Organic cooking: fish "tamalis"

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Organic cooking?  

• Use banana leaves instead of aluminum foil. 
• Don't fry, steam with banana leaves. 
• Do away with plastics and Styrofoam.  
• And don't use microwave oven.
• Use claypot lined with banana leaves.  
  
• Wood fuel imparts a natural taste.   
• Cook with low fire. Don't overcook.   
• Serve while hot, let your guest unwrap with gusto.      

 The photos below show how fresh fish such as dilis (anchovies), dalangang bukid, and tilapia) are cooked into tamalis.  Wash, add onion, ginger, tomato, and a dash of salt.  Wrap with wilted banana leaves. Arrange in the pot, cover, and cook slowly with firewood or charcoal.

Wrap individually, one serving size.

Wilt banana leaves over fire. Follow one-size rule.

Prepare ingredients, mix well. Frying pan can do, just line it with banana leaves, before putting the individually wrapped fish. Be sure to cover the pan while cooking. This is the principle of steaming.

NOTE: Keep banana plants in your backyard.  Banana has many uses, other than food, mushroom that grows at its base, and coolness it imparts in the surroundings. Leaves are used to polish the floor, as padding when ironing clothes, wrapper to keep vegetables fresh outside - or in the refrigerator. You can't make suman, bibingka, tupig without this biggest (and versatile) leaf in the world.