Recipe: Kombucha Fish Paksiw

Every household that prepares fish paksiw has their very own version of it just like adobo. Today I’m cooking with months old #kombucha that has been sitting inside a scoby hotel. It’s super sour, flavorful and a good alternative to vinegar and other souring agents that’s used for making this dish. A kombucha is a fermented tea using a scoby and a good starter tea. The blend that I’m using is from 50% oolong and 50% green tea, aged or rather fermented for a month and a half. 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 small shallot, sliced

1 thumb sized ginger, julienned 

1 small stalk lemongrass, white part, sliced

200 grams bangus back fillets 

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp crushed strawberries black peppercorns 

1-2 pcs sili spada

1-1/2 cups kombucha vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar 

1/2 tsp salt

3 basil leaves julienned 

1. Sauté shallots, garlic, ginger and lemongrass in oil briefly and add the fish on top. 
2. Fill in with the remaining ingredients and poach in kombucha vinegar for 15 -20 mins. Fish should cook quickly. 
3. Season with sugar and salt. 
4. Top with julienned basil leaves. 

Serve with garlic rice.