Sinigang na Bangus sa Miso (Milkfish in Sour Miso Soup)

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1½ lbs. bangus (milkfish), cleaned, gutted and sliced into serving pieces
  • 10 pcs. kamias (bilimbi fruit)
  • ¼ cup white or yellow miso paste
  • 1 pc. onion, finely chopped
  • 1 thumb-sized ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2-3 pcs. tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 bundle of mustasa (mustard greens) or romaine lettuce
  • 5-6 cups plain water or rice wash water
  • 2 tbsps. patis (fish sauce)
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. pepper
  • 1-2 tbsps. cooking oil 

PROCEDURE:
  1. In a huge saucepan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat. When the oil is already spattering, sauté the onions and ginger until the onions are translucent.
  2. Add the tomatoes and patis. Continue cooking until very aromatic but do not wilt the tomatoes.
  3. Put in the kamias fruits and water. Increase the heat to high. Stir the mixture and bring to a boil.
  4. Add the milkfish and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
  5. Scoop about one cup of simmering liquid into a bowl and carefully mash in the miso to loosen and dissolve. Add the mixture back into the saucepan and stir the liquid to combine. Keep simmering over lowest heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
  6. Put in the mustard leaves or romaine lettuce and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
  7. Place in a serving dish and serve with steamed rice while the soup is hot. Enjoy!

**Number of Servings: 4 to 5

TIPS FROM ENZ:
  1. Heating the miso too much might kill the live helpful bacteria. Do not boil over high to optimize its benefit.
  2. You may use a wide variety of natural souring ingredients such as sampalok (tamarind), bayabas (guava), green mango or santol (sandor/ wild mangoosteen). They are perfect for miso.
  3. There are lots of fish types that you can substitute for this dish. In my opinion, the best alternatives are maya-maya (red snapper), lapu-lapu (grouper), salmon, talakitok (trevally/ jack), tambakol (yellowfin tuna) and tilapia.
  4. Other variation uses hugas-bigas (rice wash water) for the broth instead of plain water. This will give a richer flavor to your soup. If you want to try this, it is advisable to prepare your rice ahead of time. Wash your uncooked rice with cold water and set aside the second rinse.