October is Indigenous Peoples Month: Air Fried Stuffed Milkfish (Bangus) | Amrey’s Kitchen™

Grilled Seafood is a dish I used to enjoy a whole lot, especially during my southern sojourn, particularly Grilled Tuna Panga. With the abundance of different seafood and shellfish to choose from, the types of grilled dishes are more than enough to go on a bi-monthly rotation if you are to enjoy it 2 to 3 times a day. And I still have not tasted every grilled seafood out there to boot! Although the Mindanao region has been blessed with an abundance of Tuna, Blue Marlin, Curacha, and other crustaceans, the National Fish of the Philippines is the Milkfish aka ‘Bangus’. Pangasinan is widely known in the country as the place to enjoy Bangus with their Bangus Festival held every 30th of April. 

I remember the long queues of charcoal grills, lined with whole bangus, some are stuffed, some are not. The whole of Dagupan City smelled like barbecue, okay, prolly just the main area where the grills were placed. I’ve only been to this festivity once but the memory will always stay with me, how my taste buds enjoyed the simply seasoned fresh fish, grilled to perfection. It was also in Pangasinan that I was introduced to liquid bagoong*. They usually serve this with some calamansi (Philippine Citrus similar to lime) and chilies as a dip to go with your grilled bangus. Having this, served on a banana leaf with white rice, and shared with your loved ones and friends, whilst listening to live bands and/or watching the parade, makes up the entirety of the festival. Although barbecuing and grilling are global cooking styles or techniques, there are several ways to cook with charcoal and open flame. Something charred is a taste that has found a place in most people’s tastebuds. Similar to deep fried food, grilled food is also considered to be a type of comfort food by most. 

*Bagoong is a salty condiment in the Philippines. It is made with fermented fish, krill, or shrimp and can be in paste or liquid form. Due to the ingredients used and how it is processed, it has a very distinct smell that you either love or hate, just like durian. For my #vegan lovelies, fret not for there are available #veganbagoong recipes you can try. Or you can simply order a tub of Amrey’s Kitchen™ Vegan Bagoong for #conveniencecooking.

However, what I noticed though is that this is usually enjoyed in the evening. Of course, you can just go ahead and go to your favourite restaurant and order some of their grilled dishes for brunch. Still in general, if you want to have the full experience of grilled food, the most frequented grillers don’t open until late in the afternoon, preparing for the dinner rush. Most likely, this is due to the heat involved when grilling and if the sun is so high, one might collapse. This is my thinking. Another factor is that grilled food is best enjoyed over a bottle or two of ice-cold beer which is something that most people can not do between 8 am - 5 pm.

It’s time for some Katutubo 101 before you head on to the kitchen to make this #easytoprepare Air-Fried Stuffed Milkfish.

I used my own spiced vinegar as a dip. But as mentioned earlier, if you have liquid bagoong, you may use that too! And as always, I’d love to see your mouthwatering photos of this Air-Fried Stuffed Bangus on IG @amreyskitchen (#amreyskitchen #amapolism). Remember, sharing is loving. Let’s keep spreading LOVE with Amrey’s Kitchen™ mindfully crafted recipes and creations!

The music you’ll be hearing with the reels for the whole month of October will be the digitized recordings and collection of my movement mentor in ‘Sanghabi’, Orlan, who has already passed on. With his teachings, and knowing that his spirit is always with us, I am truly grateful to have learned from him. And now that I am ‘digitizing’ his cassette tapes, I can’t help but be nostalgic and very ‘sensitive’ these past few months.

Happy stuffin’, lovelies! #mettalove