Gindara fillets in coconut cream

Serves 5 to 6.

Ingredients :

500 grams of gindara fillets¹
2 potatoes, about 250 grams
1 whole garlic
1 onion (I used red)
1 plump and juicy tomato
1 bell pepper²
a handful of chicharo (snap peas, mangetout)
2 finger chilis (siling haba)
2 celery stalks
half a cup of cut onion leaves for garnish
2 cups of coconut cream (I used canned)
patis (fish sauce), to taste
juice of one lemon, or about 3 tablespoonfuls of kalamansi juice
3-4 tbsps. of cooking oil³

Cooking procedure :

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes.

Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan. Cook the potatoes until done and the edges lightly browned. This will take about 10 minutes if the potatoes have been cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes. While the potatoes fry, prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Crush and peel the garlic. Mince.

Peel the onion and slice finely.

Dice the tomato.

Trim the celery sticks and cut diagonally, about half an inch thick.

Core the bell pepper, scape off the seeds and veins and dice.

Trim the ends and sides of the chicharo.

Cut the finger chilis into 2 to 3 portions.

Cut the gindara fillets into bite-size pieces, roughly the same size as the potatoes.

When the potatoes are done, add the garlic, onion and tomato to the pan and cook for a few seconds. Next, add the celery, chicharo, chilis and bell pepper. Stir fry for a few minutes. Add the fish. Cook, tossing, until the fish starts to turn opaque. Pour in the coconut cream, season with patis and stir. Simmer⁴ until the fish is done.⁵

Turn off the heat, pour in the lemon or kalamansi juice, stir and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with onion leaves.

Serve hot with rice.

Notes:

¹ Any white, firm, fleshy fish can be substituted

² Red, green or yellow bell pepper will be good.

³ If you are not using a non-stick pan, you will need more cooking oil to cook the potatoes. Just pour off any excess after the potatoes are done.

⁴ Let the coconut cream simmer without allowing it to reach boiling point to prevent curdling.

⁵ The fish will be done in five to seven minutes. Do not overcook to prevent the fish from crumbling. It should be cooked through but not mushy.

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