm with rice.
Cook's comments:
- You can substitute sea bass for bangus . I have used sea bass for this recipe when I couldn't find Bangus in the Asian markets. The flesh of sea bass is meaty and sweet, similar to the bangus.
Copyright Notice:
- Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition information provided in the recipe links is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.Copyright Notice: Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE Asian in America recipes on this blog, my original recipes, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC by Elizabeth Ann Quirino. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
Nutrition
Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition information provided in the recipe links is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.
Copyright Notice: Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE Asian in America recipes on this blog, my original recipes, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC by Elizabeth Ann Quirino. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
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