Fried Milkfish and Nipa Vinegar of Hagonoy

One of my favorite Ulam, Fried Bangus or milkfish, The best when matched with different dippings or side dish - pure vinegar from Hagonoy, fried eggplants, fresh tomatoes and "bagoong" or shrimp paste.
Yes, the dish looks like Daing na Bangus or marinated milkfish but it's not, we just fried it that way. That is, fresh milk fish cut half from the back, head to tail, and divided into four pieces, add a little salt and pepper and it's ready to fry.
Another thing I really miss is the Sukang Hagonoy, just like Sukang Paombong, there's sweetness in it's sour taste, only thing is I'm sure I'm having pure vinegar because it's from my Uncle's Sasahan (nipa cluster) and Tuba (it's like an alcoholic drink among the farmers) straight to the Tapayan (big clay jars).
My Mom prepared this dish many times when we're home back in the Philippines last December, because she knows we really miss the kind of fish not present here in Shang. Thanks Mom!

FlipTrip 05: Mylovehadfun!

New Year na, Nightout pa sa 10th!

New Year's day night-out with my siblings Part2, this time with Antu, Pam and Eio.
A pose with the Roots of Nature at the 10th. (Hope we had a clearer shot.)
The Roots of Nature recently launched their first album with "Lipad" as the carrier single which is also the theme song of the movie "Dayo".

National Shrine of St. Anne

It's Christmas season at the National Shrine of St. Anne in Hagonoy, Bulacan.
Photo taken a day before the start of "Simbang Gabi" (12/15/08).

Bortdey!

Happy Together!

Glad to be together again on Christmas day!

Vacation 08: "Mud Crab"

Vacation 08: Dad's Pond

 

Vacation 08: K'yapo

 

Vacation 08: The day we went fishing

Skye is very excited to go fishing. Since the day we arrived home from Shanghai first Monday of December, she's been asking my siblings - Tito Kuz and Ninang Chette, to make her a fishing rod, but he is busy with the upcoming battle and gig, and she has to go to work for a week. She's been asking me everyday, "Mom when can we go fishing? I'm very excited!" I just said we should wait until Saturday because that's when everybody's available.
She woke up so early that morning, which is very strange, and went to her Ninang Chette's bedroom and ask her to make the fishing rod. Everything's all set by 9am. Chette made 2 fishing rods and we borrowed 2 extra fishing rods from our cousins. All of us were excited because it's Skye's first fishing experience, and I am excited, too, because it's been a long time since i did this.

So, we're on our way now to the fishpond


setting up...

placing worm on Skye's fishing hook

waiting for her first catch.......

after changing spots

she caught her first big Tilapia fish, Yay! When she felt her rod moved she asked for my help and I told her to pull it up and she did and we were all shouting for joy. She stopped to pose with a smile after covering her face and all from the splashes of water because of the wiggling of the fish, I think she's got mixed emotions. After that first one, she's on her own. She was the first one to catch the biggest fish among us, I caught a what she calls a kid fish and her tita Cath had a tiny fish, my cousins caught some, too, and Chette got all sizes. Skye caught 7 fishes in all, and she was very happy.


Snowe, my younger daughter, was also there trying to catch some fish but she wasn't able to get one, but she enjoyed being there shouting with us evrytime we caught one.

we had our lunch there and caught some more and headed back home.

and the fishes that we caught went into the grill that night, dipped with calamansi juice and soy sauce, Yummy!