Pesang Bulig

My mother was the one who taught me how to cook a lot of dishes. Even at the young age of seven, my siblings and I were pretty much aware of our regular obligations to prepare our food. It was because of those chores that I learned many types of cooking.

Dr. Randy G. PENA

SASMUAN

Pesang Bulig

POT 3-5 AVERAGE 2 HOURS

bulig (mudfish) cooking oil patatas (medium potatoes) sibuyas (onion) bawang (garlic) laya (ginger) asin (salt) paminta (black pepper) patis (fish sauce) bunch of pechay repolyu (small cabbage) 4 cups of rice washing The sizes of these ingredients depend on your preference, as some like to have these in big chunks. When these three turn golden brown, pour in the patis (fish sauce), and mix it thoroughly. Afterwards, put the cleaned bulig (mudfish) into the mixture in an arrangement that will be easy for them to be pulled out when serving. While in the pot, cover the bulig (mudfish) with the sautéed ingredients. Let it stand for a few minutes as the fish absorbs the oils and flavors. Pour in enough rice water to cover the fish. After the rice water, add the repolyu (small cabbage), the pachay and the patatas (medium potatoes) ; Let it all boil. Once it reaches the boiling point, add asin (salt) to taste.

In cooking the Pesang Bulig, I usually fry the patatas (medium potatoes) and bulig (mudfish) to start with. I prefer to do that as it lets the centers thoroughly cook before pouring them into the boiling liquid mixture. In the pot, sauté the cut up bawang (garlic), laya (ginger) and sibuyas (onion) with just enough cooking oil to soak them. You need to remember when boiling the bulig (mudfish), it should be monitored carefully, as they have soft tissues that will disintegrate when overcooked. There should be a balance between how done the mudfish is, and the vegetables that cook during the simmering procedure.

I was born as the second child of a simple family from a faraway land. As a child, I dreamed of becoming a prince of the world and living a bountiful life. When I was born, my mother told me that I was a bouncing baby boy, so she gave me a nickname of “kundol” ( winter melon). In my childhood, I ran errands and aspired to become a car mechanic and even thought about becoming a gasoline boy. Surprisingly, I ended up as a physician: a proud MD and a proud promDI.